love the action around Ningbo, while you have plenty of frontierdefend this seems to be working in your favour with the Japs stretch along a very long front themselves, nice progress 
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i reckon you should broker a temporary peace with the nationalists to counter the more threatening japanese.
good aar, go guangxi!
good aar, go guangxi!
It'll be hard to take back the coast and kick off the Japanese without a powerful ally. Besides Yunnan.
Li Jishen stood and watched with Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi as their nine divisions slowly marched by. All three men knew they were tired, but they couldn’t afford to stop. The Nationalists were beginning to awaken from, Li Jishen supposed, their stupor of having a virtually open frontier in front of them. Time was of the essence, the Japanese had to be defeated before the few units still holding the Nationalists were overwhelmed by sheer numbers, if it ever came to that.
The Nationalists had actually woken up rather early in the month, taking Yangzhou with a division and then pushing southward toward Nanjing. Shermentcheff and Golukjin, however, reacted rapidly and attacked the division, throwing it back to Xuzhou. Shermentcheff, however, predicted that the Nationalists would soon attack Zhengzhou and declined to follow up and reclaim Yangzhou. Golukjin, of course, was needed to help contain Shanghai and thus could not move from his positions.
The Nationalists were waking, but were still ineffectual as always.
As soon as Lindemann reached the sea, the Japanese pocket at Ningbo was attacked. Bai Chongxi launched his corps in assault, supported by Li Jishen and Li Zongren from Hangzhou and Lindemann from Wenzhou. The sole Japanese division in Ningbo was shattered, and retreating Japanese soldiers from Wenzhou—who had thought that Ningbo would be a safe haven—were also eradicated. Li Jishen smiled, it was a small victory but still a victory, shortening the front against the Japanese and destroying their units.
Ningbo, the first Japanese coastal pocket to be reduced.
As soon as Bai Chongxi had reclaimed Ningbo for Guangxi and returned to Hangzhou, Li Jishen ordered the attack on Shanghai begin. Li Zongren’s corps was chosen to recapture the city, while Golukjin, Li Jishen and Bai Chongxi would support his thrust. The four Japanese divisions in Shanghai were all leaderless, greatly impacting their defensive coordination. During the fighting, Li Jishen had distinguished himself as a specialist in urban warfare, forcing the decisive breach of the enemy lines. The Shanghai pocket was destroyed.
Shanghai, the second of the doomed Japanese pockets.
Li Jishen became widely regarded as the foremost expert in urban warfare during the battle.
Shermentcheff’s prediction proved correct soon after the victory at Shanghai, as the Nationalists first reoccupied Fuyang and then attacked Zhengzhou from all sides, eager no doubt to regain the admittedly minor industries of the city. It was defended by four poorly equipped Yunnanese divisions. With Shermentcheff’s aid, in the form of an attack on Fuyang to divert the attentions of one division, Long Yun succeeded in holding the city.
The Nationalists began a campaign of reconquest in the north—or attempted to, it didn’t get off to a hopeful start.
With three of the four corps involved in the conquest of Shanghai by then moving southward—Golukjin’s excepted, as the northern frontier needed to be guarded still—the Japanese knew that they needed to move quickly. As such, they attacked Shangrao, held by Kravelkin’s two divisions—he had been recently promoted to lt. general and had received one of the newly trained divisions. Li Jishen was quick to take advantage of their distraction with Kravelkin’s tenacious defense and ordered the five Yunnanese divisions in Pingxiang and Nanchang to attack Ganzhou, supported by Chen Jitang’s four in Shaoguan. The Japanese, who interestingly had a leader this time—the skilful Kawabe Masakasu—were soundly defeated and thrown back toward Chao’an. Kravelkin was able to hold on to Shangrao.
The Japanese offensive quickly turned into a desperate and ultimately failed defense.
Thus had ended the major fighting of the month, the Guangxi forces had performed well and destroying six Japanese divisions in battle. However, with the Japanese realizing that the Guangxi would not be a push-over, they were sure to throw more divisions into the fray. Li Jishen frowned, the Japanese had to be defeated before their greater numbers could become decisive.
The Nationalists had actually woken up rather early in the month, taking Yangzhou with a division and then pushing southward toward Nanjing. Shermentcheff and Golukjin, however, reacted rapidly and attacked the division, throwing it back to Xuzhou. Shermentcheff, however, predicted that the Nationalists would soon attack Zhengzhou and declined to follow up and reclaim Yangzhou. Golukjin, of course, was needed to help contain Shanghai and thus could not move from his positions.
The Nationalists were waking, but were still ineffectual as always.
As soon as Lindemann reached the sea, the Japanese pocket at Ningbo was attacked. Bai Chongxi launched his corps in assault, supported by Li Jishen and Li Zongren from Hangzhou and Lindemann from Wenzhou. The sole Japanese division in Ningbo was shattered, and retreating Japanese soldiers from Wenzhou—who had thought that Ningbo would be a safe haven—were also eradicated. Li Jishen smiled, it was a small victory but still a victory, shortening the front against the Japanese and destroying their units.
Ningbo, the first Japanese coastal pocket to be reduced.
As soon as Bai Chongxi had reclaimed Ningbo for Guangxi and returned to Hangzhou, Li Jishen ordered the attack on Shanghai begin. Li Zongren’s corps was chosen to recapture the city, while Golukjin, Li Jishen and Bai Chongxi would support his thrust. The four Japanese divisions in Shanghai were all leaderless, greatly impacting their defensive coordination. During the fighting, Li Jishen had distinguished himself as a specialist in urban warfare, forcing the decisive breach of the enemy lines. The Shanghai pocket was destroyed.
Shanghai, the second of the doomed Japanese pockets.
Li Jishen became widely regarded as the foremost expert in urban warfare during the battle.
Shermentcheff’s prediction proved correct soon after the victory at Shanghai, as the Nationalists first reoccupied Fuyang and then attacked Zhengzhou from all sides, eager no doubt to regain the admittedly minor industries of the city. It was defended by four poorly equipped Yunnanese divisions. With Shermentcheff’s aid, in the form of an attack on Fuyang to divert the attentions of one division, Long Yun succeeded in holding the city.
The Nationalists began a campaign of reconquest in the north—or attempted to, it didn’t get off to a hopeful start.
With three of the four corps involved in the conquest of Shanghai by then moving southward—Golukjin’s excepted, as the northern frontier needed to be guarded still—the Japanese knew that they needed to move quickly. As such, they attacked Shangrao, held by Kravelkin’s two divisions—he had been recently promoted to lt. general and had received one of the newly trained divisions. Li Jishen was quick to take advantage of their distraction with Kravelkin’s tenacious defense and ordered the five Yunnanese divisions in Pingxiang and Nanchang to attack Ganzhou, supported by Chen Jitang’s four in Shaoguan. The Japanese, who interestingly had a leader this time—the skilful Kawabe Masakasu—were soundly defeated and thrown back toward Chao’an. Kravelkin was able to hold on to Shangrao.
The Japanese offensive quickly turned into a desperate and ultimately failed defense.
Thus had ended the major fighting of the month, the Guangxi forces had performed well and destroying six Japanese divisions in battle. However, with the Japanese realizing that the Guangxi would not be a push-over, they were sure to throw more divisions into the fray. Li Jishen frowned, the Japanese had to be defeated before their greater numbers could become decisive.
If you could get Shanxi into your alliance, you could beat the Nationalists but also leave Shanxi in danger of being over-fun by the Japanese.
wow those japs will need to practise their swimming skills soon should your counter offensive continue this way
Li Jishen rubbed his eyes, they had that peculiar burning feeling that comes with lack of sleep. He hated complications, and several of such had cropped up in the past month. On the whole, they weren’t significant complications, but they all required attention of some sort or another. This was the exact reason Li Jishen was avoiding them in favor of focusing on the great threat still posed by the Japanese. They were, after all, being pushed back slowly.
The month began with twin offensives, against Nanping and against Guangzhou. Kravelkin, Li Jishen and Li Zongren attacked Nanping directly, supported by Bai Chongxi. At Guangzhou, Chen Jitang assaulted with von Appel supporting. Both attacks were successful—the Japanese hold on China was sliced in two and their northern bridgehead reduced in size.
The most ambitious Guangxi operation against the Japanese to date—to cut their bridgehead in two and then reduce the northern half to nothing, slowly.
Meanwhile, in the north the Nationalists were making nuisances of themselves. For about half a month, Golukjin had to march back and forth from Suzhou and Shanghai, parrying the Nationalists here and holding them there, while waiting for the Guangxi military transport bureaucracy to redeploy Lindemann from Wenzhou to Shanghai so that Golukjin could remain in place for longer than a day. Nanjing was also under constant threat from Yangzhou, finally prompting Shermentcheff to actually reconquer the city.
An attempt to silence the Nationalists for even a short while.
At the same time, further west, Yunnanese forces were moving on the Nationalists. Another Yunnanese corps was made available to Long Yun, who decided to use it to counter the Nationalist thrust right into Xi’an. Seven Yunnanese divisions attacked Luoyang, aiming to cut off the Nationalists in Xi’an and destroy them. The defense of Luoyang quickly crumbled and the fresh Yunnanese corps marched forward.
The Nationalists seemed to have extended themselves too far, with soon-to-be destructive consequences.
Ganzhou, garrisoned by five Yunnanese divisions, was attacked and overrun by Japanese troops out of Chao’an and Longyan soon after Guangzhou had fallen to Chen Jitang. Li Jishen barely had any control over the battle, but at least managed to send two divisions retreating toward Pingxiang and three toward Nanchang.
The Yunnanese, while adequate against the Nationalists, were still rather vulnerable to the Japanese.
Yunnanese inadequacy, however, did not stop Li Jishen from using them wherever and whenever he could. A single Yunnanese division, meant to hold the extreme west of the Guangxi line at Guiyang, attacked toward the undefended Japanese-held town of Bose in an attempt to nip off any Japanese aggression into Yunnan in the bud. The division has yet to reach Bose.
The march to Bose.
With Nanping retaken by Guangxi forces, Li Jishen decided to continue forward and attacked Longyan, along with Kravelkin and Li Zongren. Longyan was a central position that could hit any of four Japanese-held towns and cities and cut off a number of pockets. The attack, against relatively minor Japanese forces, was successful.
The campaign to reduce the northern bridgehead developing further.
The Yunnanese had finally reached Luoyang and immediately attacked Xi’an, with their rear constantly under minor Nationalist attack. The single Nationalist division in Xi’an was defeated, but not destroyed. The Guangxi and the Yunnanese had both forgotten—Shanxi allowed the Nationalists military access, such that one would give a full ally. The Nationalists escaped Xi’an and Li Jishen resolved to deal with Shanxi as soon as Guangxi could afford another active front.
The attack meant to destroy the Nationalists in Xi’an.
Ganzhou finally fell to Japanese forces, a fact which, Li Jishen thought wryly, would usually be a bad thing. However, it provided Guangxi with yet another golden opportunity for encirclement, and Chen Jitang acted instantly, marching his four divisions toward the undefended city of Chao’an. Between Chen Jitang and Li Jishen, Ganzhou would be encircled.
Chen Jitang’s attack on Chao’an.
Two other events of note occurred in the past both—Zhongshan University completed their work on theories of modern agriculture on the 10th and continued their work by developing methods of mechanized agriculture. On the 15th, Kwangtung Arsenal finished a prototype of a census tabulating machine. Chen Jitang then decided to throw his weight around in the world of theory and technological improvement and began developing a Great War era hospital system.
New and wonderful technologies in the works.
Li Jishen smiled, the map of China was improving, if slowly. The Japanese were being driven back and the Nationalists were being contained.
China, September 1, 1937.
The month began with twin offensives, against Nanping and against Guangzhou. Kravelkin, Li Jishen and Li Zongren attacked Nanping directly, supported by Bai Chongxi. At Guangzhou, Chen Jitang assaulted with von Appel supporting. Both attacks were successful—the Japanese hold on China was sliced in two and their northern bridgehead reduced in size.
The most ambitious Guangxi operation against the Japanese to date—to cut their bridgehead in two and then reduce the northern half to nothing, slowly.
Meanwhile, in the north the Nationalists were making nuisances of themselves. For about half a month, Golukjin had to march back and forth from Suzhou and Shanghai, parrying the Nationalists here and holding them there, while waiting for the Guangxi military transport bureaucracy to redeploy Lindemann from Wenzhou to Shanghai so that Golukjin could remain in place for longer than a day. Nanjing was also under constant threat from Yangzhou, finally prompting Shermentcheff to actually reconquer the city.
An attempt to silence the Nationalists for even a short while.
At the same time, further west, Yunnanese forces were moving on the Nationalists. Another Yunnanese corps was made available to Long Yun, who decided to use it to counter the Nationalist thrust right into Xi’an. Seven Yunnanese divisions attacked Luoyang, aiming to cut off the Nationalists in Xi’an and destroy them. The defense of Luoyang quickly crumbled and the fresh Yunnanese corps marched forward.
The Nationalists seemed to have extended themselves too far, with soon-to-be destructive consequences.
Ganzhou, garrisoned by five Yunnanese divisions, was attacked and overrun by Japanese troops out of Chao’an and Longyan soon after Guangzhou had fallen to Chen Jitang. Li Jishen barely had any control over the battle, but at least managed to send two divisions retreating toward Pingxiang and three toward Nanchang.
The Yunnanese, while adequate against the Nationalists, were still rather vulnerable to the Japanese.
Yunnanese inadequacy, however, did not stop Li Jishen from using them wherever and whenever he could. A single Yunnanese division, meant to hold the extreme west of the Guangxi line at Guiyang, attacked toward the undefended Japanese-held town of Bose in an attempt to nip off any Japanese aggression into Yunnan in the bud. The division has yet to reach Bose.
The march to Bose.
With Nanping retaken by Guangxi forces, Li Jishen decided to continue forward and attacked Longyan, along with Kravelkin and Li Zongren. Longyan was a central position that could hit any of four Japanese-held towns and cities and cut off a number of pockets. The attack, against relatively minor Japanese forces, was successful.
The campaign to reduce the northern bridgehead developing further.
The Yunnanese had finally reached Luoyang and immediately attacked Xi’an, with their rear constantly under minor Nationalist attack. The single Nationalist division in Xi’an was defeated, but not destroyed. The Guangxi and the Yunnanese had both forgotten—Shanxi allowed the Nationalists military access, such that one would give a full ally. The Nationalists escaped Xi’an and Li Jishen resolved to deal with Shanxi as soon as Guangxi could afford another active front.
The attack meant to destroy the Nationalists in Xi’an.
Ganzhou finally fell to Japanese forces, a fact which, Li Jishen thought wryly, would usually be a bad thing. However, it provided Guangxi with yet another golden opportunity for encirclement, and Chen Jitang acted instantly, marching his four divisions toward the undefended city of Chao’an. Between Chen Jitang and Li Jishen, Ganzhou would be encircled.
Chen Jitang’s attack on Chao’an.
Two other events of note occurred in the past both—Zhongshan University completed their work on theories of modern agriculture on the 10th and continued their work by developing methods of mechanized agriculture. On the 15th, Kwangtung Arsenal finished a prototype of a census tabulating machine. Chen Jitang then decided to throw his weight around in the world of theory and technological improvement and began developing a Great War era hospital system.
New and wonderful technologies in the works.
Li Jishen smiled, the map of China was improving, if slowly. The Japanese were being driven back and the Nationalists were being contained.
China, September 1, 1937.
There seems light at the end of the tunnel. Excellent updates!
But what's with the last picture? There seems to be an invasion of Yunnan happening by another Chinese Warlord (the darker green colour)?
But what's with the last picture? There seems to be an invasion of Yunnan happening by another Chinese Warlord (the darker green colour)?