Episode 128 The Benefits of the Age of Appeasement
Episode 128 The Benefits of the Appeasement Era
As the situation in the Northeast land battlefield becomes increasingly clear, the Japanese Army shows a certain defeat, and the Ming Dynasty has more confidence in the Soviet Union. Although the current maritime battlefield is still getting stronger and weaker, the Ming Dynasty is about to come to an end in the land battlefield.
.In other words, although the Ming Dynasty is still fighting on two fronts in name, it has basically
Japan has got rid of two-front warfare. If Ming Dynasty is still fighting on two fronts, it only means fighting the Soviet Union on land and fighting Japan on the sea. However, naval warfare and land warfare do not conflict. They are each in their own way and do not compete with each other.
Transportation lines do not compete with each other for troops. This is very different from fighting on two fronts at the same time on land.
Now Ming knows in his heart that Japan really wants peace talks. Ming also wants peace talks so that he can quickly get rid of the war with Japan and go all out to deal with the Soviet Union. But Ming also knows in his heart that if he takes the initiative to propose peace talks, Japan will definitely ask to keep the place in its hands.
, that is, Heilongjiang. Because it is still under Japanese control. And Heilongjiang
It is not bordering North Korea, so Japan is bound to ask for another corridor to connect the two. The problem is that Ming Dynasty does not want to give Japan Heilongjiang, nor does it want to give it any corridor, and there are still a group of "careerists" in the cabinet and the headquarters.
"Hawks", such as Shen Rongxuan and Xiang Xiaoqiang, all still have ideas such as "Ryukyu independence".
What’s the next step? Now the top military and political leaders of the Ming Dynasty, whether it’s the cabinet or the military, are divided into two factions.
One group believes that peace talks can be tried first. If Japan can honestly return to North Korea and restore the areas controlled by both parties to what they were before the secret treaty of "carving up the Qing Dynasty" was signed, then a truce can really be considered. In other words, in order for Ming Dynasty to return to North Korea as soon as possible,
After the unification war ended, an agreement was signed to control Manchuria and Mongolia under the control of the Northern Qing Dynasty.
It was given to Japan, and now after this battle with Japan, Manchuria and Mongolia have been taken back. This is quite a bargain. The key is that this will also allow Japan to quickly withdraw the hundreds of thousands of troops entrenched in Heilongjiang.
Go out so that the Ming army can free up their hands to cross the border from Heilongjiang and attack the Far Eastern part of the Soviet Union.
The other faction is the hawks, represented by Shen Rongxuan in the cabinet and Xiang Xiaoqiang in the military. This faction advocates that there can be no peace talks and that the hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops should be eliminated. The current war situation in Northeast China is obviously very favorable to the Ming army.
Why do we need peace talks when we can wipe out the Japanese army in one go? If the reason is just "fear of casualties", then there is no need for the Ming army to exist.
Now the Ming army is not on the same level as the Japanese army, at least in terms of the army, whether it is equipment level or logistics level. The Ming army's aviation force is more than twice that of the Japanese army, its armored force is more than three times that of the Japanese army, and its ground artillery strength is
The configuration strength is more than five times that of the Japanese army.
On the battlefield, the supply of ammunition is dozens of times that of the Japanese army - the Japanese army's supply line has been completely cut off, and there is no follow-up supply of ammunition. The major arsenals in the former Beiqing were operating at full capacity to produce the best ammunition.
Trains are constantly being transported out of Shanhaiguan every day.
There is also a fuel advantage - oil tankers from Sumatra dock in Guangdong every day, and the crude oil is directly transported by pipelines to major refineries along the coast. And a large amount of finished gasoline and diesel oil that are newly produced every day are also being transported by train.
and transport it to the north. As for Japan, let alone the remnant army in Heilongjiang that doesn't have much fuel left, it's hard to say how long Japan's domestic fuel reserves can last.
In Xiang Xiaoqiang's words: With such a huge strategic advantage, if peace talks are still to be held, then Ming's so-called "great power advantage" must be discounted by at least half. Several hawkish generals in the military strongly advocated that the Ming Dynasty should pursue the victory and take advantage of the Ming Dynasty.
The army's air superiority, artillery superiority, armor superiority, and light weapons superiority were all brought into play to launch a large-scale battle to completely eliminate these hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops.
The peace faction retorted that although the Soviet Union and Japan seemed to be inseparable from each other, they now had a common enemy. Once Japan was pushed into a hurry and spent all its money to ask the Soviet Union to directly provide ammunition and fuel to the Japanese army in Heilongjiang, then
Trouble.
The hawks also retorted that they should attack quickly and eliminate these Japanese troops as soon as possible. Many ammunition calibers and models of the Soviet and Japanese troops were different. And the Japanese troops' garrison, number, number of people, etc., were also included in Heilongjiang.
terrain, road,
The Soviet army didn't know the traffic situation at all. Even if the Soviet Union was willing to send ammunition and fuel directly, it wouldn't be just a gift. The Ming army could take advantage of this opportunity to attack decisively.
Thoughts on both sides.
…
The two sides argued endlessly, and both believed that they were justified. Logically speaking, the hawks had the advantage, because the Chief Minister Shen Rongxuan was on this side. However, in the military, Chief of General Staff Tang Yunsheng was more conservative and preferred to play it safe.
In order to stabilize the situation, we should pull one family to fight the other, that is, we should first achieve a truce with one of the Japanese and Soviet families, and then we can concentrate our efforts.
It would be too risky to start a war with two companies at the same time. Especially since hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops are in Heilongjiang, very close to the Soviet Far East Army. The two sides can form a response at any time, which is more dangerous. There is no marshal on the hawks' side.
No, the one with the highest military rank is Xiang Xiaoqiang, Lieutenant General. Then there are a few major generals. In short, the strength is relatively weak.
After arguing for two days, Xiang Xiaoqiang was also very anxious. After dinner today, he went to a meeting again. It was almost eleven o'clock when he came back from the meeting. After taking a shower in the bathroom, he returned to his single room and went to bed exhausted.
Tonight it's Xiuxiu's turn to "accompany you".
Xiang Xiaoqiang feels that one of the great advantages of his wives is that they are not only his confidante, but also the right-hand man in his career. Many things can be discussed freely, even when lying in bed.
, there is no worry about confidentiality at all. Because the wife who sleeps next to him at night is a colleague who participated in the planning with him during the day.
Now, Xiang Xiaoqiang was lying in the dark, muttering to Xiu Xiu next to her, complaining about those stubborn old men at the General Staff and complaining that the chance to solve the Japanese problem would be ruined in their hands. Xiu Xiu lay in front of Xiu Xiu.
In Xiaoqiang's arms, he didn't interrupt, he just listened considerately and occasionally chimed in a few words.
The vents on the ceiling slowly send out air conditioning. The room is cool, dry and extremely comfortable. This is one of the great benefits of living in the fortress. Although the room is not as spacious and luxurious as at home, it has central air conditioning unique to cave fortifications. This is
An extremely rare treat in this era.
After finally complaining to Xiaoqiang, she felt sleepy. When she couldn't say a word in a daze, Xiuxiu spoke softly:
"grown ups."
"Uh-huh?"
"Sir, if we want to completely solve the Japanese problem, what will the Western powers such as Britain, France, and the United States think?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do they want to see us completely defeat Japan and then dominate the Far East?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang's sleepiness was instantly driven away. He regained his energy and turned over. Staring into Xiuxiu's reflective eyes in the darkness, he said:
"That's right. I've thought about this issue too. Even our traditional allies don't want to see us lose checks and balances in the Far East and become a monopoly. That way, no matter how friendly we are, they will worry about their interests in the Far East.
Especially the colonies in Southeast Asia."
Xiuxiu continued quietly:
"My lord, what is the situation that Britain, France and the United States most want to see?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Of course we and Japan must remain evenly matched. - Of course, we are already the dominant force on land, but we must be evenly matched at sea. Britain, France and the United States are most concerned about Nanyang, so they only focus on the balance of power at sea...
But after all, they are traditional allies, and they will not want us to defeat. Japan is a dominant power at sea, and they cannot accept this result. Because Japan is obviously more warlike. The entire national system is a war machine, and no one will worry about it."
Xiuxiu also smiled and said:
"Then, sir... tell me, among the Western powers, who do you want us to fight the most right now?"
"Haha, then you don't have to ask, the Soviet Union."
Xiuxiu said:
"Yes. We defeated Japan and became a dominant force. Of course, the West will regard it as a threat. But the Western countries regard it as the number one and most dangerous threat. It is the Soviet Union and the Bolsheviks. Now that we are at war with the Soviet Union, it is a big threat internationally.
It is popular. Haha...don't say that our Ming Dynasty is like this
A good country, even if it is twice as bad, as bad as Japan, as bad as Germany - but as long as we are at war with the Soviet Union, then we will be a good country in the eyes of the world. For Western powers, we just need to continue to win over
And the object of indulgence... Sir, do you think so?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang was slightly surprised. He didn't expect Xiu Xiu to speak so clearly in a few words. He had never known that Xiu Xiu had such insights into international politics?
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Well, Xiuxiu, you're right... go on."
Xiuxiu said "hmm" and continued softly:
"As long as we can fight against the Soviet Union, or make the Western powers believe that we will fight to the death with the Soviet Union, then no matter what we do now, they will condone us or appease us."
Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly understood and blurted out:
"Yes, even if we completely wipe out Japan and become the only country in East Asia, as long as we are still enemies of the Soviet Union, Western countries will not say 'no' to us! Haha, Xiuxiu, I understand what you mean.
That makes sense. This is the reason why we cannot negotiate with Japan and must solve the Japanese problem in one go. This is also the reason why we must immediately eliminate the Japanese army in Northeast China: as long as the Soviet Union is still there
, even if we occupy Japan, the Western countries will have to let us go and give us all kinds of assistance, because they hope that after we defeat Japan, we can also defeat the Soviet Union. But if we fight the Soviet Union first, after defeating the Soviet Union
If we want to attack Japan again, I'm afraid we won't get much support. Not to mention aiding us, once Japan is in trouble, some countries may come to aid Japan."
Xiuxiu smiled lightly, nodded and said:
"yes."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was overjoyed and said repeatedly:
"Okay, okay, that's a good statement. I'll tell those old stubborns like this tomorrow... Oh, that's right, Xiu Xiu..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang chuckled and said:
"Did you come up with this idea on your own, or... was it taught to you by my mother-in-law?"
Xiuxiu was startled, hesitated twice, and then laughed:
"Well, it's really...I can't hide it from your eyes, sir. Hehe...hehe..."