vncnus Page 38
Page 38
Zhao Yan stood up abruptly, his smile vanishing: "I know what you're thinking. Let's put aside those lost territories for now, and take them back once we've grown stronger."
"But we are developing, won't the enemy develop? Now is the most precious window of opportunity. The British don't want to fight after the Boer War in South Africa, and Japan and Russia are too weak to fight after their battle last year."
"If we don't seize the time to prepare for war now, and instead wait for the enemy to use their magic potion, the next time the Eight-Nation Alliance invades China, you may run away, but I, Zhao Yan, will definitely not run away!"
Zhang Mingqi argued, "Then we can negotiate while preparing for war. If the negotiations go well, we won't have to fight; if they don't, we'll still be prepared for war. It's a win-win situation!"
Zhao Yan covered his forehead. He finally understood Hitler's helplessness decades later. Looking at the group of officials in front of him, he could no longer hold back and slammed his fist on the table, hysterically shouting, "You still have hope for peace? How can we talk about this?! If you central officials are like this, what about the people below? They will hope for peace even more than you!"
"Of course, peace is good, but peace does not belong to the weak! The peace in the world is just a handout from the strong. They only have peace now because they don't have time to fight you!"
“If talks really start, given your current mindset, Britain might just offer you a little something sweet and you'll actually believe that peace has arrived. Once that initial enthusiasm dissipates, what's the point of preparing for war? Prepare for war my ass! You'll all be busy making money!”
"When the negotiations are over, you will find that our war preparations are a complete mess, while the enemy has already sharpened their teeth and polished their claws while the negotiations are underway!"
"All they need to do is drag out the negotiations, constantly release false goodwill, and then undermine our will to fight. Finally, once they are ready, they can easily and brazenly march into Beijing again with a casual remark that the negotiations have broken down!"
"And you, my friend, all your hopes for peace will turn into the most extreme despair!"
Zhao Yan knew these people all too well. They yearned for comfort, and even if that comfort was just a dream woven by their opponents, they would still dive headfirst into it.
"Do you still think this is like the change of dynasties like the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing? Once you take Beijing and the Central Plains, you can follow me, Zhao Yan, to achieve enlightenment and elevate your entire family, with everyone being granted official positions and titles, and your descendants enjoying prosperity for generations to come?"
Do you think that once you've taken care of things domestically, international affairs are no longer our concern, and you can close your doors and live your own comfortable lives from now on?
"I saw right through your intentions, so after taking Beijing, I didn't get any promotions or titles. It was pointless anyway. In the end, we'd all end up like Li Zicheng, just getting a trial period and then losing the country in a sorry state!"
At this moment, Zhao Yan thought of the Beiyang Government, the restored Qing Dynasty, the Manchukuo, and the Nationalist Government. Those regimes came one after another, but they only got a trial card.
Because they simply haven't grasped the most fundamental law of the jungle on this planet, and they haven't understood the saying: "Peace is achieved through struggle, but it is destroyed through compromise."
The great powers would not relinquish the sovereignty that originally belonged to China for nothing, and the government of the Republic would not agree to give up this sovereignty. There was no room for negotiation on such a fundamental conflict of interests, so why waste time on negotiations that were destined to be fruitless?
If talks were to actually begin, and the great powers were to release even a few rumors, a whole host of spineless cowards in the country would immediately spring up and drag us down.
If even the officials in the Prime Minister's Office are so naive, Zhao Yan can't imagine what the fools in the middle and lower ranks will be like. He guesses that before the great powers even offer them any advice, they'll have already drunk it willingly.
Zhao Yan, channeling his inner orator, was spewing saliva and frantically spewing out his own ideas, giving the audience no chance to think for themselves.
"Gentlemen, this is an inevitable war, unavoidable and without compromise. This is the revolutionary war we truly need to face!"
"The battles against the Manchus and the Beiyang Army were just child's play. What we need to face next is the real war to conquer the Central Plains and unify China!"
"Wake up! Don't you all feel that we took this world too easily? Why? Because we have never truly conquered the world, much less unified China!"
"Why was there no founding ceremony? Why was there no sacrificial ceremony to Heaven? Because I have no face to celebrate! I have even less face to offer sacrifices to Heaven and my ancestors!"
Zhao Yan slapped his cheeks hard, roaring incessantly.
"Are we going to celebrate that we have created a semi-colonial republic? Are we going to report to God and our ancestors that after the revolution of us unworthy descendants, we are still enslaved by foreigners, that we can't even enter the concessions in our own country, and that we have to rely on the foreigners to give us customs surplus?"
"Open your eyes! Stop dreaming! Abandon your illusions and prepare for battle!"
"Why are the Germans, Americans, and even the French secretly helping us? Is it because we're handsome?"
"They only help us because we dare to stand up and act as henchmen, because they don't submit to the British either! If we actually talk to the British and fall for their tricks that they've used countless times in the colonies, all this help will disappear immediately!"
"Because only those who are self-reliant deserve help. Those who hold up a bowl and want to get everything without doing anything are beggars, and no one will help beggars!"
Zhao Yan had completely left his seat and was circling the entire conference room, waving his hands in the air and roaring without stopping for a moment.
"In this world, you're either sitting at the table or written on the menu! The word 'China' is already half written on the menu, and half of us has already been served at the table!"
"Now you believe that the robbers sitting at our table, drooling over us, will let us go? That's the funniest hellish joke I've ever heard!"
"I know what you're thinking: to play along, buy time, neither abandon peace nor slacken our war preparations. But if we actually do that, the great powers will laugh their heads off!"
"Agricultural and industrial countries are competing in preparation time. We can't even build one cannon a day, while our enemies can build many in a day?"
"We can wear down the Qing Dynasty, but when we fight the foreign powers, we're the ones who will be worn down! Time is not on our side!"
"I know our chances of winning are slim, but this is the best I can do to give you. Forgive my incompetence, but this is the reality: if you fall behind, you will be beaten."
"Even if we are beaten, we must never fall, because we are the last backbone of this country and this nation. Please have faith in the strength of 400 million Chinese people, and please have faith in the determination of a great power that has suffered humiliation!"
"I absolutely will not accept China's name being written on the menu, and I will certainly not tolerate not having a place for us at the table!"
At this moment, Zhao Yan's mind flashed back to the humiliation at the Paris Peace Conference, the fall of the September 18 Incident, and the blood and snow in Nanjing in December. He would never allow himself to do nothing.
Chapter 70 Honest Battle Plans
Zhao Yan once again captivated everyone with his inspiring speech. The conference room was filled with the core high-ranking officials of the entire Republic. Originally, they were filled with insecurity and disagreements, but after listening to Zhao Yan's speech, all their confusion and insecurity disappeared.
The most shocked person was Yuan Shikai, who finally understood why Zhao Yan had succeeded. It would be an injustice if someone like him didn't succeed.
In his eyes, the Beiyang Army, which was considered by the Chinese people to be invincible, was just an appetizer; his real goal had always been the world.
While everyone was still focused on their immediate concerns, Zhao Yan had already set his sights on the horizon. What everyone thought was the most suitable solution turned out to be nothing more than wishful thinking after Zhao Yan's suggestion.
There was no longer any opposition to the war and the great development in the meeting room; the former dissidents had all become fervent supporters.
Zhao Yan sat down again; he was also very tired after finishing his cultivation.
Zhang Mingqi composed himself and asked cautiously, "Sir, since this battle is inevitable, how should it be fought? There must be a strategy, right?"
This kind of thing should have been asked of the Minister of National Defense, but seeing Wang Chongshan's bewildered enthusiasm, Zhang Mingqi decided to ask Zhao Yan instead. Asking Wang Chongshan was better left alone!
Zhao Yan nodded, finally getting the situation back on track: "It's very simple. The principle of this battle can be summed up in one sentence: initiative, initiative, and above all, initiative!"
The enemy is absolutely strong and we are absolutely weak, but no matter what, we must not lose the initiative! We must decide for ourselves where the war will break out, the scale of the war, and even more importantly, the duration of the war!
First, the location where the war broke out.
At this point, Zhao Yan looked around the room, then asked with a suspicious look in his eyes, "Could there be a spy among us?"
If such a crucial military and national strategy were leaked right after the meeting, it would be a complete disaster. But not telling us is not an option either; if we don't explain it clearly, how will our subordinates prepare?
Do you really think that real warfare is like in a game, where you just put your troops in a box, form a team, and then drag them over to start fighting?
The preparations for troop expansion, material mobilization, defense line construction, intelligence gathering, and all sorts of other things must be done in concert by the military and government. If we don't tell them, the people below will be completely unaware of anything. How can we possibly prepare for war? They won't even know the direction, and they'll just be messing around.
Hearing Zhao Yan's doubts, everyone present swore to the heavens, but Zhao Yan still didn't believe them: "Pass on my order that after today's meeting, all relatives of the attendees be moved to the capital and placed under the care of the Presidential Palace Guard!"
“Each person will be given one of the confiscated houses in the city, and the rent will be only ten taels of silver per month. Consider it a welfare benefit of the Party and the State.”
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhao Hao nodded in obedience.
After explaining the "benefits," Zhao Yan continued with his plan: "The war will break out in..."
"You really won't leak this information, will you? I'm warning you, anyone who dares to leak it, I'll kill their entire family, exterminate their entire clan!"
Everyone shrank back, then their eyes hardened, and they swore by their ancestors that they would never leak the secret.
Zhao Yan nodded. There was no other way. During the years of the Kuomintang's War of Resistance against Japan, there were constant leaks. And during the War of Liberation, Chiang Kai-shek had the Ministry of National Defense draft operational plans, which he hadn't even seen yet, but were already on his desk in Xibaipo. Zhao Yan didn't want to experience that kind of thing.
"I believe in you. The primary target of this war is Japan. We will get back up from where we fell!"
"The main direction of combat readiness is the Liaodong line, and the core location of combat readiness is the Northeast. Our primary task is to take control of the Northeast, and all combat readiness work will revolve around the Northeast."
What we've lost, we must take back!
Everyone suddenly realized that what they had lost along the Liaodong Peninsula in Northeast China was the Kwantung Leased Territory that the Japanese had seized from Russia. Oh no, it should be called the Jinzhou Peninsula in Liaodong!
Wang Chongshan, still somewhat confused, wanted to ask further, preferably to clarify exactly where to hit, but before he could speak, Zhao Yan stopped him with an extremely stern look.
Wang Chongshan shrank back, not daring to ask any further questions, and obediently sat in his seat as a good Minister of National Defense who listened attentively.
Everyone believed that Zhao Yan wanted to attack Guandong Prefecture, because this was consistent with the content of Zhao Yan's speech. As for why it was somewhat ambiguous, everyone thought it was a kind of leader's linguistic art.
Zhao Yan continued, "As for the scale of the war, the total number of troops involved must be controlled within eight divisions, less than 200,000. The government can afford such military expenditures. After all, we are a small country with limited resources, and we simply cannot withstand a larger scale."
The Prime Minister's Office should prepare war supplies according to the needs of eight reorganized divisions, the more the better. Any surplus can be used for land reclamation; in short, we cannot be stingy!
Zhang Mingqi stood up: "Yes, Your Excellency!"
Zhao Yan tapped the table lightly and thought for a while: "The war must be kept under three months. I must take it down within three months! If it drags on too long, an agricultural country like ours can't compete with industrial countries like Britain and Japan."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
No one doubted Zhao Yan's decisions, because every one of them was in line with the national conditions and the actual combat capabilities of the army. As for whether they could win, that was something to be discussed after the fighting started. There was no use worrying about it now; everyone just needed to do their best.
Zhao Yan emphasized to everyone: "Japan and Russia have just finished a major war, and it will take them three to five years to recover. But we cannot wait for the enemy to fully recover, so we must strike first. Therefore, we only have one year to prepare for war. We will prepare to the best of our ability within that year."
When the summer of June 1908 arrives, the war must begin, and then end in the autumn! Do you all understand?
Everyone stood up: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Yan waved his hand: "Alright, everyone disperse!"
The crowd dispersed, leaving only Zhang Mingqi and Lu Zhaoxuan somewhat confused. This was not in line with the leader's style; the entire plan was too vague.
During the Changsha Uprising last year, Zhao Yan was incredibly meticulous in arranging combat missions, clearly explaining the deployment of dozens of people, even the Green Standard Army soldiers and prison guards. Why is he so confused now? Is it a large-scale operation and a change in tactics?
But not long after, Zhao Yan's number one henchman, Zhao Hao, secretly summoned Wang Chongshan, Zhang Mingqi, Lu Zhaoxuan, and several veterans who had come all the way from the Changsha Uprising back to the present.
Zhao Yan, still seated at the conference table with his tea in hand, said, "There were too many people just now, and I wasn't at ease. Let's have a small meeting now and go over the battle strategy in detail again!"
The people who were called back immediately felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads. My goodness, you can play around like this in a meeting?
Zhao Yan slammed his hand on the table: "Sit down, everyone. Zhao Hao, go out and close the door. Guards are on high alert. Anyone who gets within fifty meters will be killed on sight. Even my own mother will be killed without hesitation!"
Zhao Hao received the order: "Understood, Commander! Don't even mention your own mother, even if your own father came, I would still kill him!"
Zhao Yan: ""
"Oh well, he's my own student, there's nothing I can do about it!"
After sitting down again, Zhao Yan didn't waste any time: "We've all fought side by side and gotten through this together. I trust you all, so please don't let me down."
To be honest, if he could keep it a secret, there were some things Zhao Yan didn't want to tell anyone. But he had no choice; he couldn't possibly complete all the war preparations by himself. In the end, he needed someone, and quite a few people, to help him.
"The actual site of the war was not the Jinzhou Peninsula, but the Korean Peninsula!"
Zhao Yan was very clear-headed. Without naval support, the Japanese could easily crush you in the Jinzhou Peninsula. With such limited depth, if their main naval ships were to come close, their cannons would blast you to smithereens. Without sea control, that place would be a natural encirclement for the attacking side.
They could easily launch a rear landing operation and cut off your logistics, burying your hundreds of thousands of troops on that narrow peninsula.
The Korean Peninsula is the only real battlefield. Its depth and area are more suitable for an army without naval control to launch a surprise attack. As for your claim that the Japanese learned from MacArthur and carried out the Inchon Landing, that's pure nonsense. It's not that Zhao Yan looks down on the Japanese, but that Japan at that time did not have the capability for large-scale amphibious operations.
Landing on the Jinzhou Peninsula and outflanking enemy lines is possible, but to outflank the Korean Peninsula like MacArthur is just a pipe dream. The US military only dared to do that because it had been through World War II and possessed a massive combat and transport fleet. With their current strength, the Japanese can't even touch their tails.
Zhao Yan wouldn't doubt landing a few thousand people, and he would be skeptical of landing ten or twenty thousand, but to land tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people to surround the Chinese army, unless it was the main British fleet that had come over!
"The actual combat force is not eight divisions, but at least eighteen divisions, totaling 400,000 men!"
"The operation will not last three months, but a protracted war. We will fight for as long as we can, and fight as far as we can, preferably all the way to Busan Port!"
"This time, the core strategy isn't to defeat the Japanese, but rather, as always, to wear them down. That's my bottom line."
Following the map, Zhao Yan located the Korean Peninsula, but couldn't find the latitude line. In the end, he could only draw a line along Incheon: "We must occupy the area north of this line. It would be great if we could fight our way through, but if we can't, then we must hold onto this line! No matter the cost, we must achieve our objective!"
"With the entire nation's strength and the concerted efforts of 400 million people, if we still can't take down this tiny peninsula, then we might as well all just give up and end it all!"
Chapter 71 Land as Compensation for Military Pay
"Of course, the war won't start in the summer of 1908, it will start next summer. We only have one year to prepare for war, not a single day more!"
Zhao Yan slowly revealed the most crucial secret: the start of the war. After listening, everyone looked at each other in disbelief. Was the previous meeting just pure brainwashing? There wasn't a single piece of real information. Where was the trust between people?
Oh, I heard that's the real deal, that's alright!
Zhang Mingqi couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, this isn't a good idea! If the officials in the court find out you've been deceiving them, it won't look good!"
Lu Zhaoxuan nodded in agreement, but he didn't have the courage to speak up directly.
Now, all the ministers in the central government of the Prime Minister's Office are former regional governors. After Zhao Yan took office in the capital, he ordered all these local strongmen to be transferred to Beijing to prevent them from causing trouble in their own territories.
The ministerial positions were allocated according to their weight and the order in which the uprisings occurred in each province. Zhao Yan was promoted in name but demoted in reality, while local strongmen were transferred to central positions.
Those powerful local officials knew what it meant, but they all gladly took up their posts, not for any other reason than to take control of the central government. Whether it was a promotion in name only or a demotion in reality, it depended on individual ability. I was capable of serving as a ministerial-level position in the central government, so it wasn't a promotion in name only, but a real promotion.
None of these powerful figures are mediocre. Always remember, in China, no one who works in the officialdom is useless!
Previously, Zhao Yan had finalized the foreign war and the five-year domestic plan on his own without prior notice, which had already greatly displeased the civil service group in the Prime Minister's Office. Now, with this court fraud, if it comes to light, Zhang Mingqi says he can't afford to take the blame.
Zhao Yan gave him a reassuring look, then turned his gaze to Wang Chongshan, the Minister of National Defense.
Zhang Mingqi followed the gaze to Wang Chongshan, and when he saw Wang Chongshan's clear and foolish eyes, he immediately felt relieved. This kind of person was perfect to take the blame!
Operational plans can never keep up with changes. Anyway, Zhao Yan was very vague before, and he didn't specify that the location of the operation was the Jinzhou Peninsula. You guys just made wild guesses, so who's to blame?
It's normal for the number of combat personnel to double. I only mentioned the front-line combat forces, not the reserve forces. What's wrong with having 200,000 reserves?
As for the timing of the battle, that's even easier to handle. If a soldier gets lost on the border and the main force goes to look for him, and a fight breaks out accidentally, what can you do?
If you're really not convinced, go find Defense Minister Wang Chongshan. He's the one in charge of military affairs. Don't come looking for me!