I Will Stage A Coup D'état-Chapter 74: Winter Campaign (2)

Chapter 74: Winter Campaign (2)

The ominous premonition did not miss the mark.

Chiang Kai-shek of China took advantage of the opportunity when some Korean troops withdrew to launch a counterattack.

It seemed that Chiang Kai-shek, driven into a corner, threw his own gambit to gain favorable conditions this time.

Immediately, Wang Jingwei in Nanjing made a groaning sound, asking for help.

“Your Excellency. If Chiang Kai-shek captures Nanjing, I’m a dead man. I can’t die like this.”

Ha. Even if Chiang Kai-shek fought for 10 years, it wouldn’t be enough to get there.

No matter how much Chiang Kai-shek struggled, there was no way he could reach Nanjing with us here.

Anyway, the winter offensive of the Chinese army brought a troublesome problem.

My commute was delayed right away.

This was a serious matter.

“Honey. You can’t be this late. Give me your clothes first.”

As soon as I entered the house, my young wife swiftly took my outer garment.

My body had limits in dealing with my wife, who had just opened her eyes to the joys of newlywed life.

Fuck, I’m screwed.

After having a sweaty wrestling match with my young wife, I barely managed to sleep a little in the early morning.

I only got 2 hours of sleep…

This is because of those Chinese bastards,

Fucking ching-chongs making my life harder than it already is!

When I woke up in the morning, my young wife was waiting for me with a terrifying meal.

“Eat a lot. You need ‘strength’, you know.”

When my pretty wife smiled, it was nice, but when she piled up meat dishes and gave ‘silent’ pressure, honestly, a chill ran down my spine.

“Ah, Jong-Gil! You can eat with us too, you know~”

“Thank you, Madam.”

As Jong-Gil was trying to sit down, my wife quickly pushed the bowls with meat dishes in front of me.

“Hurry and eat before it gets cold.”

Then she winked at me with her crescent-shaped eyes.

In an instant, only vegetables were left in front of Jong-Gil.

Uh, hmm.

My young…beautiful wife is scary…

Jong-Gil, my friend, I’m sorry but I need the energy more than you.

Yes, let’s just obey the Lady of the House.

After finishing the very burdensome meal, Jong-Gil said on the way to the Army Ministry.

“You look better, Your Excellency.”

“Is that so?”

If Jong-Gil said so, it must be true.

When I arrived at the Army Ministry, the generals were all moving busily.

What kind of fuss…was this because of Chiang Kai-shek?

As I sat down, a staff officer who looked like a colonel spoke loudly.

“Your Excellency. I will report the war situation.”

I nodded and listened carefully to see if the situation had changed overnight.

Honestly, the war situation map hadn’t changed much.

The front line was the same, and the damage to our troops was bearable.

However, the enemy’s offensive could not be ignored.

“The estimated Chinese troops currently identified are 2 million. Especially in the Yangtze River basin, the enemy’s offensive is severe.”

Considering that we had deployed less than 1 million troops to the China front, it might seem like there were many Chinese troops on the offensive, but as long as we could properly concentrate our firepower, we had nothing to fear even if the enemy was 10 million.

The reason was simple.

Basically, a significant number of Chinese infantry used a sword called ‘Hanwei Dadao’ as their main weapon, so their combat power was unsatisfactory.

Honestly, a platoon equipped with machine guns could massacre thousands of such troops.

Isn’t that how a fight between modern powers and premodern countries goes?

The problem was that the battlefield environment of China was not favorable for forming a fixed front line.

Since the land of China was originally vast, our military controlled points and lines centered on the railroads connecting cities.

Even with 1 million troops, once scattered around the points and lines, there was not enough capacity left to control the area.

The Chinese army infiltrated the space between the points and lines we controlled like this and intensively attacked the railroad, our vulnerable point.

They not only tore up the tracks to derail trains but also attacked and plundered undefended general freight cars.

We were helpless even though we knew the Chinese army’s intentions.

The reason this situation didn’t occur during the 1st Sino-Korean War was that we cut off 73 divisions of the Chinese army in Shanghai and started the war.

Failing to annihilate Chiang Kai-shek’s direct army on a large scale like then was the cause of this situation.

Anyway, normally, it wouldn’t matter what the Chinese army did.

We would have blocked the attacks at a bearable level by rotating troops, but the vacancy left by the 4 missing divisions was significant.

Although we were operating armored trains to defend key points, there was a limit to blocking all attacks with them.

To fundamentally solve this problem, we needed troops to fill the front line.

Or at least mitigate the enemy’s attacks.

I asked the staff without much expectation.

“What about the guerrillas?”

“There was only talk of them secretly trying to expand the liberated areas.”

As expected, they’ll focus on expanding their forces.

Of course, I didn’t even think that Mao Zedong’s communist reds would do their part on time.

“Your Excellency. How about shortening our front line a little more?”

I thought for a moment at the suggestion of the Director of Operations.

Shortening the front line.

In other words, it means we withdraw from some of the occupied territories.

Politically, it looked bad to be pushed back by China.

However, maintaining the front line as it was, the Kuomintang’s offensive poking at our flanks and rear was too annoying.

I guess that bastard doesn’t find the casualties burdensome.

After much contemplation, I made a decision.

“No choice. Let’s temporarily shorten the front line.”

As long as the troops survived, we could always reclaim the land anytime.

“A wise decision, Your Excellency.”

“Thank you for your determination.”

The generals bowed their heads.

As my power grew stronger, I was now flattered even for doing very obvious things.

Geez, are they trying to turn me into Kim Jong-un?

As we pulled back the front line, the intensity of the Chinese army’s offensive noticeably weakened.

As expected, increasing troop density was the answer.

That aside, it felt a bit pathetic to retreat after being hit by the Chinese bastards.

Was there no way to retaliate?

Wondering if there were any good ideas, I summoned Lee Kyung-ho, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, to my office.

“You. Don’t you have any good ideas to teach those Chinese bastards a lesson?”

“If you ask, I do have one method in mind.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Do we really need to unify the negotiation channel through Chiang Kai-shek?”

I understand what you mean.

In other words, let’s try to rattle the warlords all at once.

“The warlords won’t move so easily. They wouldn’t want to bear the stigma of being a Hanjian.1“

The warlords are ultimately Chinese too.

They fear bearing the stigma of being a Hanjian more than anything else.

To move such people, we needed to ensure they wouldn’t be labeled as traitors to China.

“There is a way for that.”

“There’s a way?”

“Wouldn’t it work if we make a gentlemen’s agreement?”

Why am I hearing this again, something I heard during the coup?

I asked, puzzled.

“Explain in detail.”

“On the surface, we maintain a hostile relationship, but in reality, we maintain cooperation.”

“In that way, let’s join hands. That’s what you mean.”

The warlords would be happy not to bear the stigma of being traitors to China, and the Korean military would be happy to reduce their burden.

Yan Xishan2, the warlord of Shanxi Province, had made such an agreement with the Japanese army and got along well.

Prioritizing their own interests given the opportunity was the nature of warlords.

I reflected on not exploiting this weakness, taking China too lightly.

“There’s some truth to what you say. Let’s start working on it.”

“I shall obey.”

Whether there were results or not, all we needed was to break the ranks of the Republic of China firmly united under Chiang Kai-shek.

And the response came.

Those who reacted to our bait were the major warlords of North China, including Yan Xishan of Shanxi Province.

“If the Korean army does not invade this area, we will also cooperate in preserving Korean property, including the assets of the North China railroads.”

The negotiations went relatively well.

The number of Chinese troops participating in the winter offensive immediately decreased.

Now, the only ones participating in the offensive were the armies of the central direct forces and a few warlords.

That much was not difficult.

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We crushed the Chinese army with tanks and field guns at night, and naval guns and armored trains during the day.

Security around the railroads quickly recovered, and Wang Jingwei’s (왕징웨이) nagging also decreased.

In this way, China’s winter offensive was effectively ending in failure.

As expected, the Soviet Union and China were different.

“The situation seems to be entering a roughly settled phase.”

Yes, this much is stable.

Although the Kuomintang army guerrillas were still setting up liberated areas and running wild in our rear, it was at a bearable level.

I turned my gaze to Colonel Kim Sung-joo.

“You.”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

“When do you think the Japan issue will be resolved?”

“Most of the areas where the riots occurred have been taken care of. Now, the Japanese army can suppress them with their own capabilities.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Once the 4 divisions returned from China, recapturing the occupied territories was only a matter of time.

‘Or should I increase the troops a bit more and expand the occupied territories?’

I had such thoughts, but considering the situation of the Army scattered like dots across the vast South of the Yangtze River, that was just being greedy.

It’s not land we’ll conquer anyway, and it’s fine as long as we make them protectorates. There’s no need to be greedy.

I lifted my buttocks from the conference room where I had been coming to work for quite a long time.

“Everyone, good work. Thanks to your hard work, it seems the situation has been easily resolved.”

“It’s thanks to Your Excellency’s guidance and leadership.”

“Yes. You should also reduce your shifts appropriately and rest at home.”

I was thinking of doing the same.

It’s questionable whether my wife would let me, but well, that’s not bad either.

“Your Excellency, you’ve worked hard.”

I left the conference room, receiving salutes from the generals.

The temporary crisis that lasted for a month was wrapped up like that.

Footnotes

1. In China, the word hanjian is a pejorative term for those seen as traitors to the Chinese state and, to a lesser extent, Han Chinese ethnicity. The word hanjian is distinct from the general word for traitor, which could be used for any country or ethnicity.

2. Yan Xishan was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. He effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War.