Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Across the ocean, in Quebec, Canada.

It was the height of summer, and the weather was extremely hot.

Inside the Castle Hotel on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, however, tensions were high and a chilling atmosphere prevailed.

The famous "Quarternet Conference" is being held here.

On one side of the conference table was the British delegation, headed by Winston Churchill. These gentlemen of the old empire, with cigars in their mouths, looked arrogant, their eyes revealing their consistent disdain for their Eastern allies.

On the other side was the Chinese delegation headed by H.H. Kung.

Although Kong Xiangxi was usually smooth and worldly-wise, and was ridiculed as the "God of Wealth," today he was fighting a desperate battle.

Because of the telegram Chu Yunfei sent before leaving the country, and also because his son Kong Lingkan was still in the hands of that "living Yama".

He knew that if he couldn't save face and gain substance this time, he wouldn't be able to explain himself to Chairman Chiang Kai-shek when he returned to China, let alone to the "war commander" who was at the height of his power in the north.

"Regarding the Toungoo issue."

Churchill exhaled a thick cloud of smoke and said in his unquestionable tone, "The position of the British Empire is firm."

"Once the war ends, Toungoo must unconditionally return to the Commonwealth."

"This is the legitimate territory of the British Empire and the cornerstone of our order in Asia."

"As for the so-called 'national self-determination' and 'referendum' proposed by China, they are absurd and an infringement on the sovereignty of our allies."

"We demand that the Chinese army withdraw from Toungoo immediately after the war and refrain from interfering in its internal affairs."

Sir Alan Brooke, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed this sentiment with a sarcastic tone: "That's right, the Chinese army's mission is to hold back the Japanese army, not to conduct some kind of democratic experiment in the backyard of their ally."

"Your equipment and logistics mainly rely on the charity of democratic countries. We hope that your representatives can recognize the reality and not have any unrealistic fantasies."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Chinese delegation all blushed and were furious, their pens nearly snapping in their hands.

President Roosevelt sat in the middle, smiling as he fiddled with the cigarette holder in his hand, his eyes darting to either side, seemingly waiting for something, without rushing to express his opinion.

Kong Xiangxi took a deep breath. He remembered his wife Soong Ai-ling's instructions before he left, and Chu Yunfei's menacing telegram: "The million soldiers on the front lines are your iron-blooded support."

He stood up abruptly, his silk robe standing out among the Westerners in suits, yet exuding an air of confidence that was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Prime Minister, Your Excellency."

Kong Xiangxi's voice was no longer smooth, but rather carried an unusual firmness: "Excuse me for speaking frankly, but Asia today is no longer the Asia of the Victorian era!"

"When Rangoon fell and the British army hastily retreated to India, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of refugees, it was the British Empire that abandoned the people there!"

"Where were you when 100,000 expeditionary soldiers fought bloody battles, battling the Japanese invaders with bayonets in the jungle?"

"Toungoo today was won inch by inch by the Chinese army, and it was taken back shot by shot by the local people who cooperated with us!"

Churchill's face darkened, and he was about to retort.

Kong Xiangxi gave him no chance, his speech suddenly quickening: "What we want is not territory, but justice! Justice!"

"The future of the people of Toungoo should be decided by the people of Toungoo themselves!"

"This is the spirit of the Atlantic Charter, and the original intention of the Allied powers in fighting!"

"If we drive out the Japanese but then welcome back the colonizers, what is the point of this war?"

"That's sophistry!"

Sir Alan Brook slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Strength! Diplomacy is based on strength! Although the Chinese army has a large number of soldiers, in modern warfare..."

Just then, the conference room door was gently pushed open.

A confidential secretary of the Chinese delegation hurried along, his face filled with barely suppressed elation, and even his breathing was rapid.

He walked straight to H.H. Kung and presented him with a newly translated telegram with both hands.

Kong Xiangxi took the telegram, glanced at it, and trembled as if he had been electrocuted.

Every word on it was like a bombshell.

immediately.

He raised his head, his face, which had been flushed from the argument, now radiated unprecedented confidence and brilliance.

Kong Xiangxi slowly raised the telegram in his hand, looked around the room, and finally fixed his gaze on Churchill's astonished face, a victor's smile appearing on his lips.

“Mr. Prime Minister, since you have brought up strength.”

Kong Xiangxi’s loud voice echoed in the hall: “Then I am happy to inform you all of some news that I have just received.”

"Just a few hours ago, the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China launched a full-scale counter-offensive on the North China Plain!"

"After a bloody battle, our army has successfully liberated Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province!"

"The headquarters of the Japanese 12th Army was captured, and Lieutenant General Tsuchibashi Ichijō, the commander, and tens of thousands of elite Japanese troops were annihilated!"

"Not a single one escaped!"

"This is a complete victory, a devastating blow!"

"Our contributions to the Allied forces have been enormous!"

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence; even the air seemed to freeze.

President Roosevelt's eyes lit up, and he even leaned forward slightly from his wheelchair, looking somewhat surprised.

Churchill's cigar trembled, and long ash fell onto the expensive carpet. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Alan Brooke looked as if someone had suddenly grabbed him by the neck, his face turning red.

To annihilate an entire army?

This was an almost unbelievable achievement on the Asian battlefield during World War II!

It should be noted that the British army was chased like rabbits by the Japanese in Southeast Asia, and even set a shameful record of tens of thousands of soldiers surrendering to even fewer Japanese troops.

And now, the Chinese have done it!

Seeing the shocked expressions on the foreigners' faces, Kong Xiangxi felt a surge of satisfaction.

He gently placed the telegram on the table, pushed it toward Roosevelt, then straightened his back and said in a calm yet powerful tone: "This is the strength of the Chinese army."

"We shed blood and sacrificed our lives on the front lines to eliminate the main force of the fascists."

"We have the right and the ability to make our voice heard for the future of Asia."

"Our position on the Toungoo issue will not change."

"If our British friends find it difficult, our Chinese army does not mind continuing to be stationed in Toungoo until the people there can truly take control of their own destiny."

"Of course, as a brother, not a master."

After reading the telegram, Roosevelt broke into a bright smile.

He led the applause: "Brilliant, a great victory! This is the best gift for the Quebec Conference!"

Applause gradually rose, although the British people's faces remained grim.

They felt like they'd swallowed a fly, but they had no choice but to applaud.

Faced with such overwhelming victories, any arrogance seemed utterly futile. At that moment, Kong Xiangxi knew he had won.

Or rather, it was the 400 million people thousands of miles away who, through the mountains of enemy corpses and seas of blood, won him the strongest bargaining chip at the negotiating table.
“Tactical victories can often compensate for strategic shortsightedness, but this time, our allies in the Far East have forced us to re-examine the focus of our world strategy with a decisive victory.”

The speaker was General George Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff.

He stood before that enormous world map, not pointing to Italy's "soft underbelly," but firmly placing his gaze on the map of North China.

The atmosphere in the conference room underwent a subtle yet dramatic change.

The Anglo-American Joint Conference, which originally adhered to the "Europe first, Asia later" strategy, is now facing an unprecedented ideological shock.

"Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister."

Marshall's voice was steady and powerful, exuding an unquestionable professionalism: "According to the latest projections from the Pentagon's Strategic Planning Office, given the breakthroughs made by the Chinese military in North and Central China, the Japanese Army's defense system on the Chinese mainland has already experienced an irreversible collapse."

"The destruction of the so-called 'Iron 12th Army' meant that Japan lost its only remaining mobile force on the Far East battlefield."

"The massive retreat of Hata Shunroku in the Yangtze River basin further proved that the Japanese army had lost its ability to maintain the mainland transportation lines."

Marshall turned around and looked intently at Roosevelt and Churchill:
"Gentlemen, a new opportunity is before us."

"If we concentrate the main force of the Pacific Fleet now, coordinate with the Chinese army's ground offensive, and increase the supply of materials to China, we are very likely to force the Japanese mainland into a desperate situation, or even force it to surrender unconditionally, before the summer of 1944!"

"This is two whole years ahead of our original plan of 1945 or even 1946!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.

Churchill frowned, and although the cigar in his hand was smoking, he hadn't taken a puff in a long time.

"George, you mean..."

Churchill's deep voice carried a hint of wariness: "Should we postpone Operation Overlord (the Normandy landings)?"

"Are we going to let Hitler live another year?"

"No, it's not a postponement, it's an adjustment of priority."

This time, it was Admiral Ernest King, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, who spoke.

The naval commander, who had always been dissatisfied with the "Europe first, Asia later" policy, now showed a rare look of satisfaction: "Mr. Prime Minister."

"If we continue to stalemate with the Germans in the damned European quagmire and adopt a defensive posture in Asia, the Japanese will take advantage of this respite to rebuild their defenses on the Chinese mainland and even develop new resource-producing areas."

"But now, the Chinese army has helped us kick open the Japanese gate!"

General Kim suddenly waved his hand: "Now that the door is open, why don't we deal with that weak bandit first?"

"As soon as Japan surrenders, we can transfer thousands of warships and aircraft carriers from the Pacific, as well as millions of battle-hardened veterans, to Europe!"

"At that time, we will crush Nazi Germany completely within one year of the end of the war against Japan, with overwhelming force!"

"This is the most efficient route with the fewest casualties!"

Roosevelt sat in his wheelchair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrests—a habitual gesture when he was thinking.

His gaze lingered on the China theater on the map for a long time.

Clearly, the warlord single-handedly leveraged the strategic lever of the entire Second World War.

Winston.

Roosevelt finally spoke, his voice gentle yet carrying an unyielding will: "I think George and Ernest are right."

"The Soviets have already broken the Germans' backbone at Kursk, and the pressure on the Eastern Front is not as great as we imagined."

"On the contrary, Asia is our weakness, but also the biggest variable with potential."

Roosevelt took off his glasses, wiping them as he said, "If we could invest more resources in the China theater, such as the heavy artillery, tanks, and air force technology that Mr. Kong requested."

"Then our casualties will be greatly reduced, and we will be able to commit more troops to Europe."

"As for the current European battlefield..."

Roosevelt put his glasses back on, a glint of shrewdness flashing behind the lenses: "Letting Stalin keep busy for a while longer might not be a bad thing for the post-war world order."

Churchill remained silent.

As a seasoned politician, he instantly understood Roosevelt's subtext.

By dealing with Japan first, we can not only monopolize the interests in the Pacific, but also take the opportunity to wear down the Soviet Union and Germany, while appeasing our rising Eastern ally.

This is such a great deal!

Moreover, they faced the Chinese delegation that boasted of "annihilating tens of thousands of enemy soldiers and recovering the provincial capital."

If the British continue to obstruct this effort, they will lose their moral ground.

"Alright, Franklin."

Churchill shrugged helplessly, stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray as if extinguishing the arrogance of the British Empire: "It seems we will have to revise the Quarter Protocol."

“We can agree to adjust the strategic focus, changing from ‘Europe first, Asia later’ to ‘equal emphasis on Europe and Asia, with priority given to destroying Japan’.”

"but."

Churchill then shifted his focus, looking at H.H. Kung, who was now sitting ramrod straight in the corner: "The Chinese side must guarantee that, after receiving aid, they will be able to fulfill their offensive obligations, rather than preserving their strength as before."

"I think the battle reports from the front have already answered this question for them. We will discuss the specific details further."

Two more days passed.

After intense debate and negotiations, the Quebec Conference finally issued the "Joint Declaration of the Allied Forces in the War Against Japan" (also known as the "Quarternet Conference Communiqué"), which was enough to change the course of World War II and send chills down the spines of the Tokyo General Headquarters.

Although the communiqué did not explicitly state "abandoning the Europe-first approach" to save face for the British, the strategic resource allocation implied in the text spoke volumes.
I. Major Adjustments to Strategic Priorities

In light of the decisive victories achieved in the China Theater in North China, Central China, and Southeast Asia, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers unanimously agreed that the Japanese imperialist land forces had suffered a devastating blow.

In order to reduce overall Allied casualties and shorten the war, the meeting decided that, effective immediately, the Allied forces would concentrate their superior naval, land, and air forces to implement a "noose" strategy against the Japanese mainland.

The goal was to force Japan to surrender unconditionally before the summer of 1944.

In the following year, all resources were concentrated on completely ending the war in Europe.

II. The "Eastern Democracy Arsenal" Project (codename: Eastern Giant)
Relying on the fully operational international lifeline between Yangon and Kunming, the United States will launch the highest-level industrial support to the China theater.

The Allied forces aimed to help China establish an independent and powerful defense industry system, making it a solid foundation for anti-fascism in Asia and enabling Asians to determine their own destiny after the war.

III. Cooperation and Post-War Order in the Southeast Asia Theater
The Allied forces highly appreciated the enormous contributions made by the Chinese military in stabilizing the situation in the Indochina Peninsula and in liberating the entire territory of Toungoo.

The Burma Road and the planned China-Burma Railway were confirmed as the most important strategic artery for the Allied forces in the Far East.

Allied parties pledged to do everything in their power to ensure the expansion and security of the corridor, and any hostile acts that attempt to sabotage the corridor would be met with joint Allied strikes.

(Although this clause does not explicitly acknowledge the annexation of Toungoo, it effectively recognizes China's actual control and administration over the region, serving as a tacit rejection of the British protest.)

IV. Coordinated Counter-Offensive Against Japan

The Supreme Command of the China Theater was tasked with coordinating and directing the ground offensive both inside and outside the Great Wall.

In conjunction with the Pacific Fleet's "island hopping tactics," a true encirclement of the Japanese mainland was formed.

(End of this chapter)