Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 224 Imperial Meeting
Japan, Tokyo.

It was early summer, but the streets were deserted. The sky was gloomy, and a cold wind was blowing. The whole city seemed lifeless. The once bustling shops were now closed, and the withered stems on the roof tiles trembled in the wind.

Less than a year after the start of the war, Japan's economy began to decline as if it were experiencing a Great Depression. In April, the government promulgated the National Mobilization Law, which shifted 90% of industrial capacity to the military sector. Heavy industries such as steel, shipbuilding, and chemicals developed rapidly, but civilian industries shrank drastically, and shortages of daily necessities had already affected the country's capital.

The collapse of the textile industry led to the unemployment of at least 300 million people, and the slums expanded rapidly.

But these things mean nothing to the upper class.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Imperial Palace.

Imperial meeting.

In the dimly lit meeting room, Hirohito sat upright in his chair, coldly surveying the civil and military officials on both sides of the long table. Opposite him stood a huge map of East Asia.

Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe stood up and walked to the map: "Your Majesty, since the start of the war, we have successively captured Shanghai, Nanjing and many other key locations. North China and East China have fallen under the iron heel of the Empire."

Hirohito nodded but did not speak.

Fumimaro Konoe continued, "However, China still possesses over eight million square kilometers of land and an army of nearly two million. Under the heavy pressure of the empire, the various ethnic groups in China are becoming increasingly united."

"This is a formidable opponent that is unwilling to yield!"

Hirohito frowned: "Gentlemen, the successive defeats in the offensives against Huaibei, Linyi, and Taierzhuang have already caused our Western allies to question our capabilities!"

"We must end the China War as soon as possible!"

"To reverse the empire's decline on the international stage!"

Konoe Fumimaro analyzed: "Your Majesty, the resistance forces in China are currently divided into three main parts: the Eighth Route Army, which is based in the northwestern provinces; the garrison army, which is located in a corner of Shanxi; and the National Army, which controls the southwestern provinces."

Army Minister Gen Sugiyama interrupted, saying, "The garrison forces and the National Army should be grouped together!"

"I believe Chiang Kai-shek still has control over this force!"

Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai greeted him at the airport and said:
"Your Excellency, I don't think we should dwell on these things. As far as I know, the garrison is not just confined to one corner; they have already extended their reach into the North China Plain, haven't they?"

"Puyang and Heze, what beautiful strategic salients they are!"

Sugiyama Gen's face turned ashen.

The fact that a city that had already been captured had fallen into enemy hands was enough to embarrass the army when the news reached the country. Now, the navy was bringing it up again at the Imperial Conference.

It's blatant irony.

Hirohito interrupted, "That's enough!"

This meeting was to discuss the China issue, not to allocate military budgets, and he didn't want to listen to the endless arguments from both the army and the navy.

Yonai Mitsumasa stared intently at Sugiyama Gen, already giving him the upper hand in terms of presence.

Sugiyama Gen withdrew his gaze.

In the Battle of Xinkou, the 5th Division suffered heavy losses and was almost wiped out. In the Huaibei Campaign, the 13th and 18th Divisions of the Army were annihilated. In the Battle of Linyi, the 2nd Division was defeated. In the Battle of Taierzhuang, the 10th Division was defeated. In the Battle of Lanfeng, the 14th Division was reduced to only one regiment.
Most of the outstanding generals from the "Honorary 16th Class" of the Japanese Army Academy were captured by the Chinese army, and this "honor" was trampled underfoot.

It's become a complete joke.

As the army began to falter on the Chinese battlefield, the navy became complacent.

"Damn navy idiots!" Sugiyama Gen muttered to himself.

Seeing that the other party had taken the initiative to back down, Yonai Mitsumasa smiled like a victor.

Hirohito witnessed the power struggle between the two men, but said nothing.

The conflict between land and sea has a long history and cannot be explained in just a few words.

Seeing that the situation was gradually calming down, Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe continued, "If the Empire wants to break the current war situation, it must find a breakthrough."

"Wuhan!"

"This is the point of convergence between the North and South. As long as we take Wuhan, we can sever the economic, military, and political exchanges between the North and South of China, and these three forces will split apart as a result!"

"In this way, a unified China will once again become a divided China!"

At this point, Sugiyama Gen stood up and bowed to Hirohito:
"Your Majesty, I request that we mobilize our forces and launch a full-scale offensive against Wuhan!"

As early as the "Comprehensive Invasion Plan for China", it was clearly stated that after taking over North China, the primary objective would be to attack Central China.

Wuhan is the hub of Central China.

The army had been preparing for this in private for some time, but the cabinet had not issued any clear orders, which delayed the launch of the offensive.

Hirohito hesitated at this moment:

"Is the military confident that it can completely resolve the China Incident after fighting in Wuhan?"

"Domestic industrial capacity is insufficient to launch a second offensive in a short period of time. We are not in a position to compete with China in terms of manpower and resources. Once we are dragged into the quagmire of war, we will have no other choice."

Vice Chief of Staff Prince Kan'in Kotohito shook his head: "I'm not sure yet."

He was a member of the imperial family, and Hirohito's great-uncle.

Hirohito's resolve wavered even further.

A decision can potentially change the fate of a country, and it must be carefully considered beforehand.

Prince Kan'in added, "Your Majesty, as the war has progressed to this point, millions of Chinese soldiers have died at the hands of the Imperial army. We have nowhere left to retreat. If the incident cannot be resolved after the Battle of Wuhan, the battle line will expand by thousands of kilometers, and the Empire will inevitably be bogged down in a quagmire. However..."

"War is a high-stakes gamble, and China is worth the risk!"

The other officials present also stood up and echoed this sentiment.

At this moment, everyone forgot the policy of localization and non-escalation, and the mess of war was getting bigger and bigger, and it had completely evolved into a total war.

On the issue of aggression, the army and navy are unusually on the same side.

Hirohito was torn between two options.

On the one hand, he feared that the empire would be bogged down in the quagmire of the Chinese battlefield; on the other hand, an alliance with the West was on the agenda, and he needed to win a decisive victory to gain greater bargaining power in the negotiations.

Hirohito did not answer directly, but looked at Konoe Fumimaro:

"Please explain the specific battle plan."

Fumimaro Konoe: "This battle is of great importance. The army and navy must work closely together and deploy an overwhelming force to launch an attack on Wuhan in late July."

As soon as he finished speaking, Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai and Army Minister Gen Sugiyama, feeling Hirohito's gaze, immediately stood up and echoed him.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured!"

Hirohito remained expressionless.

He had heard this sentence countless times, but every time the two armies needed to cooperate, it would turn into a mess for various reasons.

Fumimaro Konoe continued, "During the operation, we should try to annihilate the Chinese army as much as possible to deplete its manpower and ensure that the Chinese central government will completely give up resistance after the Wuhan operation ends."

Hirohito: "Is there a specific battle plan?"

Sugiyama Gen walked to the map and took the baton from Konoe Fumimaro: "Your Majesty, our Army General Staff's plan is that the Central China Area Army will advance up the Yangtze River as the main force to attack Wuhan, while the North China Area Army will attack the flank, bypass Zhengzhou, capture Xinyang along the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains, and then advance south towards Wuhan!"

Hirohito frowned: "Why do we need to bypass Zhengzhou?"

Sugiyama Gen looked embarrassed and told the truth:
"Currently, the biggest obstacle the Imperial Army is facing on the China battlefield is the China Garrison Army led by Wang Feng. This force is mainly entrenched in Changzhi, which is only a little over 100 kilometers from Zhengzhou. If Zhengzhou is used as the logistics supply hub for the North China Area Army, it is very easy to suffer a fatal blow from the Allied Provinces Garrison Army!"

Mitsumasa Yonai was unwilling to miss any opportunity to belittle the army at the meeting.

"What exactly is going on with your army?"

"What if we launch an attack rashly while the danger on our flanks remains unresolved, and our rear is cut off?"

Hirohito also felt that this matter was inappropriate, and his expression showed some displeasure.

Sugiyama Gen quickly explained:
"Your Majesty, if we rely solely on the Central China Area Army, it will be difficult to carry out a large-scale annihilation of the Chinese army. We must rely on the strength of the North China Area Army in the north to attract the attention of the Chinese troops stationed in the Wuhan area."

Hirohito: "Then we should eliminate the flank threats first."

Sugiyama Gen: "Your Majesty need not worry. Although Wang Feng's provincial garrison has won the Battle of Lanfeng, his troops have also suffered heavy losses and it will be difficult for them to regain their strong fighting power in a short period of time. By taking the initiative to abandon Zhengzhou and capture Xinyang, we will at least reserve a strategic buffer zone of 200 kilometers."

"In this way, we only need to send one Class A division to garrison here, and the rest of the divisions can immediately use their superior firepower and high mobility to break through the enemy's defenses in the Dabie Mountains and annihilate the Chinese army in large numbers!"

Hirohito looked at Prince Kan'in, half-believing and half-doubting.

Only after seeing the other party nod did they believe this seemingly outlandish battle plan.

Sugiyama Gen breathed a sigh of relief.

Those who are part of the same group know their own situation. Based on the current combat capabilities of the North China Area Army, it is simply impossible for them to engage in a strategic decisive battle with the United Provinces Garrison Army.

But he couldn't say it outright at the meeting.

Otherwise, wouldn't that be contradicting myself and telling His Majesty the Emperor that I am incompetent?

Hirohito: "However, we absolutely cannot allow the provincial garrison to continue its rampage. We must launch a special operation against them!"

Wang Feng is now his biggest worry, and he absolutely cannot let him live.

Sugiyama Gen hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, this..."

Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe: "Your Majesty, while waging war, we can launch a political offensive against the National Government, win over key government officials and local warlords, and accelerate the split of the central government in China."

Hirohito nodded: "Yoshi!"

"Both plans must be carried out simultaneously!"

Konoe Fumimaro: "Hai!"

Hirohito stood up from his seat: "Gentlemen, the Battle of Wuhan is a battle for the fate of the nation. I urge you all to unite as one and do everything for the honor and disgrace of the Empire!"

All civil and military officials stood up and shouted in unison:
"All for the honor and disgrace of the empire!"

------

7 month 2 day.

Wuhan.

Surrounded by officers' guards, Wang Feng slowly stepped off the military train, where a banner proclaiming "Defend Greater Wuhan" immediately came into view.

It is said that the anti-Japanese propaganda work at the front was all handled by the Eighth Route Army.

This battle was probably the one in which the two sides cooperated most closely.

Zhang Hu strode over: "Sir, the car is ready. Half an hour ago, the General Headquarters sent a message asking you to attend a Military Commission meeting in three hours."

Wang Feng nodded: "You are the corps commander, don't always act like a guard, relaying messages back and forth. If that doesn't work, pick a clever young man from the army to be my adjutant."

Prior to this, Zhao Fangyuan was in charge of the information dissemination work.

This tradition originated during the Jin-Sui Army's 414th Regiment period.

At that time, the number of troops under his command was small, and there were no combat missions. He was always busy with reorganization and training. The regimental commander and chief of staff worked together, and he was able to manage on his own.

As for Zhao Fangyuan, the nominal chief of staff, he had always worked as an adjutant, honing his abilities through practice.

Later, when the full-scale War of Resistance against Japan broke out, I obtained the system panel, and my micro-management skills were maxed out, so I was able to handle things quite well.

It wasn't until later, when Zhao Fangyuan's abilities were honed, that he was able to relinquish his position as chief of staff and focus on strategic command research.

However, the position of adjutant was actually held concurrently by Zhao Fangyuan.

As the military grows larger and larger, and one person's energy is ultimately limited, it's time for Zhao Fangyuan to take a break.

Zhang Hu nodded quickly: "Yes!"

Wang Feng: "Let's go, let's go straight to the Central Military Commission!"

------

Inside the Central Military Commission meeting room.

Chiang Kai-shek stood alone in front of the large map, lost in thought. After returning from the mountain city, he had stayed here almost all the time, sometimes even spending the night in this room.

In the past few major battles, the plans and schemes he formulated before the war were simply not feasible on the battlefield. As soon as the gunfire started, either the Japanese army broke through the positions or the troops collapsed on their own. All the counterattacks and encirclements were just empty dreams in the end.

The sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of elite Nationalist troops did make him much more clear-headed.

Perhaps all the decisions we made in the past were wrong.

We should adopt a different approach to the decisive battle against the Japanese army.

There was a knock on the door.

Chen Cheng pushed open the door and saluted:

"Committee!"

After Chiang Kai-shek recognized the person, he waved and said, "Cixiu, come here."

Chen Cheng: "Yes!"

After saying that, he strode over to Chiang Kai-shek's side and handed him a file.

"Chairman, this is the speech for this meeting."

Chiang Kai-shek opened it, glanced at it, closed it, and handed it back: "Well done, we'll use this one."

Chen Cheng responded, "Yes!"

But then a hint of uncertainty crossed his mind: "Chairman, is it really necessary to proceed with Wang Feng's appointment and removal?"

Chiang Kai-shek remained silent for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Cixiu, Shanghai is lost, Nanjing is lost, Xuzhou is lost, we can't afford to lose anymore."

"I can tolerate the Eighth Route Army's political propaganda in Wuhan, and I can also tolerate the consequences of this letter of appointment."

"My goal is very clear: as long as the Battle of Wuhan is won, no, as long as the expected combat effect is achieved, that's enough."

(End of this chapter)