Blood-Red Front

The Chusheng Army won the Battle of Kyoto and captured the capital of Xia Kingdom. The people of Chusheng were collectively excited, but the high-ranking officers at headquarters were not so happy.

The reason is simple: the main force of the Xia army successfully broke through the encirclement, and the newly promoted troops only managed to capture an empty city.

The gains and losses of a single city or region are important, but not that important, even if it is the capital of a country.

Throughout history, the primary objective of warfare has always been to eliminate the enemy's manpower.

Chu Shengjun occupied the capital of Xia, but his strategy of using force to make peace failed, and instead they plunged into a deeper quagmire of war.

At the Army General Staff Headquarters, Chief of the General Staff Yamamoto stood with his back to the Xia Kingdom situation map, his expression serious.

"Gentlemen, the Jiangnan Campaign has essentially come to an end."

"The North China Front Army strongly requested to attack the Yellow River and advance into the Central Plains in order to realize the previous plan to attack Jiangcheng."

"Her Majesty the Queen has inquired about the opinion of our Army Headquarters."

At the beginning of the war, the initial battle plan of the newly established Kingdom was to advance along the Central Plains, capture Jiangcheng, and then move down the river.

As a result, the Xia army was forced to change its operational direction due to the Battle of Yibinxi, which was initiated by the Xia army.

Now that the war in Jiangnan has ended, the North China Area Army, which has been relegated from the main character to a supporting role, wants to regain its leading role.

"Chief, gentlemen." Section Chief Kono stood up and bowed to everyone.

"Our army has now occupied most of the northeast, southern Mongolia, and North China of the Xia Kingdom, and also controls the Yangtze River Delta region. It can be said that the most valuable areas of the Xia Kingdom have all fallen into Chu Sheng's hands."

"But correspondingly, we have already committed more than 90% of our troops to the Xia Kingdom battlefield. If we continue to open up new battlefields, our newly developed military strength may not be able to sustain itself."

"If we want to maintain our military strength to deal with Yusa and Rakshasa, we must know when to stop."

"At the very least, we should hold back for now and wait until the second half of the year, after the six new divisions have been expanded, before launching an attack on the Central Plains."

The newly formed army had expanded to 24 divisions, but apart from the Imperial Guard Division, two newly formed divisions, and the division stationed on the peninsula, the rest of the troops, along with the vast majority of heavy artillery, tanks, and aircraft, had been sent to Xia.

At this time, the total strength of Chusheng Army in Xia State had exceeded 50, which was a huge burden for Chusheng.

Upon hearing Kono's suggestion, Vice Chief of Staff Tojo shouted, "Kono-kun! After a series of wars in East and North China, Xia's military strength and industrial capacity have been severely damaged."

"We only need to send a few regiments to pursue and sweep through, and the Xia Kingdom will be forced to surrender. Stopping at this point will give the enemy a chance to catch their breath."

"Moreover, attacking the Central Plains and opening up the Jinpu Railway is a necessary battlefield consolidation, which can connect our northern and southern armies."

"Your Excellency, the Jinpu Railway is of no use to our army!" Kono said.

"Opening up the Jinpu Railway is very simple, but occupying it requires deploying a large number of troops."

"Without the stationing of two divisions, the safety of the Jinpu Railway cannot be guaranteed, which will only drag us further into the quagmire of Xia Kingdom."

"If the only goal is to connect the north and south, sea transport is safer and cheaper than land transport!"

"Baka!" Tojo slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

At this moment, Yamamoto, who had been listening to their argument, raised his hand and interrupted Tojo.

"Tojo-kun!"

He gestured for Tojo to sit down, and then Yamamoto said, "The East China Expeditionary Army has fought two major battles in Hama-Nishi and Kyoto, suffering more than 100,000 casualties. It is indeed difficult for them to coordinate operations to the north in the short term."

"Considering the strategic feasibility of long-term warfare, it is a more prudent choice not to continue expanding the battlefield before the military expansion is completed."

Many of the attendees nodded in agreement.

The statements from the Xia government all indicate that Xia is attempting a protracted resistance. If there is no possibility of seeking peace, temporarily halting the expansion of the war would be a better option.

Although the newly promoted soldiers believed in Bushido, they were still human and could get tired.

"Commander-in-Chief!" Tojo wanted to say something more.

Yamamoto interrupted again, "This is also Prime Minister Konoe's opinion. The future of this incident is far-reaching, and we must be prepared for a protracted war!"

Yamamoto didn't say the word "Empress," but his meaning was clear.

The Queen sought the opinion of the Army General Staff because she wanted them to convince themselves.

Tojo stopped speaking, but his eyes were full of resentment.

……

Yamamoto, having compromised with the Army General Staff's opinion, immediately issued instructions upon being promoted to the Imperial General Headquarters.

The North China Front Army strictly prohibited expanding the battlefield to areas south of the Yellow River.

In East China, the priority was to ensure the stability of the occupied areas, and only air operations were permitted in the rear.

At the same time, the newly established nation formally established a war system and began general mobilization for war, with military spending surging from 35 billion to 83 billion.

The army originally planned to sign an alliance treaty with the Prosen Empire, but the navy strongly opposed it because it needed fuel from the Yusa Federation, so the army had to give up for the time being.

However, to the surprise of the newly promoted Army General Staff, their disagreement with continuing the operation did not affect the operations at the front in the slightest.

After advancing to the banks of the Yellow River, the 10th Division launched an immediate attack on the Xia Army's 3rd Group Army, which was deployed along the river, without any hesitation.

After landing in Jiaozhou Bay, the 5th Division immediately advanced along the Jiaoji Railway.

The instructions from the initial headquarters seemed to be just empty words.

……

Headquarters meeting.

The newly crowned empress, seated at the head of the table, remained silent, her expression rather unpleasant.

Prime Minister Konoe began by asking, "Your Excellency, what are your opinions on the Army General Staff?"

"Your Majesty." Yamamoto rose and bowed to the Empress.

"Given the current situation, the escalation of the war is unavoidable, and ratification is the only option."

Subordinates overthrowing superiors and being forced to ratify—this has become a complete process in the ranks of newly promoted soldiers, and everyone is caught up in it.

"Does the General Staff have any plans regarding the operational strategy?" Konoe asked.

"We had a contingency plan in place," Yamamoto reported.

"Abandon all operations on secondary fronts, advance from both the north and south, and bring the entire coastline from Shanhaiguan to Hangzhou Bay under the rule of the rising power."

"Explain in detail," the Empress said.

"Hi!"

Yamamoto walked up to the map.

"In the southern section of the Jinpu Railway, the 9th Division was deployed near Wuhu, with its main force guarding the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and a part of it crossing the river from Wuhu and advancing north along the Huainan Railway via Yuxikou. The 3rd Division advanced along the Jinpu Railway with its main force until it stopped near Zhangbaling, while another part of it crossed the river from Zhenjiang and attacked northern Jiangsu."

"In the northern section of the Jinpu Railway, the 10th Division advanced south along the railway, while the 5th Division advanced towards the Jiaoji Railway. Depending on the development of the battle, a decision would be made on whether to continue advancing to Quancheng or attack Pengcheng via the Taiwei Highway."

"What if the Rakshasa send troops to intervene?" the newly crowned empress asked.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. According to intelligence, the Rakshasa are currently focusing their main efforts on Europe. Even if they were to transfer troops to the Far East, it would take at least six months."

"And it would only take us a month at most to transfer troops from the Central Plains back to the area outside the pass."

"Yes." The Queen nodded.

"Since the Rakshasa Kingdom has turned to Europe, can we negotiate with them and sign a non-aggression pact?"

The guard's eyes lit up. "Your Majesty is wise! It's entirely possible!"

"Moreover, once the peace talks succeed, the Rakshasa Kingdom's support for the Xia Kingdom will cease, which is a win-win situation for us!"

"Great, then go do it."

"Hi!"

……