1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

"Even so, it's just like a large natural city wall. These passes are indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack. But if others don't attack and directly block a few key mountain passes from the outside, you won't be able to get out, right?"

"Uh...."

Liu Yalou paused. Dong Tianzhi, a Henan native who had just been rescued from a Beiping prison along with Bo Yibo, Yin Jian, and others and had gone to the Northeast to hide, hesitated for a moment and spoke:

"Because of the Yellow River?" "Why do you say that?"

"I'm from Henan. It's easy to go downriver by boat from Shaanxi and Shanxi, but it's very difficult to go upriver from our downstream. I wonder if this is the reason why no one can sustain transporting grain from the downstream..."

Ah…”

A group of people were stunned.

Yes, Guanzhong is a large plain. In the past, food was abundant and easy to transport. Of course, we could hold out longer than the enemies outside!

It’s not that they don’t know the concept, but they don’t have a holistic idea in their minds and can’t think of it for a while.

Chongren Xuanren and the Japanese naval officers were relatively indifferent to this. It was common sense that water transport had lower food losses. While they had never considered the situation in Guanzhong, China, a brief study would reveal this conclusion.

Some of them particularly like "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and immediately understood why Yizhou and Jingzhou are so important, why the Kingdom of Shu could last so long, why Zhuge Liang tried his best to attack Guanzhong instead of fighting Dongwu, etc.

Fujiwara Kanezane continued to ask questions:

"Okay, then why was Guanzhong abandoned after the Tang Dynasty? The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and the Song Dynasty are fine, but why didn't the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties choose Chang'an as their capital?"

This question is easy to answer. Almost everyone in Guanzhong or the surrounding provinces knows it - there is not enough food to feed people!

Otherwise, why would the Tang Dynasty build another capital, Luoyang, in Henan when it already had its capital, Chang'an?

Those who like to read history books will also remember the more than ten famous "capital relocations for food" in the Tang Dynasty.

Being able to take everyone in the city to Luoyang for meals means that the cost of transporting food to Guanzhong is higher than taking people directly to Luoyang.

It can't even be self-sufficient. Once the enemy surrounds it, Guanzhong will immediately erupt into civil unrest. How can such a place be the capital?

As for the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, they all chose Beijing as their capital...

"...Because there are mountains to the west and south, and the sea to the east, there are no threatening enemies. Therefore, choosing Peking can effectively prevent attacks from the only threatening enemy in the north. This logic also applies to the Qing Dynasty."

Fujiwara no Kanezane explained in detail the concept of "geopolitics," which had recently attracted the attention of senior officials from various countries, and then asked:

"...Okay, from this perspective, let's discuss why the Qing Dynasty failed. Its geographical location was clearly extremely advantageous, and all of China had become its 'Central Plains,' so why did it fail so miserably?"

Everyone fell into silence.

Some people thought of the usual reasons, but after thinking about the content of the course just taught, they thought carefully and quickly shut up.

The Ming Dynasty was already a fairly mature, unified feudal dynasty. With the Central Plains at its core and protected by a circle of mountains and the sea, China formed a vast land of prosperity, possessing a crushing strategic advantage over any surrounding country.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty pushed its territory to the limit of what an agricultural nation could control, turning all places that could be cultivated into Chinese territory, until they were too far away from the capital to be controlled.

If it weren't for the backward communication, governance, and money and grain transportation capabilities of the feudal era, China could have swept across Asia relying on this giant version of the "Guanzhong Plain";

The Qing dynasty took the Ming dynasty one step further – it had the Northeast, the "place where the dragon rose" and the unwavering support of the Mongol nobles, and simply turned all places where sheep could be grazed into Chinese territory!

("Manchu and Mongolia co-rule the world" - the Qing imperial palace was filled with Mongolian concubines, and many Manchu princesses were married to Mongolian princes. In terms of profit distribution, Mongolia was only responsible for military affairs and did not pay taxes, but only received military funds to defend the north every year)

(Of course, the population reduction policy is another matter - after all, whether in the eyes of the Qing or Mongolian high-ranking officials, the lower classes are not considered human beings!)

(I am reminded of some people's earlier remarks that "marriage has no effect on politics" and "taking Wanrong into the family is just the bad taste of the stupid author" and so on.)

In other words, the Qing Dynasty didn't even face the threat of northern enemies that previous dynasties faced. Its geographical environment was the most advantageous in the entire history of China, bar none!

It is no exaggeration to say that the Qing Dynasty was the pinnacle of human political power in the agricultural era. No other regime in the world has ever been so outrageously powerful. Under the blessing of great unification, it ensured the safety of everyone at the lowest cost.

But such a China was completely defeated by the Qing Dynasty. It has been defeated so badly that it cannot hold its head up until now. It was beaten by its former vassal state, Japan, and even faced the crisis of national extinction.

This is the reason that people in China have been pondering for nearly a hundred years.

science and technology?

culture?

system?

Both seem to make sense, yet none of them seem complete.

After a period of silence, Matsuda Chiaki suddenly said slowly:

"Due to the development of the Industrial Revolution, 'Guanzhong' is no longer 'Guanzhong'?"

"Oh? Matsuda-kun, come on up and tell me what you think."

"maritime."

Chiaki Matsuda boldly walked to the front of the stage and pointed at the map:

"Aside from the short-lived Zheng He fleet, China has never been able to establish a truly sizable navy. Furthermore, the lack of threatening enemies has limited their understanding of the ocean, and they have never considered the possibility of their regime being destroyed by an enemy from the sea. However..."

I don't need to explain what happened next, but then the British came.

Giant steel ships made the sea a thoroughfare, making it extremely easy to transport troops and food. A huge gap appeared in the perfect "Dragon's Rise Treasure Land" of the Qing Dynasty in China.

This was even worse than the situation along the Yellow River where the Guanzhong army could attack at will at any time, because the navy could move faster and more freely, attacking wherever it wanted, leaving no place completely safe.

As long as there is such a navy, not to mention the gap between China's technology and system and the enemy's, even if the enemy is far behind, it can still make the whole of China suffer like the Viking pirates did to Europe.

At this moment, the CCP members who were sent to Northeast China and were asked to take huge risks to infiltrate the new navy of Manchukuo finally understood the painstaking efforts of the Party Central Committee.

navy!

Sea power!

If the CCP cannot build a strong navy, even if it unifies the entire Chinese mainland and possesses the world's best army, it will still face the situation of being wantonly beaten and threatened by its maritime enemies at any time!

They even thought about the situation that if the "Nth XX War" broke out again between China and Britain one day, the other side would use its powerful navy to threaten and harass China to gain some kind of benefit.

We must work hard to master the navy! Develop the navy! "Pa pa pa pa pa..."

Fujiwara Kanezane clapped his hands in appreciation, took the teaching stick, and pointed northward: "Not only that, due to the development of technology, Northeast China is no longer safe. Although the Soviet Far East is still unsuitable for long-term human habitation, transporting troops for war is not a problem..."

"So, China's current geopolitical environment is very poor. The east, where a strong navy is most needed, is as soft as a human belly, and the north faces the threat of the Soviet Union..."

3

There was another round of approval from the audience.

In fact, there have always been people within the Japanese Navy who advocated "taking a gamble" - directly using powerful naval forces to attack eastern China, capture Nanjing and Shanghai, and defeat the Chinese government in one wave.

The "February 8 Incident" is the embodiment of this trend of thought.

Now, the power of Japan and Hachimangu occupies China's northeast region, just like the Qing Dynasty in the past. As long as they have strong industrial and military power, they can enter the country at any time.

The reason they're not fighting now is because Hachimangu has other plans. Is that the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?

The naval officers vaguely understood something.

"Okay, I've finished explaining why China is strong, why it's weak, and why it must be unified from the perspective of 'geopolitical and economic foundations determine the superstructure.' Now let's talk about why the United States is so powerful."

Fujiwara Kanezane glanced around and threw the teaching stick to Liu Yalou: "Liu Yalou, follow my ideas and you will teach!"

“Hey? Me?”

He really remembered me!

Not only Liu Yalou, but Xiao Hua and Wei Guoqing also gasped. This guy really couldn't be underestimated.

"Well, yes, you, let me see how you understand it."

Liu Yalou, remembering the Party Central Committee's mission, clenched his fist, and boldly stepped forward to interpret the current state of the United States from the same perspective:

With the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, the small countries around it pose no land threat to the United States. All powerful enemies that could defeat the United States are blocked by the vast distance between the two oceans.

The entire North American continent can be considered the American version of the Guanzhong Plain, where foreign enemies would have difficulty invading. This allowed the United States to develop peacefully and continuously build its strength...

While Liu Yalou was speaking, other CCP members who wanted to "show off" were unaware that the person on the stage was also a CCP member. They were worried that they would be "stolen the limelight" and unable to complete their tasks. After getting permission, they actively spoke up and made additional comments.

Liu Yalou was also worried that he would be suppressed and would not be favored by Fujiwara no Kanezane and thus gain power in the navy, so he racked his brains and spoke even harder.

And when he works hard, others...

Most of the Japanese naval officers had read the book "The Influence of Sea Power on History" by American naval historian Mahan. Listening to and watching the lively discussion, they felt that their horizons had been broadened and were secretly surprised.

This group of newcomers is of good quality!

Although they are all Chinese, if they are properly trained, I am afraid they will be no worse than us!

His Majesty Hachiman-no-Miya is indeed worthy of being the "King of the Wisdom Eyes" that everyone secretly talks about. It's amazing that the people he randomly named are all so talented?

Especially this Liu Jun, if nothing unexpected happens, he will surely become His Highness's future confidant, just like Doihara and Brigadier General Wang, right?

We have to work hard too!

So they also joined the discussion, but because of the language barrier, they had to use an agent to translate, so they were a little behind, but the scene was still very lively.

"...So, let me summarize everyone's opinions—the United States, with its powerful industrial strength and navy, is now like the Tang Dynasty, which owns the Guanzhong Plain. Relying on this precious land, the United States could theoretically easily sweep the world and unify the globe... Hey!?"

After reaching this conclusion, not only the people who listened to his analysis, but Liu Yalou himself was shocked.

How did they come up with the conclusion that the Soviet Union was doomed to fail after all this analysis?! Holy crap!

Fortunately, this is in "Manchukuo" and not in Moscow!

Fujiwara Kanezane clapped his hands:

"Very good, very good. Your analysis is basically correct. I don't have anything to add... I don't think anyone would disagree with this conclusion, right?"

This conclusion was reached by everyone through discussion, so naturally no one refuted it.

Although everyone knows that the United States is very powerful and China and Japan are by no means its rivals, but...

Is there no hope of winning at all?

"But you and all of you have overlooked something that seems unimportant but is actually crucial, and that is the cultural and institutional issues of the United States."

“Culture… and institutions?”

"That's right. The United States has only been established for a little over a hundred years. Forget culture. Many internal contradictions and old scores haven't been resolved. It's impossible for the idea of ​​a unified nation to emerge. This is also the root cause of American isolationism."

Fujiwara Kanezane pointed at the map and said:

"Thus, although the United States is powerful, its culture and institutions are too weak to support its rule over a larger territory. Ultimately, it can only follow the path of the British, a path doomed to failure."

To be honest, this argument is not convincing enough.

Putting aside the question of how the once-mighty British Empire failed, and the so-called "cultural influence on dominance," is the American system weak?

ha?

Isn't its system of separation of powers perfect?

Fujiwara no Kanezane knew that few people believed his words at the moment, so he did not argue and said with a smile:

"Of course, we can't expect the enemy to fail on their own. We still have to work hard to develop our own strength and our navy. Otherwise, even if Britain and the United States are defeated, we won't have a chance to stand up again."

At this time, Gu Yaoguici suddenly smiled bitterly and said:

"Your Highness, I understand what you meant by your first statement—why Japan wouldn't even be qualified to sit at the table without relying on China or the United States."

"Is that so?"

Fujiwara no Kanezane smiled and nonchalantly poked at the Japanese's sore spot:

"Japan has no 'Central Plains', no grain production, and is surrounded by the sea. Even if it builds a strong navy in the short term, it will still be crushed by the use of its national strength. As for its system and culture..."

Haha, the system is a patchwork and the culture is incomplete.

"Haha, Gu Yaojun, it seems you have completely understood what I mean. Can you come up and tell me?"

"Yes."

Gu Yaoguici walked to the front, picked up the teaching stick and began to speak:

"For China's future, the threat from the Soviet Union in the north still exists, but because of the barrier of Siberia, this threat will not be particularly serious at present. The real threat to the mainland still comes from the sea..."

Everyone nodded.

The CCP people nodded because, apart from the cadres in Northeast China, the vast majority of people did not think the Soviet Union was a threat. After all, it was a socialist country. Even if there were some friction with China (CCP), it would not lead to war, right?

The Japanese people nodded because the Japanese army had really beaten the Soviet Union. Not only did they have a psychological advantage, but they also knew how cold and bitter Siberia was. They could fight small battles there, but they could not fight long and large ones.

"...If we attack from the sea, the most likely threats to China are from Britain and the United States..."

"Okay, Gu Yaojun, we can remove the UK." "Uh...ah...oh...ok..."

Although he didn't understand why Lord Fujiwara looked down on the British Empire, the Japanese Navy's teacher, he was impressed by his knowledge and insight. Keiji couldn't find any reason to refute him, so he just said:

"...So, if we want to deal with the threat from the United States, in addition to building a strong navy, we must also build a 'Hangu Pass' on the sea to protect the 'Central Plains'..."