Chiang Kai-Shek goes to Germany: An Axis China Timeline
- Thread starter CCA
- Start date
Nivek - Thanks
1. I'll have to find that out too (oddly enough I don't know!)
2. You'll find out on this update just what they take...
3. Oh no, my friend, he isn't dead yet. Although he probably wishes he was! (it'll be clear when you read this update.)
4.
I wish you were close but... I suppose I did lead people on to thinking that possibly...
Wyragen-TXRG4P
- Maybe
LeoXiao
- Thanks it was... Till now anyway!
Paul MacQ
- Thanks Paul. China gets even more broken up in this update. Any comments on the Fiat 3000?
Arrested Development: The Failure of the Second Northern Expedition.
The Year 1927 began optimistically for the Kuomintang. Their troops had swept all before it, essentially completely destroying the previous Beiyang Government. Their foes seemed to be scattered, reeling in confusion and on the verge of capitulation. China seemed to be on the verge of a national revival. When Manchuria was finally retaken, then China could begin it's long-delayed voyage into modernization.
A Fiat 3000 with a Chinese crewmember and a foreign 'advisor' (possibly Italian)
Preparations began in earnest for the incursion into Manchuria, arnaments were prepared and a brand new experimental division the "Swift Assault Division" formed from the remnants of the Heavy Reconnaisance brigade and given trucks and armoured cars would form the basis of a speedy thrust through the plains of Manchuria. They would be like an armoured 'fist' or a 'spearhead' crashing on an enemy line, allowing regular troops to pour through to envelope the enemy in detail around the flanks. The Fiat 3000 tanks which had served the Heavy Reconnaisance Brigade so well would be used again.
Such innovative tactics were needed. Zhang Zuolin's Manchurian Army were not inferior warlord rabble that would collapse at the first sight of combat. They were hardened, professional soldiers who were trained and hardened by fighting bandits, warlords and occasionally each other. They were lavishly equipped and trained by Japanese advisors and were a formidable obstacle to the reunification of China. The two forces skirmished near the outskirts of Beijing, but there was no significant action.
Both sides were waiting. Chiang wanted to wait until next year to fully prepare his army. Zhang was franticallly training more men and raising appeals abroad for an 'intervention.' Something was going to give, but it would be at an unexpected direction.
Somebody set us up the bomb!
- Chiang Kai-shek
On the 7th anniversary of the May Fourth movement an attempted assasination took place. Sun Yat-sen and his inner circle - consisting of Chiang Kai-Shek, Wang Jingwei and T.V Soong were at a balcony in Nanking. Sun Yat-sen was giving a speech to a large crowd of people about the need to "cleanse the land of warlordism and banditry." He stated his belief that the "warlords were a disease of the heart, the foreigners a disease of the skin." Suddenly a bomb exploded in the lectern that Sun was speaking from. Shards flew all over the balcony and into the crowd.
Miraculously, there were no deaths. The heavy oak construction had deflected most of the blast force and the shrapnel. A later investigation revealed that the paid assasin had short-changed his employers by using less explosive than necessary and pocketing the surplus cash. However fragments still bit into Sun Yat-sen, weakening his already fragile health. News travelled fast, hysterical rumours flew that it was a 'foreign conspiracy' led to mass rioting. All over China, the government seemed to be losing control - and in a sense it was - Wang, Chiang and Soong were the leading figures of the regime. The lack of contact with them led to a short, but violent power vacuum.
An artistic depiction of the "disorder"
In the "Disorder" which lasted for only two days many foreigners were killed. Armed mobs wandered around the streets of Shanghai killing foreigners and besieging the international settlements. This scene was repeated all over China except where there was significant National Revolutionary presence or Kuomintang organization. However the most significant outbreak of violence was at Shanghai with over 231 foreigners being killed or wounded. The rest of the country had a mere 119.
Although Sun was successful at reasserting conrtrol by May 6 the damage had been more than done. The international reaction was immediate and violent. France immediately occupied Hainan, the English sent in troops to reinforce Shanghai and prepared an expedition to Nanking. Japan began moving troops to Shangdong Peninsula. The Spanish prepared an expeditionary force after the brutal burning of a Catholic mission. Sun forestalled the intervention by issuing an apology and inviting all the 'offended parties' to Beijing for a conference scheduled for August 1.
The "Humiliation Treaty" of Beijing
By the time of the conference on August 1 1927, passions had somewhat cooled. Nevertheless, the foreign powers still demanded on extracting their pound of flesh. France was awarded a 1000 year lease on Hainan island. The British were paid a large lump sum of silver and made China renounce all claims to Hong Kong and demanded a "permanent lease" on Shantou, the League of Nations granted the Spanish a "mandate" over Beijing and the "Heibei Strip" a demilitarized zone between Manchuria and China centered around Beijing. This 'mandate' gave the Spanish the right to collect all tarrifs and revenue from the area to pay for a "Spanish Peacekeeping force" Japan forced China to recognize the independence of Manchuria and to renounce all claims. On top of this, China was also forced to grant large ammounts of money to each party as "indemneties" and to pay for the damages caused. Sun signed through gritted teeth.
The Kuomintang limped along for the rest of the year in a state of shock and confusion. Sun's reputation had taken a beating from the "Treaty of Beijing" which was attacked all over China as a "humiliation treaty." Sun's spirit had taken an even larger beating with Sun breaking down in frequent bouts of depression. Sun's body, already fragile was deteriorating even more rapidly with the attempted assasination attempt. Still, Sun was still President, Premier and Prime Minister, not even in Sun's weakened state did the "Triumverate" consisting of Wang (representing the leftist groups) Chiang (representing the military forces and 'moderates') and T.V Soong (representing the bourgeiose, industrialists and landowners) dared to act.
There was no no questions of Northern Expeditions. President Zhang Zoulin was declared "Emperor of Manchuria and Mengouko" on December 1 1927. China was limping along. The question on everyone's lips were: "When would Sun die and who would suceed him?"
Next Update: Whodunnit? Who wanted Sun dead and why?
1. I'll have to find that out too (oddly enough I don't know!)
2. You'll find out on this update just what they take...
3. Oh no, my friend, he isn't dead yet. Although he probably wishes he was! (it'll be clear when you read this update.)
4.
I wish you were close but... I suppose I did lead people on to thinking that possibly...Wyragen-TXRG4P
- Maybe
LeoXiao
- Thanks it was... Till now anyway!
Paul MacQ
- Thanks Paul. China gets even more broken up in this update. Any comments on the Fiat 3000?
Arrested Development: The Failure of the Second Northern Expedition.
The Year 1927 began optimistically for the Kuomintang. Their troops had swept all before it, essentially completely destroying the previous Beiyang Government. Their foes seemed to be scattered, reeling in confusion and on the verge of capitulation. China seemed to be on the verge of a national revival. When Manchuria was finally retaken, then China could begin it's long-delayed voyage into modernization.
A Fiat 3000 with a Chinese crewmember and a foreign 'advisor' (possibly Italian)
Preparations began in earnest for the incursion into Manchuria, arnaments were prepared and a brand new experimental division the "Swift Assault Division" formed from the remnants of the Heavy Reconnaisance brigade and given trucks and armoured cars would form the basis of a speedy thrust through the plains of Manchuria. They would be like an armoured 'fist' or a 'spearhead' crashing on an enemy line, allowing regular troops to pour through to envelope the enemy in detail around the flanks. The Fiat 3000 tanks which had served the Heavy Reconnaisance Brigade so well would be used again.
Such innovative tactics were needed. Zhang Zuolin's Manchurian Army were not inferior warlord rabble that would collapse at the first sight of combat. They were hardened, professional soldiers who were trained and hardened by fighting bandits, warlords and occasionally each other. They were lavishly equipped and trained by Japanese advisors and were a formidable obstacle to the reunification of China. The two forces skirmished near the outskirts of Beijing, but there was no significant action.
Both sides were waiting. Chiang wanted to wait until next year to fully prepare his army. Zhang was franticallly training more men and raising appeals abroad for an 'intervention.' Something was going to give, but it would be at an unexpected direction.
Somebody set us up the bomb!
- Chiang Kai-shek
On the 7th anniversary of the May Fourth movement an attempted assasination took place. Sun Yat-sen and his inner circle - consisting of Chiang Kai-Shek, Wang Jingwei and T.V Soong were at a balcony in Nanking. Sun Yat-sen was giving a speech to a large crowd of people about the need to "cleanse the land of warlordism and banditry." He stated his belief that the "warlords were a disease of the heart, the foreigners a disease of the skin." Suddenly a bomb exploded in the lectern that Sun was speaking from. Shards flew all over the balcony and into the crowd.
Miraculously, there were no deaths. The heavy oak construction had deflected most of the blast force and the shrapnel. A later investigation revealed that the paid assasin had short-changed his employers by using less explosive than necessary and pocketing the surplus cash. However fragments still bit into Sun Yat-sen, weakening his already fragile health. News travelled fast, hysterical rumours flew that it was a 'foreign conspiracy' led to mass rioting. All over China, the government seemed to be losing control - and in a sense it was - Wang, Chiang and Soong were the leading figures of the regime. The lack of contact with them led to a short, but violent power vacuum.
An artistic depiction of the "disorder"
In the "Disorder" which lasted for only two days many foreigners were killed. Armed mobs wandered around the streets of Shanghai killing foreigners and besieging the international settlements. This scene was repeated all over China except where there was significant National Revolutionary presence or Kuomintang organization. However the most significant outbreak of violence was at Shanghai with over 231 foreigners being killed or wounded. The rest of the country had a mere 119.
Although Sun was successful at reasserting conrtrol by May 6 the damage had been more than done. The international reaction was immediate and violent. France immediately occupied Hainan, the English sent in troops to reinforce Shanghai and prepared an expedition to Nanking. Japan began moving troops to Shangdong Peninsula. The Spanish prepared an expeditionary force after the brutal burning of a Catholic mission. Sun forestalled the intervention by issuing an apology and inviting all the 'offended parties' to Beijing for a conference scheduled for August 1.
The "Humiliation Treaty" of Beijing
By the time of the conference on August 1 1927, passions had somewhat cooled. Nevertheless, the foreign powers still demanded on extracting their pound of flesh. France was awarded a 1000 year lease on Hainan island. The British were paid a large lump sum of silver and made China renounce all claims to Hong Kong and demanded a "permanent lease" on Shantou, the League of Nations granted the Spanish a "mandate" over Beijing and the "Heibei Strip" a demilitarized zone between Manchuria and China centered around Beijing. This 'mandate' gave the Spanish the right to collect all tarrifs and revenue from the area to pay for a "Spanish Peacekeeping force" Japan forced China to recognize the independence of Manchuria and to renounce all claims. On top of this, China was also forced to grant large ammounts of money to each party as "indemneties" and to pay for the damages caused. Sun signed through gritted teeth.
The Kuomintang limped along for the rest of the year in a state of shock and confusion. Sun's reputation had taken a beating from the "Treaty of Beijing" which was attacked all over China as a "humiliation treaty." Sun's spirit had taken an even larger beating with Sun breaking down in frequent bouts of depression. Sun's body, already fragile was deteriorating even more rapidly with the attempted assasination attempt. Still, Sun was still President, Premier and Prime Minister, not even in Sun's weakened state did the "Triumverate" consisting of Wang (representing the leftist groups) Chiang (representing the military forces and 'moderates') and T.V Soong (representing the bourgeiose, industrialists and landowners) dared to act.
There was no no questions of Northern Expeditions. President Zhang Zoulin was declared "Emperor of Manchuria and Mengouko" on December 1 1927. China was limping along. The question on everyone's lips were: "When would Sun die and who would suceed him?"
Next Update: Whodunnit? Who wanted Sun dead and why?
Dan Reilly The Great - A surrender will be carried out alright but it won't be in a Chinese rail car. That's so 1918. No, the surrender will be carried out in a(n) *spoiler Airship
Paul MacQ - The USSR's reaction is hostile denouncing the "Western Imperialism" as "greedy and grasping" and attack the Japanese and Manchurians as "Yellow running dogs of oppressor capitalism." In fact Stalin is so concerned that he sends one of his best Generals, a certain Leon Trotsky (not that he doesn't have his own reasons!) There will of course be a section on lessons that the Air Force learned from the KMT expedition but the time for that is still later.
Nivek - Thanks Nivek. America is quite friendly towards the KMT and the Chinese regime due to their extensive contacts. The Americans are especially friendly towards T.V Soong and the other Soong's seeing T.V as the next president of China... Time will tell whether they would be correct
You'll find out in this update whether or not you're right about the Europeans Or will you?
Don't be too sure that the "Left" will be purged. There's a reason why they call the partnership between Chiang, Wang and Soong the *spoiler* "Holy Trinity."
Thanks again for your kind feedback and comments.
Brancaleone - Yep - and that's precisely what happens...
Dan Reilly The Great - I wouldn't be so sure about that - a more assertive, some would say "belligerent" China might kick off an earlier rearnament - if not for the French and the British then for the Kiwi's and Aussies. The Anti-Chinese phobia IOTL was bad and real enough with a weak and essentially broken China - imagine how bad it'll be with a unified, assertive and strong China.
Thanks to everyone for their comments and feedback! Much appreciated!
Whodunnit? An explosion mystery tour
To say that the attempted assasination attempt against Sun Yat-sen and the top circle of the Kuomintang was a significant attempt is a violent understatement. It was perhaps, the defining event of the Northern Expedition - what had been a walkover to a coronation party became an uphill struggle against powerful foreign forces. What was an all but invetiable triumph suddenly shattered into broken dreams and painful memories.
And to think that - in theory the assasination had failed. None of the intended targets were actually killed. Nevertheless, the Kuomintang was significantly wounded - even crippled by the event. The paralysis of the Kuomintang post the "Nanking Affair" (as the assasination attempt would be referred to) was symbolized by an increasingly frail and senile Sun Yat-Sen.
But who was behind the assasination? To this day, who was behind the actual assasination is still one of the world's leading mysteries. Much ink has been spilled in countless reports commissioned by one party or the other to exonerate their faction or alternatively blame others. Essentially the problem with determining the origin of the assasination lies in the fact that a lot of parties had a lot to gain, and had gained from the assasination leading to a myriad of possible suspects.
Suspect 1: Emperor Zhang Zoulin, Protector of Manchuria and Mongolia
The first, and most obvious were the Manchurians. Zhang Zhoulin and Yan Xishan both had reasons to conduct an assasination attempt on the KMT. They had the contacts within China to make it happen and the fact that the assasination was botched suggests that it was not conducted by a professional foreign intelligence agency. In the Treaty of Beijing the Manchurians had gained recognition, a demilitarized zone between the two powers and Yan Xishan even managed to have his personal possessions returned. The Manchurians had gained - although perhaps not immensely but they had reason enough to assasinate the KMT leadership even without material gain.
Suspect Two: Du Yuesheng or "Big Eared Du"
The second suspect was Du Yuesheng "Big Eared Du." Du had conveniently been absent from what was a major speech and his men took several leading figures of the regime who were in Shanghai for their own "safekeeping." - including the Ailing and Meiling Soong, H.H Kung and a host of other figures. Uniformed groups wearing the KMT uniform (where there were no KMT troops in Shanghai as part of the Agreement) also aroused suspicion. Du had a lot to gain from a power vacuum caused by the assasination of the top level of the KMT, perhaps even taking control himself. Nevertheless, despite the assasination failing, Du had gained significantly. The demilitarization of Shanghai which forbade China to station troops meant that his authority in Shanghai could not be challenged by the KMT government. Sun's increasing decline into senility had also caused a vacuum in which the KMT government was all but paralyzed - leaving Du's gangster men to fill the void.
Suspect Three: The Japanese
The third suspect were the Japanese. They had gained from the peace deal, securing the demilitarization of key borders and securing indemneties that was all out of proportion to the damage done by the mobs. The assasination had also signficantly weakened China - and a weakened China was one of the tenets of Japanese foreign policy.
The fourth suspect were the Western Powers themselves. However, there is little to substantiate this view. Although the KMT was being seen as an increasing threat - there was no concrete policy laid out in the foreign offices of France and Britain and their greediness in the Treaty of Beijing was opportunistic rather than planned.
Suspect Five: Chen Duxiu - The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
The fifth and final suspect were the Chinese Communists under the leadership of Chen Duxiu. This is however, highly unlikely as they were as taken aback as the rest of China was and failed to seize the moment in any meaningful way. Furthermore, Chen Duxiu was a hardline orthodox communist who obeyed the line from Moscow without question. The line from Moscow was that Chen and the Communists would follow and prop up the KMT without question while massively infilitrating it from within. But there would be no splits and absolutely no assasination attempts. In fact the Chinese Communist Party were the first to rally around the KMT banner when it was discovered that Sun had lived.
Regardless of who had prepared and backed the assasination attempt and the fact that it had actually failed, the effects were catastrophic for China and the Kuomintang. There is a reason why the final, post-Nanking incident years of Sun Yat-sen's life are called the "lost years" or the "black years."
Next Update: 1928 - From bad to worse.
Feedback and comments always welcome (in fact actively solicited!)
AirshipPaul MacQ - The USSR's reaction is hostile denouncing the "Western Imperialism" as "greedy and grasping" and attack the Japanese and Manchurians as "Yellow running dogs of oppressor capitalism." In fact Stalin is so concerned that he sends one of his best Generals, a certain Leon Trotsky (not that he doesn't have his own reasons!) There will of course be a section on lessons that the Air Force learned from the KMT expedition but the time for that is still later.
Nivek - Thanks Nivek. America is quite friendly towards the KMT and the Chinese regime due to their extensive contacts. The Americans are especially friendly towards T.V Soong and the other Soong's seeing T.V as the next president of China... Time will tell whether they would be correct
You'll find out in this update whether or not you're right about the Europeans
Or will you?Don't be too sure that the "Left" will be purged. There's a reason why they call the partnership between Chiang, Wang and Soong the *spoiler* "Holy Trinity."
Thanks again for your kind feedback and comments.
Brancaleone - Yep - and that's precisely what happens...
Dan Reilly The Great - I wouldn't be so sure about that - a more assertive, some would say "belligerent" China might kick off an earlier rearnament - if not for the French and the British then for the Kiwi's and Aussies. The Anti-Chinese phobia IOTL was bad and real enough with a weak and essentially broken China - imagine how bad it'll be with a unified, assertive and strong China.
Thanks to everyone for their comments and feedback! Much appreciated!
Whodunnit? An explosion mystery tour
To say that the attempted assasination attempt against Sun Yat-sen and the top circle of the Kuomintang was a significant attempt is a violent understatement. It was perhaps, the defining event of the Northern Expedition - what had been a walkover to a coronation party became an uphill struggle against powerful foreign forces. What was an all but invetiable triumph suddenly shattered into broken dreams and painful memories.
And to think that - in theory the assasination had failed. None of the intended targets were actually killed. Nevertheless, the Kuomintang was significantly wounded - even crippled by the event. The paralysis of the Kuomintang post the "Nanking Affair" (as the assasination attempt would be referred to) was symbolized by an increasingly frail and senile Sun Yat-Sen.
But who was behind the assasination? To this day, who was behind the actual assasination is still one of the world's leading mysteries. Much ink has been spilled in countless reports commissioned by one party or the other to exonerate their faction or alternatively blame others. Essentially the problem with determining the origin of the assasination lies in the fact that a lot of parties had a lot to gain, and had gained from the assasination leading to a myriad of possible suspects.
Suspect 1: Emperor Zhang Zoulin, Protector of Manchuria and Mongolia
The first, and most obvious were the Manchurians. Zhang Zhoulin and Yan Xishan both had reasons to conduct an assasination attempt on the KMT. They had the contacts within China to make it happen and the fact that the assasination was botched suggests that it was not conducted by a professional foreign intelligence agency. In the Treaty of Beijing the Manchurians had gained recognition, a demilitarized zone between the two powers and Yan Xishan even managed to have his personal possessions returned. The Manchurians had gained - although perhaps not immensely but they had reason enough to assasinate the KMT leadership even without material gain.
Suspect Two: Du Yuesheng or "Big Eared Du"
The second suspect was Du Yuesheng "Big Eared Du." Du had conveniently been absent from what was a major speech and his men took several leading figures of the regime who were in Shanghai for their own "safekeeping." - including the Ailing and Meiling Soong, H.H Kung and a host of other figures. Uniformed groups wearing the KMT uniform (where there were no KMT troops in Shanghai as part of the Agreement) also aroused suspicion. Du had a lot to gain from a power vacuum caused by the assasination of the top level of the KMT, perhaps even taking control himself. Nevertheless, despite the assasination failing, Du had gained significantly. The demilitarization of Shanghai which forbade China to station troops meant that his authority in Shanghai could not be challenged by the KMT government. Sun's increasing decline into senility had also caused a vacuum in which the KMT government was all but paralyzed - leaving Du's gangster men to fill the void.
Suspect Three: The Japanese
The third suspect were the Japanese. They had gained from the peace deal, securing the demilitarization of key borders and securing indemneties that was all out of proportion to the damage done by the mobs. The assasination had also signficantly weakened China - and a weakened China was one of the tenets of Japanese foreign policy.
The fourth suspect were the Western Powers themselves. However, there is little to substantiate this view. Although the KMT was being seen as an increasing threat - there was no concrete policy laid out in the foreign offices of France and Britain and their greediness in the Treaty of Beijing was opportunistic rather than planned.
Suspect Five: Chen Duxiu - The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
The fifth and final suspect were the Chinese Communists under the leadership of Chen Duxiu. This is however, highly unlikely as they were as taken aback as the rest of China was and failed to seize the moment in any meaningful way. Furthermore, Chen Duxiu was a hardline orthodox communist who obeyed the line from Moscow without question. The line from Moscow was that Chen and the Communists would follow and prop up the KMT without question while massively infilitrating it from within. But there would be no splits and absolutely no assasination attempts. In fact the Chinese Communist Party were the first to rally around the KMT banner when it was discovered that Sun had lived.
Regardless of who had prepared and backed the assasination attempt and the fact that it had actually failed, the effects were catastrophic for China and the Kuomintang. There is a reason why the final, post-Nanking incident years of Sun Yat-sen's life are called the "lost years" or the "black years."
Next Update: 1928 - From bad to worse.
Feedback and comments always welcome (in fact actively solicited!)
LeoXiao - I know! But facial hair aside, he was nowhere near ruthless enough.
Paul MacQ - Lol I like that description, shifty but unlikely!
Alratan - Exactly, we might see the British-Japanese alliance go a lot more smoothly ITTL with massive reprecussions for Japanese domestic politics...
Hashasheen - Spain didn't exactly get invited. A bunch of Spanish citizens got killed in cold blood leading to foreign intervention. The money that Spain will make from the taxes and tolls from the area will more than pay for the cost of any expeditionary force. What about logistics? There's plenty of armed muscle wandering around - at low -cost in China. All Spain needs is a token force to 'supervise' said armed bands.
Nivek - Let's just say that China will get back what it lost and then some more when the Spanish Civil War rolls around. All those lovely gold reserves in Madrid do need to go somewhere for 'safekeeping' right?
About Wang: Those are very valid points, but remember that the two men work together in Shanghai for nearly a year when Chiang was in hiding. This leads to a somewhat more personal relationship between the two. If you want an analogue to our TL the partnership between then is like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. There's deep distrust sure, but there's also deep respect and at the end of the day neither will stab each other in the back because they need each other too much. (Or will they)
Hang on to your horses - will there even be Barbarrossa in TL? A world 'progressive' alliance - at least in name- is certainly possible against Franco-British Imperialism (tm)
Thanks Nivek, I don't think this TL will be that good. This is nothing compared to Faelin's The Revolution is Not Yet Over or Hendryk's Superpower Empire TL. But I do appreciate the sentiment
Hendryk - You're very right Hendryk. I'll probably retcon it to 150 years. And Zhang proclaims himself as Emperor of China, Manchuria and Mengouko but the first one is a pretty empty claim, but I'll retcon it in V2 to make it clear.
_____________________________________________________________
From Bad To Worse - The Kuomintang in 1928
1928 was not a good year for the Kuomintang. It began bleakly with a panicked T.V Soong announcing to the Central Committee that the country's silver reserves had all been depleted by the Treaty of Beijing and they were down to 5% of the previous year's level. If merchants were to discover that the strenght of the currency had been badly eroded - hyperinflation was soon to follow with it's dire consequences. Furthermore, a drained treasury would stall many of the regime's social, military and economic reforms which all needed money to function.
An example of the varous currencies floating around in China
T.V Soong however, had a clever plan. He would stabilize the economy by issuing a new currency that would replace the various regional currencies that were in use. But before he announced the change, the regime would slowly buy foreign currency, gold and silver with these regional currencies which would provide a solid underpinning for the New Yuan. The reaction from Sun was unexpected and somewhat insane. Ranting madly, he threw his chair at Soong accusing him of "positioning himself as a leadership challenge." With the mad fury that only insanity can grant he threw the meeting table at Soong and stormed out of the room furiously.
Such episodes were becoming increasingly common as the year went by. Chiang's proposals for military reform was greeted by icy stares and accusations of treachery and 'military coupist tendencies and caesarism.' Wang's proposals for land and social reform was met with outright contempt with Sun screeching that Wang was "dog and puppet of the communists." Sun had seemingly completely lost the plot and there was nothing that the Triumverate could do about it. Any move would arouse suspicions of disloyalty to an already unstable mind. And so they waited while China stagnated. The Emperor had no clothes, but the princes and nobles were all loath to speak lest they poison their own succession.
Things could not seem to get worse. But they did. Diplomatic pressure was bought to bear on Weimar Germany to end it's cooperation and aid to the Chinese Republic. Faced with the stick of Franco-British trade sanctions and the carrot of reduced reparations, Germany agreed. It would remove it's official support for the Chinese Missions. Where there was once tens of thousands of German advisors, experts and engineers there were only a few hundred by the years end. Von Lundendorf was recalled to Germany. Chinese ship orders to German Naval yards were cancelled. Out of those few hundred the most significant figure was Wilhelm Canaris who became head of the now unofficial mission.
Without German advisors, the military modernization screeched to a grindingly slow pace. China had 5,000,000 soldiers under arms and only 500 German advisors to train and advise. Although the "Whampoa Generation" were starting to make their presence felt, China still needed foreign expertise, especially in the construction and practice with modern equipment like artillery and aircraft. China was seemingly without friends in the world and led by an increasingly ill, both mentally and physically leader.
Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining - The Red Napoleon
The Soviet Union's reaction to the Treaty of Beijing pleased the Chinese Republic - winning it many friends. Germany's withdrawal of it's Technical and Military mission left a large hole which only the Soviet Union was prepared to fulfill. Although the Soviet advisors had been mostly sidelined at almost every turn by their German counterparts, the departure of so many Germans meant that Soviet influence could only increase.
http://images.google.co.nz/url?sour...a1.jpg&usg=AFQjCNFpqnnWxoDjFKmz1xr0HTHKW2mEHg
Leon Trotsky to members of the Soviet Advisory Force: "We are going to China!"
A sign that the Soviet Union was taking China very seriously was the departure of the former Head of the Red Army and the "Red Napoleon" Leon Trotsky for China from Alma Ata in January 31, 1928. Leon Trotsky had found himself at the sharp end of a losing power struggle against Stalin. Stalin decided to remove a potential for a "Trotskyist" comeback by gathering all the senior "Trotskyists" and other possible opponents and sending them to China as part of increased Soviet aid. Sending Trotsky to China made sense for Stalin on a number of levels. Diplomatically, sending such a senior figure would be a sign that the Soviet Union took China seriously. Militarily, Trotsky was an accomplished general and his presence would be welcomed. Politically, the move strengtened Stalin by removing Trotsky from the country. It also strengtened the hand of the Chinese Communist Party who could draw prestige from such a senior figure.
The road to China would be long and ardous. It is perhaps telling of Stalin's intentions that while the rest of the advisory team (consisting of technical experts and agricultural scientists) flew or took the ship to China, Trotsky and all those associated with him had to take the long winding road of the Silk route where there was a strong possibility that they would get killed by wandering warlord troops, bandits and other desperates. But still, Trotsky had to take the gamble for it was his only chance of survival.
Another power that China had friendly relations with was the United States of America. Whereas most European goods were boycotted by the Chinese in the aftermath of the Treaty of Beijing, American goods were not. This led to an increase of commercial relations between the two countries. American recognition of the Kuomintang regime was also a significantly improved factor in the warming of relations between the two countries. Trade links continued to grow between the two nations.
Although overall, 1928 was an extremely bad year for the Kuomintang. It's authority became increasingly shaky as a result of being run by a crazy, paranoid, senile and weak old man. It's foreign policy lay in tatters. However, in hindsight perhaps things weren't so bad. The increased ties with the Soviet Union and the United States of America would prove to be a great blessing in more ways than one.
Next Update : Three weddings and a funeral.
Feedback and comments always welcome/actively solicited.
Paul MacQ - Lol I like that description, shifty but unlikely!
Alratan - Exactly, we might see the British-Japanese alliance go a lot more smoothly ITTL with massive reprecussions for Japanese domestic politics...
Hashasheen - Spain didn't exactly get invited. A bunch of Spanish citizens got killed in cold blood leading to foreign intervention. The money that Spain will make from the taxes and tolls from the area will more than pay for the cost of any expeditionary force. What about logistics? There's plenty of armed muscle wandering around - at low -cost in China. All Spain needs is a token force to 'supervise' said armed bands.
Nivek - Let's just say that China will get back what it lost and then some more when the Spanish Civil War rolls around. All those lovely gold reserves in Madrid do need to go somewhere for 'safekeeping' right?
About Wang: Those are very valid points, but remember that the two men work together in Shanghai for nearly a year when Chiang was in hiding. This leads to a somewhat more personal relationship between the two. If you want an analogue to our TL the partnership between then is like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. There's deep distrust sure, but there's also deep respect and at the end of the day neither will stab each other in the back because they need each other too much. (Or will they)
Hang on to your horses - will there even be Barbarrossa in TL? A world 'progressive' alliance - at least in name- is certainly possible against Franco-British Imperialism (tm)Thanks Nivek, I don't think this TL will be that good. This is nothing compared to Faelin's The Revolution is Not Yet Over or Hendryk's Superpower Empire TL. But I do appreciate the sentiment
Hendryk - You're very right Hendryk. I'll probably retcon it to 150 years. And Zhang proclaims himself as Emperor of China, Manchuria and Mengouko but the first one is a pretty empty claim, but I'll retcon it in V2 to make it clear.
_____________________________________________________________
From Bad To Worse - The Kuomintang in 1928
1928 was not a good year for the Kuomintang. It began bleakly with a panicked T.V Soong announcing to the Central Committee that the country's silver reserves had all been depleted by the Treaty of Beijing and they were down to 5% of the previous year's level. If merchants were to discover that the strenght of the currency had been badly eroded - hyperinflation was soon to follow with it's dire consequences. Furthermore, a drained treasury would stall many of the regime's social, military and economic reforms which all needed money to function.
An example of the varous currencies floating around in China
T.V Soong however, had a clever plan. He would stabilize the economy by issuing a new currency that would replace the various regional currencies that were in use. But before he announced the change, the regime would slowly buy foreign currency, gold and silver with these regional currencies which would provide a solid underpinning for the New Yuan. The reaction from Sun was unexpected and somewhat insane. Ranting madly, he threw his chair at Soong accusing him of "positioning himself as a leadership challenge." With the mad fury that only insanity can grant he threw the meeting table at Soong and stormed out of the room furiously.
Such episodes were becoming increasingly common as the year went by. Chiang's proposals for military reform was greeted by icy stares and accusations of treachery and 'military coupist tendencies and caesarism.' Wang's proposals for land and social reform was met with outright contempt with Sun screeching that Wang was "dog and puppet of the communists." Sun had seemingly completely lost the plot and there was nothing that the Triumverate could do about it. Any move would arouse suspicions of disloyalty to an already unstable mind. And so they waited while China stagnated. The Emperor had no clothes, but the princes and nobles were all loath to speak lest they poison their own succession.
Things could not seem to get worse. But they did. Diplomatic pressure was bought to bear on Weimar Germany to end it's cooperation and aid to the Chinese Republic. Faced with the stick of Franco-British trade sanctions and the carrot of reduced reparations, Germany agreed. It would remove it's official support for the Chinese Missions. Where there was once tens of thousands of German advisors, experts and engineers there were only a few hundred by the years end. Von Lundendorf was recalled to Germany. Chinese ship orders to German Naval yards were cancelled. Out of those few hundred the most significant figure was Wilhelm Canaris who became head of the now unofficial mission.
Without German advisors, the military modernization screeched to a grindingly slow pace. China had 5,000,000 soldiers under arms and only 500 German advisors to train and advise. Although the "Whampoa Generation" were starting to make their presence felt, China still needed foreign expertise, especially in the construction and practice with modern equipment like artillery and aircraft. China was seemingly without friends in the world and led by an increasingly ill, both mentally and physically leader.
Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining - The Red Napoleon
The Soviet Union's reaction to the Treaty of Beijing pleased the Chinese Republic - winning it many friends. Germany's withdrawal of it's Technical and Military mission left a large hole which only the Soviet Union was prepared to fulfill. Although the Soviet advisors had been mostly sidelined at almost every turn by their German counterparts, the departure of so many Germans meant that Soviet influence could only increase.
Leon Trotsky to members of the Soviet Advisory Force: "We are going to China!"
A sign that the Soviet Union was taking China very seriously was the departure of the former Head of the Red Army and the "Red Napoleon" Leon Trotsky for China from Alma Ata in January 31, 1928. Leon Trotsky had found himself at the sharp end of a losing power struggle against Stalin. Stalin decided to remove a potential for a "Trotskyist" comeback by gathering all the senior "Trotskyists" and other possible opponents and sending them to China as part of increased Soviet aid. Sending Trotsky to China made sense for Stalin on a number of levels. Diplomatically, sending such a senior figure would be a sign that the Soviet Union took China seriously. Militarily, Trotsky was an accomplished general and his presence would be welcomed. Politically, the move strengtened Stalin by removing Trotsky from the country. It also strengtened the hand of the Chinese Communist Party who could draw prestige from such a senior figure.
The road to China would be long and ardous. It is perhaps telling of Stalin's intentions that while the rest of the advisory team (consisting of technical experts and agricultural scientists) flew or took the ship to China, Trotsky and all those associated with him had to take the long winding road of the Silk route where there was a strong possibility that they would get killed by wandering warlord troops, bandits and other desperates. But still, Trotsky had to take the gamble for it was his only chance of survival.
Another power that China had friendly relations with was the United States of America. Whereas most European goods were boycotted by the Chinese in the aftermath of the Treaty of Beijing, American goods were not. This led to an increase of commercial relations between the two countries. American recognition of the Kuomintang regime was also a significantly improved factor in the warming of relations between the two countries. Trade links continued to grow between the two nations.
Although overall, 1928 was an extremely bad year for the Kuomintang. It's authority became increasingly shaky as a result of being run by a crazy, paranoid, senile and weak old man. It's foreign policy lay in tatters. However, in hindsight perhaps things weren't so bad. The increased ties with the Soviet Union and the United States of America would prove to be a great blessing in more ways than one.
Next Update : Three weddings and a funeral.
Feedback and comments always welcome/actively solicited.
The Vulture - Thanks Vulture, cheers to you and your excellent TL - I would like to do a crossover piece one day - with your permission of course The theathre of Mu could be an interesting battleground for World War II...
Domoviye - Thank you very much , much appreciated
Fenrir_Angerboda - No they aren't but you know what they say, when things hit rock bottom the only way to go is up...
Paul MacQ - You're absolutely right - The Chinese will be a fusion of German and Russian doctrine, equipment, political thought. Not only the good ideas but also the bad...
Nivek - He dies pretty soon Like right in this update soon. You're right about the Chinese things - the fact that the Axis has a democracy fighting on their side for the "liberation of oppressed colonial peoples' will confuse the hell out of the Pro-allied/pro-entete lobby ITTL. Rather than being a clear cut case of bad vs evil IOTL, the 2nd World War will be a case of grey vs grey where both sides have sufficient 'right' on their side...
Dan Reilly The Great - The second world War ITTL will make the World War IOTL look simple by comparison!
Brancaleone - Exactly! It's funny what a difference sending someone to Germany makes doesn't it? Of course a certain Lev Bronstein might still end up with a pickaxe on his head - except maybe the location will be in Nanking!
Three Weddings and a Funeral - The Beginning of the Nanking Decade
The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of a million? A mere statistic.
- Sun Yat-sen, Diary entry January 1 1929
1929 would usher the beginning of the "Nanking Decade" - an unparalleled time of peace, prosperity and modernization in Chinese historyl New railways would be built, new companies founded, the military modernized and everything seemed to be hurtling toward at lighting speeed towards a brand new age of progress. What was to be a decade of power and progress however, began with a death. Some would call it a tragedy, some could call it a mircale but on January 24 1929 - the founder of the Kuomintang, President, Prime Minister and Premier of China Sun Yat-sen lay dead in his bed.
An autopsy revealed that it had been a quick and relatively painless death with Sun having a massive stroke in his sleep and dying. Whether he had been a saint or a sinner one fact held sway - Sun had left a big influence on the make up of China. He had taken the Kuomintang from a dusty cramped hideout in a shady part of Shanghai to masters and rulers of China. Although he had somewhat (some would say drastically) declined during his later years, the fact that he had unified China would leave him in the annals of history - in hindsight.
Chen Jieru - one of Sun's many concubines. Chen was given as a 'token of goodwill' by Du Yuesheng and is suspected of controlling Sun.
For the moment, when Sun died there was a palpable sigh of relief across the KMT leadership. Sun had become increasingly paranoid and mistrustful of the "triumverate" Sun's diaries and other circumstantial evidence point to Sun's growing collaboration with the Gangster Governor Du Yuesheng. Some had even said that Du was drugging Sun and controlling him through one of Sun's concubines a certan Chen Jieru. However, Chinese historiography is generally fond of the trope of a strong woman being a manipulative and greedy hag so we must take these accusations with a certain grain of salt.
One of the many "spontaneous grief processions" greeting the news of Sun's death on the streets of Nanking.
Despite the private joy of many KMT leaders, they still had to maintain an appropriate level of decorum and show a respect to China's first president. The great leader who had united the nation. Although he was a flawed man - Sun still had achieved extraordinary things and the KMT would not have gotten as far without him. "Grief processions" were organized nationwide, all around China. Some of the mournings were real, others faked. However it was said that no one in China was mourning harder about Sun's death than Du Yuesheng. On February 1 1929, Sun Yat-sen was finally laid to rest - his image tarnished, but his legacy intact.
Du Yuesheng had been filling the void that Sun's madness had left. His agents were at every possible echelon of government, party and military admininstrations. In the west he was viewed as a friendly sympathethic figure. A French report compiled by the head of the French concession in Shanghai (Fessender) described Du as a "remarkable individual who we can trust to crush the bolsheviks" He had been immensley accumulating power and prestige at the expense of Wang, Chiang and Soong. Perhaps in a few years had Sun continued to live he might have eclipsed even the three of them.
But this was not to be. The "Triumverate" consisting of Chiang, Wang and Soongg moved quickly after Sun's death establishing themselves as the pre-eminent figures. They quickly called for a "Party Congress" to decide "the future leadership of our leading movement." However, in reality the three men had already decided the makeup of the future of the party.
In a restaurant in the Italian concession in Tianjin, the three men met on February 14 to decide the future of the nation. It was in the restaurant called "Granita" that the fate of China - and of the world would be decided by three men. It was in Granita that the destinies of 500 million would be decided over sweet Italian desert food.
The First Wedding: The Granita Pact
The three men met in complete secrecy, with their own bodyguards not even being bought with them for protection. They met in an obscure restaurant where no one would suspect. Afterall, Tianjin paled in importance to Nanking, Guangzhou and Shanghai - who would suspect a plot there? The three emerged 12 hours later after a long and wearisome discussion covering a wide range of topics. Whatever the three agreed however, it would not be and could not be to the centralization of power at the hands of one man. Sun Yat-sen had shown them how dangerous such an approach could be and the three men were democrats, by experience if not by conviction.
President Chiang Kai-shek poses for a photo
Chiang Kai-shek emerged as the President of China. They agreed that only Chiang had the moral authority (not to mention the guns!) to lead China through a turbulent era. The 'foreign devils' were not to be trusted and China needed to be awake militarily, the "eastern dwarves" posed an even greater threat being only a few miles away. Furthermore, Chiang was acceptable to both Soong and Wang and was seen as a 'politically safe' choice by a wide faction of people including communists, reactionaries, progressives and liberals. The President of China needed to be someone who could - and would lead a broad coalition of figures. In exchange for the Presidency Chiang agreed to take a 'hands-off' approach to domestic policy - leaving Wang and Soong to debate it. Chiang also agreed to make 'limited use' of his veto powers (the President could veto any bill passed regardless of a majority) To ensure that this would follow the constitution was rewritten so that the Legislative Yuan (the Chinese Parilament) could force a reelection of the President with a simple majority. Despite having had to make several concessions - Chiang still emerged as a very powerful man. He was still Commander-in-Chief of ther Armed Forces, he could suspend the constitution and parliament in 'times of national crisis or emergencies' and his role as the head of a broad coalition and not a faction granted him significant moral authority over Wang and Soong. Chiang could rule by both the pen and the sword.
Wang Jingwei midspeech - his significant powers of oratory and charisma made him a very powerful politician.
Wang Jingwei emerged from the meeting with two very powerful positions. Chiang and Soong both agreed to back Wang for the post of Party President and as Prime Minsiter (which he was entitled to anyway as the leader of the biggest party in the Yuan.) Chiang also agreed to significantly divest domestic issues to the Yuan. This gave Wang immense potential for power, he could even become more powerful than the president if he played his cards right. However he had to dilute some of this power - he made a deal with T.V Soong - Soong would give Wang free hand with domestic and social policy and give him money that the programmes needed if Wang gave Soong a free hand on economic affairs. Wang agreed.
T.V Soong - the Premier of China.
T.V Soong was the third member of this "Triumverate" in a sense he was the weakest of both men in the sense that he was the only player to not possess an army. He was also the strongest in the sense that he possessed a solid understanding of economic issues. T.V Soong was also fabolously wealthy and well-connected being the darling and patron of China's emerging and increasingly important merchant classes. From the meeting he solidified his position as the steward of the economy. T.V Soong was named Premier (the equivalent of Chancellor) and was given responsibility for the efficient functioning of the state bureacracy. T.V Soong's power was in numbers and wealth and his new appointments solidified his strenghts.
The Second Wedding: Chiang and the Soongs
The happy couple on their wedding day
T.V Soong also had another weapon up his sleeve, one of his sisters, Soong Meiling was being courted by Chiang. After Sun's death what had been a mildly irritating fliration now became an urgent matter of political alliance. Clan politics had been used to solidify alliances since the dawn of Chinese history and it would be used again now.
The two were married on March 21. Although it was a political marriage the two were genuinely in love. This is when Du Yuesheng is said to have made the greatest mistake of his political career. After getting (secretly) married at a church, the two made their way to the Chinese wedding ceremony going in separate limousines. Chiang arrived there and waited for Meiling. After an agitated two hours, Du Yuesheng arrived uninvited driving Meiling to the ceremony. He said that Meiling had been found 'motoring through the streets withour protection.' For her own 'safety' she had been taken to a 'safe villa' perhaps if he'd heard of the wedding he would've bought her 'sooner.' Du left shaking his head after saying that he found Chiang's conduct 'deplorable' and he should 'take better care of your lovely wife.' Such visits were not uncommon for Du to prominent politicians to remind them of his power. At the time it is likely that Du did not know of the Granita deal and thought it unlikely that Chiang would suceed Sun. It didn't matter to Chiang - he had been humiliated and emasculated at his own wedding cermony. Du would meet a grisly end at the hand of Chiang's government many years later where he would end up *SPOILER: HANGING FROM A MEATHOOK SPOILER*
The Third Wedding: The Kuomintang and China
The "Kuomintang Extraordinary Party Congress" was called for May 4 - one of the anniversaries of the movement. It took place in Nanking with tens of thousands of delegates and many more visitors. The Granita Pact held and the Triumverate took the positions that they had agreed to many weeks before. However despite this, Du's faction had put in a reasonable performance - it was estimated that 35-45% of the KMT followed Du's instructions or were in some way sympathetic to his goals. The party and China would need a cleanup one day. Elections were called for and won on a significant margin the concept of a 'tutelage' period thoroughly discredited by Sun's long decline, the Presidential Election would take place in 1932 and an election for the Legislative Yuan would take place in 1933.
Next Update:
1930 The Red Protector
Thanks to everyone for their kind feedback/comments.
Feedback and comments are always appreciated/solicited.
The theathre of Mu could be an interesting battleground for World War II...Domoviye - Thank you very much , much appreciated
Fenrir_Angerboda - No they aren't but you know what they say, when things hit rock bottom the only way to go is up...
Paul MacQ - You're absolutely right - The Chinese will be a fusion of German and Russian doctrine, equipment, political thought. Not only the good ideas but also the bad...
Nivek - He dies pretty soon
Like right in this update soon. You're right about the Chinese things - the fact that the Axis has a democracy fighting on their side for the "liberation of oppressed colonial peoples' will confuse the hell out of the Pro-allied/pro-entete lobby ITTL. Rather than being a clear cut case of bad vs evil IOTL, the 2nd World War will be a case of grey vs grey where both sides have sufficient 'right' on their side...Dan Reilly The Great -
The second world War ITTL will make the World War IOTL look simple by comparison!Brancaleone - Exactly! It's funny what a difference sending someone to Germany makes doesn't it? Of course a certain Lev Bronstein might still end up with a pickaxe on his head - except maybe the location will be in Nanking!
Three Weddings and a Funeral - The Beginning of the Nanking Decade
The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of a million? A mere statistic.
- Sun Yat-sen, Diary entry January 1 1929
1929 would usher the beginning of the "Nanking Decade" - an unparalleled time of peace, prosperity and modernization in Chinese historyl New railways would be built, new companies founded, the military modernized and everything seemed to be hurtling toward at lighting speeed towards a brand new age of progress. What was to be a decade of power and progress however, began with a death. Some would call it a tragedy, some could call it a mircale but on January 24 1929 - the founder of the Kuomintang, President, Prime Minister and Premier of China Sun Yat-sen lay dead in his bed.
An autopsy revealed that it had been a quick and relatively painless death with Sun having a massive stroke in his sleep and dying. Whether he had been a saint or a sinner one fact held sway - Sun had left a big influence on the make up of China. He had taken the Kuomintang from a dusty cramped hideout in a shady part of Shanghai to masters and rulers of China. Although he had somewhat (some would say drastically) declined during his later years, the fact that he had unified China would leave him in the annals of history - in hindsight.
Chen Jieru - one of Sun's many concubines. Chen was given as a 'token of goodwill' by Du Yuesheng and is suspected of controlling Sun.
For the moment, when Sun died there was a palpable sigh of relief across the KMT leadership. Sun had become increasingly paranoid and mistrustful of the "triumverate" Sun's diaries and other circumstantial evidence point to Sun's growing collaboration with the Gangster Governor Du Yuesheng. Some had even said that Du was drugging Sun and controlling him through one of Sun's concubines a certan Chen Jieru. However, Chinese historiography is generally fond of the trope of a strong woman being a manipulative and greedy hag so we must take these accusations with a certain grain of salt.
One of the many "spontaneous grief processions" greeting the news of Sun's death on the streets of Nanking.
Despite the private joy of many KMT leaders, they still had to maintain an appropriate level of decorum and show a respect to China's first president. The great leader who had united the nation. Although he was a flawed man - Sun still had achieved extraordinary things and the KMT would not have gotten as far without him. "Grief processions" were organized nationwide, all around China. Some of the mournings were real, others faked. However it was said that no one in China was mourning harder about Sun's death than Du Yuesheng. On February 1 1929, Sun Yat-sen was finally laid to rest - his image tarnished, but his legacy intact.
Du Yuesheng had been filling the void that Sun's madness had left. His agents were at every possible echelon of government, party and military admininstrations. In the west he was viewed as a friendly sympathethic figure. A French report compiled by the head of the French concession in Shanghai (Fessender) described Du as a "remarkable individual who we can trust to crush the bolsheviks" He had been immensley accumulating power and prestige at the expense of Wang, Chiang and Soong. Perhaps in a few years had Sun continued to live he might have eclipsed even the three of them.
But this was not to be. The "Triumverate" consisting of Chiang, Wang and Soongg moved quickly after Sun's death establishing themselves as the pre-eminent figures. They quickly called for a "Party Congress" to decide "the future leadership of our leading movement." However, in reality the three men had already decided the makeup of the future of the party.
In a restaurant in the Italian concession in Tianjin, the three men met on February 14 to decide the future of the nation. It was in the restaurant called "Granita" that the fate of China - and of the world would be decided by three men. It was in Granita that the destinies of 500 million would be decided over sweet Italian desert food.
The First Wedding: The Granita Pact
The three men met in complete secrecy, with their own bodyguards not even being bought with them for protection. They met in an obscure restaurant where no one would suspect. Afterall, Tianjin paled in importance to Nanking, Guangzhou and Shanghai - who would suspect a plot there? The three emerged 12 hours later after a long and wearisome discussion covering a wide range of topics. Whatever the three agreed however, it would not be and could not be to the centralization of power at the hands of one man. Sun Yat-sen had shown them how dangerous such an approach could be and the three men were democrats, by experience if not by conviction.
President Chiang Kai-shek poses for a photo
Chiang Kai-shek emerged as the President of China. They agreed that only Chiang had the moral authority (not to mention the guns!) to lead China through a turbulent era. The 'foreign devils' were not to be trusted and China needed to be awake militarily, the "eastern dwarves" posed an even greater threat being only a few miles away. Furthermore, Chiang was acceptable to both Soong and Wang and was seen as a 'politically safe' choice by a wide faction of people including communists, reactionaries, progressives and liberals. The President of China needed to be someone who could - and would lead a broad coalition of figures. In exchange for the Presidency Chiang agreed to take a 'hands-off' approach to domestic policy - leaving Wang and Soong to debate it. Chiang also agreed to make 'limited use' of his veto powers (the President could veto any bill passed regardless of a majority) To ensure that this would follow the constitution was rewritten so that the Legislative Yuan (the Chinese Parilament) could force a reelection of the President with a simple majority. Despite having had to make several concessions - Chiang still emerged as a very powerful man. He was still Commander-in-Chief of ther Armed Forces, he could suspend the constitution and parliament in 'times of national crisis or emergencies' and his role as the head of a broad coalition and not a faction granted him significant moral authority over Wang and Soong. Chiang could rule by both the pen and the sword.
Wang Jingwei midspeech - his significant powers of oratory and charisma made him a very powerful politician.
Wang Jingwei emerged from the meeting with two very powerful positions. Chiang and Soong both agreed to back Wang for the post of Party President and as Prime Minsiter (which he was entitled to anyway as the leader of the biggest party in the Yuan.) Chiang also agreed to significantly divest domestic issues to the Yuan. This gave Wang immense potential for power, he could even become more powerful than the president if he played his cards right. However he had to dilute some of this power - he made a deal with T.V Soong - Soong would give Wang free hand with domestic and social policy and give him money that the programmes needed if Wang gave Soong a free hand on economic affairs. Wang agreed.
T.V Soong - the Premier of China.
T.V Soong was the third member of this "Triumverate" in a sense he was the weakest of both men in the sense that he was the only player to not possess an army. He was also the strongest in the sense that he possessed a solid understanding of economic issues. T.V Soong was also fabolously wealthy and well-connected being the darling and patron of China's emerging and increasingly important merchant classes. From the meeting he solidified his position as the steward of the economy. T.V Soong was named Premier (the equivalent of Chancellor) and was given responsibility for the efficient functioning of the state bureacracy. T.V Soong's power was in numbers and wealth and his new appointments solidified his strenghts.
The Second Wedding: Chiang and the Soongs
The happy couple on their wedding day
T.V Soong also had another weapon up his sleeve, one of his sisters, Soong Meiling was being courted by Chiang. After Sun's death what had been a mildly irritating fliration now became an urgent matter of political alliance. Clan politics had been used to solidify alliances since the dawn of Chinese history and it would be used again now.
The two were married on March 21. Although it was a political marriage the two were genuinely in love. This is when Du Yuesheng is said to have made the greatest mistake of his political career. After getting (secretly) married at a church, the two made their way to the Chinese wedding ceremony going in separate limousines. Chiang arrived there and waited for Meiling. After an agitated two hours, Du Yuesheng arrived uninvited driving Meiling to the ceremony. He said that Meiling had been found 'motoring through the streets withour protection.' For her own 'safety' she had been taken to a 'safe villa' perhaps if he'd heard of the wedding he would've bought her 'sooner.' Du left shaking his head after saying that he found Chiang's conduct 'deplorable' and he should 'take better care of your lovely wife.' Such visits were not uncommon for Du to prominent politicians to remind them of his power. At the time it is likely that Du did not know of the Granita deal and thought it unlikely that Chiang would suceed Sun. It didn't matter to Chiang - he had been humiliated and emasculated at his own wedding cermony. Du would meet a grisly end at the hand of Chiang's government many years later where he would end up *SPOILER: HANGING FROM A MEATHOOK SPOILER*
The Third Wedding: The Kuomintang and China
The "Kuomintang Extraordinary Party Congress" was called for May 4 - one of the anniversaries of the movement. It took place in Nanking with tens of thousands of delegates and many more visitors. The Granita Pact held and the Triumverate took the positions that they had agreed to many weeks before. However despite this, Du's faction had put in a reasonable performance - it was estimated that 35-45% of the KMT followed Du's instructions or were in some way sympathetic to his goals. The party and China would need a cleanup one day. Elections were called for and won on a significant margin the concept of a 'tutelage' period thoroughly discredited by Sun's long decline, the Presidential Election would take place in 1932 and an election for the Legislative Yuan would take place in 1933.
Next Update:
1930 The Red Protector
Thanks to everyone for their kind feedback/comments.
Feedback and comments are always appreciated/solicited.
Paul MacQ - Thanks heaps. It does seem like a paradox but stable government *is* possible for China. Well relatively stable anyway, but when things go unstable shit will really hit the fan. You have to remember that the KMT and many in China take the "political power grows out of the barrel of the gun" very seriously. This is a state where postal workers and the census bureau carry submachine guns and the Postal Service has tanks. You can only imagine what a breakdown in civil society will produce....
Hendryk - Thanks for all your help so far Hendryk!
Nivek - Hehe thanks, it's currently holidays in New Zealand and I'm trying to update this TL every weekday if possible.
- Your reaction to Hindenburg's death is pretty much the same reaction of everyone who knew what was going on. But for the average peasant the death of Sun is like the death of the Great Leader.
- You'll get your Japanese blood soon, but not yet. The civilians are still in control of Japan and they still can keep a grip on the Kwangtung Army
- Aha! But Trotsky isn't actually the Red Protector! I fooled lots of people though so I don't blame you
- Yep this TL does have lots of views - I think it's because it contains two of the most popular alternate history words "China" and "Axis" in the title.
tallwingedgoat: - Thanks for those links - will be very useful for me in the future. It certainly *is* possible for both China and Japan to be both in the Axis but to do that you need to reverse Japan's foreign policy since the 1850's which was the domination of China.
Wyragen-TXRG4P: - Thanks - there's a small bit about the Wall Street Crash on this update.
OKH_1946 -
1. I sure hope so, I've got a few vague ideas which I'll float around to The Vulture very soon.
2. hehe - Zombie Clauswitz tearing the shit out of Chiang? Maybe in a "Zombie Axis China TL"
3. Nope I can't believe I got you too!
1930 - The Red Protector
Although some historians view 1929 as the beginning of the "Nanjing Decade" it was more of a preparation year for what would be known as the "Year of Lightning." One study done by Burkhart et all estimates that the sheer number of initiatives, reforms and programmes launched in 1930 exceeds the total number of legislation passed during the 'Nanjing Decade.' It would be folly then to attempt to even catalogue the sheer volume - we should instead concentrate on the important programmes.
Mao Zedong - The energetic and fresh new General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
The main driver of these reforms - unsurprisingly enough was Wang Jingwei. Alhough many of these initiatives were proposed by the KMT left, Chiang as president - had the power to block, ammend or otherwise water down these legislation. In fact, he often went much further, strengtening and often radicalizing legislation. For example when Wang's land reform scheme was proposed it only included 'suggestions' for rent reductions and had a voluntary 'credit cooperation' scheme where local villagers could participate in. Landlords often stayed as the key figures in the village. The reason for the mildness of these schemes is disputes, some say that Wang was positioning himself as a 'moderate' and trying to win the support of the broader KMT. Some said that Wang thought that there was no point in even proposing radical reform since Chiang was bound to shoot it then. Wang and the Executive Yuan (which governed the country in the absense of a Legislative Yuan and cabinet structures) were then taken very much aback when Chiang demanded more 'radical reforms.' Chiang wanted the creation of 'village councils' which would be the center of political and economic life, introducing democracy at a localized level and allowing villages to have credit. Chiang also proposed linking the compulsory village cooperatives to a "National Agriculture Fund" in a "National Bank" which would give the KMT regime much needed credit. The programme could be kick started by a one time "Landlord registration fee" - which would effectively confiscate half of all landlords assets and place it into the hands of the village cooperatives. Rent reductions would then be 'suggested' with a further threat of 'registration' if the rents were not reduced at an appropriate level. These examples are only a few of the reforms proposed but they showed how radicalized - even 'bolshevist' Chiang's ideas were.
It was believed that many of these ideas had not - in fact come from Chiang but the new and very young General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong. Chiang and Mao had come from very similar backgrounds - both had been born into poor peasant families and had risen their way to top positions. Although Chiang was not a Marxist and had no time for dogmatic Marxism, Mao had impressed Chiang with his intellectual independence from Moscow and his insistence that China had to develop it's own 'independent' method of communist thought - free from Moscow. Mao emphasized the importance of the rural peasantry which comprised over 80% (if not more) of China's total population and argued that the peasants were the key to any successful revolution. For any revolution to succeed they had to be mobilized. Chiang did not agree with Mao's conclusions - the creation of a proletarian state, but he did grasp the concept that the political mobilization of peasants was key to any successful regime. So an unlikely alliance was developed. Chiang would not only take and implement Mao's policies he would also ensure that the Chinese Communist Party was not assimilated into the KMT-left headed by Wang. This move, more than any other would ensure Chiang's dominance of the 'broad coalition' - by preventing anyone else from amassing similar coalitions - he would maintain his monopoly on power.
The Red Napoleon aka Leon Trotsky/Lev Bronstein
Chiang's cooperation with leftists did not end with native born communists. His cooperation and ultimately friendship with a man history would ultimately know as the "Red Napoleon" would have profouned consequences - not only for the development of the National Revolutionary Army but for the future of the world. However when Trotsky finally arrived in China after an entire long year travelling across bandit and warlord infested lands where half his party had been wiped out he was desperately sick (having contracted smallpox, yellow fever, dengue and malaria at various points during his trip) and it seemed unlikely that he would live. Trotsky would spend all of 1929 recovering before he was well enough to even speak to Chiang.
When he was finally well enough to finally speak to the President of China - Trotsky firmly impressed Chiang with his knowledge of China and his precise grasp of Chinese politics. Trotsky could also relate to Chiang as an equal - something that the Germans could never do (given that Chiang was the subbordinate of Ludendorf and he was still treated as such by the old man.) Trotsky's ideas were radically different from that of the Germans, instead of creating a small, professional army which was highly mobile, apolitical and versed in 'modern offensive warfare' Trotsky wanted to create a massive, highly politically indoctrinated 'popular army.' Trotsky viewed the Army as an "instrument of power" - which Chiang also agreed. Trotsky favoured the creation of an "Army-in-being" which would use it's advantage of interior communication lines to pose a threat to an enemy everywhere. The "Army-in-being" by it's very existence would force an enemy to overextend their forces, allowing the much larger army to strike the weakest point or to 'attack along the line, overcoming the overstretched enemy.' A 'Popular Army' would also make use of China's most important asset: people. Chiang was reportedly so pleased with Trotsky and his ideas that he gave Trotsky a gift of a ancient Chiense sword on his birthday - a sure sign of telling Chiang's trust (in total, only 4 people would ever received this gift from Chiang - Adolf Hitler, Wang Jingwei, T.V Soong and Leon Trotsky.) Chiang put Trotsky in charge of 'reorganization of the National Revolutionary Army as you see fit' on one caveat - he would leave the Assault Divisions alone.
Mao Du - one of the leading intellectuals of the "New Literature Movement." His name meant "contradiction" and in a sense he represented the internatal contradictions, not only of himself but of the wider Chinese Society.
Chiang's patronage of left-wing figures did not end there. Chiang and his wife Soong Meiling would become great patrons of China's emerging "New Literature" intellectual movement which was connected to the "May Fourth" movement. The "New Literatue Movement" were a group of intellectuals, writers and artists, who were leading the "Chinese Renaissance." Originally based in Shanghai - they were hounded out of the city by Du Yuesheng's increasing paranoia and many relocated to Nanking where they were patronized by Chiang and other leading figures. The leading figure of the "New Literature Movement" was Mao Dun the editor of Xiaoshuo Xinchao (Fiction New Waves) - the weekly newsletter of the movement. Nanking would eventually become the thriving intellectual capital of China becoming the birthplace of "Chinese Futurism."
Chiang's patronage of the above left-wing figures and many many more won Chiang the epithet "The Red Protector." Overseas, this was seen as evidence that China was "Bolshevist" leading to increased calls for an "intervention." However, the western powers were in no mood for an intervention. Although a sharp plunge in the New York Stock Market in 1929 had led to concerns of a possible recession, Chinese silver was used by many Western Powers to purchase shares leading to a return in market value for many of these stocks. However - the consumers who had mostly lost all their savings in the October 1929 crash did not have access to these silver. Consumption fell as a result. 1930 would see the beginning of what would be termed the "Great Depression" - but the effects were beginning to be felt. Ramsay MacDonald's Labour government - elected under a wafer-thin majority in 1929 was in no mood for what he dismissed as 'foreign adventures.' Chiang stood defiantly in 1930 as the "Red Protector" of not only the left but of China itself.
Next Update:
1931 - The Eastern Expedition
Thanks to everyone for their feedback and comments.
Further feedback and comments always welcomed/encouraged.
Hendryk - Thanks for all your help so far Hendryk!
Nivek - Hehe thanks, it's currently holidays in New Zealand and I'm trying to update this TL every weekday if possible.
- Your reaction to Hindenburg's death is pretty much the same reaction of everyone who knew what was going on. But for the average peasant the death of Sun is like the death of the Great Leader.
- You'll get your Japanese blood soon, but not yet. The civilians are still in control of Japan and they still can keep a grip on the Kwangtung Army
- Aha! But Trotsky isn't actually the Red Protector! I fooled lots of people though so I don't blame you
- Yep this TL does have lots of views - I think it's because it contains two of the most popular alternate history words "China" and "Axis" in the title.
tallwingedgoat: - Thanks for those links - will be very useful for me in the future. It certainly *is* possible for both China and Japan to be both in the Axis but to do that you need to reverse Japan's foreign policy since the 1850's which was the domination of China.
Wyragen-TXRG4P: - Thanks - there's a small bit about the Wall Street Crash on this update.
OKH_1946 -
1. I sure hope so, I've got a few vague ideas which I'll float around to The Vulture very soon.
2. hehe - Zombie Clauswitz tearing the shit out of Chiang? Maybe in a "Zombie Axis China TL"
3. Nope
I can't believe I got you too!1930 - The Red Protector
Although some historians view 1929 as the beginning of the "Nanjing Decade" it was more of a preparation year for what would be known as the "Year of Lightning." One study done by Burkhart et all estimates that the sheer number of initiatives, reforms and programmes launched in 1930 exceeds the total number of legislation passed during the 'Nanjing Decade.' It would be folly then to attempt to even catalogue the sheer volume - we should instead concentrate on the important programmes.
Mao Zedong - The energetic and fresh new General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
The main driver of these reforms - unsurprisingly enough was Wang Jingwei. Alhough many of these initiatives were proposed by the KMT left, Chiang as president - had the power to block, ammend or otherwise water down these legislation. In fact, he often went much further, strengtening and often radicalizing legislation. For example when Wang's land reform scheme was proposed it only included 'suggestions' for rent reductions and had a voluntary 'credit cooperation' scheme where local villagers could participate in. Landlords often stayed as the key figures in the village. The reason for the mildness of these schemes is disputes, some say that Wang was positioning himself as a 'moderate' and trying to win the support of the broader KMT. Some said that Wang thought that there was no point in even proposing radical reform since Chiang was bound to shoot it then. Wang and the Executive Yuan (which governed the country in the absense of a Legislative Yuan and cabinet structures) were then taken very much aback when Chiang demanded more 'radical reforms.' Chiang wanted the creation of 'village councils' which would be the center of political and economic life, introducing democracy at a localized level and allowing villages to have credit. Chiang also proposed linking the compulsory village cooperatives to a "National Agriculture Fund" in a "National Bank" which would give the KMT regime much needed credit. The programme could be kick started by a one time "Landlord registration fee" - which would effectively confiscate half of all landlords assets and place it into the hands of the village cooperatives. Rent reductions would then be 'suggested' with a further threat of 'registration' if the rents were not reduced at an appropriate level. These examples are only a few of the reforms proposed but they showed how radicalized - even 'bolshevist' Chiang's ideas were.
It was believed that many of these ideas had not - in fact come from Chiang but the new and very young General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong. Chiang and Mao had come from very similar backgrounds - both had been born into poor peasant families and had risen their way to top positions. Although Chiang was not a Marxist and had no time for dogmatic Marxism, Mao had impressed Chiang with his intellectual independence from Moscow and his insistence that China had to develop it's own 'independent' method of communist thought - free from Moscow. Mao emphasized the importance of the rural peasantry which comprised over 80% (if not more) of China's total population and argued that the peasants were the key to any successful revolution. For any revolution to succeed they had to be mobilized. Chiang did not agree with Mao's conclusions - the creation of a proletarian state, but he did grasp the concept that the political mobilization of peasants was key to any successful regime. So an unlikely alliance was developed. Chiang would not only take and implement Mao's policies he would also ensure that the Chinese Communist Party was not assimilated into the KMT-left headed by Wang. This move, more than any other would ensure Chiang's dominance of the 'broad coalition' - by preventing anyone else from amassing similar coalitions - he would maintain his monopoly on power.
The Red Napoleon aka Leon Trotsky/Lev Bronstein
Chiang's cooperation with leftists did not end with native born communists. His cooperation and ultimately friendship with a man history would ultimately know as the "Red Napoleon" would have profouned consequences - not only for the development of the National Revolutionary Army but for the future of the world. However when Trotsky finally arrived in China after an entire long year travelling across bandit and warlord infested lands where half his party had been wiped out he was desperately sick (having contracted smallpox, yellow fever, dengue and malaria at various points during his trip) and it seemed unlikely that he would live. Trotsky would spend all of 1929 recovering before he was well enough to even speak to Chiang.
When he was finally well enough to finally speak to the President of China - Trotsky firmly impressed Chiang with his knowledge of China and his precise grasp of Chinese politics. Trotsky could also relate to Chiang as an equal - something that the Germans could never do (given that Chiang was the subbordinate of Ludendorf and he was still treated as such by the old man.) Trotsky's ideas were radically different from that of the Germans, instead of creating a small, professional army which was highly mobile, apolitical and versed in 'modern offensive warfare' Trotsky wanted to create a massive, highly politically indoctrinated 'popular army.' Trotsky viewed the Army as an "instrument of power" - which Chiang also agreed. Trotsky favoured the creation of an "Army-in-being" which would use it's advantage of interior communication lines to pose a threat to an enemy everywhere. The "Army-in-being" by it's very existence would force an enemy to overextend their forces, allowing the much larger army to strike the weakest point or to 'attack along the line, overcoming the overstretched enemy.' A 'Popular Army' would also make use of China's most important asset: people. Chiang was reportedly so pleased with Trotsky and his ideas that he gave Trotsky a gift of a ancient Chiense sword on his birthday - a sure sign of telling Chiang's trust (in total, only 4 people would ever received this gift from Chiang - Adolf Hitler, Wang Jingwei, T.V Soong and Leon Trotsky.) Chiang put Trotsky in charge of 'reorganization of the National Revolutionary Army as you see fit' on one caveat - he would leave the Assault Divisions alone.
Mao Du - one of the leading intellectuals of the "New Literature Movement." His name meant "contradiction" and in a sense he represented the internatal contradictions, not only of himself but of the wider Chinese Society.
Chiang's patronage of left-wing figures did not end there. Chiang and his wife Soong Meiling would become great patrons of China's emerging "New Literature" intellectual movement which was connected to the "May Fourth" movement. The "New Literatue Movement" were a group of intellectuals, writers and artists, who were leading the "Chinese Renaissance." Originally based in Shanghai - they were hounded out of the city by Du Yuesheng's increasing paranoia and many relocated to Nanking where they were patronized by Chiang and other leading figures. The leading figure of the "New Literature Movement" was Mao Dun the editor of Xiaoshuo Xinchao (Fiction New Waves) - the weekly newsletter of the movement. Nanking would eventually become the thriving intellectual capital of China becoming the birthplace of "Chinese Futurism."
Chiang's patronage of the above left-wing figures and many many more won Chiang the epithet "The Red Protector." Overseas, this was seen as evidence that China was "Bolshevist" leading to increased calls for an "intervention." However, the western powers were in no mood for an intervention. Although a sharp plunge in the New York Stock Market in 1929 had led to concerns of a possible recession, Chinese silver was used by many Western Powers to purchase shares leading to a return in market value for many of these stocks. However - the consumers who had mostly lost all their savings in the October 1929 crash did not have access to these silver. Consumption fell as a result. 1930 would see the beginning of what would be termed the "Great Depression" - but the effects were beginning to be felt. Ramsay MacDonald's Labour government - elected under a wafer-thin majority in 1929 was in no mood for what he dismissed as 'foreign adventures.' Chiang stood defiantly in 1930 as the "Red Protector" of not only the left but of China itself.
Next Update:
1931 - The Eastern Expedition
Thanks to everyone for their feedback and comments.
Further feedback and comments always welcomed/encouraged.
1931: The Eastern Expedition Redux or the Invasion that wasn't
The 13th Dalai Lama
The Chinese reassertion of sovereignty in Tibet, Sinkiang and the various autonomous provinces in the east would serve as a model by which a peacefulZhōngguó tǒngyī (or reunification) would proceed in years to come. Chinese diplomatic finesse, Soviet support and the threat a brutal military intervention by the rapidly expanding National Revolutionary Army (which had swelled to a paper strength of 10 million soldiers (!) by mid-1931) would prove sufficient to cow the 13th Dalai Lama, the autonomist governor of Sinkiang Jin Shuren and the various bandits and warlords that populated the region. Chiang's preferred method of negotiation was simple - he invited the Dalai Lama and Jin Shuren to Nanking for a "Conference."
Seemingly endless lines of Chinese soldiers paraded past the two men.
When the two men arrived they were subjected to a confusing barrage of psychological messages. They were attended to see the "military might of new China," they saw a parade of 'never-ending soldiers' march past their balcony. The specially arranged one million soldiers tramped past the balcony in an orderly procession and the two men stood in the sweltering Nanking heat for nearly 6 hours. They were then taken to see the preparations of a "Special Assault Group" undertaking special mountain training.
The Fiat 3000 was used to great effect when dealing with foreign dignatories.
The two men were then taken to a tank part where they saw what seemed to be endless rows of Fiat 3000's. (In fact many of these tanks were cardboard models and they were not suitable in any way for the heavilly rugged terrain) Their day ended with a demonstration of 'precise techniques of modern night bombing' where a specially prepared squadron completely leveled a concrete bunker while the two men and Chiang watched through binoculars. At the end of the night Chiang posed the question: "Do you really think you can stand against the might of China?" and offered them relatively lenient terms. The two men could continue their status as relatively independent 'autonomous provinces' - in return they would submit to Nanking and fly the Chinese flag. The two provinces would be autonomous in domestic policy and would be left alone as long as they obeyed the instructions of Nanking. Completely cowed, tired, demoralized, dehydrated and hungry (the two men had been kept without food or water and not permitted toilet breaks) they relented. Jin Shuren's plane would 'accidentally crash' on his way back to Sinkiang and a more pliant governor - Sheng Shicai - would be installed. The Dalai Lama was allowed to return to Lhasa safely with a heavy 'advisory team' who would pull the strings. The Dalai Lama might pretend otherwise - but he had effectively become a mere puppet and had even less power than a typical provincial governor. Another section on the long winding road to reunification had been crossed and it had been accomplished cheaply.
A beaming Chiang pleased with himself.
Chiang was the major winner in these negotiations. He had gained land without having expended any political, economic or military resources - his steely statesmanship and foreign enemies distracted by economic and political crisis was unable to respond. China's main threat - Japan had seen a failed military coup early in the year and the civilian administration was lurching from crisis to crisis.Trotsky was also a winner, his theory of an "Army-in-being" had scored China it's military coup and his genius at raising and outfitting a 10 million strong army had won him plaudits both at home and in the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had also gained significantly, with Chinese gratitude at Soviet support for recovering Sinkiang seemingly securing China as a member of the "Soviet Sphere" China seemed to be prospering while the west was languishing. The Chinese had also had learned a new response in the diplomatic game - previously her entire diplomatic game was limited to a simple response: concessions, concessions and concessions. Now that China finally had the strength to resist would it? Had the wheels of history finally turned?
Thanks to everyone for their feedback and comments (I'll respond to them when I get home - I'm actually updating this during a lull in a LAN party.)
Feedback and comments always appreciated
The 13th Dalai Lama
The Chinese reassertion of sovereignty in Tibet, Sinkiang and the various autonomous provinces in the east would serve as a model by which a peacefulZhōngguó tǒngyī (or reunification) would proceed in years to come. Chinese diplomatic finesse, Soviet support and the threat a brutal military intervention by the rapidly expanding National Revolutionary Army (which had swelled to a paper strength of 10 million soldiers (!) by mid-1931) would prove sufficient to cow the 13th Dalai Lama, the autonomist governor of Sinkiang Jin Shuren and the various bandits and warlords that populated the region. Chiang's preferred method of negotiation was simple - he invited the Dalai Lama and Jin Shuren to Nanking for a "Conference."
Seemingly endless lines of Chinese soldiers paraded past the two men.
When the two men arrived they were subjected to a confusing barrage of psychological messages. They were attended to see the "military might of new China," they saw a parade of 'never-ending soldiers' march past their balcony. The specially arranged one million soldiers tramped past the balcony in an orderly procession and the two men stood in the sweltering Nanking heat for nearly 6 hours. They were then taken to see the preparations of a "Special Assault Group" undertaking special mountain training.
The Fiat 3000 was used to great effect when dealing with foreign dignatories.
The two men were then taken to a tank part where they saw what seemed to be endless rows of Fiat 3000's. (In fact many of these tanks were cardboard models and they were not suitable in any way for the heavilly rugged terrain) Their day ended with a demonstration of 'precise techniques of modern night bombing' where a specially prepared squadron completely leveled a concrete bunker while the two men and Chiang watched through binoculars. At the end of the night Chiang posed the question: "Do you really think you can stand against the might of China?" and offered them relatively lenient terms. The two men could continue their status as relatively independent 'autonomous provinces' - in return they would submit to Nanking and fly the Chinese flag. The two provinces would be autonomous in domestic policy and would be left alone as long as they obeyed the instructions of Nanking. Completely cowed, tired, demoralized, dehydrated and hungry (the two men had been kept without food or water and not permitted toilet breaks) they relented. Jin Shuren's plane would 'accidentally crash' on his way back to Sinkiang and a more pliant governor - Sheng Shicai - would be installed. The Dalai Lama was allowed to return to Lhasa safely with a heavy 'advisory team' who would pull the strings. The Dalai Lama might pretend otherwise - but he had effectively become a mere puppet and had even less power than a typical provincial governor. Another section on the long winding road to reunification had been crossed and it had been accomplished cheaply.
A beaming Chiang pleased with himself.
Chiang was the major winner in these negotiations. He had gained land without having expended any political, economic or military resources - his steely statesmanship and foreign enemies distracted by economic and political crisis was unable to respond. China's main threat - Japan had seen a failed military coup early in the year and the civilian administration was lurching from crisis to crisis.Trotsky was also a winner, his theory of an "Army-in-being" had scored China it's military coup and his genius at raising and outfitting a 10 million strong army had won him plaudits both at home and in the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had also gained significantly, with Chinese gratitude at Soviet support for recovering Sinkiang seemingly securing China as a member of the "Soviet Sphere" China seemed to be prospering while the west was languishing. The Chinese had also had learned a new response in the diplomatic game - previously her entire diplomatic game was limited to a simple response: concessions, concessions and concessions. Now that China finally had the strength to resist would it? Had the wheels of history finally turned?
Thanks to everyone for their feedback and comments (I'll respond to them when I get home - I'm actually updating this during a lull in a LAN party.)
Feedback and comments always appreciated
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The Vulture - Thanks heaps! I also always look forward to updates of your TL. I believe Hendryk has also responded to the budhist thing (to be honest I'm not really well versed in Chinese religions.
Nivek - Thanks heaps for all your comments so far Nivek. A belated Happy Holidays to you too! I hope yours went well - sorry for the lack of updates during the holidays. I've been preoccupied with other matters. As for Chiang Wei-Kuo? He's been sent to Germany and is under the care of "Uncle Adolf." "Uncle Adolf" being much too busy with political matters has entrusted care of little Wei-Kuo to his neice Geli Raubel... Spoiler: They get married later on in an epic political wrdding that symbolizes the Sino-German Alliance. Think big wedding. As in one of the biggest of the century.
Hendryk - Oh yes. It was obviously an 'accident' though As this is a AH TL, expect "Zeppelin Crashes" in the future.r on.
scourge - Thanks scrooge. Well Hitler and Chiang are in constant contact and Chiang is always in pains to reassure his German friend that he's just using "the commies." After all, Hitler can't really complain too loudly seeing as the Nazi's and Commies are working together to bring down the Weimer Republic at this stage...
OKH_1946 - he could sucker punch the commies but why? They're not a threat. Hopefully this update will deliver the sucker punching you've been craving
Wyragen-TXRG4P - In a word, no The civilian government is pretty much gone by the end of the year. They're in charge in name only...
- Yep, events in Germany procede as IOTL except for some very minor thing which will become important later... But German Politics still goes as IOTL.
Brancaleone - They have the capacity to send a small expeditionary force - but probably not a million men. But you have to remember that these two people were pretty much psychologically crushed into capitulation ala Eduard Benes 1938.
DuQuense - Well it won't be this year - maybe next year
"The Japanese and foreigners are a disease of the skin, the criminals are a disease of the heart."
- Chiang Kai-Shek
1932: The Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives (Chinese: yè cháng dāo)) was a political purge that took place in China between May 4 and May 30 1932, when the Kuomintang, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics attempted to carry out an series of political executions which later balooned into a military operation involving the cooperation of the National Revolutionary Army, the National Revolutionary Navy and the National Revolutionary Air Force. Most of those killed were members of the "Green Gang" and the "Principled Opposition" - a criminal syndicate and a political faction within the Kuomintang headed by Du Yuesheng.
The reasons why Chiang moved against Du Yuesheng today are still disputed. Some historians point to an attempted assasination attempt on February 6 1932 on Chiang and his family which was linked to Du as the catalyst for the event.(1) Some argue that Du Yuesheng's successful attempt to wrest control of the Opium Trade from the KMT as the major motivation. Others point to Du Yuesheng's steadily growing power and conclude that the purge was 'inevitable' and a small minority of historians argue that the Night of the Long Knives should be seen as a "counter-putsch" rather than a political purge. Nevertheless the independence of Du Yusheng and his numerous links with other opposition figures in China, his money, control of the Chinese underworld and high-level contacts with foreigners meant that Du was widely recognized as the de-facto "Opposition Leader" in KMT China. Chiang also used the purge as a way of squeezing furthering the KMT's land reform programme to remove members of the rural gentry who were opposing reform.
At least 14000 people were killed or 'disappeared' during the Night of the Long Knives and in the following period of civil conflict which engulfed China. Most of the killings were carried out by party cadres of the Kuomintang, the National Revolutionary Army and the Bureau of Statistics and Investigation, the regime's secret police. The purge strengthened Chiang's control over China and the grip of the Kuomintang on the country.
Background to the Knight of the Long Knives
Chiang Kai-Shek and Du Yuesheng had long had an outstanding feud which started with Du 'kidnapping' Chiang's bride Soong Meiling on their wedding night on 1929 had angered Chiang to the point where he had 'vowed revenge' on Du. An assasination attempt on February 6 1932 on Chiang and his family including Soong Meiling, Chiang Ching-Kuo (who was visiting from his studies in the Soviet Union) and Chiang Wei-Kuo (who was visiting from his studies in Germany) was attributed to Du Yuesheng.
Du Yuesheng's accumulation of money, power and prestige, often as the expense of Chiang was reflected in his successful wresting of control of the very lucrative Opium Trade (economic historians estimate that between 25-50% of China's revenues came from taxes, customs and other economic activities derived from the Opium Trade) and in Du's control of 30% of party delegates in the 1931 Party Congress.
As a result of Du's growing successes and catalyzed by the assasination attempt, Chiang began to plot for a way to eliminate Du and the threat he posed once and for all. Chiang placed Dai Li and the Bureau of Investigations and Statistics in overall charge of a 'decapitation operation' that would eliminate the threat of the Green Gang and Du Yuesheng and would restore KMT control over all the Opium Trade.
The 'Decapitation Operation' was planned for May 4 1932 where it was expected that Du and his associates would be busy partying and be quickly apprehended, caught unawares. Unfortunately this was not to be.
The Failed Purge
The operation itself would be conducted in utmost secrecy. Bureau agents and KMT cadres all over China would move quickly to arrest leading members of the Green Gang and Du's friends and associates on the evening of May 4. Du however, had other plans.
A last minute tip from an informant had allowed Du to prepare his defences, although he could not alert his associates outside of his province for fear of discovery - he could nontheless take steps to assert his control over his province. On the afternoon of May 4 1932, KMT party offices, labour union buildings and other "Pro-Chiang" elements all over Jiangsu were attacked by the Provincial Militia and the "Green Guard" - Du's elite cadre of professional troops. The effects were devastating on the Jiangsu effort, Nanking itself came under attack and Chiang's house was besieged for 24 hours. The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics Building came under attack, the phone lines were cut.
Military Operation
On the morning of May 5 it had seemed like it was the decapitators that had become decapitated. Although all over China the Night of the Long Knives had succeeded in purging Du's forces, Du's men had secured Jiangsu except for a few isolated areas where KMT and Labour unions were still fighting hard. A notable example is in the Shanghai dockyard area where KMT and Labour troops would hold out until relieved in May 24.
The Feng Ru V was instrumental to the blockade effort at Shanghai.
Communication was restored in May 6 and Chiang was quick to move into action. In order to prevent Du from escaping Chiang was declared to be a 'quarantined area' and the National Revolutionary Air Force and National Revolutionary Navy blockaded Shanghai - no ships or air planes were permitted to enter Shanghai - on pain of death. Feng Ru's planes would sortie above the city in groups of 100-200, not only enforcing the blockade but informing the western nations and Japan of Chinese Military capability in order to discourage thoughts of an 'expedition.' Although the Chinese Navy was less impressive, the light cruiser Ning Hai was the cornerstone of the blockade effort and the majority of the blockade fleet, converted trawlers with a mounted 75mm artillery gun inspired pity, rather than awe.
Members of the Assault Army which was ordered to take back Shanghai.
Chiang also personally took command of an "Assault Army" consisting of all ten "Assault Divisions" which was was ordered to take back Shanghai where heavy fighting was still raging between KMT party cadres, unionists against the Green Guard and the Provincial Militia. The Assault Army, consisting of ten divisions of ten thousand men were the lavishly armed and equiped elite of the regime. They easily brushed past even the much vaunted "Green Guards" and were at the outskirts of Shanghai by May 14. There, the businessmen and merchants of the city, although initially ambivalent, even mildly supportive of Du's ambitions began to turn on Du. A "Merchant Protection Army" suddenly emerged in the commercial district of Shanghai, cutting communications between the dock area and the front. Green Guard morale plummeted, as did that of the provincial militia, desertion began to increase as Chiang's "Assault Army" pushed further into the city. Caught between the Merchant Protection Army, Chiang's Assault Army and Labour Union and KMT Militias, Du's troops disintegrated. By May 30 the Battle for Shanghai was over. Du Yuesheng was found cowering in the basement of his Shanghai villa. By Chiang's personal orders he was hung from a meathook in his basement and the villa burnt down. Casualties on both sides were light, the Assault Army suffered about 5,000 incapacitated while Du's forces incurred about 8,000 cassualties with about 1,000 deaths from KMT/Labour Union/ Merchant Protection Army casualties.
The Aftermath
Although the Night of the Long Knives had failed to 'decapitate' the Green Gang leadership in one fatal blow. Chiang's quick, decisive action at Shanghai had turned a disaster into a triumph. Chiang has succeeded in asserting Chinese sovereignty over Shanghai. The Western Democracies dithered and debated. By the time a "Leage of Nations" conference could be arranged for June 14, the battle and the blockade was long over.
Internationally, the Night of the Long Knives increased the wedge between the western democracies and China. The civilian government in Tokyo was dealt a death blow by their failure to act with the Kwangtung Army hereafter deciding to ignore any orders of the Tokyo government.
Domestically, the Night of the Long Knives consolidated Chiang's power as never before. Not only was his greatest enemy and nemesis dispatched, autonomist governors were also removed, the Opium Trade was bought back under official control and his personal prestige had been greatly enhanced by the battle.
An example of the Bronze cermonial dagger
Chiang reacted to the news magnanimously, announcing the creation of a new award: The "Knight of the Long Knife." All who had taken part in either the purges of May 4 or the subsequent military actions were to be made "Knights of the Long Knife." The award had four classes, the 'bronze knife' which was the basic award given to everyone who participated with the operation in anyway (over 100,000 recepients in 1932, later balooning to 100,000,000 recepients - leading to the disparaging term "tin knife" (!!!) awardees were given a ceremonial bronze dagger and a bronze badge with a bronze knife in the centre with a wreath on the side. The 'silver knife' was awarded to those who showed 'commendable valor' in the operation, mostly awarded to members of the Assault Army and those who had taken part of the physical fighting or civilians who played an instrumental role in the purges - for example, the wife of a local party official near Hankou - Liu Han was awarded the Silver Knife for 'ably aiding Party boss Yi Min (her husband) in the destruction of corrupt elements' The silver knife had a simple inscription "my loyalty is my honour," the silver badge was a small silver knife with the KMT Blue Sky and White Sun in the middle. Recepients who were awarded the Sliver Knife posthumously had their 'deceased relative' payment doubled to their families. The Silver Knife had about 15,000 recepients. The Gold Knife was awarded to those who showed either 'exemplary bravery in the face of danger' or 'outstanding leadership in the purging of corrupt elements of society.' It was mostly awarded to leading figures of the KMT - Yi Min, a village apothecary who was also the party Yamen for his village near Hankou who 'purged' the mayor of Hankou who had declared for Du received the gold knife. The Gold Knife was a gold dagger with a solid gold blade and a silver handle and the gold badge was a gold knife with the White Sun inlaid in silver in the middle. The gold knife had 1,000 recepients. The most prestigious award was the "Diamond Knife" which was award to an exclusive set - with only 100 being awarded. Recepients included Chiang Kai-Shek, Dai Li, Feng Ru and other architects of the Night.
Feedback and comments always greatfully received/solicited. Thanks for all the feedback/comments so far!
Nivek - Thanks heaps for all your comments so far Nivek. A belated Happy Holidays to you too! I hope yours went well - sorry for the lack of updates during the holidays. I've been preoccupied with other matters. As for Chiang Wei-Kuo? He's been sent to Germany and is under the care of "Uncle Adolf." "Uncle Adolf" being much too busy with political matters has entrusted care of little Wei-Kuo to his neice Geli Raubel... Spoiler: They get married later on in an epic political wrdding that symbolizes the Sino-German Alliance. Think big wedding. As in one of the biggest of the century.
Hendryk - Oh yes. It was obviously an 'accident' though
As this is a AH TL, expect "Zeppelin Crashes" in the future.r on.scourge - Thanks scrooge. Well Hitler and Chiang are in constant contact and Chiang is always in pains to reassure his German friend that he's just using "the commies." After all, Hitler can't really complain too loudly seeing as the Nazi's and Commies are working together to bring down the Weimer Republic at this stage...
OKH_1946 - he could sucker punch the commies but why? They're not a threat. Hopefully this update will deliver the sucker punching you've been craving
Wyragen-TXRG4P - In a word, no
The civilian government is pretty much gone by the end of the year. They're in charge in name only...- Yep, events in Germany procede as IOTL except for some very minor thing which will become important later... But German Politics still goes as IOTL.
Brancaleone - They have the capacity to send a small expeditionary force - but probably not a million men. But you have to remember that these two people were pretty much psychologically crushed into capitulation ala Eduard Benes 1938.
DuQuense - Well it won't be this year - maybe next year
"The Japanese and foreigners are a disease of the skin, the criminals are a disease of the heart."
- Chiang Kai-Shek
1932: The Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives (Chinese: yè cháng dāo)) was a political purge that took place in China between May 4 and May 30 1932, when the Kuomintang, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics attempted to carry out an series of political executions which later balooned into a military operation involving the cooperation of the National Revolutionary Army, the National Revolutionary Navy and the National Revolutionary Air Force. Most of those killed were members of the "Green Gang" and the "Principled Opposition" - a criminal syndicate and a political faction within the Kuomintang headed by Du Yuesheng.
The reasons why Chiang moved against Du Yuesheng today are still disputed. Some historians point to an attempted assasination attempt on February 6 1932 on Chiang and his family which was linked to Du as the catalyst for the event.(1) Some argue that Du Yuesheng's successful attempt to wrest control of the Opium Trade from the KMT as the major motivation. Others point to Du Yuesheng's steadily growing power and conclude that the purge was 'inevitable' and a small minority of historians argue that the Night of the Long Knives should be seen as a "counter-putsch" rather than a political purge. Nevertheless the independence of Du Yusheng and his numerous links with other opposition figures in China, his money, control of the Chinese underworld and high-level contacts with foreigners meant that Du was widely recognized as the de-facto "Opposition Leader" in KMT China. Chiang also used the purge as a way of squeezing furthering the KMT's land reform programme to remove members of the rural gentry who were opposing reform.
At least 14000 people were killed or 'disappeared' during the Night of the Long Knives and in the following period of civil conflict which engulfed China. Most of the killings were carried out by party cadres of the Kuomintang, the National Revolutionary Army and the Bureau of Statistics and Investigation, the regime's secret police. The purge strengthened Chiang's control over China and the grip of the Kuomintang on the country.
Background to the Knight of the Long Knives
Chiang Kai-Shek and Du Yuesheng had long had an outstanding feud which started with Du 'kidnapping' Chiang's bride Soong Meiling on their wedding night on 1929 had angered Chiang to the point where he had 'vowed revenge' on Du. An assasination attempt on February 6 1932 on Chiang and his family including Soong Meiling, Chiang Ching-Kuo (who was visiting from his studies in the Soviet Union) and Chiang Wei-Kuo (who was visiting from his studies in Germany) was attributed to Du Yuesheng.
Du Yuesheng's accumulation of money, power and prestige, often as the expense of Chiang was reflected in his successful wresting of control of the very lucrative Opium Trade (economic historians estimate that between 25-50% of China's revenues came from taxes, customs and other economic activities derived from the Opium Trade) and in Du's control of 30% of party delegates in the 1931 Party Congress.
As a result of Du's growing successes and catalyzed by the assasination attempt, Chiang began to plot for a way to eliminate Du and the threat he posed once and for all. Chiang placed Dai Li and the Bureau of Investigations and Statistics in overall charge of a 'decapitation operation' that would eliminate the threat of the Green Gang and Du Yuesheng and would restore KMT control over all the Opium Trade.
The 'Decapitation Operation' was planned for May 4 1932 where it was expected that Du and his associates would be busy partying and be quickly apprehended, caught unawares. Unfortunately this was not to be.
The Failed Purge
The operation itself would be conducted in utmost secrecy. Bureau agents and KMT cadres all over China would move quickly to arrest leading members of the Green Gang and Du's friends and associates on the evening of May 4. Du however, had other plans.
A last minute tip from an informant had allowed Du to prepare his defences, although he could not alert his associates outside of his province for fear of discovery - he could nontheless take steps to assert his control over his province. On the afternoon of May 4 1932, KMT party offices, labour union buildings and other "Pro-Chiang" elements all over Jiangsu were attacked by the Provincial Militia and the "Green Guard" - Du's elite cadre of professional troops. The effects were devastating on the Jiangsu effort, Nanking itself came under attack and Chiang's house was besieged for 24 hours. The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics Building came under attack, the phone lines were cut.
Military Operation
On the morning of May 5 it had seemed like it was the decapitators that had become decapitated. Although all over China the Night of the Long Knives had succeeded in purging Du's forces, Du's men had secured Jiangsu except for a few isolated areas where KMT and Labour unions were still fighting hard. A notable example is in the Shanghai dockyard area where KMT and Labour troops would hold out until relieved in May 24.
The Feng Ru V was instrumental to the blockade effort at Shanghai.
Communication was restored in May 6 and Chiang was quick to move into action. In order to prevent Du from escaping Chiang was declared to be a 'quarantined area' and the National Revolutionary Air Force and National Revolutionary Navy blockaded Shanghai - no ships or air planes were permitted to enter Shanghai - on pain of death. Feng Ru's planes would sortie above the city in groups of 100-200, not only enforcing the blockade but informing the western nations and Japan of Chinese Military capability in order to discourage thoughts of an 'expedition.' Although the Chinese Navy was less impressive, the light cruiser Ning Hai was the cornerstone of the blockade effort and the majority of the blockade fleet, converted trawlers with a mounted 75mm artillery gun inspired pity, rather than awe.
Members of the Assault Army which was ordered to take back Shanghai.
Chiang also personally took command of an "Assault Army" consisting of all ten "Assault Divisions" which was was ordered to take back Shanghai where heavy fighting was still raging between KMT party cadres, unionists against the Green Guard and the Provincial Militia. The Assault Army, consisting of ten divisions of ten thousand men were the lavishly armed and equiped elite of the regime. They easily brushed past even the much vaunted "Green Guards" and were at the outskirts of Shanghai by May 14. There, the businessmen and merchants of the city, although initially ambivalent, even mildly supportive of Du's ambitions began to turn on Du. A "Merchant Protection Army" suddenly emerged in the commercial district of Shanghai, cutting communications between the dock area and the front. Green Guard morale plummeted, as did that of the provincial militia, desertion began to increase as Chiang's "Assault Army" pushed further into the city. Caught between the Merchant Protection Army, Chiang's Assault Army and Labour Union and KMT Militias, Du's troops disintegrated. By May 30 the Battle for Shanghai was over. Du Yuesheng was found cowering in the basement of his Shanghai villa. By Chiang's personal orders he was hung from a meathook in his basement and the villa burnt down. Casualties on both sides were light, the Assault Army suffered about 5,000 incapacitated while Du's forces incurred about 8,000 cassualties with about 1,000 deaths from KMT/Labour Union/ Merchant Protection Army casualties.
The Aftermath
Although the Night of the Long Knives had failed to 'decapitate' the Green Gang leadership in one fatal blow. Chiang's quick, decisive action at Shanghai had turned a disaster into a triumph. Chiang has succeeded in asserting Chinese sovereignty over Shanghai. The Western Democracies dithered and debated. By the time a "Leage of Nations" conference could be arranged for June 14, the battle and the blockade was long over.
Internationally, the Night of the Long Knives increased the wedge between the western democracies and China. The civilian government in Tokyo was dealt a death blow by their failure to act with the Kwangtung Army hereafter deciding to ignore any orders of the Tokyo government.
Domestically, the Night of the Long Knives consolidated Chiang's power as never before. Not only was his greatest enemy and nemesis dispatched, autonomist governors were also removed, the Opium Trade was bought back under official control and his personal prestige had been greatly enhanced by the battle.
An example of the Bronze cermonial dagger
Chiang reacted to the news magnanimously, announcing the creation of a new award: The "Knight of the Long Knife." All who had taken part in either the purges of May 4 or the subsequent military actions were to be made "Knights of the Long Knife." The award had four classes, the 'bronze knife' which was the basic award given to everyone who participated with the operation in anyway (over 100,000 recepients in 1932, later balooning to 100,000,000 recepients - leading to the disparaging term "tin knife" (!!!) awardees were given a ceremonial bronze dagger and a bronze badge with a bronze knife in the centre with a wreath on the side. The 'silver knife' was awarded to those who showed 'commendable valor' in the operation, mostly awarded to members of the Assault Army and those who had taken part of the physical fighting or civilians who played an instrumental role in the purges - for example, the wife of a local party official near Hankou - Liu Han was awarded the Silver Knife for 'ably aiding Party boss Yi Min (her husband) in the destruction of corrupt elements' The silver knife had a simple inscription "my loyalty is my honour," the silver badge was a small silver knife with the KMT Blue Sky and White Sun in the middle. Recepients who were awarded the Sliver Knife posthumously had their 'deceased relative' payment doubled to their families. The Silver Knife had about 15,000 recepients. The Gold Knife was awarded to those who showed either 'exemplary bravery in the face of danger' or 'outstanding leadership in the purging of corrupt elements of society.' It was mostly awarded to leading figures of the KMT - Yi Min, a village apothecary who was also the party Yamen for his village near Hankou who 'purged' the mayor of Hankou who had declared for Du received the gold knife. The Gold Knife was a gold dagger with a solid gold blade and a silver handle and the gold badge was a gold knife with the White Sun inlaid in silver in the middle. The gold knife had 1,000 recepients. The most prestigious award was the "Diamond Knife" which was award to an exclusive set - with only 100 being awarded. Recepients included Chiang Kai-Shek, Dai Li, Feng Ru and other architects of the Night.
Feedback and comments always greatfully received/solicited. Thanks for all the feedback/comments so far!
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Nivek - Thanks Nivek - and a very happy new year to you and your family too! There's no reason why they can't also call it the "Night of the Long Knives" it's not like the Chinese have a patent on it.
As for the spoiler - well sure she's a bit older but so what They love each other and that's the main thing. Their budding friendship is the only thing that butterflies away Geli's suicide. Hopefully this update will flesh out the rise of the Nazis ITL which is helped a bit by Chiang's support.
Wyragen-TXRG4P - Thanks for reading! And that is exactly what happens in this update
Hendryk - Thanks for reading! Exit Big Eared Du - Enter T.V Soong (well in this update)
LittleSpeer - Thank you for your support - Rest assured China will not go communist - not while Chiang lives anyway.
Drizzt - And there may very well be....
Dan Reilly The Great - Thanks Dan! This update should hopefully flesh out the international politics aspect of things...
OKH_1946 - I've already replied to some of your points in a PM.
1. I haven't quite worked out how the communists will be dealt with. Chiang can use them as a weapon and a convenient tool. Spoiler : some of them will be rotting in trenches outside of Madrid *Spoiler
2. Soong Meiling studied English Literature in America - she suggests the name. Soong is definitely in Chiang's inner circle ITL.
3. Wouldn't you have insecurity issues if a drug lord kidnapped your fiancee on the night of your wedding
4. Not just Opium...
5. Spoiler: A militarist Japan will definitely be on the side of the Entete in the Second Great War.
6. Nah, Knight of the Long Knife awards are analogous to the Nazi membership awards and badges - except for the Kuomintang! The dagger thing was a pretty obvious SS reference (or so I thought)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
1933 - A tale of Three Friendships
With his domestic foes cowed and vanquished and his foreign enemies reeling in economic and political crisis Chiang in 1933 was the undisputed master of China. With his home base secure, Chiang began to turn his attention overseas.
Chiang's foreign policy - and by extension - China's foreign policy essentially revolved around the question of unification. Chiang would use every weapon at his disposal, make every promise, charm any person and befriend any country as long as China was once more unified. The most immediate concern was Manchuria. As long as the Anglo-Japanese alliance held firm - there could be no question of attempting to liberate Manchuria, although the National Revolutionary Army could probably defeat the Manchurian Army, China would then be subjected to a crippling blockade. The Anglo-Japanese-French diplomatic block was too firm to attempt to undermine - therefore Chiang had to look for allies overseas in an attempt to escape the Anglo-Japanese-French 'encirclement.'
The Sino-German Treaty of Friendship
Both Hitler and Hindenburg had close relationships with Chiang Kai-shek.
The most obvious choice was Germany. Chiang's close friendship with Adolf Hitler - who had been appointed Chancellor in 1933 and close relationship with Hindenburg - who was president - was a great and obvious springboard. A state visit which was arranged in July was a great success - Hitler arranged rallies in Chiang and China's honour. Huge screaming crowds of people lined up in Berlin to see the old war-hero. Sino-German cooperation, which had declined since the Treaty of Beijing was once again renewed. The 1933 Treaty of Sino-German Friendship had economic and military implications. German experts and weapons would build railways, develop factories, train Chinese troops and provide advice in return for Chinese silver and Chinese tungsten. German rearnament would begin not in Germany but in China.
Sino-German cooperation would be an important corner stone in the development of both countries and would mark the beginning of the of one of the world's longest alliances. The 1933 Treaty of Friendship is still active today.
The 1933 Treaty of Friendship also had 3 'secret clauses' The first clause was that China and Germany would come to each other's aid if either power was at war with England. The second clause was that China and Germany would come to each other's aid if either was at war with France. The third clause was defensive - if the Soviet Union declared war on either power - the other was obliged to come to their aid. Interestingly - this clause was not valid in an offensive war.
Chinse students studying in Leipzig on a field trip.
The Treaty of Friendship would also have radical effects for the German and Chinese economies. German manufacturers and industries had access to a market that the French and English could only dream of - 400 million Chinese. This - combined with Chinese silver and Hitler's aggressive public works plan paved for a recovery of the German economy - well ahead of many European countries. Chinese industry and agriculture would benefit from German expertise - especially in agricultural production with German chemical pesticides. The Treaty of Friendship also had provisions for 'cultural and scientific exchange' - meaning that tens of thousands of Chinese students were allowed to study in Germany universities. In return - China would provide free accomodation and organize tourist trips for the German Kraft durch Freude (Strenght Through Joy) programme.
Chiang dragged Wang with him to prevent Wang from stirring shit while he was away. Here is Wang getting drunk with some Nazis.
Politically the friendship would also have huge consequences. Hitler's regime was given a big boost in legitimacy as a well respected and powerful leader visited Germany. In China, the pro-German elements of the KMT was strengtened even further - which suited Chiang fine. This was his faction after all. Overall Chiang's visit to Germany in 1933 and the Treaty of Friendship was hugely positive for both nations and would pave the way for the Tripartite Pact in 1940.
Sino-Soviet Friendship
While a little diplomatically unorthodox - the sending of Mao Zedong as the "Personal Envoy of Chiang Kai-shek" yielded results.
While Chiang was away in Berlin, Mao was dispatched to Moscow as Chiang's personal envoy. Chiang instructions to Mao was to "say, do and promise everything - even a communist revolution - as long as you get Stalin's help in getting Manchuria back." To this day it is still a mystery what the two men discussed in Moscow - but whatever they did it was favourable to China. A Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty and Non-Aggression Pact was signed on August 28 1933 and a secret clause wherein the Soviet Union promised help to the "People's Republic of China to recover their historical lands." Soviet aid was also secured for the construction of a Sino-Soviet railway which would go through Sinkiang to the Soviet Union utilizing much of the old Silk routes and updating them with railways. Many political prisoners from both countries would die constructing the route in conditions of either extreme heat in the Gobi desert or in extreme cold in the mountains of Sinkiang. Stalin also agreed to send 'skilled political prisoners' for 'rehabilitation' in China where their skills would be put to good use. Although the Soviet-Sino relationship was not as close as the Sino-German one - it was still crucially important.
Sino-American Friendship
Soong Meiling with the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
While the men were away - Soong Meiling played in America where she was authorized by Chiang to act as his 'personal envoy.' Her fluency in English, her Southern accent and the fact that she had studied in America made her the perfect candidate for this task. She completely charmed her American hosts. American companies were invited to invest in China - to entice them, tarriffs on American goods were slashed (but not to the level of German goods) and trade between the two countries took off. Soong Meiling would be the 'human face' of an otherwise grey regime and she would represent China and Chinese interests to many in America...
Meanwhile - back home
While the big cats were away the mouse played. T.V Soong was effectively the acting President - he made most of the opportunity. T.V Soong oversaw an energetic anti-inflation campaign and introduced new taxes and levies while removing those he saw as wasteful. Politically his "Hundred Days Reform" transformed the quiet accountant who stayed in the background into a force with popular backing. When Chiang returned at the end of the year, T.V Soong had become someone to be reckoned with...
Thanks to everyone for their comment and feedback.
More comment and feedback always welcome/ solicited
As for the spoiler - well sure she's a bit older but so what
They love each other and that's the main thing. Their budding friendship is the only thing that butterflies away Geli's suicide. Hopefully this update will flesh out the rise of the Nazis ITL which is helped a bit by Chiang's support.Wyragen-TXRG4P - Thanks for reading! And that is exactly what happens in this update
Hendryk - Thanks for reading! Exit Big Eared Du - Enter T.V Soong
(well in this update)LittleSpeer - Thank you for your support - Rest assured China will not go communist - not while Chiang lives anyway.
Drizzt - And there may very well be....
Dan Reilly The Great - Thanks Dan! This update should hopefully flesh out the international politics aspect of things...
OKH_1946 - I've already replied to some of your points in a PM.
1. I haven't quite worked out how the communists will be dealt with. Chiang can use them as a weapon and a convenient tool. Spoiler : some of them will be rotting in trenches outside of Madrid *Spoiler
2. Soong Meiling studied English Literature in America - she suggests the name. Soong is definitely in Chiang's inner circle ITL.
3. Wouldn't you have insecurity issues if a drug lord kidnapped your fiancee on the night of your wedding
4. Not just Opium...
5. Spoiler: A militarist Japan will definitely be on the side of the Entete in the Second Great War.
6. Nah, Knight of the Long Knife awards are analogous to the Nazi membership awards and badges - except for the Kuomintang! The dagger thing was a pretty obvious SS reference (or so I thought)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
1933 - A tale of Three Friendships
With his domestic foes cowed and vanquished and his foreign enemies reeling in economic and political crisis Chiang in 1933 was the undisputed master of China. With his home base secure, Chiang began to turn his attention overseas.
Chiang's foreign policy - and by extension - China's foreign policy essentially revolved around the question of unification. Chiang would use every weapon at his disposal, make every promise, charm any person and befriend any country as long as China was once more unified. The most immediate concern was Manchuria. As long as the Anglo-Japanese alliance held firm - there could be no question of attempting to liberate Manchuria, although the National Revolutionary Army could probably defeat the Manchurian Army, China would then be subjected to a crippling blockade. The Anglo-Japanese-French diplomatic block was too firm to attempt to undermine - therefore Chiang had to look for allies overseas in an attempt to escape the Anglo-Japanese-French 'encirclement.'
The Sino-German Treaty of Friendship
Both Hitler and Hindenburg had close relationships with Chiang Kai-shek.
The most obvious choice was Germany. Chiang's close friendship with Adolf Hitler - who had been appointed Chancellor in 1933 and close relationship with Hindenburg - who was president - was a great and obvious springboard. A state visit which was arranged in July was a great success - Hitler arranged rallies in Chiang and China's honour. Huge screaming crowds of people lined up in Berlin to see the old war-hero. Sino-German cooperation, which had declined since the Treaty of Beijing was once again renewed. The 1933 Treaty of Sino-German Friendship had economic and military implications. German experts and weapons would build railways, develop factories, train Chinese troops and provide advice in return for Chinese silver and Chinese tungsten. German rearnament would begin not in Germany but in China.
Sino-German cooperation would be an important corner stone in the development of both countries and would mark the beginning of the of one of the world's longest alliances. The 1933 Treaty of Friendship is still active today.
The 1933 Treaty of Friendship also had 3 'secret clauses' The first clause was that China and Germany would come to each other's aid if either power was at war with England. The second clause was that China and Germany would come to each other's aid if either was at war with France. The third clause was defensive - if the Soviet Union declared war on either power - the other was obliged to come to their aid. Interestingly - this clause was not valid in an offensive war.
Chinse students studying in Leipzig on a field trip.
The Treaty of Friendship would also have radical effects for the German and Chinese economies. German manufacturers and industries had access to a market that the French and English could only dream of - 400 million Chinese. This - combined with Chinese silver and Hitler's aggressive public works plan paved for a recovery of the German economy - well ahead of many European countries. Chinese industry and agriculture would benefit from German expertise - especially in agricultural production with German chemical pesticides. The Treaty of Friendship also had provisions for 'cultural and scientific exchange' - meaning that tens of thousands of Chinese students were allowed to study in Germany universities. In return - China would provide free accomodation and organize tourist trips for the German Kraft durch Freude (Strenght Through Joy) programme.
Chiang dragged Wang with him to prevent Wang from stirring shit while he was away. Here is Wang getting drunk with some Nazis.
Politically the friendship would also have huge consequences. Hitler's regime was given a big boost in legitimacy as a well respected and powerful leader visited Germany. In China, the pro-German elements of the KMT was strengtened even further - which suited Chiang fine. This was his faction after all. Overall Chiang's visit to Germany in 1933 and the Treaty of Friendship was hugely positive for both nations and would pave the way for the Tripartite Pact in 1940.
Sino-Soviet Friendship
While a little diplomatically unorthodox - the sending of Mao Zedong as the "Personal Envoy of Chiang Kai-shek" yielded results.
While Chiang was away in Berlin, Mao was dispatched to Moscow as Chiang's personal envoy. Chiang instructions to Mao was to "say, do and promise everything - even a communist revolution - as long as you get Stalin's help in getting Manchuria back." To this day it is still a mystery what the two men discussed in Moscow - but whatever they did it was favourable to China. A Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty and Non-Aggression Pact was signed on August 28 1933 and a secret clause wherein the Soviet Union promised help to the "People's Republic of China to recover their historical lands." Soviet aid was also secured for the construction of a Sino-Soviet railway which would go through Sinkiang to the Soviet Union utilizing much of the old Silk routes and updating them with railways. Many political prisoners from both countries would die constructing the route in conditions of either extreme heat in the Gobi desert or in extreme cold in the mountains of Sinkiang. Stalin also agreed to send 'skilled political prisoners' for 'rehabilitation' in China where their skills would be put to good use. Although the Soviet-Sino relationship was not as close as the Sino-German one - it was still crucially important.
Sino-American Friendship
Soong Meiling with the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
While the men were away - Soong Meiling played in America where she was authorized by Chiang to act as his 'personal envoy.' Her fluency in English, her Southern accent and the fact that she had studied in America made her the perfect candidate for this task. She completely charmed her American hosts. American companies were invited to invest in China - to entice them, tarriffs on American goods were slashed (but not to the level of German goods) and trade between the two countries took off. Soong Meiling would be the 'human face' of an otherwise grey regime and she would represent China and Chinese interests to many in America...
Meanwhile - back home
While the big cats were away the mouse played. T.V Soong was effectively the acting President - he made most of the opportunity. T.V Soong oversaw an energetic anti-inflation campaign and introduced new taxes and levies while removing those he saw as wasteful. Politically his "Hundred Days Reform" transformed the quiet accountant who stayed in the background into a force with popular backing. When Chiang returned at the end of the year, T.V Soong had become someone to be reckoned with...
Thanks to everyone for their comment and feedback.
More comment and feedback always welcome/ solicited
Hi Everyone,
I had originally done a rather epically long 6 part update but AH.COM swallowd it up. As it is nearly bed time and I'm too demoralized to retype the whole thing again - I will update this every day till I make up the difference.
1934: Dark Clouds and Silver Linings
Part One: The Horst Wessel Affair,
Part Two: Of mice, men and Trotskyists
Part Three: The Duce and The Generalisimo - Sino-Italian Cooperation
Part Four: A brief analysis of foreign military missions
Part Five: "Plan C" The Chinese Naval Arnament Programme.
Part Six: Conclusion + Proper replies to everyone's replies
Before I carry on though, I'd like to extend a special thanks to Nivek, THe Vulture and OKH for their support for the Turtledove Award Thingy. Your loyalty and support will be rewarded by awkwardly written sex scenes featuring characters from this TL. (Check your PM inboxes now.)
Anyway without further ado I give you part one:
_____________________________________________________________
1934: Dark Clouds and Silver Linings
Part One: The Horst Wessel Affair
A defining feature of a totalitarian regimes is their uncanny ability to convince their citizenry that black is white and white is black... To turn today's heroes into tommorow's villains and to turn today's villain into tommorow's heroes... Nowhere is this tendency more amply demonstrated than in the Horst Wessel Affair. A drunkard, phillandering, disgraced and exiled Chinese politician was granted a near mythical status and his long-suffering wife revered as a living saint while the 'criminal' a decorated 'rising star' within the Nazi Regime was turned into the german boogeyman.
- On Totalitarianism, Eric Arthur Blair
Horst Wessel was a rising star until a crime of passion led to his death and the near-destruction of the SA...
To this day the circumstances surrounding the 'murder' of Yi Min, the Chinse apothecary turned politician turned disgraced politician turned 'Jiangsu Special envoy to Germany' (effectively a sinecured position with no responsibilities or power) is still surrounded by uncertainty and murkiness. There is a myriad of competing theories to explain what happened and why they happened. There are so few facts that they inevitable spawn a slew a smogasbord of conspiracy theories.
So what do we definitely know about the "Horst Wessel Affair." These are the undisputed fact: We know that on February 16 Horst Wessel the Berilin Troopleader came back to the flat he shared with his girlfriend Erna Janicke. He found Yi Min and Erna Janicke in flagrante delico and emptied his revolver into Yi Min. He and Erna fled the flat quickly attempting to reach the Austrian border before being aprehended by Munich police. He then turned the revolver on Erna and then himself.
What exactly Yi Min was doing with Erna remains unclear. Some sources claim that Erna was a prostitute and was performing her normal duties. Some sources claim that the two had been having a passionate love affair since Yi Min's posting to Berlin in early January. Some say that Erna was being raped by Yi Min - this is perhaps the most plausible, if the most politically inconvenient explanation. Erna did attempt to flee with Horst - suggesting that the act was perhaps not consensual.
Regardless, this journal is not concerned with gossiply tabloid style articles. The ramifications of the Horst Wessel Affair is much more important. After Horst Wessel's arrest a wave of SA demonstrations swept Germany, shop windows were broken, Chinese students hounded, Ernst Rohm the head of the SA publically attacked Hitler for siding with a "Chinese mongrel dog over a fine speciment of Aryan." Clashes between the police and SA became more and more frequent and it seemed as if Germany tottered in the brink of a revolution. Ordinary Germans were shocked at the SA's violence and attacks against what most Germans saw as an allied nation and at the very least an important trading partner. Adolf Hitler seemed to be losing control of events. Ominously for Hitler President Hindenburg asked to see Hitler on February 24...
What happens next is one of history's most bold and barefaced treacheries. Adolf Hitler called an 'emergency meeting' where he invited the heads of SA troopleaders around the nation, party gauleiters and party bigwigs were also present. Many SA leaders assumed that the "National Revolution" had begun and were eager to attend. When Hitler asked the question "All who are ready for the National Revolution. Stay!" had gotten them worked up -believing Hitler was on their side. Perhaps the filing out of non-SA party members should have alerted them that something was amiss. Hitler then gave a 4 hour long harrangue where he described himself as the "National Revolution" accused Rohm and the SA of treachery and other very mean things. At the end members of the Shutzstaffel burst in with submachine guns to arrest many of the leading members of the SA. Rohm was given a lead pill and died of complications from taking a lead pill travelling at high velocity in the brain. In one foul swoop Hitler had removed the greatest threat to his regime and made him very popular. His audience with Hindenburg on February 24 ended with high praise indeed for Hitler. Politically, the Horst Wessel Affair was a boon for Hitler who used the opportunity to consolidate his power.
The opposite was true, unfortunately for Chiang Kai-shek. T.V Soong and Wang Jingwei had both come out to declare that "All foreigners are foreign devils and we should stay away from them and maitain a neutral foreign policy (paraphrased)" Massive protests broke out in Nanking, Beijing, Shanghai, Canton and other major cities demanding 'reparations.' Needless to say, the climate was not conductive to friendly Sino-German relations - a visit by Hitler to China in late July was cancelled. Relations deteriorated somewhat. Although the cold snap in Sino-German relations would not last more than a year the long term effects were massive. Chiang looked for a new partner in Europe and he found this in Mussolini and Italy....
Next Update: Of Mice, Men and Trotskyists.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...archiv_Bild_146-1978-043-14,_Horst_Wessel.jpg
I had originally done a rather epically long 6 part update but AH.COM swallowd it up. As it is nearly bed time and I'm too demoralized to retype the whole thing again - I will update this every day till I make up the difference.
1934: Dark Clouds and Silver Linings
Part One: The Horst Wessel Affair,
Part Two: Of mice, men and Trotskyists
Part Three: The Duce and The Generalisimo - Sino-Italian Cooperation
Part Four: A brief analysis of foreign military missions
Part Five: "Plan C" The Chinese Naval Arnament Programme.
Part Six: Conclusion + Proper replies to everyone's replies
Before I carry on though, I'd like to extend a special thanks to Nivek, THe Vulture and OKH for their support for the Turtledove Award Thingy. Your loyalty and support will be rewarded by awkwardly written sex scenes featuring characters from this TL. (Check your PM inboxes now.)
Anyway without further ado I give you part one:
_____________________________________________________________
1934: Dark Clouds and Silver Linings
Part One: The Horst Wessel Affair
A defining feature of a totalitarian regimes is their uncanny ability to convince their citizenry that black is white and white is black... To turn today's heroes into tommorow's villains and to turn today's villain into tommorow's heroes... Nowhere is this tendency more amply demonstrated than in the Horst Wessel Affair. A drunkard, phillandering, disgraced and exiled Chinese politician was granted a near mythical status and his long-suffering wife revered as a living saint while the 'criminal' a decorated 'rising star' within the Nazi Regime was turned into the german boogeyman.
- On Totalitarianism, Eric Arthur Blair
Horst Wessel was a rising star until a crime of passion led to his death and the near-destruction of the SA...
To this day the circumstances surrounding the 'murder' of Yi Min, the Chinse apothecary turned politician turned disgraced politician turned 'Jiangsu Special envoy to Germany' (effectively a sinecured position with no responsibilities or power) is still surrounded by uncertainty and murkiness. There is a myriad of competing theories to explain what happened and why they happened. There are so few facts that they inevitable spawn a slew a smogasbord of conspiracy theories.
So what do we definitely know about the "Horst Wessel Affair." These are the undisputed fact: We know that on February 16 Horst Wessel the Berilin Troopleader came back to the flat he shared with his girlfriend Erna Janicke. He found Yi Min and Erna Janicke in flagrante delico and emptied his revolver into Yi Min. He and Erna fled the flat quickly attempting to reach the Austrian border before being aprehended by Munich police. He then turned the revolver on Erna and then himself.
What exactly Yi Min was doing with Erna remains unclear. Some sources claim that Erna was a prostitute and was performing her normal duties. Some sources claim that the two had been having a passionate love affair since Yi Min's posting to Berlin in early January. Some say that Erna was being raped by Yi Min - this is perhaps the most plausible, if the most politically inconvenient explanation. Erna did attempt to flee with Horst - suggesting that the act was perhaps not consensual.
Regardless, this journal is not concerned with gossiply tabloid style articles. The ramifications of the Horst Wessel Affair is much more important. After Horst Wessel's arrest a wave of SA demonstrations swept Germany, shop windows were broken, Chinese students hounded, Ernst Rohm the head of the SA publically attacked Hitler for siding with a "Chinese mongrel dog over a fine speciment of Aryan." Clashes between the police and SA became more and more frequent and it seemed as if Germany tottered in the brink of a revolution. Ordinary Germans were shocked at the SA's violence and attacks against what most Germans saw as an allied nation and at the very least an important trading partner. Adolf Hitler seemed to be losing control of events. Ominously for Hitler President Hindenburg asked to see Hitler on February 24...
What happens next is one of history's most bold and barefaced treacheries. Adolf Hitler called an 'emergency meeting' where he invited the heads of SA troopleaders around the nation, party gauleiters and party bigwigs were also present. Many SA leaders assumed that the "National Revolution" had begun and were eager to attend. When Hitler asked the question "All who are ready for the National Revolution. Stay!" had gotten them worked up -believing Hitler was on their side. Perhaps the filing out of non-SA party members should have alerted them that something was amiss. Hitler then gave a 4 hour long harrangue where he described himself as the "National Revolution" accused Rohm and the SA of treachery and other very mean things. At the end members of the Shutzstaffel burst in with submachine guns to arrest many of the leading members of the SA. Rohm was given a lead pill and died of complications from taking a lead pill travelling at high velocity in the brain. In one foul swoop Hitler had removed the greatest threat to his regime and made him very popular. His audience with Hindenburg on February 24 ended with high praise indeed for Hitler. Politically, the Horst Wessel Affair was a boon for Hitler who used the opportunity to consolidate his power.
The opposite was true, unfortunately for Chiang Kai-shek. T.V Soong and Wang Jingwei had both come out to declare that "All foreigners are foreign devils and we should stay away from them and maitain a neutral foreign policy (paraphrased)" Massive protests broke out in Nanking, Beijing, Shanghai, Canton and other major cities demanding 'reparations.' Needless to say, the climate was not conductive to friendly Sino-German relations - a visit by Hitler to China in late July was cancelled. Relations deteriorated somewhat. Although the cold snap in Sino-German relations would not last more than a year the long term effects were massive. Chiang looked for a new partner in Europe and he found this in Mussolini and Italy....
Next Update: Of Mice, Men and Trotskyists.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...archiv_Bild_146-1978-043-14,_Horst_Wessel.jpg
1934: Dark Clouds and Silver Linings
Part Two: Of Mice, Men and Trotskyists
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
The study of diplomacy often centers on rational, logical and empircal basis. Accidents of fate and the flights of fortunes as well as the individual personalities of the various world leaders are often treated as unimportant at best compared to socio-economic, cultural, historical, geopolitical and ideological conditions conditions. This history of the 20th century should caution us against such a narrow approach. One has to ask several pressing questions against this theory - would the long lasting Sino-German friendship have been pssible without the admittedly unlikely friendship that developed between Adolf Hitler and Chiang Kai-Shek? Would a more rational and less insane Joseph Stalin demanded the recall of the Trotsky and the Soviet Advisors following the death of Sergei Kirov?
Other significant events of the last century have essentially been the acts of fate, chance and personality and it would be unwise to disregard these factors.
- Diplomacy in the 20th Century, Monique Kerr
Nadezhda Alliluyeva - Stalin's 2nd wife and anchor to the realm of reality.
It is a generally agreed upon fact that following the death of Stalin's second wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva that Stalin began his winding and twistry road to full blown insanity and to quote a Russian historian "left the realm of reality." This descent into madness would be a long and winding process with Stalin occasionally taking vacations in the realm of reality. In 1934 though Stalin was in full blown paranoia mode. The emergence of a popular challenger in the form of Sergei Kirov only served to enrage Stalin.
Predictably Sergei Kirov later died at the hand of an assasin. Predictably, Stalin used it as an excuse to expel Trotsky and other potential challengers from the Communist Party. Predictably, a show trial was arranged where the assasin - Leonid Nikolaev confessed and said that the assasination was arranged by a ring of "Senior Trotskyists." Predictably there was a large ring around the country full of such supposed 'traitors.' Predictably many of these traitors were in the military and many of these traitors turned out to be opponents of Stalin and Stalinism. The "Great Purges" would effectively destroy the Soviet Union's armed forces organizational capacity and facilitate her humiliation at the hands of the "little Entete" and Japan in late 1930.
Stalin personally demanded the recall of the Soviet Mission from China. The steam ship that had been arranged to return Trotsky and the others was unfortunately 'hijacked' by this motly band of revolutionaries and they comandeered the ship all the way for Mexico - perhaps an unlikely place for a revolutionary to end up - but nevertheless Leon Trotsky was now Senor Trotsky.
The Chinese learnt a lesson from this. The Soviets could ultimately not be trusted. Although Soviet help for the Silk Railway was still forthcoming relations between the two powers turned from warm to cool. Chiang's best laid plan's for breaking China's diplomatic isolation were unravelled and it was then that he and China turned to Italy...
Next Update:
The Duce and the Generalissimo: Sino-Italian Cooperation.
Part Two: Of Mice, Men and Trotskyists
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
The study of diplomacy often centers on rational, logical and empircal basis. Accidents of fate and the flights of fortunes as well as the individual personalities of the various world leaders are often treated as unimportant at best compared to socio-economic, cultural, historical, geopolitical and ideological conditions conditions. This history of the 20th century should caution us against such a narrow approach. One has to ask several pressing questions against this theory - would the long lasting Sino-German friendship have been pssible without the admittedly unlikely friendship that developed between Adolf Hitler and Chiang Kai-Shek? Would a more rational and less insane Joseph Stalin demanded the recall of the Trotsky and the Soviet Advisors following the death of Sergei Kirov?
Other significant events of the last century have essentially been the acts of fate, chance and personality and it would be unwise to disregard these factors.
- Diplomacy in the 20th Century, Monique Kerr
Nadezhda Alliluyeva - Stalin's 2nd wife and anchor to the realm of reality.
It is a generally agreed upon fact that following the death of Stalin's second wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva that Stalin began his winding and twistry road to full blown insanity and to quote a Russian historian "left the realm of reality." This descent into madness would be a long and winding process with Stalin occasionally taking vacations in the realm of reality. In 1934 though Stalin was in full blown paranoia mode. The emergence of a popular challenger in the form of Sergei Kirov only served to enrage Stalin.
Predictably Sergei Kirov later died at the hand of an assasin. Predictably, Stalin used it as an excuse to expel Trotsky and other potential challengers from the Communist Party. Predictably, a show trial was arranged where the assasin - Leonid Nikolaev confessed and said that the assasination was arranged by a ring of "Senior Trotskyists." Predictably there was a large ring around the country full of such supposed 'traitors.' Predictably many of these traitors were in the military and many of these traitors turned out to be opponents of Stalin and Stalinism. The "Great Purges" would effectively destroy the Soviet Union's armed forces organizational capacity and facilitate her humiliation at the hands of the "little Entete" and Japan in late 1930.
Stalin personally demanded the recall of the Soviet Mission from China. The steam ship that had been arranged to return Trotsky and the others was unfortunately 'hijacked' by this motly band of revolutionaries and they comandeered the ship all the way for Mexico - perhaps an unlikely place for a revolutionary to end up - but nevertheless Leon Trotsky was now Senor Trotsky.
The Chinese learnt a lesson from this. The Soviets could ultimately not be trusted. Although Soviet help for the Silk Railway was still forthcoming relations between the two powers turned from warm to cool. Chiang's best laid plan's for breaking China's diplomatic isolation were unravelled and it was then that he and China turned to Italy...
Next Update:
The Duce and the Generalissimo: Sino-Italian Cooperation.
Hey Everyone,
This TL is planned to continue (ideally) till the year 2010.
Thanks to everyone for their kind comments and feedback - I'll reply to each one in detail once I finish updating up to schedule.
1934: Dark Clouds and Silver Linings
Part Three: The Duce and the Generalisimo: Sino-Italian Cooperation.
"Chiang Kai-Shek is an artist who has worked men, as other artists have worked marble or metals. But men are harder than stone and less malleable than iron. China is a masterpiece. The artist has succeeded. His capabilities far exceed the task."
- Benito Mussolini
Mussolini greeting crowds in Shanghai.
Although the Sino-Italian "Pact of Brotherhood and Friendship" signed in December 21 1934 came as a surprise to many observers it was in hindsight perhaps an inevitable development of trends that had been evident since the early 1920's. Italy had long sought to portray itself as the friend of China and it's recognition of KMT suzerainity over all of China and it's steadfast refusal to back down in spite of international pressure (unlike Germany) meant that Italy, Italian Fascism and Mussolini had many admirers and friends within Nationalist China. Italy's restraint during the "Humiliation Treaty of Beijing" in spite the high profile murders of several Italian nationals was also taken as a sign of Italian good faith. As a consqeuence Sino-Italian relations became very warm.
As Sino-Italian relations became closer, so did the volume of Sino-Italian trade. Although there was no formal trade pact between the two nations, Italy was China's 4th biggest trader (after Germany, Soviet Union, USA.) Italian luxury goods such as Silk, perfumes and cosmetics was very popular with the rising Chinese middle classes and upper classes. Foreign goods - especially Italian were taken to be status symbols - a sign that a particular individual or family that possessed them that they were wealthy enough to own expensive foreign products rather than the cheaper Chinese products. Some economic historians (mostly Chinese) assert that Sino-Italian trade during the late 20's and early 30's spared Italy the worst of the Great Depression.
The RN Gulio Cesare was renamed CN Sun Yat-sen when it was purchased from Italy in 1934.
Others, perhaps more realistically, assert that it was not in the civilian trade that made Chinese silver flow into Italian coffers. It was in the military sector. Following the 'frosting' in Sino-German relations following Gustav Stresseman's acceptance of the "Treaty of Beijing" China turned to Italy for military help - particularly in the construction of a naval force. Negotiations began about the purchase of two Italian Cavour class Battleships of pre-WWI vintage - the Conti de Cavour and the Giulio Cesare. The Italian War Ministry and Mussolini were happy to oblidge - Mussolini saw an opportunity to strenghten Sino-Italian relations and to make a tidy profit selling two obsolete warships. With the money he expected to make he could finance the construction of brand new and modern battleships. To sweeten the deal he agreed to return Italian concessions in China and to send 'Naval advisors' to renovate the two obsolete warships into more modern ones. Excited by the potential of having two warships Chiang agreed. Conti de Cavour and Gulio Cesare were delivered in late 1934 accompanied by Italian military advisors
and sailed into Shanghai with much fanfare.
The RN Conti de Cavour was renamed and redesignated as CN Yi Min (in honour of the murdered Chinese ambassador to Germany)
China had probably purchased the two obsolete battleships for
far more than they were worth, for Mussolini had begged the Italian Lira artificually higher before making the sale. Despite this, Mussolini's voluntary renounciation of Italian concessions and violent denounciation of "Anglo-French Imperialism" in China meant that when Il Duce stepped into Shanghai he was greeted with ecstatic cheering. The fact that Il Duce had come personally to deliver the two battleships was widely praised. Chinese culture placed a high emphasis on face-to-face personal relationships and the fact that Mussolini had come in person to negotiate a Sino-Italian Treaty was highly regarded. When Mussolini stepped into Shanghai any doubts about Italian sincerity dispelled - the Sino-Italian Treaty was a foregone conclusion.
The Fiat CR.32 which was more manoeuverable and able to take off and land in shorter runways was deemed suitable for the China's planned fleet of carriers.
The Sino-Italian "Treaty of Friendship and Brotherhood" resembled the Sino-German in the economic agreements signed between the nations, it also resembled the Sino-German in that it laid down provisions for the two nations going to each others aid when attacked by a foreign power (except for Germany or the Soviet Union.) It resembled the Sino-German agreements in all but the secret agreements for Chinese Naval rearnament. Over the coming decade, nearly half of Chinese naval surface ships (excluding destroyer class ships and smaller) would come from Italian naval yards. The Italian CR.32 would also be build under license in Kwangsi for use of the Chinese Navy...
Italy was popular in China. Italian fascism had many admirers, ranging from figures as diverse as Dai Li (the man who would later earn the title "Chiang's Himmler) to Wang Jingwei. The fascist theory of "corporatism" was especially liked - as was Italian futurism which seemed to herald a brighter, faster and more vibrant future - a mood that was in vogue with the mood of a nation that was emerging from the hidebound conservatism and shadows of the past. Young Chinese flocked to watch French cinema, danced to American jazz in dance halls and admired Italian futurist paintings. The stability that the Kuomintang created laid the foundation for a stable and prosperous middle class, when the economy keeps growing by an average of 10% every year and the money keeps roling in what's a guy to do?
Call an election.
Next Update: A Brief Analysis of Foreign Military Missions + The Plan for Chinese Naval Rearnament "Plan C."
This TL is planned to continue (ideally) till the year 2010.
Thanks to everyone for their kind comments and feedback - I'll reply to each one in detail once I finish updating up to schedule.
1934: Dark Clouds and Silver Linings
Part Three: The Duce and the Generalisimo: Sino-Italian Cooperation.
"Chiang Kai-Shek is an artist who has worked men, as other artists have worked marble or metals. But men are harder than stone and less malleable than iron. China is a masterpiece. The artist has succeeded. His capabilities far exceed the task."
- Benito Mussolini
Mussolini greeting crowds in Shanghai.
Although the Sino-Italian "Pact of Brotherhood and Friendship" signed in December 21 1934 came as a surprise to many observers it was in hindsight perhaps an inevitable development of trends that had been evident since the early 1920's. Italy had long sought to portray itself as the friend of China and it's recognition of KMT suzerainity over all of China and it's steadfast refusal to back down in spite of international pressure (unlike Germany) meant that Italy, Italian Fascism and Mussolini had many admirers and friends within Nationalist China. Italy's restraint during the "Humiliation Treaty of Beijing" in spite the high profile murders of several Italian nationals was also taken as a sign of Italian good faith. As a consqeuence Sino-Italian relations became very warm.
As Sino-Italian relations became closer, so did the volume of Sino-Italian trade. Although there was no formal trade pact between the two nations, Italy was China's 4th biggest trader (after Germany, Soviet Union, USA.) Italian luxury goods such as Silk, perfumes and cosmetics was very popular with the rising Chinese middle classes and upper classes. Foreign goods - especially Italian were taken to be status symbols - a sign that a particular individual or family that possessed them that they were wealthy enough to own expensive foreign products rather than the cheaper Chinese products. Some economic historians (mostly Chinese) assert that Sino-Italian trade during the late 20's and early 30's spared Italy the worst of the Great Depression.
The RN Gulio Cesare was renamed CN Sun Yat-sen when it was purchased from Italy in 1934.
Others, perhaps more realistically, assert that it was not in the civilian trade that made Chinese silver flow into Italian coffers. It was in the military sector. Following the 'frosting' in Sino-German relations following Gustav Stresseman's acceptance of the "Treaty of Beijing" China turned to Italy for military help - particularly in the construction of a naval force. Negotiations began about the purchase of two Italian Cavour class Battleships of pre-WWI vintage - the Conti de Cavour and the Giulio Cesare. The Italian War Ministry and Mussolini were happy to oblidge - Mussolini saw an opportunity to strenghten Sino-Italian relations and to make a tidy profit selling two obsolete warships. With the money he expected to make he could finance the construction of brand new and modern battleships. To sweeten the deal he agreed to return Italian concessions in China and to send 'Naval advisors' to renovate the two obsolete warships into more modern ones. Excited by the potential of having two warships Chiang agreed. Conti de Cavour and Gulio Cesare were delivered in late 1934 accompanied by Italian military advisors
and sailed into Shanghai with much fanfare.
The RN Conti de Cavour was renamed and redesignated as CN Yi Min (in honour of the murdered Chinese ambassador to Germany)
China had probably purchased the two obsolete battleships for
far more than they were worth, for Mussolini had begged the Italian Lira artificually higher before making the sale. Despite this, Mussolini's voluntary renounciation of Italian concessions and violent denounciation of "Anglo-French Imperialism" in China meant that when Il Duce stepped into Shanghai he was greeted with ecstatic cheering. The fact that Il Duce had come personally to deliver the two battleships was widely praised. Chinese culture placed a high emphasis on face-to-face personal relationships and the fact that Mussolini had come in person to negotiate a Sino-Italian Treaty was highly regarded. When Mussolini stepped into Shanghai any doubts about Italian sincerity dispelled - the Sino-Italian Treaty was a foregone conclusion.
The Fiat CR.32 which was more manoeuverable and able to take off and land in shorter runways was deemed suitable for the China's planned fleet of carriers.
The Sino-Italian "Treaty of Friendship and Brotherhood" resembled the Sino-German in the economic agreements signed between the nations, it also resembled the Sino-German in that it laid down provisions for the two nations going to each others aid when attacked by a foreign power (except for Germany or the Soviet Union.) It resembled the Sino-German agreements in all but the secret agreements for Chinese Naval rearnament. Over the coming decade, nearly half of Chinese naval surface ships (excluding destroyer class ships and smaller) would come from Italian naval yards. The Italian CR.32 would also be build under license in Kwangsi for use of the Chinese Navy...
Italy was popular in China. Italian fascism had many admirers, ranging from figures as diverse as Dai Li (the man who would later earn the title "Chiang's Himmler) to Wang Jingwei. The fascist theory of "corporatism" was especially liked - as was Italian futurism which seemed to herald a brighter, faster and more vibrant future - a mood that was in vogue with the mood of a nation that was emerging from the hidebound conservatism and shadows of the past. Young Chinese flocked to watch French cinema, danced to American jazz in dance halls and admired Italian futurist paintings. The stability that the Kuomintang created laid the foundation for a stable and prosperous middle class, when the economy keeps growing by an average of 10% every year and the money keeps roling in what's a guy to do?
Call an election.
Next Update: A Brief Analysis of Foreign Military Missions + The Plan for Chinese Naval Rearnament "Plan C."
Thanks to everyone for their kind feedback and comments - as I said I will get to them at the conclusion bit.
1934: The Year of Dark Clouds and Silver Linings.
A ruler who is not himself wise cannot be given advice.
- Chiang Kai-shek
An Italian, A German, An American and A Russian walk into China: A brief analysis of foreign military missions in China
...Although the topic of foreign military missions is a quite obscure field in history it is quite an important and topical one for the development of the modern Chinese state. The various military missions established by Italy, Germany, The Soviet Union and the United States of America would provide the foundations of the success of China's Reunification Wars. By laying the foundation for Chinese industrialization and modernization they enabled China to regain much of her strenght and self-respect...
Members of the German Mission to China with some Chinese comrades.
...The Germans by far were the oldest, most well established, and most respected foreign military mission. German advisors were considered to be in the words of Chiang Kai-shek "the most trustworthly, most loyal, most knowledgeable and most competent." Lundendorff and his successor Alexander von Falkenhausen would be given access to absolutely everything that concerned the Chinese military. They were the only foreigners privy to the full versions Dai Li's confidential intelligence reports and were considered more powerful than even some senior Chinese figures. German military help were integral not only in the Nationalist victory in the First Reunification War but also in the creation of the modern National Revolutionary Army and last, but not least, the successful creation of a military-industrial complex essentially from scratch. The success of German expertise can be seen in that in 1934 - China had the same industrial capacity as Italy - a figure that was expected to double every 3 years...
... It is important to note however, that German help was not the product of natural altruism. German participation in the creation of a viable military-industrial complex in Southern China was not without benefits. For one they gave German industrialists and weaponmongers a chance to keep developing modern and powerful weaponry, not only that but many of the German 'advisors' serving in Chinese submarines(built with German expertise), Chinese airplanes(license built German aircraft built with German expertise) and Chinese panzers (ditto) would later form the core of Germany's reconstructed armed forces. Railways - built with German expertise and help would bring in raw materials from the Chinese hinterland into the ports of Guangzhou where they were taken to Germany - to fuel German rearnament along with Chinese silver. When German rearnament began in earnest in 1933 - they were not starting from scratch...
Many German Jews such as Lise Meitner were forced out of Germany. Ironically Lise Meitner and her exiled colleages would provide the core in the Sino-German Götterdämmerung Project...
... There is however a shameful legacy in Sino-German relations - the plight of German Jewry. In the chaotic days of the "Rohm Putsch" in 1934 many German Jews who were doctors, scientists, chemists, physicists and other intellectuals were forced out of Germany and given one-way visas to China. Although there is no evidence of Chiang ever asking Hitler to expel loyal German citizens on the basis of racial discrimination - he did not exactly complain when these highly educated and highly motivated foreigners turned up in boatloads. Although many did not want to flee in China - preferring to flee to England and America - they were kept in China through a combination of the carrot (highly paid, highly respected posts, lots of money for research grants) and the stick (many still had family in Germany...
... In summary, it would not be an exaggeration to state that German help was crucial for the viability of the Kuomintang's republican project. Without German aid in the early days of the republic - it is quite conceivable that Zhang Zhoulin would have managed to unify China under his royal banner...
Marshall Cavallerro responsible for the fact that many of the most incompetent, old and useless Italian generals were sent to China were they gave the Italians an abysmal reputation.
... If the Chinese respected the Germans for their competence and professionalism the opposite applied to many members of the Italian military mission. Marshal Cavallerro - the man responsibile for who would be picked on these missions conspired with the Army Chief of Staff Giueseppe Ferrari (*winks to Croesus*) to pick the most incompetent, most senile and most obstructive Generals to China where they annoyed their hosts with their ill-conceived, obsolete advice. However, there was apparently a boost to Opium revenues and 'sing-song girls' wherever the Italians went so the visit was perhaps not a loss...
Prince Luigi Amedeo chief of the Italian naval mission and the "only competent Italian in China."
... Although the Italian military mission to China is much malgined - and perhaps rightly so, there were competent members of the military mission. One such individual was Prince Luigi Amendeo head of the Regia Marina mission to China. Despite suffering a heart attack in early 1933 the spyry Amedeo who was a famous explorer bought an enthusiasm to his role - being instrumental to Chinese naval rearnament and cooperating with his German counterpart Wilhelm Canaris to produce several Chinese Maritime Defence Papers. The efforts of Amedeo and Canaris ensured that the Chinese Navy at the beginning of the Second Unification War was one of the largest (at least on paper)...
... There are several more thorough and better works written about Leon Trotsky's impact on the National Revolutionary Army it will only be given a brief mention here. In the words of a contemporary: "Trotsky had the rare gift of tempering steel out of the souls of men. He married German professionalism with Chinese bravery and sealed it with Russian determination" Soviet Advisors not serving under or with Trotsky were regarded with immense suspcion - having no influence on Chinese policy in any way shape or form...
The image of Airships filled the Chinese mind with wonder and imagination. Leading to the spending of millions of dollars to construct a large fleet. This was the main impact of the American Military Mission. Conveniently China became America's number one buyer of Helium...
...While the Italian, Soviet and German military missions had official support from their various governments. The American Military mission were composed of a various eccentrics trying to pedel their ideas which were considered too 'crazy' or 'impractical' by the U.S Army and U.S Military. They were mostly successful as China's large fleet of airships at the beginning of the Second Unification War showed...
Next Update: Chinese Naval Rearnament
1934: The Year of Dark Clouds and Silver Linings.
A ruler who is not himself wise cannot be given advice.
- Chiang Kai-shek
An Italian, A German, An American and A Russian walk into China: A brief analysis of foreign military missions in China
...Although the topic of foreign military missions is a quite obscure field in history it is quite an important and topical one for the development of the modern Chinese state. The various military missions established by Italy, Germany, The Soviet Union and the United States of America would provide the foundations of the success of China's Reunification Wars. By laying the foundation for Chinese industrialization and modernization they enabled China to regain much of her strenght and self-respect...
Members of the German Mission to China with some Chinese comrades.
...The Germans by far were the oldest, most well established, and most respected foreign military mission. German advisors were considered to be in the words of Chiang Kai-shek "the most trustworthly, most loyal, most knowledgeable and most competent." Lundendorff and his successor Alexander von Falkenhausen would be given access to absolutely everything that concerned the Chinese military. They were the only foreigners privy to the full versions Dai Li's confidential intelligence reports and were considered more powerful than even some senior Chinese figures. German military help were integral not only in the Nationalist victory in the First Reunification War but also in the creation of the modern National Revolutionary Army and last, but not least, the successful creation of a military-industrial complex essentially from scratch. The success of German expertise can be seen in that in 1934 - China had the same industrial capacity as Italy - a figure that was expected to double every 3 years...
... It is important to note however, that German help was not the product of natural altruism. German participation in the creation of a viable military-industrial complex in Southern China was not without benefits. For one they gave German industrialists and weaponmongers a chance to keep developing modern and powerful weaponry, not only that but many of the German 'advisors' serving in Chinese submarines(built with German expertise), Chinese airplanes(license built German aircraft built with German expertise) and Chinese panzers (ditto) would later form the core of Germany's reconstructed armed forces. Railways - built with German expertise and help would bring in raw materials from the Chinese hinterland into the ports of Guangzhou where they were taken to Germany - to fuel German rearnament along with Chinese silver. When German rearnament began in earnest in 1933 - they were not starting from scratch...
Many German Jews such as Lise Meitner were forced out of Germany. Ironically Lise Meitner and her exiled colleages would provide the core in the Sino-German Götterdämmerung Project...
... There is however a shameful legacy in Sino-German relations - the plight of German Jewry. In the chaotic days of the "Rohm Putsch" in 1934 many German Jews who were doctors, scientists, chemists, physicists and other intellectuals were forced out of Germany and given one-way visas to China. Although there is no evidence of Chiang ever asking Hitler to expel loyal German citizens on the basis of racial discrimination - he did not exactly complain when these highly educated and highly motivated foreigners turned up in boatloads. Although many did not want to flee in China - preferring to flee to England and America - they were kept in China through a combination of the carrot (highly paid, highly respected posts, lots of money for research grants) and the stick (many still had family in Germany...
... In summary, it would not be an exaggeration to state that German help was crucial for the viability of the Kuomintang's republican project. Without German aid in the early days of the republic - it is quite conceivable that Zhang Zhoulin would have managed to unify China under his royal banner...
Marshall Cavallerro responsible for the fact that many of the most incompetent, old and useless Italian generals were sent to China were they gave the Italians an abysmal reputation.
... If the Chinese respected the Germans for their competence and professionalism the opposite applied to many members of the Italian military mission. Marshal Cavallerro - the man responsibile for who would be picked on these missions conspired with the Army Chief of Staff Giueseppe Ferrari (*winks to Croesus*) to pick the most incompetent, most senile and most obstructive Generals to China where they annoyed their hosts with their ill-conceived, obsolete advice. However, there was apparently a boost to Opium revenues and 'sing-song girls' wherever the Italians went so the visit was perhaps not a loss...
Prince Luigi Amedeo chief of the Italian naval mission and the "only competent Italian in China."
... Although the Italian military mission to China is much malgined - and perhaps rightly so, there were competent members of the military mission. One such individual was Prince Luigi Amendeo head of the Regia Marina mission to China. Despite suffering a heart attack in early 1933 the spyry Amedeo who was a famous explorer bought an enthusiasm to his role - being instrumental to Chinese naval rearnament and cooperating with his German counterpart Wilhelm Canaris to produce several Chinese Maritime Defence Papers. The efforts of Amedeo and Canaris ensured that the Chinese Navy at the beginning of the Second Unification War was one of the largest (at least on paper)...
... There are several more thorough and better works written about Leon Trotsky's impact on the National Revolutionary Army it will only be given a brief mention here. In the words of a contemporary: "Trotsky had the rare gift of tempering steel out of the souls of men. He married German professionalism with Chinese bravery and sealed it with Russian determination" Soviet Advisors not serving under or with Trotsky were regarded with immense suspcion - having no influence on Chinese policy in any way shape or form...
The image of Airships filled the Chinese mind with wonder and imagination. Leading to the spending of millions of dollars to construct a large fleet. This was the main impact of the American Military Mission. Conveniently China became America's number one buyer of Helium...
...While the Italian, Soviet and German military missions had official support from their various governments. The American Military mission were composed of a various eccentrics trying to pedel their ideas which were considered too 'crazy' or 'impractical' by the U.S Army and U.S Military. They were mostly successful as China's large fleet of airships at the beginning of the Second Unification War showed...
Next Update: Chinese Naval Rearnament
Hmmm - I don't necessarily need an ubergod figure who can fix everything wrong with the Italian military - I just need someone marginally more competent than OTL. They don't have the be brilliant general either - just good administrators. Also Giuseppe Ferari is driving much of these reforms with Cavalerro serving as a useful front man - Cavalerro has the clout - Ferrari has the brains. Ferrari uses his reforms to purge the Italian Army of Cavalerro's rivals + deadwood - Cavalerro gets the credit for reforming the Italian Army.
Thanks to everyone for their kind feedback and comments - as I've said I will get to all of them in the end! I promise
Anyway - without further ado:
________________________________________________________________
Plan "C" Chinese Naval Rearnament
Grand Admiral Chen Chak - Supreme Commander of Chinese Naval Forces
"The Chinese Navy - once like China itself - was once the best of the world. Brave and innovative Chinese sailors like Zheng He once reached even the distant Americas. Chinse revenue fleets traded with Europe itself and bought civilization to the barbarous - enabling them to eventually overtake us. The Chinese Navy will be the greatest in the world once more."
- A drunk and incoherent Chen Chak rambles to the cabinet.
The Chinese Naval Forces (often shortened to Chinese Navy) - much like the Chinese Air Forces - was often created by pioneering men. Men of great vision and determination with the charisma and personality to get funding, equipment and the attention of the army focussed Kuomintang. From an early age Chan Chak showed a badassery that would be his defining characteristic for the rest of his life, following an accident which left his left leg (heh) severely infected - he performed an amuptation. At the age of eight. Without anaesthesia. Like many disenfranchised and jobless youth of his day he became a revolutionary. At the age of 17 he hijacked the composite cruiser Guangjia - his bombardment of the Forbidden Palace in Beijing was crucial to the Xinhai Revolution and the fall of the Qing dynasty. An assasin's grenade in 1913 left him unable to speak. By sheer force of will he was able to speak again in 1928 - defying all known medical logic. Following his recovery he was made "Supreme Commander of the Chinese Naval Forces" beating out the professionally trained, but less badass Admiral Chen Shaokuan. However Chiang could not afford to lose the services of Chen Shaokuan he was offered the post of "Commander of the Submarine Forces" - a significant honour when submarines are your only ocean-going vessel - second only to Chan Chak.
The rivalry of the two men did not only affect their personal relations and the lack of communication between the Submarine Forces and the Chinese Navy it also led to battles of what should be given construction priority.
Current Strengt of Chinese Naval Forces (December 1934):
Capital Ships (Light cruiser and above)
2 X Light Carries ( Post WWI Vintage) CN Guangzhou, CN Shanghai
2 X Battleships (World War I Vintage) - CN Yi Min, CN Sun Yat-sen
3 X Light Cruisers (Semi-Modern) - CN Ping Hai, CN Ning Hai, CN Jing Hai
4 X Light Cruisers (Obsolete Rust-bucket From The Qing Era) - CN Guangjia, CN Guangji, CN Guangbing, CN Guangding
Non-Capital Class:
300 x Coastal Submarines (Based from the German UB Type I Submarine - WWI Vintage)
30 X Electric Long Rage Ocean-Going Submarines Type 1 (A culmination of illegal German research and experimentation of submarine types in China. Would later be the foundation of the German Type I Submarine)
500 x V-Ships (A very, very, very poor man's/ hobo's destroyer/minelayer/minesweeper/floating target practice)
50 X Destroyers (Modern - based on German designs)
1000 x miscelaneous craft (including yachts armed with 20mm AA)
Under Construction/In Reserve:
1 X Battleship (Modern - The Battleship Dante Alighieri is being modernized by La Spezia Royal Yard Italy to be sold to the Chinese Naval Forces)
2 X Carriers (One being constructed by Shanghai Naval Yard, One Being Constructed at Guangzhou Naval Yard)
500 x V-Ships (The Chinese Naval Forces have enough guns to equip 500 more trawlers/merchantmen/whatever they can pick up)
Plan "A"
Supreme Commander Chan Chak proposed what dry, bureacratic and unbadass historians would later label "Naval Plan A." In fact Chan Chak's original plan and memorandum was titled "Naval Plannings of Greatness for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of China." Chan Chak proposed this fleet strenght:
6 x Battleships (Need to modernize the 2 existing battleships, need to await delivery of Italian Dante Aligehri, need to buy/build three more battleship)
6 x Carriers (Need to build 6 carriers)
12 x Light Carriers (Need to build 10 Light Carriers)
100 x Light Cruisers (Need to upgrade 4 light cruisers, need to build 93 light cruisers)
180 X Modern Destroyers (Need to build 150 more!)
1000 X "Modern" V-Ships (would have needed to build 500 and convert 500...)
300 x Coastal Submarines
30 X Long Range Submarines
Although Chiang liked Admiral Chak's plan - there was no way he was going to fork out the obscene ammounts of money Plan "A" would have required. Chiang also sensed an Italian attempt to make more money by the fact that China would have needed to purchase many of these ships (from Italy) if Plan A was to be completed by 1939.
Plan B
Admiral Chen Shauokan attempted to ingratiate himself with Chiang by proposing Plan Bruno with the help of Wilhelm Canaris. History remembers this plan as "Naval Plan B" Chen proposed a very modest increase in fleet strenght. The existing numbers of capital and non-submarine ships could be kept at the same level. Chen advocated a large and powerful submarine force with 500 "Long Range" Submarines and 500 "Coastal Submarines."
Plan C
Faced with two options that he didn't like very much - Chiang decided to come up with a different plan. Plan Chiang - which history now remembers as Plan C. He proposed this fleet strenght:
3 x Battleships
3 x Carriers
6 x Light Carriers
30 x Light Cruisers
100 x Modern Destroyers
500 x "Modern" V-ships
500 x Coastal Submarines
150 X Long range submarines
Only time would tell whether Chiang had chosen the correct route....
Thanks to everyone for their kind feedback and comments - as I've said I will get to all of them in the end! I promise
Anyway - without further ado:
________________________________________________________________
Plan "C" Chinese Naval Rearnament
Grand Admiral Chen Chak - Supreme Commander of Chinese Naval Forces
"The Chinese Navy - once like China itself - was once the best of the world. Brave and innovative Chinese sailors like Zheng He once reached even the distant Americas. Chinse revenue fleets traded with Europe itself and bought civilization to the barbarous - enabling them to eventually overtake us. The Chinese Navy will be the greatest in the world once more."
- A drunk and incoherent Chen Chak rambles to the cabinet.
The Chinese Naval Forces (often shortened to Chinese Navy) - much like the Chinese Air Forces - was often created by pioneering men. Men of great vision and determination with the charisma and personality to get funding, equipment and the attention of the army focussed Kuomintang. From an early age Chan Chak showed a badassery that would be his defining characteristic for the rest of his life, following an accident which left his left leg (heh) severely infected - he performed an amuptation. At the age of eight. Without anaesthesia. Like many disenfranchised and jobless youth of his day he became a revolutionary. At the age of 17 he hijacked the composite cruiser Guangjia - his bombardment of the Forbidden Palace in Beijing was crucial to the Xinhai Revolution and the fall of the Qing dynasty. An assasin's grenade in 1913 left him unable to speak. By sheer force of will he was able to speak again in 1928 - defying all known medical logic. Following his recovery he was made "Supreme Commander of the Chinese Naval Forces" beating out the professionally trained, but less badass Admiral Chen Shaokuan. However Chiang could not afford to lose the services of Chen Shaokuan he was offered the post of "Commander of the Submarine Forces" - a significant honour when submarines are your only ocean-going vessel - second only to Chan Chak.
The rivalry of the two men did not only affect their personal relations and the lack of communication between the Submarine Forces and the Chinese Navy it also led to battles of what should be given construction priority.
Current Strengt of Chinese Naval Forces (December 1934):
Capital Ships (Light cruiser and above)
2 X Light Carries ( Post WWI Vintage) CN Guangzhou, CN Shanghai
2 X Battleships (World War I Vintage) - CN Yi Min, CN Sun Yat-sen
3 X Light Cruisers (Semi-Modern) - CN Ping Hai, CN Ning Hai, CN Jing Hai
4 X Light Cruisers (Obsolete Rust-bucket From The Qing Era) - CN Guangjia, CN Guangji, CN Guangbing, CN Guangding
Non-Capital Class:
300 x Coastal Submarines (Based from the German UB Type I Submarine - WWI Vintage)
30 X Electric Long Rage Ocean-Going Submarines Type 1 (A culmination of illegal German research and experimentation of submarine types in China. Would later be the foundation of the German Type I Submarine)
500 x V-Ships (A very, very, very poor man's/ hobo's destroyer/minelayer/minesweeper/floating target practice)
50 X Destroyers (Modern - based on German designs)
1000 x miscelaneous craft (including yachts armed with 20mm AA)
Under Construction/In Reserve:
1 X Battleship (Modern - The Battleship Dante Alighieri is being modernized by La Spezia Royal Yard Italy to be sold to the Chinese Naval Forces)
2 X Carriers (One being constructed by Shanghai Naval Yard, One Being Constructed at Guangzhou Naval Yard)
500 x V-Ships (The Chinese Naval Forces have enough guns to equip 500 more trawlers/merchantmen/whatever they can pick up)
Plan "A"
Supreme Commander Chan Chak proposed what dry, bureacratic and unbadass historians would later label "Naval Plan A." In fact Chan Chak's original plan and memorandum was titled "Naval Plannings of Greatness for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of China." Chan Chak proposed this fleet strenght:
6 x Battleships (Need to modernize the 2 existing battleships, need to await delivery of Italian Dante Aligehri, need to buy/build three more battleship)
6 x Carriers (Need to build 6 carriers)
12 x Light Carriers (Need to build 10 Light Carriers)
100 x Light Cruisers (Need to upgrade 4 light cruisers, need to build 93 light cruisers)
180 X Modern Destroyers (Need to build 150 more!)
1000 X "Modern" V-Ships (would have needed to build 500 and convert 500...)
300 x Coastal Submarines
30 X Long Range Submarines
Although Chiang liked Admiral Chak's plan - there was no way he was going to fork out the obscene ammounts of money Plan "A" would have required. Chiang also sensed an Italian attempt to make more money by the fact that China would have needed to purchase many of these ships (from Italy) if Plan A was to be completed by 1939.
Plan B
Admiral Chen Shauokan attempted to ingratiate himself with Chiang by proposing Plan Bruno with the help of Wilhelm Canaris. History remembers this plan as "Naval Plan B" Chen proposed a very modest increase in fleet strenght. The existing numbers of capital and non-submarine ships could be kept at the same level. Chen advocated a large and powerful submarine force with 500 "Long Range" Submarines and 500 "Coastal Submarines."
Plan C
Faced with two options that he didn't like very much - Chiang decided to come up with a different plan. Plan Chiang - which history now remembers as Plan C. He proposed this fleet strenght:
3 x Battleships
3 x Carriers
6 x Light Carriers
30 x Light Cruisers
100 x Modern Destroyers
500 x "Modern" V-ships
500 x Coastal Submarines
150 X Long range submarines
Only time would tell whether Chiang had chosen the correct route....