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(Alternate History) The Second Sino-Japanese War

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[X] HanEmpire

Defense has an advantage, especially since we have a rail network to our backs. However, Manchuria is full of resources that expanding Japanese industry is starving for. Military and industrial concerns may put increasing pressure for offensive operations to gain strategic assets (the coal and oil fields. The obvious attack will come in the south. It's a short distance from the Dandong base and doesn't require maneuvering large bodies of troops through undeveloped countryside. If they attempt to seek decisive battle here, that may give us a chance to turn their flank when they commit. Then we could let loose our cavalry to wreak havoc among their supply and communication lines. If we can pocket the Chinese Armies, we might be able to cut their supply line and hold Dalinghe Bridge while we take over much of Manchuria. This is, of course, a wildly optimistic plan well in line with IJA and IJN planning styles. :V
 
AvidFicReader said:
[...] If we can pocket the Chinese Armies, we might be able to cut their supply line and hold Dalinghe Bridge while we take over much of Manchuria. This is, of course, a wildly optimistic plan well in line with IJA and IJN planning styles. :V
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Japanese command subscribed hard to "hubris is a coward's word"... with that in mind:
Congratulations, you've been promoted to head of planning of the IJA, please make a plan for a Pacific War against the United States and the British Empire :V
 
At IJA and IJN HQ: The Brits a a bunch of decadent imperialists that have been leaning on their tiny army and huge but outdated fleet for centuries. A bunch of shirtless guys with spears and shield gave them trouble, and a few hicks with guns kept then running in circles for near a decade. The whole empire is a rotten construction, kick down the door and the whole thing will collapse. I say, let's send a bunch of dudes to Singapore on bicycles, they'll never see it coming. Then we can sail over to India and let them know they can throw of their old masters, and here's some weapons and cash for a few easy payments of free.99, due in twenty years at 1000% interest. :V

With the Americans, just park a submarine near Pearl Harbor and torpedo a big ship in the channel, the rest of the fleet will be stuck. Then we can go T-pose at San Francisco by building a fuckhuge torii in the Golden Gate, why would you build a bridge? As for their army, they're clearly third rate. Who has a standing army of less than 200,000 men, anyway? :V
 
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13th of February, 1915 - Telegram Message, Militia Routs
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    • Telegram Message, Japanese High Command to The Expeditionary Army in Korea

    CHINESE MOBILIZATION OF RESERVES BEGUN STOP

    9TH AND 22ND ARMY EXPECTED TO NUMBER 600000 BY 15TH STOP

    REINFORCEMENTS FOR EXPEDITIONARY FORCE DUE FEBRUARY 26TH STOP

    LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR STOP

    03:55, Pyongyang HQ, February 13th, 1915


    The captured territory of the first day of offensives.​
    The heavy thunder of artillery guns breaks out through the front, Japanese howitzers pounding the Chinese infantry attempting to cross open fields or rivers and Chinese field guns striking earthworks and the occasional unlucky souls caught out in the open. Machine gun fire rends deep into the ground, and a call is heard across the Japanese trenchline.

    "Tennoheika Banzai!"

    The brand new Japanese J-14 105mm L/40 field guns are rolled up to the fore, providing direct counter battery fire on the shorter-ranged Chinese 75mm guns. Marines and infantry charge en masse, machine gun fire from the opposing trench cutting down several men, but leaving far more unharmed. The Chinese troops just don't have the number of guns required to halt a charge, and soon find themselves at the business end of bayonets and rifles.

    "Fall back! Move, move!"

    Lt. General Hideki Kenji observes the Chinese divisions as they retreat in decently good order, grimacing slightly at the failure to do more than bloody their nose. He puts his binoculars down, only to hear a massive artillery barrage let loose, causing him to snap his binoculars back up. A flanking manoeuvre from the 7th Rikusentai Marine Brigade catches the retreating Chinese militiamen off guard, and artillery fire is suddenly raining down as the 2nd Flying Artillery Division is firing down on the men on the field, and Hideki feels an adrenaline rush coming over him as he realises the enemy is in full rout.

    "Keep the pressure up, lads, we've got them right where we want them!"

    ----

    The 9th army has attempted its assault across Yalu river. They were stopped cold by the Japanese 2nd and 4th Army Corps, losing more than 20000 lives in the process, though the battle was not entirely one-sided as the combined forces took approximately ~1800 casualties. The 4th and 1st Army Corps. have counter attacked across the river, the counterattack initially failed to dislodge the fortified positions of the 4th Army's infantry, but a heavy artillery barrage managed to rout a Chinese brigade advancing across an open field, leaving a perfect opening for two assault divisions, one heavy and one light, to force their way across the river.

    The defence in the North-North-East has held well, their entrenched positions have barely been touched by the field guns the Chinese are using. The lack of indirect fire capability has left them functionally unable to break the fortified positions your troops have taken in defence of the railways, but they nonetheless spread out across the undefended and evacuated countryside.

    The most major assaults, however, has been across the railway bridge in Dandong, where 5 mixed infantry and militia divisions have failed entirely to cross against your own Heavy Assault, Infantry and Flying Artillery divisions, backed up by Korean infantry. The other major offensive has been on the Liaotung peninsula, where 2 infantry divisions have held a massive Chinese assault with the aid of Admiral Nakamura's offshore artillery.

    The First and Fourth Army Corps. are requesting to advance come morning. They believe they might be able to relieve pressure on the Second Army Corps. and Dairen, perhaps even surrounding the large enemy force attack there.

    [X] Charge and attack! Push them out!
    [X] Retreat back across the river, they can't even scratch our positions.
    [X] Write-in

    The Second Army Corps. is Content to hold their ground.

    [X] Charge forward, the Fourth needs a covered flank!
    [X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves
    [X] Write-in

    The Third Army Corps. has only seen light contact so far, and is in essentially the same shape as it was when deployed.
    [X] Charge! A full scale offensive on this part of the front will relieve pressure elsewhere!
    [X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!
    [X] Write-in

    IN THE FUTURE, TURNS WILL BE LONGER IN-GAME TIME, RANGING FROM ABOUT A WEEK TO A MONTH, DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF ACTION.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Charge and attack! Push them out!
    [X] Charge forward, the Fourth needs a covered flank!
    [X] Charge! A full scale offensive on this part of the front will relieve pressure elsewhere!

    Superior Japanese Samurai Warrior Spirit will win the day! Banzai!
     
    Well. We're going to be quite outnumbered by the 15th. Might be a good idea to push them back while we can. Also, if we can relieve pressure on Dairen we should.

    Let the First and Fourth off the leash while the Second and Third hold their ground.

    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Charge and attack! Push them out!
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!

    Thoughts?
     
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    Fall back! These are militia units being thrown at us to soften us in preparation for the Chinese elites to strike.

    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Retreat back across the river, they can't even scratch our positions.
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!
     
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    I think that we might want to capitalize on them routing and run them down as much as possible, and only then withdraw to prepared defensive lines that we have now.
     
    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Retreat back across the river, they can't even scratch our positions.
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!

    ​
     
    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Charge and attack! Push them out!
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!

    Frostbyght said:
    Well. We're going to be quite outnumbered by the 15th. Might be a good idea to push them back while we can. Also, if we can relieve pressure on Dairen we should.

    Let the First and Fourth off the leash while the Second and Third hold their ground.

    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Charge and attack! Push them out!
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!

    Thoughts?
    Click to expand...
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    you forgot a X at third.
     
    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Charge and attack! Push them out!
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!
     
    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Charge and attack! Push them out!
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Charge forward, the Fourth needs a covered flank!
    [X] Third:
    - [X] Charge! A full scale offensive on this part of the front will relieve pressure elsewhere!

    BANZAI! ⚔

    Edit: Change our OST to something much more time appropriate. Lyrics are an excellent read.

     
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    Even though we've seen success in the center, and managed to cross the Yalu Frontier, I'd say withdraw to fortified positions to weather the coming storm. The fastest way for a counterattack to die is to take an unexpected counter-counterattack in an exposed flank. Also, 600K Chinese soldiers is no laughing matter. Especially since regulars and elites are coming up. That we managed to dislodge their troops via an opposed river crossing is one thing, that this was achieved against frontier militia is a fact to remember. We may be playing the IJA, but it's a little too early to be getting victory disease. Also, if we were to get half of our forces mauled in a Chinese counterattack in the first week of the war, it would be a shameful display before my Japanese ancestors. Also, we have a significant artillery advantage, which would be lost on a grand offensive. Indirect combined with direct fire breaks down enemy attacks rapidly, and enemy field guns can do very little to our defenses.


    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Retreat back across the river, they can't even scratch our positions.
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!
     
    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Retreat back across the river, they can't even scratch our positions.
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!
     
    AvidFicReader said:
    Also, 600K Chinese soldiers is no laughing matter.
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    I don't think waiting is going to make this any better, this is China we are talking about, more than loss of men, it's loss of equipment that really hurt them.
    Time isn't really in our favor, China has more manpower and more ressources, and while we do have more industry overall, we don't have the ressources to leverage it properly as it is.
    Granted, we do have an advantage here; the Korean are much more willing to fight on our side, but I was kinda hoping to get the Manchu on our side now that the Chinese emperor isn't one of them.
     
    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Retreat back across the river, they can't even scratch our positions.
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!
     
    [X] First and Fourth:
    -[X] Retreat back across the river, they can't even scratch our positions.
    [X] Second:
    -[X] Hold your ground, you'll be like a cliff to the Chinese waves.
    [X] Third:
    -[X] Hold! A defensive line has been set, and we know we can hold it against all comers!
     
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