It is December 1941 and in our flagship 1941 Day of Infamy campaign, Japan holds most of China’s eastern seaboard, as well as important cities such as Beiping, Canton, Nanjing, and Wuhan. Therefore, for China, Japan’s decision to go to war against the British Empire and the USA is very welcome, as this will reduce the forces Japan has available in the country, while also providing China with more allies and assistance. Could it even open up the possibility of pushing the Japanese back and liberating the country from foreign rule? Yet China faces internal difficulties weakening her war effort, for the territories claimed by her government are divided into multiple entities. Additionally, there are Warlords and others within China who are less than fully committed to obeying the government, and the mobilization of China’s full potential to win the war against Japan will also require bringing these to heel. In shedding light on this divided country we will be looking at these entities and movements in turn, assessing in the process the effect they can have on the conflict ahead: will China, with the aid of its allies, now be able to win victories against Japan, or is the future still fraught with danger? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44914347/eaa1e1fe8faa30e437e2af25b21c8448edc8078a.png[/img] [i]Chinese soldiers serving in India during WWII[/i] [b]Communist China[/b] Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Koumintang (KMT) government lacks full authority over the country, its main rival being Mao’s Communists based in Yan’an. Communist China starts as neutral in order to reflect its lack of commitment to fighting the Japanese at this point of the war. It is also largely indifferent, and sometimes hostile to KMT forces, with outbreaks of fighting between both factions occurring from time to time – when they should be fighting the Japanese! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44914347/d6d94d10ef56ccd7902d1092dbe4f5d4ca361499.png[/img] [i]US army officers visiting Chairman Mao in 1944[/i] Japan cannot conduct diplomacy with Communist China, nor can it declare war on it, and while war with Communist China is ultimately inevitable, Japan can delay this conflict by avoiding any immediate advances towards Yan’an. [b]Communist Bases[/b] Although Yan’an is the most important Communist location, there are other bases in Guangxi and Shanxi provinces and these can be activated to contribute to the Communist war effort. If activated, these bases will be the launching pad for partisan raids on Japanese held-resources. Consequently they will prove a target for attack and Communist forces will have to defend them. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44914347/bada7455fa5305d1e6f4dfdeca5702603405c7ad.png[/img][i]Communist Territory Is Expanding[/i] Additionally, the Communists may have the opportunity to expand their territory during the war, if their position is strong and the Nationalists’ weak. Communist China can benefit from aid from the USSR, and in turn, Communist China can pass supplies on to Chiang Kai-shek, should they really wish to. Furthermore, in July 1944 the US may send the Dixie Mission to Communist China, providing the latter with a welcome morale boost. [b]Mobilizing the Warlords[/b] However, there are other power centers in the country apart from the Communists, as various Warlords control their own fiefdoms, and fully mobilizing the Nationalist war effort will require using troops to enforce KMT rule. Chiang Kai-shek can call on the Warlord Ma Bufang to provide cavalry for the war effort, but some other Warlords will have to be coerced into subservience. [b]Xikang Province[/b] In 1942 Chiang Kai-shek was hinting at invading Tibet, his ostensible reason being to force it to allow the British to send some supplies via its territory to China. However, other factors were also at play, as he used his build up of forces in the area as a means to assert his authority in Xikang province. This need to do so is also represented, as the Warlord Liu Wenhui controls the province of Xikang and his contribution to the war effort is virtually nil. In order to mobilize the resources of this region, which contains the cities of Kangding and Yushu, it is imperative that KMT authority be asserted here. This requires the deployment of force in this region, though an extra benefit of doing so is that it potentially allows for supplies to reach China via Tibet, thus increasing China’s income further. Without their presence, the independently minded Liu Wenhui will do his own thing, robbing the KMT’s war effort of the wealth of this region. [b]Tibet[/b] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44914347/31364a50146b283c0531811d61d94f98b5ce514a.png[/img] [i]Tibet’s Armed Forces stand ready to defend their territory[/i] Given that sending some supplies overland from India to China via Tibet was envisaged, the British Empire does have the opportunity to do so – but first, someone has to convince Tibet to allow this to happen, and that will require some diplomacy. Dare the Allies invest in diplomacy rather than directly in men, ships, planes and guns? [b]Xinjiang Province[/b] Like Xikang, Xinjiang province requires the assertion of Chiang Kai-shek’s authority in order for it to accept rule from Chongqing, and doing so will also prevent insurrection by Muslim separatists hoping to re-found the East Turkestan Republic in northern Xinjiang. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44914347/17e952be303c65218609ec4a3c40e5b4b7a50a47.png[/img][i]The Flag of the Second East Turkestan Republic[/i] [b]Economic Aid[/b] Chiang Kai-shek’s China can receive economic aid from four foreign sources. We have already mentioned that Communist China can potentially provide supplies to China, and that the British Empire may also do so if Tibet is favourable and the KMT are asserting their authority in Xikang province. The third source of income is the USSR, which in an emergency can provide some supplies. Also, if Communist China surrenders then the USSR can provide funds more directly via convoy to Chiang Kai- shek’s China. However, the biggest source of income to China from abroad is by far the USA. [b]US Aid to China[/b] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44914347/7d58f3ab8882e1a3a641a9a10930a24a44645755.png[/img][i]A Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express Taking Off[/i] The war in the Pacific begins with Claire Chennault’s China Air Task Force HQ at Kunming and the American Volunteer Group, or ‘Flying Tigers’ in Burma. Later, the USA can send the 14th Air Force and Merrill’s Marauders to serve in China under Chennault’s command. The USA can also provide China with a HQ in the shape of Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, and later in the war, an armored unit. Thus the American contribution to China’s war effort can be rather substantial. The US can also send supplies to China by sea through the Pacific to Rangoon, and if Japan invades Burma and captures Rangoon, as is likely, then fortunately aid can instead be flown over “the Hump” from India to China. These flights will also boost China’s morale. However, for these flights to take place, both Ledo in eastern India and Kunming in China will have to be protected, as the loss of this aid would have a drastic effect on China’s economy. A final way in which the Allies can assist China will be through the British Empire signing a treaty with Chiang-Kai shek in 1943 relinquishing their rights in the country, as doing so will boost China’s National Morale, albeit at a cost to the British Empire’s. [b]The Japanese Perspective[/b] In December 1941 the Japanese advance into China has stalled, and neither side can really make much progress without reinforcements. China and Communist China are potentially the most vulnerable of all the Major Allied powers, and capturing Chongqing is probably an achievable objective, though do not be fooled into thinking that it will be a walk over as China has great defensive potential. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44914347/f11e5c3730d8bb38ed19b27f1985482b2b8c697a.png[/img][i]Wang Jingwei, leader of the pro-Japanese forces in China[/i] Chinese can also be mobilized to fight for Japan, either as part of the armed forces of Wang Jingwei’s Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China, deploying at Nanjing, or in the service of the Mengjiang National Army with its capital at Kalgan to the north-west of Beiping. In certain circumstances, there is also the possibility that the Warlord Yan Xishan can be enticed to desert to the Japanese. You can find out more about Japan’s allies in a previous Dev Diary here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2740080/view/4200244961702575770 It will be important to protect from partisan attacks, and doing so will not only require garrisoning targeted locations, but also capturing all 3 Communist bases in Guangxi and Shanxi provinces. Whether aiming to simply weaken, or totally conquer China, there is a good way to reduce its economy, and that is take Kunming in China, or launch an offensive into India to capture Ledo. Capturing either location will halt all allied flights over “The Hump” from India into China, and this will significantly reduce China’s income so that it will be easier to conquer. [b]The Road to Victory[/b] While capturing Chongqing will definitely contribute towards a Japanese victory, over-investing in conquering China may not be worthwhile. A fine balancing act will be required between sending too many troops here, and not enough, because the war cannot be won here alone, and the Allies may take advantage if they perceive weakness elsewhere. Additionally, if China does surrender, then Japan may face conflict with the USSR. Xinjiang province was under strong Soviet influence at this time, and Stalin may decide to annex it. If he does so, then Japan will have to decide between humiliation in accepting its loss to the USSR, or war with the Soviet Union. Alternatively, the USSR may simply decide to provide support and encouragement to Partisan attacks in Xinjiang province. Plenty of information to help will be given directly in game, or in the campaign’s accompanying Strategy Guide – be sure to check this out when Strategic Command WWII: War in the Pacific is released on Tuesday the 25th June!