However, Kagesa Hiroki's speech did not gain the approval of the other generals. Several generals present today held different opinions on the current decision of the General Headquarters. As the head of military intelligence, Uehara Junpei was naturally aware of the specific situation. He coughed lightly, and the others immediately quieted down. They also wanted to know Uehara Junpei's opinion on this matter.
Uehara Junpei said slowly, "Although we cut off the Sino-Vietnamese supply line during the Guangxi Campaign, the situation of the Chinese government's other supply line, the Burma Road, has greatly improved. In the past few months, it has replaced the Guangxi-Vietnam Road. Although the cost and distance of transportation have increased, it has not had a significant impact on the Chinese government's material supply. Therefore, we do not have an advantage in a war of attrition."
Unless we march into Myanmar and occupy Yangon, it will be difficult to completely cut off the Chinese government's supply lines. However, this involves too many layers of issues, and whether this major decision can be implemented depends on the cabinet and headquarters; we are powerless to do anything about it.
Everyone sighed and shook their heads helplessly. Japan's problem right now is time. They are eager to participate in the global war for hegemony, and the two years that Kagesa Hiroki mentioned is hard for them to accept.
In the eyes of the Japanese, their biggest rivals have never been China, but rather the Soviet Union and world powers such as Britain and the United States. However, due to their arrogance and underestimation of their enemies, they made strategic misjudgments, which led to their entanglement in the China theater and the resulting stalemate, resulting in the current awkward situation of being neither in a dominant position nor in a disadvantageous position.
They wanted to continue the war, but the Chinese government resisted fiercely. The Japanese were afraid of wasting resources and military strength and missing a golden opportunity to dominate the world, so they ended up with nothing.
They don't want to continue fighting, but now that they have occupied most of China, if they withdraw their troops, they will inevitably lose the interests they have already gained in China. If the Chinese army recovers the lost territory, wouldn't all their efforts over the past few years be in vain?
That's why the puppet government was established. However, the new Nanjing government was not yet able to control the situation, and without the support of the Japanese, it would be overthrown in an instant. All of this did not achieve the desired effect.
In this way, the Japanese military still could not withdraw, which led to the idea of some people, represented by Harada Takeo, to negotiate directly with the Chongqing government, reach a peace agreement, preserve the current gains as much as possible, and allow the military to extricate itself and concentrate its forces on participating in the world war.
Ning Zhiheng sat silently to the side. He was well aware that these Japanese were trying to force the Chinese government to recognize and consolidate Japan's interests in China at the negotiating table, without wanting to spend a lot of military resources to maintain them. This was wishful thinking.
Are we really going to rely on an empty shell like the Nanjing government? There's no such thing as a free lunch, unless the Chongqing government is willing to be the enemy of all Chinese people and willingly become the Japanese's lackey.
Just then, Harada Takeo noticed Ning Zhiheng deep in thought and suddenly asked, "Fujiwara-kun, do you have any insightful opinions?"
Harada Takeo tried to gain approval from Chairman Fujiwara, and sure enough, Ning Zhiheng smiled slightly and echoed, "Mr. Harada truly deserves the title of a wise man. I also believe that peace talks are what we need to do most right now. To be honest, we have already occupied half of China, and these are the most populous and resource-rich regions. It can be said that the best areas of China are already in our hands. Even if we take other areas, it will only make us increase our defenses and waste our military strength in vain. There is no real benefit. So I agree with Mr. Harada's idea. We should pursue peace talks instead of continuing to fight. However, what Kagesa said also makes sense. I'm afraid the Chongqing government will not sit down and talk with us so easily. They have lost half of the country for nothing. How can they give up so easily? So we must make some sacrifices, give up some unnecessary benefits, and make some concessions. Otherwise, it will be difficult to achieve our goal."
Ning Zhiheng’s words seem to be on Harada Takeo’s side, but upon closer examination, they are essentially saying nothing at all. If the Japanese government were willing to make concessions, the war would not have dragged on to this point.
Uehara Junpei spread his hands and said helplessly, "It seems to be another dead end. There's nothing we can do right now; we can only wait for the headquarters' decision."
Everyone shook their heads in silence. They all knew very well that, at present, no matter what method Japan adopted, it would be unable to make significant progress on the Chinese battlefield. Three years of high-intensity combat had caused the Japanese military to lose its original confidence.
In the following time, everyone continued to discuss the current situation. Harada Takeo paid close attention to Ning Zhiheng and deliberately talked to him several times. The topic always revolved around the intention to negotiate with the Chongqing government. Ning Zhiheng had no choice but to perk up and deal with it. In the end, he was unwilling to talk about this matter in depth. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, he simply found an opportunity to leave the room, and Harada Takeo then gave up.
Ning Zhiheng found a free moment and invited Yingzuo Yushu aside, and the two talked in hushed tones.
"Kagesa-kun, you are now in charge of the affairs of the Nanjing government. I have a favor to ask, and I wonder if you can grant it?"
Kagesa Yuki was in a very good mood during this period. After spending more than a year, he finally helped to establish a new Nanjing government. As the executor of Mei's work, he was responsible for the overall management and handling of all affairs of the puppet government. He was in a great position and enjoyed a very happy life. This was the pinnacle of his life.
Hearing Ning Zhiheng's request, he readily agreed, smiling as he said, "Fujiwara-kun, you're too kind. In Shanghai, I was fortunate to receive your help, which made my work progress so smoothly. Now that I'm in Nanjing, please feel free to ask if you need anything, and I will do my best to help!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
