Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Sino-Korean Armistice Agreement (2)
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Chapter 111
Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Republic of China, had truly made a difficult decision.
It was a choice he hadn't wanted to make until the very last moment.
"How the hell are we supposed to negotiate with those Gaoribangzi?"
Chiang Kai-shek grumbled like that, but the party wouldn't back him up.
"Negotiating with Mao Zedong is out of the question, and we're getting hammered by Korea from the outside. Fine, let's say that's okay. Korea might change its mind if we hold out. But does holding out actually improve our situation?"
"If you've got an explanation, let's hear it. Does the Republic of China have any sharp way out of this mess?"
Right now, Germany—the one drawing all the aggro—was collapsing.
If Germany fell, what came next?
Wouldn't the Allies invade China?
Of course, the American ambassador had guaranteed that the Anglo-Americans wouldn't attack China.
But even if just Korea and the Soviet Union stepped in, China was done for.
In that context, the party's negotiation faction wasn't entirely wrong in arguing for a compromise with Korea while Germany was still alive.
Chiang Kai-shek didn't completely deny their logic either.
'But if we negotiate, I won't survive it.'
Chiang Kai-shek countered the opposition within the party by arguing that if they just held out, the Anglo-Americans wouldn't sit idly by and watch Korea monopolize China.
In the old days, he could have crushed the opposition like that and silenced them through sheer force.
However, Chiang Kai-shek's leadership wasn't what it used to be.
The opposition crowded right up to his face, raising their voices.
Even Kong Xiangxi, who had once served as administrative head under Chiang, joined the wave of rebellion.
"Your Excellency, if you don't make a decision now, you'll become the eternal sinner of China's 400 million people."
"Cut that ridiculous nonsense. Surrendering to Korea is the real betrayal of the Chinese people's cause."
"If Your Excellency insists on opposing peace to the end, we have our own plans."
The warlords and rebels hinted that they were willing to defy the central government's authority.
If it had been the Chiang Kai-shek from the early Sino-Japanese War, such an attempt would have been unthinkable.
But the current Chiang Kai-shek was a leader who had already been broken once.
The external pressure was on a whole different level too.
"If the Republic of China is doomed to fall anyway, isn't it better to talk to the Koreans who at least recognize our rights?"
The warlords figured that negotiating was better than losing everything in defeat.
Especially the North China warlords who had an implicit non-aggression pact with Korea—they leaned even harder that way.
Since Korea wasn't an unreasonable opponent, the push for negotiations grew stronger.
Under this pressure from inside and outside the party, Chiang Kai-shek could no longer hold out.
"Negotiate."
Once Chiang Kai-shek's order came down, Foreign Minister T.V. Soong stepped into the reluctant talks.
T.V. Soong knew full well that this negotiation would end his brother-in-law Chiang's political life.
'The deal's already been struck, so all we can do is do it right.'
If he had to step down anyway, at least he needed to wrap it up cleanly.
That way, it would help protect Chiang and his sister's safety too.
T.V. Soong put his best effort into the negotiations and managed a decent outcome.
Contrary to expectations, Korea didn't act all that high-handed.
Their demands were reasonable given the state of the war, and they didn't resort to much arm-twisting.
"That's the result? Understood. Good work."
After receiving T.V. Soong's report on the settlement, Chiang Kai-shek got completely drunk.
His loyal aide Dai Li saw Chiang like this but said nothing.
It was the first time he'd seen the Chairman look so weak since he'd been serving him up close.
The next day, at the Executive Yuan meeting, calls arose to hold Chiang accountable.
"This war was clearly caused by Chairman Chiang Kai-shek's misjudgment. Why the hell did we provoke the Korean army?"
It didn't match the facts, but since the armistice agreement said it that way, there was no refuting it.
Chiang Kai-shek bowed his head under the grilling from his rivals.
"I'll take full responsibility and step down. In return, guarantee the safety of my people."
Chiang Kai-shek decided to swallow the humiliation for now.
If he could hold out to the end and keep power, he would have, but the board had already tilted.
For Chiang, the best move was to step down cleanly and preserve his political position.
"Extra! Extra! Chairman Chiang Kai-shek dramatically resigns!"
All of China was stunned by the news.
Koreans were shocked too.
Wasn't Chiang the kind of ruler who seemed like he'd dominate China for a thousand years?
With a guy like that stepping down, who would lead China now?
No clear figure came to mind.
No one was big enough to fill Chiang's void.
The Kuomintang plunged into severe infighting the moment Chiang exited.
"I'm next after Chiang."
"What nonsense! I orchestrated Chiang's downfall!"
The ugly scene that had played out once before unfolded again in Chungking.
"Look at that. A bunch of bandits who fled to the mountains of Chungking—what a disgrace. At least Brother Chiang was somebody, but now that he's gone, the Chungking regime's collapse is just a matter of time."
Wang Jingwei branded Chungking's Republic of China a "seasonal regime."
Meaning it would vanish after one season passed.
If the Kuomintang regime crumbled like that, it was good news for Wang Jingwei's regime.
Wang Jingwei thought he needed to solidify the Nanjing regime's position while the Republic of China flailed around.
"Our Nanjing government has reasons to claim legitimacy. Look at those dwarfs in Chungking. Aren't they just full of squabbling politicians and warlords every day? What vision do those thugs even have?"
"Our legitimate Republic of China government is different from those ignorant fools. Order and principle, economy and prosperity, peace and coexistence. Under this slogan, the Republic of China will vigorously rise as East Asia's new economic powerhouse."
While Wang Jingwei poured effort into propaganda, seizing the opportunity of Chiang's downfall, Mao Zedong launched an aggressive offensive.
"Without Chiang Kai-shek, those Chungking bastards are nothing. The war's over, so let's launch a full assault on Chungking."
Mao Zedong mobilized the million-strong Red Army he had built up and began massively encroaching on Republic of China territory.
"There is New China because there is the Communist Party!"
"Land redistribution, people's equality, class abolition!"
"A united China without warlords!"
Shouting fearsome slogans, the Communists smashed the warlords and steadily expanded their territory.
"Come on, New China! Jia you! Jia you, Communist Party!"
The warlords, who had opportunistically bided their time on the fringes and fattened up, couldn't withstand the Communists' assault armed with vision and ideology for the future.
"Why are those Communist bandits so damn strong in combat?"
It was clear that the warlords' armies couldn't match the Communists.
"We need the central government to step up if we're gonna fight back."
"What the hell is the Kuomintang government doing!"
"H-hey, Chungking, help us out here. If you're gonna hang the central government sign, at least do that much!"
But the Chungking government was practically comatose.
"Ah, they say there's still no one in charge!"
Only then did the warlords feel the necessity of Chiang Kai-shek, whom they had helped topple.
"Let's reinstate Chairman Chiang."
Chiang loyalists like Tang Enbo, Fu Zuoyi, and Chen Cheng tried to drum up support for Chiang's return, but heavyweight warlord Li Zongren poured cold water on it.
"Why reinstate Chiang after kicking him out? Shut your damn mouth!"
The Communists were fierce, sure, but the Kuomintang still had 3 million troops.
If they regrouped, they could hold their own.
"Absolutely no to Chiang. If you bring him back, we'll cut ties with the center."
Chiang's return bid fell through amid opposition from major warlords and anti-Chiang factions.
Without a unifying center, the Kuomintang kept losing.
Still, their sheer size meant the Communists couldn't topple them in one go.
"But at this rate, bringing down the Kuomintang is just a matter of time."
Mao Zedong grew confident watching the enemy's disarray.
As long as Chiang didn't return, Communist victory was assured.
Korea was quite flustered by this situation too.
Korea had accepted the armistice precisely because keeping the Republic of China—a coalition of warlords—alive helped balance the continent.
But if Mao Zedong ended up swallowing the continent as a result of the armistice, it would be a complete reversal of roles.
"Then we need to start thinking like the British."
The British were a people with the spirit—or rather, courage—to extend a hand even to yesterday's enemy.
If the British Empire, victor of the war, did that, Korea needed to follow suit.
His Excellency's august words implied that Korea should spread goodwill across the Chinese continent too.
"We shall obey."
Korea immediately reached out to the Republic of China.
Even in an international society where yesterday's enemy could become today's friend, this was beyond common sense.
Li Zongren, the de facto head of the Republic of China, was dumbfounded by Korea's proposal.
"Are these bastards sane? They were fighting us a month ago, and now they want an anti-Communist alliance?"
But the Communist threat was too terrifying to slap away a hand extended by enemies he bore grudges against.
After agonizing, Li Zongren accepted Korea's offer.
On one condition.
"Your support has to stay secret."
Getting aid from the enemy who'd humiliated China recently wouldn't sit well with the new regime's legitimacy.
"Very well."
Just a month after signing the armistice, Korea and China joined hands under the banner of anti-Communism.
Mao Zedong was baffled by this absurd alliance.
"What the hell kind of nonsense is this?"
Even the Soviet-Korean non-aggression pact hadn't been this shocking.
Of course, a tangled situation didn't mean Mao would abandon communization.
"Korea won't intervene directly on the continent. It'll take some time, but Red Army victory is certain."
Mao Zedong ordered the offensive to continue.
One month after the Sino-Korean Armistice Agreement.
The Chinese people still couldn't quite grasp that the war was over.