Time Slip Reiwa Japan

105 - China Upheaval - 23

As winter approached, the United States and China found themselves in a standoff, with trenches and fortifications being erected. From the American perspective, there was no reason to take aggressive action until their forces were fully prepared. China, facing depletion of resources such as fuel and other supplies, was unable to move. In the naturally occurring ceasefire, both sides engaged in minor skirmishes while preparing for a spring offensive.

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China

The shift in Mongolia's stance from friendly (subservient) neutrality towards China to hostile (autonomous) neutrality had significant implications for China. Even if punitive actions were to be taken, Mongolia's words were backed by Japan – with the presence of the Japanese Combined Armed Forces stationed there. It was impossible to intervene.

Fortunately (or strangely), neither Mongolia nor Japan showed any intention of actively attacking (declaring war on) China. *1 Nevertheless, as achieving the strategic objective of besieging and wearing down the East Eurasian Army Group's 1st Army became impossible, the Chinese government ordered a halt to the fighting to avoid depleting the valuable heavy equipment of the 2nd Northern Expeditionary Army Group.

Simultaneously, expectations grew even more for the 1st Northern Expeditionary Army Group and the Beijing Garrison Army.

It was imperative to invade the Frontier Republic's territory at all costs, crush the American base and stronghold on the Eurasian continent, and compel the United States to accept peace. However, reality was harsh against the hopes of the Chinese government. By this point, the Beijing Garrison Army, primarily the 12th Mechanized Division, was partially destroyed, and the fuel, ammunition, and spare parts stockpiled in Beijing were severely depleted, resulting in a loss of combat effectiveness.

Fuel shortages were particularly severe. Although a considerable amount had been stockpiled in Beijing prior to the initiation of Operation Wedge, the intense aerial combat with the United States had depleted it to the point of exhaustion. This was an untenable situation. Moreover, as winter approached and snow began to fall, the need to stockpile supplies to endure the winter became imminent, surpassing the need for supplies for military operations.

Recognizing that further futile offensives would only deplete their forces, the Northern Expeditionary Command submitted a request to the Chinese government to halt Operation Wedge, which they accepted. Furthermore, they declared the operation a success, citing the achievement of successfully severing the aggressive foreigners (American forces).

This greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese people, who felt they had struck a heavy blow against the imperialists who had been encroaching on China. The government sought to harness this morale boost quite literally by instituting a nationwide mass conscription drive. China identified the shortage of personnel in the American ranks as a weakness. Based on the lessons learned from the battles on the Western Front, they believed their mechanized forces could fight on equal footing. Thus, the conventional strategy was to exploit the enemy's weaknesses.

With the rallying cry of "100 divisions, 1 million soldiers" (Yībǎi yībǎi wàn), they began to gather young people regardless of gender. Additionally, they formally entered into an agreement with the Chinese Communist Party, establishing a system where the CCP forces and its opposing army could be directed toward the war against the United States. This marked the establishment of the Grand Chinese Army, with a nominal strength of 2 million.

Furthermore, in conjunction with this buildup, the Chinese government approached the South China Independence Movement, offering to negotiate a non-aggression treaty. As prominent figures in the world, it was deemed a priority to dispel external concerns as the Chinese and to avoid engaging in war among themselves before addressing larger issues.