Time Slip Reiwa Japan

121 - Winds in Central Asia - 3

Since the intensification of the independence movement in Tibet, China has become absolutely furious with Britain, which has become less discreet in its support for the independence movement (plotting the creation of a buffer state).

For China, Tibet held a significant position not only as part of its sovereign territory but also in terms of future interests, including water and underground resources. Losing such an important Tibet to Britain was intolerable. Moreover, the opponent was Britain. Unlike Japan or the United States, Britain's national power was not significantly inferior, and the route from India to Tibet was limited.

Even though China was infuriated, it calmly calculated that victory was achievable. For the first time in a long while, victory seemed attainable, and China's staff officers were slightly excited. However, some rational individuals were aware that China was currently engaged in a war with the United States, and the country's national strength was being extravagantly depleted. Still, due to their extreme composure, they refrained from mentioning it.

By the way, even the rational ones forgot one thing.

That is, although Britain might be inferior to Japan or the United States, it was still a corner of the world-dominating power and a global empire. And in terms of wickedness, Japan was undoubtedly a country that even the United States couldn't compete with.

In a sense, China had forgotten who burned the Yuanmingyuan, just like Japan burned the Bohai Sea, or how the United States is currently burning China.

. . .

China

First, China conveyed to Japan the dispatch of troops to Tibet, citing the initiation of the independence movement by the local Tibetan residents through violence. Of course, this action was based on proposals from the Japan countermeasures team.

Japan, which values reasoning (pretext), interpreted that as long as China emphasized morality and humanitarianism, it would not immediately resort to a hardline response. Indeed, Japan's response remained a request for efforts to limit civilian casualties with a note that it would do so to the extent possible. Of course, China was not naïve enough to think that Japan would refrain from further interference because of this. However, it judged it as a diplomatic victory that bought valuable time.

During this time, China aimed to concentrate its forces in Tibet as much as possible and strive for a short-term decisive battle. In addition to the troops previously dispatched, reinforcements of 100.000 troops were sent, designated as the Tibet Pacification Army. Sending armored forces and artillery, among other things, was impossible due to the ongoing war with the United States. Instead, the Chinese staff decided to dispatch an air force. Of course, these were not state-of-the-art aircraft; they were biplanes that were deemed too antiquated to be deployed to the front lines (in the conflict against the United States) or even used for reconnaissance. Nevertheless, the Chinese staff estimated that they would be sufficient to crush the lightly armed independence forces.

Separately, the decision was made by the upper echelons of the Chinese government to send around 500.000 recently conscripted soldiers, along with their families, to Tibet as a police auxiliary force. This was essentially a policy of immigration (abandonment) to Tibet by China. China's economy was in turmoil due to strategic bombings by the United States, leading to the emergence of internal refugees. It was intended to use Tibet as a destination (outlet) for these refugees. Furthermore, it was stipulated that the police auxiliary force would sustain their livelihoods, primarily housing, by confiscating (plundering) from the rebellious local people (ordinary Tibetans) who sought independence. It was a clear manifestation of Chinese disdain for Tibetans.