Time Slip Reiwa Japan

128 - China Upheaval - 29

The war between the United States and China, along with the battle for Beijing, surprisingly dragged on longer than expected. While forces deployed outside Beijing were quickly swept aside, the city itself had not fallen even after three months of siege. Cut off from supply lines, deprived of air superiority, and plagued by hunger and fear, Beijing still flew China's flag.

However, it wasn't due to the efforts of the Chinese military. Despite the US's siege of Beijing, there was no full-scale ground assault – no attempt at a takeover. Intermittent pressure, artillery bombardments, and airstrikes on military bases were carried out with consideration of psychological impact, but ground forces had yet to breach the city's urban areas. At least, not yet.

. . .

China: Beijing

Entering a tight encirclement by the American military, Beijing found its supplies of not only weapons and ammunition but also food and water cut off, causing its morale to plummet day by day. While engaging in battle might have provided some distraction, there were no infantry or tank units advancing despite nightly shelling. Even if a satisfying meal could have brought some relief, the shortage of fuel meant no hot meals were available, and there were scarce ingredients to begin with. Attempting to catch some rest was futile; bombardments and shelling persisted day and night, rendering deep sleep a mere dream. Maintaining morale in such conditions was becoming increasingly difficult.

Moreover, there was the coldness in the eyes of the Beijing citizens they were supposed to protect. Because they were the military, they were given top priority in the distribution of water, food, and fuel. Yet, with nothing substantial achieved, they were met with disdain. The supply trucks, or the military itself, were constantly met with suspicion. It was only natural that the morale of the Chinese army would plummet.

Normally, in a siege, one would hope for relief from the outside, but that was physically impossible. The 1st Army of the East Eurasian Army Group had already reached the Taishan fortress far south of Beijing, leaving the city isolated in enemy territory. The American offensive was depriving China of the military resources necessary to break the siege and liberate Beijing. There was no hope for a relief force (a savior).

Even in the regular communications from the Chinese General Staff, while there were always words encouraging valiant fighting, there was not a single mention of reinforcements. Some commanders, driven to desperation by this situation, advocated for an internal relief operation, but in the first place, if there had been sufficient forces to break the siege, Beijing would not have been cornered. No matter how much they considered it, it was an impossible proposition.

Some units, driven to despair and frustration, ventured outside, only to retreat back each time, achieving nothing. Days filled with despair. That was precisely what the US intended. And just as the people holed up in Beijing reached their breaking point, the US made its move.

. . .

Germany

The movement of the US Marines landing at the mouth of the Yellow River caught Germany off guard and led to the worst-case scenario they had anticipated. Specifically, rather than heading towards the siege of the Taishan fortress as expected, a division of US Marines (reorganized as mechanized) headed south. Naturally, their objective was to divide China from the Germans at the Shandong Peninsula.

Germany officially declared itself neutrally outside the conflict between China and the United States. The sale of weapons and ammunition was carried out through agreements between Chinese and German private companies with factories abroad (on the Shandong Peninsula), and the German government maintained a stance of non-involvement. Although the US did not accept Germany's claims, due to diplomatic resource allocation issues, they did not actively respond. American diplomats were busy coordinating the multinational Eurasian contingent and negotiating with neighboring countries, primarily for the partition of China. There was no time to worry about German-made military equipment, which, while powerful, was not seen as a serious threat. From the American military's perspective, even if Germany sold 100 weapons in a day, it wouldn't be an issue as long as they destroyed 10.000 weapons in a day. In fact, since the latter half of 1942, the war had been progressing overwhelmingly in the US's favor, and there were no voices of caution against American complacency. However, from Germany's perspective, unaware of this, they had to consider the possibility of the US's unlawful invasion of the Shandong Peninsula.