"Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed."
- Mao Zedong
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Inside China, a growing backlash against the Chinese government was building up pressure. The 1940 US-China Peace Treaty sparked criticism against the government due to its humiliating terms, but it gradually escalated into a radical movement aimed at overthrowing the Chinese government.
Revolutionary fervor was building.
The government, which had allowed China's territory to be taken by the United States, Britain, and France without putting up resistance, was losing its authority over China's land. Rumors had spread that this government had brought this misery upon China by losing the Mandate of Heaven.
Naturally, it was the Chinese Communist Party that spread these rumors. The CCP believed that in order to take leadership over China, the Chinese government needed to engage in a war and weaken itself against foreign powers. However, reality was cruel to them. The crucial Chinese government had not only failed to fight against foreign powers but had also succumbed to their military might. It could be seen as a pragmatic response, but the CCP realized that this approach would not lead to the overthrow of the Chinese government.
Thus, they turned to the concept of the Mandate of Heaven.
. . .
Chinese Government
The Chinese government had never intended to bow down to foreign powers. They had been diligently building their national strength, cultivating a formidable military, with the intention of someday repelling foreign influences. The problem was that they didn't know when that someday would come.
The Chinese government had a clear understanding of the gap between their own country and the great powers, especially the G4. They had accepted this reality with resignation. However, many Chinese people couldn't accept this. They believed that the great Middle Kingdom, the center of the world, should not be inferior to those living in foreign lands. The existence of such differences was attributed to the government's corruption and loss of the Mandate of Heaven, as propagandized by the Chinese Communist Party, which captivated the hearts of many Chinese with its seductive message.
It was the Chinese government that panicked. While there was corruption within the government, many individuals within it genuinely loved China and were deeply troubled by the situation. The educated elite within the Chinese government could foresee the rise of the Mandate of Heaven theory and the direction of the revolution that had started to spread among the Chinese people. Since the revolution was founded on the idea of Chinese excellence, the future appeared to involve the next government complying with the will of the people and confronting foreign powers without resistance. Foreign powers, in turn, were unlikely to show any hesitation or mercy. The end result could be a situation where millions upon millions of Chinese lives would stain the earth.
Therefore, the Chinese government adopted a resolute stance and embarked on a campaign to control the hearts and minds of the people within the country. This marked the beginning of a massive crackdown.
. . .
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese government's immediate and thorough suppression of the emotional fervor for revolution among the Chinese people came as a shocking surprise to the CCP. Based on past examples of foreign negotiations, they had predicted that the government would initially be indecisive and take a wait-and-see approach. It was a miscalculation. If they had delved into China's history, they would have realized that ruling powers had rarely hesitated to suppress the masses, but the reality was ruthless.
Distributing revolutionary leaflets in the city streets led to execution, gatherings of people were dispersed by the police, and protests resulted in arrests. If the cities were no longer safe, the countryside was even less forgiving. Faced with this situation, the CCP decided to accelerate their plans and initiate full-scale, guerrilla-style armed activities. Weapons and ammunition had been smuggled all the way from the Soviet Union overland and were sufficient.
The border with the North (Frontier Republic) was heavily guarded, but the management of the border with the West (East Turkestan Republic) was more relaxed, partly because it had recently been established. While the Soviet Union referred to this assistance as communist solidarity, the Chinese Communists did not misinterpret its true intention.
Japan and the United States – the nations to the east of Eurasia – would take notice, and this was intended to decrease pressure on the Soviet Union even slightly. It was a role as a spark, so to speak. But that was fine. If they could control China, it didn't matter what anyone else thought. If they could dominate all of China, they could turn everything around. The CCP was confident in this. The weapons sent from the Soviet Union included not only tanks but also outdated combat aircraft. *1
The CCP designated the northwestern region of China as its base and intensified its activities as a military organization. The reason for focusing on this region was twofold: it was a remote area where the Chinese government's pressure was weak, and it was close to the border with the Frontier Republic, making it likely that the Chinese government would hesitate to launch large-scale military operations. *2
. . .
Chinese Government
The Chinese government found itself in a predicament due to the Chinese Communist Party amassing a large military force near the border with the Frontier Republic. However, they couldn't afford to take a lenient approach. As the legitimate rulers of China, they couldn't allow the presence of rebels to persist. Nevertheless, they couldn't immediately mobilize their military to suppress the situation without negotiations, especially in front of the Frontier Republic and the US. There were no treaties or agreements regarding the actions of military forces within Chinese territory, after all.
However, there was a possibility of moving troops even in the vicinity of the border and within the 50-kilometer demilitarized zone, so they planned to engage in preliminary negotiations. Having experienced multiple border disputes with the US, the Chinese government had also learned from past experiences. Concurrently, they collected information.
In several rounds of negotiations with the Chinese government, the US ultimately came to understand that the actions of the Chinese military were primarily aimed at maintaining law and order. By that time, the results of their information gathering had revealed the full extent of the CCP's military. Their total force was approximately 300.000 strong. Having control over multiple warlords, they possessed a modern military with tanks, artillery, and even combat aircraft. *3
That was the Chinese Communist Party's military.
Therefore, the Chinese government resolved to deploy as many troops as possible. They mobilized a million elite troops under direct government control, including state-of-the-art tanks, combat aircraft, and even gunships (AC) inspired by the United States. The CCP was seen as the source of the chaos in China, at least half of it. The other half was baseless accusations.
By declaring that the Chinese Communist Party was the root of all evil, spreading dubious revolutionary ideas, and vowing to suppress it, the Chinese government aimed to break the psychological support for the revolution that was gaining ground among the Chinese people.
. . .
Pan-Asianism
In the midst of escalating tensions between the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party, a different movement emerged among the proponents of Pan-Asianism ideology. Having achieved some success in the battles of French Indochina and gradually regaining the pride of a great China, they found themselves troubled.
Why?
They wondered why they could fight against the French, yet the Chinese government couldn't confront foreign powers. It was a simple question. The leaders who had become the spiritual pillars of Pan-Asianism pondered this question from the activists, and they reached one conclusion. It was because the Chinese government had lost the Mandate of Heaven.
Once they had a reason, there was only one course of action. For the sake of Pan-Asianism and the revival of the great China, they had to overthrow the fallen Chinese government! This cry began to spread.
Especially in the southern regions of China, close to French Indochina, there were many men who were armed and experienced in combat, so the flames of rebellion ignited immediately. And thus began the outbreak of the turmoil in China.
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Notes
*1: The fighter planes sent from the Soviet Union included not only outdated propeller-driven fighter aircraft but also biplanes. However, due to insufficient maintenance parts, their operational readiness was far from high.
*2: Furthermore, in connection with this, the Chinese Communist Party made contact with the Frontier Republic and the United States, seeking support if possible. The price they offered was recognition by the Frontier Republic and the subsequent signing of a non-aggression agreement through mutual recognition between China and the US. This would eliminate border disputes, which the US found attractive. However, a joint report was issued by the Century Institute (a think tank) and Guam (USFJ) expressing a negative view (stating that trusting China was foolish). As a result, the US did not entertain any further negotiation proposals from the CCP.
*3: At this point, the Chinese government was unable to discern the extent of the connection between the CCP and the Soviet Union. In a sense, it was understandable. The Soviet Union, an ally of Germany, with whom the Chinese government had friendly relations, was not expected to have dealings with the enemy (the CCP).