Chapter 892: A Blunder

Do you know why people get scammed? Because before the scam even begins, all victims, for one reason or another, desperately want everything they are experiencing to be real. The stronger this subjective desire, the higher the probability they will be lured into the trap.

When a person is filled with greed, or when they intensely desire something to happen to them, that is often when they are most vulnerable. For example, getting rich without working for it, or effortlessly gaining social status.

Or, for instance, in the Imperial General Headquarters, where countless generals were intensely hoping Japan could escape its current predicament, they were now discussing the news of the Soviets transferring another ten divisions to the western front. This news was too important to them, so important it made their hearts race.

Some were cursing inwardly. They felt that the Soviets prioritizing the Germans, pulling troops from the Japanese front to defend against the Germans, was an insult to the soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire. This insult had to be answered with war; the samurai of the Great Japanese Empire should not be treated with such contempt.

Another faction, the more realistic, pragmatic generals of the Army, hoped to use a limited assault to seize vital strategic resources, and then quickly make peace with the Soviet Union and the United States to end the current passive war.

The best-case scenario they hoped for was this: the Japanese army would launch a surprise attack to the north, annihilate a large number of Soviet effective forces, then make off with their supplies and quickly retreat. The Soviets, under pressure from the Germans on their western front, would be forced to sue for peace with Japan, which Japan would “reluctantly” accept—thus getting a huge pile of military supplies for free.

Then, the Japanese army would use these plundered supplies to reinforce the Pacific theater, defeat the U.S. Navy, seize the initiative in the war, and then use that victory as a stepping stone to end the war and “divide the ocean” with the United States.

Everyone present would become heroes of the Great Japanese Empire, achieving fame and fortune, then get promoted to CEO, marry a beautiful rich girl, and reach the pinnacle of life. Just thinking about it was a little bit exciting.

What’s that? You ask what Japan would do if the Soviets didn’t sue for peace after being attacked? Well, what would they do… according to the Great Japanese Empire’s calculations, they would inevitably sue for peace. That was a certainty.

What’s that? You ask what Japan would do if they still couldn’t win the Pacific War after getting all those supplies? Well, what would they do… with the valor of the soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire, American imperialism was simply no match!

Under the spell of such thinking, these Japanese generals were already itching to execute the plan to attack the Soviet Union. They felt this was a heaven-sent opportunity to save the fate of the Empire, the most direct manifestation of the goddess Amaterasu’s blessing upon Japan. Otherwise, how could anyone explain why, at Japan’s most helpless moment, the Soviets would so cooperatively transfer ten divisions of troops?

In fact, apart from some of the more conservative generals, Tojo Hideki and Sugiyama Hajime were more inclined to believe that the intelligence from the German spy was true. That is to say, the Soviet forces currently deployed in the Far East numbered less than 600,000. This made Tojo even bolder in drawing up the offensive plan.

Objectively speaking, Japan, being an island nation, had always lacked a leader with true, far-reaching strategic vision. Thus, Japan was severely short-sighted in strategy. The only thing they could be proud of was the famous “Tanaka Memorial” submitted to the Emperor by Tanaka Giichi. In this memorial, Tanaka had pointed out a vague strategic direction for Japan’s future expansion: To conquer China, we must first conquer Manchuria and Mongolia; to conquer the world, we must first conquer China.

Listen, what a grand and clearly structured strategic direction. It was like a guiding light, giving the Japanese high command a feeling of being enlightened from on high. The Japanese imperialists, who had just tasted the sweet fruits of victory in the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, immediately began to roll up their sleeves and put such a creative slogan into practice.

Of course, compared to the lack of strategic talent, what was most fatal for Japan was the lack of grassroots talent to execute the strategic plan. Or rather, this was the most tragic part of the whole of Japan. Almost everyone, in their own way, acted out a version of “just because I’m willful.”

They all worked together to turn the phrase “To conquer China, we must first conquer Manchuria and Mongolia; to conquer the world, we must first conquer China” into “To conquer Korea, we must first conquer Manchuria and Mongolia; to conquer Manchuria and Mongolia, we must first conquer China; to conquer China, we must first conquer the world”—doesn’t that sound so reasonable? Doesn’t it make you want to try out the execution process yourself?

On September 18, 1931, in order to firmly establish their foothold in Korea and to implement their colonial rule over northeastern China, the Japanese army launched the famous Mukden Incident and began to attack northeastern China. The result was that they found the Chinese people’s resistance to be quite fierce, and Western countries like the United States also interfered, making it difficult for them to gain a firm foothold in northeastern China.

Then, in order to better rule northeastern China and to shift the domestic economic crisis, the Japanese army had no choice but to head south to North China and continue to invade China. Then they discovered that to completely subdue China, it was unrealistic not to take out the United States and Britain, which were supporting China. And so the clever Japanese, dissatisfied with the American oil embargo, brazenly launched the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

In short, the Japanese had been forcing a duck onto a perch all along. Only after they had made enemies of the whole world did they suddenly remember one question: why on earth did we provoke so many powerful enemies? Considering the limited cards in the hand of this small island nation, to frequently play blunders like “four twos with two jokers” was indeed understandable.

“This time, it is because of His Majesty the Emperor’s blessing that we have been given such a good opportunity. If we waste this opportunity, then on the Pacific front, we will hardly have a chance to turn the tables,” Tojo Hideki and Sugiyama Hajime said. They clearly had little faith in Yamamoto Isoroku’s ability to turn the tide of the war (in fact, Yamamoto himself had no faith either).

An opportunity was an opportunity, but how many supplies and troops would be needed to seize this opportunity had to be carefully studied. According to General Sugiyama’s own calculations these days, he felt that the Great Japanese Empire had to assemble at least 1.5 million troops in Manchuria to ensure that this war would be foolproof.

Listen to what he said, how skillful: as long as 900,000 elite Japanese troops could be transferred to northeastern China, then the plan to attack the Soviet Union could be implemented. But Tojo Hideki really wanted to slap his old colleague across the face. If he had a way to transfer 900,000 elite troops, he would have long since taken China’s provisional capital, Chongqing.

“Also! Sugiyama-kun, your operational plan must be revised. The offensive against the Soviet forces does not require such a massive force. In fact, I think the Soviet forces currently deployed in the northeastern border region are at most about 600,000. There is no need to be so cautious,” Tojo Hideki said. He was more willing to believe the intelligence that the Soviet forces were insufficient. He glanced at Sugiyama Hajime and spoke.

Sugiyama Hajime ultimately changed his original plan for a full-scale offensive into a completely different state: the Japanese army would assemble 600,000 troops, launch an offensive in northeastern China, and after taking Vladivostok, would try to find a way to sue for peace with the Soviet army. Of course, the basis of this plan was built on the assumption that “the Soviet army has at most only 600,000 soldiers who can carry out a mobile defense.”

Far away in the Wolf’s Lair, Akado, having heard that Japan was planning a northern advance against the Soviet Union, smiled and handed the report to Brauchitsch. “Tell me, there really is a group of idiots in this world who believe that their good luck can last for a full 50 years. They actually believe that the reason someone gives them a pillow when they want to sleep is because their emperor is blessing them.”

“That is also not surprising, my Führer,” Brauchitsch said. He had been very relaxed ever since he had heard that the Japanese army was planning a northern advance. Regardless of whether the Japanese army would actually participate in the German-Soviet war, as long as the Japanese army showed an intention to go north, it was perfectly normal for them to tie down a million Soviet troops. “Our luck has always been good. You have led us to be ever-victorious.”

“I do not rely on luck. It is because I can see the future clearly, Field Marshal Brauchitsch,” Akado said with a smile, playing his unique mysterious card again. “We did not get to where we are now by relying on luck. We rely on a reasonable speculation and grasp of the future.”

“You are right, my Führer,” Brauchitsch nodded, indicating that he accepted Akado’s statement. But he was still a little worried and asked for confirmation, “If this were to break out, it is estimated that it could tie down 1.5 million regular Soviet troops.”

Akado smiled and nodded twice, just like Brauchitsch, before answering, “I would be very satisfied with 1 million. At the very least, it would allow my troops in the Caucasus, in Stalingrad, to lose a few hundred thousand fewer men.”

Brauchitsch stood up and said to Akado at attention, “My Führer, this intelligence cannot guarantee that the Japanese army will launch a northern advance against the Soviet Union. But according to the rules of the General Staff, my subordinates and I must begin to draw up the relevant operational plans. So I will not disturb your rest any longer. Good night.”

Seeing that Brauchitsch was about to leave, Akado did not stop him. He just, for some reason, thought of something and added, “Have General Küchler step up his attack on Stalingrad. Guderian has already urged several times. He has already moved into the designated position and can enter Kursk at any time.”

“Yes! I understand,” Brauchitsch saluted at attention. “Accelerate the attack on Stalingrad.”

Akado waved his hand, signaling that he could leave. “Go! My Field Marshal.”

Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com