Story of My Life: 1913 Republic of China

While I have reservations about a lot of the things happening in here, but the dankness is too damned high for me to actually care. Now get cracking! :D

Marc A
 
Second Sino-Japanese War:​

The Chinese had been prepared for the Japanese invasion - though evidently not enough. The Kwantung Army attempted to drive east to link up with the Imperial Japanese Army in Korea, though they were blocked at the Battle of Donggang.

Meanwhile, the fledgling National Revolutionary Navy attempted a blockade of the Liaodong Peninsula, aiming to force a surrender. Dalian was not wanted for economic reasons, but for political reasons.

So the decision was made. The Yellow Sea was mined. Japanese reinforcements were now blocked.

The Imperial Japanese Army now made several frantic movements to reach the encircled Kwantung Army. But it was useless. On July 4, 1925, the commander of the Kwantung Army finally surrendered to the NRA (not referring to the National Rifle Association, by the way).

Observers in Japan were shocked. How did China win such a large victory over them?

Troops began massing on both sides of the Chinese-Japanese border. Fortifications were rapidly put into place by both nations.

Unfortunately for Japan, the Koreans had been receiving arms for three or four years. With all the Japanese troops massed on the border, a rebellion began in Busan and spread rapidly to Hamhung.

When Japanese soldiers turned back to fight the rebels, Chinese troops flooded across the border in a huge attack (like they normally do). By September 15, mainland Korea was in the hands of China.

Korea, although the biggest front, was not the only front in the war. China, which had also gained Russian Sakhalin through Lend-Lease, found its portion of the island blockaded. But China’s coast was too big for the Japanese navy to completely blockade, and enough of the Chinese army survived on Sakhalin to hold their positions.

Meanwhile, on Taiwan, Chinese agents attempted to stir up rebellion (which was difficult).

Japan wasn’t on the defensive everywhere, however. Considering just how badly the Imperial Japanese Army had just been defeated, their prestige and standing in Japan had just been shattered. The Navy now led operations.

The Imperial Japanese Navy now attempted to take over China’s most successful city, believing that it could trade Shanghai (and surroundings) for Korea. After all, Nanjing was the capital.

Shanghai was taken, with huge civilian casualties, on February 14. There was a huge bloodletting, to the disapproval of all the major powers in the world. It didn’t help that there had always been a huge foreign population in China. For example, thousands of Americans lived in Shanghai, but after the Japanese takeover, only 382 remained. Chinese troops massed on the road to Nanjing, while the capital was relocated west to Wuhan. In the Battle of Suzhou, Japanese troops were finally pushed back.

Foreign aid poured into China after the Shanghai Massacre was made public. They were able to buy ships (though they didn’t have the sailors to man them). Regardless, the National Revolutionary Navy numbered several dozen battleships and hundreds of wooden sailing ships, in addition to several dozen new submarines.

These submarines were able to harass Japanese trade and destroy Japanese ships, while the sailing ships were generally used for troop transport and supply. By May 4, 1926, China had been able to clear the area around the Taiwan Strait. Within four days, around 2,000 troops had landed on the beaches of Taiwan to ‘liberate’ the island. Eight days later, the number had skyrocketed to 12,000, with all sorts of fishing boats from Fujian and Guangdong pitching in.

The Imperial Japanese Navy arrived in full force fairly quickly. The National Revolutionary Navy barely made it, but they escaped. They proved speedy enough to continue supplying the troops on Taiwan. China found itself supplying Japanese Communists, too, considering how the bulk of the Japanese navy was elsewhere.

Five months later later, Japan finally gave in to international pressure. In the Treaty of Seoul (November 7, 1926), Taiwan and Korea were all ceded to China, while the Chinese gave up their part of Sakhalin.

Meanwhile, everything above the Amur River was ceded back to Russia, too [1]. This was because Russian aid allowed Chinese troops on Sakhalin to hold out, allowing the exchange for Taiwan.

Korea became an independent member of ASEAN, and Taiwan was ‘integrated’ into China.

[1] I’ve decided that this is completely unfeasible and unlikely. So it’s only going to be Outer Manchuria south of the Amur.
 
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If there's any part about the peace in WWI that you don't like, you can PM me or post here. I'm not exactly sure about much of what happened to the world, to be honest, so some (constructive please) criticism would be nice.
 
China:​

China itself was looking inward, now. Many of its problems had been looked over during the war. There was massive political corruption, several companies had developed monopolies in important industries, and workers were extremely overburdened. Sun Zhongshan and Song Jiaoren didn’t see the problems (in Song’s case, he saw them but didn’t care).

In any event, a Communist ‘revolt’ from the Guo Min Dang coalition seemed increasingly likely. In their time together, the Guo Min Dang had increasingly tilted left, however, and Song had become increasingly unpopular.

By August of 1928, Song Jiaoren was ousted from the party. Sun Zhongshan was ‘promoted’ to become the party chairman, though he functionally had no role to play. The Social Revolution was about to begin in China, with a new generation of leaders here to lead it.

With new reforms, the old Cabinet positions were abolished, replaced by several new positions.

Minister of the Interior: Peng Dehuai

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Zhou Enlai

Minister of National Defense: Zhu De

Minister of Finance: Liu Shaoqi

Minister of Education: Zhu Jiahua

Minister of Justice: Lin Bin

Minister of Economic Affairs: Deng Xiaoping

Minister of Transportation and Communications: Sun Zhongshan

Minister of Health and Welfare: Wang Jingwei

Minister of Labor: Mao Zedong

Of all of these appointments, none were more controversial than Deng Xiaoping’s. He was youthful and vibrant - but inexperienced. Foreign observers raised the question - was he appointed only because he had been friends with Zhou Enlai?

Only time would tell.
 
Philippines:​

The Jones Act had been passed in 1918, one of the last acts of the Wilson administration. Independence was to be granted slowly, with no clear defined date. Now that China was proved unable to invade islands while Japan was proved unable to defeat even semi-backwards nations, the Philippines was much more confident in their ability to stand as an independent nation.

Manuel L. Quezon, who had headed the 1920 [1] Independence Mission to the United States, returned to the nation in the 1929 Independence Mission. In this mission, he outlined several main points.

This was overshadowed on November 12 [2], when the Wall Street Crash suddenly happened. There had been a month or two of warnings and uncertainties, but none had been heeded. By February of 1930, Herbert Hoover began to seriously worry about the economy.

In his attempts to reduce federal spending, Hoover agreed to grant independence to the Philippines as soon as possible. The still-Republican majority in Congress, desperate to find any solution, began slashing government spending. To do this, the Philippines Independence Act was passed on February 18, 1930. Independence was set for July 4, 1930, so both nations could celebrate independence on the same day.

With that in mind, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was now created to administer the nation. Manuel Quezon became the first Governor-General.

[1] It’s gonna be later because the USA didn’t join World War I in this timeline, so the Philippines didn’t declare their support earlier. It doesn’t change much, since the Philippines still didn’t get their independence then.

[2] Their economy is ‘stronger’ because they didn’t enter the war and greater wealth from selling weapons.
 
This is about that time when the butterflies start hitting the world en masse and I have to cover the rest of the world. I'm worried about factual accuracy, so if you're worried about the way the TL is progressing, feel free to comment.
 
China:
The Communist-KMT Coalition, sometimes called the Socialist Team, found itself becoming increasingly dictatorial. The parties gained more and more influence and power, their arms spreading into every part of society. Song Jiaoren accused the party of attempting one-party rule.

The Progressives, meanwhile, had failed for the past ten years. By now, Liang Qichao had figured that he was doing something wrong, since he had never beaten the Socialist Team in any elections.

To regain popularity, Liang felt that he would have to focus more on either the peasants or the urban workers, although the KMT and CCP did both. He chose the peasants and urban workers with right wing sympathies, dropping his objections to the minimum wage and land reform. Predictably, his share of voters in the 1933 National Assembly election was higher than normal 26%.

The KMT, of course, finished first with 42%. The CCP were second with 28%.

Meanwhile, the remaining 4% went to mostly regional parties, like the Party of Uighurs for Ethnic Representation.

Each minister began working on their portfolios eagerly. Zhou Enlai spent his time on preparation for a trip to Russia, and a tour through ASEAN (which began with a trip to Seoul, then to Vietnam). Peng Dehuai, who was for the most part a newcomer to politics (he had joined the army at age 14 and rose steadily, eventually joining up with the leftist KMT), threw himself into the task of rebuilding the Chinese national police.

Zhu De immediately started upgrading the National Revolutionary Army and Navy, too, seeking to expand existing shipyards in Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Taibei, Guangzhou, and Tianjin. Liu Shaoqi had much less of a job to carry out, considering his predecessor’s experience in business, but he spent much of his time convincing Chinese industry leaders that not much would change, apart from more workers’ rights and wages.

Zhu Jiahua (who wasn’t related to Zhu De) continued to work diligently on the Ministry of Education, funding more schools and keeping up with the Examination Yuan’s standards. Work on a simplified Chinese language continued. Lin Bin of the Ministry of Justice continued the work in land reform and eliminating corrupt officials, and cooperated with the Judicial Yuan.

Deng Xiaoping, by nature of his junior status, had lost many of his powers to the older Liu Shaoqi, Minister of Finance. But he continued to press for increased industrialization. Sun Zhongshan spent much of his time dreaming of new railroads to connect far-flung Chinese cities, though Deng often voted his ideas of putting down hundreds of new railroad tracks in Xinjiang, Xizang, and Menggu on grounds that it was useless and pointless.

Wang Jingwei, the leader of the new Ministry of Health and Welfare, began work on the implementation of some new healthcare laws, including one that conscripted doctors to go to the countryside for several years, which greatly improved the nation’s health care system. He didn’t like being in such an ‘unimportant position’, subordinate to ‘youngsters’, but he didn’t complain out of reprisal.

Finally, the last Minister, Mao Zedong, was the Minister of Labor. He’s famously known for his emphasis on the peasants. His appointment was to appease the peasants’ branch of the GMD and CCP, and he passed several labor laws emphasizing that any remaining landlords would have to treat the peasants extremely well, or else they would lose their lands. His strict standards led to the abolishment of the landlord ‘class’ by 1939.
 
February 23, 1929, in Gyeongbokgung, Seoul, Korea:​

“Welcome to the Republic of Korea,” Ahn Changho said. “I’m An Changhao [1], and it’s a huge pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you for the kind reception,” Zhou Enlai said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you here, too.”

A huge crowd had gathered as the train from Shenyang slowed down, stopping in Seoul. Large banners had the characters for ‘WELCOME TO KOREA!’ scrawled all over them [2].

“No, it’s my pleasure to bring you here to Seoul,” Ahn insisted.

By the end of the day, a joint statement had been made regarding the Sino-Korean relationship.

“Our nations will prosper and grow together through the new Asian Monetary Unit, which will tie our nations together. Relations between China and Korea remain at an all-time high.”

[1] Using the Hanja name for a closer ‘connection’ to China.
[2] Also written in Hanja because detractors of the Chinese relation wouldn’t show up.
 
February 23, 1929, in Gyeongbokgung, Seoul, Korea:​

“Welcome to the Republic of Korea,” Ahn Changho said. “I’m An Changhao [1], and it’s a huge pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you for the kind reception,” Zhou Enlai said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you here, too.”

A huge crowd had gathered as the train from Shenyang slowed down, stopping in Seoul. Large banners had the script for ‘WELCOME TO KOREA!’ scrawled all over them [2].

“No, it’s my pleasure to bring you here to Seoul,” Ahn insisted.

By the end of the day, a joint statement had been made regarding the Sino-Korean relationship.

“Our nations will prosper and grow together through the new Asian Monetary Unit, which will tie our nations together. Relations between China and Korea remain at an all-time high.”

[1] Using the Hanja name for a closer ‘connection’ to China. You know, for more funds and stuff.
 
March 13, 1929, in the Yellow House, Empire of Vietnam:​

“Welcome to the Empire of Vietnam,” Nguyễn Hải Thần [1] said. “I am Ruan Haichen, the foreign minister of Vietnam.”

Zhou Enlai grinned. “And I am Zhou Enlai, the foreign minister of China. I’m glad to meet you here.”

Phan Bội Châu nodded. He had walked up to the two foreign ministers during their conversation, but had gone unnoticed. “I’m Pan Peizhu,” he said. “Welcome to Vietnam. The Emperor is not here, though.”

“It’s fine,” Zhou said, still smiling. “I would love to tour this nation with Mr. Nguyen, if you don’t mind...?”

“It’s fine,” Phan said. He won’t be missed...

“Wonderful!” Zhou said.

Later that day, another joint statement was issued to the Chinese and Vietnamese presses.

“Together, China and Vietnam will prosper and grow because of the Asian Monetary Unit. Our relationship continues to grow and expand, just like our economies.”

[1] He’s only in power because the Chinese liked him. Not many like him in Vietnam, so he’s delegated to the position of ‘Foreign Minister’, where he can only talk to China. Heh...
[2] Just a side note, the Việt Nam Quang phục Hội (Vietnamese Restoration League) rules in Vietnam now. It’s very pro-China.
 
April 7, 1929 in Viangchan, Commonwealth of Laotian States:​

“Welcome to Viangchan,” King Ratsadanay of Champassak said. “My people welcome you to the Laotian nation.”

“Hello,” Zhou Enlai said.

“Welcome, Mr. Zhou,” King Sisavang Vong of Luang Phrabang said. “The Laotian people sincerely welcome you.”

“Hello,” Zhou Enlai said. “I’m glad to see both of you, and I’m here to complete negotiations between both of your kingdoms for control over Laos.”

“There is no problem!” Sisavang said. “We’re a step away from agreeing to me being king.”

Ratsadanay shook his head. “No, I thought we agreed I was going to become king!”

“No!” Sisavang shouted. “I’m going to be king of Laos!”

“Hm...” Zhou Enlai muttered. “What about a third party?”

“Huh?” Ratsadanay asked. “We’re not accepting a Chinese governor-”

“No, I mean... why not have a President who can mediate between both of you?”

“And who will this President be?” Sisavang asked, suspicious. “We’re not accepting a Chinese governor-”

“He can be elected from both the non-Kingdom Laos and your two kingdoms,” Zhou said.

“Wot?” Sisavang asked, confused. “Elected?”

“Chosen,” Zhou said. “He can be chosen from both normal Laos and you two kings.”

“Oh,” Ratsadanay said. “Oh, sure.”

“Sure,” Zhou said.

At the end of the day, another joint statement was fed to the press.

“Laos and China will continue to grow together, as can be seen by what happened in recent negotiations. The Commonwealth of Laos will join ASEAN and adopt the Asian Monetary Unit, along with her Asian brothers and sisters like China.”

Zhou Enlai then visited Cambodia, Siam, and Burma, before riding a ship south to Malaya.
 
September 4, 1929 on a Johor train to Singapore:
“Welcome to Malaya,” Sultan Ibrahim of Johor said. “It is my pleasure to welcome you to Johor,” he said, stepping onto the train. The doors closed behind him, and the train rocketed south to Singapore.

“It is my pleasure to come here,” Zhou Enlai said, smiling. “How are you enjoying the new power arrangement in Malaya?”

Sultan Ibrahim grimaced, though it was only momentary. Nobody noticed it. “I love it. To be honest, it means I have to do less work. The Chinese workers are definitely a great help, and the Chinese soldiers are keeping the conflict low.”

Zhou smiled. “That’s a nice thing to hear,” he said.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask, though,” the Sultan said. “Why are you guys supporting the Kesatuan Melayu Muda?”

“What?” Zhou asked. “Oh, them. The one’s who just started the Malayan People’s Party?”

“Yeah, them.”

“Because we believe in equality of all Malay races,” Zhou said. “And they just won the recent elections, so...yeah.”

“I see.”

A joint statement was made later in Singapore.
 
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