@Reydan Very interesting about the civil war. To be honest, I do not know whether Japanese decision-makers had thoughts along these lines in the 1910s. Regarding costs, I absolutely agree that this would be a massive, long-term venture that would require a large amount of investment and time to complete, like the two examples I mentioned.
@RamscoopRaider Obviously, I understand that the war would be a drain on the Japanese economy. What I meant was that how much of a drain it would be would depend on how capable the Beiyang regime was. The more formidable it would be, the greater the cost.
I don't think a formal peace treaty is necessary. The goal here is to capture the core political and economic areas that make a Chinese state viable. That done, it doesn't matter much if Yuan Shikai or whoever manages to maintain a rump state in the Himalayan foothills somewhere. Such a state would be no more than an annoyance, like the Ming successor regime that lasted for a few decades on Taiwan after the mainland fell to the Qing.
@RamscoopRaider Obviously, I understand that the war would be a drain on the Japanese economy. What I meant was that how much of a drain it would be would depend on how capable the Beiyang regime was. The more formidable it would be, the greater the cost.
I don't think a formal peace treaty is necessary. The goal here is to capture the core political and economic areas that make a Chinese state viable. That done, it doesn't matter much if Yuan Shikai or whoever manages to maintain a rump state in the Himalayan foothills somewhere. Such a state would be no more than an annoyance, like the Ming successor regime that lasted for a few decades on Taiwan after the mainland fell to the Qing.