Crossing the Yangtze River

       As October comes to a close, I am faced with a four strategic goals:

1. Determine how many more key points I need to take in order to bring the Nationalists to their knees, and how to take them;
2. Capture the port of Shanghai, and its perilous labyrinth of neighboring provinces;
3. Force my entire army across the Yangtze River;
4. Determine which of the remaining Chinese states will be my next target.

     By early November the Nationalists are rapidly reaching their breaking point.  According to my exhaustive intelligence efforts (looking at the diplomacy screen), they have a unity of 68%, and we have around 60% of their points captured.  Shanghai will bring in a few more, but aside from that, it seems necessary to cross the Yangtze in force.  The cities of Changde and Changsha offer another three points, and if necessary Chongqing and a few coastal landings will bring the war to a close.

Shanghai

     First, I need to deal with the Shanghai area, hanging off my east flank.  It is an interesting combination of provinces.  The city itself is situated at the tip of a shallow peninsula.  It is one of the most strategically significant cities in China, offering a level 10 port, a level six airfield, over 11 manpower, two factories, two victory points, and small amounts of leadership, energy and metals.  The city, however, is potentially a tough nut to crack when approaching from the land.  The Yangtze is an immediate obstacle blocking the northern approach to the peninsula, while the Grand Canal cuts through the entire base, making virtually every fight a river crossing.  Lake Tai also sits at the base, narrowing the access to two narrow corridors: a northern approach through Wuxi and Changshu, and a southern approach through Hangzhou.  Several nearby provinces are hilly, and the each of the approach corridors boast numerous fortifications.

     This presents two obvious results: first, it makes for intense combat if the Chinese defend this area in strength; second, if I am fast, I have the opportunity to trap some of the Chinese in the city and force their surrender.  Mercifully, however, the Chinese decide not to contest the area.  After polishing off the Nationalist navy, we employed our carrier groups in bombing runs against this area and the area around Guangzhou.  The nationalists had moved most of their troops to the front, and the troops in this area in particular we used in the defense of Nanjing.  Only two bombed-out divisions remained near Shanghai, and once Wuxi was captured, they began their march southward.  Tied up around Nanjing, we were unable to close the Hangzhou corridor, and the Chinese escaped to the south.  Had I split up I Gun even more in the lead up to the Battle of Nanjing, I might have been able to bag these two divisions, but as it stands, I was able to occupy Shanghai bloodlessly, which is a satisfactory result too.

The Chinese escape from the Shanghai peninsula.  What good are forts if you aren't going to use them?

The Yangtze Crossing

     Westward, the situation is more sanguinary.  The entire army, with the exception of I and II Gun, are aligned along the Yangtze, and face both river-crossing and rugged terrain penalties if I am going to advance.  After mulling over the situation for a few days, I decide V Gun reserve and 21 & 22 Shidan will have the honor of forcing the river by crossing from Yichang to Enshi, one of the few provinces which offers no defensive bonus.  18, 19 & 20 Shidan from IV Gun will launch a complementary attack from Tianmen to Xianning to prevent a counterattack.  The battles rage for nearly a week; on November 14^th the Chinese give up Enshi, killing 602 of our men, while losing 443 of theirs.  The Xianning attack takes another four days, and claims a strangely lighter total of 540 Japanese, while inflicting nearly the same number of casualties against the Nationalists.  From here, the remainders of IV and V Gun will cross the river peacefully, then widen the breach by attacking laterally.  With their flanks secure, the 18-22 Shidan will continue south and focus on the cities of the Dongting Lake area, whose capture will hopefully be end of Nationalist resistance.

The End In Sight

     So, with the Nationalists near the breaking point, I need to start working towards my next natural step.  I want the war to be continuous; if the Nationalists surrender while I am not at war with anyone else, my armies will immediately de-mobilize, and I will need to spend precious money re-mobilizing again in a few months.  The next obvious targets, and, in fact, the only nations I can declare war against, are Xibei San Ma, Yunnan, and the Guangxi Clique.  Each poses interesting problems.  Xibei San Ma is the most accessible, but my forces have already moved past their border, and I will have to give up gains to position myself to attack them.  I do not border Yunnan yet, and their heavily mountainous terrain can pose major problems if I give them time to mobilize.  Guangxi Clique is the most ominous; not only is it the farthest away, they also have the largest army and heavily mountainous terrain; allowing them time to mobilize might be a recipe for disaster.

     Xibei San Ma, then, seems to be the most appealing.  I start my cavalry units westward to line up along the border.  They presently show only three divisions, which is promising.  However, the cavalry has a large distance to cover, and may not get set in time.  In that case, I may need to declare war on Yunnan instead, or against Xibei and run the risk of having some troops cut off.  I will make more definite plans as V-Day approaches.