**Chapter 818: Empire's Survival (6)**

The matters that fell to two founding generals for discussion were always critical to the victory or defeat of the war. As Zhong Yifu listened to Zheng Silang discuss how to allocate long-range bomber resources, he felt that no matter how they were divided, the immediate problem could not be solved. Since it couldn't be solved, Zhong Yifu began to seek other, more stable solutions.

After a moment's thought, Zhong Yifu asked, "Silang, how many engineering units do you still have in your hands?"

Zheng Silang calculated; he currently had 180,000 engineering and transport troops under his command. With so many men scattered across the vast Pacific, it was impossible to solve the shortage in a short time. He answered frankly, "I am also requesting reinforcements from the mainland. Right now, I can't spare a single person!"

This answer was much as Zhong Yifu had expected. China had made extremely meticulous preparations for this war, and the Military Commission had prepared various contingency plans for unfavorable outcomes. Looking back now, Zhong Yifu couldn't help but sigh. "Sigh... Silang, I've always been a firm supporter of the Chairman. But looking at it now, I only understand what true genius is when I see the results. We mortals, at best, can only understand things after the fact. When making plans, we simply can't comprehend how the abilities of geniuses can leave us mortals so dumbfounded."

Zheng Silang immediately understood what Zhong Yifu was lamenting. He nodded in agreement. "If we hadn't put so many resources into potential problems, how could there be a shortage of engineering troops at this stage?"

After sighing, Zheng Silang added seriously, "But as a mortal, I don't regret it. I've reflected on the war situation many times; if I hadn't been allowed to make so many preparations then, I wouldn't have been able to prepare for war with peace of mind. If I had prepared for war entirely according to the tempo the Chairman suggested, I wouldn't have been able to carry it out."

Zhong Yifu nodded repeatedly at Zheng Silang's sincere answer. During the pre-war preparations, Zhong had used all the knowledge he had mastered through work and study to construct a combat system for a world war. It wasn't until now, six months into the war, that he realized the military technology and warfare models He Rui had proposed twenty years ago were correct.

This was the difference between geniuses and mortals. Mortals can only summarize past experiences based on things they have personally experienced, while geniuses can make precise judgments about the future based on things that happened in the past. Zhong Yifu believed that the comrades in the He Rui government were all top-tier talents, so everyone could quickly reach correct summaries and judgments through the experience they had mastered.

Therefore, Zhong Yifu didn't feel regret. As Zheng Silang said, if they had initially prepared for war using the future warfare model pointed out by He Rui, they would have been a group of blind men leading the blind. They wouldn't have grasped the essence at all, let alone been able to implement He Rui's ideas. Although what was happening now left Zhong Yifu and Zheng Silang feeling regretful, they didn't regret their actions. Because they had used their abilities to the limit; if they had 100 points of strength, they truly strove to squeeze out every bit of energy in their bodies and put in 120 points of effort.

With such an attitude, Zhong Yifu proposed his solution: "What we lack most now is time, and what the US military lacks most is also time. Given time, both the Chinese and US armies can build powerful logistical systems, allowing the war to continue with intensity and ferocity far exceeding the present. Therefore, I believe we can transfer a portion of the Japanese Army in Southeast Asia to become temporary engineering troops. Let them be responsible for the high-intensity construction of long-range bomber bases. I just thought about it; if we have two corps, roughly 80,000 Japanese troops, converted to engineers, we can complete bomber bases within two months capable of supporting a thousand four-engine heavy bombers to cover all of Australia and New Zealand."

Zheng Silang thought for a moment and proposed a different view: "Didn't the Chairman put you in charge of drawing more American forces into the South Pacific?"

Zhong Yifu replied with regret: "I have determined that I might not be able to fully complete the task the Chairman gave me. At this stage, all I can do is first enable the South Pacific troops to have the capability to seize the entire South Pacific in one fell swoop. If the US still doesn't have the capability to maintain large-scale operations in the South Pacific by then, I can consider how to annihilate the US military more effectively. If the US military has stronger logistical capabilities by then, I can only first destroy the US military in the South Pacific in one blow and seize the region."

Zheng Silang thought for a while. Although he felt that if Zhong Yifu dared to take a risky move, there was still a chance to heavily exhaust the US military in the short term and play the "political war" well. However, since the Asian Allied Forces had achieved a situation where they were on the offensive and held the advantage across the entire Pacific, they were the ones who could even less afford to lose.

On the other hand, the US military had already been beaten soundly by China, first losing the great air battle in the South China Sea and then losing the entire Philippines. Although the US military now has the confidence to defeat the Asian Allied Forces, they actually place themselves in the position of the weaker party. As a powerful country with the self-awareness of being the weaker party, it is actually very difficult to defeat. Even if they suffer several more defeats, it's impossible for the US military to lose the determination to fight on.

Conversely, the Chinese military, being in a superior position, has a very low tolerance for failure precisely because it believes itself to be superior. Moreover, China has a very large disadvantage, one that He Rui has repeatedly emphasized among the high-level leadership: China lacks confidence.

If China had strong confidence, it wouldn't care about victory or defeat at all. Just as during the most prosperous period of China's Han Dynasty, the Han army knew very well that one Han soldier was enough to handle four nomadic soldiers. Therefore, the Han army's tolerance for defeat was very strong, and its judgment of defeat was very reasonable.

In reality, present-day China is not confident. Not only can the people absolutely not accept failure, but the military's acceptance of defeat is even lower. A medium-scale defeat could affect the military's view of past military preparations. The number of Chinese officers with such unstable views serving as the backbone is not small; it is the majority. The actual military capability of the remaining few clear-headed officers also needs the test of war to be accurately judged.

Zheng Silang agreed with Zhong Yifu's view and sighed, "Sigh, Yifu, this responsibility can only be borne by us. I hope the plan we propose doesn't make the Chairman angry."

Zhong Yifu smiled. "We've done so many things wrong; what's one more? Don't worry, for the signatures this time, mine will be at the very front."

"Do you look down on me that much?" Zheng Silang deliberately asked as if he were angry.

Zhong Yifu laughed. "Fine! We'll co-sign side-by-side. However, the names won't be in any order, but there's always a top and bottom. Since the airfield is to be built in Australia, my name will be on top."

Zheng Silang didn't argue over who was higher. He only said with some concern, "I hope the Chairman won't truly be angry."

Zhong Yifu was also a bit concerned, but he answered readily, "If the Chairman got angry over something like this, he would have been angered to death by us long ago. Don't worry, the Chairman has plenty of experience in this area!"

The two made their decision and immediately drafted the document. Just as Zhong Yifu said, when signing, their names were level. At the same time, they marked "names in no particular order." However, when actually signing, Zhong Yifu's name was on top and Zheng Silang's name was below.

The two generals weren't being deliberately affected. Both Zheng Silang and Zhong Yifu believed that China's commander, He Rui, was a political, economic, and military genius with unparalleled talent. As long as He Rui continued to lead China, even if Zheng and Zhong were removed, China could achieve final victory under his leadership.

With the education Zheng and Zhong had received, they both knew such firm trust was irrational, but they were willing to stick to their view; this was what is called "faith."

Faith is a kind of idealist apriorism that goes against historical materialism. Precisely because the comrades believed He Rui could never be wrong, if they encountered failure, it must be because they hadn't correctly understood He Rui's views and had deviated during execution.

This faith was not based on ignorant religious-style blind faith or fanaticism. In this Republican era they built together, through their studies at the Party School, everyone knew very well that although China, having entered the industrial age, hadn't completely eliminated the feudalism of power, at least the industrial age had replaced the basic security provided by personal dependency with social security. Thus, the people had been liberated from personal dependency.

Comrades like Zhong Yifu and Zheng Silang were all true talents. As long as they were true talents, each had the persistence of believing their own judgment was correct—what was called having a "rebellious bone behind the head" in the agricultural era. Talents have the professional ability to complete work in their own fields, so they never followed He Rui the person, but the ideal He Rui represented.

Over the years, facts had proven that He Rui was a true idealist. His ideal was to complete China's liberation and establish a just and fair New China. Everything He Rui did was not for himself, but to realize this ideal.

Although most comrades were dissatisfied with many aspects of China's current situation and all believed that once China built the New World Order, there must be a major internal reshuffle—many comrades had already chosen the targets they wanted to strike down—at this stage, the vast majority of comrades believed the current top priority was to first complete the ideal they had placed in He Rui: establishing a New World Order led by China.

Based on this realistic understanding, everyone's experience proved that the more they implemented He Rui's leadership, the greater the victory China could obtain. Based on nearly thirty years, for the sake of completing the ideal, the comrades were all accustomed to this understanding. As long as He Rui was still leading China, the comrades believed victory would surely belong to China.

Rather than saying the comrades believed in He Rui, it's better to say they strongly believed that only He Rui could truly realize everyone's ideal. If failure occurred due to their own lack of ability, a comrade, even if they felt wronged, could accept becoming a sacrifice. They themselves could lose, but their ideal could not lose, and the China to which they had dedicated everything could not lose.

When He Rui received the report signed by Zhong Yifu and Zheng Silang in no particular order, he simply read it seriously and didn't realize the internal conflict of the two comrades, because he had no time to consider such "small matters."

Having received a complete 21st-century education, He Rui's understanding of political economy was far higher than that of this era. First establish a political system capable of reasonably developing the economy, then rapidly promote economic development, and thereafter possess the capability for military struggle. Furthermore, China hadn't just completed this process within its own borders; China had united nearly a million international leftists and completed preliminary construction in the vast liberated colonies. This allowed China to escape the situation of fighting alone. As soon as the colonizers were driven out of those colonies, China quickly filled the gap in normal production and trade that had been affected by the destruction of the colonizers.

The tapping of this internal potential had actually reached its limit within six months. No one can create a world based solely on their own ideas. The land and resources under the coverage of the New World Order are only so much. The revolutionary achievements that land reform can complete only give the people of the colonies, who were previously not treated as humans, the rights humans should have. But the development of productivity cannot advance by leaps and bounds in a short time.

But China's enemies had been terrified by everything that had happened. These enemies were uniting and desperately tapping their own domestic potential to continue the fight against the revolution.

After reading the report, He Rui could understand Zhong Yifu's current frustration. in He Rui's view, Zhong Yifu was a top-tier comrade; he was brave in taking on responsibilities. Facing a strategic vision he couldn't realize, although he was pained and frustrated, he bravely admitted the inadequacy of his own ability.

With admiration and sympathy for Zhong Yifu, He Rui couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment toward US President Roosevelt. Historically, Roosevelt's mettle truly commanded He Rui's admiration. Although the New World Order Roosevelt envisioned served American interests, at least Roosevelt dared to promote the idea that all humanity should possess universal human rights.

Precisely because He Rui had expectations for Roosevelt, he had organized the Singapore Conference. The purpose of the Singapore Conference was to allow Roosevelt to compromise—or at least give him a ladder for compromise. He Rui was prepared to negotiate with Roosevelt. Although the "American personality" is one that never backs down, He Rui still couldn't help but hope Roosevelt would display the stature and mettle he should have had historically.

But reality proved that Roosevelt's bottom line for compromise was too high. To this day, as a representative figure of the "American Blue Bloods," Roosevelt clearly wouldn't be convinced until he faced utter disaster, and wouldn't admit defeat until his head was bloodied. Although He Rui knew the so-called "American Blue Blood Aristocracy" was a joke—and in his novel *Maoshan Monster-Slaying Legend* he had characterized the American elite as demons with blue blood—he now couldn't help but feel that evil blue blood flowed in Roosevelt's veins. It was precisely because of this evil that Roosevelt decided on the deaths of millions.

Although the diplomatic door opened to the US hadn't been closed, He Rui had to decide to execute the plan to land on the North American continent. It didn't have to be like this; as long as Roosevelt sent someone to China, China could discuss the post-war division of interests with the US based on the principle of strength. Then several million more Americans wouldn't have to die, and China could avoid more soldiers dying in battle and reduce the countless resources that could be put into future economic construction.

After venting his frustration, He Rui had his secretary send a telegram to Japanese Prime Minister Ishiwara Kanji, informing him of the idea of converting two Japanese corps in Southeast Asia to engineering troops.

Theoretically, as Japan was a member of the Asian Allied Forces, a single order from the Allied Command could complete this requirement. However, Japan's involvement in the war alongside China was also for the pursuit of Japan's national interests. Honor and respect were a very important part of those interests. If the Japanese were led to believe they weren't a member of the alliance that must be respected, it would greatly damage the unity within the alliance.

As He Rui expected, when Ishiwara Kanji received the telegram, he felt troubled. In present-day Japan, China was the big brother and Japan was second; only these two countries possessed true, complete sovereignty. Although Japan admitted in its external speeches that all countries are equal, in Japan's eyes, such words only existed on the tongue.

While the Japanese military believed engineering troops held an important status, that was limited to the value of engineers in combat. Converting active combat units to engineers would indeed make the Japanese army, which was striving to establish merit and careers, feel they were being downgraded. Ishiwara Kanji certainly knew the important role of engineers, but he was only one man and had no way to make the Japanese army fully accept his philosophy.

After all, in any country, people who work the hardest and sweat most in the rear are not instinctively considered very important. Engineering troops are precisely those who undertake such work. It was China that truly strove to reverse this feeling. All of China's evaluations for advanced workers had a hidden standard: only frontline laborers were eligible for the title of "Advanced Worker." The highest honor for workers established by the He Rui regime, the May 1st Labor Medal, was given entirely to frontline workers. It was this persistence that gave the Chinese people a different view of the definition of labor compared to other countries.

Fortunately, Ishiwara Kanji himself was no fool. He was capable of recognizing the current necessity and grasping the Japanese military's perception. Ishiwara soon summoned the Chief of the Japanese Defense Ministry, Nagumo Chuichi.

Nagumo was a theoretical-type general. Ishiwara first explained to him the necessity of building heavy bomber bases near Darwin. After hearing the introduction and thinking for a moment, Nagumo asked, "I wonder what the Prime Minister believes Japan should do?"

Ishiwara replied readily, "I believe it is necessary to convert the actual work of the two Japanese corps in Australia to that of engineering troops."

Nagumo's expression changed. He also understood the Japanese military's view of combat units versus engineering units. Such an order could be carried out, but it would make the Japanese soldiers of those two corps feel a great sense of unfairness.

Ishiwara waited for a while, and seeing that Nagumo didn't speak further, he pressed, "With Nagumo-kun's insight, do you actually not dare to offer your own opinion on such a need?"

Seeing he couldn't avoid it, Nagumo asked bluntly, "Prime Minister, what do you think the Defense Ministry should do?"

Ishiwara was quite bold in taking responsibility and immediately stated his steps. "First, given the contributions these two corps have already made, it is necessary to grant them honorary titles. Furthermore, all officers and soldiers of these two corps should be given commendations and bonuses."

Nagumo was a clever man and instantly understood that Ishiwara intended to solve the problem through "buying them off." If these two corps first received honorary titles... several suitable titles already came to Nagumo's mind, such as "Untiring and Selfless," "Unafraid of Hardship," "Moving Mountains and Filling Seas," "Resolute and Unyielding," or "Cornerstone of Victory." As long as they received a suitable honorary title, these Japanese divisions that received great honor could face their comrades in the military with heads held high.

Compared to these honors, bonuses were undoubtedly more motivating. However, Nagumo felt this sum couldn't be small. The monthly pay for an Army Major was 220 yen, and for a Navy Major, it was 194 yen.

A first lieutenant's monthly pay was 94 yen, and a second lieutenant's was 84 yen (some said 86 yen). The pay standard for second lieutenants in the Japanese Army and Navy was the same, 70 yen per month.

Nagumo's view was that in order to stimulate the enthusiasm of the Japanese troops, at least 100 yen in bonuses per month must be given to every participating soldier for two months. This sum was the biggest problem; for 80,000 men in two corps, it would require 16 million yen in bonuses.

Nagumo didn't hide his view. After stating his standard, he asked, "May I ask the Prime Minister, who will pay this sum?"

Having gained Nagumo's support, Ishiwara replied immediately, "I think 16 million is too little. How about 20 million?"

Nagumo was momentarily stunned but soon realized that Ishiwara intended to have China pay. However, such a request was not excessive; since China made the demand, it was natural for China to bear the expenditure. Since China was paying, Nagumo said, "Prime Minister, I believe the officers might think 32 million is a more appropriate figure. At that time, do you intend to have the officers change their attitude?"

Seeing that Nagumo also knew quite well how to squeeze more out of a deal, the figure of He Rui immediately appeared in Ishiwara's mind. Although he didn't think He Rui was a stingy person, he didn't dare speak with absolute certainty. He replied, "The views of the officers must naturally be given certain consideration."

Seeing there was room for adjustment in the bonus, Nagumo replied immediately, "I will go back and discuss this matter now. I will convey the result of the discussion as soon as possible."