**Chapter 874: Time for North America (1)**

Stalin's fears soon became reality. As the war rolled into February 1943, the once-sharp Soviet counter-offensive reached a stage where victory seemed within reach, yet they could advance no further.

In the Demyansk sector, 120,000 German troops remained deeply encircled. Under Manstein's command, they relied on air-drops and an iron will to withstand a siege by a Red Army force twice their size.

In the Rzhev region, General Model, commanding the 9th Army, began a counter-cutting operation against the Soviet units that had pierced his lines.

The German 4th Army had been cut in two by the Soviets. The commander of the units outside the pocket ordered his men to "dig through the snow" to forge a path to rescue their trapped comrades.

In the south, Field Marshal von Reichenau was well aware of the Red Army's determination to retake Stalingrad. Although his Chief of Staff, Manstein, had departed to command the 16th Army, Reichenau utilized his own command ability and the efforts of the Army Group South staff to exploit the Soviet objectives, inflicting massive casualties on the Red Army at every opportunity.

The Wehrmacht had executed Hitler's "hold-in-place and no retreat" order, finally stabilizing the lines. The Napoleonic total collapse the Soviets had hoped for did not materialize. However, Hitler's life was also far from easy. Within the German high command—especially among the General Staff—many did not support a protracted war.

What displeased Hitler most recently was being forced to carefully study *On Protracted War* written by Li Runshi.

Initially, Hitler didn't believe Li Runshi possessed a caliber that demanded his attention.

Over the past twenty years, Hitler had held complex emotions toward He Rui. He Rui had fought Japan, fought Britain, utilized France, reeled in the Soviet Union, and maintained a precise distance from the United States. These were the things Hitler had always wished to do but lacked the capacity for. In Hitler's eyes, He Rui was an exceptionally fine leader; Hitler wouldn't even dare claim he was superior.

After finishing his first reading of *On Protracted War*, Hitler was first stunned, then ordered the German files on Li Runshi. Only after confirming that studying the Soviet Union had never been Li's primary focus was Hitler forced to study the document again.

Hitler had studied the Soviets and Germans deeply, so the various methodologies explained in *On Protracted War* left him shaken. Li's responses weren't even specifically targeted at the USSR or Germany, but were born of his own strategic thinking capability. This made his views exceptionally instructive. Even Hitler gained many new ideas through studying the paper.

Li Runshi's strategic ability as displayed in *On Protracted War* was in no way inferior to He Rui's. This led Hitler to realize that China had taken the lead in completing its preparations for institutional continuity; even if He Rui died, the Chinese leadership could maintain a high level of strategic caliber. With even major accidents unable to break China's current stride, Hitler's feelings about the future began to be tinged with unease.

In this mood, Hitler was highly resistant to the pessimism within the German elite, yet he could do nothing about them. His earlier large-scale reshuffle of commanders had already soured his relationship with the General Staff. Now, the marshals and generals commanding the Eastern Front were all men he approved of; he could not move against them again.

Setting aside the defeatists, even the favorites he now relied on did not give him peace of mind. General Model, opposing Hitler's operational arrangements, had flown directly from the front to the "Wolf's Lair" in East Prussia to argue with him. Model didn't even bother to listen to Hitler's explanations, asking bluntly: "My Führer, is the frontline commander you or me?"

Forced into a corner, Hitler could only say a few words to save face—such as "you will take full responsibility for your decisions"—before handing total command over to Model.

While Manstein left Hitler at ease, the general had never learned to be a people-pleaser, a trait that made Hitler feel he was somewhat unreliable.

Field Marshal von Reichenau was even more of an intensely subjective character, causing Hitler more trouble than Model and Manstein combined. Hitler was already considering the direction of the 1943 campaign; since Reichenau had taken Stalingrad, Hitler believed the goal before 1943 should be to seize the oil-producing regions of the southern USSR to allow the Wehrmacht to fight on a self-sufficient basis.

The General Staff mostly agreed with Hitler. Reichenau, however, argued that since Germany had joined the Allied Powers and received support from Britain and America, the Wehrmacht lacked for neither oil nor minerals. Seizing more resources was not the Reich's urgent priority.

Reichenau believed the primary goal was to continue inflicting maximum damage on the USSR, greatly reducing its ability to utilize Chinese aid in the future. Furthermore, Reichenau had recommended *On Protracted War* to Hitler, hoping the Führer would grasp its internal logic and methodological essence.

In Reichenau's view, if the Soviets learned *On Protracted War*, the Wehrmacht would be doomed. But currently, the Red Army was clearly focused on learning the tactical application of the German pincer movement. While the pincer was an advanced tactical concept for the Soviets, such tactical improvement was far inferior to a boost in strategic cognition.

If Germany could fully exploit the Soviet choices now, they could deal the Red Army heavy blows. At this stage, Soviet training was only six months; as long as the Wehrmacht could cause continuous large-scale losses, the Soviet leadership—to maintain the front and morale—would be forced to send units with only six months or even less training to the front. The Germans could then fully leverage their advantages in training and command.

Staring at the cover of the German edition of *On Protracted War* on his desk, Hitler's mind was in turmoil. Although Reichenau often displeased him, the Marshal's strategic judgment commanded his belief.

Among the German Marshals, the one Hitler most wished to lean on was Rundstedt. But the one he *could* lean on was Reichenau. So Hitler could only endure, waiting until winter passed and the Wehrmacht had cleared the most dangerous stage before making further adjustments.

Finally, Hitler picked up the document, telling himself: "This is the last time I read this damnable thing." Yet as he opened it, he was soon drawn in. In *On Protracted War*, Li emphasized that in the first and second stages, the USSR should implement offensive battles within a strategic defense, quick-decision battles within a strategic protracted war, and exterior-line operations within strategic interior lines. The third stage should be the strategic counter-offensive.

On the surface, the Red Army was destined to pursue the route of major campaigns to thoroughly defeat the invaders. But that meant falling into the old war model—rigidly and mechanically following the line of absolute command.

If the USSR wanted to fully utilize the human and material resources of the occupied areas, it had to fully trust, mobilize, and organize the masses. It had to organize combat not just on the frontal battlefield, but in the enemy's rear, organizing production and life to contest the invading Germans.

Once the Soviets could build organizations on both the frontal and rear battlefields, the Wehrmacht would be drowned in the vast ocean of a people's war, its operational efficiency inevitably crippled.

Li Runshi firmly believed the primary form of combat for the USSR overall would be mobile warfare, followed by guerrilla warfare conducted by regular units. He thus criticized the error of a purely defensive policy, the "Quick Victory" theory based on exploiting German shortcomings, and the mistake of disparaging guerrilla war.

Li conducted a profound critique of the view that looked down on rear-area guerrilla warfare. In his view, operations in the rear required exceptional work capability; successful organization of the rear would unite the Soviet people even more firmly around the CPSU. Such a solid mass foundation would make the counter-offensive much smoother.

Hitler finished reading *On Protracted War* again, his heart once more shaken by its concepts. Currently, the Wehrmacht was terrified that a counter-attacking Red Army would utilize Soviet infrastructure to fight more effectively. Thus, the Germans conducted a brutal destruction of the areas they evacuated.

After fighting through the freezing winter, the Nazis understood the combat value of infrastructure. They not only burned grain and slaughtered livestock they couldn't take, but filled in all the wells and burned down the people's homes.

Hitler knew well that a massacre of the Slavs could only be conducted once victory was essentially assured. Currently, Nazi atrocities could still be brushed off as the tragedies of war, but the army could not yet issue a formal order for a general massacre.

This meant there was a massive space for *On Protracted War* to be applied within the USSR. Even if the Soviet countryside didn't join the fight directly, as long as the CPSU could organize underground governments in the German-occupied zones, the villages could provide grain and intelligence to the counter-attacking Red Army. Various Soviet guerrilla groups could be supplied to continue the fight.

These groups wouldn't even need to destroy the railways; as long as they caused some damage daily, they would make the already-strained German logistics even worse.

Feeling a profound internal unease, Hitler recalled Reichenau's suggestion and picked up the book once more, finding a certain sentence: "Lose the land and save the people, and both are saved. Save the land and lose the people, and both are lost."

It was clear that Reichenau had likely been inspired by this phrase to set the 1943 objective of annihilating the Red Army in great numbers. Hitler also had to admit that before the invasion, they had indeed overestimated Soviet combat power, yet he himself and the General Staff had incorrectly assessed their mobilization capability.

If the USSR were forced to incorporate more personnel into its combat units, there would naturally be a lack of qualified personnel for work in the rear. That is to say, the rear-area operations Li described in *On Protracted War* would be heavily impacted by the pressure of frontal combat.

At this thought, a wave of dejection hit Hitler. China had He Rui, and now Li Runshi—that was enough of a headache! If more such excellent strategists appeared in China, Germany might as well just surrender. With China's strength and so many top-tier minds in command, they would surely be invincible.

Had Li Runshi known Hitler's view, he likely would have considered it a rational judgment. For the Military Commission had already judged based on the latest Eastern Front reports that the USSR could not possibly lose the war in 1943.

Lacking experience in large-scale offensive operations and short on mobile units, the Red Army had failed to fully complete its task of annihilating the core of Army Group Center.

By early February, German reinforcements from Western Europe (12 divisions and 2 brigades) had arrived. Furthermore, the German battlefield replenishment of recruits was proceeding well, with at least 300,000 new soldiers added to the units in sustained combat. Thus, the northern wing of Army Group Center launched a counter-strike.

While the CPSU and Red Army didn't feel in immediate danger, it was clear that the various operational goals set by Stalin were unreachable. In the eyes of the Chinese Military Commission, the Red Army's posture was deteriorating. If they continued, they would suffer heavy losses.

Nonetheless, the Red Army had achieved its objectives for the Moscow campaign. The Germans attacking the city had suffered massive casualties and been driven back 100 to 350 kilometers. The Red Army had finished the hardware for the Moscow fortified region; even if the Wehrmacht launched another desperate assault, they would never again get near the city. The Soviet-German war had entered a phase of stalemate.

Chinese aid over the past months had helped the large factories near Moscow complete their technical upgrades. This support ensured the Red Army, with Moscow as its base, could receive even more abundant supplies.

Even as Stalin and the top leadership disparaged the rear-area battlefield, they were desperate to retake occupied areas to utilize their population and resources. Thus, the CPSU would make new errors—even very significant ones. But the USSR had held its ground, and China was fully capable of helping it through the subsequent hardships.

As long as the USSR didn't collapse, China could commit more of its combat power elsewhere. The Military Commission meeting led by Li Runshi was to discuss whether the next focus of commitment would be Europe or North America.

For this meeting, He Rui's "Five Tiger Generals" had all returned to the capital. He Rui himself was in Guizhou, reportedly inspecting the construction of a massive new computing center.

Li Runshi, having served as a deputy in the "colonial government" of Upper Burma, understood the Southwest well. He didn't believe the current power requirements for Chinese computers necessitated construction in the Southwest. With current capacity, a few new power plants would be enough to run a center anywhere.

Yet the arrangement wasn't hard to understand. The Southwest had always been disconnected from "high tech," while China's explosive growth was built upon it. The people there were envious yet helpless. Among high-tech fields, two were suited for the Southwest at this stage: aviation and data centers.

If technicians, engineers, and even scientists appeared continuously among the people of the Southwest, they would realize there was no barrier between them and high technology. With hard work and development, they could surely catch up.

The computing center itself required massive infrastructure in communications, providing an opportunity to drive development in that field in the Southwest. The Center also required faster and more precise information from the region.

Of course, Li also knew clearly that He Rui's refusal to return and preside over the meeting was so that Li could face the "Five Tiger Generals" alone. Historically, the Five Tigers should have been called the "Five Mansion" (Wu Fu) Generals.

The word "Shogunate" (Bakufu/Mufu) was not a Japanese invention, but a Chinese one. The Japanese Shogun's full title, *Seii Taishōgun*, was a Chinese term.

A *Mufu* was originally the office of a general, later a general term for a government office. It appears in the *Records of the Grand Historian*.

Historically, the "Five Tiger Generals" were those who possessed the right to "Open a Mansion" (Kai Fu). Cao Cao, as Chancellor, held shogunate authority.

Zhuge Liang wrote in his *Memorial on the Case for War*: "The Palace and the Mansion are one whole. Promotions, punishments, praise, and blame should not differ." The "Palace" referred to Liu Shan's imperial bureaucracy, the "Mansion" to Zhuge Liang's own administrative apparatus.

In later eras, there was the title "Open a Mansion with the same honors as the Three Excellencies" (Kai Fu Yi Tong San Si), meaning a loyal minister with the right to his own staff had the same honors as the highest officials.

Although this was abolished in the Ming Dynasty, under the He Rui government—due to the rapid expansion of controlled areas—the "Five Tiger Generals" actually possessed certain characteristics of that status.

For example, Xu Chengfeng (Allied Commander), Cheng Ruofan (WPLA Logistics), and Zhong Yifu and Zheng Silang (South Pacific) all held effective command over significant administrative staffs.

It was only because He Rui was so dominant—a giant before whom even the most "unmanageable" heroes of other eras were submissive—that no one considered the government to have a tendency toward warlordism.

But while these Five Tigers might be "kittens" before He Rui, they were true tigers to anyone else. Li Runshi had to gain their respect and obedience in this meeting.