Chapter 488: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 498 Puppet

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Lv Muzhi was carrying out land reform with great vigor.

In three months, he had resolved the land issue in the Zhongnan State under the Unity Party's control more or less.

The speed was so fast because the Youth Army was independent of the Zhongnan State.

The Youth Army had no personal dependency relationship with anyone in the Zhongnan State, so naturally they did not have to be restrained when carrying out land reform.

Prime Minister Fan Jing saw Lv Muzhi commanding the Youth Army, first pacifying the "Loyalist Movement," and then basically completing land reform, and in his heart he simply regarded Lv Muzhi as his great savior.

If he had to do these two things himself, who knows what trouble might arise!

The commanders of the military regions fighting at the front have now finally returned to the capital (Hanoi).

Thanks to Lv Muzhi, after months of arduous fighting.

The generals led by Commander of the Northern Vietnam Military Region Ruan Wen finally overthrew the puppet emperors of Laos and Cambodia supported by the Thais, and recovered most of the land occupied by the Thais.

This itself was something worth being happy about.

But when the military region commanders returned to Hanoi, good grief, the Youth Army had finished all the work they were supposed to do!

Everyone knew the Youth Army had completed all land reform work, and their faces looked very uneasy.

The economy and military of the Zhongnan State relying on Lv Muzhi was one thing.

Now even the common people could not do without Lv Muzhi and the Youth Army; even a piece of wood should have some sense of crisis, right?

Hanoi Prime Minister's Office, military men and politicians gathered together.

"Prime Minister Fan, how could you directly hand over the land reform work to General Lu?" a military region commander asked.

Prime Minister Fan Jing frowned, looking puzzled: "I reported this to you all, didn't you agree to this matter?"

Another military region commander complained: "Times have changed; who could have imagined Lv Muzhi and the Youth Army would move so fast, that such complex land reform work nationwide would be finished in three months."

"After we returned, we haven't even shown our faces before the common people."

"Yes, Prime Minister Fan, why don't you personally take charge of land reform?"

Facing the accusations of the military region commanders, Fan Jing was both aggrieved and angry.

"If you can do it, you do it! I have no troops in my hands, how can I handle these things?"

"If land reform isn't completed quickly, before you win at the front, the peasants in the rear will be lured away by the landlords!"

"Even if you win battles at the front now, what good is it?"

Commander of the Northern Vietnam Military Region Ruan Wen spoke up: "Alright! Don't blame anyone for this; it was forced by the circumstances."

"Although the Youth Army helped us, we must also be vigilant and not form too strong a dependency on them; you know, it's easy to invite a god but hard to send one away!"

Fan Jing wondered in his heart: "Send? Does this mean we have to send guests away? We signed so many agreements with the Youth Army; now sending them away wouldn't that be a breach of contract?"

Another military region commander said: "Yes, besides, if the Youth Army were truly sent away, I'm afraid the Thais would make a comeback, and the Japanese still can't be driven out of Saigon!"

Ruan Wen waved his hand: "Sending guests away is a matter for later; for now, we must still have the Youth Army strictly abide by the agreement, with troops stationed on the railway line north of the Red River, and not let them easily cross the border."

"Like them pushing forward land reform work, in fact they have already violated the joint defense agreement and penetrated into various villages of the Zhongnan State."

"Of course, the land reform work was something we actively requested, so let it go; tell General Lu and the Youth Army that in the coming days, please ask them to strictly abide by the agreement and not easily cross the border."

Suspicion toward Lv Muzhi and the Youth Army arose within the Zhongnan State, and Thailand, facing the newly born Zhongnan State, was naturally unwilling to accept it, and was determined to plan revenge actions.

Not only that, the Fifth Division, which had been stationed in Saigon for several months, had set its sights on both Thailand and the Zhongnan State as prey!

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March 1941.

In a public mansion in Saigon, the Fifth Division's division headquarters was stationed here.

Saigon was the central city in the southeast of the Zhongnan State, and also formerly the largest city in southern Vietnam.

A great river ran through the city, connecting to the sea outlet eighty li away in the southeast direction.

During high tide, Saigon could even navigate twenty-thousand-ton giant ships.

Because of the water transport advantage, the Fifth Division fled here and could receive naval assistance in time.

With the Fifth Division's own strength plus the navy's superiority at sea, the Zhongnan State could not recover this territory from the Japanese.

Lieutenant General Nakamura Akito brought the Fifth Division to station in Saigon for four months, neither returning home nor joining the Xia Kingdom battlefield.

According to the Imperial General Headquarters' plan, Saigon was now the Japanese army's bridgehead in Southeast Asia, an offensive base for plotting Southeast Asia.

Anyway, the French had already been overthrown; Japan no longer had to pretend before Vichy France as before, coexisting with the French Colonial Army on this land.

The Japanese defined the Zhongnan State's Unity Party as a rebel force under French rule, using the pretext of protecting Vichy France's interests, and thus righteously stationed in Saigon without leaving.

This move made even the British, who opposed the Zhongnan State, quite nervous.

Compared to that newly born Zhongnan State, I'm afraid this Japanese army stationed in Saigon was the most terrifying enemy!

The British nervousness was reasonable; the Japanese army had secretly prepared the Southern Army for annexing Southeast Asia!

The Southern Army's establishment sequence was not yet complete, but the commander had already been secretly determined: none other than the former Commander of the North China Area Army, General Terauchi Hisaichi!

And the remnants of the Fifth Division stationed in Saigon would undoubtedly be members of the Southern Army.

"General Nakamura, General Terauchi sent you a letter!" The Chief of Staff of the division headquarters handed the just-received letter to General Nakamura.

Nakamura Akito opened the letter and read it carefully; after finishing, he laughed with a sense of relief.

"Great, the Fifth Division's reinforcements have arrived; we lost half a division to Lv Muzhi, and we can immediately replenish it!"

Brigade Commander Sugiura of the 21st Brigade, hearing this, asked: "Division Commander, don't tell me we will be stationed in Saigon from now on?"

Nakamura Akito nodded; he did not tell his subordinates that Emperor Chuo had already secretly prepared the Southern Army.

Only Lieutenant General Nakamura Akito and a few high-ranking officials at Imperial General Headquarters know of this matter.

It seems Imperial General Headquarters indeed has designs on advancing into Southeast Asia!

Moreover, the Fifth Division is about to begin some preparatory work.

"We must not only hold our ground here, but also influence the surrounding situation."

The officers below, upon hearing this, all pricked up their ears.

"Thailand and Zhongnan State are now locked in a struggle like the snipe and the clam; we can profit as the fisherman."

"Swallowing either Thailand or Zhongnan State would benefit us."

The Chief of Staff was taken aback: "Your Excellency, we are garrisoned in Saigon and have already greatly displeased the United Kingdom and the United States; if we rashly launch a military operation, we fear inviting sanctions."

Brigade Commander Sugiura nodded in agreement: "The United States has already banned steel exports to our country; if we continue to anger them and they next ban oil exports, what shall we do?"

Nakamura Akito grew angry, wanting to say outright that Emperor Chuo was organizing the Southern Army to swallow Southeast Asia and directly obtain this place's oil and rubber resources.

But in the end he did not speak it out.

"If we do not act directly, did not the Thai army just lose to Zhongnan State not long ago?"

"We can exploit the Thai army's desire for revenge, incite them to launch a counterattack, and use the Thai army as our puppets."

"Our Chinese Army can provide Thailand with more and better weapons, letting them attack Zhongnan State again."

"If the Thais win, we will negotiate with him to divide Zhongnan State's land equally."

The Chief of Staff asked: "What if the Thais lose?"

Nakamura Akito gave a cold snort: "If the Thais cannot be helped even with mud, we can only replace them, and then take action ourselves."