Chapter 10: The War Plan (Part 1)

After resolving the issues of organizational structure and inheritance, which were of most concern to the senators, the meeting proceeded to the election of the new power and administrative bodies. Although Director Deng declared at the assembly that Wen Desi was “sincerely loved by the Senate and the people, a great man sent by heaven, and the well-deserved Chairman of the Senate,” Wen Desi humbly stated that he would not be a candidate this time. He nominated his “close comrade-in-arms,” Comrade Wang Luobin, for the position of Chairman of the Senate. With no other candidates, Wang Luobin was formally elected as the third Chairman of the Senate amidst enthusiastic applause.

Next was the nomination and election of the Secretary of State. Although Ma Qianzhu repeatedly declined and suggested Wu De for the position, this was opposed by the crowd. In the end, with no other candidates proposed, he continued to serve as Secretary of State. After the two main official positions were determined, the election of cabinet members was conducted through free nomination by the Senate, followed by a vote.

In the new structure, cabinet members, i.e., the heads of each ministry, were all called “Xiang” (Minister).

“We’ve switched from the Soviet system to the Juche ideology,” someone began to complain. “At least give us a Vice-Marshal…”

The independent agencies under each ministry were named “Ministry,” “Department,” “General Administration,” “Bureau,” and “Office,” depending on the history, administrative level, and permanent or temporary nature of each department. The heads of all ministries, departments, and general administrations were called People’s Commissars.

To prepare for entering the mainland, the Senate would continue to hold high the banner of the “Great Song.” At the same time, the Great Song system of official titles would be introduced for external use and official announcements, to be used in conjunction with the Senate’s official titles.

According to this new system, all cabinet members were of the “Prime Minister” level in the Song system. Apart from the Chairman of the Senate, who was given the additional title of “Shizhong” (Palace Attendant), and the Secretary of State, who was given the additional title of “Tong Menxia Zhongshu Pingzhangshi” (Joint Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery), the other cabinet members were all given the additional title of “Can Zhi Zhengshi” (Participant in Determining Governmental Affairs) and “Fen Zhi Shengshi” (Separately Managing Provincial Affairs). Since the Song dynasty’s official system was relatively complex, the Great Library was tasked with conducting a special study on this matter.

The position of Minister of Finance was once again secured by Cheng Dong. He had fully demonstrated his capabilities in his years of work, proving that his position as “Financial Director” in the old world was not something a mere “accountant” could handle.

The governor of the Central Reserve Bank, the most important institution under the Ministry of Finance, was concurrently held by Cheng Dong. Since the Special Audit Committee and the Investigation and Execution Bureau of the Arbitration Court were merged and placed directly under the Senate, the Ministry of Finance was left without a dedicated audit department. To address this, an Audit Bureau was established, which was essentially the same team as the Cheka, just with two different names. It would be separated once there were enough professional auditors.

The president of Delong Bank was Meng Xian, the current manager of the Delong Bank Guangzhou branch. The new Delong Bank’s head office would be located in Guangzhou.

Si Kaide, having been criticized for “consistently pursuing a capitulationist line on the foreign relations front,” failed in his bid for Minister of Foreign Affairs. The position ultimately went to He Ying, who also continued to serve as “Religious Affairs Officer.”

The Minister of Justice was Ma Jia.

The Minister of Armed Forces continued to be He Ming, who also served as the Minister of the Army. The Minister of the Navy was Ming Qiu—this was the military administration system. As for the military command system, it was directly under the Senate, specifically: the Standing Secretary of the General Staff, Dongmen Chuiyu; the Army Chief of Staff, Xi Yazhou; the Chief of Naval Operations, Chen Haiyang; the Commander of the Joint Logistics Command, Hong Huangnan; and the Director of the Fubo Army General Reconnaissance Bureau, Xue Ziliang.

The Minister of Land and Transport was Shan Daoqian, who also served as the Director of the Transport Department. The Director of the General Post and Telecommunications Administration was Li Yunxing. The former Lin’gao Telecom Company was renamed “Hainan Telecom,” with Shao Zong as its general manager. The Minister of Resource Exploration was Cui Yunhong.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries was, without any suspense, Wu Nanhai.

The position of Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the industrial senators, fell into the hands of Zhan Wuya. This was not unexpected either.

The position of Minister of Culture and Science, after a fierce competition, was ultimately won by Hu Qingbai from the education sector. Not only was the education sector large in number, but most senators had also served as part-time teachers, so they were familiar faces. The most competitive candidates, like Zhong Lishi, avoided administrative positions, which naturally benefited the education sector. As for the propaganda sector, its strength was much weaker—Dingding only made it to the nomination stage and did not advance to the second round of voting due to insufficient votes in the first round.

The Minister of People’s Livelihood and Labor was, as expected, the former Minister of Civil Affairs, Liu Muzhou.

The Minister of People’s Security was Ran Yao, who also served as the National Police Commissioner.

The Minister of Planning continued to be Wu De.

The originally planned Ministry of Unification Affairs was ultimately canceled due to concerns about redundant construction.

The positions of Director of the General Affairs Department of the Government Affairs Council and Director of the General Office of the Senate were both concurrently held by Xiao Zishan. It was a case of two signs for one team. The Foreign Intelligence Bureau was changed to an institution directly under the Central Government Council.

After the election of the cabinet members, the General Staff reported on the preparation and implementation of the mainland campaign and read out the “Guiding Principles for the War Against the Ming.” This special report was jointly written by the General Staff, the Planning Council, the Great Library, the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, and the civil affairs and finance departments, covering all aspects of the mainland campaign, including military preparations, operational plans, civil policies, and economic strategies.

The mainland campaign formulated by the General Staff was divided into three phases. The first phase, currently being implemented, aimed to ultimately occupy the entire province of Guangdong and parts of Guangxi.

The purpose of the mainland campaign was to ensure the smooth unfolding of the Senate’s ideal of establishing a new world order.

“To break the current stalemate, ensure self-preservation and development, and build a new world order, the Senate has now resolved to wage war against the Ming.”

Its specific policies are as follows:

1. Rapidly destroy the Ming government’s ruling institutions in Guangdong and parts of Guangxi, establish the Senate’s ownership of these areas, and at the same time, take further active measures to compel the Ming court to submit sooner and expand the Senate’s commercial rights on the mainland.

2. As much as possible, prevent the expansion of adversaries in the war, and strive to maintain normal relations with the Later Jin, the Dutch, and the Spanish.

Key Points:

1. The Fubo Army will adopt surprise attack tactics to destroy the main combat forces and ruling centers of the Ming court in Guangdong, establish a strategic advantage, and at the same time, secure important resource areas and main transportation lines to create a long-term self-sufficient situation.

2. The following countermeasures will be taken against various parties in the operational area.

   (1) The following measures will be taken against the Ming-controlled areas:

   (a) For areas where a "reasonable burden" has been established, the Guangzhou overseas station and the joint logistics department will be tasked with providing some organization and training, and carrying out activities to accumulate supplies. Once the campaign begins, they will provide translators, laborers, and logistical support for the army and civil affairs work teams.
   
   (b) For areas where we have not established a "reasonable burden," the pro-Senate forces among the local people, especially merchants and small traders, should be utilized to carry out similar work.
   
   (c) For areas with no pro-Senate individuals, various measures should be taken to win the goodwill of the local people. The local people should be induced to provide material and labor support for us in the form of payment. This purchase should not be seen merely as a simple logistical action, but also as an important way to promote the Senate's "New Huaxia."
   

   (2) The following measures will be taken against the Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese:

   (a) Strengthen special work in Manila to divert Spanish attention from Guangdong. If necessary, special operations may be used.
   
   (b) Impose a short-term blockade on Macau, prohibiting Portuguese ships from entering or leaving the Pearl River estuary. At the same time, provide assurances to the Macau Senate that trade will continue after the situation in Guangdong stabilizes.
   
   (c) Maintain normal trade relations with the Dutch. Provide assurances to the Dutch consul that trade will proceed normally.
   

   (3) Against the remnants of the Zheng clan:

   (a) Strengthen maritime surveillance of Xiamen and other places.
   
   (b) If necessary, carry out several naval bombardment operations to strike at their military strength and will to fight.
   

   (4) Against the Later Jin regime:

   (a) Maintain normal trade relations. Purchase the population and spoils they plunder during their incursions to stimulate them to invade again, thereby tying down the Ming court's military forces.
   

3. The key to ending the war:

   The key to ending the first phase of the operation lies in the Ming court’s rapid loss of will to continue the war. It should be considered that the Ming court’s reaction and mobilization speed are slow. As long as we occupy key transportation points and destroy major military groups with the fastest speed in military operations, we can destroy the resistance capability of the target area.

   The situation faced by the Ming court is very grim. With the Manchus on the outside, roving bandits on the inside, and continuous natural and man-made disasters, mobilizing another major military group to the south is a severe test for the Ming court. As long as the Senate can quickly achieve the first-phase objectives, making the cost of war for the Ming court rise sharply, their willingness to recover the territory will drop significantly, and they may well accept the fait accompli, thus laying the foundation for peace talks.

“…In summary, our Liangguang campaign is not only about occupying land and eliminating the effective strength of the Ming army, but also about fully demonstrating the military power of the Senate, causing a sharp decline in the Ming court’s will to fight, and thus initiating peace talks.”

Xi Yazhou read the script with a rhythmic cadence. His figure hadn’t changed at all, just his complexion had gone from fair to dark. Apparently, life in Sanya was very comfortable.

The specific military plan is as follows:

1. Objective of the operation:

   The objective of the Liangguang campaign is to destroy the Ming court’s rule in Guangdong and to occupy and secure important areas in Guangdong and Guangxi.

   According to this operational plan, the intended area of occupation is the entire territory of Guangdong and the Wuzhou-Liuzhou line along the West River basin in Guangxi. Other areas will be further developed depending on the situation.

2. Operational policy:

   With the close cooperation of the army and navy, the operation will begin from Guangzhou, striving to achieve the operational objectives in a short period of time.

3. Key points of operational command:

   (1) The landing operation at Humen by the Pearl River Detachment of the Navy and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, departing from Hong Kong, will serve as the prelude to the battle. A detachment of the General Reconnaissance Bureau’s Special Reconnaissance Team and an infantry battalion of the Army, having arrived and concealed themselves in Guangzhou city and the Guangzhou Grand World in advance, will then seize the Great East Gate and key points in the city.

   (2) Taking advantage of the success of the surprise attack, the main force will then advance up the Pearl River, occupy Guangzhou city, and rapidly expand the occupied area to the surrounding areas. In the initial stage of the operation, the county towns of all counties under Guangzhou Prefecture will be quickly occupied.