Pax's Alternate History Snippet repository.

[ATP]

Wheels - did they get bulletproofs tyres? if not,they should use tanks.
And tank with 76mm gun would be good enough for anything except soviet heavy tanks till the end of WW2.

P.S Japan,as a result should either never attack China here,or,if it happen,they must develop real medium tanks,not joke like Type 97.

 

[Imperator Pax]

June 1924
The administration of the province laid out under the constitution borrowed heavily from Old Man Yamagata's writing. That worked pretty well for comparing Shansi and Shensi. Yan had also borrowed from Meiji Japan's efforts to find modernity. That included the organization of municipal and county police agencies. Allen had largely written the framework, but it and the other portions of the bureaucracy, like the postal service never mind county level taxes offices, were not under his command.

Part of that went beyond just not having the time. The provincial system was not designed to report directly to the cadre, or for that matter the lower house of the legislature. The postal service though was under cadre control even if the appointment of a postmaster general did not select a cadre member to head the service. It was however a framework to expand the number of civil servants to deal with the increasing needs of an industrial urban society as well just deal with urban society's needs in general.

He glanced at Waite over the desk. "I'll admit I didn't expect to have to read political tracts from the head of the post office." Admittedly that was something they'd noticed an increasing trend towards... the Staff was one thing, but increasingly it was their staff, their subordinates who were increasingly political active. Even General Wood had commented on it by this point, which Allen wasn't sure he was happy with. Officers who were 'second generation' who had missed the early 'great campaigns' found or even seemed to compete with one another to argue of 'schools'. This was similar to that, and better schools than cliques on supposed, "Cole?"

"Packing the mail between cities in standard bulk containers makes sense." They'd have to settle on a standard packing box but the trains had been carrying mail since the Qing it had just been a lot less mail ten years ago, "We could save space and that will add up...biggest hurdle will be the standard shipping containers aren't common enough yet." That had been Cole's project and putting the mail containers on skids putting them on a truck and then to a distribution center for the local office to service made sense.

Part of the hurdle with the container was the logistics of moving them though. They worked well for the large yards on trains, but there were limited cranes, limited infrastructure in other places. Shipping abroad had... well as Percy had mentioned the house of commons had spoken favorably of trade with China... and there was of course the states as well, but Powell and the MAK were talking not just about Guatemala but also Liberian ports and the cranes for them to support the containers. "I don't understand his rush on this?" Waite remarked, before acknowledging the previous point that given time as the system built up there would be a pronounced effect, "But Liberia isn't there yet."

Yet was the operative word though, and if international trade stayed open then well...

"its about the rubber. We use big steel rimmed tires." Given their specific needs while the Ford engineers had built lines to manufacture smaller automobiles the Model Tin its car configuration touring or otherwise Trucks were the more pressing need. Ford's original tire design was just completely unsatisfactory to requirements, "More like tractor tires... and it helps," The Texan drawled that shooting a tractor tire is not very effective, "we don't have as many problems with flats...." Though he then admitted that the tradeoff was that it was a great deal more labor to change a big tire if a bigger vehicle sprung one, "We do use smaller vehicles and other people are experimenting with different tire designs, so we'll see some changes," And since they weren't engaging in this prohibition nonsense Ethanol, despite gasoline becoming more readily available, continued to be an option as did kerosene for personal cars. "I guess what I'm getting at is when we get down to it,there is no one size fits all. Waite's objective ... his tank isgoing to be big," It was going to have to be for the engineers to mount the 3 Inch gun, "And tanks throw tracks which its apain in the ass to deal with too. We'll probably end up with a car or light skinned truck... put armor on those causes axle and suspension wear," But they had figured that out quickly enough, "We'll have some kind of larger pick up for hauling supply and men overland... after that we'll have the infantry carrier," eleven dismounts plus a driver and gunner, "And Waite's tank whenever that gets ready."

It sounded like it was going to be a logistical headache, "What it sounds like is your telling me that any form of mechanization is going to be a headache." Bill shrugged, and Allen continued, "is there a time table being put forward?"

"Lee has looked at X Force," Expeditionary Force Proposal, "He says 1930 would be fiscally viable for the five rifle," Regular Army, "divisions and the brigades to support them, there is some pushback on the weight it would put on and the reduction of rifle fighting strength." Yan obviously had some concerns there, "But we're already expanding the machine gun weight anyway."

If this had been a full cadre meeting the purely military nature of this application of technology, and the budget expense might have prompted some degree of grumbling... but, "I assume that the House has seen it?"

"A couple drafts of it," And truthfully with as many iteration as it had gone through over the last several years some folks were nitpicking details, "We'll see more talk closer to the election I'm sure, but 5-6 is still the most supported plan." Sometimes the number was reversed, but, "There is want of a Sixth Rifle Division,"

Eyes turned to Cole, "We could compromise with the Gendarmes 1st ​counting as that sixth in war planning." Dawes allowed, "But from what I understand there is talk of a 1st​ Cavalry Division on top of six rifles, which," he gestured to Cullen," he might be further ahead for." Whatever the case the cavalry wouldn't have tanks by that point. The British / American fat boy didn't fit their doctrine, didn't have the firepower, and the French / American Renaults, even with better engines were more in line, but better combat cars for a number of reasons... it was all trade offs anyway, "A brigade will be two regiments anyway, and by next year the transition to the Corp Structure will be completed to satisfaction." Officially there were going to be two corps, and then a third sometime later in the decade with the consideration of how the nascent air force might be included in operation planning since officially it had a 'western' and 'eastern' division.

"The war in Europe forced a confrontation of technology, of the reality of what industrial society fighting means at scale. We have to hope that," Waite paused, to run his tongue over his teeth in a somber moment, "That we have time to make ourselves ready... but we also need to recognize that our most likely enemy, enemies are irrational. We could conceivably be drawn into a fight with the south, yes, but the Bolsheviks moving towards the pacific, to try and retake Vladivostok and rebuild the Trans Siberian or to seize Kirghiz or move back into Persia any of those are possible sparks in the tinder box. We are not ready for a conflict on that scale."


That much was obvious to any one , or should have been. No one was ready for that. "what are you suggesting?" One of the 'more junior' cadre members queried.

"The States have some idea of what needs to be done, but the secretary of War," Actually the assistant Secretary but regardless, "has run into the usual sort of parochial issues with the branch chiefs, but at least back home is talking about. Ordinance might actually have some good ideas, and the Corp" of engineers, "seems on board, more so than the feet dragging we're seeing from other, but we have a land border with the bolsheviks, for all intents and purposes and the States don't. We need a plan for 1925 onward, certainly more than what we have.

"We can talk about the peace we have but if we want to keep the peace, we have to be prepared for a fight."

 

[ATP]

Thanks for chapter,but he is wrong - soviets were VERY RATIONAL.They want to take entire Earth,and create there one state - becouse they knew,that if there was some normal countries left,even relatively small,their slaves would still try to run there.
Only rational explanation - conqer entire Earth,so there is no place to run.


So yes,soviets would try to attack,becouse they must.Even in OTL they fall apart once USA stopped supporting them when Reagan come.
Here,with less territory,they should fall before 1991.

P.S If you really introduce tanks with 76mm guns, everybody else,including Japan,would made them before 1939.Well,all countries which could - Poland ,for example,was able only to made light tanks,but Czech could,if germans do not take them on schedule.

 

[Imperator Pax]

June 1924
Elections would be in November, the mid autumn festival sat midway between today and the elections ... and that was hard to miss for the chatter. There was stumping to contend with... or rather there would be ... he could hardly say he looked forward to it however much he enjoyed Jun's efforts for the festivities. For all that Percy liked to speak of the Khaki Electorate there were other blocks in the puzzle, and there was a general anxiousness about the squabbles within the beiyang.

"The Lower House's preparedness committee report." Liu stated handing the report over. The gendarmes major was just shy of his thirtieth birthday, his right hand was badly scarred from action as a corporal defending Xian with Van force. He'd commissioned after the constituion had come into effect and made his current rank two weeks earlier. "Its promising." He informed Cole.

"A sight better than the states," Cullen agreed. "But still not enough," The preparedness campaign... plattsburgh and all that had undoubtedly helped the states prepare for war in Europe but there had still been too much that needed to be done that the states had not been ready for. This election come november was likely to be campaigned upon for that. The lower house was maturing into its own body, and with that came a need to respond to its electorate. "But we do have the advantage of the lower house understanding why we hold summer drills... heaven forbid the congress," Cole trailed off shaking his head, and glancing through a couple pages, and at the tables and projections on the sheets in front of him, "Qinghai to Xian being operational," The diesel electric rail line, "Allows us to move significant stocks to and fro, and thats important depending on what we need to move." If they were going to Szechwan, or Honan... or if shit really dropped into the pot and they had to move west into Kirghiz.

Waite broke conference with one of his own junior officers, who like Liu wore a red dragon stitched onto his collar signifying his graduation from the War College, "We should hold off on this, I want to talk about using the Ford trucks," A variation on the Model T in truck configuration, "For tractor work on farms and specifically that its something we can have smaller firms build kits for local needs for," There was something similar back home, in catalog shopping and the like in the mid west or in the south to use the old southern gauge even. That could be done here, and in Middle America and maybe if Powell was right Liberia too given time. "We told Ford we'd buy a lot of vehicles from him, and we're in a position where that is going to do us a lot of good now that we know what we need most of."

"And in the event of a war we can mobilize civilian vehicles to serve particularly as ambulances." Liu remarked.

Waite nodded to the piano black uniform, "Exactly, and not just medicine though Percy might have some queer idea of mixing the two again, but we will be able to use model Ts outfitted for farm work to help ease transition from rail heads in a pinch especially if we're in it out west." With years and years of work at Ba Shan the rail head there and the defenses were much better situated for a serious fight with bandit world that was their southern neighbor. "But more importantly we can make good on the things we need, and push agriculture further along which is what we need to be doing... and it'll be slow going work."

"Kirghiz seems to be working."

"The tsar depopulated the region of horses fighting in Ruthenia and all that, "Dawes replied to the interjection, "we've still got plenty of farmers with their livestock, and they'll farm that way for as long as they can, but I figure once we get men who are ready to retire," Done their twenty, and such "and who want to go back to farming they'll have more modern ideas about machinery." But that idea while probably not far off was looking far beyond the next five years, and plans to outline technical and industrial objectives that could be worked towards. "We need cotton, and kirghiz is closer than the states, and its more practicable because we can use the railway besides."

and that five year plan... really more of a set of objectives to work towards was due to start next year and they needed to finalize on it before thepoeple went to the polls so that it'd be ready for the next session next spring.

"We can amalgamate civil defense brigades as needed." Cole remarked nodding to the major. "Liu has experience forming a posse after all, and its something the Gendarmes is legally permitted to handle." Such brigades would also of course base off the volunteer fire brigades, and rely heavily on the county or municipal magistrates...but unlike with the old dynasties before the new magistrates were more and better staffed which meant they could keep more effective records. "But we'll need registrations to draw on, its not the same thing as conscription but its a little closer than some of us are going to like... on the other hand the local gentry especially in Bashan and here in Xian are not likely to object."

"The Ma's folk either," Bill remarked, "The hui remember what Bai Lang got up to," Which of course fell a little flat since Gansu was probably the safest part of the confederation of provinces knitted together by the cadre... and for the longest time the hui armies of the old dynasty had been the most active in sortieing from safe territory into Szechwan until attrition and time had taken its toll.

It hadn't escaped anyone in the room that it had been almost ten years since Bai Lang had been killed... and soon to be a decade from the guns of autumn opening and the great bloodletting that had been the european war. It was part of the reason there were programs that weren't conscription but popular mobilization... most of what the cadre planned were transitions to economic production being able to produce war related goods... in theory for export to belligerents but realistically just in case for any of their own conflicts. "We have time," Dawes allowed, "But the red's ideology is such that a fight is inevitable, the existence of wealth and prosperity, and workers whose lives are not worse than their forebearers discredits marx and they can't allow that to stand... and even if the bolsheviks weren't there this country needs to industrialize. We gain push ahead and use them to make up ground that the old dynasty should have pushed for." It was the tenet of Dawes's argument that another war was always on the horizon, and if not for the devastation of the European war would have seemed alarmist in their apocalyptic planning scope... but they did have the example of the great war in Europe to see the results of. It made more sense to the cadre to face the reality of future conflicts than hope against human nature. "Hope might have been the only thing left in the box," Dawes replied, "But that doesn't mean we have to be fools, civil readiness also has peace time applications that quake that hit Japan, it came while people were cooking and it all went up like tender. We can prepare for emergencies of that, of floods and frankly we generally are on alert anyway because fighting comes in the summer," Which coincided with an increased risk of floods.

--
Notes: This may also go hiatus as we get through this arc as we are moving towards the point where Sun dies and the KMT leadership shuffles (and frankly the knock on effects of Stalin consolidating power in the Soviet Union after Lenin's death) that lead into the Northern Expedition for the short term though its instabilities in the Beiyang which are center stage with the second fengtien conflict on the immediate horizon which is what we move into and overshadow Xian's fall elections which of course the collapse of Cao Kun's government directly impacts Xian going to the polls even though or perhaps because its Duan Qirui who comes back into the presidency.