Blood, Sweat, and Fire
- Thread starter Magus1108
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I thought they were a nice touch, myself.
Thanks! I hope you and the rest of my readers continue to enjoy this.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Sorry for the lack of update in such a long while, guys. I'm up to my neck in college work. Essays, book reports, it definitely gets harder with the end of the semester approaching.
If possible, I'll try to get an update this weekend. If not, expect one next week.
Fantastic story. Although I kind of want to see what's going on around the world. How are the Soviets and Europeans reacting to the Nuking of China? What is MacArthur's stance towards Europe, and what are the Europeans thinking about MacArthur?
I might just do a special interlude chapter on that, in the next update or two. We shall see.
And thanks for the comments! I appreciate it.
Blood, Sweat, and Fire
(1948-2017: Sixty-Nine Years that Changed the World)
Part One, Chapter Nine:
Dangerous Jade
“...The reaction to the Sino-American War, worldwide, was quite the mixed bag. On the one hand, the Western Europeans and other American allies viewed the war against the Communist threat, at the very least, with some degrees of approval, though many felt it was a war misguided and best suited elsewhere; but, in the Soviet Union and its allied states, a great deal of panic was experienced. While fantasy, the thought and threat of President MacArthur making a more militant United States, designed to so eagerly fight Communism wherever it could...proved to be more than Comrade Stalin could handle. All the more reason to even the playing field, as swiftly as they could, the leadership rationalized. For once they had access to certain weaponry...”
Lao Bei Fong, author of, Red vs Blue: A History of the World-Wide Struggle Between Communism and Capitalism (circa 1999)
“...How ironic, that our Greatest Foe would seek to finish what we started so long ago, in China...”
A quote attributed to former Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, after being informed of the American invasion of China
The use of atom bombs in the Sino-American War brought fighting everywhere to a brief standstill, as news about the destruction of Ruijin, Anshan, and Fushun by nuclear fire spread. Chinese on both sides of the war were struck with disbelief and horror at these turn of events; and while most of the Nationalist Chinese grimly accepted the loss (if they couldn't have it, Mao certainly couldn't!), but the Communists reacted with outrage...and fear.
After all, if the Americans were willing to use nuclear weaponry against the Chinese, how on earth could the Communists hope to stop them?
Still, Mao was quick to work damage-control, fearing that desertion might become a norm if his men weren't reassured. Nearly a week after the bombings, Mao gave a invigorating speech throughout China via radio, declaring that the Communists would not stand down in the face of American “brutality”. This defiance against the KMT and Americans rallied the Communist Chinese to Mao's banner once again, and their strength was renewed. If anything, the anger and fury felt in the aftermath of the American bombings only served to strengthen the determination of the Communists.
Still, despite Mao's vow of continued fighting, the reality on the battlefield was not so bright. Despite holding out for nearly an entire month, Nanjing was retaken by American-KMT forces after a fierce siege of the city. The Nationalist Capital of China was once again restored to Chiang Kai-shek, and the war continued to turn against Mao.
This did not come without a price.
Limited as he was, Mao did not forgo any attempts at revenge for the utter annihilation of three of his cities. While he had no means to launch a nuclear retaliation of his own, or otherwise inflict massive damage on the United States with his forces, he did manage to use more underhanded methods of vengeance.
With the help of spies in the Kuomintang, the food of several American army camps were tainted and poisoned, leading to the death of many soldiers before the Army caught wind of this. And, while this attack was less devastating as it could have been, MacArthur and the military were still furious. Several KMT aides and soldiers were eventually charged in the conspiracy, after a formal investigation was conducted.
The worse was yet to come, though, and President MacArthur knew that. As the United States continued to gain new ground in China, Mao would become more and more desperate. And thus, strikes of terror like this would become increasingly common. It was clear that a lot of soldiers on both sides were going to die before anyone could declare victory.
Indeed. We shall see. The Soviets are very close to testing their first atomic bomb, as per OTL, so who knows?
Yes, Admiral Yamamoto survived in this timeline. As I have said before, other small and unmentioned PODs have occurred to make this timeline most intriguing, to say the least. Yamamoto was at the surrender ceremony in this timeline, as well.
To say the least. It shall be interesting to see what he is forced to do, especially when he was so near to victory.
I cannot believe that China is going to be even more screwed over than it was in OTL, I hope that eventually when the fighting settles down we have an actually half competent government. It will be interesting ot ee how massive war in China affects the French in Vietnam, I mean there will be a lot less weapons given from the communists to fight with, so maybe the French can hold onto it for longer?
China has a harsh fate in this timeline, me thinks. To be torn apart by Mao, Chiang Kai-shek, and MacArthur is no easy thing to deal with. And as for a future half-competent government in China, no promises.
Perhaps the French will hold Vietnam longer, perhaps not. I'm certainly not telling.
Blood, Sweat, and Fire
(1948-2017: Sixty-Nine Years that Changed the World)
Epilogue
White House Briefing Room, Washington, D.C. September 25th, 1949. 5:46 P.M.
“They're ready for you, Mr. President.”
Douglas MacArthur, 34th President of the United States of America, nodded at the aide's announcement. He stood up and strode away from the wings of the platform, and toward the podium that beckoned him. The constant flash of cameras momentarily distracted him, as he stepped into the view of the reporters present, but MacArthur soon tuned it out. Today would be a historic day, and he needed no distractions.
He then reached the podium, and took a breath. The news he was about to deliver wasn't pretty, and it bothered him still...
But, it had to be done. The United States...indeed, the entire world...had to know about this serious development. Information such as this could not remain in the dark.
“My fellow Americans,” President MacArthur began, “Today, I have the misfortune to be the bearer of bad news. To my regret, we now have conclusive and irrefutable evidence that the Soviet Union has successfully tested what we believe to be their first atomic bomb. And as a result, we have no doubt that they are in the process of making their own nuclear program...”
Whatever else he was going to say was drowned out by the shouting of reporters, as they berated MacArthur with question after question.
END BLOOD, SWEAT, AND FIRE, PART ONE: SHATTERED ANGELS
OOC: To be clear, this timeline is not concluding. Only a single "chapter" of it is reaching its end, so to speak. There will be more to come. I'm not entirely satisfied with this update, but now that I've graduated from High School, I ought to have more time to devote to this Timeline this coming Summer.
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Although justice to be done, the Soviet nuclear physicists were really competent and would have developed it with the help or not of Klaus Fuchs and the Rosenbergs... although the information from them it did speed up the process.
