Spy Wars: I can get rewards by being a bully!

Chapter 1115 This time and that time

The two lit cigars, and Lin Ze began, “General, we talked a few days ago. If you were to become the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, your control over North China could be divided into personnel, finance, and supervision. We’ve covered the finance and personnel matters, but we haven’t mentioned supervision. The various units are relatively independent, and some are even self-contained systems, completely impenetrable. Even if you reshuffle the personnel, it might be difficult to get them under your command once you’re in Nanjing.”

Upon hearing this, Okamura said seriously, "Lin-kun, so you came here today because you've come up with a solution?"

"It is my duty to share the burden of Your Excellency, General. These past few days, I have been so preoccupied with my thoughts that I have lost my appetite and have come up with a preliminary idea."

"Lin Jun's feelings for me are so touching that I can't help but shed tears! Lin Jun, what are your considerations?"

"The reason why each unit acts independently is because they collect a large portion of their own money and supplies. As the saying goes, 'whoever feeds you, you are subject to their authority.' As long as they feed you, no matter where you go, whether it's Nanjing or elsewhere, you will still have the final say in the North China army. Therefore, unifying logistics is imperative."

Okamura was shocked and put down his cigar, exclaiming in surprise, "What do you mean by that, Mr. Lin! To be honest, the logistics problem has been accumulating for a long time. Not to mention now, even decades ago when we were fighting the Russian bear in Lüda, insightful people had already seen it. But the system of logistics being self-funded by each unit has never been changed. It's not that they don't want to change it, but that they can't!"

Lin Ze knew, of course, that it couldn't be changed.

The extent of factionalism within the Japanese army was beyond the comprehension of most Chinese people.

This can be seen from the fact that there are many detachments in the Japanese army named after their commanders. Of course, it is impossible not to have factions, but even if the internal strife in the mountain city is serious now, who has seen Wang Dazhuang's division or Li Daniu's regiment?

It was precisely because of the prominent and serious problem of factionalism that the Japanese army's logistics had always been a mess. As Okamura said, it wasn't that they hadn't tried to change it, but that they couldn't. The Japanese had a tradition of subordinates rebelling against their superiors. If you changed the logistics and took away most of the benefits, they would give you a 225 or 227 tactic. Could you accept that?

Furthermore, once the code is running, even if it's a mountain of shit, don't touch it lightly. Otherwise, it could create an even more unmanageable situation. The Japanese logistics are complex and chaotic now, but they can still function. If we change this system and it breaks down, who will take responsibility?

But Okamura's thoughts were different from Hayashi's.

He encouraged Okamura to reform the system in order to promote food control. In other words, he wanted to extract more food from the Japanese army so that more people would be spared from starvation. As for whether the Japanese logistics were in disarray or whether the lower-ranking Japanese soldiers would be dissatisfied, what did that have to do with Lin Ze?

Anyway, they'll be gone in two more years at most. Even if they cause trouble, how much trouble can they cause?

Anyone who dares to cause trouble at that time will be a rebel, a traitor to the Japanese, and will be killed!

Therefore, what is beneficial or harmful to Okamura, or even more harmful than beneficial, is entirely beneficial to Hayashizawa.

"General, you must think of it this way. As you said, the logistics system is not something we don't want to change, but something we can't change. This precisely illustrates that whoever can accomplish this will reap enormous benefits! For decades, so many important figures have wanted to reform the logistics system, and you have succeeded. So, next, can you take charge of the logistics of all the troops in China? And then, can you push for the reform of the position of Director-General of Logistics, thereby gaining control of the logistics system of the Great Japanese Empire? He who controls logistics controls the world!"

Whoever controls logistics during wartime is the commander-in-chief and the true prime minister—that makes perfect sense.

Anyone who heard this would be confused, and Okamura was certainly confused as well, but he wasn't completely confused yet. "Mr. Lin, if this matter is accomplished, the benefits will indeed be great, but if it fails, it won't be a case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead! Once the logistics supply goes wrong and the army in North China falls into chaos, then forget about going to Nanjing to serve as the commander-in-chief, I'm afraid I'll be attacked by those political enemies and forced to step down!"

Lin Ze shook his head. "General, times have changed. The reason it couldn't be changed before was because there were many factions. Back then, these factions were divided by region. Who was from Yamaguchi Prefecture, who was from Kagoshima—it was all very clear. Tokyoites didn't dare entrust their logistics to Osakaites, and Osakaites didn't trust those bookish, long-winded guys from Kyoto. Later, these factions became based on academic background. You're from the Army War College, I'm from the Army Academy—of course, we couldn't get along..."

"However! Your Excellency General! You have cultivated the North China region for many years, and now, the loyalty of the commanding officers of various units to you is not a major issue. This is the biggest foundation. Secondly, through your continuous sweeping campaigns, you have greatly trained the command systems of the various units in North China. Each sweeping and encirclement campaign involves the deployment of several units, so the troops' obedience to your orders has become increasingly higher through this training. Finally, we have the material foundation for unified management of logistics. Under your governance, North China is now rich in resources and has a well-developed logistics and transportation system, with highways, railways, and waterways all readily available. Under these conditions, facing something with such great benefits, why shouldn't we do it!"

specialized!

wonderful!

Okamura picked up his cigar again and started puffing away.

He frowned and fell into deep thought.

"If, and I mean if, we were to try this, how would we begin, and how would we control the pace?"

"Your Excellency, we can make full use of the North China Materials Special Committee. Of course, this should be done step by step. At first, we can just take back the power to collect grain under the name of material control, but each unit can still receive a certain amount of procurement funds. They can also collect non-staple foods themselves. Once they get used to the unified distribution of grain, the next step can be clothing. All clothing supplies must be ordered through the Army Headquarters, and the funds for this will naturally not be distributed anymore. Once they have adapted to these two points, we can also include non-staple foods in the unified distribution."

Okamura continued to puff on his cigar.

"This will inevitably affect the interests of certain individuals..."

"General, whether or not one is willing to relinquish some benefits is the true test of loyalty. If those officers are willing to give up their immediate gains, then you will certainly promote them greatly in the future. If they only care about their own little territory, what right do they have to walk alongside someone like you?"

Yoshi ah!

Yo-shi, Lin Jun!