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Actually my second, I started a game and discovering I didn't like HQ Movement rule reloaded. I think
the only other optional rule not used is HQ Support. Having enough issues with when/how to utilize the HQs.

Not included in the image is a Chinese unit guarding the strait with Hainan. SNLF is headed there.
All told including the HQ, there are six IJ armies on the Han, another in Canton.

Having never played WiF, this is a solitaire game to get the feel for it. Though I read through the rules I
don't recall every detail regarding terrain effects (Japanese learned about swamp movement), supply lines, etc. So, there are plenty of
mistakes found along the way. Secondly, I'm not spending a lot of analyzing "Ok, I can 35-12 on this
this hex", throw them down in a seemingly sound fashion and see what plays outs.

Also, I'm following a rather historic approach so I know units from Manchukuo are heading south.

As China, never have your units on the coast. Japan can add in shore bombardment and even starts with some good CVP ground factors. Chinese units on the coast have a habit of disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Japan sets up second, so they can configure their forces to hit wherever they can reach in China that is weakest. Every hex considered for defense should be examined from the point of view of the maximum Japan could get if they focused everything they could on marching up and attacking that hex. China is better to defend further inland and see first where Japan focuses their forces.

Shot is at the end of 39Nov/Dec.

Yup, Chinese learned the lesson regarding the coastal set up. The unit SW of Canton was the first to go.
If I hadn't totally mucked up Japan's Action sequence it would have been much worst. I also did not
utilize the IJN air units.

Secondly, my focus for the IJA was to secure resources and LoC in the south. Nonetheless I should
have attacked the left wing of the nationalist on the Han, instead I played around trying to move south
toward my link up with the units coming from Canton.

My overall approach with the Japanese is to secure as much as I can without suffering any losses,
no stretched attacks. I want all my construction going into the IJN, not rebuilding ground units.
After scanning some AARs I see many take a more aggressive tack.

Thanks for the confirmation. This is not an easy game.

And subsequently, the end of 40Jan/Feb. No losses yet for the IJA.

There is little point, for either side, in fighting along the Yangtze valley north of Chang-Sha. The Japanese can't advance their logistics forward in that area (in the WiF rules system - in real life both sides could have just used the river itself for transport). And also an advance in that direction just doesn't gain them anything or cost the Chinese anything either, and only leads towards prime defensive terrain for the Chinese.

The Japanese have three ways to get into China.

The first one is along the railroad into the Chicomm Area to Siam and Lan Chow;

The second one is along the Birma road towards Kwei-Yang

The third one is in the south, along the Coast pressing towards Nanning, through French Indo China further towards Kunming (this is by far the most difficult approach, but can be done if China isn't paying attention to that part of the country.

The central part of the Chinese front is useless to the Japanese, but can be used by China to force the Japanese to set up units there to prevent Chinese adventures towards the already conquered area's.

Also: the Japanese has the choice where to attack, because they set up later. One should try to force the Japanese in putting units to avoid the Chinese entering Japanese controlled area's (and taking back cities now under Japanese control). The Chinese have a higher number of units to set up as compared to the Japanese. Use that advantage. My setup was this one:

Notice that the Japanese has to put a unit into the Isle of Hainan, into Canton, into the center part of the front to defend Wuhan and to prevent the units in the mountains south of Chengchow to move to the east. If the Japanese doesn't do so, start doing nasty things with the Chinese...