21st Century Goguryeo

January 9, 2024, 17:00 (New China Time: 16:00)

On the outskirts of Langfang City, Hebei Province, New China (temporary residence of the Central Military Headquarters)

President Wang Jing-wi, party officials, and commanders of the General Staff, who escaped Beijing by transport helicopter, moved to the temporary residence of the Central Military Command outside Langfang and set up the General Staff Command Office.

They then attempted to comprehend the battlefield situation, but due to continuous communication failures, the existing communication equipment became useless. As a result, even though it was an outdated concept, they were directly sending liaison soldiers to each collective military command to understand the battlefield situation.

The situation was similar to a busy market, with liaison soldiers from each unit going back and forth to deliver information, and operators manually collecting information and marking it on the various screens.

Guo Jingfei, who took the position of Chief of Staff, shook his head as he was afraid that this situation would last for a while and said, "When will communication be restored? This isn't the Qing Dynasty. I'm exhausted."

"We are in the process of mobilizing all available communication units. We are working to have stable communication as soon as possible. We expect that it will be within the day," replied Lieutenant General Mark, a commander of the central military district who had been promoted to the Head of the Operational Status of the General Staff.

"Within the day…Okay. Anyway, our situation on the battlefield is not good. Most of our troops are being pushed back from all fronts…"

Battlefield information gathered so far had been marked with various tactical symbols on a large screen on one of the walls of the command room, with the majority of the tactical symbols representing the New China Army being pushed down from the border and descending toward the southern end. And, because the information is not complete, it is impossible to judge the overall battlefield situation based on the current statistics, but Guo Jingfei, the General Chief of Staff, watched with a heavy heart as if he had a powerful feeling of foreboding.

"Special precautions are required. At this rate, the Korean military will seize, not just Beijing but Tianjin as well."

Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei then looked at Lieutenant General Mark and asked him, "That's what I think—how about you? Do you have any good ideas?"

"According to my understanding, the South Korean military appeared to have used up the majority of its strategic weapons in yesterday's attack. Even if they have any weapons remaining, they will be unable to use them against our New China Army as they would need to deal with the Russian army. As a result, shouldn't we concentrate our front-line forces in defending Beijing and Tianjin as much as possible and seize the opportunity to push forward with a general offensive?"

Guo Jingfei's dark face began to brighten as he heard Lieutenant General Mark's analysis.

"Well, based on our current situation, it appears to be an appropriate response."

"Yes, I believe so as well. However, communication is critical during wartime, but due to our current situation, we won't be able to give orders to each unit."

Chief Executive Officer Kao Wei-kwang initially nodded, but soon began shaking his head as he remembered their current communication problems.

In response, Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei was lost in his thoughts for a while before he said, "You should make the most of what you've got, shouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I should! After establishing defensive operations with the staff, Lieutenant General Mark immediately contact all subordinate units in the northern and central military districts."

"Yes, we'll establish a defense operation right away."

Just as he answered, Lieutenant General Mark, headed to the operational meeting room, where he met with not only the General Staff but also the staff of the Central Military Headquarters. Then, in order to overcome the current unfavorable battlefield situation, they convened a countermeasure operational meeting.

* * *

January 9, 2024, 20:30 (New China time: 19:30)

17 kilometers from the southern end of Puning County, Hebei Province, New China

The 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Cheongseong), which had lost more than half of its power due to a plasma bomb attack by the New China Army while being deployed on the border of Xianan (Qinhuangdao), exchanged positions with the 3rd Armored Division (Baekgol). They retreated to the rear and began an emergency reorganization.

The reorganization was completed by combining the remaining troops from the 7th Mechanized Infantry Brigade and the 19th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which had suffered the most damage during the plasma attacks, as well as two artillery battalions from the Division Artillery with the 22nd Armored Brigade. In other words, division-level power was effectively reduced to brigade-level power. As of yesterday, the 22nd Armored Brigade of the 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Cheongseong), which was reorganized as a brigade-level, had been deployed in earnest in the 'Great Offensive Operation.'

After taking a week to reorganize, the commanders and soldiers of the 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Cheongseong) sharpened their teeth in order to avenge the death of their colleagues. They set a record of defeating a motorized infantry division belonging to the 38th Group Army within only one day of entering the engagement, after which they split up into battalions and marched south.

The spearhead unit, the 1st Tank Battalion, maneuvered along the S364 road and began crossing the 450-meter-long Fuhe Bridge. About halfway there, a New China Army ambush appeared.

As soon as the LWR (laser warning receiver) alarm went off, the C-2A1 Black Tiger tanks, which were in the lead, automatically fired several smoke grenades and emitted SECM (Super Electronic Counter Measures), an electronic defense technology, and began avoidance maneuvers.

As a result, several anti-tank missiles with burning smoke trails that were flying over the bridge toward them either self-destructed or spun around and fell into the river.

<Quang! Quang! Quang!>

"What is this? Couldn't you detect them with the reconnaissance drone?" The battalion commander's reprimand erupted through the communication network.

"I'm sorry. We failed to detect them."

"For the time being, the leading platoon will continue to advance! It is a very unfavorable location." Upon receiving the command of the battalion commander, flames erupted from the 120-millimeter smoothbore gun of the C-2A1 Black Tiger tanks, which were covered in a smoke cloud.

<Boom boom boom!>

Three C-2A1 Black Tiger tanks maneuvered in the three-lane one-way street at the same time and moved forward after their first artillery attack.

<Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!>

The C-2A1 Black Tiger tanks, which were moving at top speed as the engines rumbled, kept firing.

<Piuuuuung! Piuuuuung!>

A whistle was heard at some point, and soon after mortar shells were dropping all over Fuhe Bridge.

"Mortar Batteries have been discovered throughout the golf course at the southern end 8 kilometers away! 36 in total! A large infantry unit has been spotted! It is estimated to be one regiment level. Oh! Furthermore, many people who seemed to be civilians have also been identified."

"Civilians? Please, zoom in on the video and let me check." Accordingly, the battalion commander, who was commanding the C-22 command armored vehicle, checked the transmitted video.

In front of a regiment-level force, numerous people who appeared to be civilians were positioned as if they were shields.

"I've never seen such b*stards. Are they using civilians as shields?" Looking at the absurd scene, the battalion commander unknowingly uttered abusive language through the communication network.

Meanwhile, several C-2A1 Black Tiger tanks trampled the New China Army infantry in front of them as they crossed the Fuhe Bridge while avoiding the mortar shells.

<Kwaaaaang! Kwang!>

A spark erupted from the side of the lead C-2A1 Black Tiger tank, accompanied by an explosion that nearly burst the eardrums.

The momentarily tilted C-2A1 Black Tiger tank maneuvered as if nothing had happened, turned its barrel toward the attackers, and fired a high-explosive shell from its smoothbore cannon.

<Whoosh! Whoosh!>

The soldiers of the New China Army, who were hiding not far away with only their upper bodies visible and who had fired the anti-tank missiles at the leading tank, were swept by the explosion.

As such, the power of the New China Army was reduced, and the number of Black Tiger tanks crossing the Fuhe Bridge increased.

Meanwhile, the battalion commander, concerned about the New China Army's use of civilians as shields, sought advice from the Battalion Operation Division.

There were currently two artillery battalions 15 kilometers behind the first tank battalion. In other words, they could easily destroy the New China Army and turn them to ashes by requesting firepower from the two friendly artillery battalions, but the New China Army built their second defense using civilians as shields. As a result, he had no choice but to be cautious.

He couldn't easily decide to ignore the civilians and launch an attack when they were already facing international condemnation for the massacre of civilians.

It was fortunate that the soldiers who built the defense line were infantry, and it was possible to breach their defenses by attacking them from the sides without causing any harm to the civilians.

Therefore, after consulting with the operational chief, the battalion commander directly issued an order through the Turkion-X Wireless communication system mounted on his helmet. "The leading 5th Company and the headquarters company focus on eliminating the remaining soldiers from their current location. The 6th and 7th Company, detour to the left and right respectively, and destroy the enemy defense unit designated as Target A. If at all possible, avoid causing any harm to the civilians who are being used as shields by destroying the enemy without the use of artillery."

As soon as the battalion commander's order was issued, each company's tank began to move in unison.

With a fierce momentum, the tanks of the 6th and 7th Company moved forward at high speed, and the remaining 5th Company tanks and various armored vehicles of the Company Headquarters dealt with the ambush of the New China Army.

After a few minutes, when the mortars that were mercilessly falling from the sky became less frequent, and the remaining New China Army had almost been cleared, a commander's voice, close to a scream, was transmitted over the communication network.

"In the direction of 9 o'clock—a large number of tanks have appeared!"

As soon as the report ended, multiple gunshots rang out, echoing through the air. They were a tank battalion from the 38th Army Group, operating the latest Type 99 A2 tanks.

<Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!>

A shattering sound that ripped through the air was heard, and then several bladed ammunitions fell on the tanks of the 5th Company, which had just cleared the ambush.

<Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!>

As a result, several C-2A1 Black Tiger tanks shook violently. There were, however, no tanks that were hit or sustained irreparable damage. Even if they were the New China Army's most recent tanks, equipped with a 125-millimeter smoothbore cannon, hitting the C-2A1 Black Tiger tank with only bladed ammunition was an excessively greedy move.

Soon after, the tanks of the 5th company, which were being attacked, launched a counterattack.

<Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!>

Because they were less than one kilometer away, the plasma bullets caused significant damage to the New China Army's Type 99 A2 tank.

The turret of the tank which was in the lead, exploded into the air, and red flames erupted inside the vehicle. Soon, black smoke spewed from all sides.

As a result, nine Type 99 A2 tanks caught fire with only one shot and were turned into scrap metal. The New China Tank Battalion, which had launched the pre-emptive attack, fired a smoke grenade and began evading maneuvers on the left and right.

<Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!>

<Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!>

While numerous bladed and plasma bullets were flying toward each other in the plains, Tank 511, the most active in the 5th Company, maneuvered in a zigzag pattern and defeated the approaching enemy tanks one after another.

"Next target! Bullet! Load."

"Loading! Ready!"

"Shoot."

<Boom>

Plasma bullets with a penetrating power of 1,200 millimeters flew through the frontal armor of the targeted enemy tank's turret in the blink of an eye.

<Kwang!>

When it dug into the tank's interior, it exploded, shaking the 58-ton Type 99 A2 tank, spewing red flames in all directions.

"Hit! Give me the next target!"

"There's none!"

"What?"

"The battle is over."

"Already?"

"Yeah! It's over."

"Phew. Anyway, I'm glad it ended well," sighed Corporal Hong Il-joon in relief.