21st Century Goguryeo

January 16, 2024, 20:00 (New China time: 19:00)

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

The 22nd Armored Infantry Division of the 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Cheongseong) and the 23rd Armored Infantry Brigade of the 3rd Armored Division (Baegol), which joined the operation to occupy Tangshan at 12:30, quickly crossed the anti-tank minefield laid by the New China Army and took a major detour. As a result, they attacked Tangshan from two locations at the same time.

On the other hand, the 112th Mechanized Infantry Division of the 38th Group and the 21st Armored Regiment of the 6th Armored Division, which was in charge of defending Tangshan, used the latest tank 99-H and defensive tactics on the plains west of Tangshan, but they were severely damaged. As a result, they retreated to Tangshan's downtown area.

As a result, the downtown of Tangshan was facing hell. Hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry from both sides were engaged in fierce battles throughout the city. However, as time went by, the New China Army was being pushed toward the eastern end of Tangshan.

Moreover, the 340th Mechanized Infantry Regiment of the 114th Mechanized Infantry Division, which was reinforcing Tangshan urgently, was spotted and blasted by South Korean military aerial reconnaissance, and was unable to provide any significant support and therefore, retreated.

"They couldn't make any difference."

Guo Jingfei, General Chief of Staff of the 114th Mechanized Infantry Division, said while biting his lower lip after receiving a report that the 340 Mechanized Infantry Regiment had retreated after sustaining a severe loss. The Lieutenant General, who was watching together, also responded with a gloomy expression.

"We have to give an urgent order to send the 6th Armored Division's 21st Armored Regiment to Tangshan."

"I think it will be difficult to change the situation with only them…Is there any other unit to support?"

"Well, the Central Military District, which is currently guarding this place, also suffered a great loss, so except for the defense units here…"

The Lieutenant General's voice trailed off into silence as there was no proper way to say that.

"Okay. Instead, if there are any units with whom we are still in communication, order them to move to Tangshan immediately."

"Okay. There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Looking at the current situation, I think it will be difficult to defend Tangshan."

"You think so?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Why don't we move our base to the rear right now?"

"Are you trying to retreat?"

General Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei asked after hearing the unexpected remark.

"Langfang is only 130 kilometers from Tangshan Mountain. If the Korean military decides to come here after the takeover of Tangshan, it will only take them less than three hours."

General Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei nodded slightly and turned his head toward the Chief Executive Officer Kao Wei-kwang, and asked.

"Chief Executive Officer, do you feel the same way?"

He spoke formally to the Chief Executive Officer.

"Yes, I feel the same way as the Lieutenant General."

Chief Executive Officer Kao Wei-kwang briefly replied in a serious tone.

"Hmm, is there any other way?"

"General Chief of Staff! The most serious issue in our army right now is that lower-level units cannot get fast orders as we were only able to partially restore the communication system at the moment. In other words, I believe that in a case where we are unable to respond quickly, we should have all combat troops retreat and then launch a counterattack after fully repairing the communication system."

He accurately pointed out the current problems of the New China Army.

"How far do we have to retreat?"

He replied to General Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei's question after a little thought.

"Currently, all of this area is flat land. In other words, it is very advantageous for the Korean military rather than our defending army. Accordingly, why don't we set the Baytiding Mountains as our final defense line and start from there when our communication system is 100 percent restored?"

As the South Korean military began the Great War operation, the General Chief of Staff adopted a defensive strategy of concentrating the forces of the 16th, 39th, and 38th Army Groups between Beijing and Tianjin. However, the problem was the unstable communication system, which led to the defeat of many of the lower units since orders were not sent in a consistent and timely manner, preventing the General Chief of Staff's intensive defense strategy.

"Isn't it like giving up most of the territory of New China to the Korean army?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. Isn't it better to preserve our power till the communication system is restored? That way, we would have a chance to counterattack. Besides, the two Army Groups that were evacuated to the Shandong Peninsula from the Western Military District and the Southern Military District should be used as counterattack forces."

General Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei thought carefully and soon nodded and accepted.

"Well, that's true."

"Then, let's move the headquarters to the rear right now."

The Lieutenant General thought it was time so he intervened.

"Let's report that part first, and while we're at it, let's gather all of the central military district's units to the Chao Bai River to form a defensive line."

The Chao Bai River is a large river that flows from Beijing's eastern end to Tianjin's northeastern tip, with the widest section reaching 800 meters and the narrowest section reaching 180 meters, making it the most geographically suitable location for a defense line on the Daepyeongwon, which extends hundreds of kilometers without the mountain.

"Yes, I'll pass on your instructions right away."

"Oh, and please come up with a plan regarding the retreat with your staff right now, according to the Chief Executive Officer's opinion."

"Yes, I will."

"Okay. I'll be back after meeting the president."

General Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei rose from his seat and headed to the operating room's entrance after staying what he needed to say.

* * *

January 16, 2024, 21:00 (US time 08:00)

Pentagon, Allington, Virginia, USA (Joint Staff Headquarters Operation Briefing Room)

President Trump and other ministries, White House executives, and Joint Chiefs of Staff military commanders have been sitting in the Pentagon's operational briefing room since early that morning.

There were approximately 150 persons present, including about 30 generals with four stars among the military chiefs. It would not be an exaggeration to state that all of the military's top leaders had gathered, demonstrating the significance of this meeting.

Nick Lehmando, chief of operational staff at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, walked up to the stage in his khaki conquest and instantly spoke into the microphone.

"Then, let's begin the briefing on the '2024 Pacific Joint training'."

"The Pacific Fleet's 3rd Fleet, which gathered in Hawaii two days ago, is fully organized and is currently sailing at a maximum speed. It will take roughly five days to reach the training sea. Furthermore, the 7th Fleet will finish all preparations at the Guam base and begin sailing at the same speed as the 3rd Fleet."

The location of each fleet was depicted on the digital map, which covered the whole North Pacific Ocean and was marked with numerous tactical symbols, according to Operation Staff Chief Nick Lehmando's briefing.

The 7th and 3rd fleets of the Pacific Fleet, which suffered great damage after participating in the Northeast Asian War in 2021, were completely withdrawn from Japan and three years later they had completed their reorganization.

In the case of the 7th Fleet, the sinking Nimitz-class Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) was re-established as the Ford-class Ronald Reagan (CVN-79) and was reorganized into the latest Zumwalt-class destroyer and the new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

The 3rd Fleet also replaced the entire damaged electronic equipment with SEMP waves, and non-recoverable destroyers also served as newly built Zumwalt -class destroyers, as well as positioning one more Ford-class aircraft carrier in place.

As a result, the Pacific Fleet has acquired tremendous power in the last three years, with three Ford-class aircraft carriers, 12 Zumwalt-class destroyers, 24 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and a total of 12 nuclear submarines. In other words, it was the result of excessive spending.

Under the guise of the '2024 Pacific Joint Training,' the Pacific Fleet, which possesses enormous force, gathered 400 kilometers east of Katsura, Japan.

It was a large-scale independent maritime exercise by the United States Navy, similar to the RIMPAC exercise, a biennial multinational naval joint maneuver exercise aimed at ensuring the safety of the Pacific maritime traffic route and strengthening the combined operational capability between the navies of Pacific coastal countries in the case of an emergency.

However, for training, something was unusual as all the ships of the 3rd Fleet departing from Hawaii or the 7th Fleet waiting to depart from Guam were loaded with various bullets, missiles, and numerous supplies, and 60,000 United States Marines were on board several aircraft carriers and raid ships.

"As mentioned earlier, the 3rd and 7th fleets will gather on the training sea on the 21st, and the training will begin at 11 p.m. local time on the 22nd. We'll then move on to the detailed training situation."

The briefing by Operation Staff Chief Nick Lehmando lasted for four hours.

* * *

January 16, 2024, 21:00 (New China Time: 20:00)

Outside Langfang City, Hebei Province, New China (temporary presidential office of the Central Military Headquarters).

General Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei, who had been waiting outside for a while, entered the presidential office after the secretary opened the door and led him inside.

When he entered the presidential office, he frowned slightly due to the strong smell of alcohol that filled the room.

"What's going on?"

President Wang Jing-wi, who was sitting on the sofa and pouring whiskey into his mouth, turned his head slightly and asked while gesturing him to sit down.

"It looks like we would have to relocate our camp."

"Are we relocating again?"

President Wang Jing-wi looked at him with half-open eyes and replied.

"At the moment, the 6th Division, the Korean military's spearhead, had advanced to Tangshan and they are about to occupy it."

"Tangshan? You mean Tangshan, which is right next to us?"

"Yes, that's right. It's only 130 kilometers away from here."

At that moment, President Wang Jing-wi hit the table.

<Boom!>

The whiskey glass on the table rolled on the floor and fell.

"What were you doing while the Koreans were advancing?"

"Currently, the communication system is not working properly, so we had difficulty communicating with our units."

"Are you using that as an excuse?"

"I'm sorry."

General Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei dropped his head.

"So, where are we going to go?"

President Wang Jing-wi took the whiskey glass that had previously fallen on the floor and poured whiskey into it until it overflowed, then began to drink it.

"To Yangquan."

"Yangquan?"

"Yes, I will soon establish and report a full operation plan, but for the time being, I'll briefly let you in on it. We'll establish the final defense line and restore the communication system once we've retreated all fighting forces to the western end of the Baytiding Mountains, and then the two groups, Western and Southern countries, will join us to launch a counterattack."

"At the west end of the Baytiding Mountains, you'll hand over all the eastern regions to the Korean army?"

"Under the current situation, it's an unavoidable choice. We must buy some time and reorganize our force. So, please give us your approval!"

President Wang Jing-wi's eyes were trembling at this point. He couldn't tell if this was due to the president's rage or his dissatisfaction with having to retreat again. Only the President was aware of this fact.

"When are we going to move?"

"Early tomorrow morning."

"Okay, let's do that!"

"Thank you. I'll get ready then."

General Chief of Staff Guo Jingfei, who had come in with a heavy heart, expected the president to be angry or even frustrated. However, he had easily given his approval, although he did notice that President Wang Jing-wi seemed afraid…