21st Century Goguryeo

January 25th, 2024, 08:30 (Russia Time: 08:30)

8.7 kilometers from the western edge of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia (The 20th Armored Division, 60th Armored Regiment, 26th Squadron)

The 26th Tank Squadron, which had finished scouting the planned advance path and the spot the troops would stay after crossing the river, was waiting in a parallel position a few kilometers from the Onon. In the back, countless tanks and armored vehicles were approaching in a caravan.

It was the 60th Armored Brigade, where the 26th Tank Squadron belonged. Currently, the 20th Armored Division was going to be divided into three brigades: the 60th Armored Brigade in the north of the Unda, a contributing stream to the Onon, the 61st Armored Brigade and the 26th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in the south, and the artillery brigade and division headquarters as well.

The spot where the 60th Armored Brigade was going to land was a relatively narrow place, less than one kilometer wide. Therefore, perhaps the brigade needed to be divided to land in installments. Nonetheless, the 60th Armored Brigade chose the spot for the following reason:

The 20th Armored Division, before coming up with a plan to cross the river, had employed all of their available reconnaissance resources to scout the various spots along the Onon. As a result, they confirmed that several of them could be vulnerabilities in the Russian defense. However, on the other hand, they could also be said to be difficult spots for the 20th Armored Division to cross the river and land.

The entire span of the Onon could never be defended at the same time. Having figured that out, the Russians had already placed a skeleton crew for each of the difficult-to-land spots, considering their topography. The 60th Armored Brigade, exploiting that, had decided to land on those precise spots. Secondly, if they infiltrate those spots, they could rapidly undermine the Russian defense front set up along the Onon. Then, other brigades could easily move to the other side of the river.

Thus, the 60th Armored Brigade was the core element in the current river-crossing operation. Among them, the role of the 26th Tank Squadron was especially crucial.

When the entire world was covered in white snow, erasing the boundaries between the river and land and making roads invisible, the C-3A1 tanks belonging to the 26th Tank Squadron had to rely on the previously taken digital maps and the domestically developed C-GPS. Waiting with the low rumble of their engines, they started sprinting forward, dividing the white snow as soon as the squad leader gave them the go-ahead.

In the sky, the Spider-II recon drones and 30 or so Eagle-I assault drones, in place of assault helicopters, began floating toward the Onon to provide a supportive airstrike.

"Il-su! Refer closely to the digital map. Do you get it?" said the tank leader, Sergeant Kim Yeong-ju, 3 kilometers away from the Onon.

"Don't you worry. I have read it so many times. It's practically engraved in my head." Private Kim Il-su, steering his beloved Tank 712 with a skilled flourish, answered in a voice full of confidence through the in-vehicle comms.

"Don't let your guard down. Keep alert! If we get stuck in a ditch and become immobilized, the enemy artillery will have a field day shelling us."

"You should have more faith in my driving skills."

"That baseless confidence is what worries me."

"I am the best driver in the brigade. So I deserve your blind trust. Haha!"

"When I was in his rank, no one spoke like that. But, these days, there is something wrong with the new recruits," Staff Sergeant Yeom Hoon-gi said incredulously.

"From my point of view, you acted just the same."

"Sir, you must be joking. I never acted up like that."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

Just then, with a whistling sound from the sky, snow erupted all around them after shells struck the ground.

"No more talking! It's starting! Everyone must stay alert."

The laser intercept system mounted on the rear side of the C-3A1 tank to defend against anti-tank missile attacks was activated. As a result, a splendid display of 'fireworks' was seen in the sky.

Also, the Eagle-I assault drones, flown in advance for air support, showered the Russians with retaliatory fire after flying above them. That marked the beginning of Operation Onon, which would decide the future of the northwestern front.

In a situation where the river's boundary was not discernible to the naked eye, Private Kim Il-su relied on the C-GPS to locate and steer their vehicle. He shouted through the in-vehicle comms.

"We are entering the river. Just so you know."

The Onon was frozen, but days of heavy snowfall blocked some of the cold. The temperature see-sawed between minus five degrees and two degrees above zero Celsius. It made it impossible for the tanks to roll on the ice. The weight of the snow on the ice was also considerable. They risked falling into the water if the ice broke.

The C-3A1 tanks were capable of underwater maneuvers, but if they had to go that way, it posed a problem because the slower speed meant more aiming precision for the Russians.

Unlike the uneven topography so far, the ice on the Onon provided level ground for the tank to speed up to 30 kilometers per hour.

If it were not for the snow, they could even go faster, but now they couldn't. The current river-crossing operation was being carried out in the worst of the conditions.

They had a space of 20 meters between each tank, but from inside their tanks, they could still hear the ice cracking caused by other tanks.

"It's chilling!"

But something unexpected happened. When the 26th Tank Squadron tanks were halfway across the Onon, massive shell strikes came raining down upon them from the eastern side of the river.

The squad headquarters provided defensive fire with C-30 Flying Tiger A2s and CSMA Heavenly Horse A2s, but some shells came through the interception fire and fell onto the Onon.

The White Tiger tanks fell into the broken ice and water one by one with the explosions.

The same fate fell upon Tank 712. It tilted left and was then promptly submerged in water.

"Going into underwater maneuvers!"

From the four corners of the drowning Tank 712, bubbles emerged, then the vehicle gained balance and buoyancy. Finally, it floated to the surface and resumed its march, breaking ice on its path.

The new method of advance significantly reduced the speed of the tanks' march. Moreover, the shelling roars from both sides rumbled in the atmosphere, and splendid flames embroidered the sky above the snowy ground.

In the fierce offensive-defensive battle, eight FAH-91SP Falcon assault helicopters, in high-speed flight, appeared from the southeastern sky. They belonged to the 17th Air Corps of the 7th Mobile Corps of the Air Force.

The FAH-91SP Falcon assault helicopters, after promptly approaching the Onon, showered the ground with all kinds of weaponry as soon as they were in position.

One of the Falcon assault helicopters evaded a ground-to-air missile with evasive maneuvers. Then it mercilessly showered the spot where the ground-to-air missile came from with 50-millimeter plasma rounds.

The anti-air artillery, hidden behind white camouflage barriers, soared into the sky like torn-up bodies with the explosive-made columns of snow. When they landed, they dyed the snow around them with the dark red of their blood.

Staff Sergeant Yeom Hoon-gi, seeing all that with his in-vehicle telescope, bit on his lower lip. He was a seasoned soldier but still felt nauseous at such scenes. The atrocities of war rarely succeed in weathering any human with their very reality.

The 26th Tank Squadron, when they were about to arrive at the eastern end of the Onon, which seemed so distant moments ago, saw the 28th Armored Division of the Red Army, who had just removed their camouflage barriers. These were the cutting-edge T-14B Armata tanks of Russia. The size of the troop was that of two tank squadrons.

These T-14B Armata tanks had been waiting with bated breath in the white camouflage barriers. But unfortunately, the white barriers they had been using were made of a unique material using aluminum boards, rendering most of the Koreans' recon efforts useless.

The Red Army's 28th Armored Division tanks, appearing suddenly 400 meters away, aimed their 16-megajoule railguns at the 26th Tank Squadron, which was about to land.

The White Tiger tanks of the 26th Tank Squadron, trudging through the frozen river as they made their way through the thick ice, approached the eastern bank of the Onon and prepared to fire in retaliation. Still, the T-14B Armata tanks had a head start, for they had been waiting and had all the preparations done.

The 70 or so Russian tanks simultaneously fired their railguns.

Countless metal rounds that spread in the air like laundry lines aimed for the armored plates of the C-3A1 White Tiger tanks.

Due to the close proximity, some White Tiger tanks were struck by the metal rounds in their barrels and lower vehicle bodies, but most were successful in their attempt to intercept all the metal rounds. But the shelling was just beginning.

The T-14B Armata tanks kept unleashing the metal rounds, flaunting their automatic reloading system that allowed for continuous firing. The C-3A1 White Tiger tanks also kept firing their 100-millimeter photon cannons.

In close proximity, the battle between metal and photon didn't last long.

"We can resume advancing!" Sergeant Kim Yeong-ju, the head of Tank 712, ordered the driver, Private Kim Il-su, right after hitting his first target and aiming for the second, third, and fourth targets with his scope.

"Sir, the left steering camera has been hit! I have no vision."

"Keep the wheel steady and hit the gas! You can do that even with no vision. If we cede here, that will be the end of our squad!"

Staff Sergeant Yeom Hoon-gi, aiming for the second target with his crosshair, stepped on the Fire pad.

The red particles of the photon cannon rapidly approached and pierced the spot between the body and the cannon of the T-14B Armata tank that fired at them, half-buried in snow.

The cannon turret soared into the sky with a tremendous explosion. The body, separated from the turret, had a column of flame dance in its place.

"That's a great shot! Go to the third target!" Sergeant Kim Yeong-ju, confirming the demise of their second target with the blasting-off of their turret, gave his next order.

Tank 712, after finally reaching the riverbank and attempting to roll up the slope, had its turret turn to the nine o'clock direction to the left to aim for their third target. But the tank slipped on the slippery slope and failed to acquire its next target.

Even though the C-3A1 White Tiger tanks had excellent engine output, the slope at an angle of more than 27 degrees with waist-high snow proved to be quite an obstacle. The tank slipped repeatedly, and the next shot tarried as a consequence. Their fifth target, a T-14B Armata tank, repeatedly fired its railgun metal rounds at Tank 712.

"What are you doing? Go up!"

"We can't. I have to take a diagonal path, sir."

<Boom!>

Just then, Tank 712 received a considerable shock, and the whole vehicle vibrated throughout.

<Argh!>

The metal round, striking at close range, had a tremendous impact. Fortunately, the tank evaded a direct hit. But the crew inside Tank 712 suffered from temporary hearing loss for a while. The impact was that great.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Sergeant Kim Yeong-ju, shaking his head to come to his senses and shake himself out of the confusion.

"I'm fine."

"Me too."

"Private Kim! Take the diagonal path as you said. Staff Sergeant Yeom, we will skip the fourth target. Aim for the fifth right now."

"Yes, sir!"

Tank 712, withstanding the considerable impact, turned slightly right and started hiking up the slope diagonally. The turret aimed its photon cannon toward the fifth enemy target that had just fired the railgun metal round toward them.

The area surrounding the Onon, which had been covered in white snow moments ago, was now starkly covered with burning remnants of tanks, various debris, and mutilated grotesque bodies. The area was increasingly getting soaked with the bloodshed.