October 28, 2020, 05:00

  National Emergency Situation Center underground bunker, Blue House, Jongro-ku, Seoul

  The ROK Military Joint Command Center had sent the data of the war in real-time to the National Emergency Situation Center, and the screen on the wall across from the president showed a digital map of the Ap-rok river border, complete with graphs that could be read easily.

  “Mr. President, the 38th Army Group, considered to be China’s most powerful military force, has sustained the most damages. If you look at the graph, 81% of their forces have been annihilated.”


  The screen showed the damages sustained by the subordinate forces, along with what was left of their forces, all of which showed as a calculated percentage on the screen.

  “I see. The strategy made by the Joint Chiefs of Staff must have worked well. But, I’m concerned about something else.”


  “What is it, sir?”


  “Considering the tendencies of China’s leadership, we don’t know what they will do if the damages they sustain are great. They might launch a counterattack more dreadful than we expect.”


  “Sir, do you not have faith in our Joint Chiefs of Staff? They have already set strategies to counter the worst counterattacks China can make, so let’s see what they do.”


  “Yes. I guess there’s no other choice.”


  The president, who had spent the entire night awake due to the heavy mental burden he carried, was fatigued in both body and spirit. He stood up from his seat, stretched his shoulders, rubbed both his eyes, and then gestured for the secretary to come over to him.

  “Please get me a cup of coffee. A very strong one.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  “Sorry, please get a cup of coffee for everyone here. After all, I’m not the only one who’s tired.

  “Yes, sir.”


  After ordering for coffee and glancing around at the center, the president realized that while he himself only had to sit around and listen to reports, dozens of staff members had to move around and work busily at their stations.

  After seeing how fatigued the president was, Minister of National Defense Kang Hyun-soo said worriedly, “Mr. President, how about you take a quick nap? Don’t you have to make the national address in a few hours?” .

  “As a leader who invoked war, what right do I have to rest?”


  “What? Mr. President, how can you say such a thing? This is a defensive strike for the unification of the Korean Peninsula and its territories.”


  “No matter the reason, I started this, didn’t I?”


  “No. That is absolutely not true. Who would think of the president in such a way……”


  “Minister Kang, I said too much. Okay? Let’s stop here.”


  * * *

  October 28, 2020, 05:08

  B2 Bunker, Yongsan-ku, Seoul (ROK Military Joint Command Center).

  “The ground-to-ground cruise missiles (Hyun-mu 3E2-A type (GLCM)) launched from each artillery force have made contact with the 16th Army Group. Out of the 102 total launched, excluding the 14 that misfired, 88 have correctly reached their targets.”


  The operators gesticulated, their eyes moving around wildly, as they reported the military’s actions in real-time, and they were shouting so much that the blood vessels in their neck were bulging.

  “48 of the 60 surface-to-land cruise missiles (Skydragon A missile (SLCM)) targeting the 40th Army Group have successfully hit their mark, while twelve have been struck down.”


  40 minutes after the first missiles hit their targets, the first phase of operation “Rise of Goguryeo,” dubbed “Light of Dawn,” was reaching its end.

  “Report on the movements of the ground forces and the navy.”


  When the first phase of the operation was finished, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kang Ui-sik sat down and took a moment to relax before asking for the movements of the reinforcements.

  “Please take a look at screen six. The 7th Mobile Corps Headquarters and its subordinate force, the 20th Armored Division, are moving as the leading force, while the Capital Armored Division and the 39th Mechanized Infantry Division have passed Gae-sung and are now heading north, using the Pyeong yang Highway.”


  For this operation, the 7th Mobile Corps, the leading force for the expedition north, had integrated three divisions into its army: the Capital Armored Division, the 20th Armored Division, and the 30th Mechanized Infantry division, which was previously under the 1st Corps.

  The operator moved the console as he made the report and showed the army’s movements on the number six screen, with arrows to show directions.

  “Also, the 2nd Corps with the 7th Armored Division, the 15th Eastern Border Division, and the 27th Light Armored Mountain Division are moving via the temporarily-opened Chulwon-Dukchun Highway. The 5th Corps with the 3rd Armored Division, 6th Mechanized Infantry Division, and the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division have all started their move.

  “What about the navy?”


  “Currently, the Maritime Task Flotilla Seven, the 10th and 53rd Amphibious Fleets, have departed from the Pohang navy base, maintaining a speed of 28 knots, and are sailing 32 km northeast.”


  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kang Ui-sik shook his head a few times to ease his fatigue and then ordered for the second phase of the operation. “Good. Things are going as planned. We now enter the second phase of the operation. Contact the missile command center.”


  “We have the army’s missile command on the line.”
-

  Sir, this is Lieutenant General Oh Tae-gyun.

  “Good work. We begin phase two of our operation.”
-

  Yes, sir!

  Phase 1 (Light of Dawn): Quickly strike the Chinese main attacking forces and reinforcements-

  Use eight Zeus Zinog missiles to annihilate the powerful 38th Army Group and its reinforcements-

  Use Zeus Epirus pulse bombs to disable the facilities and equipment of the 39th and 16th Army Groups, which are leading the attack-

  Perform aerial attacks against the 39th and 16th Army Groups using the Phoenix and Black Phoenix flight wings-

  Attack the 40th Army Group with the corps artillery’s cruise missiles-

  Strike the remaining forces of the 39th and 16th Army Groups with the 1st and 2nd Fleets.

  Phase 2 (Light of Dawn 2): Launch a secondary attack on the Chinese military, based on the current threat level in Korea-

  Strike all radar bases in the northern areas-

  Strike all tactical ballistic missile bases-

  Strike fighter jet airfields-

  Strike China’s Northern Navy Fleet.

  The Korean army’s missile command center and its subordinate missile forces all fired land-to-land ballistic missiles with a range of 800 km to 1,200 km. The missiles emitted blue flames as they rose into the dark sky at dawn. The total number of missiles launched was 120.

  “Report from the missile command center. The Hyun-mu-1E2 and Hyun-mu-2E2 missiles have all successfully been launched to the twelve target areas.”


  When the 120 Hyun-mu ballistic missiles increased in altitude and headed toward the atmosphere, the Chinese radar and anti-air bases went into a state of alert and used their missile interception system.

  “At least five of the missiles should fall on the targets.”


  The digital map of Korea and China showed the routes of the ballistic missiles. When the missiles reached the atmosphere, they spread out, each heading to its own target, and the sight was like a scene from the PC game “Power Game.”


  * * *

  October 28, 2020, 05:30 (China Standard Time, 04:30)

  Central Military Commission Command Center Bunker, Beijing, China.

  The Central Military Commission Command Center Bunker rivaled Korea and America in size, and it had a very large screen installed. Numerous operators were looking at their monitors, hard at work collecting data on Korea’s preemptive strike. At the center of the bunker’s control center were the staff from the Central Military Commission and other politicians, who were all waiting for the president’s arrival.

  Slam!

  The people in the room turned their eyes toward the entrance. Someone had kicked down the door and made a ruckus. Between the broken doors, a shadow emerged. It was the Chinese President Xi Jin Ping.

  His face was red, and his eyes were bloodshot. His appearance showed his shock. President Xi Jin Ping walked to the center of the room and slammed the table with both his hands, unable to contain his anger.

  “How could this have happened?” he shouted. “How could our People’s Republic of China be struck first? Minister of Defense, what was the military doing?”


  Minister of Defense Ping Bai hung his head and said, “The informants from each branch of the military are organizing intel. The exact data will take some time to collect, but I can report on the things we have confirmed.”


  “What do you mean? The situation still hasn’t been fully assessed?”


  “I apologize. We speculate it was a ballistic missile attack, but the three Jy-26A radar bases stationed in the northern area, and the four mobile JY-26B radar bases under the army groups failed to detect them. The large scale X-band radar base in the Feilungjiang and Shuangyashan areas only detected the missile three minutes before impact. The missile was falling at the speed of Mach 55. The time of impact was 03:27:12.”


  “What is that? Are you saying the ballistic missiles fired from Korea were not detected beforehand, only three minutes before impact?

  “Yes, sir.”


  “Are the radars that have cost us hundred of thousands of Yuan only up to that level? When you were boasting about their capabilities while foaming at the mouth? Equipment director?”


  Expecting this question, Fu Di Hu Chao stood up and straightened his posture.

  “Yes, Mr. President.”


  “You, you have made a fool out of me with this hunk of scrap?”


  “No, sir. The radar was able to scan the routes of America’s F-22 stealth fighter jets and the movements of Japan’s recent spacecraft launch, and it has no problem scanning the orbit of objects outside the atmosphere.”


  “Let’s talk about this at a later date. Until then, prepare a well-researched explanation behind the cause. Minister of Defense, continue.”


  When everyone’s gazes moved from the Equipment Director back to the Minister of Defense, Ping Bai hung swallowed and continued his report.

  “The large scale X-band radar detected eight missiles fall toward the 38th Army Group. According to the urgent reports from near military bases, each missile put an 8 km radius into flames. If this explosion occurred eight times, then the tightly-encamped 38th Army Group can be considered annihilated, or at the least, incapable of fighting as an army group.”


  “Have you contacted the 38th Army Group?”


  “The 38th Army Group can’t be reached.”


  “This is truly dumbfounding.”


  President Xi Jing Ping, who seemed to be dissatisfied with the enigmatic reports, frowned, tilted his head to one side, and then signaled the Minister of Defense to continue reporting.

  “After the missiles hit the 38th Army Group, six ballistic missiles each hit the command centers of each force at the 39th and 16th Army Groups. The missiles that hit the command centers were EMP missiles, which went off 1 km above the surface. All anti-air radars and weaponry were disabled, and after a few dozen minutes, a bomber flight wing from Korea’s air force attacked with air-to-surface missiles. Then, we were attacked a second time with surface-to-surface cruise missiles.”


  “What are the damages?”


  “The 38th Army Group, just like the 39th and 16th Army Groups, have gone silent, and only the 40th Army Group can be reached.”


  “What is the status of the 40th Army Group?”


  The Minister of Defense grabbed a document on the table and read it aloud.

  “The 40th Army Group’s commander has died, and the second in command, Lu Ho Wo, is acting in his stead. 60% of the forces have been eliminated, and the other subordinate forces, the 82nd Infantry, 118th Mechanized Infantry Division, 119th, and 191st Vehicle Infantry Divisions, 5th Armored Division, artillery brigade, and anti-air artillery brigade have all sustained losses of 10 to 20% and are retreating to Sun Yang.”


  “This is preposterous. Three army groups have gone silent, and one is retreating.”


  An intelligence officer with a rank of Colonel ran into the room while shouting.

  “Korea has launched 120 ballistic missiles. They’re approaching the atmosphere and are all changing direction to head to their 12 targets.”


  “Wang Fa Dan!”


  Xi Jing Ping, who shouted, looked at his vice-president and spoke. “Vice-President Kan Kuichou, I will give you command until this war is over, but take care of the ballistic missiles from those bangzi first.”


  Excluding President Xi Jin Ping, Kan Kuichou was the highest in military command. He was not only vice-president but also a lieutenant general. After receiving Xi Jin Ping’s orders, Kan Kuichou stood up, saluted, and left the room while answering, “I will take authority over this situation. I’m off.”


  When Kan Kuichou left the room, President Xi Jin Ping glared at the Central Military Commission staff and the politicians, then spoke.

  “How does it make sense that our China, which claimed to be at the peak of military power in the 21st century, was this easily attacked by a mere country like Korea? If the Central Military Commission deems it necessary, then use nuclear weapons, and erect a plan for vengeance and report it to Vice-President Kan Kuichou. I would like all the politicians to use any means necessary to pressure Korea through the U.N for its dirty low blow.”


  “Yes, sir.”