October 28, 2020, 09:20, B2 Bunker (Armed Forces Joint Command Control situation room) in Seoul Yongsan-ku.

  “All 22 CJ-10s, Chang Jian-10 cruise missiles headed towards Incheon have been successfully intercepted by the Navy East Sea Fleet’s anti-air missiles from their destroyers.”


  Chairman of the Joint Staff Kang Yi-sik turned his gaze to the main screen at the operator’s reports and confirmed that the last 22 red lines depicting cruise missiles had all cleanly disappeared.

  “Gather all interception situations and upload them onto the sixth screen.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  A few moments later, the statistic reports of the CJ-10 cruise missiles fired consecutively from each region of China and the ship-to-surface cruise missiles fired from the North Sea and the East Sea Fleet were marked on the sixth screen. Two hundred seventy-seven of the missiles were about to enter the Korean peninsula, and all of them disintegrated spectacularly in the sky over the West Sea.

  “Now that’s a relief.” Chairman of the Joint Staff Kang Yi-sik let out a long sigh of relief after flawlessly defending against China’s first round of retaliation attacks. The Chief of Naval Operation then spoke.

  “Mr. Chairman, how about we attack the original locations of these ballistic and cruise missiles as well?”


  “I would also like that very much, but it’s risky to use the missile power we don’t have much of in a war that just started. Let’s just go according to the established plan for now.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  Thus, the Korean-China War that had begun on Friday at four in the morning was briefly in a lull. Korea was in a lull from their own plan, and the Chinese Central Military Commission executives with Kan Kuichou at the center suppressed their pride and edited their strategy so they could be fully defensive after their retaliation attack of ambitiously-prepared ballistic and cruise missiles turned out to be a bleak failure.

  The Chinese military executives immediately ordered their army to retreat to the rear after reestablishing communication that was lost for five hours due to Korea’s surprise attack. First, the least damaged one, Army Group 40, was ordered to retreat to Siping and reorganize, and Army Groups 39 and 16 were ordered to retreat to Shenyang and Jilin, respectively, to assign the reserve units that gathered from national mobilization during an emergency. The remaining troops of Army Group 38, which had almost been driven to destruction, were ordered to retreat to Beijing and completely reorganize. Finally, Army Group 65 was ordered to retreat to Anshan and construct a defensive front, and commanders in the Southern, Western, and Central Theater Commands had to urgently move one of their army groups towards the Northern Theater Command.

  The Chinese military, building up their defense in the rear area, had a plan, and their concept was to utilize their numerous ground forces that outnumbered Korea in the open terrain of the Northern Theater Command, which would be the main stage of the war, as much as they could. As stated, they would simultaneously retreat from the Yalu River and draw Korea’s main unit deep inside to utilize their outnumbering ground forces to surround and defeat them. From the Chinese military’s perspective, it would be a fully effective and advantageous plan, and conversely, it was a plan that could only be disadvantageous for the Korean military.

  The Korean military had already fully predicted this kind of strategy from the Chinese military and even had a plan to respond to this reflected in their ‘Rise of Goguryeo’ plan. They were going to pretend to fall for the Chinese military’s intended plan, then conduct a deep strike operation as far as Shenyang by infiltrating with only one team. If they were to follow the intentions of the Chinese army and attack from various areas, they would be surrounded or defeated in a region three times larger than the entire Korean peninsula. Their plan to attack in the direction of Sunyang, a road that led towards the Northern Theater Command, would regroup the Chinese military that was widely dispersed in the Northern Theater Command. Once the Chinese military siege began to form, they would split into two directions to break through the siege, and the Korean military’s second attack unit would strike the Chinese military’s siege from the back.

  However, to carry out this kind of plan, there were a few very important preconditions that needed to be satisfied.

  First, it depended on whether the troops that were infiltrating for a deep strike on the enemy could survive an enemy siege. In order to do that, it had to be the troops with the best offensive and defensive capabilities. Thus, the Joint Chiefs of Staff decided on the select VII maneuver corps 20th Infantry Division, which specialized in Decisive Battle, and Capital Infantry Division Tiger, who had been deployed first with the newest weaponry and completed the entire regimen. They judged that these divisions would maintain their forces under the Chinese military’s siege, and they could conduct the deep strike operation with swift momentum.

  Furthermore, attacks from the maneuver corps’ worst enemy, an enemy aircraft or attack helicopter from the Chinese military’s air force, could be fully responded to with VII maneuver corps’ main battle tank, the K-3 White Tiger’s air defense system, a mid-grade K-30 Biho A2, K-SMA-1 Pegasus A2, and K-SAM-2 Heavenly Palace A1’s organized anti-aircraft brigade operation.

  Second was the supply of fuel, various ammo, and food. Thankfully, the two maneuver corps’ K-3 White Tiger tank and K-23P Black Turtle Infantry Fighting Vehicle were equipped with plasma engines that didn’t need separate supplies of fuel. It was a system that switched out the charged plasma battery for energy. Furthermore, the K-3 White Tiger’s tank gun was a four-inch photon canon that didn’t use traditional tank ammunition, and the Small Arms and Light Weapons were also laser rifles that used charged plasma packs. Thus, only the anti-tank and anti-air missiles needed the loading vehicles to attach to each battalion and fix the problem of fuel.

  Finally, they judged that they could secure the supply of food with the air force’s stealth transporter KC-1000 airdropping them food.

  For these reasons, Korea’s Chiefs of Joint Staff, with certainty and confidence that they would succeed in a most dangerous plan that would determine the outcome of the war, threw tasteful bait to the Chinese military.

  Phase Three: Advancement of ground forces and 1st Marine Division

  Advancement of two divisions of VII maneuver corps deep into Shenyang past Pyongyang and Sinuiju, and one division to wait at the rear corps

  Advancement of II corps and three of their divisions as one past Chorwon and Yangdok to Hyesan

  Advancement of V corps and three of their divisions as one, past Anju to Manpo

  Advancement of 1st Marine Division through Amphibious Squadron 53 to Hoeryong after going ashore on Chongjin-hang

  * * *

  October 28, 2020, 13:00, Prime Minister Cabinet conference room in Tokyo, Japan.

  At President Suh Hyun-woo’s public announcement that morning, Japan’s cabinet only gave a short position statement that they were “expressing deep concern for the Korean-Chinese War,” and their course of action was to watch from a neutral position no more or less opinionate than their statement.

  During the last North-South federal unification agreement presentation, they stated that there was a duty to mutually respect and sincerely follow the treaty concluded by each nation. Hence, they were stating that according to the Chinese-North Korean Formal Amity, China could exert any influence on North Korea and, in a simpler explanation, that the North and South could only reunify with permission from China. Japan’s statement with these intentions meant that Japan was also against the North-South federal unification.

  From this position, the cabinet senior officials were sharing opinions to discuss Japan’s future entry and countermeasures for the Korean-Chinese war in the Prime Minister’s conference room.

  “The war broke out in superb timing. Now that the two thorny countries are fighting each other, it’s like blowing my nose without having to use my hands.” For whatever reason, smiling since before the conference had even started, Prime Minister Abe now spoke while laughing out loud.

  “But Prime Minister, sir, currently the Korean-Chinese war is going in a strange direction.” Minister of Defense Shibasaki spoke while looking at the report from the defense strategy department.

  “What do you mean?”


  “Though Korea launched a surprise attack without declaring war, China has been unexpectedly cornered to a defensive position. Each country’s ballistic missile attack from this morning is still being analyzed, but the reports so far show that Korea’s ballistic missiles have heavily damaged the Northern Theater Command’s four army groups, as well as radars, air force airfield, missile bases, and other military facilities.”


  “Aren’t Korea’s ground forces one of the best in the world?” National Security Director Gurumada cut in pretentiously.

  “Director Gurumada! This is not a problem of ground forces. How could there be a battle between the ground forces when the war has just begun? The current war has only been a battle with surface-to-surface ballistic and cruise missiles from each country.”


  “Is that right? Aren’t surface-to-surface missiles part of the ground forces?”


  Embarrassed after acting so pretentious, Director Gurumada cleared his throat and tried to pick apart what was said, since he didn’t want to lose. Even before this, Director Gurumada and Minister Shibasaki had never had a great relationship. They didn’t have overtly negative feelings towards each other; it was just that they had been compared to each other since entering the government together at young ages as rising politicians, and as they lived as competitors, their relationship naturally became hostile.

  Minister of Defense Shibasaki ignored Director Gurumada’s churlish statement and continued speaking. “Though Korea’s ballistic missiles have their own power, the problem is that they were able to defend against all the ballistic and cruise missiles China fired.”


  “Hahaha, aren’t the Chinese the type to make counterfeits? They’re all talk when it comes to bragging about how superior their capabilities are, but they all turn out like this in actuality.”


  Prime Minister Abe glossed it over by saying that China’s ballistic missiles were useless rather than believing that Korea’s KAMD system was simply superior.

  “The war has only just begun. Situations can change at any moment. The problem is how we use this golden opportunity to our nation’s advantage.”


  In truth, Prime Minister Abe believed this was an opportunity that would not come again and hoped for the most economic and military benefits, as well as for the war to be drawn out, with Korea and China drowning in the whirlpool of war.

  “You are correct, sir! Regardless, Korea started this war. If Korea has an advantage, Japan can think of a way to employ political pressure on Korea and supply equipment needed for war from behind to receive our benefits. I believe we can include Liancourt Rocks as a requirement for our supplies,” said Diplomatic Minister Ochi Furume to put it in a nutshell.

  “Hahaha, of course Minister Ochi Furume, those were my thoughts exactly. Since China is referring to Korea as a country displaying illegal aggression to the UN security council, let’s take China’s side. And if Korea becomes disadvantageous, we can discreetly take their side from behind.”


  Prime Minister Abe lifted both of his hands, made an arrogant expression, and laughed away in the conference room.

  * * *

  October 28, 2020, 20:20, Chongjin-hang in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea.

  After leaving at 4:30am, the VII maneuver corps and Amphibious Squadron 53 had sailed a long 14 hours to arrive in North Korea at Chongjin-hang. Chongjin-hang wasn’t a large port that could anchor tens of boats, so only eight landing platform docks anchored in order to begin unloading marine corps and various war equipment and materials.

  “Look at your movements. Don’t hesitate and disembark quickly!”


  Chongjin-hang was in the northernmost area of North Korea. It was early winter weather, and the chilly wind from the sea dispersed with the rushing voices of the marine executives.

  After just disembarking from the Cheon Wan Bong class, LST-691, 2nd Marine Division 22nd Raid Force 1st Company corporal Oh Won-woo looked around in wonderment and asked his senior sergeant Kim Woo-kil who was walking in front of him, “Sergeant Kim, it’s so interesting that I would step on North Korean soil in my lifetime. I want to take a picture.”


  “Corporal Oh, don’t say such gibberish. If you do anything wrong during the war, you’ll immediately receive detention in the guardhouse.”


  “Do you think I would actually do that? It’s just something I want to do hypothetically.”


  “Hypothetical or not, get your head on straight!”


  “What can I do? War is war, and interesting things are interesting.”


  “You’re too optimistic.”


  “Are you jealous, Sergeant Kim?”


  As Corporal Oh grinned in full gear with various new personal gear dangling off of him, he saw the employees of Chongjin-hang who were going to help the marine division unload and called to Sergeant Kim in a lighthearted voice, “Look over there, a North Korean.”


  “You’ll see so many more from now on. Just watch where you’re going and follow behind.”


  “Yes, sir.”


  Chongjin-hang, with only half of its lights on due to poor electricity, Korea’s select 1st Marine Division and their fleet, plus four regiments of 12,000 people, had disembarked, and the marine corps, not including special forces 1st Reconnaissance, prepared to make camp near the port.

  * * *

  November 29, 2020, 09:00 (CST 08:00). G1113 Danfu Expressway, seven miles northwest of Dandong, China.

  On a long one-way, four-lane expressway, over 100 tanks and armored vehicles began moving at a high speed. They were the Korean VII maneuver corps’ 20th Infantry Division for Decisive Battle, the 60th Armored Brigade’s 26 Tank Batallion, specifically the Alligator Batallion, who after the war began headed north from Yangpyeong nonstop, spent one night in Shinuiju, and continued to head north.

  In the morning after crossing the Yalu River and heading north for 30 minutes on the Danfu Expressway, they didn’t see any civilian or Chinese military cars. It seemed as though everyone had escaped following China’s evacuation plan. The early winter weather, the strong winds, and the brown-toned mountains connected on each side almost created an eerie feeling.