October 29, 2020, 18:25 (CST 17:25), Nanfen District, 23km southeast from Benxi, China

  About 40 minutes of battle, it became gradually clear that Korea’s 60th Armored Brigade was winning. China’s 3rd Armored Division had lost over two-thirds of their Type 99 G tanks in flames, and the armored vehicles were shot down, thus, creating a pandemonium. The 60th Armored Brigade’s 32nd Tank Battalion, in charge of the frontal breakthrough, had pierced through the enemy lines and relentlessly crushed the Chinese tanks and armored vehicles. From this, China’s 3rd Armored Division’s Commander felt that the tide of the battle was unfavorable, and it was time to use a hidden card to gain an upper hand—through the use of the air force. A few moments later, all of the 60th Armored Brigade’s air warnings rang.

  “Above the west mountain chain! Appearance of attack helicopters! All battalions switch to antiaircraft system!”


  While the Brigade Headquarters’ urgent orders were being delivered, tens of attack helicopters that were hidden below the west mountain chain gained speed and altitude to face the left side of the 60th Armored Brigade.

  “It’s the WZ-10 helicopter!”


  The voice of the 26th Tank Battalion’s Battalion Commander, who was in the nearest location, can be heard through the communications network. The WZ-10 (Wu Zhi-10) attack helicopter was a knockoff of the American Apache attack helicopter—smaller and thus inferior in its armed force—but was announced in 2010 to have an outstanding operating capacity similar to the original model.

  Doodoodoodoodoodoodoodoo~

  As the WZ-10 attack helicopters rose higher in altitude with a lively sound, pointing their nose down, they had completed their target assignment of the 60th Armored Brigade’s tanks and various armored vehicles. Sixteen HJ-10 (Hong Jian-10) antitank missiles attached to each wing were fired in order. The opposing 60th Armored Brigade’s Air Defense Battalion and each Battalion Headquarter Company’s K-SMA-1, Heavenly Horse A2, and K-30 Biho A2 fired antiaircraft missiles and darted streams of light from the 12-mm Vulcun laser.

  Shooong~ Shooong~ Shooong~

  Pewpewpewpewpewpewpewpew~ Pewpewpewpewpewpewpewpew~

  In the midst of numerous missiles and light streams barraging the air and ground and colliding with each other, the Chinese Antitank Missile Battalion AFT-10 armored vehicle (Caterpillar Type) emerged from the rear. They fired HJ-10 (Hong Jian-10) antitank missiles from two four-directional canons toward the 32nd Tank Battalion. As the 32nd Tank Battalion’s White Tiger tanks evaded the unexpected attack with a radar lock-on, they targeted the rear AFT-10 armored vehicles in the rear with Black Dragon missiles while fighting against Type 99 G tanks with photon canons.

  With all forces, including air forces, joined with China’s 3rd Armored Division, the war became even more intense. Some of the White Tiger tanks, previously thought to be invincible, broke their caterpillar tracks and stopped moving. The Chinese tanks, believing this was their chance, focused their fire on the stalled White Tiger tanks.

  “This is a notice to all Battalion Commanders. Retreat immediately one kilometer to the rear from the battlefield. Over and out.”


  From the Brigade Commander’s orders, each Battalion Commander relayed this order to the Company, and their White Tiger tanks began retreating while shooting from their photon canons. A few minutes later, there was an explosion a few meters above the Chinese 3rd Armored Division’s rear area sky, followed by a rain of steel. This was caused by a 155-mm precision-guided plasma cluster bomb deployed by the 20th Armored Division’s Artillery Brigade. When tens of plasma cluster bombs consecutively exploded, each Chinese armored vehicle canon became a beehive and spewed blackish-red flames and smoke.

  Truthfully, in a situation where tanks are entangled in battle, the enemy or friendly forces don’t fire with the artillery unit. This is because friendly forces can suffer damages too. However, the K-9A1 Lightning self-propelled artillery was able to accurately shoot through laser guidance. The 60th Armored Brigade simultaneously confirmed the location of the 3rd Armored Division’s rear unit that was advancing in a cluster to launch a large-scale attack and requested fire after assigning the laser guidance through the Division’s Artillery Brigade.

  After about a hundred shots were fired, the armored vehicles and specialized vehicles moving in the rear visibly decreased in number. A few remaining WZ-10 (Wu Zhi-10) attack helicopters in the sky flew toward the Brigade Headquarters while firing HJ-10 (Hong Jian-10) antitank missiles. Immediately, 12-mm Vulcun laser beams flew out of both doors of the K-30 Biho A2 armored vehicle and intercepted them. When the Heavenly Horse A2 surface-to-air canon deployed the Light Dragon missiles, the three WZ-10 (Wu Zhi-10) attack helicopters dispensed chaff and flare to enter into retreat maneuver, but in the end, disintegrated one by one in midair.

  Two hours after the battle began, the sound of tank guns that shook the heavens and the earth, as well as the sound of the caterpillar tracks’ movement began decreasing a bit and the battle’s end became more visible.

  “This is the Brigade Commander. The 32nd Tank Battalion will advance to the Chinese army’s rear and clear the surviving forces, and the rest of the Battalions will stick to the current location and go into defense duty. Dismissed.”


  The 26th Tank Battalion, in charge of the left side of the battleground, maintained a line formation and began advancing slowly to check and target the Chinese army’s surviving tanks and armored vehicles.

  “Sergeant Oh, this battle was really epic. I almost peed in my pants.”


  “With something like this?”


  “Hey, Sergeant Oh! You honestly got scared too, right?”


  “Real funny! The manly Oh Young-taek, scared from this? Not even close!”


  “Hahaha.”


  “Why are you laughing?”


  Corporal Yeom Hoon-gi’s laughter was heard through the headset as well as their conversation.

  “It’s nothing, Tank Commander.”


  “What do you mean it’s nothing, man?”


  “Hahaha.”


  “Hey! Target 1, 200 ahead! Fire!”


  In the midst of joking inside Tank 712, a single Type 99 G tank slightly showed its head from a dirt hole in front of them. Tank Commander Oh immediately assigned the target and gave the firing order.

  Pew!

  When the fire came out of the photon cannon and a red particle flew out, the Chinese Type 99 G tank that showed itself slightly, received a direct hit on its front then exploded.

  Crassshh~ Rumble!

  “Sergeant Oh, you definitely have the eyes of a hawk.”


  “If we add that one, it’s 15 tanks and 4 armored vehicles. I think with this we might be the first rank in our battalion.”


  Sergeant Oh checked the battalion battle statistics system with much anticipation.

  “Huh? This guy is first.”


  Sergeant Oh, very upset that he lost first place by one tank, suddenly yelled at Corporal Yeom.

  “Keep moving forward!”


  “Tank Commander, sir! Are you going to disobey the Battalion Commander’s orders to stick to position and check again?”


  Staff Sergeant Kim Young-joo spoke while looking at Sergeant Oh with a big frown on his face.

  “D*mn, fine, man!”


  – Switching to Battalion air defense duty, 16 enemy aircraft spotted at 85 km west!

  Lieutenant Colonel Kang Hyuk-jin’s orders were delivered through the battalion’s communication network, and so were the air danger warnings.

  “We’re screwed. We don’t have antiaircraft missiles. What should we do? We can’t even go outside to reload. There’s a puddle where we blew up that enemy tank just now, right? Let’s go there and try to take cover!”


  “Yes, sir!”


  Sixteen of China’s J-20 aircraft, self proclaimed to be indistinguishable from America’s F-22, approached the 60th Armored Brigade at mach 1 speed while fully equipped with gliding cluster bombs. However, on the radar of the 60th Armored Brigade’s Antiaircraft Battalion, they were ridiculously clearly detected, so much so for being called a stealth aircraft.

  * * *

  October 29, 2020, 17:03 (CST 16:03), the sky 11 km north from Ansan-si, China

  After approaching a distance of 65 km, J-20 Stealth Squadron Lieutenant Colonel Hu Yilung gave an attack order to each formation.

  “This is the Huchi Battalion Commander. Deploy gliding cluster bombs within 40 attack range to assigned targets and return immediately. Dismissed.”


  – Long Boy, copy that.

  – Lung Haying, copy that.

  – Hong Dot, copy that.

  Suddenly, while communicating with each formation commander, the Battalion Commander’s aircraft RWR sounded a warning alarm. However, there was no information at all about the detection, and the newest KJ-2000 Early Warning Aircraft 300km in the rear wasn’t sending any information about the detection.

  “What is that? Where is it coming from?”


  Lieutenant Colonel Hu Yilung was undecided on whether to retreat or shoot the targets. He surmised that the distance was short enough to shoot immediately and retreat. Upon deciding on this, he gave the attack orders to prioritize shooting the targets first.

  “Mobilize to target distance at high speed and commence retreat movement immediately after deployment. Dismissed.”


  – Long Boy, copy that.

  – Lung Haying, copy that.

  – Hong Dot, copy that.

  The four enemy J-20 stealth aircraft began speeding up to reach the target distance of 40 km. As soon as they were closer to the target distance, their KJ-2000 Early Warning Aircraft gave an emergency retreat order.

  “Fuxin 1, confirm Huchi. Currently, 16 air-to-air missiles are approaching quickly with mach 20! Requesting emergency retreat,”


  Beebeep Beebeep Beebeep~

  The air-to-air missiles approaching at a high speed was indicated after receiving a data link from the Early Warning Aircraft. Feeling pressed, the Huchi Battalion Commander shouted urgently into the communications network.

  “Huchi, each formation, retreat and—”


  Crash! Crash! Crash!

  The four air-to-air missiles that flew over in an instant intercepted the four J-20 stealth aircraft in front of the formation, including Lieutenant Colonel Hu Yilung, causing them to explode in midair. Surprised by this, the three remaining stealth aircraft in the formation couldn’t even think about deploying the gliding cluster bombs, and they retreated while hurriedly dispensing chaff and flare.

  The second round of four air-to-air missiles intercepted additional J-20 stealth aircraft, causing the eight surviving J-20 stealth aircraft to forego the bombing order and instead escape quickly to survive.

  Meanwhile, the four KF/A-25P Black Vermilion Bird fighter bombers deployed from Pyongyang Sunan Airport, which has a wartime record of intercepting eight J-20 stealth aircraft, turned its nose that was facing the border of the Yalu River, to return to Sunan Airport.

  * * *

  October 29, 2020, 23:00 (ET 09:00), UN Security Council Headquarters in New York, United States

  China had presented a package of resolutions regarding Korea’s illegal aggression to the UN Security Council. In turn, the Council’s 15 permanent and nonpermanent members held a conference to deliberate on these resolutions. Korea, a nonpermanent member of the Council, also participated in the deliberation and was given time to present its opposing statement to China’s package of resolutions.

  “It is China’s contention that Korea is a nation of illegal aggression, and thus will introduce a package of resolutions. However, that contention is incorrect. According to Article 3 of the Republic of Korea’s Constitution, ‘the territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands’; hence, North Korea is part of the Korean territory. We struck first from a defensive perspective in accordance with the Constitution’s stipulation against an aggressor because we were forewarned about China’s plan to invade North Korea. How can this be an act of illegal aggression?”


  “Korea should refrain from making a misleading statement. What evidence do you have against China that we were attempting to invade North Korea?”


  While Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vice-President An Hyo-joon was presenting his opposing statement, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director Chin Kang abruptly rose from his seat and shouted, pointing his fingers to the speaker. To this, Vice-President An stood with an air of charisma as he glared at Director Chin and retorted in a strong tone.

  “Director Chin, are you truly trying to deny this? What was the reason for the four Army Groups surpassing the size of a Corps to be mobilized and deployed near the Yalu River under the pretense of a ten-day training? The size of the troop itself was over 400,000.”


  “China was only training in preparation for North Korea’s state of emergency in accordance with the Chinese–North Korean Formal Amity.”


  “The Chinese–North Korean Formal Amity? The Republic of Korea and North Korea presented a compromise on the North and South federal unification on October 1, 2020, and have formally declared a suspension of the Chinese–North Korean Formal Amity through a revision of this Formal Amity on October 20. So what treaty outlines a precautionary training? Please stop saying things that even children wouldn’t believe.”


  Vice-President An, to rein in his growing anger took his lips away from the microphone and inhaled a few deep breaths before speaking.

  “Members of the Security Council, whom I respect, I only have one question. Should we just watch and let an enemy country attempt to invade our own territory? Or should we take the most optimal response that could counter this? Hence, I present various evidence that China was attempting to invade. That is all.”


  Vice-President An returned to his seat after concisely presenting his opposing statement.

  From this, the United States Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vice-President Anpoly Macarin, who was tasked to be the moderator of the meeting, asked the Chinese representative of his opinion on this opposing statement.

  “Will China present an opposing statement to this?”


  “Yes, we will.”


  Director Chin rose to the stand and leered at Vice-President An before he began speaking.

  “Each nation has duties and obligations to protect in the conclusion of a treaty. However, North Korea, a strong ally for tens of years, gave up their duties and obligations to the treaty in one moment. A one-sided destruction of a treaty by one nation disturbs the international order, and we should not ignore such practice. Hence, China could not accept this kind of abrogation of the treaty, and only commenced the training for an emergency situation to faithfully follow the Chinese¬–North Korean Formal Amity.”


  Director Chin examined the general air among the Council members before continuing.

  “Korea intentionally chose a time of 4:00 a.m. for its illegal act of aggression and created an inhumane act of brutality with a casualty of 200,000 deceased as well as 20,000 civilian deaths. Hence, China requests that Korea withdraws its army and issues an apology and war reparations accordingly. If these conditions are not met, we request the UN to send out their troops to the illegal aggressor country, Korea.”


  After both Korea and China presented their opposing statements, there was a time for a brief recess before the 15 members of the Security Council voted on the resolutions that China proposed.