November 8, 2020, 04:30 (03:30 China time), the Great Plains west of Sun-Yang, China

  As the battle intensifies on the ground, two strategic KB-30P Green Dragon bombers were flying fast and stealthily in a super-cruise mode 20 km above the western plains while being escorted by eight Red Phoenix fighter jets. Each of the bombers had an internal payload bay that was packed with 40 tons of plasma cluster and booster bombs.

  Shortly, four Red Phoenix fighter jets and one Green Dragon bomber joined the team, turning in the eleven-o’clock direction toward the artillery unit of the First Artillery Command. At the same time, another identical team, lowering its altitude, flew toward the location confirmed to be the main base of the 20th Group Army, which was the target of their first bombing.

  The Green Dragon bomber was a strategic bomber developed by Korea but modeled after the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B Lancer. But in terms of its stealth functions, speed, range, avionics equipment, and all other features, it was a state-of-the-art bomber that defied comparison to any other bomber.

  The Green Dragon bombers had been on standby for two hours on the runway of Sinuiju Airport before it was ordered to take off. In less than seven minutes after takeoff, they were flying close to the main base of the 20th Group Army, which was the primary target. There was no threat of any surface-to-air attack or attack by fighter jets from China. The bombers had lowered its altitude to five kilometers and were about to launch a maneuver to drop a bomb.

  “Burner off! Down! Down! Down! Bomb area access.”


  Major Lee Kang-hoon, the main pilot of the Green Dragon bomber, turned off the super-cruise mode and switched to low-altitude flight mode while notifying the current status to the pilots of the Red Phoenix fighter jets.

  “Papa 1. Roger that.”


  The leader of the escort squadron replied to acknowledge it, and he did his best part to escort the bomber by doing what the Green Dragon bomber was doing—lowering altitude and switching to low-altitude flight.

  “Bomb step.”


  “Copy preparation.”


  While communication was going on between the main pilot and the Chief of Weapons Control Center, a guided control agent set up the bombing points by scanning all parts of the main base of the 20th Group Army—the target of the bomb-dropping target—which he could see in high-resolution image. The base was housing a transport unit and barracks of the Group Army, ammunition depot, radar, and several air defense and artillery units.

  A short time later, the guide control agent finished setting up the bombing points and sent an OK signal to the Chief of Weapons Control Center. In response, the Chief confirmed the final bombing points and slowly opened the hatch of the internal payload bay.

  “Bomb! Drawing down! Go!”


  As soon as the Chief of Weapons Control Center issued an order to drop the bombs, a button was pressed and released the links that were connected to the bombs loaded in the bomber. Dozens of K-PSB cluster bombs began to drop from the internal payload bay in a row. Once they reached a certain altitude, their self-propelled devices lit up and each of them turned toward their targets, gliding down toward them.

  “Complete! Complete.”


  After the Chief of Weapons Control Center reported the completion of the bombing, the Blue Dragon fighter jets raised their altitude again and turned their direction toward the second target. Another 40 plasma cluster bombs were dropped and quickly reached an altitude of 50 meters above the targeted bombing points. The bombs exploded on the first blast, spraying numerous shells over the heads of the Chinese soldiers. These explosions took place throughout the main base of the 20th Group Army. They turned the entire area into a hellish sea of flames, damaging not only Chinese soldiers but also civilian vehicles, armored vehicles, and tanks as well with a tremendous power of explosion incomparable compared to any conventional high-explosive bombs.

  About five minutes later, the 54th Group Army met the same fate as the 20th Group Army. The artillery units under the 2nd Artillery Command that had been exchanging shots with Korean units in the tug of war sustained a devastating loss after being hit by the plasma cluster bombs that showered over them mercilessly. The destroyed Chinese artillery units included an artillery unit with 50 nuclear shells ready to fire in case of an unexpected development.

  * * *

  November 8, 2020; 08:30 (07:30 China time), the Great Plains west of Sun-Yang, China

  The large-scale battle that took place in the Great Plains west of Sun-Yang between the two armed forces was leaning toward a victory for the Korean military seven hours into the battle. It was a long battle even to the eyes of a third-party observer. But despite the scale of the military forces from both countries, it was coming to an end soon. It was because the Korean military had mobilized a massive artillery fire fighting and various means of attack in the early stages of the battle. That meant the Korean military’s intensive and diverse means of attack could cut short the battle despite China fighting back with its massive military forces.

  The Korean military used various means of attack and was also supported by a powerful air defense team. First, there were several artillery attacks in different ranges; and second, there were attacks by the Peregrine Falcon attack choppers in the sky and advancing armored forces on the ground. And lastly, there were strategic bombers that carried out intensive bombardments on the brains of the Chinese armed forces.

  On the other side, the Chinese military failed to secure air supremacy after losing most of its best aircraft in the wake of the devastating loss in the previous air battle. For this reason, they also were not able to deploy their fighter jets. Their artillery units also failed to concentrate their firepower on counterbattery shelling by the Korean artillery units. All they could do was carry out partial shelling while moving their positions.

  Therefore, the Chinese military pushed forward only with the ground forces that outnumbered their Korean counterpart. However, just like the outcome of the previous engagement, the Chinese armored forces lost this battle again because they were no match for the Korean military in terms of the performance of tanks and armored vehicles.

  Like the Great Plains east and south of Sun-Yang, the Great Plains west of Sun-Yang also turned into graveyards for numerous soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army of China as well as for their tanks and armored vehicles. A few random Chinese tanks and armored vehicles were still moving, but they were ready to surrender as indicated by the white flags on top of the vehicles.

  * * *

  November 8, 2020, 09:20, Underground bunker conference room of the National Emergency Situation Center in the Blue House, Jongno-gu, Seoul

  After confirming the victory at the battle in the west of Sun-Yang, General Kang Yi-sik immediately came to the underground bunker of the National Emergency Situation Center in the Blue House. He requested a private meeting with the President so that he could convey his additional recommendations to the President before making the final report on the Emperor Chiu punishment issue.

  “Have a seat.”


  The President said, greeting the General with a face that clearly showed how tired he was.

  “Thank you, Mr. President.”


  President Suh Hyun-woo came down to the underground bunker after receiving reports about the Chinese military’s use of sarin gas in Ji-Ling City. He also received reports about the three Korean civilian ships having been attacked by the Chinese military near the Spratly Islands and which sank in the ocean. He started the day’s work earlier than usual in the bunker because he had many issues that required his attention, including replying to the proposal he’d received from the U.S. State Department the previous day and asking the Malaysian government to cooperate on the rescue and salvage of the sunken Korean civilian ships.

  “You look very tired. Mr. President.”


  General Kang Yi-sik, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asked the President before bringing up the main agenda. The General apparently was concerned about the President’s health.

  “No, I’m fine. I’m more concerned about your health because I know you’ve been working too hard lately. Make sure to take care of your health.”


  “Yes, I will, Mr. President. Thank you.”


  “So tell me. What made you request a private meeting with me this morning?”


  After exchanging concerns over each other’s health, the President asked the General what the meeting was about, and the General began telling him in a composed voice.

  “I’ll be straightforward with you. I have a request for you, sir.”


  “I’m listening.”


  “I would like to level up the Emperor Chiu punishment from the current level 2 to level 3. I’d appreciate your approval.”


  “Level 3?”


  “Yes, Mr. President.”


  “What’s the reason for suddenly asking me to level it up?”


  When asked about the reason, General Kang Yi-sik straightened up, answering in a serious voice.

  “Mr. President, when we developed the Rise of Goguryeo Operation, our goal was to force China to surrender to us within a maximum of one month. The plan was drawn taking into consideration the possibility that China could use tactical nuclear weapons and nuclear strategies. However, China has launched a chemical war even though China is now a nuclear power. We cannot rule out the possibility of China using biological warfare to win this war. If that happens, this war will drag on for a long time.”


  “Biological warfare?”


  “Yes, sir. It’s about spreading germs, such as anthrax, plague, cholera, and other potentially deadly pathogens by dropping them like bombs, just like what happens in chemical warfare.”


  “I see. I’m sorry to have cut you off. Please go on.”


  “I have another reason. The Chinese are threatening to capture Korean trade ships en route to overseas markets to disrupt the Korean economy. In response, our military has deployed six submarines to the South China Sea to protect Korean civilian vessels. However, China has attacked Korean civilian ships by firing missiles at them and sank them in the ocean, instead of just capturing them.”


  General Kang Yi-sik paused at this point to pull out some documents out of a small briefcase and handed them over to the President.

  “These are the navigation schedules of our ships that sail the routes along the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) from October to December. There are more than 50 ships using those routes in a day.”


  The President’s face was grim after reading the documents.

  “This is a serious problem. If that many ships are exposed to the threat of the attack by the Chinese military, it will destroy our foreign trade, wouldn’t it?”


  “Exactly, Mr. President. The war is likely to last longer because of the first reason I mentioned. This second reason explains how the prolonged war could bring down our economy. Therefore, we need a breakthrough solution to solve this problem at this point. And that is the reason I’m asking for your approval to upgrade the Emperor Chiu punishment from level 2 to level 3.”


  President Suh Hyun-woo spoke to General Kang, looking squarely at the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  “I hear you. You have a good point and I agree with you. But as the President, I can’t approve to upgrade it to level 3.”


  General Kang Yi-sik was clearly disappointed to hear the President’s answer. The President, having noticed that, rose from his seat and approached the General and spoke quietly.

  “I cannot give you the approval you want, but I can make you an offer.”


  * * *

  November 8, 2020, 10:00 (09:00 China time), downtown of Ji-Ling City, China

  The downtown area of Ji-Ling City was designated a restricted area in the wake of the sarin gas exposure. The gas having been leaked and spread in the early morning hours had left significant damage to the Ji-Ling residents who were sleeping at the time.

  The CBR Support Unit under the direct control of the 7th Division was mobilized to decontaminate the area and also to visit the civilians who were exposed to the gas to administer first aid to them and send those in critical conditions to the medical unit for treatment.

  “This is it, sir.”


  Sergeant Kang Ho-il said, pointing to a spot. He was the leader of the search squad who had first spotted the soldiers setting up the sarin gas bomb early in the morning and who engaged in a gunfight with them.

  “Are you sure?”


  An MP officer with the rank of captain wearing a protective gear asked back.

  “Yes, I’m sure this is the spot. The bodies are still here, and that is the bomb that is the source of the gas leak, sir.”


  After Sergeant Kang Ho-il confirmed the location, the CBR Support Unit soldiers scattered and started the decontamination work. Some of them started to thoroughly examine the bomb that leaked the gas. In the meantime, MP soldiers began to search the bodies littered around.

  “Captain! I found something in his body!”


  An MP soldier found something in the inside pocket of a body dressed in civilian clothes and shouted. He was holding up something that seemed to be a palm-sized notebook.

  The MP officer examined the notebook and cracked a little smile, apparently because he’d found what he was looking for. Then he ordered MP soldiers.

  “Collect everything you can find from the bodies. Don’t miss a thing.”