Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 165



Only Krnovel

Episode 165 – Magen Tzion

Kim Jong-un’s talk of sending North Korean troops to Vietnam can be interpreted another way.

It was a cry for soldiers’ salaries.

One of North Korea’s main sources of foreign currency income was remittances from soldiers deployed to ESSO.

I knew what was going on, but the current situation was such that I needed to borrow a cat’s paw.

“Thank you. How much is it possible? I would like to maintain the troops dispatched to the Far Eastern Republic.”

“I’m guilty. 100,000 won is not too much.”

“Okay. We will discuss with the Vietnamese side along with the arms imports.”

“This is the second aid to Vietnam, so it is welcome.”

During the Vietnam War, North Korea supplied weapons such as guns and ammunition to the North Vietnamese army, and also dispatched fighter pilots.

“Ah… I see. And Chairman.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“There is an opinion that we should deploy more artillery firepower along the Yalu River border. Such as long-range artillery…”

“Guilty. That’s right. I was thinking otherwise. Seeing as how those bastards invaded Vietnam without any hesitation, there’s no way to tell them not to come over here.”

“Yes. I’m always worried about the three northeastern provinces.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll pull out half of the long-range artillery from the ceasefire line and the West Sea and deploy them upwards.”

“Good idea.”

“I am very proud to be following in the footsteps of our great leader.”

“Thank you. The Korean people can survive the winter only if we protect the oil and coal of the Far Eastern Republic. That is possible only if you protect China.”

“Yes, I got it. Don’t worry.”

After ending the call with Kim Jong-un, a strange thought occurred to me.

‘Am I Gaslighting Kim Jong-un?’

In any case, it was fortunate that North Korea was moving as intended in this difficult situation.

OSSAC immediately sent a large number of transport aircraft to North Korea.

North Korea had 100,000 personal firearms stored at Pyongyang Sunan Airport at a time.

It was a Type 88 rifle and a Type 7 launcher, copies of old Soviet weapons, and was the same as the Vietnamese military’s weapon system.

Transport planes carrying North Korean weapons and advance units of the North Korean military departed from Pyongyang Sunan Airport one after another, and unloaded military supplies and troops at Boi Bai Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Boi Bai Airport was able to maintain its function thanks to the fierce resistance of the Vietnamese army, which maintained the northern front, and the victory of the OSS fleet, which gained air supremacy.

North Korea decided to quickly deploy two divisions of the 100,000-strong ground force it had planned to send to Vietnam by air.

The remaining personnel were to be transported simultaneously to Haiphong, Vietnam by the 5th Assault Group of the Far Eastern Republic with support from OSL ships.

The 450,000 Vietnamese troops, the 100,000 PATA Rapid Response Force, the 150,000 OSS Southern Forces, and the 100,000 North Korean troops combined total a massive force of 800,000.

It was not as many as the 950,000 Chinese who had participated in the war, but it was a number that would never be outdone, considering the support of the OSS fleet.

…

It was only for a moment that I could relax. Chief Lee of the Information Department requested an emergency communication.

“Sir, we have detected new movements of the Chinese military.”

“Yes. Are you sending more troops?”

“Yes. It seems they have also sensed that North Korea has decided to send troops.”

“How much does it cost?”

“It’s 550 thousand.”

“yes?”

“550,000. That’s a total of 1.5 million troops.”

“Ah… these guys are crazy. Are you saying we’re going to send a third of our regular army to Vietnam?”

“That’s right.”

“There aren’t many routes to advance on, so they’ll just get crushed among themselves.”

“Sir! This is not Vietnam.”

“yes?”

“Based on the movement of troops into China’s Yunnan province, it is clear that they are headed to Laos.”

“These guys are planning to cut Vietnam’s waist.”

“I think so.”

“Ah… The Laotian army doesn’t even have 150,000 soldiers in total. And they’re probably scattered all over the country…”

“I think we need to stop the OSS Southern Forces from advancing into the Vietnamese front.”

“I guess that’s the only way.”

The news that 550,000 Chinese troops would invade Laos was shocking.

It was a blatant expression of China’s intention to go beyond simply expanding its influence in the South China Sea and bring the entire Indochina Peninsula into its sphere of influence.

In another sense, it was also a direct challenge to the OSS, which had created the order in Asia and the Pacific by forming ASEP and PATA.

He ordered the OSS Southern Forces to halt their advance into Vietnam and establish defensive perimeters on key transportation routes along the Laotian-Chinese border.

The OSS Southern Forces had to turn around and march 100 to 200 kilometers in the opposite direction.

Although the mechanized corps had vehicles, it was still not an easy task due to poor road conditions.

It was difficult to expect much from the Laotian army’s fighting power.

Not only was the equipment poor, but the ground forces numbered only 130,000. Less than half of them, 50,000, were deployed along the border between China and Vietnam.

Laos is a landlocked country surrounded by Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, and most of its land is covered by jungle, so it has not had the opportunity to develop its economy or military power.

The OSS Southern Army of 100,000 men was absolutely insufficient.

There was another risk in reinforcing the 50,000 remaining in Myanmar, as Myanmar’s border with China was five times that of Laos.

The most quickly deployable ground force were the OSS Freedom Division, made up of North Korean defectors stationed at Camp Marshall, but they were little more than a militia with no combat experience.

What remained were the 50,000 men of the OSS Northern 1st Army, stationed at the new camp and then staying at sea for evacuation operations.

They were elite soldiers from the North Korean regular army who were dispatched to ESSO and then incorporated into the SOS force to fight in the Myanmar war.

First, they headed to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and contacted OSS Air Force Lieutenant General Kim Woong.

“Yes, sir.”

“General, I need you to help me with a difficult airlift operation.”

“Just speak.”

“I need you to transport our 1st Northern Army and its equipment from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Nathong Airport in Sam Nuea, Laos.”

“Um, is it the entire Northern 1st Army?”

“Yes, that’s right. There are 50,000 troops.”

“If we consider the number of troops, equipment, and supplies, with 50,000 people, there will be over 300 transport sorties, but in the current situation… ”

“It’s not an easy task.”

“Currently, North Korean weapons and troops are being transported to Vietnam…”

“…”

“What are your priorities, sir?”

“Both are zero-ranked. Please find a way.”

“Sir, is it difficult to get the North Korean army and the Northern 1st Army to gather at Hanoi Airport?”

“It seems that the Northern 1st Army was moving by ship, so they chose nearby Ho Chi Minh City…”

“If it’s Ho Chi Minh, the transport plane has to drop off troops and supplies in Hanoi, take off again, land at Ho Chi Minh Airport, and repeat the takeoff and landing process again.”

“Hmm… That makes sense. Okay. I will direct the 1st Northern Army to Hanoi.”

“Sir! Just a moment.”

“yes.”

“There is a Cat Bi airport in Haiphong near the port. We can unload equipment and supplies there and the Northern Army can board, and it will take two hours, including landing, to land in Laos.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

Haiphong, Vietnam, was a coastal city about 100km from the Chinese border.

He ordered the 2nd Assault Group to be deployed forward for reinforcement operations and to strengthen surveillance operations.

Although the OSS Northern 1st Army was elite, even including the Southern and Laotian armies, it only had 200,000 troops.

The situation was that they had to block 550,000 Chinese People’s Army troops with that force.

Of course, the entire OSS was on the verge of a great battle that had never been experienced before. But the Chinese army was no exception.

Two forces condensed in Asia were colliding, waiting to explode.

…

In the chaotic Middle East, a group of hard-line Israeli soldiers attacked the Gaza Strip again. The TV was reporting the complex chaos.

[ CNN’s Mark Wilfuss. The promised land is turning into hell again.

Peace talks, which had been underway with a ceasefire brokered by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have been suspended.

The cause was that Israeli hardliners crossed the ceasefire line and attacked the Gaza Strip and southern Israel, occupying some areas.

They created a new military faction, citing their unwillingness to give up the ‘Promised Land’ and their opposition to the construction of a wall along the shrinking border between Israel and Palestine.

They are a new military faction made up of retired soldiers and hard-line politicians who call themselves Magen Tzion, or “Shield of Zion.”

This is reigniting the barely contained war in Palestine.

Some have described Megenzion as the Israeli version of Hamas.

Hamas and Meghan Zion, hardline military factions in Palestine and Israel, do not want peace and their goal is the complete annihilation or expulsion of their enemies.

These two groups are military factions that are unprecedented in other countries.

It participates in real politics with its own military force and has real influence in the region.

Genocide is taking place in Kosovo, while large-scale wars are raging in Ukraine and Vietnam.

Palestine is in a state of constant chaos, with no way of seeing what will happen next······.]

Two U.S. carrier strike groups stationed in the Persian Gulf and eastern Mediterranean were doing nothing to help resolve the Palestinian conflict.

In the chaos where friendly and enemy forces were mixed, air strikes on the ground were meaningless, and the risk of waging an all-out war with Iran was too great.

It was a situation where no one could come up with a proper solution.

Some went so far as to say that the only solution was to wait for the fires of the Middle East to burn everything out and go out on their own.

There was general agreement that intervention by the United States or the West was already overdue and would only create a new tragedy through escalation.

The world seemed on the verge of self-destruction before Earth’s retribution.

The United States, which was also escaping the flames of war, was no exception.

The United States was reeling from the aftermath of a major earthquake. Cities that had lost public authority due to the earthquake were a world of chaos.

[ … I’m currently flying over LA in a broadcast helicopter.

– Okay, bang, bang, bang.

– Tata dadadang, tata dadadang, tata dadang, tang tang.

Even from inside the helicopter, the sound of gunfire from the city center can be heard without pause.

As you can see on the screen, there is constant gunfire between the collapsed buildings in the city center. … ]

…