Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 185



Only Krnovel

Episode 185 – Tiger’s Mouth

A group of special forces and Free Division troops were divided into five buses and dozens of pickup trucks and passenger cars and dispersed to various locations outside the airport.

Meanwhile, the C-5M transport plane that had landed earlier opened its huge head as it finished moving to the apron. Then, it started spitting out two Redback armored vehicles (AS-21 Redback) one after another.

The combat weight of the Redback armored vehicle was over 42 tons, but the C-5M could carry 130 tons.

Five C-5M transport aircraft were scheduled to land one after another and unload ten Redback armored vehicles and supplies.

Even as the OSS task force took control of Hualien Airport and restored order, the situation room operators continued to report on the battle situation.

– AC-130J Ghost Riders have begun firing. They are targeting Chinese reinforcement regiments on Routes 9 and 11.

The battle screen showed the infrared and electro-optical cameras used by the AC-130J to identify targets.

The screen showed the Chinese reinforcements forming their battle lines in black and white silhouettes.

Immediately afterwards, the sight of shells from 30mm machine guns and 105mm howitzers falling onto the black and white silhouette was relayed.

It was a bolt of lightning falling from the sky to the ground.

The sight of Chinese soldiers scattering in all directions due to aerial bombardment was transmitted as is, and although it was a black and white screen, it could not have been more gruesome.

Anyone who saw that scene would know why the AC-130 gunship was called the Angel of Death.

For the Chinese ground forces, who had lost air superiority and had no decent anti-aircraft equipment left, it was like a grim reaper from hell.

Even artillery fire from a distance is terrifying, but to see a target clearly in the sky and fire at it would be a nightmare in itself.

OSS forces quickly took control of the area around Hualien Airport in Taiwan and were able to block the first attack by the Chinese Taiwanese defense forces.

The Free Division’s vanguard completely took control of the Chishingtan beach adjacent to Hualien Airport and established a landing beachhead, while the main force of the OSS assault fleet appeared on the Taiwanese coast.

It was the OSS 2nd Carrier Squadron and the 5th Assault Squadron.

Dozens of amphibious assault vehicles and landing craft headed toward the shore towards the secured landing beachhead, while CH-53K Kingstellion helicopters landed on the outskirts of Chishingtan Beach.

The entire Free Division, about 10,000 men, landed in Taiwan. (The Free Division started with 7,000 men, but later the number of volunteers increased to 10,000.)

The vanguard battalion of the Free Division, which had previously entered the airport through an airborne assault, took control of the outskirts of Hualien Airport and established a perimeter and defensive line.

The landing in Taiwan was successful.

The news quickly spread around the world. Foreign correspondents accompanying the OSS fleet began reporting on the OSS’s landing in Taiwan as soon as the embargo was lifted.

*** CNN BREAKING NEWS ***

– OSS forces, at war with China in Vietnam and Laos, attempted to land on Taiwan.

– It was a bold and unexpected operation, but it actually appears to have been a success for the OSS.

– … The OSS, which is waging war with the Vietnamese and Laotian forces against China, which has invaded the Indochina Peninsula, launched an operation alone at 05:00 this morning and successfully landed in the Hualien City area in eastern Taiwan.

– Hand the microphone over to the reporter accompanying the OSS fleet.

“Hello, this is Tom Johnson from CNN. I’m on the deck of the USS II aircraft carrier. The beach behind me is Chihsingtan Beach in Taiwan.

OSS forces took control of Hualien Airport this morning with a surprise air assault and a special force infiltrating a submarine.

“During the landing operation, the remaining Chinese air force appeared to have been annihilated in combat with the Chinese Air Force, and the OSS forces, having gained air superiority, comfortably landed on eastern Taiwan.”

– Reporter Tom Johnson! How many OSS troops are there in the landing force?

“It is not exact, but the reporter estimates that there are around 20,000 people.”

– That number of troops seems insufficient to deal with the 500,000-strong Chinese army stationed there. What do you think?

“The OSS seems to have an eye on that part as well. According to reliable sources, the OSS and the Free Taiwan Army have been in communication for a long time.”

– …

“It seems likely that after the landing, they organized the Free Taiwan Army and Taiwanese citizens to develop a strategy to fight against the Chinese army.”

– Oh, I see. Tom! I’ll connect again when I get some news.

“Yes. This was Tom Johnson, accompanying the OSS fleet from Hualien City, Taiwan.”

– Currently, the Chinese authorities have not made any comment. However, the atmosphere within China, as confirmed through various channels, appears to be very chaotic.

– It was a surprise blow to the OSS just a few years after the US and Japan had won the Taiwan War, which had involved enormous losses.

– As a result, China is now in a position where it must fight wars in two places simultaneously. Some say that this is a disaster caused by China’s greed.

– Many people believe that if China had been satisfied with occupying Taiwan, things would not have happened as they are now.

– The world is watching to see whether OSS will turn the map of Asia back to how it was before the war.

…

* * * * * *

The landing was successful, but there was a need to prepare for China’s response. Now it was necessary to involve neighboring countries.

We connected to a conference call with ESSO Director General Jin Min-gyu, Information Department Director Lee, and Submarine Command Commander Choi Eun-seok.

“I’m sure you were worried. The Taiwan landing operation was a success.”

– Oh~

– That’s amazing.

– That’s good, sir.

“Now, it is time to prepare for China’s response.”

– Yes.

– What’s still left in China?

– But China is China.

“What is most worrying in the current situation is the southward advance of China’s Yellow Sea and North Sea fleets.”

– ah ···.

– Up until now, we have been able to block the southward advance through various means, but…

“That’s why our OSS-SC submarine fleet is deployed at that intersection. But the problem is that China also knows the power of our submarine fleet, and the sea is vast.”

– Yes. If the entire fleet comes down and bypasses the sea route, our losses will not be small if we try to stop them all.

“President Jin Min-gyu and Manager Lee!”

– yes.

– Yes, go ahead.

“Please move the Korean Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.”

– Oh~

– how?

“There is an operation planned with Commander Choi Eun-seok to prepare for the Chinese fleet’s southward advance. The name of the operation is Tiger’s Mouth.”

– The OSS-SC submarine squadron will lie in wait at specific coordinates in the East China Sea north of Yonaguni-cho, Okinawa, Japan, like a tiger opening its mouth.

– ah ···.

“Yes. The Korean Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces must conduct blocking maneuvers to drive the Chinese fleet into that harbor.”

– …

“We need you to bring about political resolve so that countries can respond to our operation.”

– all right.

– It won’t be difficult. Both countries are enjoying peace thanks to our OSS.

“Yes. Then please do so.”

…

Since the start of Operation Dong Hwang Jae Ki, our intelligence agency, OSSIA, has also moved quickly.

The Special Forces Airborne Assault Team was accompanied by OSSIA agents who made contact with Free Taiwan guerrillas.

The Taiwanese guerrillas and resistance fighters active throughout Taiwan were divided into individual organizations, but their goals were the same.

OSSIA was responsible for uniting each of these organizations and providing the main force for the recovery of Taiwan.

The force closest to Hualien Airport and with the greatest combat potential was hiding in the mountains of Taroko National Park.

They were the remnants of the Taiwanese army that had been defeated by China in the past and called themselves the “Free Taiwan Army.”

Those in the ‘Free Taiwan Army’ who had acquired weapons fought guerrilla warfare in the mountains, while those without weapons were operating in the city center of Hualien City, supporting the ‘Free Taiwan Army’ in the mountains.

At the same time as the OSS’s landing operation in Taiwan, OSSIA suggested to them that our landing point would be the area around Hualien Airport and that they would meet and cooperate with the OSS.

Now it was time to turn Hualien City, Taiwan into a liberated zone for citizens who wanted freedom for Taiwan. The OSS decided to leave it to the ‘Free Taiwan Army’.

We just helped them to exert their power.

OSSIA agents made contact with the Free Taiwan Army at the entrance to the Golden Canyon northwest of Hualien Airport and moved to the safety zone of Hualien Airport under the escort of the Free Division.

Their numbers were small, about 1,000 men, but they were organized into regiments.

Unarmed ‘Free Taiwan Army’ personnel who had been active in the city center confirmed that the OSS’s landing operation had begun and informed them of their assembly point.

The gathering place was Hualien County Private Haixing Senior High School (abbreviated as Haixing High School) located southeast of Hualien Airport. About 2,000 unarmed “Free Taiwan Army” soldiers were gathered there.

Haicheng High School was located just 300 meters away from Hualien Airport. The Jiashin Village Civic Cultural Center adjacent to Haicheng High School was designated as a temporary base for the Free Taiwan Army.

OSSIA agents and OSS Free Divisions gathered 3,000 Free Taiwan Army soldiers into a temporary camp, distributed them weapons and communications equipment, and negotiated cooperative operations with the OSS.

It was a brief negotiation, but the formality was necessary. A military cooperation treaty was signed between the Free Taiwan Army Command and the OSS.

The main gist of the agreement was that the OSS would provide military support to the Free Taiwan Army, but would delegate wartime operational control to the OSS until the Free Taiwan government was reestablished.

The first operation of the Free Taiwan Army was to take over the administrative power and secure public security in Hualien City.

It was an operation to arrest the mayor and officials of Hualien City dispatched by the Chinese Communist Party, while also separating collaborators.

After hearing about the operations of the Free Taiwan Army, I felt worried. This was because there were many tragedies in the process of dealing with collaborators after the war.

I instructed the Free Taiwan Army to connect to the command center as a group via video call. I had something to say to them.

*** Video Conference with Free Taiwan Army Command ***

The screen showed a crowd of Free Taiwan Army officers wearing various military uniforms.

“Hello, everyone. This is Lee Si-eon from OSS.”

– Hello. I am Zhang Yuanfei, Commander of the Free Taiwan Army.

The commander turned away from the camera.

– Everyone, get ready!

– Salute to Marshal Lee Si-eon!