Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 342



Only Krnovel

#342. It’s like taking a food order.

20:30, June 26, 1966.

Ministry of National Defense, Yongsan, Seoul.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes, please eat.”

Lee Kang-cheol and Ko Seok-man had just come out of the integrated command and control room and were having a late dinner of sundae soup.

“The sundae soup at this restaurant is really delicious.”

“That’s right. When I first came here, I couldn’t stand the food here, but don’t you think it’s gotten a lot better?”

“Hehehe! That’s how it was back then.”

Even after Seoul was recaptured in 1944, for several years, not only Lee Kang-cheol and Ko Seok-man, but also all those who had come on an expedition were unable to eat local food well.

Since it was a time when there was almost no refrigeration or freezing facilities, most foods were seasoned to prevent them from spoiling, and meat, with few exceptions, had a strong gamey smell.

However, as time passed and rapid industrialization occurred, it became difficult to find a home without a refrigerator, so naturally, the food at restaurants became much better than before.

Thanks to this, many restaurants now make Sundaeguk without any unpleasant odor, which used to be easy to make even in modern times.

“Oh, good. It would be perfect with a glass of soju.”

“Isn’t it really a shame?”

“But there’s nothing I can do. It’s a ban until the war is over.”

No drinking during wartime.

This was a tradition that had been passed down since the founding of the Republic of Korea.

There are soldiers who are fighting and risking their lives on the front lines, so at least those in the safe rear should not be seen drinking and having fun, so this is an unwritten rule that Lee Kang-cheol himself tried his best to keep.

And as this rumor spread, at some point the entire Republic of Korea began to try to keep this unwritten rule.

Of course, in a world where people live, how can everyone abstain from alcohol?

Of course, people who like drinking drank alcohol regardless of whether it was war or a fight, and bars usually operated as usual.

However, at least in public office, they refrained from drinking outside, and even if they did drink, they often drank at home.

Even in bars, it was common for houses located along the main street to shorten their business hours just to be mindful of others.

Slurp! Slurp!

“Lee Jae-ha is doing well.”

“So, how far did you advance today?”

“They said they advanced about 50km beyond the border. Shanhaiguan and Qinhuangdao also came over to us.”

“That’s right. You’ve done quite a bit of self-restraint while advancing, haven’t you?”

“Everything in moderation is good. If you just keep pushing and pushing, people will start talking, and the morale of the soldiers will drop, so it won’t work. 50 km is a very moderate range. If you do it right, you could have gone over 100 km.”

“That’s true.”

The Northern Army crossed the border today and advanced about 50 km, but in fact, this was an advance conducted with great restraint.

Even though it was a large army of one million people, it was fully mobile enough to at least ride trucks, so if they had put their minds to it, they could have easily advanced more than 100 km.

“Thanks to this, Lin Biao’s Northeast Army seems to have gained some time. Beijing has also issued a mobilization order to call up reserve forces in earnest.”

“How many enemies died today?”

“They say that the number of injured people during the day alone is around 200,000.”

“I guess I can reduce it further by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, if this trend continues, 1 million of the 6 million soldiers in the Northeast Army will disappear by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, this is just right. Beijing is so close that if we wanted to, we could end the war in ten days, but that’s not possible. This is the last war, and we have to reduce the number of people and instill fear in the bones of the Chinese people. There will never be another opportunity like this.”

“So, isn’t that why Jaeha Lee is advancing while meticulously controlling the entire front?”

“How long will it take to get from Tangshan to just before Beijing?”

“Nam Byeong-woo and Jeong Seon-ho said that even if it is delayed, it will arrive within 10 days. If it is fast, it will arrive in 7 or 8 days.”

“Tell them to give you at least ten days.”

“Oh my. A war that slows down the advance in some way… … .”

“There’s nothing we can do. We have to give them time to gather their new troops.”

“Anyway, I understand. I will convey it that way.”

Slurp!

Before I knew it, the soup was empty.

“Ugh! Ahh! I can live now.”

“Are you going to sleep in Yongsan again today?”

“huh.”

“Why don’t you just stay home and sleep now? Your sister-in-law is worried that you don’t think about your age.”

“Okay. I feel better this way.”

“Oh, and stubbornness too… … .”

“By the way, what about Kim Jong-woo?”

“It departed from Jeju this morning, and when I checked just before leaving, it had moved about 400km to the southwest. It looks like it will arrive in the sea north of Taiwan tomorrow afternoon.”

“Is the entire Republic of China fleet stationed over there?”

“Yes, they even brought down the leaflets that were in Shanghai. Well, it wouldn’t mean anything if there was just one leaflet there anyway, so they made a good decision.”

“Honestly, it’s the Navy, how much of a difference should there be? I shouldn’t say this, but honestly, I wasn’t nervous at all.”

“Hehehe! Well, it’s even worse because the commander is Kim Jong-woo.”

The difference between the Chinese joint forces in the Navy and those of the Republic of Korea was truly incomparable.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy in the North has at best only speedboats and outdated patrol ships, and has long ago given up on taking on the South Korean Navy at sea.

Since the end of the war, the Republic of China Navy has acquired a certain number of ships by importing frigates and destroyers that were used during World War II from the United States, but the United States, keeping an eye on South Korea, has not provided or sold ships above a certain level.

Eventually, after much effort, they were able to build 4,000-ton destroyers and deploy about 30 of them, and they also built 11 8,000-ton cruisers, which gave them considerable power.

However, the newly built destroyers and cruisers were no match for the South Korean Navy, as they were equipped with outdated gun-based armament and low-performance radar.

The reason for this was actually provided by South Korea, as it demonstrated in the Indonesian War that the power of cannons was still effective.

It was the Republic of Korea Navy that was able to effectively use World War II-type ships, but the Republic of China overlooked this.

In any case, the Republic of China Navy was quite large in size.

They were able to build a fleet of nearly 100 ships, including about 50 old American ships and over 40 newly built destroyers and cruisers, and they were proud of this fleet.

Of course, the South Korean Navy treated them almost like trash,

“Are you crazy? The world of anti-ship missiles has already opened up, so what are you going to do by continuing to produce World War II-type ships with cannons? There’s no use for ground support with cannons?”

This was Kim Jong-woo’s harsh assessment.

He was confident that he could turn the Republic of China Navy into a fish house in just 30 minutes.

This was quite possible, as the South Korean Navy had already deployed a large number of Haeseong-2 anti-ship missiles, which have the performance of the early Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

“Anyway, Kim Jong-woo will take care of the navy, and the southern front is being fought well by the Vietnamese and Burmese forces. They are doing quite well.”

“Those two countries have been doing joint training with us for a long time. If they can’t do that, they should just go out and die.”

“Hehehe!”

“By the way, are you tracking the location of the nuclear bomb well?”

“Yes, we are cross-checking every day, not only with the National Intelligence Service but also with the Defense Intelligence Agency. You don’t have to worry.”

“You’ll be in big trouble if you miss it, so keep paying attention.”

“All right.”

“Anyway, let’s end this war within a month.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

* * *

09:00, June 27, 1966.

EATO Joint Forces Command, Hanoi, Vietnam.

“Commander, the movements of the Republic of China troops in the Hong Kong area are suspicious.”

“Let’s see.”

Allied Forces Commander Choi Chung-heon looked closely at the video shown by the Chief of Staff.

“Well, this is definitely suspicious. It looks like they’re going to invade.”

“Isn’t that so?”

“Tell the British guys to prepare for the shelling that will start soon, so don’t stick your head out and get hit. It won’t matter since the Anzac Army is moving together with the British guys, but just in case, contact me separately.”

The eastern front in Hong Kong was occupied by British troops, and the Anzac Force, a joint force of Australian and New Zealand troops, was moving together to form a sort of Commonwealth force.

“All right.”

“And tell our artillerymen in Seonjeon to advance a little east. Tell them to counterattack as soon as the enemy’s artillery fire begins. Get the Filipinos ready as well.”

“Yes, Commander.”

At 13:00, exactly 4 hours after the alert was issued.

The Republic of China Army began a large-scale artillery bombardment of the Eastern Front in Hong Kong, which had been in a standoff due to its reluctance to engage in battle with the British until then.

Boom! Boom! Boom! KWAANG!

“Ugh!”

“Jesus!”

“Goddam! Fuck you! China!”

The Commonwealth forces were shocked by the massive artillery fire that poured down all at once.

Although we had been warned in advance and had taken refuge in a bunker that had been built solidly in advance, the loud noise and shock pouring down right above our heads drove us crazy.

Even though you were warned, this is Hong Kong.

Although South Korea had expanded its territory considerably and given it to Britain, it was not enough to retreat when bombardment was expected, so it had to take full responsibility for the bombardment.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Ugh!”

“I’m going to die like this!”

“Hold on a second! The South Korean artillery said it would provide support!”

“Damn it! Shoot me quickly!”

Did you hear the screams of the British soldiers?

Two South Korean independent artillery brigades stationed in Hong Kong and eastern Shenzhen simultaneously fired 155mm K7 self-propelled howitzers.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A barrage of unprecedented accuracy began to sweep through the Republic of China artillery.

Kwawang! Kwaang! Kwakwang!

“Kwaaak!”

“Artillery fire! Get out of here!”

“Eww!”

“It’s going to explode!”

Boom! Bwaaang!

The Republic of China artillery fired only five minutes of shelling, and died without even being able to properly retrieve the bodies.

* * *

June 27th, 4pm.

166km north of Taiwan.

Hundreds of South Korean expeditionary ships were slowly moving forward, cutting through the waves.

“Chief, we’re almost there. If we continue at this rate for an hour, the South China Sea fleet will be within our firing range. What should we do? Are you going to attack right away?”

“Is there a need to postpone it?”

“Well, that’s true. Then, I guess I’ll just hit you right away.”

“okay.”

“Then what will you hit with? A carrier-based fighter? A Haeseong-2 missile? A submarine?”

“Idol.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you ever served food in a fancy restaurant? It looks like you’re taking orders.”

“… … .”

Jo Woo-sang thought that he was picking a fight for no reason.