Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 346



Only Krnovel

#346. How far have the enemies come?

Tangshan (Tangshan, 唐山).

It is the city that Koreans commonly know as Dangsan.

A city where more than 90% of buildings collapsed due to a major earthquake on July 28, 1976, and between 250,000 and 750,000 people died.

Until the late 19th century, Tangshan was nothing more than a small village on the outskirts, but it began to develop when the British developed coal mines here, and later even established an iron and steel mill, growing into a fairly large mining and industrial metropolis.

It was a large city with a population of 700,000 in 1966, but unfortunately, because it was located on the route from Manchuria to Beijing, it was suffering disaster 10 years earlier than its original historical value.

08:00, June 29, 1966.

Tangshan.

During the night, a large force of nearly 300,000 men entered the western part of the city, which the Northern Army of the Republic of Korea had not yet captured, and ambushed it.

It was just an ambush, but since the large army was forced to sneak into a building, it seemed like it couldn’t even be called an ambush.

However, if street fighting were to commence anyway, it was expected that we would finally be able to properly deal a blow to that damned South Korean army.

Given the nature of urban warfare, even the Republic of Korea military, no matter how strong they are, will inevitably be forced to make sacrifices.

There was no burden because the city’s many residents had already been forcibly evacuated to the rear.

however.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As always, today the South Koreans began to unleash a massive barrage of artillery fire.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“What the heck! The enemies we called aren’t coming and we’re firing again!”

“What the hell are those guys? How did they learn street fighting? How can they even fire in street fighting!”

“Kwaaah!”

“The building is collapsing! Get out!”

Although Tangshan was a large city at the time, the only neat concrete buildings were in the city center, and most of them were old and dilapidated.

That’s why there were so many casualties in the great earthquake that occurred 10 years later.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Eww!”

“Ugh!”

The shelling, which began at 8 o’clock, continued until past 9 o’clock.

“What on earth are you doing?”

Lin Biao also questioned South Korea’s incomprehensible actions while receiving the report.

“Really? Are you going to destroy the entire Tangshan City?”

“Would the South Korean military really do something so foolish?”

“yes?”

Lin Biao and his staff developed a strange belief that whenever South Korea did something unexpected, there had to be a reason.

It was the effect of the experience learned while being beaten like a dog after the start of the war.

You can advance while destroying all the buildings like that.

It’s a very crude but sure method, and this method was occasionally used in the German-Soviet war during World War II, and it was also used in the future in the Russian-Chechen war.

However, if we do that, it will take a lot of time and a lot of ammunition, and there is no reason for the South Korean military to use that method in Tangshan.

That’s why Lin Biao and his staff found it suspicious.

And their faith was soon proven right.

“Huh? Their artillery fire is a bit strange?”

“Huh? Huh? Is that so?”

“No, those kids are real!”

“… … .”

The Northern Army’s artillery fire was concentrated on the rear and both flanks rather than the front where the troops were concentrated.

If the bombardment continues like this, it is clear that the 300,000 people trapped inside will soon be isolated.

Because the buildings on both sides of the main roads were all collapsing.

“Hey, hey! Tell them to retreat immediately!”

“Oh, I understand!”

But it was too late.

Not only could an army of 300,000 men not move that quickly, but most of the major roads and junctions were already blocked by artillery fire from the Northern Army of the Republic of Korea.

Moreover, as 300,000 troops rushed to the rear at once in accordance with the command’s immediate retreat order, countless troops were packed tightly behind the blocked debris like bean sprouts, and a single 155mm artillery strike resulted in a situation where a company-sized force was blown away like blood clots.

And the troops who saw that sight panicked and tried to advance to the rear somehow, which made things even more chaotic.

In short, it was a complete mess, and this was something that even the Northern Army Command did not expect.

In such a chaotic scene, the god of hell was approaching.

June 29th, 10:20 am.

Suddenly the shelling stopped and a loud noise began to be heard over the chaos in Tangshan.

Kuoooo!

“I’m a fighter plane!”

“This is an air raid by the Republic of Korea!”

“Fuck! Get out of here! If we keep going like this, we’ll all be wiped out!”

The 300,000 strong army fell into a collective panic, trampling on each other and hitting those in front to try to escape first, and eventually gunfire began to pour down from the rear.

The soldiers at the back, unable to overcome their fear, fired their guns at the front.

Tata tata tata! Tata tata tang!

“Kwaaaaak!”

“You little shits! How dare you shoot at your own troops!”

This chaos was eventually put to rest by South Korean Air Force fighter bombers.

In a very bad way.

Kuoooooo!

Blood, blood …

About 100 South Korean Air Force fighter-bombers formed a formation and began dropping bombs as they flew over their heads.

Napalm, too.

Kwaaaaang!

Pupupupupu!

The huge flames silenced the screaming Northeast Army soldiers who were trapped inside.

Because the dead have no voice.

A mixture of benzene, gasoline, and polystyrene, this inferno, now poorly named napalm, burns for nearly ten minutes and is very sticky.

In short, it is just the fires of hell.

In an instant, the entire city of Tangshan became a gigantic hell.

“Oh, my God!”

“Oh, this can’t be happening!”

“Kuuuuuuu!”

Lin Bao and the command staff who were watching this were so shocked that some even burst into tears.

Even though China is a country where people are so common, the sight of 300,000 people burning to death in an instant was so shocking that it was fortunate that they did not faint.

And the shocking thing was that the Northern Command was also in the same situation.

“Hey, hey! Why are they doing that?”

“No, how could that be!”

They decided to take a detour to avoid urban fighting, but they couldn’t just advance forward with over 300,000 troops behind them.

So the plan was to block the roads to the rear and both sides with artillery fire and then use air raids to control them. However, even if the main roads and junctions were blocked, it was expected that many people would run away or take refuge in sturdy buildings within the city.

Tangshan is not a small city, but a large city with a population of nearly 1 million, including its suburban areas.

In such a big city, no matter how much you block the roads with artillery fire, if you look for it, there is bound to be a hole through which you can escape.

Isn’t that right?

How could even the most ferocious artillery fire block all those side roads and small paths?

Accordingly, Lee Jae-ha and the Northern Army Command staff expected that roughly one-third of the troops would escape and one-third would take refuge within the city, resulting in a loss of about 30% or more.

However, things took a very strange turn.

Suddenly, they started to rush towards the main road leading to the rear, trampled each other, and even started shooting from behind to the front.

In the meantime, the scheduled air raid began, and it was absurd to see a catastrophe unfold where they were all reduced to ashes right before their eyes.

No, no matter how much of an enemy they were, 300,000 troops were burning to death in an instant.

It was a great achievement, but I couldn’t applaud the sight.

Especially since it was relayed so vividly on the drone and Albatross 2.

“Huh! I didn’t expect it to be like this… .”

“That’s true. And why is the fire spreading like that? If it keeps going like this, it seems like it’ll burn down the entire city.”

“I think it has something to do with coal mining.”

“A coal mine? Oh, Tangshan is a city that has been famous for coal mines since the beginning.”

“Their main heating and cooking fuel is probably coal. The climate here is fucking crazy, with temperatures dropping below -20 degrees in the winter and approaching 40 degrees in the summer. Judging from the recent weather, there must have been houses with heating up until early last month.”

“Then there will still be coal piled up in every house.”

“It’s not just the house. The city itself is covered in coal dust. They dropped napalm there… … .”

“oh my god…….”

“… … .”

It was not a fire that could be easily put out.

“Chief of Staff.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“It’s a shame, it’s a shame, and we have to do our job, right?”

“All right.”

“Tangshan City is now destroyed, so there is nothing to see. We will advance with the armored vehicles leading the way, bypassing Tangshan on the left and right.”

“All right.”

“And the Joint Chiefs of Staff said they installed an anti-aircraft missile battery?”

“Yes, it is said that the Republic of China provided support for the Tiangong missiles. Including the operating troops.”

“The Air Force must know this, but I request that they be eliminated first. These days, anti-aircraft missiles are called anti-aircraft missiles, but if you fire them at the ground, they’re just as good as ground-to-ground.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“And what about the ammunition supply situation?”

“The supply line is getting longer, so there are a few delays. Well, it’s okay for now, but…”

“Then let’s advance only 50km from Tangshan and rest for about 48 hours to receive proper supplies.”

“Are you trying to give them some time after all?”

“That’s right. I said I would advance with some leeway, but the enemy isn’t ready yet. Let’s give them two more days.”

“Is it okay to wage war like this?”

“Is there any law that says it can’t be done? Don’t forget that war is ultimately just a political tool. If a war breaks out anyway, it’s right to look at it as long as possible until after the war. I support the views of the President and the Prime Minister. Well, whether I support it or not.”

“All right.”

Kururur!

Ddddddd!

After a while, the armored units of the Northern Army began to advance westward, bypassing Tangshan.

On that day, the Northern Army advanced 97 kilometers from the center of Beijing and stopped.

From the Beijing clock, it is only about 80 kilometers away, so Beijing is now almost like the front line.

* * *

21:00, June 29, 1966.

Zhongnanhai Presidential Residence in Beijing.

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Everyone present at the meeting, including Liu Shaoqi, was extremely depressed.

Peng Dehuai was busy building a defensive line around Beijing, leaving the southern front in the hands of Ye Jianying, and was unable to sleep.

Because the Southern Front wasn’t that important right now.

Beijing is dangerous.

“Comrade Feng. How far have the enemies come?”

Finally, Liu Shaoqi opened his mouth.

“We have arrived about 90km east of Beijing.”

“How much strength does the Northeast Army have left?”

“We lost another 500,000 men today. We have 3 million troops left.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

What kind of war was this, where 400,000 to 500,000 people were just disappearing every day.

Everyone just opened their mouths at the absurd reality.

“Then, including the 2 million you set aside as a reserve, it comes to 5 million?”

“Yes. In addition, we are raising troops from the central and northern regions as much as we can. We will be able to deploy 1 million more by tomorrow, and we plan to create 3 million reserves and deploy them within 3 days.”

“Then how many in total?”

“All together, we will be defending Beijing with 9 million troops.”

“ha…….”

Liu Shaoqi seriously felt like he was going crazy.

“Yes, that’s right. 9 million! A whopping 9 million! That’s an astronomical force, equivalent to the population of a decent country! But can you defend it with just 9 million? After all, numbers don’t mean anything!”

“… … .”

“This war, no matter what, it’s impossible to win. Yes, responsibility? I’ll take it! But! Whether it’s responsibility or not, shouldn’t we protect Beijing? Beijing!”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Beijing was the capital of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

It could be said to be everything about China.

I had to protect it somehow.

Even if it means grinding not 9 million, but 90 million.