Chapter 136: You Started It
China’s nuclear arsenal mostly consisted of ballistic missiles.
It was natural, since their biggest enemy, the United States, was far away.
Therefore, the only way to stop the 7th Division, which could reach Beijing in 20 minutes, was to use cruise missiles designated as DH-10.
They did not have any nuclear warheads that could be deployed from bombers, unlike the United States.
But it was nearly impossible to penetrate the 7th Division’s iron beam with cruise missiles.
Wasn’t there a record of the Earth Fleet intercepting dozens of nuclear missiles from Pakistan in the Indian Ocean?
It was much easier to stop cruise missiles than hypersonic ballistic missiles.
But they had no other choice.
“If we delay any longer, they will enter Beijing.”
The commander of the Rocket Army, Major General Ryu Jung, accepted his subordinate’s suggestion.
“Don’t forget to promote me to lieutenant general after this is over.”
“What are you talking about? You are the best candidate for the position since Wang Xian was dismissed.”
Soon, hundreds of DH-10 cruise missiles were launched.
Only 50 of them carried actual nuclear warheads, and the rest were dummies.
The leadership thought that only a few hits were needed.
―The 7th Division reduced its size to carry out a deception operation. Therefore, five 100kt-class warheads would be enough to completely disable them.
―The land near Beijing would be contaminated, but they could get it back from Korea later.
That’s how more than 200 cruise missiles rushed towards the 7th Division.
The iron beam in charge of the division’s air defense network fired lasers one after another to intercept the missiles.
To inflict enough damage on armored vehicles, a 100kt-class nuclear warhead had to detonate within a few hundred meters.
But the range of the iron beam with its limiter removed was much longer.
Golden lasers cut through the sky against the backdrop of the evening glow.
The DH-10 cruise missiles were low in altitude but too slow to pose a threat.
They were nothing but flies of different kinds to the iron beam that had been improved through countless battles.
Dozens of flies fell with a thud, and some cruise missiles changed their waypoints, but their final destination was still the 7th Division.
While this was going on, the 7th Division continued its advance and occupied all the highways leading to Beijing’s south as the last cruise missile was intercepted.
They crossed the Yangsu River and began to enter Beijing.
At this point, some in the Chinese leadership argued that they had to attack Korea’s mainland.
“We’re done if they get inside the third ring road. We won’t be able to control the city.”
“We have to stop them at the outskirts.”
The third ring road referred to the third circular road, and most of Beijing’s core facilities were inside it.
“There’s no other way than a full-scale nuclear attack on Korea.”
“Is that possible?”
No general could answer properly when Lieutenant General Hu Zhongsan asked that question.
They were elite troops, but they intercepted all 200 cruise missiles with a single field unit.
How could they know what was in Korea’s mainland?
They hesitated when Hu Zhongsan contacted the Rocket Army again.
“Senior, we need your power.”
“You don’t mean a nuclear attack on Korea, do you?”
“We have no choice. They must be targeting our nuclear plants by now.”
“So you want to intercept them? Do you want to trade a small peninsula for all of China!”
“We can endure it. Even if our nuclear plants stop working, we can rebuild them.”
“You’re crazy. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have launched any cruise missiles.”
“Major General Ryu!”
This was unacceptable.
No matter how messed up the current Communist Party hierarchy was, a lieutenant general couldn’t yell at a major general.
Major General Ryu Jung clenched his teeth when Hu Zhongsan whispered to him.
“It was Korea who declared war. It was Korea who sent tanks into Beijing. We have the responsibility and right to drive out the invaders.”
“So you want a full-scale nuclear attack on Korea? I’m against it. We should ask for mediation from the United States instead.”
“Will they listen?”
“We’ll have to make big concessions, but it’s better than being annihilated, isn’t it?”
“…”
Hu Zhongsan picked up the phone connected to the United States after hesitating for a while.
“We need your help.”
“So your cruise missile attack failed? You’re asking me for mediation?”
“We’ll make big concessions if you help us this time.”
“I have a promise with Korea.”
“How could you do this? It was you who told us to pressure Korea in the first place!”
President Baldwin chuckled softly as his tone became harsher.
That was true until recently.
It was the United States that pushed Japan to rearm and persuaded China to block exports.
But they felt that they shouldn’t touch the diamond semiconductor issue anymore.
What was the point of touching a furious hedgehog with your hand? You’d only see blood.
“By the way, where did Major General Wang Xian go and why is the deputy commander raising his voice? Should I take it as a sign of a power shift in China?”
President Baldwin dodged the question, and Lieutenant General Hu Zhongsan hung up the phone.
The bunker was quiet, and the generals looked at him.
A broadcast station helicopter had flown in and was filming the 7th Division’s advance.
By now, the whole nation must have noticed that the Korean troops had entered.
It was a mistake not to take over the broadcast in this urgent situation.
‘I thought it would be over if I purged Wang Xian…’
It was impossible to stop the 7th Division now, and even a nuclear war was difficult due to the Rocket Army’s non-cooperation.
The only option left was to fight a street battle in Beijing and wait for the main force of the northern front to arrive.
The 7th Division would eventually be annihilated, but the fate of the generals, including him, would not be much better.
‘Maybe if I gave up the three northeastern provinces…’
Hu Zhongsan shook his head vigorously.
The 1.5 billion people were one, and they could not be handed over to Korea.
He declared in front of the generals.
“There will be no surrender or compromise. We will fight to the end.”
The generals’ reactions varied, but they agreed that they could not forgive those who entered Beijing.
“Once they’re in here, they’re dead meat.”
“Let’s show them that China is alive by wiping them out.”
That’s when the conclusion was reached.
An urgent report came from the radar base in the eastern front.
“Multiple missiles have been launched from Korea and are heading towards the coast! Maximum speed Mach 6!”
“There was no report of ballistic missile launch?”
“Could it be that Korea deployed hypersonic missiles?”
“No, no! According to the trajectory and altitude, they are cruise missiles!”
“Damn it, those bastards! The ones they fired in the Indian Ocean were downgraded versions!”
On the screen sent by the radar base, more than 100 cruise missiles were approaching the nuclear plants.
There was an early warning and control aircraft in the East China Sea, but it was hard to detect them because they were too fast.
Even the air defense network around the nuclear plants seemed to have a hard time intercepting those damn missiles.
The power supply to major coastal cities in China would be cut off.
Considering Iran’s case, it would take at least three years or more.
The generals who guessed this far tried to persuade him.
“Lieutenant General Hu, are you sure about this?”
“The 7th Division has entered the fourth ring road. The citizens of Beijing are panicking.”
“They’re giving us time by changing their route. We should contact Korea now…”
Hu Zhongsan sneered.
“So you want to surrender?”
“What are you talking about? We’re just trying to prevent the worst outcome.”
“The worst outcome is letting them run rampant in China and sitting idly by. We just need to convince the Rocket Army. If they don’t cooperate, we’ll use some harsh measures.”
The generals gasped.
“You don’t mean taking over the Rocket Army, do you?”
“We have a guard division nearby. What’s the problem?”
They had to fight with the 7th Division and buy some time, but he wanted to mobilize them to take over the Rocket Army?
Hu Zhongsan ranted on his own.
“There’s no turning back now. We used nukes, and they used antitrons and hafnium-2. Time will tell who has more stamina.”
“Damn it!”
One general threw his hat and stepped forward.
“Tianjin, Yantai, Qingdao, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wenzhou! Are you going to abandon these cities!”
These coastal cities accounted for more than 30% of China’s economy.
Including Beijing, 60% of China’s economy would practically stop.
“I’m not abandoning them. I’m just saying we shouldn’t give in.”
“I should have just left Wang Xian alone.”
“And then you would have been called a traitor of the people.”
“Isn’t that better than driving them to death?”
“…”
While the bunker was in conflict, he waited for Yu Ji-ha’s contact.
“He’s not coming after all.”
“Lieutenant General Hu probably values his pride more than reason.”
“He’ll lose everything looking for his pride. Anyway, it’s strange.”
China just didn’t want to bow down to Korea.
They must have been prepared to pay any price for that.
Yu Ji-ha released his grip and ordered.
“Adjust the route and go straight ahead.”
“Yes.”
The cruise missiles that had been circling around the coast immediately headed for the nuclear plants.
The air defense network was activated at once, but it was not enough to stop the missiles flying at Mach 6 from low altitude.
Antitron warheads detonated one after another near 45 nuclear power plants.
The lights of major coastal cities in China went out at once.
***
The news that Korea had fired antitron-loaded missiles reached Japan.
The Joint Command, which had been playing hide and seek with the Earth Fleet until then, was startled.
―Did they really use antitrons? Are you sure?
―Yes, I’m sure. The power supply to major coastal cities in China has been cut off. Beijing is intact, but the Korean 7th Division is entering and fighting a street battle.
It was infuriating.
They had suffered a surprise attack, and they were being dragged by Korea.
The navy wondered how the 7th Division had entered Beijing, and they learned that the tanks had flown.
―They used ion thrusters to fly the tanks. They headed straight inland from Dalian.
―I can’t believe it. Flying tanks.
―The K-3 tank is quite light because it uses black metal extensively. If it has an ion thruster, it can fly for a short time.
―Then they can cross over to Japan with their tank units?
Prime Minister Matsuda was terrified by the report.
‘It’s less than 200km from Busan to Honshu…’
And once they landed, there was nothing to stop a large-scale tank unit.
Japan’s armored force was weak compared to Korea, and most of it was deployed in Hokkaido.
This was to deter the Russian army, but it didn’t change even until recently when there were frequent clashes with Korea.
Of course, the Japanese navy wouldn’t let the Korean tanks land easily, but their railgun was a variable.
Korea had railguns not only in Tsushima but also elsewhere.
‘Are they coming all the way here?’
Prime Minister Matsuda forgot that Korea had no other large-scale tank units besides the 7th Division and that the Japanese archipelago was wider than he thought.
He was gripped by the fear that the Korean tank unit was coming to get him.
China could barely fight with the 7th Division, how could Japan stand a chance?
‘Russia, Russia will mediate…’
He barely got through to the Kremlin, but the deputy prime minister was curt.
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do for you.”
“I’m not asking for much. Just stop the hostility and sit at the same table.”
“You should try your best with the same zeal you prepared to attack Tsushima.”
The Russian deputy prime minister of economy emphasized Tsushima, not Daito.
It was absurd.
Prime Minister Matsuda was still fuming after the call ended.
But on second thought, the two countries hadn’t gone to the worst situation yet.
‘They didn’t use antitrons or hafnium-2. There’s room for negotiation.’
But he had no way of contacting the Korean government.
The hotline had been cut off long ago, and the Korean government had recalled even the diplomats sent to the UN.
Except for some private exchanges, it was no exaggeration to say that there was no way for the Japanese government to contact the Korean government.
Even if he managed to contact them, it was almost impossible to bring them to the negotiating table.
…Or maybe it was possible.
To send Naruhito, the emperor, as a special envoy to Korea.
‘Naruhito said he was willing to go anytime for the future of both countries…’
The visit to Korea was canceled due to the anti-Korean sentiment in Japan at the time, but it was clear that the current emperor had a favorable impression of Korea.
From the perspective of the Korean government, it would be hard to refuse his offer, considering his reputation.
If the visit to Korea was successful, he would have to give up Tsushima, but it was much better than having the Korean tank unit sweep Japan.
He sent this intention to the Joint Command through his secretary.
The generals were uncomfortable with Japan’s submissive attitude, but the news from China made it hard to oppose.
―Ten coastal cities in China, including Tianjin, Nanjing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, have been completely blacked out. This is an unprecedented situation.
―The aftermath of this situation will be incomparable to the coal shortage that occurred 10 years ago. China’s economy may regress 10 years.
―Despite this, the Chinese leadership is calling for a desperate resistance. It seems like they are going to fight to the end.
Of course, Japan had no desire to resist desperately.
The original plan was to unilaterally blockade Korea’s territorial waters and reclaim Tsushima.
That turned out to be a dream, so he had no choice but to create an atmosphere of reconciliation somehow.
General Osamu Oshima, the joint chief of staff, said to Prime Minister Matsuda.
“It’s our fault. We can’t even find one Earth Fleet.”
“They’re just hiding until the war ends.”
“Do you think the war will end?”
“…”
In fact, there was nothing confirmed about that.
He couldn’t even hear Korea’s intentions, let alone connect with them.
Prime Minister Matsuda finally held a cabinet meeting, but they were all trying to avoid responsibility.
“If you make an announcement to the media, there might be a response from Korea.”
“Do I have to do it myself?”
“There’s no pressure if someone else does it, and the US and Russia are not giving any answers… It’s tough.”
Prime Minister Matsuda slumped his shoulders.
If he could, he wanted to go back a few days and contact Korea.
But since that was impossible, he had to stop the war at a loss.
He thought of Tsushima and the training fleet and Sagami Bay, but he quickly brushed them off.
And so a press conference was held on the first floor of the official residence.
The leading media in Japan watched his mouth.
Finally, he began his announcement, but it was a strange content that made no sense.
“…The Japanese government is very positive about reaching an agreement with the Korean government through negotiations and is pleased to officially inform them of this.”
So do you want to negotiate or not?
Even the Japanese reporters were puzzled, and Korea didn’t care about this conference at all.
The railgun in Tsushima that had been bombed was repaired and started firing again, and the Japanese fleet had to run around everywhere.
They ran away so hard that some supply ships over 10,000 tons were overloaded.
That’s when Earth Fleet showed up from inside Sagami Bay where no one paid attention.
“Damn it! They’re inside the minefield!”
“Try to bypass and fire torpedoes! Pour out anti-ship missiles too!”
The entire Japanese navy turned upside down while missiles were fired one after another from fire support ships.
These missiles quickly passed Yokohama and exploded in mid-air over Chiyoda Ward.
Many people witnessed this explosion as it was in Tokyo’s financial and economic center area.
“It’s a nuclear explosion!”
“Everyone get down!”
Amidst screams everywhere, something strange landed on the ground.
It was a combat walker.
It reduced its speed by reverse thrusting its ion thruster just before landing.
Dozens of combat walkers appeared on the road near Nagatacho, which was full of vehicles at dinner time.
“What’s that?”
“It looks like a robot…”
The Tokyo citizens who had barely gotten up didn’t know the identity of this robot at first.
It was human-sized, but it was so bulky that it didn’t feel friendly at all.
If anything, it felt like a weapon.
Someone made a ridiculous remark that it was Iron Man, but the people’s faces were filled with fear.
Hundreds of robots appeared everywhere on the road, thumping.
The road was shattered and the vehicles were overturned by their weight.
But the combat walkers didn’t suffer any damage and moved mechanically.
The Japanese government finally learned the identity of these robots.
“It’s a combat walker. The one President Yu Ji-ha announced a while ago…”
“They mass-produced it already? Impossible!”
They actually appeared in Tokyo.
The secretary’s eyes stabbed Prime Minister Matsuda in the back of his head.
He was pitifully trembling.
He thought those robots came to get him.
“Is there a special operations force near Tokyo? Send them out immediately!”
The reporters were dumbfounded.
“Do you mean to send the guards to fight those robots?”
“That’s a monster with railguns and hafnium-2 missiles!”
“Then what do you want me to do? Should I fight them myself?”
The people sensed as they watched the hysterical prime minister.
The war wouldn’t last long.
Soon, public security and ground forces arrived near Nagatacho, but they were stunned to see the robot army they had to face.
“We’re supposed to fight those things?”
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