Chapter 320: 226: The War Begins (30,000 words in three updates, asking for monthly votes)
Boom!
In Yang City, the highest-ranking officer of the Chan Country’s Japanese Army, Major General Yoshimura Yuichi, slammed his palm onto the table. Eyeing the provocative statement issued by the Jieke Group, the all-too-familiar words instantly enraged Yoshimura Yuichi.
“How dare they, how dare they make such a statement! This is a provocation against us, against the entire Great Japan Empire.”
Spittle flying from his mouth, Yoshimura Yuichi was echoed by a group of angry staff officers beneath him, who waved their fists and shouted angrily.
“General, we must retaliate. Let the artillery ‘accidentally’ fire a few more shells over there.”
“Send the fighter jets loaded with bombs to patrol their airspace and let them know that one can eat indiscriminately, but words must not be spoken carelessly.”
“It seems they really have no other options left and can only show off their verbal skills. Once we defeat them and capture that Su Jie, we’ll make him face the consequences of his reckless words.”
These staff officers and military officers were the elite of the Japan Army, not ordinary citizens confused by distorted history. They knew that the Jieke Group’s statement was mocking Japan.
“Could it be, might the Jieke Group actually intend to use this as an excuse to launch an attack on us?”
Suddenly, a staff officer whispered.
The command room fell silent at once, all eyes turning to look in that direction, then unanimously shaking their heads.
“Impossible, they don’t have the guts.”
“They are barely able to resist us in their defensive positions, how could they dare to strike first? That would be suicidal!”
“Mr. Antian, you worry too much. The Jieke Group is already at a disadvantage in international public opinion; they can’t possibly launch an offensive and plunge themselves into an extremely unfavorable media atmosphere.”
After a brief silence, these officers immediately began discussing all at once, eventually concluding that the chance of the Jieke Group taking the initiative to launch an attack was extremely slim.
“Tighten security among the troops below, though I don’t believe they will dare to attack. It’s better to be cautious,” Yoshimura Yuichi said with a wave of his hand, then commanded someone to go down with additional orders: “Also, immediately send a telegram to notify the media. Tell the Jieke Group not to be delusional; we haven’t seen any of their soldiers, and we certainly won’t allow them to enter our military camps for an inspection.”
“Yes, sir!”
The group of staff officers stood up and saluted, then walked out of the command room to make arrangements.
Soon, a press release issued in the name of the Japan Army garrison was freshly baked.
“We, the Japan Army, have no knowledge or involvement concerning the Jieke Group’s sophistry about missing soldiers. We also absolutely forbid any Jieke Group personnel from entering our military bases. Hereby, we advise the Jieke Group to refrain from any fantasies of crossing the border, instigating border conflicts, and pushing themselves to the brink of disaster.”
This news release, as a response to the Jieke Group, immediately stirred up a heated debate.
Unusually, the Jieke Group remained silent instead of responding right away.
……………
The training field!
At dusk!
The Jieke Security First Brigade, the only heavy mixed brigade, was in the midst of training exercises when the soldiers suddenly received a command to assemble. Soon after, they saw a brigade officer carrying a signed military order walking over.
“Everyone, attention!”
Swish!
The soldiers, with their hands behind their backs, stood straight and tall, despite being covered in the dust from the exercises, radiating high spirits and morale.
“Half an hour ago, General Su, the highest commander of the warzone, issued a war order against the Chan Country and Japan Army garrisons. Our target is no longer the training field but the enemy’s military camp. The mission requires a direct, lightning-fast assault, crossing the Baoji River by tomorrow morning, and as the first assault armored group, attacking the southern part of the Chan Country forces at Jinlao Mountain. Note, this is not an exercise, this is not an exercise.”
With a formidable glance, the brigade officer, clutching the red-sealed military documents, roared, “Any questions? Anyone who wants to back out?”
“None!”
A tsunami-like roar ensued, every soldier’s eyes burning with fervor and their faces set with determination.
“Good. Carry out the mission. Everyone, put on your identification armbands and move out.”
At the command, the infantrymen, who were scheduled to train, began embarking on the infantry fighting vehicles, wearing their equipment. Tanks rumbled into life, billowing out white smoke; dozens of tons of steel monsters roared, and the formidable armored and transport vehicle convoy immediately set off toward the border.
A similar scene took place not only with the 1st Heavy Mixed Brigade but also with the 3rd Mountain Brigade, the 6th Mountain Brigade, and the 7th Mountain Brigade. All received the same war order, switching from exercise to war and executing different combat missions.
………..
Four in the morning, East Qin State, Jieke Security 1st Aviation Brigade base.
The airport was ablaze with lights. The rotors of the Mi-8 helicopters began to rapidly spin, with strong winds sweeping across the land, making it difficult for people to keep their eyes open.
“Our mission is divided into two parts. The first platoon will follow me in assaulting the Japan Army’s Wuhe Military Camp and shatter the enemy there, detonating their strategic warehouse.
The second platoon will head toward the Nanguan City route, destroying the military airfield and annihilating those fighter jets. Don’t let a single one take off. Understood?”
I must emphasize that this mission is of utmost importance. General Su trusts us with this heavy responsibility. Do you all have the confidence to complete the mission given to us by General Su?”
Commanding the Steel Camp was Miao Lun, wearing heavy battle armor. His gaze, fierce and chilling, was enough to freeze the soul.
Before Miao Lun stood an entire line of First-class Super Soldiers, each clad in heavy armor and carrying Gatling guns and large-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns.
“First battle, use me, with me, victory is assured!”
The thunderous voice rose, each First-class Super Soldier had a tiger-like momentum. Although there weren’t many of them, less than a hundred, they exuded a terrifying aura like a steel torrent, causing the logistical personnel and the pilots at the nearby airport to tremble with fear down to their hands and feet.
When they regained their senses and looked at Jieke Group’s absolute trump card, their eyes filled with immense admiration and respect.
“All personnel, board the aircraft, execute the supreme commander’s orders, and destroy any enemy in our way.”
Miao Lun looked around, picked up the heavy 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun at his feet, closed the bulletproof glass mask, and strode towards an Mi-8 helicopter.
Behind him, the metal-clad warriors stepped forward in an orderly fashion, boarding the helicopters one by one.
The logistical staff were conducting the final checks. When everything was ready, they waved the little yellow flags to notify the control tower that all preparations were complete.
Upon receiving the instructions, the Mi-8 helicopters’ propellers rotated at maximum power. Under the control of the pilots, they slowly lifted off the ground and hovered.
Minutes later, after joining the escorting armed helicopters, this massive air assault squadron flew at ultra-low altitude under cover of darkness, heading straight towards the location of the Japanese forces.
The curvature of planet Blue Star affected the radar coverage, limiting the height range it could scan. Moreover, low-altitude flight using terrain, trees, buildings, and other obstacles to block radar signals made it difficult for radars to detect helicopters flying at ultra-low altitudes.
Even if Chan Country’s radars were operating, they would hardly be able to capture this air assault squadron.
……
Dawn.
The first ray of light shone down, and the bright sunlight fell on the Wuhe Military Camp of Japan.
The sentinel Ikegaya Heikou, who was on watch in the latter part of the night, stretched and mumbled, “I wonder if today’s meal includes rice balls and miso soup. Always eating these local foods is going to ruin my stomach someday.”
“Haha, you’re such a pampered guy. We’re here to fight a war, and you’re expecting gourmet meals.”
Nakazawa Ichiro, a veteran who had served in peacekeeping, smacked him on the back of the head, wiped his rifle, and chided him.
Ikegaya Heikou shook his head, nonchalantly saying, “What war? At most we’ll do an armed parade. That Jieke Group will probably surrender under threat in the end, for all we know. I want to go back home sooner. This place is unbearably hot, with so many bugs—I never want to come back here in my life.”
Just thinking about the training in the mountains made Ikegaya Heikou shudder.
That had been the most painful training of his life, even worse than when he was a new recruit. There were all kinds of mosquitoes everywhere, tormenting him severely.
“That’s true, but…”
Nakazawa Ichiro stopped mid-sentence and suddenly paused. His ears twitched, and he became alert, looking around.
“What’s wrong?”
While Ikegaya Heikou was still puzzled, he suddenly heard some strange noises as well.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
It sounded like countless massive fan blades stirring a fierce wind. The noise was coming from the northwest, and it was getting louder.
When Ikegaya Heikou looked toward the direction of the sound, he saw a squadron of helicopters rushing in at ultra-low altitude in the light of the rising sun. The strong winds from their propellers made the nearby grass and trees undulate wildly like waves, and the cold steel bodies had an intimidating air that created a sense of dread.
“What? Nonsense, this this this… Could it be the enemy?”
Ikegaya Heikou’s pupils constricted violently. He thought he had vaguely seen the emblem of Jieke Group on the sides of those helicopters, but his instincts and fear made him refuse to believe this fact.
“Enemy attack, enemy attack.”
Nakazawa Ichiro’s face turned pale. Upon seeing the massive air assault squadron, he realized that things were terribly wrong. He went to notify others immediately, but by then it was too late.
The helicopters were incredibly fast. They timed their entry with the dawn, giving the Japanese soldiers inside the camp no time to respond or assemble.
The escorting armed helicopters opened their rocket pods, and 80 mm caliber air-to-ground rockets burst out from both sides of the helicopters. Under Ikegaya Heikou’s stunned gaze, they hit various critical points throughout the camp.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions echoed far and wide, striking fuel depots, anti-aircraft guns, communication stations, barracks, and warehouses with volleys of rocket fire.
Many Japanese soldiers were still asleep, confusingly torn apart by the blasts.
But dying this way was perhaps a mercy for them, as at least they didn’t feel the pain. Many more soldiers were wounded by the rocket fire.@@novelbin@@
Some soldiers had limbs thrown dozens of meters away, crawling on the ground, desperately searching for their own body parts.
Some soldiers had their intestines spilling out and could only try to stuff their protruding insides back into their stomachs, crying out in hopeless agony that made one’s scalp tingle.
Some soldiers were set ablaze by the fire, turning into human torches, screaming and running around, setting more firespots alight.
In the chaos of the military camp, many Mi-8 helicopters took the opportunity to air-drop everywhere.
The helicopter doors opened, and Miao Lun looked down at the camp that plunged into chaos with cold eyes. Without hesitation, he grabbed the rope and rapidly rappelled down. When he was still five or six meters above ground, he leaped forward and landed upright on the ground with a thud.
Boom!
Like Miao Lun, one after another, the metal behemoths hit the ground, stood up slowly, and with machine guns in hand, delivered a rain of bullets from Jieke Group to the Japanese soldiers.