Chapter Fifty Seize the Initiative

  General Staff Headquarters, Confidential Conference Room.

  When Huang Guowei arrived, the meeting had already passed halfway. After observing the expressions of the participants and the atmosphere in the venue, the diplomatic minister who was good at observing words and appearances probably had a number in his mind.

  Zhao Rundong's face turned iron-green, definitely had a dispute with Peng Maobang.

  The Second Gunnery Commander Wei Changjiang had a look of having nothing to do, and probably remained silent again, without expressing any opinion.

  The naval commander's face was red and his ears were burning, occasionally glancing at Peng Maobang, clearly disagreeing with the army commander and having just had a fierce argument.

  Air Force Commander Yan Yuke was calm and composed, seemingly having neither offended nor been offended by anyone.

  Huang Guowei concluded that Peng Maobang advocated for launching a ground war, with the army playing the leading role; Ying Changhui firmly opposed fighting a ground war and hoped to rely on the navy, his opinion was supported by the Minister of Defense; Yan Yulong did not lean towards anyone, whether it was the army or the navy playing the leading role, both could not do without the support of the air force; Wei Changjiang did not express his attitude, anyway there were not many things about the Second Artillery.

  When he sat down in the position next to Ji Youguo, Huang Guowei quickly observed the expression of the head of state.

  The head of state was still deep in thought, probably weighing the suggestions of several generals.

  Without thinking twice, Huang Guowei knew that the Premier had not expressed his stance. He was too familiar with the Premier's character; when discussing contentious issues, in order to encourage others to express their opinions, the Premier would never reveal his attitude beforehand. Although the Premier would consider other people's opinions and sometimes even adopt their suggestions, he would never be swayed by others' views, whether they were opinions or suggestions.

  "The key is not whether or not to fight, nor how to fight," Zhao Rundong's words were very logical and measured, "but the purpose of fighting, and how to achieve that purpose at the smallest cost."

  "Lao Zhao is right, but I'd like to add that what is the purpose of the Indian government?" Ji Yiguo quickly scanned the participants, "The Art of War says: know yourself and know your enemy, only then can you win every battle. We not only need to be clear about our own purpose, but also understand the purpose of our opponent. The two sets of plans proposed by General Peng and General Ying both have reference value, I'd like to hear more details. Old Peng, you go first."

  Peng Maobang lit a cigarette and took the opportunity to think quickly, saying: "My position is very clear, and my purpose is also very clear: to take this opportunity to recover the southern Tibet region. In the past, we had some scruples, so we have been tolerant all along. Now that we have torn our faces with India, we must not hesitate to send troops to recover the southern Tibet region. Regardless of the outcome of this war, India will regard us as its number one enemy. In fact, before this, India has always regarded us as its number one enemy. Since this is the case, we should immediately recover the southern Tibet region and cannot put the problem on hold for several decades."

  Ji Youguo hadn't even spoken yet, but Huang Guowei already knew that Peng Maobang's views would not be adopted.

  As the commander of the army and chief of staff, Peng Maobang was an excellent soldier but not a good politician. He saw the benefits brought by military actions but did not see the losses caused by them.

  Recovering 900,000 square kilometers of lost land, related to national interests, will fundamentally change the nature of war.

  The Republic did not directly participate in the Indo-Pakistani War, and there was no mention of war-related words in the just-released statement, indicating that Ji Youguo is trying to avoid the war. If troops are sent to southern Tibet, it will not only lead to direct conflict between the Republic and India but also cause a shift in the focus of the war. As a direct participant in the war, the Republic will be ostracized by the international community dominated by Western countries, providing Western countries with an excuse to sanction China, and even leading most countries to believe that the Republic deliberately provoked the Indo-Pakistani conflict in order to recover southern Tibet; resulting in a change in the nature of the war.

  This is not only not the result that Ji Youguo hoped for, but also the result that Ji Youguo tried his best to avoid.

  Ji Youguo did not respond, but instead looked away in the direction of the Yingchang emblem.

  "I think we should try to avoid a ground war as much as possible." General Hu extinguished his cigarette and said, "A ground war will inevitably cause massive casualties and stir up nationalist sentiment in India. There are tens of millions of Indians in the South Tibet region; after we recover the region, how can we resettle these people? A naval battle not only avoids these problems but also maximally damages India's confidence and ambition. In the long run, building a strong navy is much more difficult than building a strong army. If we can destroy the Indian Navy, at least we can gain ten to twenty years of peace and stability, creating a better environment for our development."

  Huang Guowei showed a faint smile, although Ying Changhui didn't get to the point, but overall it conformed to Ji Youguo's idea.

  "What are the specific tactics for fighting at sea?" Ji Youguo still did not express his opinion directly. "Simply put, it's whether the navy has the confidence to defeat its opponent and win."

  "We have absolute confidence." Admiral He often appeared confident. "We will deploy tactical air force to the air force base in southern Pakistan, plus the special mixed fleet operating in the Arabian Sea, and annihilate the Indian Western Fleet with sea-air joint operations."

  Ji Youguo nodded slightly and looked over at Peng Maobang.

  "I had a phone call with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan can provide support for us at any time." Peng Maobang did not mention his point again.

  "How much time is needed to make good preparations and how many troops are required?" Zhao Rundong asked for more details.

  "As long as Pakistan provides the infrastructure, our airborne troops can be deployed within twelve hours. The special mixed fleet is always in a state of combat readiness and can immediately engage in battle after receiving orders." Admiral Yin paused for a moment before continuing, "The main target will be the Indian Western Fleet, and not too many troops will be deployed. If we can pin down the Indian Air Force in other directions, deploying four tactical air force squadrons would be sufficient."

  Zhao Rundong nodded slightly and said: "The key is whether we can contain the Indian Air Force in other directions."

  "Enable Pakistan to strengthen its offensive operations in Kashmir and bomb military targets in northwestern India."

  "We can't just rely on Pakistan." Ji Youguo didn't give others a chance to speak, and as soon as Peng Maobang finished speaking, he said, "We've made it clear that even if Santos is stupid, he'll expect us to take military action at sea. From the beginning, I said that in addition to knowing one's own purpose, one must also know the enemy's purpose. The riots in India are very unusual and must be manipulated by someone behind the scenes. If it's Santos who's playing tricks, what is his goal?"

  Everyone looked at Ji Youguo, waiting for the president's next words.

  "The war has reached this point, even the most foolish politician should know that India not only lost the war but also needs to declare a ceasefire as soon as possible. Santos did not do so, instead, he planned a series of shady actions. Why?" Ji Youguo knocked on the table, "It's simple, Santos' goal was not to win the war, but to consolidate his position. In thinking that he could quickly defeat Pakistan, Santos hoped to improve his status within the Congress Party through the war. After losing the war, he planned the assassination of Rahul Gandhi, eliminating the threat from within the Congress Party. By intensifying national contradictions, he suppressed the restless People's Party. All this was done to guarantee his ruling position."

  "These cannot change the fact of India's defeat." Peng Maobang muttered.

  "Old Peng is right, and he's hit the nail on the head." Ji Youguo picked up a cigarette. "Santos needs a reason to end the war or declare a ceasefire. If he can annihilate our carrier fleet and keep Assam Province safe, Santos will be able to make the Indian people believe that under his leadership, India has thwarted the Republic's invasion attempt."

  Everyone looked at him with admiring eyes, without a hint of suspicion about his analysis.

  "Actually, the problem can also be looked at from another perspective." Zhao Rundong revealed a hint of a smile.

  "This is exactly what we want to achieve," said Ji Youguo with a faint smile. "If we annihilate the Indian Western Fleet but fail to recover the Tsangnan region, Santos will still claim victory in the territorial defense war. Regardless of the outcome, Santos will proclaim victory and not admit defeat, nor will he disclose the true losses of the war. We must take this opportunity to severely strike India's military strength, making it impossible for them to stand up again within twenty years. We must do it ourselves, be self-sufficient. We cannot rely on Pakistan; we must take action personally. The navy should increase its investment, if four squadrons are not enough, send six or eight squadrons over. The army should also take action, demonstrate the intention of attacking the Tsangnan region, and attract enemy forces. My only requirement is that this battle will not only make India lose miserably but also make them fear us, making them dare not look straight at us for twenty years!"

  Not only did several generals admire Ji Youguo, but Huang Guowei also secretly sighed: The leader is the leader, and he sees through problems with a single glance.

  "Relevant work should be arranged as soon as possible." Ji Youguo extinguished the cigarette butt, "The US will definitely intervene to mediate and won't let us slaughter India at will. Strive to complete deployment within 24 hours and receive results within 48 hours."

  After the meeting was dismissed, Ji Youguo asked Huang Guowei to stay behind.

  "Commander, you're really something. Even those generals who normally look down on people are completely won over by you."

  "Is that so? I don't think so." Ji Youguo smiled faintly and said, "You go back and pack your bags, we'll set off for the US later."

  "Represent you visit America?"

  "Of course not, your destination is the United Nations." After taking over the teacup handed by Wang Yuanqing, Ji Youguo continued to say, "The US may make a big deal at the UN. Being passive is not as good as being proactive, I'll let Wang Yuanqing give you the documents later, and you can prepare well to proactively propose a motion to sanction both warring parties."

  "But Pakistan..."

  "Don't worry, things won't be that simple." Ji Youguo smiled faintly, "This is just a delaying tactic. Any major proposal from the Anli Conference won't be discussed in just a few days, or even tens of days?"

  "Is there anything I should pay attention to?" Huang Guowei understood Ji Youguo's intention.

  "Make a sky-high price, return the money when it falls to the ground. The US is anxious and will follow our pace. If negotiations can't be reached, just one word: 'delay'. Wait until we're busy, then discuss the main issue. If necessary, exercise veto power. With your diplomatic skills, spinning around for a few days won't be a problem, right?"

  Huang Guowei smiled and agreed, just like those generals, he admired the leader with all his heart.