Chapter Twenty-Five: Two Worlds of Ice and Fire

  On the night of July 2nd, the phrase "beyond expectation" could no longer be used to describe Santos' feelings.

  Although the intelligence provided by the US pointed to China, the losses in the missile war that morning and the air battle at noon could still be explained away as accidental and temporary factors. In the summary of the first phase of operations that afternoon, the Air Force commander had already made a guarantee that they would defeat the Pakistani Air Force within the next 24 hours, seize air superiority, and provide air support for ground troops.

  Santos did not doubt the air force's combat effectiveness, and even if it took 24 hours to turn things around, it would definitely be done within 48 hours.

  When listening to the summary of the battle, Santos realized that China's intervention would definitely bring unpredictable variables to the war. He just never thought it would come so suddenly.

  The meeting had not yet ended when the Navy brought news that the "Avenger" had lost contact with its base.

  Santos immediately left and personally contacted Admiral Dass, Commander of the Navy.

  "The Killer" not only lost contact with the base, but also sent a message before that, reporting being attacked by an unidentified submarine torpedo. The navy has dispatched search and rescue forces and mobilized all forces to search for the unidentified submarine.

  For more than an hour afterwards, Santos was on edge.

  Although with rich experience and the intuition of a sailor, Santos knew that the chances of "Killer" escaping unscathed were extremely slim, but before receiving a definitive report, he held onto the last thread of hope, thinking that "Killer" could rely on its excellent performance as a nuclear submarine to avoid torpedoes and return to Rambilli Submarine Base.

  After the second call with Das, Santos' hopes were completely shattered.

  The wreckage of the "歼击者" has been found, and it is initially confirmed that it was hit by at least two heavy anti-submarine torpedoes. There is no possibility of survival for the more than 100 officers and men on board the submarine.

  Who did it? Who exactly did it?

  Santos first ruled out the United States as a suspect, then Russia, Britain and France. Although these countries had the capability to dispatch attack submarines to the Indian Ocean, they either had good relations with India or were neutral, with no reason to launch a sneak attack on the INS Vikrant.

  Japan? No way. Those few conventional submarines of Japan have never been to the Indian Ocean.

  Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are also unlikely as their submarines mainly operate in the South China Sea and are all conventional submarines that cannot escape before anti-submarine patrol aircraft arrive.

  Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Maldives have no submarines. Bangladesh's two old submarines are in port.

  In the end, Santos narrowed down the suspects to Pakistan and China.

  Pakistan has six submarines, three of which have completed AIP system transformation and have excellent underwater mobility, but the underwater high-speed endurance is not strong, making it difficult to escape the search range of anti-submarine patrol aircraft after a successful sneak attack.

  It can only be China and must be China.

  The Sino-Indian War broke out, and the country most affected was China. If the war situation develops unfavorably for Pakistan, China will be forced to send troops, forcing India to negotiate with Pakistan in a favorable situation. If the war situation develops favorably for Pakistan, China is also likely to take advantage of the opportunity to send troops and recover the South Tibet region.

  China's participation in the war would first require the destruction of India's strategic nuclear counterattack capability.

  Apart from INS Arihant, India's nuclear capabilities are all land-based and under close surveillance by reconnaissance satellites. Given its inferior strength compared to China, India will not dare to use nuclear weapons to strike China first, risking being thoroughly destroyed by China's strategic nuclear weapons.

  For India, nuclear weapons are solely for strategic retaliatory purposes.

  Knocking out India's strategic counterattack force, China can defeat India through a conventional war without using nuclear weapons first and reap rich rewards.

  It can be seen from this that Santos did not blindly direct his spearhead at China.

  His analytical thinking is clear and objective. This reflects, in a way, that Santos did not consider any country as a true ally, fully consistent with India's decades-long "non-aligned movement".

  After reaching this astonishing conclusion, Santos immediately got on the hotline with US President Jabel, hoping that the United States could provide information about the movement and deployment of Chinese submarines, especially nuclear-powered ones.

  Less than half an hour later, a US intelligence liaison officer delivered the movement intelligence of China's submarine fleet for the past ten days.

  China's six attack submarines are either docked in port or departed two days ago, and it is impossible for them to have sunk the "Nimitz" in the Bay of Bengal. China's conventional submarines mostly stayed in port, and those that left were under surveillance by US and Japanese submarines in the western Pacific. US intelligence liaison officials also provided hydrophone data from the past two days in the Malacca Strait and Sunda Strait, showing no signs of Chinese submarines entering the Indian Ocean.

  Santos was even more perplexed.

  Not done by Chinese submarine, could it be done by Chinese anti-submarine patrol aircraft?

  This idea made Santos laugh, not to mention that China's anti-submarine patrol aircraft could not reach the Bay of Bengal, even if they could enter the airspace of the Bay of Bengal from Myanmar, they would not be able to detect the "killer" without submarines or surface warships. It is even more impossible to launch a surprise attack.

  Which country's submarine sank the "Killer"?

  Because the existence and actions of "Swordfish" were top-secret, after the Chinese Navy announced the existence of "Swordfish", all action data related to "Swordfish" were listed as "permanent sealed confidential files". Therefore, the sinking of "Interceptor" not only became the biggest mystery of the Fourth Indo-Pakistani War but also one of the greatest enigmas in world naval history and world war history.

  Later, some even suggested that the "Killer" was sunk by a torpedo launched by itself.

  Having ruled out other possibilities, Santos had to believe that China was behind the sinking of the "Avenger", even if the result was unbelievable. Santos also realized that China would definitely go to war and would definitely send a fleet into the Indian Ocean in the near future.

  In fact, the Chinese Air Force has already joined the war, it's just not standing in front of the stage.

  Facing the dejected and dispirited Dass, Santos had to bring out the calmness and confidence that a national leader should have, making the naval commander believe that India would definitely win in the end.

  "I have reviewed the combat plan you submitted, it has practical operability and great significance." Santos' voice was calm, as if nothing had happened. "The Air Force will fully cooperate, dispatching fighter jets to escort the attack aircraft group. My only requirement is that the Navy must use its full strength, let our enemies know that India is the master of the Indian Ocean, and the Indian Navy is the ruler of the Indian Ocean!"

  "Your Excellency..." Dhas was extremely excited and even grateful to Santos.

  "Go plan the operation." Santos didn't say anything more, or rather he didn't want to continue facing Das. "Give me a surprise, give the Indian people a surprise, also give the Navy, and give yourself an opportunity."

  "Mr. Prime Minister, the Navy guarantees the completion of the task."

  Santos nodded and waved his hand, letting the excited Das leave.

  Whether it is the interim Prime Minister of India, the Indian people or the Indian army, what is needed now is not dozens of fighter jets or a nuclear submarine, but a victory that can boost morale and lift spirits.

  Thousands of miles away, another debate is raging on.

  Apart from Ji Youguo and Peng Menggang, the attendees also included Defense Minister Zhao Rundong, Chief of Staff of the Army Liao Zhongge, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Ying Changhui, Chief of Staff Jiang Yuzhen, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force Yan Yuxing, Chief of Staff Guo Xinghui, Commander-in-Chief of the Second Artillery Corps Wei Longjiang and Chief of Staff Zou Hanmin.

  Whether to dispatch a naval fleet to the Indian Ocean, the meeting participants basically reached a consensus.

  Whenever the interests of the Republic in the Indian Ocean are threatened, dispatch a fleet to the Indian Ocean under the pretext of evacuating and protecting nationals, go to the Arabian Sea, and lift India's sea blockade against Pakistan.

  On the question of whether to go to war, the delegates in principle all believed that the Republic should play an active and substantial role, but on the issue of how to go to war, there were great differences.

  Liao Zhongge insisted on direct participation in the war, taking the southern Tibet region as an excuse to take the opportunity to recover lost territory.

  Wei Changjiang and Zou Hanmin advocated for not directly participating in the war, citing India's nuclear status, and instead providing material assistance to Pakistan.

  Yan Yiqing and Guo Xinghui believed that combat personnel should be dispatched to Pakistan in a voluntary or mercenary capacity.

  Ying Zonghu and Jiang Yuyan did not explicitly express their stance because the navy would not only participate in the war but had already participated.

  "In the afternoon, I received a call from Sheriff. Ji Youguo did not participate in the debate, that was a military matter. In the daytime air battle, the Pakistan Air Force lost more than half of its 'Thunder' fighter jets and thirty-two of its best pilots. The planes can be replenished, as General Peng said, we can immediately provide at least one hundred twenty 'Thunder' fighter jets to Pakistan, but the pilots cannot be replenished. At this rate of loss, in three days, Pakistan will face the embarrassing situation of having planes but no pilots."

  Several soldiers closed their mouths and listened intently to the commander-in-chief's speech.

  "It is undeniable that whether to fight or not, it's not only related to everyone present here, but also to the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Republic, to the future of the Republic, and to the future of the Chinese nation." Ji Youguo picked up a cigarette from the ashtray. "I want to ask you all a question: can one-sided concessions achieve the great cause of rejuvenating the Chinese nation? I also want to ask you all another question: will large-scale wars that don't match our national strength help the Chinese nation regain its position at the top of the world? Pakistan is not only our ally, but also our only ally. If we lose this ally, will it be easier or harder for the Chinese nation to achieve its great rejuvenation? From the perspective of national interests, we must help Pakistan get through its difficulties. At the same time, we should avoid creating a new enemy and adding new obstacles to the nation's rejuvenation."

  The argument ends here.

  After putting down the cigarette butt, Ji Youguo's gaze swept over everyone and finally stayed on Zhao Rundong. Throughout the meeting, Zhao Rundong did not express any opinions, nor did he say a single word with practical significance. Apparently, the Minister of National Defense was extremely dissatisfied that the Paramount Leader had excluded him from the decision-making circle.

  ****

  New book on the rise, seeking recommendations and collections!