Chapter 28: The Republic's Fury

  After returning to the Presidential Palace from the General Staff Headquarters, Ji Youguo immediately had a hotline conversation with Jia Peilun.

  Hotline calls between heads of state are not made at will, except in emergency situations. Before the call, a "reservation" is required, and the secretaries of both sides agree on the time and main topic of the conversation. The secretary also prepares a relevant document for the head of state, highlighting the questions that need to be raised with the other party and predicting the questions that the other party may raise. Only after preparations are complete does the head of state take the stage, discussing hot topics, reaching consensus, or resolving differences over the phone.

  Ji Youguo and Jia Peier are going to discuss the Indo-Pakistani War.

  Perhaps those commentators who like to appear on TV and value their pay from newspapers are not aware of the role China played in the Indo-Pakistani War, but it is impossible for the US President not to know about the secret aid provided by China to Pakistan, especially in terms of intelligence.

  Shooting down A-50I, sinking "INS Vikramaditya", completely exceeded the capabilities of Pakistan Air Force and Navy. Without China's support, even direct intervention, these two things would not have happened. The Pakistani missile force destroyed India's short-range ballistic missile force with unusual precision and timeliness in the second round of missile strikes after the outbreak of war, must have received support from reconnaissance satellites, but Pakistan does not have reconnaissance satellites.

  All this is enough to prove that China has already entered the war.

  During the hotline conversation, Kissinger was probing Zhou Enlai's tone to gain valuable information such as the extent and nature of China's support for Pakistan, how much aid was prepared, whether troops would be sent to fight, or even if a declaration of war against India was contemplated. Zhou Enlai was also probing Kissinger's tone to learn about the extent of US assistance to India, how much military intelligence was provided, whether more aid would be offered, and whether the US would intervene openly.

  In the end, Ji Youguo didn't know what valuable information Jia Pei had obtained, but he himself gained a lot.

  Jaishankar is eager to understand China's bottom line, clearly worried that China will "overexert" itself, making it unbearable for India, leading to an expansion of the war. He is even more concerned that China will directly send troops, making it impossible for India to withstand, and making it impossible for the US to turn a blind eye. Throughout the conversation, Jaishankar repeatedly expressed his willingness to collaborate with China to mediate, indicating that the US does not want the war to expand in scale, nor does it want to see India lose its "underwear".

  Jia Pei's attitude made Ji Youguo feel: America is timid.

  At first, Ji Youguo also thought that Jaipal was pretending to be weak and wanted to lure China into directly participating in the war, allowing China to get bogged down in the South Asian quagmire.

  After weighing the pros and cons, Ji Youguo ruled out this possibility.

  The anti-terrorist war in Afghanistan has given the United States a headache. As the US prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan, it can only promote balanced diplomacy between India and Pakistan to ensure its position in South Asia. It cannot excessively aid Pakistan or excessively woo India, with the goal of achieving strategic balance between India and Pakistan controlled by the US. If the scale of the Indo-Pakistani war expands and China sends troops to participate, the delicate balance of power in South Asia carefully constructed by the United States will be completely destroyed. Whether it is Pakistan or India, both will be thoroughly disappointed with the United States and gradually drift away from it.

  Only conflicts of suitable scale serve American interests.

  This is also the main reason why Jia Pei does not want China to enter the war.

  Ji Youguo did not make a decision to go to war because of this. Whether or not to go to war is determined by China's national interests, rather than the United States' national interests, and it does not necessarily have to be against the United States.

  Looking at the current situation, "indirect participation" is still the most beneficial for China. In this war, severely punish India, let India know that China is not to be trifled with, and China's "brothers" are also not to be trifled with. Create 20 years of peace in South Asia by "fighting out", allowing China to free up its hands to solve problems in other directions, and make India go down a path of no return, completely losing the possibility of becoming a world power.

  Because he talked with Jia Pei until midnight, Ji Youguo didn't go home to sleep and spent the night on the sofa in his study.

  When Wang Daqian got up early in the morning, Wang Yuanqing had already prepared his breakfast and medicine for treating stomach disease.

  In recent days, Ji Youguo's old stomach problem has recurred, mainly due to overwork and irregular work and rest schedules, as well as frequent late nights.

  "Is there any news from the General Staff?"

  "Not for the time being, shall I make a call to inquire?"

  "Never mind, there's new news. Peng Maobang will contact me proactively." Ji Youguo put down the cup with milk and picked up the lid with medicine tablets. After his stomach disease relapsed, his appetite had decreased a lot.

  I had just swallowed the medicine when the phone on the table rang.

  Ji Youguo hesitated for a moment, and Wang Yuanqing went over to pick up the microphone.

  "What... I am the prime minister's secretary... what?"

  Seeing Wang Yuanqing's drastic change in expression, Ji Youguo immediately stood up. "What happened?"

  "General Peng just called and said that our workers' dormitory in the port of Gwadar was bombed, with over 30 people killed and an unclear number of injured."

  Ji Youguo's face changed instantly as he took over the phone. "Peng Maobang, this is Ji Youguo."

  "Premier, I just received a message..." Peng Maobang's voice came from the receiver, very anxious and angry.

  "Don't say any more now, mobilize all forces immediately to rescue the injured, find the bodies of the victims and settle down other personnel." Ji Youguo interrupted Peng Maobang's words, "I will contact Sheriff right away and ask Pakistan for full support and cooperation."

  "Are combat personnel required?"

  "Just send out all the troops that can be used. Wait...” Ji Youguo hesitated for a moment, “Dispatch special forces in the name of evacuating and protecting Chinese nationals, let the embassy and Karachi consulate provide assistance, and shelter our personnel in Pakistan. If combat personnel are to be sent, have them wear Pakistani military uniforms and try to use weapons and equipment from the Pakistani army as much as possible.”

  "Understood, I'll arrange it immediately."

  After putting down the phone, Ji Youguo let out a sigh and picked up the red phone beside him.

  Sheriff also received the news of Gwadar port being bombed and Chinese engineers being killed. Deep down, he not only didn't feel sad about it but was secretly delighted because China would provide more aid to Pakistan as a result, or even directly join the war. When talking on the phone with Ji Youguo, Sheriff's tone was extremely sorrowful and angry, as if the ones who died were his own family members rather than Chinese people. As for Ji Youguo's request for assistance, Sheriff agreed without hesitation. This is called returning a favor, besides, those workers are helping Pakistan Navy expand its base, China even provided part of the expansion cost, so Pakistan should also take some responsibility.

  At 9:30, Ji Youguo left the Presidential Palace and headed for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  Huang Guowei learned of the bombing at Gwadar Port from China's Consul General in Karachi around 9:20. At that time, he was not clear whether there were any Chinese casualties.

  When Huang Guowei saw Ji Youguo, he immediately knew that things had become serious.

  "Draft a diplomatic statement immediately." Ji Youguo started speaking without sitting down, "Firstly, strongly condemn India's bombing of civilian targets; secondly, demand that India take all responsibility and consequences for this; thirdly, let our personnel in Pakistan go to the nearest embassy or consulate as soon as possible, or leave Pakistan; lastly, declare that we will organize forces to evacuate Chinese citizens staying in Pakistan and protect the lives and property safety of overseas Chinese."

  "Evacuate?" Huang Guowei was secretly shocked, this was absolutely not a simple signal.

  "Yes, the evacuation operation will be carried out by the military." Ji Youguo had calmed down by now. "Also, go and call Zhao Rundong over."

  Huang Guowei secretly smiled wryly, as the Premier had turned the Foreign Minister's office into his own study.

  Fifteen minutes later, General Zhao Rundong arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  "I've received the news, and I didn't expect India to bomb our workers' dormitory." Zhao Rundong's emotions were calmer than Ji Youguo's. "We still can't confirm whether this was a misfire or a premeditated attack. If it was a misfire, we should engage in diplomatic negotiations with India instead of taking military action."

  "General Zhao, do you think this is a misfire?"

  He was countered by the head of state with a question, and Zhao Rundong couldn't answer for a moment.

  "Can a missile that can hit warships deviate by hundreds of meters and land in the workers' dormitory outside the naval base?" Ji Youguo sneered, seemingly having anticipated Zhao Rundong's attitude. "This is India testing our bottom line and endurance. If we swallow our anger now, I'm afraid tomorrow will be a repeat of that tragic play 16 years ago."

  Zhao Rundong was startled, he knew what Ji Youguo meant.

  In the last year of the previous century, during the Kosovo War, US forces bombed the Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia, causing casualties among Chinese diplomatic personnel.

  "It's okay to express your opinion, but you should be more tactful." Huang Guowei was a bit stunned and said something he shouldn't have.

  "The foreign minister is right, we don't need to show a combative attitude at this time."

  Ji Youguo glanced at Huang Guowei, and Huang immediately knew he had misspoken. He quickly stood up and said: "You all chat first, I'll go draft a diplomatic statement, and come back later to solicit your opinions."

  After Huang Guowei left, Ji Youguo said to Zhao Rundong: "Old Zhao, I'm not that I don't understand what you mean, it's just that I hope you won't think about the problem like the Foreign Minister. You and Old Peng are both steel warriors who crawled out of the Cat Ear Cave, how come you've changed completely now?"

  "Ah..." Zhao Rundong sighed, "Old Ji, you've misunderstood my meaning. I just think it's not necessary to expend too much energy in South Asia. The situation around us is unstable, Japan is causing trouble in the East China Sea, and the South China Sea is also not calm. If we put our focus on South Asia, how will these problems be solved?"

  "More than thirty years ago, we exchanged a counterattack for an international situation of peace and stability." Ji Youguo stood up, "If we can exchange another small-scale military action for another thirty years of peace and stability, it's worth taking the risk."

  "But..."

  "Don't worry, we won't go to war. From the beginning, I didn't plan to directly go to war, and now is not the time to resolve the territorial disputes with India." Ji Youguo turned around, "Old Zhao, it was my mistake earlier for not letting you participate. I hope you can understand, after all, what we are doing now concerns the future of the Republic and the Chinese nation. Go find Ying Changhui and discuss the deployment of the fleet with him, try to release the news as soon as possible."

  Zhao Rundong stopped nagging and immediately nodded in agreement.

  Before, Ji Youguo had always let Peng Maobang be in charge of related matters. Now, he handed over the combat operations that were previously carried out in the Indian Ocean to the Minister of Defense. This made Zhao Rundong feel grateful and also made him believe that the leader was not biased towards anyone, but rather gave different personnel the most suitable work arrangements.

  ****

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