Chapter 7: The Tiger in the Jungle (5)

  (5)

  In the command center of the Southeast Asian War Zone Command of the Chinese People's National Defense Army in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, General Qian Xiao, Commander of the Southeast Asian War Zone of the Chinese People's National Defense Army, who had just woken up from a nap, returned to his command post with a full spirit after having a midnight snack.

  Congratulatory telegrams from home and various Southeast Asian allies are piled high on his desk. The ASEAN Joint Rapid Reaction Force, composed of Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, has entered the Sunda Islands region of Indonesia according to pre-divided combat zones, and is rapidly gathering troops at the Pangkal Pinang International Airport on Bangka Island.

  Satellite images show that more than 50 Thai Army British-made Scorpion light tanks and US-made M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks have appeared around Penang International Airport, it is estimated that Thailand is trying to land its only cavalry (light armored) regiment on Sumatra.

  Malaysia's troop deployment is no slower than Thailand, with 1 independent special warfare group (2,400 people) gathered and will be sent to the war zone within 24 hours.

  Compared to Thailand and Malaysia, Singapore's actions seem relatively slow, except for pressing China to fulfill its commitments and proposing a UN multinational peacekeeping force be sent to Indonesia, there are almost no signs of mobilization within the country.

  "It seems that Singapore still doesn't trust us!" General Qian Xiao smiled slightly. He picked up his pen and made a corresponding note on the document before standing up, the night outside was getting darker.

  Meanwhile, at the United Nations headquarters in New York on the other side of the ocean, a proposal by Singapore to send a multi-national peacekeeping force to Indonesia is being put to a vote. Singapore has traditionally had good connections in the Western world and among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto power, China has been secretly conducting diplomatic activities. Russia and France were the first to express their support, while the United States and Britain, although unwilling to see China's influence expand in Southeast Asia, eventually cast their votes in favor after early diplomatic efforts and division of interests by the Chinese government.

  The Japanese government made a strong effort and launched a "silver bullet" offensive, but the proposal was still voted down by a majority.

  UN Resolution 2145 authorized China and ASEAN countries to form a regional multi-national peacekeeping force to enter Indonesia, to help restore order in the area. The government of Lin Guangzhao elected by the Indonesian people through voting is the only legitimate government of Indonesia, and the multi-national peacekeeping force will also be the only international military force with the right to use force in the region of Indonesia. Calling for other third-country armed forces in Indonesia to withdraw as soon as possible.

  The adoption of this resolution will undoubtedly define Japan's military actions in Indonesia as illegal activities. The Japanese government has already been defined under international law as an outright aggressor.

  Years later, British historian Mast in his book "The Supreme Rule" commented: "The resolution on Indonesian peacekeeping passed by the United Nations has had a significant impact on China's establishment of its 21st-century dominance in the region, comparable to the authorization of US force in the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War. We still cannot objectively comment on the impact of China's entry into the region on the world situation, as it is an inevitable choice of history."

  But for the vast number of Chinese and Japanese soldiers who are fighting on the front lines, the grand speeches within the United Nations seem too far away. The Southeast Asia War Zone Chief of Staff of the People's Liberation Army, Lieutenant General Ren Lingyu, who has just arrived at the Sanbao Ridge International Airport, is not met with a welcoming crowd but rather a sea of Chinese soldiers' apathetic faces and the muzzles of their Type 95 automatic rifles.

  No one knew that the high-ranking commander who should have been in the command center watching the electronic map would suddenly appear on the front line. However, his arrival brought an unexpected turn to the entire war.

  Although the Chinese army had already secured two solid landing points, in the face of the counterattack by Japan's Self-Defense Forces "Nanyang Expeditionary Army", the second wave of troops dispatched by the Chinese expeditionary force was extremely critical. The Southeast Asia War Zone Command of the Chinese People's National Defense Force in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was not clear about the situation at Sanbao Ridge International Airport.

  The early shelling caused devastating damage to the airport's runway. Although the 77th Amphibious Infantry Brigade of the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps had already boarded, General Qian Xiao was still uncertain whether to directly airlift them to Sanbao Ridge International Airport, as completing the airlift of heavy weapons in such close proximity to enemy lines was unprecedented not only in Chinese military history but also in world military history.

  "Let's slow down for now." General Qian Xiao, who was known for being cautious and experienced in the military, also began to hesitate. If Japan strengthened its air defense around Sanbao Airport, this transport would directly wipe out an elite tank regiment! But just then, information transmitted directly from Sanbao Airport by Ren Lingyu made General Qian Xiao suddenly enlightened.

  "The second wave of landing is proceeding as scheduled." With General Qian Xiang's iron-clad order, the second airborne echelon of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, consisting of 40 large military transport aircraft, took off again from various forward bases in southern Vietnam before dawn.

  To draw the air defense firepower of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces on Java Island, the Chinese naval "Shanghai" aircraft carrier fleet deployed in the Java Sea almost simultaneously launched a long-range cruise missile raid on the core military facilities of the Japanese Self-Defense Force's "Nanyang Expeditionary Army" in the Jakarta area.

  Under the cover of night, two Chinese Navy Type 055 cruisers "Ningxia" and "Guizhou", with a full displacement of 11,490 tons, slowly came to a stop outside the 150-kilometer range of Japan's Self-Defense Force's SSM-1 shore-to-ship missile, nicknamed "Tōei no Yari". Using improved dual-mounted Russian-made "Basalt" (NATO designation: SS-N-12 "Sandbox") anti-ship missile launchers, they fired 32 "Red Bird" X-1H-type shipborne cruise missiles towards Jakarta.

  The entire "Shanghai" aircraft carrier fleet launched more than 60 cruise missiles towards Jakarta, but to increase the density of firepower strikes, the Chinese Air Force later supplemented the launch with 48 "Red Bird" X-1G air-launched cruise missiles from 12 H-6S and H-9 (TU-22) bombers.

  The Japanese Self-Defense Forces have always regarded Jakarta as the cornerstone of the "Nanyang Dispatch Army" in Indonesia's military presence, and before the Japanese government dispatched armed forces to Indonesia, a large number of Japanese engineers secretly entered this most modern city in Indonesia to complete a series of military renovations of civilian infrastructure.

  After the arrival of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, the city was further fortified. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces built a large number of ring-shaped missile launch sites in the Jakarta area to deploy the "Patriot" long-range air defense system and SSM-1 ship-to-shore missiles.

  Two waves of over a hundred cruise missiles posed no great threat to the fortress city of Jakarta. Under the guidance of Japan's secretly developed EPS-XX new air defense radar, the "Patriot" PAC-2 missiles deployed around Jakarta were launched one after another to intercept them.

  For a time, the Jakarta night sky, which had been quiet for a long time due to curfews, was once again colorful. Under the coordinated attack of "patriots" and Japan's secretly developed GPS jammer against Beidou, more than 80% of China's cruise missiles failed to hit their targets.

  But for the Japanese Self-Defense Force's "Southern Cross Expeditionary Force", which has basically lost its external aid, this kind of missile consumption war is also unbearable. More importantly, in this round of attacks, several satellite receiving systems of the Japanese "Southern Cross Expeditionary Force" were destroyed, which can be said to be a devastating blow to Japan, which lacks long-range early warning capabilities.

  For the second wave of airborne troops of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force came out in full force to intercept, and even two E-767 large early warning aircraft with a range of 780 kilometers took off from Naha Air Base in Okinawa to guide 24 F-15J fighter jets to participate in the interception. However, after several aerial battles, the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force has apparently shown signs of fatigue.

  Facing the much larger escort fleet of the Chinese Air Force, Japanese fighters could hardly pose a threat to the Chinese military transport aircraft. "The enemy's second wave airborne target should be the area east of Dantu, and all troops should prepare to annihilate the enemy on the landing site." Lieutenant General Hironobu Tomoda, deputy commander of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces' "Nanyang Expeditionary Force", who was remotely commanding the front-line battlefield in Sanbao Ridge, still insisted on his judgment: The focus of the Chinese army is the landing site in Dantu area. As long as China's second wave airborne troops are strangled, the war will take a turn for the better. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Completely wrong.

  "Quickly clear the runway, quickly clear the runway." The Chinese armed "Nanyang Liberation Army" personnel with temporary red cloth wrapped around their arms acted as ground crew, clearing the two runways of the hastily repaired Sanbaolong International Airport at the fastest speed. Together with the airport lawn that can serve as a temporary runway, the entire Sanbaolong International Airport can still accommodate four large transport planes landing simultaneously.

  As the first Y-8S military transport plane appeared on the horizon, all Chinese soldiers including Ren Lianyu stood up straight. Because no one could guarantee that an airport which had been subjected to intense shelling could truly meet the requirements for such a large transport plane to take off and land. The massive body of the Y-8S became clearer and clearer, its landing gear rubbing violently against the rough runway, finally coming to a gentle stop at the end of the runway.

  "Success!" The airport erupted in cheers as a Type 85C medium tank, painted with jungle camouflage, quickly emerged from the plane's belly. On one side of the tank turret was a roaring "tiger head" pattern, which belonged to the People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps' 77th Amphibious Infantry Brigade's Tank Battalion, nicknamed "Jungle Tiger", who had distinguished themselves in the Battle of Hue.

  "Clear the runway." The empty Y-8S quickly entered the temporary parking apron under the guidance of the ground crew's shaking torches, giving way to the subsequent transport planes. After each transport plane landed, the Chinese Navy Marine Corps' engineers had to maintain the runway at the fastest speed to ensure the safe landing of the next fighter jet. The 32 large transport planes amazingly unloaded all the loaded weapons and equipment within 2 hours, which cannot be said to be a miracle. And the wounded soldiers in the previous battle were also taken on board the returning warplanes. An even more brutal battle was opened by the arrival of the first batch of heavy equipment of the Chinese Expeditionary Force.