Chapter 17: The Timing of Declaring War (4)
Article 4
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In the suburbs of Chiang Mai, a major city in northern Thailand, a middle-aged Chinese man was sitting leisurely in a room filled with fragrant flowers, holding a newly lit cigarette. The gentle southern wind outside blew, causing the wind chimes in front of the house to ring softly. This tranquil scene seemed to have no connection to the war of swords and guns. However, this very room was brewing a storm that could overturn the entire Malay Peninsula.
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Being appointed as the commander of the Indian Ocean Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army is a bit unexpected for Hu Weifeng. As the deputy commander of the Jinan Military Region, he was directly transferred to be in charge of an overseas major theater this time, which makes Hu Weifeng feel a little honored and surprised.
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Although in the first two overseas military operations of the Republic, Ren Lingyu was also a young and successful general, after all, there was still the old general Qian Xiao to protect him. However, this time the Central Military Commission's arrangement for the leadership team in the Indian Ocean war zone allowed the young Hu Weifeng to play the leading role, while the old general - Zhang Ling, Commander of the Chengdu Military Region, took on the role of Deputy Commander.
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As the Indian military's heavy punches gradually knocked down ASEAN countries, the Chinese People's National Defense Army also secretly strengthened its military presence in Southeast Asia. The Lancang-Mekong Economic Belt is China's bottom line of interests in Southeast Asia, so before the Indian military launched an attack, the Chinese People's National Defense Army had secretly dispatched a 6,000-strong elite army corps - the Lancang Expeditionary Force - to the Indochina Peninsula region.
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The main task of the Lancang Expeditionary Force was to maintain and consolidate China's military bases along the Lancang-Mekong River in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, ensuring that large quantities of military supplies could be transported smoothly through the Lancang-Mekong River line to the front lines.
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After agreeing to a series of conditions, including allowing Chinese troops to secretly deploy in northern Thailand, the Thai government, which had suffered heavy losses at the beginning of the war, was also able to obtain military aid from China through the Mekong River. The Chinese military also opened its naval base on the Tanintharyi Islands in southern Myanmar to shelter the ASEAN coalition's "Chakri Naruebet" aircraft carrier fleet.
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To cover the retreat of the "Chakri Naruebet" aircraft carrier fleet, Chinese special forces stationed in southern Myanmar also disguised themselves as Thai special soldiers and attacked Indian coastal surveillance radar stations deployed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with a detection range of over 200 nautical miles. This was the first actual participation in combat by Chinese military personnel.
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While the Indian army is focusing on the Malay Peninsula, the Chinese military is also making a full-scale deployment in northern Thailand and along the Mekong River. At this moment, Hu Weifeng's hand may not be considered a good card, but it is powerful enough to fight one battle.
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In terms of air force, the Chinese army has deployed about 4 air force divisions along the Lancang-Mekong River, with more than 400 aircraft of various models. Once the war starts, Hu Weifeng can also get support from the Southeast Asian Theater of Operations of the People's Liberation Army stationed in Vietnam and Indonesia, while the air forces of Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and other ASEAN countries will also fight side by side with the Chinese Air Force.
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Navy: The Shanghai-Jiangsu sea and air attack group, the first dual aircraft carrier combat group commanded by Major General Xu Jie, has been formed into the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Expeditionary Fleet and has arrived at Con Dao Island in southern Vietnam. In addition, 3 submarines of China's South Sea First Submarine Attack Group
Song Dynasty
Type 039A submarines and four Ming-class conventional powered submarines have also entered the war zone. Not long ago, they secretly participated in the war and sank the Indian Navy's "Bangalore"-class destroyer "Madurai", which was their first test of strength.
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Army: The 13th Group Army of the Chengdu Military Region, which participated in the Vietnam Pacification War in 2005, is the main force of the Indian Ocean Theater of the Chinese People's National Defense Army. However, according to the deployment of the Central Military Commission, before the declaration of war, the two divisions and three brigades of the 13th Group Army did not enter Thailand. The troops were deployed along the Mekong River line, with the original garrison in Jiangjin, the 37th Mechanized Infantry Division, deployed near Vientiane, Laos, on the Laotian-Thai border; the original garrison in Leshan, the 149th Mechanized Infantry Division, was deployed on the western side of Cambodia, on the Thai-Cambodian border. The division's armored brigade, air defense brigade, and artillery brigade were deployed along the line from Jinghong, Yunnan, China to Luang Prabang, Laos.
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The ground troops of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that have entered northern Thailand are mainly the 52nd Mountain Infantry Brigade of the Tibet Military District and the 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the 20th Group Army of the Jinan Military Region.
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The 20th Group Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army can be said to be Hu Weifeng's starting point, and this time the Central Military Commission has selected the 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade from the Chengdu Military Region to join the Indian Ocean Theater, which cannot be said to have its profound meaning.
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Although it is said that Hu Weifeng took office alone, there are concerns that he cannot command the various troops of the Chengdu Military Region. However, with the cooperation of General Zhang Ling, the former commander of the Chengdu Military Region who has long seen through fame and fortune, and the excellent tradition of our army for a long time, this statement is actually not established.
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In Hu Weifeng's view, the arrival of the 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade was more like a test paper given to him by the Central Military Commission, testing his ability to use this old force, testing his ability as a war zone commander to coordinate various troops... and so on. This test paper is really not easy to answer.
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Chiang Mai is the political, economic and cultural center of northern Thailand and the second-largest city in Thailand. It is surrounded by mountains: the Thanon Thong Chai Range to the east, the Khun Tan Range in the west, with peaks reaching over 2,000 meters, including Doi Inthanon, the highest peak in Thailand at 2,576 meters. The Ping River flows through the center of the city.
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Chiang Mai is situated on the Mae Ping River and nestled in a valley at an elevation of 305 meters above sea level. The surrounding countryside is fertile and green, with rice paddies and fruit orchards dominating the landscape. Thailand's famous teak wood and rice are grown here.
While the main producing area of pomelo is Chiang Mai. In Chiang Mai, you can see large and small pomelo orchards everywhere. As for Thai rice,
Although the main producing area is in the central region of Thailand
But the best quality rice, called Jasmine Fragrant Rice, is grown in Chiang Mai. Also known for its abundance of roses and beautiful women, it has been dubbed "The Rose of the North".
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Although the environment is superior, in Hu Weifeng's view, setting up the command center of the Indian Ocean war zone in Chiang Mai is a place of right and wrong. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, General Hu Weifeng deployed the 52nd Infantry Mountain Brigade of the Tibet Military Region, which has strict military discipline, in Chiang Mai. The 58th Mechanized Infantry Brigade was deployed in Phitsanulok, a city in central northern Thailand.
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Phitsanulok is the capital of Phitsanulok Province in Thailand. It is located on the right bank of the Nan River. Although it is a transportation hub in northern Thailand, where railways, highways and waterways meet, its geographical location is important. However, it is an old city with a sparse population.
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While each unit entered the designated position, Hu Weifeng also worked hard to establish a joint command system with the military of various ASEAN countries. Although it is called a coalition army, there are many differences between the troops of various ASEAN countries, not to mention coordinated operations, and even daily communication will encounter many obstacles. In the first phase, the ASEAN coalition forces were defeated by the Indian army, except for the gap in weapons and equipment, training levels, and the inability to form a concerted effort was also a key factor.
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Faced with this situation, Hu Weifeng decided to start with the Thai army. Before successfully transplanting the command system of the Chinese army into the Thai army, Hu Weifeng repeatedly refused to execute the Central Military Commission's order for the Indian Ocean War Zone to intervene in the Indo-China War: "If we cannot coordinate well with local troops, the difficulties we will face on the Indochinese Peninsula will be greater than those in India."
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After a period of effort, the joint combat capabilities of the Chinese and Thai armies have begun to take shape. The Chinese government's preparations for intervening in the war have also gradually entered the final stage.
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After 24 hours without a response from New Delhi following the first secret meeting, the Chinese government issued a warning to India through formal channels:
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The military action taken by the Indian Government in the Malacca area has completely deviated from its declared intention of maintaining regional stability and has turned into a naked aggressive war. If the Indian Government cannot stop its aggression against Malaysia and other countries, China will take necessary measures to safeguard regional peace...
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