Chapter 12: Lethal Friction (5)

  (5)

  Beijing, a cold autumn night. A lonely and gaunt figure is silently walking home in the chilly autumn wind, this figure once represented youth, confidence, and even the hope and future of the Chinese army, but now it has become dull.

  He never became a supernova that would explode and then be extinguished, nor did he become a black hole that would swallow up his friends and family around him. He, the "Thunderbolt" of the Vietnam War, the "Young Marshal" of the 13th Army Group, Lieutenant General Ren Lianyou, Deputy Chief of Staff of the General Staff Department, met with his greatest Waterloo in life today.

  "A soldier, a pure soldier." Many years later when many of his contemporaries had gradually faded from people's memory, many old soldiers in the Indian Ocean war zone would evaluate him like this when talking about their last commander.

  Soldier? What is that? Some people put on military uniforms to escape the life of facing the yellow earth and backing the sky, or simply because the troops can eat their fill; some are because they cannot use admission notices to offset that inescapable duty; even more people understand wearing military uniforms as a right to embezzle public funds for personal gain, or a ladder to coveted power. But Ren Lianyu is not, at least after tonight, his life has a brand new understanding of the word "soldier".

  Turning a corner onto a dimly lit street, Ren Lianyu stopped in an unknown alley and pulled out the rarely smoked cigarette. Those familiar yet apathetic faces floated before his eyes once again.

  "Does China need you? Don't be silly!" The words echoed repeatedly in Ren Yingyu's sky. "Maybe!"

  Ling Yu smiled wryly, lighting a cigarette in his hand as he faced the wind. Under the streetlight, a pale and haggard expression was written on his once resolute face. Perhaps everyone's growth will have such a stage. The beauty you pursue, the beauty you entrust, will one day appear before you, ugly and bare, revealing its reality. Maybe it's a bit despicable, maybe it's a bit bleak.

  But this stage can never be crossed, and everyone must go through it. The sacred and inviolable words of the country, army, and future in Renming's dictionary were being ruthlessly trampled on just now. The other side held up their own power and ridiculed his naivety, at that moment Renming was inevitably knocked down. What he had insisted on turned out to be no match for the other side's straightforward smile.

  There have been countless soldiers in our history who have had the same experience as Ren Yingyu. Some of them changed, compromised, and became impure. But there are also those who did not change, forever standing up to the cruel and heavy world with their unyielding spirit. Perhaps at this moment, Ren Yingyu is also wondering whether his choice today is correct, whether it comes from a noble sentiment or just his own immaturity, seeking to be free of guilt, but making a hasty decision. However, as an adult, Ren Yingyu must prepare for the consequences of his choice. "Maybe I'll be asked to leave the army!"

  Ren Lingyu silently calculated his own ending.

  Compared to the chilly autumn winds of Beijing, the temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, felt quite comfortable. Major General Lim Keng Yeow, Chief of Staff of the First Infantry Division of the Malaysian Army, stood anxiously in front of his colleagues at this time.

  The situation in the entire strait is rapidly deteriorating. According to intelligence gathered by Malaysian Air Force's EMB145 early warning aircraft deployed in the strait, India is concentrating its forces in the western part of Indonesia's Aceh province at an unprecedented speed and with impunity. More than three divisions of Indian Army have been deployed in the region, which can be seen as a dangerous signal.

  With the arrival of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and Air Force also began to change their previous cautious attitude of only patrolling in the Andaman Sea, frequently entering the Malacca Strait, and even having friction with ASEAN military forces several times. Especially the MiG-29K carrier-based aircraft taking off from the Indian "Nehru" aircraft carrier repeatedly crossed the border for reconnaissance, sometimes even deep into Malaysia and Thailand's inland areas of nearly 100 kilometers.

  In response to such provocative actions, ASEAN countries have repeatedly protested to the Indian government, but apparently with little effect. The Indian government unilaterally declared on October 17, 2007: In view of the fact that the ASEAN military has been unable to end the chaotic situation in Sumatra, the Malacca Strait is troubled by sea mines, which seriously affects India's economic development, and the Indian government has no choice but to send appropriate military forces to the region.

  All this has announced an iron fact: the Indian government will intervene in Sumatra, and its appetite is not small. Faced with a pressing India, ASEAN has only three options:

  Firstly, unite the most powerful emerging nations in Asia: China, join forces to drive Indian influence out of the Malacca Strait region;

  Secondly, choose to yield and allow India to establish its own sphere of influence in western Sumatra.

  Third, without relying on China, integrate the existing military forces of ASEAN, unite the strength of each ASEAN country to force India to retreat. This third option is also what Lieutenant General Lin Jingkang is currently proposing and is most likely to be accepted by ASEAN countries.

  The "Regional Defence Integration" plan proposed by Lieutenant General Lin Jingkang mainly targets the integration of military forces in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in the Malay Peninsula and the Malacca Strait region. Although ASEAN has 10 member states, the military strength of Brunei, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia is obviously not on the stage, while the Philippines is far away from the conflict and naturally wants to stay out of it. Indonesia has just gone through a brutal civil war and cannot be considered either.

  So Major General Lim Hock Keng's "Integrated Area Defence" mainly refers to only three countries: Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. However, when the plan was being formulated, a not-so-small unexpected development emerged. Vietnam's Minister of National Defence, General Vo Nguyen Giap sent a special envoy to express his strong desire to join the plan. Vietnam had once been regarded as one of Southeast Asia's "tigers".

  One of the purposes of ASEAN's establishment cannot be said to be anything other than to resist Vietnam's expansionist trend at that time. Although its powerful army was crushed by the Chinese expeditionary force in the war in 2005, the air force remained intact and was further strengthened after the war. With around 250 combat aircraft, more than 70 of which are Su-27s

  The 30 series fighter jets. General Wu Wen also wanted to dispatch his only worthy air force to Malacca, in the hope of forming a joint combat capability with the air forces of ASEAN countries through this plan.

  The plan of Lieutenant General Lin Jingkang is not complicated, with the four countries of Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam taking the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra as their main defense areas. Implementing a unified air-land-sea defense: Air Force: In fact, all four countries have relatively strong air forces, which can suppress the Indian Navy's aviation and the land-based air force on the Andaman-Nicobar Islands if used properly. However, there are huge differences in the infrastructure and military strength of the four countries' air forces. The strongest air force among the four countries is Singapore, but due to its small territory, it has to store a large number of fighter jets overseas. Therefore, the "Same Boat" plan requires the four countries to open their airspace and air bases to each other, and each country's air force must issue joint combat orders. Navy: Lieutenant General Lin Jingkang proposed establishing a joint fleet with Thailand's "Chakri Naruebet" light aircraft carrier as its core, implementing mobile defense in the strait under the cover of the home air force. Army: Lieutenant General Lin Jingkang advocated for the establishment of a four-country joint mobile task force to meet emergency needs.

  It can be said that Lieutenant General Lin Jingkang's plan is not a big problem. Faced with India's sharp knives on the other side of the strait, ASEAN countries do need to establish such a joint defense system. Moreover, it can be said that ASEAN also has some prerequisites for establishing a "security community", such as having a clear code of conduct, good communication channels and mechanisms.

  However, the differing interests of ASEAN member states themselves hindered the smooth implementation of this plan. In particular, the Singaporean government was concerned that ASEAN would become a military alliance, thereby limiting its own freedom. As a result, the entire plan could only be carried out on a small scale between Malaysia and Vietnam, with the Vietnamese Air Force deploying two elite fighter squadrons to Gong Kedak and Penang airbases.

  "The same boat plan" is doomed to become a water mirror flower like the joint defense plans between small countries that have appeared in history. From the development of the situation later, even if it is fully promoted, it does not have enough time to be implemented in front of India's firm war determination.