It is Radclyf's turn to smile. “I just thought we were that good, my friend. I do not know your sources, but I appreciate the information. If you are correct, though, that would explain a lot.”
Chapter Seven - War
Location:
Pyongyang
North Korea
A single shot rings out. It echoes across the border, and marks the beginning of a new day. The target, a South Korean border guard, slumps down and dies in a pool of blood. His fellow guardsman raises an alarm. With military air forces grounded around the world, it was thought that no country would be willing to repeat the events that cost France their flagship carrier. It would, however, seem that one military power is willing to test another strategy.
A mighty thundering can be heard from across the Korean border to the north. Thousands of tanks, supported by numerous armored personnel carriers, and backed by self-propelled artillery units, move toward the border. A deafening barrage suddenly explodes all along the one hundred sixty miles of border. Over two thousand fixed artillery pieces commence fire and relentlessly pound positions in the South.
With satellite feeds and aerial surveillance non-existent, the South is caught completely by surprise. By the time the South Korean military realizes that this is a full-scale assault, the North already has many spearheads with forces across the Demilitarized Zone. Minefields, electric fences, and tank traps, cause grievous losses to the invaders, but still they come.
South Korea mobilizes while sending messages to her allies and the Gamin, in the hopes of forcing a cessation of the North's assault. South Korea finds that their allies cannot help, and as for the Gamin, they do not respond.
The invaders lose numerous tanks in their seemingly suicidal rush across the border. South Korean artillery pounds back at the aggressors, but are soon overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of tanks and ground troops. The North is committing their older units to the initial rush, leaving hundreds of tanks battered and ruined all along the border.
A massive contingent of armor heads straight for Seoul, another toward Inchon. The North does not use a single aircraft or naval vessel in its endeavors. Within an hour, the South has been effectively invaded. Virtually all of its artillery is destroyed or captured. With standard doctrine indicating that Seoul will be struck by artillery fire, the citizens are ordered to evacuate. As the sounds of artillery shells and tanks get increasingly louder, the people waste no time in doing so.
Outside Seoul, a wall of tanks and artillery greet the first wave of attackers. As tank after attacking tank, is destroyed, the commanders wonder about the tactics of the North. It becomes clear that these attacking units are very old. As the wave of attackers gets closer, the defenders get another taste of losing when the first shells start landing all around them. A massive fixed artillery piece gets blown sky-high as its munitions storage is hit. The battle rages on, bloody and merciless, for over an hour. As the fixed artillery gets overrun, tank squads start playing cat and mouse, maneuvering back and forth in their attempts to destroy each other. The South seems nearly able to hold the line, but a devastating new barrage lands among them. Previously, shells would glance off the armor plating on the tanks of the South, but no longer. The most advanced tanks in the North Korean arsenal are fresh into combat, having crossed the border unopposed, thanks to the enormous losses by their weaker counterparts. The tank forces of the South are already running into supply issues, and, in some cases, fuel shortages. Along with these newer tanks from the North, tens of thousands of ground troops can be seen. The South, now outnumbered and outgunned, takes a severe blow to its morale. Defending troops flee into the city; they are expecting a street fight and plan to hold the city as best they can. Seoul has not been attacked yet, and remains unscathed.
The first North Korean tank enters Seoul, causing even more panic. A loudspeaker blares that the city is being liberated. Reunification of North and South can now truly begin. The loudspeaker also continues to say that the city will not be damaged if the defending troops walk away or surrender. The South rushes reinforcements to the northern border, but it is too late for the capital. Millions flee Seoul, and the time bought by the defenders, allows almost five million people to be evacuated southward. Added to these, are the millions more fleeing southward from others parts of the country. This is one of the largest exoduses in the history of mankind, rivaling that caused by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China.
Not wanting to see the fine city of Seoul destroyed, South Korean generals order all surviving military assets to retreat and create a new defensive line. Thus, within four hours, North Korea finds themselves in control of over one quarter of what was South Korea just earlier that day. So swift is the victory, encircled defenders will fight on for many more hours before succumbing. The South, having lost their northern provinces so fast in the brazen attack, comes to find a greater shock as they rally forces for a new defensive line. The generals discover that more than forty percent of their overall ground forces are unaccounted for. Estimates of losses for the North reach similar numbers. This brings no happiness, as the South concedes that most of the North's losses have been antiquated units. The main core of the North's fighting forces is still intact, and rolling south.
By day's end, it is estimated that some two hundred fifty thousand soldiers have died on both sides, making this yet another sad historical milestone. This day has become one of the bloodiest in human history. Thousands of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and artillery pieces, lay crushed and ruined. With over eleven million South Koreans displaced, the North Koreans rightfully celebrate their victory. Not a single chemical or biological weapon has been used by the North, nor did they present any nuclear assets, making this type of attack extremely unexpected and unpredictable. Additionally, Seoul was not struck by artillery fire, which is another unexpected event, though that news is happily received.
As the following day breaks, assaults are renewed while the North Korean leadership calls for the unconditional surrender of the South. With no surrender forthcoming, the North Korean forces again roll southward, to begin another bloody day of combat.
Elsewhere in the world, the morning finds Hayato decrypting a hand-written message. He and his team, stationed in the Hong Kong area, are well placed for the task at hand. Looking at a massive wall map of the world, Hayato decides that the four of them should travel in the two vehicles as before. With he and Daitaro travelling in one van, and Chokichi with Akira in the other, around the clock driving should have them at their target destination the following morning. Looking around the safe house, Hayato calls his team together to discuss the upcoming mission. The team dons casual gear and loads an arsenal of weapons into the concealed compartments of both vans. After stocking the vans with electrical equipment and basic utility tools, the four men head out. The vans that were provided to the team in Germany are quite impressive. Being virtually bulletproof, made of radar absorbent materials with infra-red cameras, these vans also boast long range fuel tanks for their ultra-quiet diesel engines. An outside observer would see a simple utility van, just like many other grey vans. A trained eye may notice the heavy-duty struts and supports or hear the quiet rumble of an engine far more powerful than such a utility van usually has. All that built-in armor, hidden compartments, and extra fuel, adds weight, lots of weight, but the powerful diesel engine is able to manage the load with power and torque to spare.
Travel papers indicate that the four of them are all working for a Japanese power company with contracts in China. This ensures that they should have little to no difficulty travelling throughout China, especially as these papers come endorsed with a Chinese cabinet seal. Few would dare challenge the group, or even dare more than a cursory inspection, if any. Once loaded up, the four-man team heads toward the war zone.
The South Koreans, having consolidated and moved all their assets northward, see the next day turn into a slug fest. The South loses ground due to the sheer numbers from the North
. With many of the North's antiquated tanks destroyed, they are eventually forced to commit their newer units, which break the South's lines in many places. By the end of the second day, both sides are suffering chronic shortages of fuel and munitions. It's clear to all that the South has lost; the end is just a matter of time. Slowly, inexorably, the North advances. Towns and cities fall across the entire peninsula as the invasion seems unstoppable.
Still the Gamin have said nothing, and, more interestingly enough, have done nothing to stop the bloodshed. As Regent Voknor is watching events unfold, he is considering how this will affect his own agenda.
Hayato and Daitaro are in the lead van, with Chokichi and Akira following. They arrive at their destination, the Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge, in Dandong. With concealed handguns nearby, they get their travel papers ready, and then slowly drive up to the North Korean border. There are two Korean guards on duty, both are quite animated and speak excitedly. Hayato stops his van, and with one hand out the window, presents his Chinese papers.
One of the guards reviews the authentic looking work order, while another casually inspects the van’s contents. They are quite excited by the war and can't help but talk about it. “You see, we are winning the war with the South so easily, with their American friends not in the way. By this time tomorrow we will be one nation again.”
Hayato replies, beaming, “These are good days indeed.”
His Korean is rough, but the guards do not seem to care; most people that come over can’t speak the language properly. While the inspection continues, Hayato takes out a cigarette packet and shakes one out for himself and his passenger. A guard approaches, and, after noticing the cheap Chinese brand, he motions for one as well. The pack has a few left, Hayato lets the guards have them all, a little reluctantly of course, but these are good days.
Fifteen minutes later, the team finds themselves waved through, and are on the road again. Having filled the fuel tanks in China, they will have plenty of diesel for the round trip. With their target having many possible locations, Hayato's team takes an educated guess, and heads to the mountains north of Pyongyang first.
Hayato's men are in high spirits, having crossed the border uneventfully. The celebratory mood is quickly soured when they spot a road-block ahead. Having been spotted themselves, turning around would only alert the guards. With a nod to Daitaro, and the press of a button under the van's dashboard, he signals his intentions to the team. Six North Korean guards lazily wave the vans to a stop. Pulling up side by side, the four men lean out and open fire with fully automatic suppressed machineguns. With a quiet pop, pop, pop, the guards go down, not even getting to return fire. Hayato's men load the bodies into their own vehicles, remove the roadblock, and continue on.
The mission continues uneventfully for many miles until, finally, they turn onto a hillside road. This road winds up and down, then up again, as it snakes its way around the side of a small mountain. Being cut into the hillside, this road has an abrupt drop off on one side and a steep crumbling hill on the other. With only a few miles to go, and nearing the top, the team finds a secluded side road, which they take. This dirt road is a brief respite to the hillside road, as it follows an old dried creek bed. About a half mile down the road, the team turns into the woods. Settling deep into the forest, the team sets up a base of operations with perimeter scanners. They take shifts sleeping while they wait for evening to fall.
Hayato, Daitaro, and Chokichi, don full combat gear and head to the mountain top house, while Akira stays behind. Four hours later the three-man team is closer to the residence. They seem to have struck pay dirt. Fireworks light the sky, as the house appears to have a party going in full swing. Through powerful binoculars, the three men can discern where the many guards are. The guards seem quite relaxed, considering there is a war going on. Having heard no news in the last day, Hayato wonders if perhaps the South has surrendered already. Regardless, thinks Hayato, the orders stand, and they will be carried out.
With hand gestures alone, the three men communicate a plan, and then slowly make their way to the home to the North Korean leader. The house is a fortified palace, but it would seem that a lot of complacency exists being this far from any danger. A guard dies silently, unable to scream as his throat is cut from ear to ear by Daitaro's knife. Another feels as though he has been punched in the back. He looks down to see a massive knife point protruding from his stomach. It twists and turns, then travels slowly upward. His cries for help are stifled by Hayato's gloved hand as his life seeps away. More and more perimeter guards disappear silently into the night, as they fall to their grisly graves.
The silent attacks end with a powerful explosion that rocks the night sky, sending showers of sparks into the air as the home’s power is taken out. Daitaro, having fulfilled his task, slinks away. Alarms sound as backup generators kick in, re-establishing power, for a short time. The personal guardsmen surround their leader as they retreat to a more secure part of the massive house. These guards die one by one from Chokichi's unseen sniper fire. The three remaining guards manage to protect their charge and make it inside. One dies from a single gunshot to the head, and immediately another falls to the ground clutching a thick knife that is buried to the hilt in his chest. The third and last guard manages to get his weapon up just in time to do the dance macabre. He is riddled with bullets from Hayato's submachine gun, and only falls when Hayato ceases the relentless burst. With the silencer removed, the noise is deafening in the confines of the small room. Standing alone now, the small, meek leader who so willingly orders executions, torture, and worse, looks back and forth with frantic eyes. Without a word, Hayato runs him through with a long slender blade. With a quick sideways slash, Hayato disembowels the man, who after watching his entrails snake out onto the floor, falls face first to the ground. In his dying moments, this once-powerful leader futilely tries to hold his ruined body together.
Hayato examines the room, takes some pictures with a small camera, then withdraws a blood sample from the gutted body of the North Korean leader. To his surprise, he succeeds in making a wireless connection to the internet, and starts a live video feed. Placing a different camera that will broadcast the results of this mission, he leaves as silently as he came. Hayato wonders why the Gamin have let this war happen. He is also very surprised by being able to get a live video feed online. There can be no question of who this corpse belongs to.
Only a hand full of non-combatants are left alive. The team rounds them up, and tells them they won't be harmed. One young boy, no more than fourteen, still carries a silver serving platter, complete with drinks. With a crash, he throws it to the ground revealing a small hand gun. Bang, bang, bang. The boy fires at Hayato, hitting him squarely in the chest, knocking him back and off his feet, before the boy is shot dead.
Hayato’s ribs feel bruised beneath his body armor; he rubs his chest hoping that none of his ribs are actually cracked. He did not expect such a young boy to attack, and feels very lucky to have survived the lesson. He nods an appreciative thanks to Chokichi and continues on. These people have been brainwashed from birth, he realizes. This being fresh in their minds, his team makes no more mistakes. Securing the survivors in a room as best they can, they make preparations to depart.
Prior to leaving, Daitaro sets up explosive traps inside a few rooms and lays mines in the entranceway. Having acquired a small truck carrying a fifty-caliber machine gun, they depart. With only a few miles to travel, Hayato hopes to make it to their temporary base before reinforcements can arrive. Using only his night vision goggles, Hayato drives the small truck downhill at breakneck speed. They make good time and just manage to turn onto the dirt road as headlights shine up ahead. The stolen truck is now traveling down the dirt road, as a column of trucks and jeeps traveling at high speed zoom up the hill on the main thoroughfare. They all pass the dirt path, some twelve vehicles in all. No one notices the retreating truck with its fifty-caliber gun, manned by Chokichi, pointed back at them.
/> The men make contact with Akira, and in short order, pack and secure the small base they set up.
It is not long before the night sky is lit up and a distant boom can be heard. It is time to leave, Hayato thinks as a fresh wave of adrenaline rushes through his veins. With the stolen truck in front and both vans behind, the team heads out. Hayato mans the fifty-caliber gun leaving the other three to drive. They all wear night vision goggles and run with their lights turned off. Traveling downhill, the team comes to a stop on a bend at a narrow section of roadway. After a few minutes, they head back down again; there is no going back now, making this the most dangerous time for them all. Within minutes, a deafening roar is heard from behind. It seems that the pursuers have discovered Daitaro's roadside present. They have no way of knowing how well the trap worked, but they are pretty sure that at least one vehicle would have been blown up completely. The explosion itself was strong enough to cause a landslide that should block the road.
As the team nears the base of the hill, they have a choice of roadways, and they can see lights ahead. Another force is coming their way with at least four vehicles. The terrain here consists of many small hills. The road also has a subdued slope off to one side. Hayato's men have only minutes to act, and do so. The lights of the first vehicle shine brightly as it crests a small hill. Just as the beams of light swing downward to catch sight of the truck with its fifty-caliber machine gun, a massive explosion rips out from under the jeep. It is lifted into the air and lands on its side, ablaze. Its occupants are killed instantly. The troop transport truck that was behind the jeep stops right at the crest of the hill. The mounted gun roars, the windshield shatters inward. Two men in the cab are torn to shreds, and still more bullets travel into the rear cargo area. Men scream as they are shot through, while others jump out the back to drop down below the ridge-line as they try to flee. At the urgings of their captain, these soldiers creep forward. The situation looks to be turning to their favor. On a small rise to the side, the three men of Hayato's team unleash a volley of sniper fire from suppressed weapons. With most of his mean dead, the captain holds up his hands in surrender.
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 14
