B2 bunker in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Namju (Operational Meeting Room of the Armed Forces Joint Command Control Center)
“So, instead of leaving the rapid response division to do nothing, we should send them to the northwest front, or they should advance from the rear, just like the 7th Corps.”
“Deputy Chief of Staff Youn! The mission of the rapid response division is important too. Sending them to the Northwestern Front…”
“I know the significance of their mission. I’m just saying it in case. Wouldn’t the mission of the Rapid Response Division be useless if our troops were defeated? After all, we need to win the war so that their mission can see the light.”
Youn Gi-youn and Kim Yong-hyun, Deputy Chiefs of Staff who had been ordered to convene an emergency meeting by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ten minutes ago, were engaged in a verbal quarrel.
The Rapid Response Division, a division belonging to the 2nd Rapid Response Army, mentioned earlier by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Youn Gi-youn, was one of the best Korean forces that never lagged behind the forces of the 20th Armored Division (Confirmation), the Capital Division (Maengho), belonging to the 7th Mobile Corps, and the 3rd Marine Mobile Division (Hwaryong) of the Marine Corps.
It was currently engaged in sweeping operations in the Siberian plains. Meanwhile, Russia’s army continued to send reinforcements to the Northwestern Front. As a result, Youn Gi-youn, Deputy Chief of Staff, was dissatisfied with their mission in a place where there was no enemy at all.
“Come on, I would never say such a thing if the situation on the northwest front was not as serious as it is now. Don’t you think so?”
At the words of Deputy Chief of Staff Youn Gi-youn, Deputy Chief of Staff Kim Yong-hyun turned his head and looked at Lieutenant General Yang Min-choon with a deep look.
Lieutenant General Yang Min-chun, who planned the entire Siberian sweeping operation, was quietly listening without saying a word.
So, he was looking at him because he wanted him to intervene. As a result, Lieutenant General Yang Min-chun, who had been sitting and listening from the other side of the table, coughed once and quietly intervened in the discussion.
“I completely agree with Deputy Chief of Staff Youn. The issue is, however, the distance. Currently, the 76 Rapid Response Division, which is 1,200 kilometers away, is the closest of the Rapid Response Divisions sweeping the Siberian field. Furthermore, the unit with the greatest distance is the 50th Rapid Response Division, which is 3,100 kilometers away. Furthermore, these divisions’ subordinate units are scattered into battalions as small as company units to carry out their duties. We’d need at least a week to deploy all of these divisions to the northwest front. As a result, I believe it is best to consider alternative solutions for the time being.”
“And you wait until now to bring it up? Why didn’t you say anything yesterday?”
Deputy Chief of Staff Youn was irritated and tapped the table lightly with his fist. He then furrowed his brows, expressing his displeasure.
There were numerous reasons for the selection of these four Rapid Response Divisions, one of the army’s top forces, to conduct the Siberian sweeping operations two months ago.
First of all, Siberia was three times as wide as the entire territory of the unified Republic of Korea. In addition, most of it was cold and barren terrain where no one could live, so it was not suitable for general infantry units to perform this mission.
For these reasons, when Lieutenant General Yang Min-choon was establishing the plan, he decided to choose them as he needed a unit that could occupy this area as quickly as possible with the minimum number of people.
The Rapid Response Division, which operates a K-27P-A Kirin Mobile Combat Armored Vehicle outfitted with a hover system, was able to maneuver quickly in rough terrain as well as in harsh climates and performs independent missions in company units with the assistance of cutting-edge equipment.
The only question now was whether it was necessary to mobilize the best forces in Korea to sweep the barren Siberian field where there were no enemies.
There was one major reason that had not yet been revealed. The Overseas Resource Research Institute, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, has confirmed that a considerable number of liquid rocks, the main material of liquid metal alloys, have been buried throughout Siberia. The reserves were at least five times larger than those of Ararat in the Republic of Kurdistan. It was an enormous amount that could be used without worrying about defense weapons as well as industrial facilities for the next 50 years.
The continuous production and retention of liquid metal alloys have always been very important for Korea’s golden future, as they have absolute military and economic impact. As time goes by, demand will rise even more, so the Republic of Korea needs to secure as much liquid rock as possible while other countries are still uninterested.
For this reason, they needed to quickly occupy all areas where liquid rocks were buried before the war with Russia ended. As a result, they were forced to deploy the Rapid Response Division, one of the Korean Army’s most powerful units.
“I have to convince the chairman today!”
“Deputy Chief of Staff Youn! Didn’t we finish talking about this yesterday? Also, didn’t we finish establishing the first temporary plan? It’s a waste of time to keep talking about things that have already been done.”
When Deputy Chief of Staff Youn Gi-youn was not persuaded by Lieutenant General Yang Min- choon’s words and continued to argue, Deputy Chief of Staff Kim Yong-hyun replied in a more forceful tone than usual. “Over, what is over? I…”
At that moment, the deputy secretary of staff opened the door of the conference room and announced, “The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is coming in.”
At the words of the secretary, all the staff that were waiting stood up.
“Oh! I’m sorry for being late after calling you! Please take a seat.”
Unlike the conference room’s atmosphere, which was tense due to the conflict between the two deputy chiefs of staff, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Shin Sung-yong, who was sitting at the center of the table, had a very bright face.
“What’s wrong with the atmosphere in the meeting room?” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Shin Sung-yong, asked the head of the operations headquarters after noticing the glum expressions of the two deputy chiefs of staff sitting on either side of him.
“Before the chairman came, the two deputy chiefs were talking about the Northwest Front.”
“Haha. Judging by your expressions, you must have been arguing with each other! Okay! I’ll tell you the agenda for this urgent meeting.”
<hr />
January 3rd, 2024, 15:00 (Russia time: 15:00)
Russia’s Zabaykalsky Krai (125 kilometers west end of the northwest front)
The night before, the 20th Armored Division (Confirmation), which made a rapid maneuver along the M58 road in the pouring snowstorm, had its first engagement with the 51st Armored Tank Division of the 2nd Guard Corps, which was attempting to ambush it. It was to be an ambush, but the 20th Armored Division (confirmation) foresaw the situation with its various reconnaissance satellites and launched a pre-emptive attack on the ambush unit, engaging in a battle.
The eighteen K-11 Thunder self-propelled howitzer from the Division Artillery’s 69th Artillery Battalion, who were on standby 80 kilometers away, fired from their 200-millimeter barrels all at once.
The K-11 Thunder self-propelled howitzer, which has been in battalions since 2022, has a unique double-barrelled caliber of 200 millimeters and a range of up to 120 kilometers. Furthermore, as the world’s first particle cannon, its power was enormous. The killing radius per shot was an astounding 60 meters.
Because it was a particle cannon, the launch speed reached 30 shots per minute, with a total of 60 shots possible due to the dual barrels. Moreover, this launch speed could be maintained until the plasma battery pack was depleted.
In other words, the firepower of one artillery battalion was equivalent to that of more than normal four artillery battalions. Furthermore, because particle-type cannons cannot be detected by radars, the Russian army was hit while in an ambush and suffered severe damage.
The blue flames pouring from the sky destroyed the surrounding area when they fell to the ground. The 20th Armored Division (Confirmation), which received rear firepower support, defeated not only the 51st Guard Tank Division but also the 27th Guard Motorized Rifle Division, in just five hours.
The 20th Armored Division (Confirmation), which had finished its first battle smoothly, had a break and maintenance time until noon. At 2 p.m., it began maneuvering again toward the southern direction to deal with the elite of the 2nd Guards Army, the 16th Guards Tank Division and the 201st Motorized Rifle Division.
If the 7th Mobile Corps was able to completely defeat the 2nd Guards Army with the 20th Armored Division (Confirmation) in the lead, they will be able to target the 29th, 41st, and 49th Armies of the Russian Army, all of which are currently maneuvering toward the northwest front.
<hr />
January 3rd, 2024, 23:45 (New China time: 22:45)
Area 15 around the industrial complex in Beichen District, Tianjin, New China
In Area 15, where the fence was built, various searchlights were shining brightly amid the strict vigilance of the New China Army, and dozens of heavy equipment were working at night without a break.
Black shadows were moving quickly and secretly around the area. They were foreign intelligence teams agents, who were trying to rescue manager Lee Ja-sung and manager Namgoong-won at midnight Korean time.
Team One agents were currently waiting on a rooftop, while the other teams’ agents were waiting at the location where the border appeared to be the weakest.
“Wow! Do they have more security guards on duty at night?” Chief Kang Won-il muttered as he looked at Area 15, which was surrounded by a fence, with only his head poking up from the rooftop.
“How many?” Team Leader Park Gi-oong, who was inspecting the CRB-330 equipment, turned his head and asked.
In response, chief Kang Won-il replied in a slightly nervous tone. “It looks like one platoon per sector.”
“One platoon?”
“Yes, team leader! Do you think they are aware that we are conducting a rescue operation today?”
“What would they be aware of? They’re probably increasing the number of guards because they’re guarding something important!”
“Yes.”
“By the way, time is running out. Manager Yang, take care of this equipment!”
Team Leader Park Gi-oong checked his wristwatch and quickly handed over the CRB-330 equipment to Assistant manager Yang Jung-suk, who was standing next to him.
“Oh? What about you?”
“I’m joining Team Three.”
“What?”
“What do you mean by what? When the time comes, deliver accurate location information. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Okay! Then I’ll go down. You just have to move as planned! Good luck!”
“All right. Be careful, team leader.”
“Okay.”
Five minutes later, Team Leader Park Gi-oong, who had come down from the rooftop, immediately moved to the place where the agents of Team Three were gathered.
“Oh? Team Leader Park, why are you here? You were supposed to be on the rooftop, right?” asked the leader of Team Three Shin Eun-ha as she tilted her head.
“What do you mean by why? I came because I am worried.”
“Hmph! Are you worried because we have two girls on our team?”
“Do you have to say it like that? Just accept my sincerity.”
“Haha, I will accept your sincerity.”
“Thank you. By the way, did you check all the team members’ equipment?”
“Of course.”
At this moment, communication flew through the control of the X-K02 terminal.
“This is Red Barn Swallow! Gangnam, please confirm. Over!”
Red Barn Swallow was the codename of the units carrying out this VIP-class rescue mission.
“This is Gangnam! The connection is good. Over!”
“This is the Red Barn Swallow! We will reach the strategic zone in 10 minutes! Is there anything else other than the prior plan? Over!”
“This is Gangnam! There’s nothing more. You can proceed as planned. Over!”