by James Rosone
“Yes, Sergeant!” they all yelled in unison, hastily retrieving their rifles to resume practicing what they had originally been shown in basic training. They loaded their first thirty-round magazines, took aim at the targets down range and began to fire. Most of their shots were now hitting the mark, and their aim was steadily improving.
The company commander, Captain Kuo, walked up to Lin. “How are the new guys coming along, Sergeant?” he inquired.
Sergeant Lin smiled wryly as he turned to face the captain. “They are green, but they will learn. I’ll have them ready in a couple of days. Any word on whether we are moving to the beach or staying in garrison for a while?” he asked.
“Once our training is complete here, the orders from the brigade are to move to the beaches to begin a series of fortification improvements. It looks like the mainland may be making a move on Vietnam again, and if that happens, they may also choose to attack us,” he replied in a voice that lacked conviction.
“You don’t sound like you fully agree with that sentiment, Sir,” Sergeant Lin observed, the left side of his mouth curling up in a mischievous smile.
Captain Kuo laughed, knowing that he had been caught. “Unless the Americans become bogged down in a new war in Asia, we can count on them to prevent the mainland from doing anything stupid. Should that situation change, then we’ll have something to be worried about. In the meantime, headquarters wants us to make sure the beach defenses are as ready as possible.”
The two of them talked for a few minutes longer before the captain headed off to inspect the next platoon and Sergeant Lin turned his attention back to his new recruits. They both hoped that all of the work they were currently doing would turn out to be completely unnecessary, but Murphy’s Law could come back to bite them at any time, so it was best to be safe.
People’s Republic of China
Wanzihu, Hunan Province
The weather was starting to turn cool as the young men from the small village of Wanzihu filed into the school auditorium to listen to the political commissar from their province speak. As Lei Wei entered the auditorium, he was surprised to see how full it was.
“They must be offering something special to have gotten this many people to attend the meeting tonight,” Lei thought as he slid past one of his friends who had saved a seat for him. Just as he was about to say something to his friend, the evening’s speaker walked onto the stage and tapped the mic to capture everyone’s attention.
As Colonel Li Qiang, the political commissar for the city of Yuanjiang, looked out at the faces of roughly two hundred young men from this small village, he saw a softness that concerned him. He realized that he was going to have to train these men hard if he was going to secure the necessary military victories that would allow him to advance his career. Li Qiang was determined to use the coming war to move up the ranks, and he was fortunate that his militia regiment had been chosen to be a part of the invasion of Formosa. However, as he surveyed the gentlehearted men before him, he realized that although he was still confident he could lead his regiment to victory, most of those sitting in tonight’s crowd would likely be killed in the process.
Colonel Li cleared his throat. “Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming tonight,” he began.
“As if we had a choice,” thought Lei Wei.
“I am here to inform everyone that the Yuanjiang’s militia has been officially called up for duty,” Li Qiang announced to audible groans and gasps, a highly unusual display of emotion. “All young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight are to report to this auditorium in two days to start military training. We will be formed up as the 27th Infantry Regiment.”
Lei Wei sat in stunned silence. As he surveyed the room around him, he was surprised to find that some of the others actually appeared to be excited by the news.
Colonel Li lifted his hand to signal for everyone to be quiet, then signaled to a man nearby, Major Zhang Jun, to come up to the podium. Major Zhang was a regular army major in the People’s Liberation Army, and he would be responsible for the bulk of this regiment’s military training.
Everyone in the room settled down as Zhang walked up. Calmly and methodically, the major went over what they would need to bring with them when they returned to the auditorium in two days. He also informed everyone that they would be given some forms they would need to sign before they would be allowed to leave.
Two hours later, Lei Wei walked back to his family’s small home at the edge of town. He told his parents what had transpired during that evening’s dinner. While his father beamed with pride, his mother’s face fell. She was clearly scared for his safety. Like many families in China, Lei was an only child. His family relied on him to help manage the family’s small farm, and more importantly, they would rely on him to take care of them in their retirement years.
Seeing the concern his mother harbored, Lei promised, “I will send my military pay home to you each month to help you with managing the farm. I only want you to save a small portion of it for when I return home with my medals and become the village hero.”
His mother wiped away a tear, filled not with sadness but with pride.
The Coming Storm
Guangzhou, China
Southern Theater of Operations Headquarters
General Yang Yin was hot, dirty and exhausted as he walked into the briefing room of his headquarters building. His army group had led the invasion of Vietnam and secured their primary objectives with lightning speed. They were now being replaced by secondary units and relocated back to their primary bases to rest, rearm and begin training for their next operation, the invasion of Formosa.
As Yang approached the head of the briefing table, he saw his division commanders all standing behind their chairs, ready to sit once he gave the order. He signaled with his hand for them to be seated. Almost in unison, they dropped into their chairs.
Yang surveyed his generals, eying each of them carefully. He had spent the last couple of days going over each division’s war reports from the generals’ staff and the political officers. Overall, he was satisfied with their performance. However, this next theater of war would prove to be a true challenge.
“Generals,” Yang began, “while the war in Vietnam has not yet been fully won, our army group has accomplished our major objectives and has been ordered back to garrison to prepare for our next mission.”
“As you know, the Americans appear to be preparing for war with our communist brothers in North Korea. As if attacking the peace-loving people of Ukraine and Russia was not enough, the Americans and NATO invaded Belarus yesterday. Now it appears that they are going to bring their war to the doorstep of the Korean Peninsula,” he announced. Yang could see that his generals were not happy about the Americans sticking their noses into the affairs of China. None of them agreed with what was happening in Europe, but Europe was a long way from China.
General Yang continued, “Army Group North will be handling the situation in North Korea if the President directs the PLA to intercede on behalf of our communist brothers. However, our army group has been selected for a much greater honor.”
At this announcement, everyone sat a little straighter in their chairs.
“We have been chosen to be the lead army group to reclaim the renegade province of Formosa,” Yang announced in a triumphant voice. The generals and officers at the table all smiled. This was great news indeed.
Yang continued, “When I was in Beijing, I was personally congratulated by President Xi and the Minister of Defense himself for our superb handling of the invasion of Vietnam. They both said they could think of no army group better than ours to lead this invasion. I assured them that I have the best division officers and generals in China and made sure that every one of you will receive a special award for your leadership in Vietnam.” Some light murmuring of excitement and chatter spread through the room before General Yang raised his hand to regain their attention.
“Now, this next operation is g
oing to be much tougher than Vietnam. I have been assured that all our lost equipment and troops will be replaced by the end of the week to bring us back up to 100 % strength. We are also going to be augmented with additional soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army Militia for the invasion.”
One of Yang’s division commanders immediately raised his hand, wanting to ask a question. Seeing that it was General Wong, one of his best commanders, he nodded for him to go ahead and speak.
“General Yang, I do not mean any disrespect towards our brothers in the militia, but how do you envision us using them with our divisions and how many militia forces are we being given?” he asked, lowering his head slightly in a soft bow to indicate that he meant no impertinence.
Yang had known his officers would ask about this, and he had prepared for the question. Clearing his throat, he responded, “It is true that the militia forces are not nearly as trained or prepared for war as our active duty divisions, but the Ministry of Defense wants to get them ready for a larger potential conflict, should one arise with the Americans. To that end, our army group has been assigned 350,000 PLAM units to get prepared for combat and to use in the upcoming invasion. A group of similar size has been assigned to General Sheng’s Army Group B, which is still continuing the war in Vietnam.”
Surveying his generals, Yang could see in their eyes that they were excited, even eager, to get the invasion started. “I have not been given a timetable for the invasion of Formosa, other than I’ve been told to be prepared for hostilities in as little as thirty days. I want to break our militia groups down into three segments. One will focus solely on logistics and will be critical to keeping our army group supplied and supported once the invasion starts. The second group will focus primarily on occupation duty and will be integrated with our military police units. The third militia group will be given a lot of additional training and focus on the invasion. I am going to assign 200,000 militiamen to General Wong, to prepare them for the invasion. I want 70 % of the first wave of soldiers to be militia. I know that means a lot of them will be killed, but they will identify enemy strongpoints in their deaths, which we can then destroy through the air force or navy’s resources. Following the first wave, I want the militia forces to make up no more than 30 % of the troops involved until we have secured the beachheads.”
Yang paused for a moment, lifting his glass of water to his lips and proceeding to take several long gulps before he went on. “When we have secured the landing zones, I want the militia units to be largely used in clearing out some of the heavy lines of enemy resistance. We do not have a lot of time to get them battle-ready, but the ones that do survive are going to become the nucleus of a much stronger militia unit going forward. These units will then be heavily integrated within our own units.”
Turning to General Wong, Yang explained, “I want your units to spend a lot of time training the militiamen on marksmanship, small-unit tactics and weapons. Make sure they know basic first aid and how to effectively call in air support or artillery. Train them just as hard as you would soldiers in your own division. The more enemy soldiers they are able to kill, the fewer enemy soldiers will be left to kill your own men. Do you understand, General Wong?”
Wong nodded. “You can count on me, General. I will not let you or our army group down. They will be as ready as I can get them in thirty days,” he replied with a serious look on his face.
The group continued to discuss the invasion plans, where the various divisions would land, and their objectives once on shore. Paratroopers were also going to be used for the invasion, along with the People’s Liberation Army Naval Infantry, who had proven they could effectively carry out multiple amphibious invasions during the Vietnam campaign. This was going to be a truly combined-arms effort by the Chinese military.
Sail Away
Hainan Island, China
Yulin Naval Base
Vice Admiral Shen Shengli yawned as he looked over the deployment plan for what felt like the fifth time in the last twelve hours. His entire fleet was nearly ready to set sail for Formosa and begin their part of the invasion. His 15,000 marines had just finished loading into their various troop transports and assault ships for the voyage. While the PLA hit the rebel army from across the straits, his forces would assault Orchid Island, which was controlled by Taiwan. After that, the plan called for his men to attack the Itbayat and Batanes island chains controlled by the Philippines, and the Miyako Islands in Japan’s southern Okinawa Prefecture. This would cut off any naval passageways to Formosa and enable the PLA to extend its anti-ship missile perimeter.
Once these islands had been secured, waves of engineers would be flown in to build up the fortifications and anti-ship missile bunkers. The key to his plan’s success would be getting his submarine force in position to neutralize any potential threats to his flotilla. As his subs moved into position, they would wait for the attack order to be given. It was an audacious plan that Chairman Zhang had developed many months ago, and if it succeeded, China might truly be able to achieve its goal of controlling Asia.
Admiral Shen heard a soft knock on his door as his aide stuck his head into his office. “Is everything all right, Admiral? Do you need me to do anything before we leave?” he asked.
Shen smiled pleasantly. “Yes, everything is in order. I was just reviewing the plans one last time. Have all of the captains reported in that they are ready to set sail?”
“Yes, Sir. When the sun rises in a couple of hours, the fleet will pull anchor and start to head to Formosa,” his aide replied confidently. He was proud to be serving Admiral Shen. This coveted position would make him privy to some of the most closely-guarded information and allow him to be a part of making history. Since the end of 1949, the rebel government on Formosa had asserted themselves as the true government of China. Soon, that government would be removed, and the stain of the PLA’s failure to finish the rebel government off would finally be wiped clean.
“Excellent, then let the pilots know I am ready to fly out to the Mao.”
His assistant nodded and bowed in respect as he exited the room.
Admiral Shen suddenly felt more awake. It energized him to see how excited his aide was about this mission.
He continued to review the plans one last time. “Even though the war with Vietnam hasn’t been fully concluded, it has already served several purposes,” he thought. “It has definitely allowed my planners and operations groups to work out the kinks in coordinating the marines, air and naval support. We’ve also been able to figure out which cruise missiles work best for the types of enemy ships we are most likely to encounter.”
He reviewed the supplies. Already, the majority of his ships and aircraft had been replenished with the new anti-ship missiles and ground attack cruise missiles.
Admiral Shen sat back in his chair, satisfied. “My ships and aircraft are as ready as possible for this coming fight. Now it’s time to execute.”
At the Gates
Shaxian, China
The sound of planes rumbling in the air was nearly constant as a new flight of Xian Y-20 transport craft landed on the runway at this once-quiet airport. Several weeks ago, a battalion of engineers had arrived at Shaxian and constructed a second runway, additional hangars and a massive tent city for several battalions of paratroopers from the 43rd Airborne Division’s arrival. When Captain Ma Qiliang’s company arrived in the middle of this hustle and bustle, he knew something big was being planned. His best guess was that they were going to invade Formosa.
Ma lit a cigarette as he watched the two new transports taxi up to a hangar. The ground crew immediately went to work on getting the aircraft shut down and ready for whatever might happen next. They shuttled back and forth in a predetermined pattern, like bees navigating a hive.
The roar of engines drew Captain Ma’s attention, and he turned to look at the main gate of the airport. Another convoy of transport trucks arrived under heavy guard. They were either transporting additional paratrooper
s or bringing in a lot of ammunition. While Ma suspected he knew what their next mission would be, he did not want to openly speculate or offer up his own opinions in front of his men. He’d wait, just like everyone else, until he was briefed on what they were going to do.
“I just hope we don’t have to stay at this airport for too long,” he thought. “There’s not a lot of room for my troops to do anything more than basic exercises and runs around the perimeter. If we are going to be here for a while, I really want my men to be able to spend some additional time at the rifle range and practice patrolling through the surrounding hills.”
Ma took one last pull on his cigarette before flicking it to the ground and stomping on it with his boot. Then he turned away from the runway and headed back to the officers’ tent to catch some shut-eye.
“Maybe tomorrow at the briefing, I’ll at least be able to find out how long we are supposed to be here,” he hoped.
* * *
The hangar at the far side of the airport was nearly full of officers and senior sergeants as Captain Ma and his senior sergeant and platoon leaders sat waiting for their brigade commander to begin the briefing. Eventually, the commander finished his conversation with someone over to the side and walked up to the lectern to begin the brief. The lights in the hangar dimmed, and a PowerPoint image covered a white sheet someone had hung against the wall to act as a screen.
A hush came over the room as the paratroopers examined the image. Once the reality of what they were looking at began to settle in, the mood turned very serious. On the screen was a picture of the renegade province of Formosa, or “Taiwan,” as the West called it.
“I knew it,” Captain Ma thought with satisfaction.
The colonel started talking, and a new image appeared, this one showing images around Taipei. The Shanshuilu Ecological Park was highlighted, along with several key parks on the east side of the city and the major road junctions that linked the eastern half of the country with the western half.