Seref Games

The so-called Shanxi Clique had not gotten off to a terribly prosperous post-war start. The ineffectual bureaucracy borne out of panic and mass confusion could not stand up to the needs of a modern, functioning state, doubly so when said state was busy dealing with one of the deadliest diseases known to humanity. The first wave of the plague had forced the Shanxi Clique to clamp down and destroy any routes in or out of the country, using what was left of the shattered military to retain control. Slowly, democracy came back, and so did the plague. They thought it could be contained at first, but they were very, very wrong.

With two active outbreaks and clear WHIP permission to ensure the outbreak does not spread into the neighboring Republics, Shanxi stands alone, with the might of two modern armies against it, its back to the German Flu.

The message came under a flag of truce, delivered by RoC negotiation teams to the forward positions of the Shanxi Clique's border fortifications. They did everything they could to keep their counterparts at ease. Stopping when commanded, identifying themselves clearly, and leaving the sealed letter they were each charged with carrying well ahead of the Shanxi positions, before withdrawing the instant their Shanxi counterparts picked up the envelope and carried it back to their own lines.

As for the text of the message itself, that was anything but solicitous.

It proclaimed to the leaders of the Shanxi Clique that given the increasing failure of the local authorities to contain and eradicate the existential threat of the German Plague, an organisation which represented nearly every ordered state on the planet had agreed to allow authority over Shanxi, Hubei, and Shaanxi Provinces to revert to the authority of the Republic of China. The message made it clear that the government in Guangzhou did not embark on such a course of action because of a conqueror's egoism, but for the best interests of the survival of the human species. For the people ruled by the Shanxi Clique, it promised an end to the threat of the German Plague, and the prosperity which had already borne fruit in Guangdong and Yunnan. For its soldiers and leaders, promised to allow them continued authority until free elections could be called.

They were good terms, or so the Executive Yuan in Guangzhou believed, the terms of a soft ultimatum indeed.

Yet it was an ultimatum nonetheless, and one whose alternative no message needed to state: the Shanxi Clique could either accept the generous terms offered to them and allow the government of the Republic to throw its massive resources behind the effort to eradicate the German Plague - or they could declare themselves an enemy not only of the Republic, but of the human species, and fight a way on three fronts against enemies they could not defeat.

Shanxi's inherent distrust of the Republic of China's intentions, fueled mostly by the destruction of Taiwan, leads them to reject the ultimatum, as soft as it is. They see the Republic coordinating with the People's Republic of China and Victoria, and with their reputations combined with the relentless and destructive bombing of Taiwan, they wonder if they would be next if the Chinese decided they were too taxing a burden. The Republic of China was assured that Shanxi would immediately begin eradicating the plague within their borders, and that they would resist with all their might should the Republic - either the southern one that stood for democracy, or the champions of the people to the east - come for them.

The reply was a somewhat sarcastic one, pointing out that the bombing of Taiwan had occurred only because a fascist military junta had violently deposed a democratically elected government before repeatedly violating a formal peace treaty and launching a war of aggression, therefore proving itself a danger to the peace of East Asia and the world - something which Shanxi was more likely to do by not accepting aid in containing the flu than by accepting Guangzhou's terms.

The reply also allowed the Shanxi government six months to eradicate the outbreak of flu in their territory before further action would be taken. That this ultimatum expired in the middle of what was commonly considered the traditional summer campaigning season in the Northern Chinese Plain was a distinction not lost on anyone.

1200 China Standard Time, September 29th, 1963
RoC-Shanxi Border

The ultimatum expired at noon.

For six months, the troops on the Republic's side of the border had busied themselves with careful preparations. Supply dumps were marked out, anti-aircraft emplacements dug in and concealed, command posts set up amidst the trees and the mountains. Newly-cut roads trembled with the passage of armoured vehicles, supply trucks and self-propelled guns, some still smelling of the factories from which they had rolled away from not days ago. Through it all, the men of the National Revolutionary Army watched the border and waited, hoping as the weeks passed that their counterparts on the other side would see reason, hoping as the days slipped by that they would find a way to eradicate the plague before the Republic had to take steps to do it for them.

Hoping, as the last hours ticked away that it would not come to war.

But no soldier relies entirely on hope.

So, as the last minutes of the peace came to an end, company commanders and platoon leaders all along the border made final inspections of their commands, giving them one last round of encouragement and reassurance. They took the troops' last-minute letters to their families, and handed out little plugs of white cotton, not even the width of a finger, two to every man.

The new troops looked at them with confusion. The veterans simply nodded. They knew what was coming next.

The ultimatum expired at noon, and the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, the Great Dragon of the Southland, opened its mouth, bared its fangs, and roared.

-----

All along the border, the air shook with the sound of artillery, the thunder of individual guns blending together into one solid sheet of noise, so loud that it drowned out even the sonic booms of the tactical bombers roaring overhead. From forward positions, the spotters watched as the shells fell like rain, churning the distant fortifications of the Shanxi Clique's defences into mud and rubble and the shattered remains of human bodies. The fire was methodical and constant, sweeping the same area back and forth and back and forth, even if it seemed clear that nothing could survive in the moonscape that was left.

Behind the spotters, in the advance trenches where the forward units sat, the men of the National Revolutionary Army waited for the order to attack. They knew it was coming, it had to. It was what they trained for. When the preliminary bombardment ended and the surface fortifications were pounded into rubble, the hurricane bombardments would begin, saturating specific zones with fire in preparation for the assault columns. They were prepared for it, of course, but they knew that on the opposite side of the line, their opponents would be just as ready. When the constant rain of shells broke up into short, localised barrages, they too would prepare for battle, and they were the ones with the fortifications, the concrete bunkers, the underground fortresses. True, the artillery would soften them up, and true, their equipment was woefully out of date, but even a half-shattered bunker was a formidable obstacle, and even a thirty year-old rifle could kill.

So, the assault squads waited, through the afternoon, into the evening. They cleaned their weapons and made peace with their ancestors and ate the hot, spicy Sichuan-style doufu the cooks brought up with them, fresh from the field kitchens half a klick back. Some tried to sleep, some even succeeded, even through the thunder of the guns.

But most of all, they waited for the signal to attack.

It didn't come.

Evening turned to night, but the guns kept firing, lighting up the darkness with an endless killing fire.

-----

0045 China Standard Time, September 30th, 1963
WO4 W. Li, 3rd Commando Bde., seconded to III/55th Infantry Regiment (The Guangzhou Fusiliers), 44th (Rangoon) Division.
Somewhere along the Hunan/Hubei border

Warrant Officer Li swept the ground ahead with the scope of his weapon. The thing had looked absurd in the light: a three kilogram machine pistol with a four kilogram scope and a six kilogram infrared light jutting out of it like gigantic metallic tumours. Now though, in the dead of night under a sky blotted out by smoke and clouds, aesthetics were somewhat less of a concern. What was a concern was the broken, shell-blasted territory ahead. The lamp was a newer model with a range of nearly three hundred metres, through the scope, he saw the network of shattered trenches and concrete bunkers ahead. His eyes fixated on movement in the shadows, two hundred yards ahead to the right: the enemy.

They only showed up as outlines in the infrared glow, but even from such a distance, Li could see how deeply they crouched down behind cover, how much care they took not to expose themselves, conducting themselves with the expertise that only fear could bring. Li supposed they were right to be afraid. After the pounding the artillery had given them, anyone who wasn't was probably dead.

The Warrant crouched down lower, and tugged a pattern out on the signal line so that the infiltration column following would do the same. He could see in the dark, and so could the rest of the forward team - though they carried only the scopes and not the lamp Li had. The enemy, on the other hand, was all-but blind in the darkness, and deaf too. No searchlight could have survived the past twelve hours of constant artillery fire, and the continuing thunder of the heavy guns made sure that it would have been even harder for the defenders to hear any intruders than see them.

Slowly, he shuffled forward, keeping low to the ground, and sweeping his infrared lamp ahead so that those behind them could see where they were going too. They had trained like this for months, far away from the border, far away from any potential spies. By now, they were old hands at it, and the Shanxi border troops heard and saw nothing as Li, his team, and his infiltration column crept past the enemy position.

Li took special care to ensure the whole column was clear before pressing forward. Normally, he would have picked up the pace the moment he knew he was through, but these were not normal circumstances. Li's four-man team were not only infiltrating themselves into enemy lines, but a full company of infantry as well, complete with extra supplies and rations, demolitions charges, and even a massive battalion recoilless rifle, stripped down and disassembled so that it might be carried by ten men instead of being towed by vehicle. All along the border, there were three dozen other columns doing the exact same thing. Even if only one of the columns got through, it could cause considerable havoc, attacking supply dumps, overrunning senior headquarters, and spreading panic.

Of course, Warrant Li rather hoped that if only one column got through, it'd be his.

As the rest of his column cleared the enemy position, Li looked over his shoulder, back towards friendly lines. The two orientation lights were still where they were supposed to be: two searchlight beams pointing up, one appearing one exactly above the other. In truth, the higher light was set five hundred metres back from the closer one. So long as those lights were lined up, Li and his column were still within the three hundred metre wide corridor which had been put in the bombardment zone. So long as the lights were aligned, his column would have to fear only the occasional misaimed shell, as opposed to the full force of their own side's guns.

Li checked his watch next, pulling it out of the concealing sleeve for just a moment to read the radium dial: his column still had forty minutes until the corridor closed. He signalled his force forward again as he resumed sweeping the ground ahead. According to the aerial reconnaissance photos, there were maybe two more kilometres before they hit open ground. If they didn't make it there by the time the gap in the bombardment closed, if he was not fast enough, then his whole force would be trapped under the same shellfire which had blasted the enemy's surface defences to rubble.

He grit his teeth, swept the ground before him again, and resumed the advance. He would just have to be fast enough.

The lives of the men behind him depended on it.

OOC Summary wrote:Operation NANMAN: a three-pronged invasion into Shanxi with troops attacking from Sichuan (232), Guizhou (442), Hunan and Jiangxi (233) Provinces. The first phase consists of three discrete sub-phases.
Subphase One: The subjection of the Shanxi border defences to heavy and sustained artillery and aerial bombardment for the purposes of suppressing the defenders and destroying surface fortifications.
Subphase Two: The nighttime infiltration of company-sized forces equipped with infrared lamps and scopes through narrow corridors opened in the bombardment, for the purpose of attacking the enemy's rear areas and degrading their ability to react coherently on an operational scale.
Subphase Three: Concentrated combined arms attacks along the weakest points of Shanxi border defences (as identified by aerial reconnaissance) to force operational-scale breakthroughs.

Following the achievement of operational breakthrough, RoC forces attacking Shaanxi Province are to immediately make contact with Shanxi forces maintaining quarantine in Hanzhong and Xi'an, with the objective of taking over the military cordon without bloodshed. Local commanders are instructed to ensure the maintenance of quarantine under any and all circumstances. Forces advancing into Hubei are given similar instructions regarding the Zhoukou outbreak zone.

Once breakthrough has been achieved, RoC forces are to avoid engaging Shanxi forces if possible, with the wider objective of forcing as much of the Shanxi Clique's army to withdraw over the border to Anhui and Henan (227) as possible.

Potential Advantages:
-Substantial aerial reconnaissance prior to opening of hostilities.
-NRA doctrine designed to suppress, bypass and neutralise fixed fortifications.
-Substantial advantage in quality of equipment and vehicles.
-Sustained bombardment of enemy defences by concentrated, qualitatively (and likely quantitatively) superior artillery.
-Use of primitive night-vision technology to infiltrate forces through enemy lines.
-Terrain in Central China Plain highly suitable for rapid mechanised operations.
-Vastly superior aircraft.

Forces Involved:
Sichuan (232) attacking Shaanxi (227):
4 units armour
4 units mechanised infantry
2 units artillery
10 units fighters (air superiority)
7 units bombers (close air support)

Jiangxi/Hunan (233) attacking Hubei (231)
2 units armour
2 units motorised infantry
2 units mechanised infantry
4 units artillery
6 units fighters (air superiority)
3 units bombers (close air support)

Guizhou (442) attacking Hubei (231)
1 unit armour
1 unit motorised infantry
1 unit mechanised infantry
2 units artillery.

The Republic of China's massive bombardment did have one excellent benefit, that being on the initial push forward, it seemed like the entire host of Shanxi defenders had been annihilated by the artillery alone. Further probing over the night, however, showed that the Shanxi military had completely evacuated their positions during the bombardment. No doubt this had come at the cost of some of their numbers, and even dug-in guns in the rear had been destroyed not by shells, but by intentional sabotage. However, the northern approach led by the 1st and 8th Tank were engaged first by militiamen with little better than Molotov Cocktails to defend against the tanks, until the advancing forces approached Xi'an where a hefty volume of fire erupted including ineffective anti-tank guns and large artillery pieces leveled out for direct fire, as well as the usual machine guns and distant rifle fire from houses and government buildings. Combat raged through the night despite staunch defense from the Shanxi military.

In the east, meanwhile, the Shanxi defenders found themselves facing a massive PRC onslaught, much like one that had been practiced against the Republic just last year. This attack was more refined, utilizing far more inventive methods to achieve breakthroughs and annihilate pockets of isolated infantry with overwhelming rocket artillery barrages and tube artillery annihilating key positions. The trench lines were soon overwhelmed by wave after wave of infantry, and when the trenches were fully occupied by the PRC, they charged even further without even so much as a rest towards the provincial capitals. Within a week, the PRC had taken the area, setting their sights on clearing out the German Flu and transforming the area into a worker's paradise.

OOC: Shanxi withdraws from Territory 231 to Territory 227. The Republic of China fully occupies Territory 231 with no casualties.

In their attacks, the Republic of China rolled an 8 for ground actions and a 4 for air actions. This results in 3 units of ground losses, 4 units of ground damages, 4 units of air losses, and 5 units of air damages for Shanxi. A bombing campaign resulted in 5 Industry, 7 Industry damaged, 3 additional units of ground losses and 4 units of ground damages for Shanxi.

In their attacks, Shanxi rolled a 3 for ground actions and a 4 for air actions. This results in 1 unit of ground losses, 2 unit of ground damages, 1 unit of air losses and 1 unit of air damages for the Republic of China. A bombing campaign resulted in 1 additional unit of ground losses and damages for the Republic of China.

Shanxi does not have the points to sustain all casualties in Territory 227. All military forces in this territory are destroyed.

In their attacks, the People's Republic of China rolled an 8 for ground actions and a 2 for air actions. This results in 2 units of ground losses, 3 units of ground damages, 5 units of air losses, and 6 units of air damages for Shanxi. A bombing campaign resulted in 5 Industry lost, 7 Industry damaged, 3 additional units of ground losses, and 4 units of ground damages for Shanxi.

In their attacks, Shanxi rolled a 1 for ground actions and a 5 for air actions. This results in 1 unit ground losses, 2 units of ground damages, 1 unit of air losses, and 1 unit of air damages. A bombing campaign resulted in an additional 1 unit of ground losses and 1 unit of ground damages for the PRC.

Shanxi does not have the units to sustain all casualties. The PRC fully occupies Territory 229.