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Chapter 71: The Nuclear Threat Had Finally Materialized
Chapter 71: The Nuclear Threat Had Finally Materialized
Chapter 71: The Nuclear Threat Had Finally Materialized
The 7th Corps’ advance northward was the result of the mobilization of the entire capacity of the Korean army.
The army artillery and the air force’s F-15K fighter jets diligently cleared the artillery units around the Kaesong-Pyongyang highway, which was the axis.
The engineering units made it possible to break through the anti-tank obstacles and minefields, and the infantry units that encountered in the middle were blocked by the infantry division that exceeded the corps.
Even the North Korean tank units were solved by the army aviation.
They did their best to send the 7th Corps to Pyongyang as soon as possible.
The result finally paid off and the 7th Corps reached Sariwon City at dawn on May 25th.
Another drone was deployed and the 7th Corps bypassed the city and advanced northward.
And when they arrived at Yeonan Songnim City on the lower reaches of the Daedong River, the 7th Corps encountered a tough enemy for the first time.
The main forces of the North Korean army, such as several mechanized brigades belonging to the Capital Defense Corps and Ryu Kyung-soo Tank Division, appeared.
This unit was armed with Pokpung-ho, Cheonma-ho, Seon-gun-ho, etc., but in reality it was a level of modifying tanks made in the old Soviet Union.
No matter how much they expanded the chassis and modified the turret, it was difficult to expect great combat power as long as they were fundamentally T-62 and T-72.
The main force of the 7th Corps was K-2A1, K-1A3, etc., which had enough combat power to smash a North Korean brigade-level offensive with just one tank company.
In addition, most of the vehicles were equipped with black metal armor, and the tanks at the forefront carried black metal armor-piercing shells.
When news broke out that a large-scale tank battle could occur, the whole world paid attention.
—This is awesome. It’s been a long time since there was such a modern tank battle of this scale.
—How long can North Korea hold out?
-In the Iraq War in the 90s, 11 US tanks smashed 200 Iraqi tanks, right? It will be a little less than that.
-I guess so. The South Korean army has shown several immature aspects after the outbreak of war.
There were many opinions that they would win but not show an overwhelming appearance like America.
North Korea also had to come out desperately here because Pyongyang was close if they couldn’t stop here.
But the result was unexpected.
Two tank battalions under the 8th Mobile Division of the 7th Corps shook one North Korean mechanized brigade that protruded to the front.
It was an amazing battle that recorded zero hits and zero damage except for friendly fire.
The 11th Mobile Division and 2nd Rapid Division, stimulated by their great victory, confronted Ryu Kyung-soo Tank Division and Mechanized Brigade head-on.
In a rice field where dozens of tanks were moving at once, North Korea’s pride Seon-gun-ho and others were thoroughly smashed.
They couldn’t compare from the engagement distance, and even if they managed to hit one shot, K-2 tanks with black metal armor didn’t even nod their heads.
The difference in power was too great to even need to load spare shells.
Tanks that ran out of HE shells immediately moved back and fresh tanks were newly deployed.
In this process, North Korean tanks literally melted like ice cream in midsummer.
Military reporters filmed this scene and repeatedly stuck out their tongues saying they didn’t know there was such a huge difference in power.
“North Koreans are totally ridiculous.”
“It’s like an adult beating a kid’s arm.”
The winner was decided less than an hour after the battle began.
The North Korean army lost its will to fight and began to run away from armored vehicles first, and then the entire unit collapsed.
Kim Hyun-sung Major General, commander of the 7th Corps, immediately issued an order.
“Pyongyang is close! All vehicles, advance northward!”
Since 1st Corps supporting from behind would take care of remnants, all 7th Corps had to do was advance northward.
And on the evening of May 25th, when they reached Pyongyang’s end point, the 7th Corps’ advance was halted.
The assembly point was set up in a rice field about 15 km south of Pyongyang.
The soldiers, who had not rested or slept until now, took off their boots and washed their feet with water.
“Wow, the smell is no joke!”
“Sir, I think my feet will rot by tomorrow.”
“You’ll die of exhaustion before that. Hey, hey, is there any news about the food truck?”
“It’s coming tonight!”
“They treat the prisoners like kings while we get cold rice.”
“We came up too fast, that’s why.”
As he said, the 7th Army Corps advanced north alone, and the logistics support system did not work properly.
Originally, each unit had combat rations and snacks packed by the soldiers, but they had eaten them all while moving.
Intense combat requires extreme calories.
The hungry soldiers looked at the northern sky that was fading away.
“Is that the Ryugyong Hotel? I can see it with my naked eye.”
“It’ll be a sight at night. The lights will go on and off.”
“They cut off all the electricity in Pyongyang. There won’t be any lights.”
“That’s true.”
Then a soldier who was passing by started singing a song.
“Our wish is reunification. Our wish is reunification even in our dreams.”
The platoon leader chuckled and said.
“Hey, we’ve come this far, right? We should sing our slogan, Northward Advance. Let’s sing a powerful song to the front!”
“Our wish is northward advance! Our wish is northward advance even in our dreams!”
They all sang a song that was almost like a scream and were captivated by a strange idea.
?Is reunification finally happening?
Of course, it’s not over just because they arrived near Pyongyang.
Occupying it would be difficult, and north of Pyongyang would be hellish.
Some of the 20 million North Korean residents would start to resist in earnest.
Nevertheless, they could not deny that reunification was close.
“What if a nuclear bomb falls on our heads?”
While the soldiers were worried, a transport plane flew over the sky and dropped something.
“What’s that? It’s not our transport plane.”
“The IFF is quiet… Oh, that’s a Russian transport plane! The corps headquarters just sent a radio message!”
“What are they dropping?”
They hurried over and saw wooden boxes filled with ham, cooked rice, and stir-fried kimchi.
“It’s food!”
“Kimchi and ham! We’ve run out of rice!”
The soldiers cheered while the platoon leader read a note stuck in the corner.
“This is from Yu Ji-ha, the chairman of Silla Group. He negotiated with Russia.”
“He’s the only one who cares about us.”
“He’s handsome, rich, and has a good personality. But he seems gay.”
“I’ll vote for him if he runs for president next time.”
While the 7th Army Corps soldiers were eating for the first time in a while, Kim Jong-un was agonizing over his agony in the command bunker in Pyongyang.
He had suffered so much that he looked like he had lost 10 kg in just 15 days.
Kim Yo-jong was sitting next to him with a sullen face.
“We can’t stand by and watch the atrocities of those bastards any longer. Please make a decision, Comrade General Secretary.”
“···”
Kim Jong-un rubbed his cheeks for a long time and then lay his massive body on the chair.
The light bulb hanging from the ceiling started to flicker, indicating that the power supply was unstable.
This bunker wouldn’t last long either···
He made a decision.
“Bring me the bag.”
The officers brought him a dark bag.
It was a nuclear bag that could activate 30% of the republic’s nuclear power.
Before opening the bag, he had Kim Yo-jong write an ultimatum.
?If you do not withdraw the South Korean army within 72 hours, a nuclear bomb of annihilation will cover Seoul. Use your brain between your ears and make a wise decision and implement it as soon as possible.
And nothing happened.
“An ultimatum.”
The staff at the Joint Chiefs of Staff looked at the ultimatum signed by Kim Jong-un and could not hide their tension.
Until now, they could ignore his threats of turning Seoul into a sea of fire as half-hearted provocations.
But this time was different.
There was a clear deadline and Kim Jong-un’s seal was on it.
General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Supreme Commander of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea···
He stamped this big red seal to show that he would never back down.
Since the outbreak of war, South Korea had tried hard to neutralize North Korea’s nuclear power, and airlifted over a thousand missiles from the United States.
They fired almost 2,000 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and bunker busters, but they did not neutralize all of North Korea’s nuclear power.
The intelligence agency warned that Sinpo-class submarines equipped with SLBM Pukguksong ballistic missiles had disappeared right after the outbreak of war.
And by comparing the topography before and after the war, they also found out that some TELs carrying nuclear missiles were missing.
That is, North Korea was hiding at least 10 and up to 15 nuclear missiles.
“···”
In the heavy silence, they only looked at each other.
It was an atmosphere where anyone who suggested pulling out the 7th Army Corps would be branded as a traitor.
Think about it.
For the first time in decades since the division, they had pushed tanks up to near Pyongyang.
Now, with one order, the soldiers would trample Pyongyang with their boots.
Could they give up that glory of reunifying the Korean nation?
President Jo Hyung-geun asked Chairman Lee Kang-hoon of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“What do you think, Chairman?”
“Um… I think it would be better to wait and see how things unfold for now. Currently, our fleet is mobilized to find North Korean submarines.”
“What about the TELs hidden in the tunnels?”
“We have to request cooperation from the United States and compare satellite maps to find them until the end.”
“We’ve been looking for them since the war started and we haven’t found them. It’s hard to find them in 72 hours.”
Chairman Lee Kang-hoon had no choice but to back down from his realistic and reasonable argument.
After all, it was not him but the president who made the decision.
Many army generals gave their opinions, but he was not convinced by any of them.
There was even a ridiculous suggestion to withdraw the troops and then go back up after resolving the situation.
“Are you out of your mind? If we pull out the troops, the aftermath will explode at once! It’s absolutely impossible to advance north again!”
The 7th Army Corps soldiers had not washed or rested properly for over two weeks.
They were barely holding on with the expectation of setting foot on Pyongyang’s land and the pride of contributing to reunification.
If they pulled them out now, it would take at least a few weeks to reorganize and repair the units.
And that would mean that the northward advance had gone up in smoke.
There were more than one or two countries that would stick their spoons in if Korea withdrew its troops.
“That’s true, of course…”
The person who gave the opinion shrank back and President Jo Hyung-geun glared at the generals.
“Any other opinions?”
“Ahem…”
“Um…”
They all looked at his face.
It was a dilemma between pulling out and being a traitor or holding on and having a nuclear bomb fall on Seoul.
Of course, President Jo Hyung-geun knew about the NCM warhead.
He hid it because he wanted to hold the generals’ morale, but also because he didn’t want to tell the United States.
He had to reveal the existence of the NCM warhead after he had completely occupied Pyongyang.
The United States would probably notice if all the nuclear missiles were neutralized, but they wouldn’t be sure.
Then Yu Ji-ha Jiha spoke up.
“Why do we have to wait? We can go in now.”
“What will happen if we enter now?”
President Jo Hyung-geun couldn’t help but ask and he began to explain in detail.
“Kim’s family is probably in a bunker somewhere in Pyongyang. Maybe in the Kumsusan Palace or the underground of the Workers’ Party building.”
“We need to create an environment that makes him lose his judgment, not leave him alone. That’s shelling. We have to use all available platforms to bombard Pyongyang. And then the 7th Army Corps has to enter right away.”
“This is to put psychological pressure on him. How will Kim Jong-un choose…”
Kim Jong-un, trapped in a bunker, would be able to grasp the situation to some extent, but not in detail.
What if shelling rang out all over Pyongyang in that situation?
From Kim Jong-un’s perspective, there was a high possibility that he would become desperate.
“That’s certainly a bold plan…”
“What if Kim Jong-un orders a launch impulsively?”
One general asked and Yu Ji-ha shook his head.
“Ladies and gentlemen, what do you think Kim Jong-un’s goal is?”
“To maintain his regime.”
“No. It’s to live forever. He and Kim Yo-jong have no interest in anything but saving their lives. Maintaining the regime is just a means to achieve that.”
For a hereditary dictator, his own safety is paramount.
As long as he is safe, he can always plan for later.
Especially if China is behind him.
“If he launches a nuclear weapon, Kim’s family will surely perish. They will also lose their grounds to appeal to the international community. But if they only threaten, they can hope for later. They can get China’s cooperation and incite people with their data.”
None of them were right.
Kim Jong-un was half-crazy with extreme stress, fear, and hatred for Korea.
He was not in a position to make a rational decision, and if he was cornered, he would run away after firing a nuclear weapon.
The current leadership did not know that much, so they had to misjudge.
“It’s probably the 80th Army that supports him. They might send a small elite unit to Pyongyang. They’re too slow with their current size.”
“Do you mean the 80th Army might take Kim Jong-un out?”
“That’s my guess, but we can find out by using reconnaissance means.”
President Jo Hyung-geun’s face hardened.
It would be a failure even if they took Pyongyang but missed Kim’s family.
Not to mention that they might cross over to China and incite people with their data that Korea attacked first.
The international community might not buy it easily, but some in Europe might demand an investigation into the truth.
They had to catch them by any means.
He scanned the faces of the generals.
“Any other opinions?”
“···”
They all remained silent.
It seemed that the president had made up his mind, and if they said anything that might influence him, they could be held responsible.
In fact, the generals thought that there was a high chance that North Korea would fire a nuclear weapon.
But Korea’s interception system was also at a high level, and more importantly, the US Aegis ships were guarding the East Sea and the West Sea.
Considering that North Korea’s nuclear missiles were of poor quality, the interception rate, which was normally 40%, would increase significantly.
In the worst case scenario, it would end with one or two nuclear weapons, and Korea was a country that could afford that.
President Jo Hyung-geun sighed and ordered.
“It seems like there’s no other way. We can’t be sure if Kim Jong-un will fire a nuclear weapon or not, but it doesn’t make any difference. We have to take Pyongyang at all costs.”
“Yes. If we retreat from here, South Korea is doomed.”
When someone agreed, President Jo Hyung-geun emphasized again.
“Start attacking Pyongyang immediately and give orders to the 7th Army Corps. You must capture Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong.”
The generals nodded and spoke to Yu Jiha.
“We need to apply Russia to the operation. We need your help.”
“It’ll be over soon.”
Shelling and advancing had to be done at the same time, so it was almost impossible without the help of artificial intelligence.
If they made a mistake, they could drop an aerial bomb on their own heads.
Meanwhile, President Jo Hyung-geun was lost in thought.
With the 7th Army Corps and soon-to-be-deployed 30,000 drones, he thought it was worth a try.
He called Yu Ji-ha who was typing on the keyboard.
“Mr. Yu, I need to talk to you for a moment.”
“What is it?”
He looked clueless.
President Jo Hyung-geun disliked him for influencing the military, but he decided to forget it for now.
“Can you take out some of those drones and escort me?”
“Mr. President.”
“We’re about to take Pyongyang and you want me to be absent? Don’t you think so?”
He needed a photo of him entering the Kumsusan Palace and sitting on Kim Jong-un’s office chair.
The generals might not like it, but the image he showed to the people was more important.
“It’s not hard, but wouldn’t it be safer to stay in the bunker?”
“We have the 7th Army Corps and drones. What are you worried about? It’s just a few photos. Nothing will happen.”
A normal president would go there after occupying it, but Jo Hyung-geun was too impatient and greedy.
Thanks to his constant pressure from the international community and the media about the casualties and prisoners, his popularity was at its worst.
‘He thinks he can get support with a few photos. What a shallow calculation.’
It was doubtful if that was possible, but it was a clear opportunity for Yu Ji-ha.
Who would know if a blind bullet flew at the president who left the bunker?
It was time to change the leadership of South Korea.