General Bradley Clark was more than a little concerned. The recent battle with the Pakistani Army had gone better than expected, but the war was not over. World Federation peacekeeping forces, composed mostly of UAC Army troops, had driven the Pakistanis troops back across their side of the border. This part of India’s border towards the west was known as the Line of Control (LoC) from old Indo-Pakistani wars earlier in the century. However, his army was under orders not to pursue the enemy across the India border with Pakistan. He was okay with that, but recent military intelligence reports had him worried. Satellite images showed massive military buildup behind the Pakistani LoC line. The new troops were not from the depleted Pakistani military—they were Chinese!
“General, we’re getting reports from the front lines that the Pakistani Army is regrouping along their border. It looks like they might try to attack our lines again, sir,” the general’s chief intelligence officer reported handing him a brief message.
General Clark acknowledged the officer and read the message. It confirmed what he already knew. It was time to call General Edward Anderson who commanded all UAC troops working with the World Federation Peacekeeper Force. Anderson was in the old North Atlantic Treaty Organization/European Union headquarters complex located in the City of Brussels, Belgium Province. India was a former member of NATO, which disbanded years ago due to the start of the Plague Wars, but India still received military support when needed through the World Federation and the UAC.
Clark used a secure global satellite comphone from his office to make the call to General Anderson. It took a few seconds to locate him before he answered the call. “General Clark, what can I do for you?” a commanding voice on the other end said.
“We have a situation building here in India, General, that I thought you should know about. We drove the Pakistani Army out of India yesterday, but it appears the Chinese Army has entered Pakistan via the old Silk Road route from Xinjiang Province, China and may decide to invade India at any moment.”
General Anderson paused for a moment on the line. “I’m receiving similar reports on your situation from my staff. If China invades, how long can you hold them off?”
“Maybe a day or two with the peacekeeping forces we have here. I’m sure Premier Tung Wing’s intent is to take control of India for the EF as he has threatened to do for some time now. All he really needs is to capture New Delhi and India will fall.”
“I understand, Brad. If Chinese troops invade India, you must pull back to Jaipur. You will not be able to stop Premier Wing’s army from capturing New Delhi if he decides to invade India. The best you can do is slow his army down some.”
“What about the World Federation? Will the Security Council Members allow this to happen?”
“I’m afraid the World Federation members don’t have enough support to stop the Eurasia Federation from taking over the Eastern Hemisphere. It’s not a war we can win with the troops we have in Asia. The best we can do now is to try and prevent the rest of the European Union Provinces from falling to Premier Wing before we have to withdraw all UAC troops.”
General Clark took a moment to think before continuing, “I’ll prepare my troops for withdrawal to Jaipur if the Chinese Army invades India as ordered, General. We will try and slow the Chinese Army down to allow the people of New Delhi to escape if they can. I’ll inform the President what we plan to do. Someone from the World Federation should also inform the President as soon as possible, General.”
“I’ll take care of that as soon as we hang up. Protect your troops, Brad. The war is not over. We still have to save Europe from the Chinese.”
“Understood, General. I’ll check back with headquarters when the situation changes here.”
“Good luck! Protect your troops.” The call ended with a click.
Colonel Luis Martin told his driver to stop the Humvee at the top of a ridge that overlooked the India-Chinese border near the Karakoram Pass. He took out a pair of high-powered binoculars and viewed the landscape that lay before him. This part of India’s eastern border with China was known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) from past Indo-Chinese wars. Currently, the whole Ladakh Region including the Depsang Plains was under dispute between India and China. Numerous military skirmishes had been fought to control the Karakoram Pass that led into India. What Martin saw through his binoculars was disturbing.
Colonel Martin made a call over his comphone to headquarters where General Clark was waiting for his Sitrep. The call buzzed twice before Clark picked up the call.
“Clark here. What’s the news, Colonel?”
“I’m looking at the area near the border now, General. It’s not good. I see thousands of Chinese military troops massing on this side of the river. I have drones flying overhead. You’ll get real-time images soon. They’re loading troops onto armored vehicles as we speak. What do you want me to do?”
“Pull back to our last position before we chased the Pakistani Army back to the border. I’m reinforcing our lines now. India’s military is sending up more troops as well. We need to slow down any advance the Chinese Army makes to give India time to decide if this invasion can be stopped. I’m told the President of India is talking to Premier Wing trying to negotiate a settlement.”
“I don’t think the Chinese are waiting for any orders to stop. They’re moving forward now, General!”
“The call with Wing was probably a stalling tactic. He probably already decided to invade India since he knows he has the numbers to defeat us and the whole Indian Army.”
“I’m pulling back to our lines, General. I’ll report back in soon.”
“Good luck, Colonel. Let me know if the Chinese start firing on our lines.”
“Will do, sir. Over and out.”
It took Colonel Martin twenty minutes to make it back to his lines. He sent word to his field commanders that the Chinese were preparing to attack within the hour. He was part of over five thousand UAC troops plus another thousand or so other World Federation Peacekeeper troops spread along a five mile front line in the Depsang Plains. He was informed that the Indian Armed Forces were moving up a large part of their army to defend their country once again from Chinese aggression. The Chinese Army was estimated at around 100,000 troops. It would take all of the Indian Armed Forces in the area to try and stop the invasion before they reached New Delhi.
A call buzzed on Colonel Martin’s comphone. Captain Jason Hood was reporting in. “What’s your Sitrep, Captain?”
“We’re dug in behind the earth mound barriers, Colonel. The Indian Army is moving their tanks into position. I’m sending up drones now to survey the enemy’s advance. You should be receiving images now.”
“Images coming in now. Your orders are to hold your position as long as you can, Captain. The Indian military will try to stop the Chinese advance. If they can’t, you are to fall back to the second line where the artillery guns are positioned. Do you copy?”
“Copy that, sir. Will fall back if Chinese break through the line.”
“Good luck, Captain. Over and Out.”
Jason was viewing the images from the drones when the first shells from the Chinese ZTD-10 amphibious tanks and ZBD-10 amphibious fighting vehicles with 105 mm guns began shooting armor piercing, high explosive, laser beam guided, anti-tank missiles at the Indian Armed Forces tanks. The battle had begun!
The tank battle raged for thirty minutes. It seemed like hours to Jason. The first signs that the battle was turning against the Indian Army and World Federation troops was when Jason saw through his binoculars the first Chinese soldiers racing on foot past the burnt out Indian tanks. They began firing their automatic rifles at Jason’s soldiers behind the berm barriers.
Jason didn’t have to give any orders for his soldiers to start firing back. All along his line the fighting intensified.
“There’s too many of them, Captain!” one of the soldiers beside Jason yelled as he kept firing his army issue M30 Infantry Automatic Rifle.
Things went from bad to worse soon afterwards. What was left of the Indian tank division started to withdraw from the front line along with the Indian military forces. It was time to move his soldiers back to the secondary line position.
“Everyone move back to the secondary line!” Jason yelled into his helmet headset. “That is an order!”
A Chinese mortar shell exploded a few meters in front of Jason’s position. Stone pebbles from the explosion landed all around his men. Jason ran back from the front line with his soldiers. The secondary line was almost two miles behind the front line. The plain they were fighting on did not provide much cover. Mortar teams were firing everything they had at the enemy to slow down their advance. The remaining Indian tanks took up new positions to provide what protection they could for the retreating army. Jason knew the men and women in those few tanks were giving up their lives to save others. It was something Jason would remember for the rest of his life.
The retreat took the better part of an hour before the Chinese advance was halted just before darkness set in over the land. Jason knew the fighting would begin again as soon as the sun rose over the eastern mountains. The temperature was also dropping fast. It would be a cold and long night waiting for the battle to begin again in the morning.