George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 344

Originally, the balance of power at the start of the war was nearly equal. However, as missiles and rockets dwindled, and the manpower to operate them became scarce, the scales tipped in favor of the previous front, which was supported by the United States. This shift became increasingly pronounced over time.

As the pre-war map became obsolete, other warlords, worn down by attrition, had to retreat from Jinan. Continuing the war of attrition would have made it impossible to plan for the future.

Thus, the Jinan Military Region returned to the Communist Party, leaving only Qingdao intact. By the time the front lines stabilized, few people remained in Jinan. To be precise, the number of civilians left could be counted on one hand.

Most had been conscripted or fled overseas or to other regions to escape the war, leaving few behind. Even if they wanted to stay in their beloved hometown, could they call a land where not a single blade of grass grew a hometown? Could they call a village where even the back hills and traces of homes had vanished a hometown?

Of course, this would not have happened in a typical war. Even the most reckless leaders would pay at least some attention to international norms.

Conversely, if they disregarded international norms entirely, civilian massacres were entirely possible.

This was especially true if all humans in the operational area were considered enemy soldiers, or if there was an excuse of treason. Villages emptied of people became battlefields, and these battlefields were so transformed that it was impossible to guess what they had once been.

The thought of having to rely solely on GPS to find one’s hometown after the front lines had completely retreated from Jinan, with familiar terrain and landmarks gone, was truly heartbreaking.

Yet, they never gave in and rebuilt their villages. Although the location sometimes changed depending on the terrain, most re-established themselves in their hometowns. The problem was with the people who had lived in the ‘city.’

Finding an apartment building still standing amidst complete ruins was a stroke of luck. In many cases, only the foundations remained. All the infrastructure that had made life prosperous and comfortable was destroyed, and the most critical of these, the water supply, was no longer functional. A city where water did not come out of the tap was no different from a desert built of concrete instead of sand.

In any case, the city dwellers, despairing at the fact that they had become penniless, returned to Qingdao to start over, or left for Beijing or even overseas in search of new jobs.

There were several reasons why the warlords did not surrender even though the war situation had completely turned against them, but the most prominent reason was that the best they could hope for was execution, and they still had a trump card left. Each warlord had slightly different trump cards in mind, but they couldn’t just collapse without even trying to resist.

“Yes, that’s right. I will never die. Never.”

Power, wealth. Humans are creatures that do not want to let go of anything once it is in their grasp. But how many humans would want to trade power and wealth for their lives?

Originally, leaders were such people: carnivorous animals that belittle, bring down, and trample on others to climb to the top. Whether they end up as hyenas or as lions, the king of beasts, depends on their own behavior.

Even if they die, there is always one thing they can never give up. Whether it is honor, power, or wealth, one thing is always clearly present.

“Are you ready?”

-We can launch within 5 minutes at any time.

“Are you sure?”

-Yes. The route calculation is also certain. Moreover, with this amount, even if only some hit, it will definitely collapse. But as you know, if this happens…….

“That’s none of your business!”

The communication was cut off as he slammed the receiver down nervously.

“Damn it. If it weren’t for those damn ‘Indian’ bastards!”

The young leader of the Lanzhou warlord threw things within reach in a fit of anger. Everything seemed to be going well, but it didn’t take long to realize that it was just a young man’s dream.

Even if the United States intervened, he thought they would force their way in, but now it seemed that the Party had sold the country to the United States from the beginning. Otherwise, there was no way China would weaken so quickly. The reason why they were being pushed back helplessly despite the lack of major strategic flaws was all because of the United States.

‘There is no future for China under such traitorous rulers!’

That’s right. When you think about it, didn’t they even sell the land and the people? Selling the land might be understandable, but even engaging in the slave trade? Where else is there a more serious traitorous regime than this! He had done all sorts of dirty things since taking this position, but he had never sold people.

‘Yes, yes! Those dirty Korean bastards are the same!’

They were fighting in a cowardly manner, not bravely. After the South Korean army’s search battalion faced a ‘supply impossible’ situation due to worsening weather, they were using tactics that stung in strangely annoying places, though not fatally.

In short, they were waging guerrilla warfare, which was the specialty of the South Korean army, rather than firepower warfare. What was the advantage of guerrilla warfare? It was that it was specialized in harassing others.

So, the scale of damage remained very small compared to the southern front, but as far as the Lanzhou warlord was concerned, they would rather have the southern front. They would pop out from strange places, project firepower, and slowly retreat, and the People’s Liberation Army would squeeze in and occupy the gap.

Since their mobility was at an impossible level by common sense, the Lanzhou warlord suspected Mongolia or other countries bordering the area, but the answer they received was that it was a ridiculous speculation.

But who would believe that answer if they weren’t blind? Moreover, considering that the places they always popped out from were in the north, it roughly made sense. They realized that the tide had turned and were acting recklessly to get even a crumb of something now.

Even if they didn’t invade, just opening the border for the army to pass through was quite fatal. That meant they could attack from anywhere.

The Lanzhou warlord had no intelligence organization, and the Public Security Bureau, which could move similarly to it, was completely for domestic use. They also did not have the capacity to create an intelligence organization for espionage during the war.

“Crisis is an opportunity.”

A crisis is an opportunity. The only interesting point is that a crisis does not always act positively for those who forget that a crisis does not always become an opportunity.

The southern front was pushed back and back, eventually reaching Wuhan. It wasn’t that the warlords were being pushed back helplessly. They reorganized as much as they had retreated from Nanjing and made every effort to stop the Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army. But they simply lacked the supplies.

For example, China’s air force had been half-collapsed for a long time. It was good that they had moved on to a war of attrition, but the munitions factories were all bombed and destroyed, and there was no way to overcome the Communist Party’s supplies in terms of air supremacy. Most of the major munitions factories were in Qingdao, and the USFK’s [United States Forces Korea] F-22s and the US Navy’s F-18s, which had been dispatched from the Korean Peninsula, posed a threat.

The F-16s, bearing the symbol of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, had become a familiar sight on the battlefield at some point. Black smoke was rising from the battlefield without a gap, but it could not encroach on the fighter jets’ territory.

As the air force advanced and the army moved forward, the enemy’s air defense system was completely paralyzed. Originally, the opposite should have happened, or at least the army should have paralyzed the air defense system before deploying the air force, but Chairman Li Keqiang seemed to want to end the war early.

The air force was recklessly thrown in, and as a result, even in the harsh conditions of the late war, they were able to push the front lines by deploying 1,500 fighters and 200 bombers. It was a mentality of making up for the lack of quality with quantity, and it worked well, so they were able to clean up the area near the Three Gorges Dam without a single ant.

“I can see the Three Gorges Dam in the distance. The air defense system is formidable. If it’s so heavily guarded, we won’t be able to penetrate even half of it and will all be shot down.”

-This operation is all about speed. Can’t you do something?

“Impossible. The moment we approach that radius, we’ll turn into moths.”

-Just now, a group army has started to advance towards the Three Gorges Dam. After they clear the air defense weapons, our air force will bomb, and then a large-scale airborne force will infiltrate and seize the Three Gorges Dam through an airborne operation.

After hearing those words, the F-16 pilot scanned the battlefield again. Many bunkers and trenches. And just as many armored units. Many fixed batteries and rockets. And an excessive number of air defense weapons. It seemed like they had thrown in everything they could use for defense.

It seemed like they had been saving it all this time, and the amount of supplies seemed even greater than on the Jinan front. This was because the Three Gorges Dam was the Guangzhou warlord’s stronghold. They would never lose in terms of supplies, but looking at the warlord’s supplies coiled around the Three Gorges Dam like a serpent, it was questionable whether the allied forces could even break through even if they advanced now.

“About several hundred helicopters have just taken off from around the Three Gorges Dam. The model is probably Z-9. Can we break through?”

-The Chairman wants it. If they are martyred, more group armies will be deployed. If we can just seize that dam, the war will end. Our national debt is running vigorously to a place we can’t afford. It’s no wonder Chairman Li Keqiang is impatient.

The Communist Party’s budget came mainly from three sources: black money from various disposals, taxes that were being collected normally from the rear, and the national debt that countries at war usually issue. That national debt was piling up to an unbearable level. So, the F-16 that the pilot was riding in was all national debt.

“Damn American bastards, they should have given us F-15s, not just F-16s.”

But if they could just seize this Three Gorges Dam, Nanjing and Guangzhou would surrender on their own, and Lanzhou and Chengdu, which had lost Uyghur and Tibet, were not even opponents. In fact, the eastern front was being defended by one group army and the South Korean army that had been dispatched, wasn’t it?

The pilot could see a reunited China beyond the canopy.

-Uh… damn it. New information just came in. They are threatening to blow up the dam if we approach any further. Disengage. I repeat. Disengage.

“Wasn’t a threat within the expected range?”

-The fact that the threatener is not the ‘Guangzhou rebels’ but the ‘Lanzhou rebels’ is completely outside the expected range.