George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 322

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A civil war had erupted in China for the first time in nearly 80 years. However, contrary to concerns that it would devolve into a bloodbath, unforeseen variables constantly intervened, leading to a ‘stalemate’ that neither the Communist Party nor the United States had anticipated.

The Lanzhou-Chengdu Alliance sensed that this situation would end poorly if it continued, and their prediction was proving accurate. India was preparing a major offensive under the tacit approval of the United States, and the discontent and desire for independence in Xinjiang Uyghur and Tibet had grown beyond the capacity of the deployed troops to suppress, especially while remaining mindful of the Indian army.

Therefore, while the independence of Tibet and Xinjiang Uyghur wasn’t entirely bloodless, it’s important to note that even setting aside the bloodshed from previous independence movements, this independence was ultimately achieved through the sacrifices of young people in the Chinese civil war.

Fortunately, or perhaps predictably, they participated as proud members of the ‘Uyghur Army’ and ‘Tibetan Army’. Even though the uniforms and weapons provided by the warlords were Chinese-made, these forces were clearly allied with independent operational rights, not simply Chinese soldiers.

The warlords referred to them as mercenaries, but they were acutely aware that even providing basic necessities like food, clothing, rifles, and entrenching tools strained their budgets. Moreover, while these armies possessed independent operational rights, they ultimately acted according to the warlords’ wishes. Thus, the warlords couldn’t bring themselves to consider them true allies and settled on the term ‘mercenaries’.

This meant that, fortunately, these two autonomous regions largely avoided becoming mere cannon fodder, a fate that the original Tibetans and Uyghurs were likely destined to face.

In any case, these ‘mercenaries,’ who weren’t really mercenaries, were initially intended to strengthen the border, unite Tibet, Uyghur, and the Lanzhou-Chengdu Alliance into a community with a shared destiny, consolidate the interior, eliminate the remnants of the Communist Party, and replace it with their own ideology. Instead, they were all committed [投入 – tóurù: invested, thrown into] to seizing even small pieces of territory previously held by other warlords.

So, what was happening in that former warlord’s territory? What events were so critical that they forced those who should have been focused on internal affairs to urgently divert all their forces externally?

While the Guangzhou-Nanjing Alliance was battling the Communist Party in the Taiwan Strait, Jinan suffered brutal devastation due to the U.S. military’s betrayal, which sided with the Communist Party following a secret agreement between the two heads of state. However, even a worm will turn when stepped on. Despite losing more than half of its territory to the Communist Party, Jinan stubbornly refused to surrender.

The Jinan leadership devised a desperate plan: if they couldn’t retain Jinan, they would destroy it. They exploited the rampant anti-Communist sentiment that had arisen during the division to stage a false flag operation. However, some vestige of reason remained, preventing them from implementing a full scorched-earth policy. This was their last resort.

“Sacrificing the few for the sake of the many? This is madness! I refuse to participate!”

While some objected, they were quietly purged. Power was a truly terrifying thing. In any case, they disguised themselves as the People’s Liberation Army. Actually, since the uniforms were identical, they only needed to remove unit insignia, eliminating the need for elaborate disguises.

Regardless, the intention proved highly effective. Anti-Communist demonstrations and large-scale riots, often involving violence, erupted in urban areas. Most, of course, leaned toward the latter, as people remembered the fate of peaceful protests all too well.

The problem was that Jinan’s chaos presented an opportunity to other ambitious factions. However, the two alliances weren’t exactly cooperating harmoniously against the Communist Party.

“You traitorous bastards! Handing over Tibet and Uyghur to India!”

“Traitors? Who are you calling traitors! Independence was what should have been restored, and oppression what should have been eliminated! We are proud to have returned the legitimate rights that the Communist Party had stolen!”

“How can those be legitimate rights! They were struggling with famine and disease, and their lives improved thanks to being integrated into our Chinese nation!”

“Treating people like livestock for the sake of territory! Does that make any sense! In the new China we will create, human rights are paramount! Under no circumstances should the Party be prioritized over the people!”

The Communist Party’s claim that Tibet and Uyghur escaped famine and disease thanks to their efforts was a ‘historical distortion’ used to legitimize their rule. Those who truly understood the situation were primarily people born and raised in autonomous regions with greater freedoms, such as Hong Kong.

Lanzhou and Chengdu obsessively collected evidence of the Communist Party’s oppression and disseminated it to the public.

Of course, the leaders of Lanzhou and Chengdu didn’t genuinely believe all of it. This was merely lip service to gain favor with the Western world, which was currently focused on promoting democracy, and to provide a cause and justification for their actions.

They needed to compensate for their shrinking territory and drastically reduced tax revenue. They found the answer in the aid that the United States was providing. Even during the war, they planned to somehow secure American support in the future.

In any case, if funds were lacking, they would simply find a way to acquire them. They were looking to Jinan as the solution.

On the other hand, the Guangzhou-Nanjing Alliance’s reason for denouncing them as traitors was much simpler and clearer than the other alliance’s, which needed to solve its financial crisis by seizing Jinan’s territory.

“Strike the Communist Party.”

Whether they were attacking or being attacked, a war was underway, so they would compete to determine who would become the master of the world. Fortunately, the damage to their air force during the naval battle had been minimal.

Certainly, they had lost some fighter planes, but losses were inevitable in war. Moreover, only the air force had suffered damage; the army remained largely intact.

The only problem was that the rear was somewhat vulnerable [投入 – tóurù: invested, thrown into] to committing all available forces to Jinan. They had successfully suppressed Hong Kong, changing its allegiance from the Communist Party to Nanjing while guaranteeing its existing autonomy.

Once they made it clear that autonomy would be guaranteed as long as they switched allegiance, the citizens of Hong Kong, who seemed on the verge of rebellion, calmed down as if nothing had happened. While some opposition protests occurred, the lack of widespread support only reinforced the warlord’s credibility.

However, Taiwan, which was constantly watching Hong Kong, posed a problem. Taiwan’s military strength had increased dramatically in recent years. Although their equipment consisted of second-tier, soon-to-be-retired U.S. military hardware, it also meant that it was battle-tested and well-maintained.

In any case, what had started as a poorly equipped army armed with outdated 2nd-generation tanks had become a respectable threat capable of inflicting significant damage on any power in East Asia.

Moreover, even without Taiwan, Guangzhou and Nanjing had aligned their interests and were now cooperating, but ultimately, only one warlord could rule the world. Therefore, they couldn’t commit their full strength, even with the common enemy, the Communist Party, before them.

However, that didn’t mean that only a small portion of the army was committed [投入 – tóurù: invested, thrown into]. In Jinan, the Lanzhou-Chengdu Alliance, the Guangzhou-Jinan Alliance, the Communist Party, the Jinan warlords, and the U.S. military stationed in Qingdao were all 총동원ing [chongdongwon-ing: mobilizing] their firepower and indiscriminately firing everywhere, creating utter chaos.

Due to this chaotic situation, certain events frequently occurred in highlands occupied by one faction.

“Enemies in front! Enemies to the left! Enemies to the right! Enemies above and enemies below! Everyone is an enemy except for those behind us! How are we supposed to defend this place!”

Of course, there was no way to defend it. The highlands, hastily occupied without proper fortifications or even trenches, became a sea of fire under the barrage of self-propelled guns and rockets. The occupied highlands were 초토화 [chotowa: scorched earth] whenever bombers and fighter planes flew overhead.

Moreover, even if some soldiers survived that hell, they would only surrender the highlands to the next occupant. The city of Jinan was gradually transforming into a trench made of concrete. Those who occupied it expected the city to serve as a defensive stronghold and supply base, but the advancements of civilization rendered that impossible.

Mocking those who anticipated a war of attrition with infantry and tanks engaging in street battles, the massive amount of powerful bombs dropped from bombers overwhelmed the concrete forest. Bunker busters, sold to the Communist Party by the United States under the guise of stabilizing China, killed even those sheltering in air-raid shelters.

Of course, air defenses existed. It would be illogical to fortify the city without them. The problem was the sheer number of surface-to-surface missiles flying in from beyond the horizon, overwhelming the air defenses.

China couldn’t manage the firepower concentrated within the small area of Jinan. The production of shells and missiles was so vast that they couldn’t store them all in warehouses, and there were more than enough soldiers to operate them. However, the battlefield was too small, and the number of bases to capture and recapture was limited.

Even if they attempted to expand the front lines rashly, the Lanzhou-Chengdu Alliance, which was capable of doing so, was 오히려 [oehryeo: rather, on the contrary] afraid of the front lines increasing. They were clinging to Jinan to somehow resolve their budget issues, and the cost of expanding the front lines would increase astronomically.

Even if they tried a flanking maneuver for a surprise attack, the terrain was difficult and mountainous, making it impossible to avoid detection. If that happened, the Communist Party would have to divert troops from Jinan as the front lines expanded, ultimately benefiting the Guangzhou-Nanjing Alliance.

This civil war, which had devolved into a strange war of attrition due to excessive firepower, entered a new phase because the Communist Party could no longer bear to see the city literally reverting to the Stone Age, as their goal was to recapture a relatively intact China under Communist rule.

This shift occurred because the Communist Party lured the Korean army by offering Mount Baekdu [also known as Mount Paektu, a sacred mountain in Korean culture], the sacred mountain of the Korean people, and the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, where many Koreans reside.