Major Gu Huang

4th Tank Battalion, 18th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade, 104th Special Army Group, People's Liberation Army

"Today... we had just having another day saving the skin of our comrades in the 45th Brigade..."

Compared to our comrades that were sent to attack and seize Iwakuni; our brigade had it easy in a relative term; being in reserve in case of a Japanese breaktrough, our duty instead largely revolves about securing our always troubled supply lines inside Japan and supporting our light role comrades within the 45th Light Combined Arms Brigade as well MSS' 100th Detachment, a barrier troop unit whose duty was to prevent any desertion in conjunction with the each brigade's police picket companies which are the PLA-whole equivalent to provost or military police, all in an uphill battle with Japanese insurgents and their light regular army support.

"Open fire!"

One insurgent's double cabin pick-up with a heavy machine gun on it's top burst to flames upon the arrival of my tank. The insurgent attacks were hard to the assigned battalion of the 45th Brigade undergoing a search and destroy operation on villages surrounding Yamaguchi in support of a joint [PLA-IAIB] special forces company. Their uncanny precision led to our comrades to further agree that the insurgents were supported not just by the regular army - but most importantly enemy special forces. So precise that their organic light tank support was nearly wiped out before the heavier folks like me rushed in.

"This is Hutao 01, we're coming in!"

Those Japanese were stubborn, just like what Fascists are supposed to be, and clearly unlike what we have been told before the shooting start back in the homeland.

[Redacted] Our higher ups had said that Japanese and American soldiers were pampered, physically and mentally soft, overall a piss-poor fighter individually, and their all volunteer force are mostly awashed with rejects of society which has it's grain of truth, but each passing day what we've seen otherwise, particularly here in Japan - they defended their home turf after all, unlike the Americans.[Redaction ends here]

It required air support by the glorious Z-10s and combat drones, running the gauntlet against the always alert enemy air assets with five of them got damaged and or shot down, including one helicopter, to finally dislodge those fascists, as well as five main gun firing from my own tank - mostly anti personnel and high explosive anti-tank rounds when an enterprising platoon size (or it's company?) of "Type 16" wheeled light tank of Japan decided came around to assist the insurgents.

"I also won't forget how Comrade Captain Xiaojun was close to disobey Comrade Colonel in the guise of checking the nearby houses for insurgents. When Comrade Colonel found out, he was absolutely furious..."

Even with the exhausting battle and the conclusion of my combat diary write-up for today, to my surprise, closing my eyes was a struggle for myself even with enough guards and air defenses were always online at all times to repel any attack from the sky. Much more as for the first time, a ballistic missile from the Japanese managed to land here.

"...But when we came home... the Japanese gave us a gift in form of their high speed ballistic missiles - which we learned with it's name, Genbu family, their translation of Xuanwu or Black Tortoise, and in function is the equivalent to our Dongfeng series with the exception that the Japanese and the Koreans, who licensed theirs to the former to create the Genbu ,did not have intercontinental variant. I am still lucky, but the No.1 Company did not and it's survivors were now under my command... Captain Xiaojun, to everyone surprise, stated the following. They died for the People, they died for Socialism. Not even our political instructors nor our battalion commander brazenly said that, in comparison! But just like what we expected, his pride turned into fury that was shared by everyone. He said that he will smear the whole Japan with blood if it's the order."

When I finally managed to close my eyes, it went so with a reflection on the elephant in the room - Do we actually belong here? The one that Captain Bagua once asked to all officers here, but especially me. With the political instructors present, our Colonel always claimed that we just need a few more sacrifices for the cause. However as a professional, each passing day resulted in more question marks than answer, and I knew the Colonel or even those party functionaries in some degree shared the same question.

I am lucky with the presence of my deputy Captain Guakuo as well as 2nd Tank Company's commander Captain Bagua, where in private and personal conversations held always well away from the possibility of eavesdropping, at least I was able to say some of what was on his mind to one of them, particularly Captain Bagua. His widowed father, the lecturer in history in the Tsinghua University whom Bagua, his only child, had not seen for over a year, had had a sudden heart attack and died. Others did not so and keep their peace within.

Time passed and so is that dreaded moment was here, two weeks after we knew what happened in Iwakuni. Now the Japanese and it's allies were on the gates of Yamaguchi. And they have right to be angry.

"Our objective is to reinforce our comrades in Shunan City. They are fighting as energetic like what the People's Army is supposed to be, however the enemy are stronger all in all, and so we have been ordered to head there immediately as a whole brigade. Command had entrusted 45th Light Combined Arms Brigade to hold Yamaguchi as well as the a recently arrived battalion group from the 16th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade that was barely able to arrive two days ago straight from China with 80 percent of their equipment relieving the 22nd Medium Combined Arms Brigade that has been broken up and sent to Kyushu..."

Even Captain Xiaojun was silent in hearing on how the Fascist' blockade compounded by relentless cyberattacks targeting the Mainland itself was costing us dearly when it's time to reinforce our troops here. They claimed that some Japanese, South Korean and US ships were sunk when they tried to intercept our convoys to the point that they claimed that American 7th Fleet is "soon to cease to exist".

To be honest, even as we're departing this city, I cannot fully buy what our leadership had told about that fleet. If the said American fleet or the Japanese Navy were already combat ineffective as they had said with the loss of their two carriers, then why there's paucity of supplies to begin with?

.............................................................................

11th Tank Regimental Combat Team's Command Post, few kilometers outside Hikari

"Colonel, we have an incoming drone from the north," a soldier announced. "Callsign Double Down Six. Its squawking code says point of origin is Wajima."

Okazaki started to read off his glasses. He always less than thrilled to not be in his tank closer to his troopers, but the brigade had ordered him otherwise in face of increased Chinese jamming quality. "Wajima Air Station, Ishikawa Prefecture. Our overall defense plan had it and some other third class airports around Japan repurposed for secure drone comms to augment our comm baloons ever since those bastards landed here in our soil, as well as emergency landing strips, That area, close to the sea, was lucky to had not yet been targeted by the Reds... those guys did their best to camouflage it, Relay-race style handover."

"Allow download. This jamming is thicker then what we had expected. We need news about our European allies, for example, in Kuga. We are supposed to meet them here in Shunan. Or those northern force in Hagi-Masuda sector." said the colonel.

Within a minute, his aide appeared at Okazaki's side with a tablet screen. It showed an animated map of the current and projected locations of the Coalition forces making their way through the Yamaguchi Prefecture as well as friendly and possibly hostile fleet nearby. A message was there for them to read.

"Good news. British 1st Strike Bde. had advanced from Kuga. Attachments; Italian mechanized 7th Bersaglieri (literally "sharpshooters") regimental combat team and our 37th Infantry RCT of the 3rd Division, coming down fast from E2 freeway. Our escort drones and manned CAP (combat air patrol) knocked out few of Red drones and several cruise missiles in the process, but they got more."

"There is no such thing as too much firepower."

While some red dot were detected on the British sector, Okazaki and his staff moved the display further up with mix of blue and red dots, from land and sea.

"Free Chinese brigade is heavily engaged with the increase of Red commando raids and air and missile strikes on their positions. 4th Escort Fleet reinforced by two American squadrons; one destroyer and one submarine and elements of the South Korean navy are being engaged off Korea Strait, enemy supply convoy with reinforced escort ship including 055-type cruisers with overall air and sea command over the strait and Northern sector of Yamaguchi Prefecture is on "parity status". Expect delay in link ups in Yamaguchi. For your sector, assume at all times strong substantial attack force proceeding towards your area of operations capable of fighting despite being short on supplies. In carrying out the task assigned in Operation Loveless World, after seveal reappraisals, we have decided to use the principle of accepting risks when it outweigh the costs. However, given communications link delays, our materiel state, and other uncertainties, decision authority is now with field commanders from regimental level. J-CENTCOM will support. But our objective is still to take Yamaguchi and the surrounding areas before we can proceed to Shimonoseki."

"Sir, we have Colonel Yamabuki on the line for you." Major Hikawa said. A video link was opened and the 5th Brigade commander appeared.

"You've seen the message?" Yamabuki asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Then you know what it means?" asked the brigade commander back.

"Yes. Division, Army, and up to J-CENTEASTCOM level are not going to say it, but they're giving us the option to withdraw if the situation turns too hairy, even with the fact that we're outnumbering them." he responded. "Which would, in the worst case scenario, forfeiting our gains in Iwakuni area and probably make their advance to Tokyo easier, if there is such an objective."

"That is indeed what it means, Colonel," he said. "That's the tradeoff, I apologize for withholding this back in Iwakuni thanks to the order from the Commander in Chief (His Majesty) himself but now he had given every senior commander; sea, air, and land; his blessing to show that option. The Americans got the same arrangement as well. Instead of being puppeted from afar like in their last wars including back in 1999, same as us back then, everyone get the kind of command freedom their predecessors dreamed of. But it also means the hard calls get piled on our shoulders."

Okazaki's eyes flashed up to the monitor bank inside the command vehicle showing the array of system updates and videos of combat footages. How many hours had it been since he'd fire a shot in anger from his tank in Iwakuni? It should have been easy to follow a cold‑hearted, calculated order like this thanks to the fact that he was essentially playing a video game. It wasn't.

"We will proceed as planned, with the favorable situation in front of us." said Yamabuki. "But be aware of the option if needed. I'll give the boys and girls up there the bad news myself."

No more than ten minutes after he had signed off, another urgent transmission came in.

"It's the bird on the southwest picket patrol, Colonel." Hikawa said, pointing to the icon on the holographic tactical display.

"Let's hear it," said Okazaki.

"Eagle 6, this is Double Down Four" said a female scout UAV operator from the IADF's 10th Unmanned Reconnaissance and Strike Wing, operating a modified Japanese-built Global Hawk playing airborne early warning, augmenting manned E-767 and E-2 Hawkeyes on that role. Coalition planes, particularly manned ones, had been scanned and rescanned and as many of the suspect Chinese made chips and other critical components swapped out in double time amplified by the losses over Guam, Hawaii, Okinawa and other places in favor of chips recycled from donated commercial gear as well as trusted foundries. But there was no certainty they'd removed all of the Trojan horse hardware even after all the time the free world had spent before the war to identify and mitigate such risk. 

The technicians; Japanese, American, Free Chinese, South Koreans, Indians, and many more likened it to trying to find a particular needle in a haystack made of needles. But finding bad chips was actually even harder than that, as they activated only in the presence of a combination of a currently still-unknown frequency and unencrypted transmittal message.

"You have an incoming flight of twenty-plus enemy jets and twice as more drones. I repeat, two‑zero‑plus enemy jets and twice as more drones, coming from the southwest, consistent of a direct flight from Eastern China with tanking. They had also one of their carriers deployed under the relative safety of missile batteries in Taiwan while another portion of their fleet were duking it out off Minamitorishima mining area against friendly carrier group centered by carriers ROKS Joseon and HIJMS Zuikaku so they are unavailable. USS Enterprise is also being engaged in a defensive fashion off the coast of Guam..."

"Damn, have to warn the boys and girls. Are there any interceptors on station?" he asked.

"Hang on, we are connected to them now... they said... shit!" The video feed turned into static.

"Damn, they shot it down." Okazaki grumbled, only for the other operator of Double Down Six took over, reconnecting them with the IADF.

"Alright, we lost Double Down Four, but we got the perfect picture of enemy's strength. Unmanned and manned birds are on your way to your sector. Hang on. Double Down Six out."

.................................................................................................

Sgt. Tsubaki Sawabe

Just great.

After the brigade commander told us that if things went pear-shaped we might have to withdraw and left the city to Red hands, Colonel Okazaki came with another bad news, an incoming air strike.

In addition, large gray clouds came from the southwest. Not a large heavy one that usually brought thunderstorm, but light wispy gray one that threatened a mid or light rain. Knowing that our gadgetry such as personal tactical tablets were still vulnerable to water despite it's contractor's claim of it being water-resistant, Kaori had ordered us to don our rain gears, It was same grassy-green, tan, and brown patterned camouflage like their uniform, it was warm, wind proof, water proof, light, had a hood large enough so it could be pulled over the head while wearing a helmet, and it could be stuffed into a compact bag that fit neatly in any standard army pack.

"Looks like our flyers is up in force." I quipped as overhead, a squadron of Indian Air Force Tejas fighter jets and their drone companions. It was the forth or fifth friendly squadron greeting us in the past 30 minutes. The first was our own F-2s and few F-35As, followed by American F-15EXs with Valkyrie drone companions, then a squadron of South Korean MQ-201 jet attack drones.

"They said that some Chinese including foreign volunteer-piloted planes may be operating in the area, but the number of planes we have up makes it look they have than 'a few' planes airborne," said Corporal Tachibana mostly to himself. In response, Chen grumbled, before proceeding to show us his tirade of Mandarin curses at our opponents ahead.

"Alright, platoon, we moving out!" shouted Kaori standing up.

And so we marched following the 31st Infantry's route of advance. Accompanying our remaining troop carriers and Toyosaki's tank platoon, joining us were the anti-aircraft version of Type 23 heavies. Burst of messages also confirmed that the divisional battery of Type 11 Tan-SAM Kai II are now available, complemented by two Aegis destroyers; HIJMS Chokai and USS McCampbell from Fuso surface action group and as many as SAM-carrying unmanned ships. Nobody wants to take risk on airstrikes!

We reached a street lined with small shops and businesses. Everyone was scanning the buildings, alleys, and rooftops for PLA and IAIB infantry, expecting to hit stragglers, or units that were bypassed by the 31st Infantry.

Sure enough, one of Toyosaki's tanks passed the whole platoon in an urgent fashion just as machine gun fire from one of the stores opened up at us. Then a boom that must be from the tank's main gun.

"Target eliminated"

Not long, "Shit," groaned someone, as hum of jet engines echoed ahead. "I don't think those are ours."

And all hell broke loose started by flashes from our behind consistent in trajectory of surface to air missiles racing to their targets. We can't see it, but those air defense boys and girls as well as those in the Navy definitely can.

Burst of messages suggested that an entire enemy's air wing is now in our area, roughly three or four squadron. In addition, we could register some smoke trails overhead.

"Hostile planes inbound, take cover!"

Without waiting for Kaori to repeat that order, we ran. Vehicles and drones backed up on alleys, some discharging their smoke grenades, and the infantry did so. Including me. Everybody dashed for somewhere to hide.

"Ma'am"

Tachibana showed me a door that lead to a store's basement, than blasted the lock with his rifle. I called everyone who's with me to head inside, as the planes get closer and closer; suggested as jet attack drones with fighter escorts directly from China.

I could only hope that our air defenses had clipped most of them and Watari and Kousei and Kaori turned out okay out there....