April 25th, 2027

Sijung Beach, South East Coast of North Korea

Off the coasts of Wonsan, an armada is posed to strike at the North Korean-owned territory. It's number is elepanthine in scale and many nations provided theirs - free nations.

Cruisers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, amphibious assault ships, landing crafts, submarines both diesel and nuclear powered, aircraft carriers of all sizes, and as many aircraft and combat drones, the latter both on the air and sea ceaselessly pounding the shoreline or protecting the fleet.

The first wave were moving in a 40 plus force of Type 22 Amphibious Assault Vehicle; An indigenously developed successor to American designed AAV-7, each one can pack up to 30 fully-armed troops like the latter but twice as fast at 26 knots maximum thanks to it's water jet. Behind the tracks was a force of larger flat-bottomed landing craft carrying light armored vehicles; heavier ones like battle tanks were to be carried on hovercraft-like vessel called LCAC - landing craft air cushioned. 

Not just the Japanese, the force was a joint one with the neighboring South Korea, who used their indigenously developed KAAV-IIs incorporating similar technology. A force heading to a certain death. The bottom of the vehicle crashed into the swell, sending up squalls of spray without any effect to it's occupants, if some who are not yet fully capable to suppress their sea-sickness buckled amongst the crashing Sea of Japan's wave were not counted in. 

Other contributors include the US 2nd Marine Division with 2nd Philippine Marine Expeditionary Brigade and British 41 Commando Royal Marines attached to it as well as US Army's 4th Infantry Division.

Inside one of the AAVs, few troopers were praying, and in front of them, a quivering hand, a man in his mid-to-late thirties, by far the oldest man in the craft. After a few glances, that stopped. Then he looked at his right side and saw his second in command, First Lieutenant Asahi Kasumi appears.

"Sir." the lieutenant began. "Not all of them had ever been overseas, or even on board a ship before enlisting here..."

Captain Yu Tennoji of the A Company, 2nd Amphibious Ranger Regiment of the 1st Amphibious Ranger Brigade put a slight nod on his deputy's statement. "I know."

"Hey, give me some more of that pill, will you?" asked Private Fukae Nakamura to the amphibious soldier on his front, Corporal Natsumi Murakawa, one out of only three inside who are female. Natsumi extended her hands, only for Nakamura to grab the whole canister and gulp the entire content for himself.

"That was my entire wartime supply, you baka (idiot)!"

Nakamura retorted "What's the difference? Today might be the last time we are riding on this tin-can any -."

A high-pitched moaning, then splash all over the place. North Korean rocket batteries were streaking overhead, some were close enough to lift the boat-like vehicle almost out from the water.

Meanwhile on the other side, one young marine ranger, Private Yoshitsugu Rui, tries to get a peek over a small observation hole of the Type 22, only to see the nearby track gone up with a boom and bright flash, Either a mine or anti-tank missile was responsible. For some, it was their first taste of war.

A clearly-shaken Rui raised his hands and asked, not at his immediate superior, but directly at Tennoji.

"Captain, are we going to die today?"

Tennoji responds. "Not all of us, at least two third of people here will make it ashore, larger if our drones sent ahead of us were actually doing what they are meant to do; or managed to reach the shore." 

"Oh, dear Kami-sama..." 

"I want every one of you to look at the trooper on your left. Now look at the trooper on your right. Feel sorry for those sons-of-bitches, they're going to get it, you're not going to get a scratch." A few, including Rui, manage thin smiles. Tennoji released his tight grip from Rui who moves his jaw as if to see if it's broken. Tennoji pats him on the cheek and moves on closer to the ramp door behind the vehicle. 

"60 seconds!"

"Incoming missile! Brace for im - " Tennoji could hear the pop of chaffs installed at the vehicle were opening up, confusing the oncoming anti-tank missile aimed at it. Only one hit was required for what otherwise could happen.

"30 seconds!"

Tennoji pulled back the bolt on his Type 22 automatic rifle cock the hammer and closed the bolt to chamber a round. He gripped it tight with the muzzle facing the sky so it wasn't pointing at one of his troopers.

"10 seconds, may the gods be with you!" 

He could heard the engines slowing down. This is it.

"5-4-3-2-1 clear the ramp!" 

Under heavy cover of smoke and the thud of 25mm autocannons mounted on the vehicle, the Amtracks' ramp were opened, which fell on the sandy area in the back of them. Even with the heavy firepower and concealment and expendable autonomous tracked drones, heavy machine-gun and rocket propelled grenade fire still poured on the area with a number of South Korean and Japanese marines fell. Among them, Nakamura.

"God damn it, go!! Don't bunch up!" 

Explosions are everywhere as mortars from the city area started opening up after the RPGs.

Using curt orders and hand signals, Tennoji finally managed to get most of his company gathered. 

"We have to be quick - BOOM! - Nokor and Chinese counterattack could be in any minute now. Our ground drones would not last long with this heavy fire."

His most senior enlisted Sergeant Major Teru Tendo put on a report. "Sir, we lost three of us, but we're really lucky that we are not as spread out as the other company. The South Koreans got worse beating from their so called "brothers." but they are trying to clear up the way for the second wave!"

"That's what we are going to do. The Colonel had called us repeatedly for this." replied Tennoji.

"And that's another drone of ours lost." groaned Lieutenant Kasumi as one of the tracked heavy Type 23 UGV landed with the marines was hit by a North Korean RPG.

"Give us the order sir!" one of the enlisted man exclaimed. Then came a screech of rocket overhead, followed by a loud bang.

"Shit, here goes another of our tracks! Half of the 3rd platoon was not yet disembarked and the regimental surgeon was inside!"

Tennoki cut off the other soldier who had just cursed, Private Aki Toyokawa. "Forget them, move to those trees, we charge ahead! We are all gonna die one way or another, but not in this beach! Follow me! Those who lost their weapons, got some, and get back here! Hayaku! (Hurry)"

Tennoji signaled one of the surviving armor to get closer.

"Move now!" 

As autocannons and grenade launchers were poured on the stubborn North Koreans defending the treeline and the resort behind them, Tennoji was the first in his company to got a kill, one KPA soldier with the rocket launcher, probably the one who had just destroyed that AAV.

"Oh, dear the Gods, it hurts!"

"Calm down, private, you're lucky, look at yourself! Are you a ranger? Now stand up!" The high-pitched voice of Sergeant Shun Horie had immediately riled up the shaken private to continue on the fire and maneuver movement.

"Somebody give me some fire to that house, Those Nokor MGs are tearing our comrades apart inside." Commanded Tennoji while keeping himselves low on the sandy surface and few trees for cover. "Gustav, where is the Gustav??"

"Got it sir." He looked behind and saw that said shaken private that had now recovered, Private First Class Renji Shigeru; his Carl Gustav on his shoulder, ready to fire. 

"Backblast area clear"

"Fire!" 

The warhead fired by Shigeru's launcher was not normal anti-tank warhead but thermobaric munition, as the higher pressure exhibited by the impact shown. 

"Oh, no. Enemy armor!" 

Keeping themselves low, the understrength company spread themselves out, firing at the oncoming two North Korean-marked ZTD-05 amphibious tanks who managed to break through the tree lines. The sound of machine guns and explosives drowned other voices, except the screams of wounded and dying from both sides.

Shigeru was ready with the new warhead loaded. "Cover fire!" Horie commanded at his squad, while Hook left was the order from Tennoji to the rest of the team not part of Horie's squad. Six more marines were ripped to ribbons by the co-axial machine guns mounted on the tanks.

"We're dying here!" 

"That's the only way, get some Gustavs or Panzerfausts!" 

"BOOM!"

In the meantime, Tennoji caught the glimpse of Rui crawled along dead North Koreans, but before he can ask anything about that, he got closer to the young private, with an RPG-29 on his back.

"I'll take out that tank, Captain."

"Do it. Get ready for more armor." 

Rui squeezed the trigger and blew up the tank. As the Japanese continued their advance, "Be advised." Tennoji's radio suddenly crackled. "Drones indicated two enemy sniper position at this area."

At the specified point on their map, the company wheeled left, only for one private to fell. The ensuing sniper fire forced everyone to hit the deck.

"You see that impact right here?" Tennoji's attention was on the company's longest-range shooter. Sergeant Calvin Tang. A tall, gangly Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong since he was three due to his parents job, he and his family had subsequently become Japanese citizens ever since.

"Yes sir" *crack*

"That should give you all around view on that sniper and as we're approaching the city, it bound to be more of them. Get in there and take him out. Now is your time to shine." A few more hand signals from Tennoji to the squad and platoon leaders, and the advance is ready.

"You know, Captain" quipped Sergeant Tendo while providing cover fire. "What do you think your mother will tell you about this shit going on?"

"I thought you were my mother." Tennoji chuckled a little as another crack echoed in the distance. 

......

Safely tucked on a fallen tree, guided by a small drone from one of the AAVs on the beach, Tang was ready to fire from his American supplied Armalite AR30A1 sniper rifle chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. Two privates covered him in the process.

"Let this one become my enemy's death." 

An exhale, and he pulled the trigger. He had no need to say "target down" as the overhead drone transmitted the engagement chronology in real time for the company to see by themselves.

"Alright, people. Yumi-1 is clear, Right on me! We're to hold this flank and defend from any counterattack, the B company will arrive here at any minute. After that, we're move to the city itself." barked Tennoji as two AAVs had reached their position accompanied by a Type 16 "Maneuver Combat Vehicle" to provide fire support. 

"What about the South Koreans?"

"They are the main assault force from the beach itself, and their heavy tanks are at this moment are being disembarked. This mission is going our way."

Tendo added. "In short, what the captain say, that we're in business!"

The men move past from safety and make their way to what turned out to be part of the second line of North Korean defenses, with trenches and bunkers dug in, covering the small part of the Wonsan city itself.

As a murderous barrage of machine gun fire began to slow the Japanese advance. "Sparrow 1 here, cover us as we're blasting them." And the wheeled tank with two flanking AAVs were doing a short work for the infantry to clear out the trenches.

"BOOM!"

.....

The trenches were being occupied by its new master. 

"Hey, Corporal, look at this. For commies, they are sure making a good knife." said Toyokawa to his fireteam leader Corporal Murakawa. "And now, this is as good as ours. Right?"

"Yup."

In the meantime, Tennoji went on to his sergeant major, letting Tendo have his fun taking off dirt not far from the trenches. The sergeant put it into a container, the kanji letter was read in Romaji as "Kita Chosen" - North Korea. He put it in the bag along with other containers marked "Ishigaki Island" and "South Korea"

Within the hour, additional two companies went on to link up with Tennoji's company. On the horizon, South Korean K2 tanks as well as Japanese Type 10s were rolling past the gently sloped beach for the city itself.  

......

A/N: Hope you enjoy!