21st Century Goguryeo

December 27th, 2023, 11:20 (New China Time: 10:20)

Black Tiger Headquarters, City Hall District, Beijing, New China

Diao Yi-nan, who betrayed his superior, Shin Baiqing, and became the leader of the Black Tiger Corps, sat on a chair in the Captain's office, which he had, until now, only been able to watch with envy. He was enjoying himself with an arrogant expression when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

As Diao Yi-nan was promoted to captain, lieutenant general Shimbok Guwe, who filled Diao Yi-nan's former position, opened the door and entered.

"Have you been contacted?"

"Yes, I just got a call from Junpeng Nyu, the team leader of Team 15 who is in charge of Paris."

"Yes. What is Shin Baiqing doing?"

"After arriving in Paris and meeting Jackie Lee, they had secretly contacted various national intelligence agents from France, England, Germany, et cetera."

"Huhu, that person is working very hard. What is the progress?"

Diao Yi-nan, who once served his master with flattery, had a 180-degree change in appearance.

"Based on the information we have been monitoring so far, there is a high probability of them going into business with France. Perhaps it is because they have been offered a big amount of money as well as security in France."

"That's it. It remains to be seen. Keep a close eye on them! Also, it would be a good idea to leak some information to the Korean National Intelligence Service by tomorrow or so."

"Chief, which avenue should we use to leak the information?"

"What kind of avenue..."

Captain Diao Yi-nan leaned back on his chair, as he rested his hand on his chin, and thought for a moment. Then he said as soon as he leaned forward in front of his desk.

"Leak all the information we currently have."

"Yes? All the information?"

"Captain Guwe!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Why do you think we are leaking information to the Korean National Intelligence Service?"

"That's it. To disguise the unofficial work of our Black Tigers as the personal work of Shin Baiqing..."

"You know it and you're still behaving in this manner?"

Commander Guwe stopped talking before he could even finish answering, and General Diao Yi-nan continued his speech with a mean expression on his face.

"The fact that Shin Baiqing is in contact with the intelligence agencies of various European countries in Paris with the plasma core technology is a good thing. So shouldn't we leak all the information and use him as bait? Anyway, if Shin Baiqing hands over the plasma core technology to France or the British intelligence service through a deal before the Korean NIS bastards can even get their hands on it, it won't be good from New China's point of view! Isn't it?"

"Ah! I didn't even think about that part."

"Anyway, secretly watch until next afternoon and leak all the information to the South Korean National Intelligence Service!"

"Yes, all right."

* * *

December 27th, 2023, 18:30 (New China Time: 17:30)

District 15, Industrial Park, Beician District, Tianjin City, New China

Several shadows were secretly moving in the Beician District Industrial Park in Tianjin, which cause some of the worst pollutions on the planet.

A few days ago, after identifying the approximate location of the suspected secret laboratory of the Ministry of General Equipment, the Foreign Intelligence Unit 1 had come to the site to investigate.

"Ah really! These crazy Chinese b*stards! What do we do about this fine dust?"

Deputy head Yang Jeong-seok, who was carefully navigating the unseen transactions in the industrial complex and conducting on-site investigations, covered his mouth with his hand and spit out abusive language even while wearing a fine dust mask.

Currently, in the Hebei District, the level of fine dust and ultrafine dust was at its worst.

"So that's why. We should have definitely wiped out this place during the last Korean-Chinese war."

Chief Park Gi-oong also responded with abusive language showing his annoyance at this place, which smelled like fine dust and filth.

"I mean because of these b*stards, the Korean Peninsula suffers from fine dust in winter."

"It smells bad. I don't know how people work in a place like this. Why not quit? I feel like I am going to get cancer."

Chief Gang Won-Il, who was following him, also grumbled, putting his hand on his forehead as if his head was aching from the smell of various chemicals that were stinging his nose.

The Tianjin Beician District Industrial Park was the largest industrial park in China until 2021. However, after the outbreak of the Korean-Chinese War, it was attacked by the Republic of Korea and suffered considerable damage, with more than 50 percent of the area being destroyed.

After the defeat, China, which was divided into several countries, and among them, New China, which includes Tianjin, had no industrial complexes as compared to other countries. It thus concentrated on the restoration of the Tianjin Beician District Industrial Park to revitalize the economy and was developed into a large industrial complex. However, to recover, the New China government relaxed various regulations and granted random permits to numerous companies.

Due to the relaxation of measures, many factory chimneys were filled with unstoppable thick black smoke 24 hours a day, covering the sky, and a huge amount of wastewater flowed into the West Sea. In response, the Korean government has repeatedly protested and sent warnings to the new Chinese government through diplomatic lines. However, New China continued to stick to these imprudent policies for the sake of the country's economic development, which had fallen dramatically, and thus was turning a blind eye to environmental illegalities.

"Call Team 2! Let's withdraw."

At the direction of Chief Park Gi-oong, Assistant Manager Yang Jeong-seok took out his smartphone and immediately made a call.

"This is Yoon Taejin."

"Captain Yoon! Deputy Yang from team 1. The manager is telling us to leave."

"Really? I get it. See you at home!"

"Yes, all right."

Agents of the Foreign Intelligence Unit 1 who disguised themselves as farmers who had just come up from the countryside to find a job and visited several places suspected of being a secret research institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, moved to a nearby dormitory.

Currently, there were a total of eight agents from Team 1 and Team 2, who had moved to Tianjin from the secret house in Beijing.

* * *

December 28th, 2023, 10:30

B2 bunker, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Namju (The Republic of Korea Armed Forces Joint Command and Control Office Conference Room)

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was monitoring the preparations related to the dispatch of troops to Ukraine, and the operation status of the 7th Mobile Corps crossing New Year's Eve in about two hours, received a serious report from the Overseas Reconnaissance Bureau.

The movement of the New China Army was not unusual on the western border. In the area around the border of New China, which currently faces the Republic of Korea, in addition to the Border Guard Forces, all Army Group Forces belonging to the Northern Military District detected a movement along the border. In terms of scale, a total of 20 various divisions had entered the 50-kilometer borderline.

Moreover, even the elite 38th and 27th Army Groups belonging to the Central Military District, which are responsible for the defense of Beijing, the capital of New China, left their existing garrison and moved to Zhunhua and Tangshan, respectively. It was a very short distance to the border, 57 kilometers, and 84 kilometers, respectively.

Accordingly, the Joint Chiefs of Staff began to analyze the movement of Shin-Guk, but could not make hasty judgments. Currently, the Republic of Korea and Russia were engaged in a war that was close to an all-out war. Naturally, from the perspective of the neighboring country, New China, it was possible not only to strengthen the area around the border but also to apply military force in case of an emergency. Especially if the capital, Beijing, was only 182 kilometers from the border.

But there was one burning question. It was that the New China Army, which had not shown any significant military movement for over a month since the outbreak of the Korean-Russian War, showed such a large-scale military movement all of a sudden. Furthermore, they were suspicious that New China Army only moved at night to avoid reconnaissance.

"Didn't all the units belonging to this Northern Military District move? What are these b*stards up to?"

Yoon Gi-yoon, deputy general of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was carefully examining the screen, frowned slightly, revealing a sense of pity.

On the central screen of the current situation room, the movement status of the New China Army confirmed by the overseas reconnaissance bureau was marked on the screen with various tactical notations.

"It's such a sudden move."

Chairman Shin Sung-yong of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also spoke with a firm expression, apparently feeling that it was not unusual.

"Did the intelligence agency have any unusual issues in the new country?"

When asked again by Chairman Shin Sung-yong of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lieutenant General Oh Jun-ho, commander of the Intelligence Command, took out a document and answered.

"This is the report we were going to talk about at the meeting this evening."

Chairman Shin Sung-yong, who received the report through his aide, read it slowly. After reading the report in minutes, Shin Sung-yong, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, handed the report over to the Deputy Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Yoon Gi-yoon and continued the conversation.

"Um, was the general mobilization order issued a week ago?"

"Yes, the general military mobilization order was issued on the 22nd, and it has been confirmed that the actual execution of the general military mobilization order had been carried out since yesterday.

As stated in the report, according to President Wang Jing-wi's general mobilization order on the 22nd, at least three divisions and as many as seven divisions were being conscripted into the mobilization force in each province. The units of the mobile army mobilized from each province were one motorized infantry division and one infantry division.

"From yesterday...Wasn't it yesterday when the general mobilization order was executed and wasn't it also yesterday that each military moved in earnest? It is not a simple move to strengthen the border. Do I need to take any special measures for this?"

When Yoon Gi-yoon, the deputy chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, looked at the staff with a confident expression, another deputy chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kim Yong-hyun, asked.

"Chief Yoon! Do you really think that New China is planning to go to war with us?"

"If not, what would it be? Obviously, they are collaborating with the Russians behind your back and playing tricks against us."

In response to Yoon Gi-yoon, Kim Yong-hyun, deputy chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this time asked Shin Sung-yong, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Do you think so too as well?"

"You can't make hasty decisions but, I don't think you can just ignore it. At the very least, it seems that we should consider the contingency plan and take countermeasures. What do the others think?"

Shin Sung-yong, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, looked at the other staff members sitting in the situation room and asked a question. It was not a meeting room, so it was not an orderly place, but the chief of staff and staff members of each military were listening carefully to the current conversation from their respective seats.

"Me too! I have the same thoughts as the Chairman. I don't think there's anything wrong with being prepared."

Kim Eun-ho, Chief of the Air Force Chief of Staff, spoke first, and then Chief of the Naval Chief of Staff took over the baton.

"Yeah, I feel the same way. It's difficult to know what the Chinese are thinking. I think we need to take a proactive approach."

Army Chief of Staff Lee Eun-hyung kept his mouth shut while the two chiefs of staff expressed their opinions. In response, Shin Sung-yong, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Lee Eun-hyung, chief of staff, and asked a question.

"The Chief of Staff is being quiet, what do you think?"

"Ah! I am sorry. I was thinking of something else."

"Yeah, tell me what you think."

"Yes, I agree with everyone else, but I'm worried that the problem is that it won't be easy to counteract the current situation at the New China border."

Currently, on the 1,100 kilometer-long border around New China, the 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Qingcheng) of the 5th Corps was defending the area of Xian'an (Qinhuangdao) city, and the 75th Mechanized Guard Division (Iron Horse) in the mountainous area adjacent to Chengde, China, and the 66th Mechanized Guard Division (Torchlight) in the border area at the apex of the Northwest. At the rest of the border area, there were only two 6th Corps' 7th Mechanized Guard Division (Chungil) and 26th Mechanized Infantry Division (Bulmuri).

In the rear area, the 25th Light Armored Infantry Division (Biryong) of the 1st Corps was defending the city of Xuman (Chifeng), the 3rd Armored Division (Baegol) of the 5th Corps was guarding the city of Wushen (Jinzhou), and Taeseong (Panjin) was the 1st Armored Division (advance) of the 1st Corps defending the city. In other words, the only units that could be immediately supported were one light armored infantry division and two armored divisions, except for the guard units located around the border in case of an emergency.