readbooksol Chapter 104 Military Deployment in Various Countries
Chapter 104 Military Deployment in Various Countries
Jinghua, the Central Military Commission Command Center.
In front of the twenty-meter-long electronic screen, dozens of white-haired generals stood ramrod straight. They wore impeccable uniforms, the stars on their shoulders gleaming in the screen's glow, but at this moment, no one cared about their military bearing; all eyes were fixed intently on the flashing images on the screen.
In space, enemy satellites exploded one after another like fireworks;
On the sea, the aircraft carrier of Country M raised a white flag, signifying surrender;
R country's military base was turned into an inferno by a precise missile strike;
Envoys from countries J and X crossed the border carrying white flags...
When the two large red characters for "Victory" finally settled in the center of the screen, the command center fell into a deathly silence.
Three seconds later.
"Ugh—" An old general with completely white hair suddenly covered his face and let out a suppressed sob from deep in his throat. His name was Chen Sanxi, eighty-five years old, who had participated in the Korean War and had seven shrapnel wounds. Before retiring, he was the commander of the army.
"Old Chen?" General Zhao Tiesheng, who was standing next to him, tried to help him up.
Chen Sanxi pushed away his comrade's hand, stood up shakily, and solemnly saluted the screen. His movements were somewhat stiff, a result of old injuries from the war years, but his salute was perfectly standard.
"Reporting to our predecessors..." The old general's voice choked with emotion, tears streaming down his deeply lined face. "Back then, you asked when we would drive the enemy out of the Dragon Kingdom... I couldn't answer. Now... now I can answer..."
He took a deep breath and shouted with all his might, "We! Now! Can drive any enemy! Out of the country! Back to their homeland!"
This roar ignited the emotions of all the generals.
General Liu Zhenguo took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes vigorously: "One hour...we only needed one hour...to defeat a four-nation coalition..."
"It's not just about winning," Chief of the General Staff Zhou Ming murmured, "it's about crushing the enemy. It's about delivering a blow that's dimensionally inferior. It's about... about a military technological gap."
"Those weapons..." Vice Admiral Wang Haifeng, the Navy Commander, pointed to the screen showing the takeover of the US aircraft carrier, "space lasers, hypersonic missiles, stealth submarines... these are not things our era should have!"
"It was Lin Zhe." Li Jianguo, the Minister of the General Armaments Department, said with tears in his eyes, "These were all the designs he came up with. Without him, we might have had to explore these technologies for another twenty or thirty years..."
"A general at twenty-nine..." Zhao Tiesheng shook his head with a wry smile, "When he was promoted, I was still worried. Now it seems... he wasn't given enough! He wasn't given enough!"
Inside the command center, these veteran generals, who had experienced war, blockade, and humiliation, were crying like children.
Their tears were not a sign of weakness, but of relief.
It was a century of pent-up frustration, all dissipated in a single day.
It is the most cathartic release of a nation after it has stood tall.
At the same time, on the other side of the world.
Country M, Washington, D.C. Plaza.
It was late at night, but tens of thousands of people had gathered here. They weren't there to celebrate; they were there to protest.
We want the truth!
"Where are our troops?!"
"Why was the aircraft carrier captured?!"
"President, step down!"
People held up placards and shouted themselves hoarse. Some threw stones at the presidential palace, while others set fire to the flag of the United States. Riot police formed a human wall, and high-pressure water cannons sprayed cold jets of water, but the angry crowd surged forward wave after wave.
A veteran stood in the crowd, roaring at the camera: "I served in the navy for twenty years! Now the aircraft carrier has been captured by the Chinese! This is a disgrace! A disgrace to the entire nation!"
"Where are our satellites? Where are our missiles? Where are our aircraft carriers? Didn't we say we were number one in the world?!"
"Liars! Politicians are all liars!"
Similar scenes were playing out simultaneously in many places. The stock market plummeted 30% within half an hour of news of the war, triggering a circuit breaker. Long queues formed outside banks, and supermarket shelves were emptied by panic buying.
This former world superpower was plunged into complete panic overnight.
Country R, in front of the Prime Minister's official residence.
The scene here was even more chaotic. Hundreds of thousands of people surrounded the Prime Minister's residence, not to protest, but to... seek survival.
"Prime Minister, come out!"
"Give us an explanation!"
"Why provoke the Dragon Kingdom?!"
"We don't want to die!"
In the crowd, a middle-aged man held up a photo of his son and cried out, "My son was serving in the military! The base was bombed! His fate is unknown! You politicians! You killed my son!"
Another old man said tremblingly, "I experienced war... I know what it feels like to have bombs fall on your head... I don't want my grandson to go through that..."
Inside the Prime Minister's official residence, the Prime Minister slumped in a chair, with three documents in front of him: a letter of resignation, a letter of surrender, and a short knife for seppuku.
"Have you made contact with the Dragon Kingdom?" he asked hoarsely.
The secretary, head bowed, said, "Not yet... All our communications have been cut off..."
"Then... send someone. On foot. Even crawling, they must reach the Chinese embassy. Tell them... we surrender unconditionally... we accept any conditions..."
"Yes."
Countries J and X reacted even faster.
The two leaders made a decision at almost the same time—to send someone to China in person to apologize.
The Foreign Minister of Country J and the Vice President of Country X, each leading a small delegation, entered China through a land border crossing within two hours of the war's end. They did not travel by car, but on foot—a gesture of humility.
At the border crossing of China, the border guards watched as these once arrogant foreign officials, now holding white flags, bowing their heads, and walking towards them on foot, felt a mix of emotions.
"Report: Representatives from Country J and Country X request entry."
When Lin Zhe received the report at the command center, he only said one sentence: "Tell them to wait. Wait until we have drafted the conditions."
Three hours later, the Dragon Kingdom's national television station broadcast the news live again.
This time it wasn't Lin Zhe, but the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He stood on the stage with a document in front of him.
"Based on the decision of the Central Military Commission of the Dragon Nation and with the approval of the highest level, the post-war arrangements are hereby announced as follows:"
"First, countries J and X must compensate for all losses caused by this incident within seventy-two hours. The specific amount will be calculated by us and we will notify you accordingly."
"Second, countries J and X must open their military bases for our troops to station. The size and duration of the stationing will be determined by us."
"Third, both countries must pledge never to participate in any military operations or alliances against our country."
"The above conditions are non-negotiable. If you agree, then peace will prevail. If you disagree, then you will bear the consequences."
The live stream has ended.
Representatives from countries J and X watched the live broadcast through a temporarily restored satellite signal in the reception room at the border crossing. Both representatives were pale-faced, but no one dared to say "no."
Because they had just received a video—high-definition footage of a R-country military base being destroyed by missiles. The precise strikes, the towering flames, the buildings reduced to ruins…
"Sign it," the Foreign Minister of J said bitterly. "We have no choice."
The Vice President of Country X picked up the pen with trembling hands: "If only I had known... if only I hadn't listened to Country M..."
The negotiator from China said coldly, "It's not that we shouldn't have listened to the US, it's that we shouldn't have provoked China. I hope you'll remember this lesson for the rest of your lives."
"Yes...yes...we remember..."
The agreement was signed smoothly. Two hours later, the first batch of troops from the Dragon Kingdom—one thousand elite soldiers from each side—arrived at the military bases designated by the two countries by transport plane.
When the Chinese soldiers, lined up in neat rows and fully armed, disembarked from the plane, officials from both countries and onlookers alike felt what "great power majesty" truly meant.
The problems in Country R are more complex.
Lin Zhe personally participated in drafting the conditions.
"Country R must disband its entire armed forces. The army, navy, air force, self-defense forces, and all military organizations must be disbanded within thirty days."
"The entire territory of Country R will be garrisoned by our army. The garrison size will be no less than 200,000 people, and the garrison period... is tentatively set at fifty years."
"Country R is prohibited from developing, possessing, or using any offensive weapons. Defensive weapons require our approval."
"The government of Country R will continue to exist and be responsible for civil administration. However, military, diplomatic, and national security affairs will be the sole responsibility of our side."
When these conditions were transmitted to the Prime Minister's office in Country R through the newly restored communications, the Prime Minister immediately fainted.
Upon waking, he looked at his staff and asked, "Can we refuse?"
The staff remained silent.
The Prime Minister gave a wry smile: "Yes... we can't refuse. We don't even have the leverage to bargain... Our army is gone, our bases are destroyed, our satellites have all fallen..."
He picked up a pen and signed his name on the surrender document.
"Announce this to the entire nation. From this day forward, Country R is no longer a complete sovereign state."
When the news broke, the reaction of the people of Country R was unexpected—not anger, but... relief.
"Finally... we don't have to fight anymore..."
"It's good that the Dragon Kingdom has troops stationed here... at least we're safe now..."
"Those politicians have ruined us... Now finally someone is doing something about them..."
That afternoon, the vanguard of the Chinese army—five thousand paratroopers—landed at an airport outside Tokyo. The R country didn't send troops, but rather… a welcoming party.
People held up signs that read "Welcome the Dragon Kingdom's troops" and "Thank you for sparing our lives," watching the young Dragon Kingdom soldiers march into the city with mixed expressions.
An elderly man from Country R told a reporter, "I experienced war... I know that if you lose, you have to accept it. At least China didn't massacre civilians, didn't burn, kill, or loot... That's much better than the victorious countries of the past."
As for the United States...
Late at night, in the Central Military Commission meeting room.
Lin Zhe sat down with all the leaders of the Central Military Commission to discuss this most difficult problem.
"Although the military strength of the United States has suffered setbacks, its foundation remains intact," Liu Zhenguo said. "They have a complete industrial system, strong technological capabilities, and a large population. If a full-scale war were to break out, we would also pay a heavy price."
"Moreover," Zhao Tiesheng added, "the US also possesses nuclear weapons. Although our missile defense system can intercept most of them, as long as some slip through..."
Silence fell over the meeting room.
Lin Zhe spoke up: "Commenders, I suggest—no occupation, no garrisoning, but... castration."
"Castration?"
"Yes." Lin Zhe pulled up a map of the US military deployment. "First, we demand that the US destroy all its nuclear weapons, and complete this process under our supervision. Second, we demand that the US disband all overseas military bases and withdraw all its troops stationed abroad. Third, we demand that the US reduce its military size to one-tenth of its current size and accept regular inspections from our country."
"Will they agree?" someone asked.
"If they disagree, then we'll fight." Lin Zhe's voice was icy. "We'll fight until they agree. We have that capability now—space superiority is in our hands, naval superiority is in our hands, and missile superiority is in our hands. If they dare to resist, we'll shoot down another batch of their satellites, capture a few more of their aircraft carriers, and destroy a few more of their military bases."
"Until they admit defeat."
In the conference room, the generals looked at each other.
"I agree," Liu Zhenguo was the first to speak. "This battle must secure fifty years of peace. We must ensure that the United States will never dare to provoke China again."
"agree."
"agree."
Passed unanimously.
Lin Zhe stood up: "That's settled then. Tomorrow, I will present my conditions to Country M through diplomatic channels. I'll give them forty-eight hours to consider."
"Forty-eight hours later, you either sign here, or... continue the treatment."
The meeting ended, and the generals left one after another.
Liu Zhenguo walked over to Lin Zhe and patted him on the shoulder: "Lin Zhe, you fought well this time. But the negotiations that follow will be even more difficult. The US won't admit defeat easily; they'll use all sorts of tricks."
"I know," Lin Zhe nodded, "but no matter what tricks they try, they're useless against absolute power."
Are you confident?
Lin Zhe looked out the window; the night sky over Beijing was dotted with stars.
"Commander, do you know? There are still many things I haven't brought out in my designed arsenal. Space carriers, railguns, quantum weapons, genetic warriors... those are the real trump cards."
"If the US doesn't know what's good for them, I don't mind letting them see what's what."
Looking at this 29-year-old young man, Liu Zhenguo was filled with emotion.
This country has such soldiers, such scientists, and such leaders...
Why worry about not prospering?
Why fear external enemies?
The dragon has awakened and will roar across the heavens.
And this world will usher in a completely new order.
A new era of peace and development led by the Dragon Kingdom.
At this moment, Liu Zhenguo believed that it was not far off.