He expected to take weapons fire from below but was surprised to see none of that. Of course they had picked the location because it fell north of the two PLA Divisions in the valley and was surprisingly sparsely occupied. Still, the hundreds of open white canopies were not hard to miss nor were the massed transport aircraft overhead. He had been told that the IAF Mig-27s had suppressed all Chinese anti-air missile capabilities in the valley, but he had taken that with a grain of salt.
Maybe our luck will hold. It only has to hold a little bit longer…
The ground below approached quickly and Thomas flared his chutes just before his feet touched on the loose gravel of Tibet and he skidded and fell. The chute settled behind him, pulling him along the gravel with the wind. He reached for his harness straps and snapped them open, releasing the chute as it drifted away along with all the cords. He saw he had been dragged for about two-dozen meters in the gravel and was lucky that only a couple of his pockets had been ripped. He instantly checked his backpack and found it was all there. So was his rifle. Most importantly, he felt his maps still inside the chest pocket as he patted them.
Several of his soldiers ran over after having landed and had drawn out their rifles. They helped Thomas to his feet and he looked around while dusting his uniform. Hundreds of other chutes were still landing all around while the Il-76s and C-17s were making their way south, visible as small black specks against the reddish sky. The Mirage-2000s thundered overhead as well.
Thomas grunted as he unpacked his boonie hat and put it over his head above the small woolen cap. He unslung his Tavor rifle and patted his men to move out as they heard the first sounds of gunfire to the north.
Some PLA forces had found them and were engaging. As they ran through the rocky terrain, Thomas removed his binoculars and spotted the S-204 highway to his west, easily visible from where he was. He also saw a line of trucks that had been moving on the road before it had been engaged by his paratroopers.
One of the trucks burst into flames.
As the PLA soldiers began jumping out and returning fire, his men began taking positions west of the road with the Himalayan Mountains to their south. As night fell, they were pushing for control of the road going south into the valley using extensive air-support from Mig-27s and LGB equipped Mirage-2000s.
Within hours, deployed elements of the Indian 5TH and 6TH Para (Airborne) Battalions had taken control of the last major road leading out of the Chumbi valley, effectively cutting off the two battered PLA Divisions south of there.
DAY 14
“… the European Nations have shown their tacit approval of the Indian aggression against the people of China by attempting to spread vicious rumors through its so-called ‘free media’. In Beijing today, Chairmen Peng’s office denied all western rumors that the southern island of Hainan was struck by Indian missiles. The office stated that they had irrefutable evidence to show that the western media simply attempted to sensationalize a dreadful airline accident.
“This incident took place when a China Cargo airliner crashed on arrival at Sanya airport on Hainan, killing all eighteen passengers on board. An investigation is currently underway to ascertain the true cause of the accident. In an unrelated incident, our comrades in the People’s Liberation Army Navy continued their wartime readiness exercises at other Hainan airbases including Lingshui and Ledong, dropping multiple practice bombs on training ranges nearby. The citizens of Hainan are asked to remain calm and stay in their homes and to not place calls to their local party officials. Announcements will be made once sufficient investigation of the airliner incident has been completed.
“In other news, the Ministry of National Defense released an update today on the progress of our soldiers against Indian aggression on the Himalayan borders. The statement put to rest rumors in Lhasa that had been circulated by Tibetan rebels to instill fear and anxiety. The police are investigating the source of the rumors and several arrests have been made. The ministry quoted General Yongju as saying that those arrested for spreading these rumors will be severely punished. General Liu also reiterated the statement made earlier by Chairman Peng’s office that operations against the Indians go well overall despite ‘minor’ setbacks. Our comrades in the Land Forces are even now preparing to deal the final punitive blow to end this Indian aggression.”
“What’s the latest from the valley?” Peng asked without ado as he entered the conference room.
He did not need to explain what he was talking about. The valley in this case meant Chumbi and the status he wanted was about the two depleted PLA Divisions cut off from the 15TH Corps heading there.
“Not good,” Yongju said as he and the other PLA Generals ended their discussions and took their seats around the table. “The Division commanders are desperate. They have been fighting for two weeks now and are badly understrength from combat casualties in both men and material. The Indians are striking their units from the air freely now. The units no longer have any artillery left and are beginning to run low on supplies. And now with the road to the north cut off, their morale is sinking.”
“They will hold their positions until relieved by the 15TH Corps!” Peng ordered as he pulled his chair out from under the table and then sat down.
“How long can they hold?” Liu asked.
“So long as the two commanders are alive,” Yongju replied, “we can expect them to hold at least for another day, maybe more. But the 15TH Corps is being delayed as it makes it way south to Gyantse. The Indians are striking them incessantly from the air and the convoys are taking heavy damage on the roads.”
“This is not going to work! We need to try something different or else even the Divisions within the 15TH Corps will be utterly decimated by the time they get there,” Liu said as he leaned back in his seat.
“You have a different suggestion, General?” Peng asked.
“Yes. I do.” Liu answered confidently. “I think it is time we faced facts here. The Highland Division in Bhutan has been lost and the 55TH and 11TH Divisions in the Chumbi valley are about to collapse as well. And the 15TH Airborne Corps is being mauled even before it reaches the battlefield!”
“You have a point?” Peng asked as he rubbed his eyes on hearing the painful truths.
“Yes!” Liu said loudly. “My Corps is ready to deploy! It has the most proven weapons in our arsenals ready for action. With launch sites in northern Tibet I can order the brigade commanders to fire our medium-range missiles with nuclear warheads and terminate the Indian Corps in the Chumbi valley along with all other major northern airbases and command centers!”
“Are you insane?!” Yongju shouted back, slamming his pen back on his bunch of papers. “In doing this you will destroy our men along with the Indians in the valley!”
“Would you rather handle defeat instead?” Liu asked rhetorically.
“Are those our only choices?” Peng asked soberly.
“No! There is a third option!” Yongju replied. “End this war now! The Russians are awaiting a response from us on negotiations. We have been stalling them endlessly but we can initiate talks now while those two Divisions are still alive and fighting. The Indians haven’t won anything as long as they are still fighting!”