At the same time, the Indian League seethed over its loss of standing in Southeast Asia. With increasing buildups, the Indians pushed against the Myanmar-Burma border as they sought to return Malaysia, Thailand and Burma within their sphere of influence. Indian forces lacked the armor and mechanized formations of other nations, but they possessed a vast infantry army backed by sound, although short-ranged, logistics. Given Chinese over-commitment throughout the world, the limited Indian goals seemed rational to most observers.
These multiple strains stretched Chinese military resources. Chairman Hong’s recriminations against his opponents on the Ruling Committee concerning the military’s lack of effort during the GD’s North American assaults in 2040 began to chip away at their restraints to his power. Still, based on the People’s Liberation Army’s White Paper, the Ruling Committee made a fateful decision. With the loss of German forces in North America and a whittling away of SAF usefulness, they concluded that the subjugation of the United States was presently beyond their means. Therefore, they decided to use political guile instead of arms to consolidate their victories.
China granted the conquered former US territories to its protectorate of Greater Mexico: this included the southern portions of California, Arizona and New Mexico, together with Texas and parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The new stated objective of liberating “Spanish America” would, the marshals reasoned, help keep the US weak and embroiled in a long-term war with its southern neighbor.
To this end, Chinese strategists envisioned a solid Midwest defensive position behind the Oklahoma Line. In 2041, they would launch limited offensives in California, Arizona and New Mexico to keep America bleeding and to upset the country’s recovering equilibrium. Meanwhile, they would continue to resupply their invasion army as they sought to destroy America’s space assets and deadly submarine fleet.
The Midwestern Front
The third year of combat found America and its military much altered from the first. The terror and brutality of the invasion, and the initial mauling, had frightened the nation with an existential threat. This led to an increase in moral, political and military authority of the Militia Organization. The Militia leaders brought millions of former civilians to the front lines and helped to stabilize the military situation. Politically, they gained tremendously. In return, President Sims continued to grant greater authority to Homeland Security’s Max Harold. The director sought a decisive end to the war and Harold embodied the American desire to punish China for its infamy.
Sims, Harold and the Joints Chiefs sought to crush aggressor armies and drive them from US soil. Because the American surface fleet no longer existed to transport an invasion force to China, submarine, missile and space arms began to take priority in military R&D. Everyone yearned for a way to carry the war to the enemy—to China. The THOR missiles pointed the way, and Harold’s science advisor already whispered outlandish proposals to a receptive director.
Mass enlistment and training, along with upgraded weaponry, meant America finally had the means for a theatre-wide offensive. It would be several years before they could launch a continent-wide assault. Debate raged during the winter months whether to stage an offensive centering on Oklahoma or New Mexico. The first envisioned massive annihilation of enemy forces in a World War II, Kursk-style attack. Kill enough Chinese soldiers: the rest would crumble. The second plan concentrated on maneuver to split the aggressor forces into separate regions and defeat them in detail.
Oklahoma’s open terrain—once the soldiers fought through the heavy Chinese defensives—made ideal ground for the Behemoth tanks. Six regiments of the three-hundred-ton tanks existed in the spring of 2041. The average number per regiment was thirty Behemoths. Since the Chinese had yet to find an effective counter to the American super tanks, Sims, Harold and the Joint Chiefs agreed on an Oklahoma-centered assault.
2041, April 21-28. Chinese Withdrawal. In an effort to pull the teeth of an American offensive, Marshal Meng had prepared a “death zone”—the so-called Great Wall—some twenty miles behind the winding front line in Central Oklahoma. The Ruling Committee approved his plan and told Meng to withdraw to the new positions, which could be held with fewer divisions. This provided the invasion army a larger and more flexible reserve. Behind a mostly robotic outpost line heavily sown with automated machine guns, mortars and sleeper mines lay three successive heavily fortified defensive positions. Behind these waited the Chinese concentrated reserves prepared for counterattack. Each defensive line was so spaced in depth that, should one fall, the attacker’s artillery would have to move forward before progressing to the next. The actual withdrawal, conducted in great secrecy, began on April 21and ended on April 28.
-2-
The Gathering Storm
The Police Minister of Greater China’s Ruling Committee breathed so heavily from exertion that fine white mist appeared before her mouth. It was chilly down here. Lion Guardsmen marched her through underground corridors, their boots crashing against the tiles. They wore body armor and carried heavy revolvers, the Chairman’s personal guards. Each man’s thick, impassive face, showed indifference to her suffering.
Shun Li, the Police Minister, considered herself an excellent judge of character. These men were cruel and brutal, willing to commit any act at the Chairman’s orders. Three months ago, she had seen them gang rape one of Hong’s enemies as the Chairman watched. It had been a grim ordeal and had shaken her deeply. They had killed the man afterward as the Chairman slowly clapped in approval.
Shun Li was average-sized for a Chinese woman and thus dwarfed by the guards. Short dark hair barely covered her ears. She had a peasant girl’s features. They were too wide for any Han to consider her beautiful. Even so, she had a pleasing face, with incredibly dark, compelling eyes. Because of a germ phobia, she wore pigskin gloves, disliking any physical contact unless sporting with a lover.
Over a year ago, she and the head Lion Guardsman had engaged in sexual liaisons for many weeks. It had been a ploy, she now realized, the man testing her at the Chairman’s orders. She had won her position through loyalty to Chairman Hong, and because she’d helped him assassinate her predecessor. Along with the Finance Minister, Shun Li was the Chairman’s staunchest supporter on the Ruling Committee.
Today, as usual, she wore a brown East Lightning uniform with red stripes. East Lightning was the infamous Chinese secret police of which she was the chief.
Her escorts, her personal bodyguards, were far above ground and thus couldn’t help her down here in the corridors. She didn’t even have her pistol, after surrendering it earlier. Whatever the Chairman ordered would happen to her down here.
Because of the long subterranean journey, perspiration stained her face despite the chill. How much longer would these brutes march her through the corridors?
Although she was the Police Minister of the most powerful nation on Earth, with the authority of life and death over billions, Shun Li still felt as if she was a barracuda among the sharks of the world. Chairman Hong and Marshal Chao Pin the Army Minister were monsters of the deep. No viciousness was beyond either man.