21st century Goguryeo-Chapter 89

October 29, 2020, 09:40 (CST 08:40). G1113 Danfu Expressway, 26 miles northwest of Dandong, China.

After maintaining a speed of 25 miles per hour for 30 minutes and heading north along the expressway, the 26th Tank Battalion received a call from the Brigade Headquarters.

“Battalion Commander, sir! It’s a call from the Brigade Headquarters.” Signaler Corporal Lee Sang-jin turned his head towards the Battalion Commander to report.

Commander Kang Hyuk-jin, while looking at the front monitor of the K-22A1 command armored vehicle, wore his K-101 headset straight and answered, “Salute! 26th Tank Battalion’s Battalion Commander Kang Hyuk-jin reporting.”

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Salute! Thank you for your hard work. I am Operations Staff Member Oh Kyung-soo. I am relaying the digital map and data analysis we have just received from corps reconnaissance satellite Apollo 3. We have spotted a large-scale armored vehicle, which we presume to be the Northern Theater Command Army Group 39’s 3rd Armored Division heading 50 miles ahead in the northern direction to the 26th Tank Battalion. We will call this Target A. We have also seen sizable tanks and armored vehicles 30 miles away in the ten o’clock direction near Beigou Shangbao Mountain, and we will call this Target B.

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In the digital map that showed the entire region of Liaoning in one glance, A and B were marked in the Benxi Neighborhood, as Operations Staff Oh Kyung-soo had stated.

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Target B has been determined to be an ambush unit that will strike the enemy from behind once Target A engages. After the annihilation of Target A, by the subordinate forces under the Brigade Headquarters, and Target B, diverted to the northwest for an ambush from the 26th Tank Battalion, reconstruct tanks and wait for additional orders. The plan’s digital map reception passcode is 1257R. Engagement with Target B is within the Battalion Commander’s discretion, and an order will not be passed from the Brigade. Additionally, as for support and not main attacks, we have judged that there is no danger from the air. Thus, move quickly towards Target B. Are there any questions?

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“No, sir.”

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Godspeed. Salute!

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“Yes! Understood. Salute!”

After ending correspondence with the Brigade, Commander Kang took off his headset and entered the reception and battalion passcodes into the console. In the image monitor, the digital map sent from the Brigade appeared, and with the 26th Tank Battalion in the center of a 62-mile radius, Targets A and B were marked along with various icons. When zooming into the northwest from their position, over 190 tanks, armored vehicles, and specialized vehicles could be seen, camouflaged and waiting. After pondering while looking at the digital map, Commander Kang put the headset to his ear and ordered a summon of the companies under the battalion through the signaler.

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Salute! Han Young-kuk, Captain of the 7th Company.

Salute! An Pil-sun, Captain of the 8th Company.

Salute! Oh Gwang-tae, Captain of the 9th Company.

Salute! Kim Tae-gun, Captain of the Headquarters Company.

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“This is the Battalion Commander. I will send the digital map to each company. Confirm upon inputting the company passcode.”

Each captain received the digital map after inputting the company passcode into their console.

“It has been decided that the supporting attacks currently assigned to Target A will be entrusted to the army group under the Brigade Headquarters. Our battalion’s target is Target B, the ambush army group 30 miles away in the ten o’clock direction. Captain Kim Tae-gun of the Headquarters Company, launch a spider drone with a real-time data link and investigate in the attack direction as far as 12 miles ahead. The order of field movement will be the 7th, 8th, Headquarters, then the 9th Company. Any questions?”

-Yes, sir! Han Young-kuk, Caption of the 7th Company. I have a question.

“Ask away.” 𝘧𝚛𝗲𝘦𝚠𝙚𝙗𝙣o𝙫𝗲𝚕.𝐜o𝓂

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Are there any air dangers? If a regiment tank is waiting for an ambush, there is definitely a high chance that there will be aircraft forces. Though this is the spearhead of deep battle theory, I am a little worried to mobilize without cover from enemy air forces.

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“The Brigade has judged that there is no danger from the air. Even so, if there is an attack from enemy aircraft or helicopters, wouldn’t we have to trust the White Tiger Tank’s anti-air system and the White Horse A2?”

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Yes sir, understood.

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“If there are no other questions, change course and begin high-speed field movement, starting with the 7th Company. Dismissed!”

With the Commander’s orders, the 7th Company in the front line went over the highway-rail and sped off in the nine o’clock direction. Though the White Tiger Tank was a hefty 45 tons, it sped off into the wilderness at a speed comparable to that of a car, thanks to a new generation plasma engine KPP-100 that allowed for 4,500 horsepower.

Crew: 3

Weight: 45 tons

Horsepower per weight: 109 horsepower/ton

Engine: KPP-100

Power: 4,500 horsepower

Road speed: 75 miles/hour

Cross country speed: 50 miles/hour

Cruising range: 2,175 miles

Main armament: 4-inch Photon cannon

Penetration: 1 foot

Frontal protection (KE): 16 inches (Hydronium alloy)

Maximum shell angle: upward 40 degrees, downward 25 degrees

Secondary weapon 1: 0.04-inch laser machine gun (tank use)

Secondary weapon 2: 0.03-inch laser mini machine gun (artillery use)

Anti-air/anti-tank weapon: S-LLAM 60 Black Dragon missile (2kits x 2 = 4) composite

Defense system: Active SECM shield system

Gun ammunition load: Plasma battery pack X1 standard (50 bullets x 5 = 250)

Secondary weapon 1 ammunition load: Plasma battery pack D2 standard (3,000 bullets x 5 = 15,000)

Secondary weapon 2 ammunition load: Plasma battery pack B1 standard (1,000 bullets x 5 = 5,000)

Anti-air/anti-tank ammunition load: S-LLAM 60 8 Black Dragon missiles

Smoke grenade: multi-wavelength smoke grenade (5 x 2 = 10)

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October 29th, 2020, 11:12 (CST 10:12), Beigou Shangbao mountain, 75km northwest from Dandong, China

After speeding through the wilderness for a while, the 26th Tank Battalion gradually slowed down six miles away from Target B, China’s ambush tank. The 26th Tank Battalion, using the spider drone sent from the Headquarters Company to monitor the situation ahead in real-time, spotted the movements of the ambush tanks to prepare for an engagement line.

“This is the commander. Move to attack formation now. Move the 7th Company to center, the 8th Company to the left, the 9th Company to the right, and Headquarters Company to the rear for cover against tank and air danger.”

Finally, it was a historic moment for the K-3 White Tiger tank, which was based on the new technology gained from extra-terrestrial enlightenment, to enter its first actual battle, and the worst moment for the Chinese Tank Brigade as the gates to hell opened.

The K-3 White Tiger tank, received first by the 26th Tank Battalion among all army divisions, was a 5.5 generation tank that surpassed current technology by more than 50 years. The previous third-generation K-1 tanks were fully converted to the reserve force, and the 400 K-1A1 tanks were reborn into a fourth-generation K-1A2 Black Tiger tanks through a massive improvement project. Furthermore, the 3.5 generation K-2 Black Panther tank was improved in design in 2017 and mass-produced as a new 4.5 generation K-2A1 Black Panther tank. The previously produced 200 tanks were transported to the rear fallback mechanized division.

Fanning out, the White Tiger tank let out a roar and raced forward like a white tiger’s claws pounding on the ground, pushing the dirt of the wilderness away with strength in its continuous path. China’s tank brigade, realizing that their ambush had been discovered, gradually moved towards the 26th Tank Battalion with over 190 tanks and armored vehicles.

-Engage after minimizing distance.-

-Fire the opening shot at an engagement distance of 3,200 feet. Don’t get scared if the ch*nks shoot first.-

If they had a clear view from the White Tiger tank, an accurate and effective shot would be possible even from a distance of six miles. In a normal engagement, it was standard to destroy the main force from a distance after securing vision in order to minimize enemy casualties, but engaging at the minimum possible distance was to prevent the enemy from retreating and completely annihilating them.

The tanks were as close as 6,500 feet, and once their shots were secured, over 120 Chinese tanks simultaneously began firing their opening shots.

Pew— Swoooosh— Crash! Crash! Crash!

Tens of APFSDS, or armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabots, known more commonly as armor-piercing sabots, flew over, but due to the range and the White Tiger tank’s ‘Active SECM Derangement System,’ none of the tanks were hit by the opening shots.

The Active SECM Derangement System was a system that utilized emissions to accurately disrupt the enemy tank’s aiming upon detection by the tank’s collimation radar, SECM (Super Electronic Counter Measures).

As red pillars of dirt rose between the 7th Company’s White Tiger tanks, the distance between their formations tightened. While a gunner of the 7th Company 1st platoon’s tank 712, Kim Young-ju, watched the collimation monitor, he spoke to the tank commander, Sergeant Oh Young-taek in a slightly surprised tone. On the collimation monitor, the first target enemy tank installed linked with the Identification Friend of Foe data and displayed the enemy tank’s model and specifications clearly on the monitor screen.

“Don’t they have a type of 99G tank? With activated reactive armor, a maximum range of 13,100 feet, an auto-loader, and self-propelled artillery? Aren’t we at a disadvantage in numbers?”

“Staff Sergeant Kim! Don’t say such useless things and just watch the target assignment carefully!”

Tank Commander Sergeant Oh Young-taek used the tank commander’s display monitor to assign the incoming Chinese tanks in the Fire Control System in order.

Regarding the Fire Control System, once the tank commander assigned targets after researching, the gun barrel automatically moved in the installed target order, allowing for automatic and manual firing by the gunner. Additionally, if each company tank’s data link wasn’t set to target force mode, the ‘multi-hunter-killer’ system, not overlapping but enhancing the original ‘hunter-killer’ system, was applied.

Clang!

Suddenly, as if the front of the turret had been hit by a hammer, an unpleasant sound accompanied a small shock. The enemy tank’s armor-piercing sabot directly hit the top right of the tank’s roof. However, the armor-piercing sabot sparked, bounced off, and planted itself into the ground. The White Tiger’s armor was made of ‘Hydronium alloy,’ and their front defense was six feet, allowing for a high level of defense. Thus, even the smoothbore armor-piercing sabot ZPT98 from the Type 99G (MBT) tank that would have cut through tanks couldn’t break past the front armor and bounced off. Had it been an old model K-1 tank, it would have become a scrap of metal engulfed in flames.

The armor-piercing sabot that hit tank 712 was originally targeted for tank 711 in front of them, but the SECM, or electric derangement system, redirected its target to miss and hit tank 712, which was driving next to it. The situation couldn’t have been unluckier. Not knowing this, tank 712 Commander Oh Young-taek began to grow angry. “What? We got hit? Without even a warning sound from the collimation monitor? What the f*ck?!”

Sergeant Oh, angry that they had been hit before they even fired their opening shot, shouted at Staff Sergeant Gunner Kim while mixing cursing with his Jeolla-do hometown’s characteristic dialect. “Shoot starting from the first target!”

“Sir? There are still a few hundred feet left before 3,200 feet.”

“Shoot if I say shoot! Don’t you know we just took a direct hit?”

“If this becomes a problem later, you need to take responsibility for it, Sergeant Oh.”

“I got it! Just shoot!”

“Target 1 range: 5,050 feet.”

“Shoot!”

At Tank Commander Sergeant Oh’s orders, Staff Sergeant Kim stepped on the firing pedal for the assigned first target.

Peeew—

From the White Tiger tank’s gun barrel, the four-inch photon canon fumed fire and regurgitated red minerals. As if a stream of light was extending out, a Chinese tank approaching from 5,000 feet away blew up instantly. From the photon canon, the Chinese tank’s gun barrel flew off and crumpled while regurgitating reddish-black flames. Though they had reactive armor, it burned as if it was disintegrating in the face of the photon canon’s power.

Immediately after, as the White Tiger tank’s gun barrel automatically aimed at the bottom of the second incoming target tank, Staff Sergeant Gunner Kim Young-joo stepped on the firing pedal without hesitation. With a heavy firing sound, the bottom of the Chinese tank exploded, and the front shook as if it was going to flip over before it crumpled and exploded again.

Watching this happen, Battalion Commander Kang Hyuk-jin shouted at Operation Staff Captain Na Sung-won next to him, “Who are those b*stards? Why are they shooting first? Call them up after this!”

“Yes, sir.”

Regardless of what was happening, tank 712 Commander Sergeant Oh was already crushing the third tank. As the fourth target was being aimed at, the other White Tiger tanks began shooting their photon canons. The White Tiger tanks’ gun barrels were erupting with fire, and with perfect aim, each of the Chinese tanks exploded without a doubt. One tank exploded so violently that it seemed as if it would disappear, turning into powdery ash.

Bang— Crash! Bang! Bang! Crash—

When both sides’ tanks were as close as 2,600 feet, some White Tiger tanks were hit by the armor-piercing sabot, but they barely made a dent. The moving Chinese tanks decreased in number very quickly. Mere minutes after the battle started, the 120 tanks decreased to 30, and the Chinese infantry’s armored vehicles supporting them from the back, along with various specialized vehicles, began to retreat. From this, 26th Tank Battalion’s Battalion Commander Kang Hyuk-jin, who was watching from the rear with the Headquarters Company, sent an order to the subordinate Companies using the Battalion Communication Network.