“Beijing will not like it,” Chen replied. “That region serves as a buffer around Beijing. Thinning that out now will not help convince the party leaders that we have things under control.”
Feng was getting frustrated now: “Would they rather that we lose this war? Because I can tell you that once the Indians establish dominance over Tibet, and believe me, they are this close,” he brought is left hand thumb and index finger close to emphasize the point, “they will apply unbearable pressure on the PLA Divisions engaged in combat on the border. If you think the Army could not punch through under neutral skies, see what happens when they have to fight it out under enemy controlled skies! I will keep pouring as many of our J-7 units into combat as I can. If not for wrenching control from the Indians then at least to deny them total control!”
“We better,” Chen said fatalistically. “Or else we are going to be relieved of our command. I have already been threatened once this morning by the CMC and I don’t intend to make a habit out of it.”
Feng was shocked to hear that last bit of information. He was concerned about the state of the war and the possibility that they might fail. But Feng had never seriously considered that his own life might be in danger…
“Coming to the operational issue,” Chen continued, “Beijing is not willing to lose its entire force structure to try and force a conventional victory anymore. This has gone on too long, Feng. We have failed to provide the victories they wanted. This is not a punitive border war anymore. It never was. You knew it, I knew it and Wencang knew it too. But I think Beijing is only starting to do so now.”
Chen walked over and sat down in his chair near the conference table in the room. He turned to Feng who was still standing by the wall.
“I will get you what J-11 units I can get my hands on,” Chen continued. “But find a way to plug these damn holes the Indians are making over Tibet. We don’t want Liu and his boys over at 2ND Artillery getting spooked about losing their top cover like they did yesterday after the attack near Lhasa. If we want to force a conventional fight through to the end, we have to ensure Liu that his nuclear missiles are still protected and safe from destruction. If he loses that confidence, he will report the same to Beijing and say that his Corps cannot guarantee the survival of their strategic missile forces in Tibet. But if we keep taking such losses in the air and on the ground inside Tibet, Liu will force Wencang’s hand and that of others in the CMC who still wish to keep this battle non-nuclear!”
“The Indians are forcing us towards nuclear war!” Feng said.
“Imagine the irony!” Chen said and laughed, “I had a chance to think about it this morning after I calmed Liu and Peng at the CMC. I thought to myself as to why am I subconsciously resisting the unleashing of nuclear fire over India? The Indians are the ones killing my pilots across Tibet. So maybe I should be supporting Liu’s argument for the use of nuclear weapons instead of throwing more and more of my pilots into the slaughter!”
Feng walked over and took his own chair as the gravity of the situation began to sink in. He sank his face into his two hands and then took some deep breaths. Both men remained in silence and the other half dozen mid-level officers in the room dared not speak. Feng sighed and regained his composure.
“How long do we have before the 2ND Artillery wins the argument?”
“Forty-eight hours at the maximum. That’s it,” Chen responded. “If we and the PLA commanders in Tibet cannot show progress, Liu is going to push for his plans in the CMC. One of Liu’s senior commanders within the 2ND Artillery Corps will be meeting with me today to discuss operational details that involve our 36TH Bomber Division H-6s out of Wugong. Depending on how our last exertion of conventional strength plays out against the Indians, we will lay out our contingency plans.”
Pathanya sat with his one leg resting on the landing skid of the Dhruv helicopter while he held on to the hand rails along the edges of the sides. The cold air whipped them all inside the cabin. He looked to see five members of his team in the cabin as they applied streaks of white paint on their faces and checked their weapons and equipment. Pathanya looked back out again and saw the alpine vegetation of Bhutan whipping by as a blur…
“Waypoint five in thirty seconds,” the pilot said.
Pathanya grabbed the rails a bit harder. The pilots of Delta-Flight were the best when it came to special heliborne operations. Nap-of-the-earth flying was their forte. The only problem was that it meant that their passengers had to literally hold on for their lives while they fought nature’s attempts to turn them to pulp on a mountainside…
The helicopter dropped a dozen meters as they flew over the ridgeline and into the valley on the other side. Pathanya and the others felt the sudden sense of weightlessness and then a bump as they hit the floor of the cabin once again. Pathanya looked around at the horrified faces of his team-members. The second helicopter behind them carrying the rest of Spear was doing the same.
“Dear god! These fly-boys are going to make me lose my lunch!” Vikram shouted. Pathanya chuckled.
“I told you not to go for the tinned chicken those Paras were making!” Ravi responded from the other helicopter.
“Hey! It was going to be my last hot meal till we get back!” Vikram retorted. “It had to be special!”
“All right guys: easy on the comms. We are approaching the L-Z,” Pathanya interjected as he got the three minute warning from the co-pilot.
The helicopters came up on the reverse slopes of the ridgeline on the eastern side of the valley between Dotanang and Barshong to the north. That valley was currently occupied by the PLA Highland Division forces. Dotanang was currently being assaulted by paratroopers from the 11TH Para-SF Battalion. Spear was being inserted north of the Chinese Battalion at Dotanang.
Their job was to interdict the enemy’s supplies and logistical lines and generally to cause all sorts of mayhem amongst the PLA rear…
As the helicopters neared a clearing on the hillside, Pathanya and the others threw down ropes and began rappelling down. The dust and dead grass raised by the helicopters was blinding their view. All nine men were down on the ground within seconds. The helicopter crews dumped the ropes, increased power and dove back down the valley to the south.
As the dust settled on the ridgeline, Pathanya motioned his men forward and they started climbing up the slope…
Feng rubbed his eyes as he sat at the dining table, his food barely touched. His arms were weighing heavy now from mental exhaustion. His eyes showed bloody red lines, a sign of sleep deprivation.
But he had an easier war compared with the hundreds of pilots and ground-crewmen who had lost their lives under his command in eight days of brutal combat operations. Unlike many other senior commanders, he knew he had it easier…
He looked around from his seat at the long table in the officer’s mess to see a bustling dining hall filled with tired officers and men moving back and forth. A well-organized meal was simply not on the cards at the moment. People were grabbing their food as and when they got time. And for many of the younger pilots he saw, it might well be their last. He saw staff officers going through papers and reports while they ate. Under normal conditions this kind of behavior in the dining room was unthinkable. But right now these rules had been waived aside.