“What’s wrong, Rhee?” asked Kevin. He saw the grimace on his friend’s face and knew the news wasn’t good.
“It would seem, Colonel Little, that some enterprising individual has managed to convince the two sides that fighting us would be preferable to each other. It looks like KWP faction forces have crossed the Taedong River and assumed defensive positions alongside the General Staff faction.”
Rhee handed Kevin the report. The American’s Hangul wasn’t that great, but the pictures said all that needed to be said. Rhee was right. A lot of tanks and men had crossed the river, which could only mean that a truce had been arranged. The other photos showed numerous built-up areas just outside the city limits that looked like revetments. Most were camouflaged, but some were more hastily put together than others. He could see what looked like tanks in some of the revetments; he suspected there were more in the others.
Numerous makeshift bunkers dotted the landscape in and around the tanks. Each probably held a heavy machine gun, or possibly an ATGM crew, with overlapping fields of fire. Whoever was in charge knew what he was doing.
Kevin passed the report back to Rhee. “That is a very respectable defensive perimeter, Colonel. This won’t be a cakewalk.”
“Agreed, Colonel Little-ssi,” replied Rhee. There was a hint of frustration in his voice. “Nevertheless, General Kwon in his note says the attack will go on as planned.” The Korean colonel pointed to a cover memo at the front of the report.
“The Chinese have taken Taechon, and are moving south very quickly. We cannot delay in taking Pyongyang. Kwon said additional air support would be provided, but that is the best that can be done.”
“Well then… humph,” grunted Kevin as he stood up, “I guess we’d better get ready.”
“Yes, indeed. I trust you brought your personal protective ensemble?”
Kevin winced at the thought of having to put on the nuclear, biological, and chemical protective gear. It was a hot, stuffy day, and the NBC gear would only make it worse — a lot worse. “Yes, I brought it. What MOPP level are we going to?”
“Level two. For now,” Rhee answered. “All three factions have used chemical weapons against each other. I seriously doubt they’ll have any objections to using them on us.”
The floor shook violently, and the air became filled with dust from the powerful shock. A large aircraft bomb had gone off right in front of the Pyongyang Koryo Hotel that Tae was using as a forward observation post. Originally a Kim family showpiece for foreign visitors, the twin-tower, high-rise hotel had been heavily damaged during the earlier fighting. Now the rubble provided excellent protection for Tae and his staff as they watched the battle unfold from the vantage point of an eighth-floor suite.
After picking himself off the floor, Tae took a quick look around at his men. None of them appeared injured, but their ears would ring for several more hours. Gathering his binoculars, the general went back to the wall lined with sandbags and stared out to the south — he should be able to see them any moment now. The preparatory bombardment by aircraft and artillery had been impressively intense. Tae was briefly envious of the amazing firepower he had just witnessed. But now that it had slackened off, the ROK Army would begin their assault. Major Ryeon stumbled up beside his general and leaned against the sandbags. He wiped a fresh layer of dust from his face.
“That was uncomfortably close, sir,” he remarked.
“Yes, it was, Major. And no, I won’t move to the bunker,” replied Tae with a smirk.
“Comrade General, we cannot afford to lose you.”
Tae kept grinning, but never took his eyes from the binoculars. “I appreciate your sentiments, Major, but I have to see what is happening myself. The timing of our actions depends on it. I cannot direct a battle from a hole in the ground!”
“Yes, sir,” mumbled Ryeon.
“Stop acting like a halmeoni, it’s unbecoming a soldier of your rank.” Tae smiled as he teased his aide, calling him a grandmother. The lightheartedness ended quickly, though, his expression becoming more serious. “Any reports on casualties from the bombardment?” he asked.
“Not yet, General. I can only hope that the imperialists attacked many of the decoy positions.”
Tae grunted his acknowledgment. Then turning to face Ryeon he inquired, “And the special weapons?”
“All special weapons have been removed from the artillery units and placed in secure storage in the rear, per your orders.”
The general sensed the uneasiness in Ryeon’s voice; Tae knew his order had not been popular. “I understand your reluctance to follow that order, Major Ryeon, as well as some of the other unit commanders. But it was essential that there be no possibility of a misunderstanding or error. The use of special weapons would severely complicate our negotiations.”
“There has been some grumbling, Comrade General,” admitted Ryeon. “If I may ask, sir, why don’t you want to use the special weapons? It would make our defense far more robust.”
“We need to push our Southern kinsmen, and their American allies, back through traditional means. This will have a far greater impact on their confidence. And while special weapons would likely kill more of their soldiers, it would also anger them. I want them to be careful, not incensed. Besides, using chemical weapons would only delay the inevitable. Pyongyang cannot be held indefinitely. It’s to everybody’s advantage if we end this without a protracted battle. Ahh…” Tae pointed to a wall of smoke forming along the city’s outskirts.
“Our guests are coming. Alert all units. And remind the rocket artillery commanders to fire their rounds quickly and then abandon their launchers. The Americans’ reputation for rapid, accurate counter-battery fire is well justified. Our artillery crews will have precious little time to do their job.”
“Yes, Comrade General, at once!”
The heavy smoke from the obscuration fire blocked Rhee’s view of Pyongyang; he could only hope it was having the same effect on the city’s defenders. Looking closely, he could see the lead elements of the 13th Mechanized Infantry Division moving quickly over the open field. So far, there was no response from the unified KPA units.
“Anything from the teams?” he asked impatiently, walking over to the digital map display. Ghost Brigade had inserted four reconnaissance teams inside the city two days earlier, strategically positioned to observe the movements of KPA personnel and vehicles. Well hidden amongst the rubble, they had a commanding view of the southern approaches to Pyongyang, and their reports had provided crucial intelligence that complimented the UAV information.
“No, sir,” answered Lieutenant Guk, staring at the secure data display. “Last report was no further movement detected.”
Kevin scanned the area with his binoculars. K2 Black Panther tanks were in the lead, followed close behind by a second wave with K1A2 tanks and K21 infantry fighting vehicles. Moving at forty kilometers per hour, it would take them only eighteen minutes to reach the city’s outskirts. The K2 tanks were closing fast on the smoke; but the North Koreans remained silent. The American colonel shook his head. “I don’t get it, Rhee. Back in the day, they would have started firing by now. I didn’t think the KPA had changed their battle tactics all that much.”
Rhee shrugged. “Perhaps they are very low on ammunition.”
“I don’t buy that. If you let the enemy get too close, you won’t have time to shoot more than a few rounds before he’s on top of you. It doesn’t make sense to save ammo if you get overrun.”