CHAPTER 12.5: WARFARE II

A war room in the Ryongsong residence

"It's too risky Marshall."

"Then what would you have me do?"

Kim Jung-Eun questioned her newly formed war council made up of high-ranking military officials who she trusted.

It had been a month since the war began and Kim Jung-Eun's faction was now on the losing side.

"....'"

"23,000, that's how many ground troops we lost, not to mention the very competent generals that were assassinated."

"But recalling all troops in the Special Operation Force means revealing a gap to South Korea. The moment they notice their absence, they will attack our borders." Vice Marshall Jung advised Kim Jung-Eun.

"We have to take the risk. Losing now to win later doesn't apply to this situation."

Kim Jung-Eun strongly expressed her opposition to his opinion. She knew this wasn't the time to worry about the future.

"The cowardly hit-and-run tactics of the enemy have cost us Sinuiju and Nampo City, one of which is located on our border with the Chinese. We can't afford to save our forces we must strike now and reclaim it."

Colonel General of the Air Force buttressed Kim Jung-Eun's point.

"How about we take the main battle to the sky?"

"It would just turn into another war of attrition."

The worst thing about fighting a war against an agency was being unable to kill commanding officers. On a battlefield, the guard's job wasn't to kill but to protect the common soldier, they ensured that even one more soldier got to return alive while outside a battlefield they protected the high-ranking soldiers. In other words, the highly-ranked soldiers of Kim Jong Un's forces were invisible to North Korea.

Even though the Korean People's Army were significantly larger, aimlessly killing useless soldiers and guards would wear them down and get their commanders assassinated whereas the enemy commanders would avoid annihilation and use their wits and tactics to eventually overrun them.

Someone once said that if you had to fight against an agency without an agency, the war would never end. (If you had even forces)

A short and decisive battle was needed in this case.

"We have to be swift and hit Baba while he and Kim Jung Eun's forces are spread out in order to protect the two cities."

The council members debated and all gave their opinions yet the person who Jung-Eun gazed at and asked for advice was a white-haired senior.

He was Marshall Ri Myung-hoo, the only man other than the president who held the Marshall rank for the past six decades. He was popularly known as the War Hero of WWIV.

His voice was cool and sharp despite his age.

"It was my mistake to underestimate Baba's power in the past but I still consider it important that we do not kill him, it would be troublesome in many ways. The best option is to..."

He paused.

"Speak your mind. No one in this room dares to question your insight."

"Request a cease-fire while we wait on Director Myung and his troops."

"...!"

"Such nonsense! Are you suggesting we negotiate with the enemy? You mad ma-"

Bang, a loud gunshot was heard. The soldier who always stood beside Kim Jung-Eun busted open the head of a general. The general who dared to raise his voice at his superior fell to the ground with his brains out on the floor.

"Who here dares to question the Marshall?"

Kim Jung-Eun, President of North Korea asked this question using the term 'the Marshall'. She basically called Marshall Ri her equal. The room fell silent.

"Huahaha, the young ones are feisty these days."

Marshall Ri laughed and told the president not to be so humble to be able to call anyone her equal.

The conversation continued soon continued like nothing happened

"The people will see us as weak if we request a ceasefire. Those who were doubtful will revolt and join Kim Jong Un's faction." Jung Eun said these words to Marshall Ri, she also didn't want to bend to the enemy.

"I said this was the best option, not the only one."

"But we also can't wait on Director Myung. He received our threat but still hesitates, like you said earlier, it seems Northwest Pro agency is also questioning whether to become an enemy of Baba."

"Baba, even as an enemy, he is indeed a formidable individual."

"Still, Northwest Pro said they would be sending a mediator in two months. We just have to survive somehow before then."

"There is another option...getting the United Nations involved."

"Nukes?"

"Yes."

"We can't. Not right now, the moment any nuke is fired we will become an enemy to the Seven Armed Forces. My mother also did not wish to see the 'Calamity' happen again. I intend to honor that."

The 'Calamity', a man-made disaster that happened during the climax of WWIII. Three neighboring nations who bared hostility towards one another couldn't conclude their war, it isn't known who exactly made such stupid decisions but they all fired nukes towards each other.

Everybody died. Literally every individual in the three nations died. It was a whole new level of nukes that humanity shouldn't possess, one capable of destroying the land along with its people.

Since then, the Seven Armed Force declared that any organization or nation that fired a nuclear weapon in war would be treated as an enemy. It seemed arrogant but they had the power to rival any force in the world and were also monopolizing a new technology that could destroy a nuclear bomb mid-launch.

No nation wanted to be their enemy and they also didn't want humans to self-destruct.

After debating for a few more hours, the council was dismissed. They didn't come to a concrete conclusion but they decided to continue to maintain their defensive position for now, meanwhile...

A penthouse in North Korea...

Baba just got off the phone with Kim Jung Un. He then turned his gaze to someone standing guard behind him. It was Tolu, his best friend.

"Things are really getting interesting." Baba said while smirking.

"Did you guys decide?"

"Yes...tonight, we take the CAPITAL!"

It was going to be a long war.