"For a multipolar world of cooperation" - Motto of International Anti Imperialism Brigades.

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July 31st, outskirts of Sariwon, DPR Korea (North Korea)

Shao Xiao (Major) Gu Huang

4th Tank Battalion, 2nd Heavy Combined Arms (Armored) Brigade, 78th Group Army, Northern Theater Command

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"Comrade Major, you're pretty exposed here."

"Will comply, Comrade Colonel" I went on to acknowledge my battalion's CO's observation. My ZTZ-99A2, bearing the hull number LB12 4201, the best tank China has to offer, has been dug into the reverse slope of a small hill outside the city limits, it's 125mm gun barely clear of the ground behind a row of shrubs. I looked down a shallow valley to a treeline fifteen hundred meters away.

The South Koreans and their American ally were in there, surveying the ridges with powerful field glasses. Compounded with drones flying over their heads, his only hope that the South Koreans won't attack soon. He was in one of several prepared firing positions, a sloped hole in the ground dug by the engineers' bulldozers, both Chinese and North Korean ones. While the terrain in Northern Korea overall favored the defenders, the events on the last few days was not so much kind to us with suicide drones were the most responsible in thinning our ranks, broadcasted all over the world.

ZTZ-99A2 (Type 99A2) main battle tank

"Those plastics must love this weather." There was an overcast at about thirteen hundred feet. Whatever air support he could expect would have a bare five seconds to acquire and engage their targets before having to break clear of the battlefield. "What can you give us, Comrade Colonel?"

"The forward air control told me that he can call a flight worth of GJ-11 jet attack drones with a flight of J-20s to clear the skies first, and perhaps some People Korea's J-10s and our own -10 and -31s in support, comrade Major. Last but not least, we got a battery of CH-903 jeep-launched swarm drones. And we have to be grateful for the North Koreans as well as the Lenin Battalion."

Equipped in the same fashion as our infantry with ZBD-04s and named after the first leader of the Soviet Union as part of the International Anti Imperialism Brigades, a foreign legion sponsored by the International Meeting of Workers and Communist Parties in which the Chinese Communist Party was the member, the battalion was filled by Slavic peoples, mostly from Russia but also from Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

I proceeded to survey the terrain himself from a slightly different perspective. What was the best way to get the attack drones in and out? The first South Korean and American attack on this position had been repulsed, but we won't forget the sight of knocked out drones from both sides as well as the remains of two J-16s that had died in the effort.

"There should be three choppers, too." My superior's statement was a surprise and a source of worry. How the enemy will attack after the failure of the first wave?

"Okay." The colonel stood and turned back to his command vehicle, based on the ZBD-04 infantry fighting vehicle. "When you hear; Hubei, Hubei, Hubei... that means the air support is less than five minutes out. Also, if you see any SAM vehicles, AA guns, anti drone vehicles especially one with lasers, take them out as soon as you can. Our air forces have been hit real hard, Comrade Major."

"You got it, Comrade Colonel, We won't disappoint you." I watched my superior sprint 25 meters to the waiting vehicle, its engine already turning. The ZBD's rear door hadn't yet closed when the driver pulled out fast, zigzagging down the slope and across the plowed field toward the command post.

I called my company staff; consist of my deputy company commander Captain Guan Huakuo and the assigned company Political Instructor, Major Zhou Yiyue and then put everyone for the final briefing before we hopped to our respective armor.

Months after we hammered our way south with our Korean brothers, neither us or them had reached our objectives so far, unlike what our comrades in Taiwan triumphantly demonstrated despite the fact that our enemy had managed to destroy a good number of our satellites, including the Beidou. My 2nd Company had once been 14 tanks strong reinforced with a platoon of ZBD-04 mounted infantry when we was first deployed, with the 2nd Heavy Combined Arms Brigade was masqueraded as a routine military aid to North Korea before the war, hence the initial usage of North Korean marking and camouflage.

The marking is removeable, through, and the grinding action forced us to finally dispense of it and fought openly with our markings and flag.

I remember the third day of the invasion, while our artillery and North Koreans were bombarding Seoul, a series of unexpected interruption of our communication with headquarters ruined everything. Not even the North Koreans was spared from the massed confusion that resulted.

Only a couple days later that Beijing discovered that the extent of the Imperialists' attack on our network was substantially larger to the point that our war plans had also been read by them.

Back to the state of my unit, the company had lost four from its original formation, and there had been only two replacements. Of the rest, all had been damaged to one degree or another. I've lost two of my platoon leaders out of three, and what was left were now covering nearly a kilometer of front. Dug in between my tanks was the attached infantry platoon, augmented with an infantry company from the North Koreans - many in number, dedicated and fierce fighters, but less well equipped compared to us. They are fighting not just to defend their country, but also the ideology they believed in.

They, too, had taken serious losses trying to break through South Korean defenses. The "company" was no more than two platoons of effectives. Surely the Southerners know just how thin we're spread, I thought. Everyone was dug in-deep, with one anti drone vehicle covering the force as much as it can do. Then come the power of South Korean modern artillery - on par with our own - which are still a jarring reality despite we were used with it already. The colonel had ordered the battalion's organic battery of PLZ-07 122mm artillery to put on a reply, but with the smaller caliber factor, he has called for the brigade level 155mm PLZ-05s and rocket artillery batteries from brigade and Group Army level to work their part as well.

"They're serious, Comrade Major," my driver, Sergeant Wang Xun, said, pulling his hatch down tight. I adjusted my helmet and microphone as my eyes peered out the view ports built into the commander's cupola. The thick armor plate and the noise cancelling headset system kept most of the noise out, but when the ground shook beneath them, the shock came through the treads and suspension to rock the vehicle, and each crewmen reflected to himself on the force needed to budge a fifty ton tank. This was how one of my lieutenants had bought it three days before; a Harop crashed down right on his turret, and it had burrowed through the thin overhead armor to blow up the vehicle.

Left and right of my tank, the largely young North Korean conscripts cowered in their deep, narrow holes, their emotions oscillating between terror and rage at what was happening to them and their country-and their homes!

"One more, and we'll sure will go down south and pull the life out from those plastics." My net went on with the flurry of "incoming drones!" If he and his men stayed in position, they risked being hit by the suicide drones. If they moved, they are facing what intel calculated as a whole division of infantry or a reinforced brigade.

Behind our own line, we have an infantry company team mounted in ZBD reinforced with four ZTZ-99s on their own, led by Shang Wei (Captain) Xiaojun. One of his platoons under Zhong Wei (1st Lieutenant) Wang Zuolin was the attached infantry platoon to my company team.

Everyone was grateful with one thing; at least they had not yet been ordered into their grossly inconvenient chemical warfare clothing.

ZBD-04 Infantry fighting vehicle

Each ZBD carried four HJ-8 (Red Arrow 8) anti-tank missile, a Russian-designed rifled 100mm gun and co-axial 30mm autocannon, two Type 80 machine guns of 7.62 mm calibre. Other stowed weaponry include an FN-6 or QW-1 man-portable anti-aircraft missile launcher similar to the US Stinger or Russian Igla/Verba, a sniper's rifle, various types of single shot anti-tank grenade launchers such as DJZ-08 and older but larger in calibre PF-89, and seven QBZ-95 or 191 series of assault rifles.

We officers were grateful on our government's policy on Mandarin being the nation's uniting language, but still accents means an uneasy task for us in handling our men as well as occasions when they speak other languages, such as Tibetan or Mongolian; I only understood the latter as well as the mandatory Korean language study.

Back to the tactical situation at hand, I could only groan and curse the Coalition forces when yet another of my company's tank one Jiaolong 1-2, burst to flames as one Harop - a derivative of the IAI Harpy that we used to have - plunged on it's roof armor.

Then thirty rockets landed on our sector and thirty in the hills behind him; impact of the explosives shook the tank violently, and I could hear the pings of fragments bouncing off his armor. But it was the smoke that frightened all of us inside. That meant the Allies were coming. From thirty separate points, gray-white smoke billowed into the air, forming an instant man-made cloud that enveloped all the ground in view.

"Hubei, Hubei, Hubei" The promised air support was at first consisted of kamikaze drones to look for South Korean artillery, followed by the roar of engines behind him that indicated the arrival of the stealth J-20s who fired it's missiles at targets beyond the horizon before breaking off.

I activated the thermal sight for the soon to be arriving South Korean tanks. The one we dreaded the most was the K2 Black Panther.

The K2 was dubbed the most expensive tank in the world when it started it's service with South Korea, and still was the case despite it's price had long since dropped thanks to export sales to Poland, Botswana, Ecuador, Malaysia, and Thailand, as well as it's Turkish derivative, the Altay with multiple customers in Muslim majority countries except Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, and Indonesia.

Speaking of other Muslim countries, a special case was Morocco, a major non-NATO ally, that acquired the Altay to complement its Leclerc tanks, while Saudi Arabia and Egypt used it to replace their obsolescent M60 Pattons. The new Iranian imperial government had also chosen the Altay to replace their motley collections of Cold War-era tanks.

"Jiaolong 2-6, this is Jiaolong Leader," called Colonel Junhua in over the command circuit.

"Check in Jiaolong Leader." All twelve of my tanks were intact, protected by their deep holes. Meanwhile Zuolin's platoon was with the North Koreans and Lenin Battalion protecting their flanks. The electronic signals detector went off indicated that the brigade level EW company were covering us with anti-drone jammings. Again we have to be grateful with the engineers as well as North Korean civilians - including mobilized, underaged Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth members - who had dug the shelters with shovels in one hand and rifles on the other. No further orders were passed. None were needed.

"Enemy in view, comrade major." the gunner, Sergeant Lu Suifang, reported.

"Target tank, ten o'clock. Sabot! Shoot!"

The gunner trained left and centered the sight reticle on the nearest South Korean battle tank. His thumbs depressed the laser button, and a thin beam of light bounced off the target. The range display came up in his sight: 1310 meters.

Few seconds later "Shèjí!" 

The projectile struck the target one second later at the base of the K2's gun turret. Inside, a South Korean gunner was just picking up a round for his own cannon using the tank's autoloader when the uranium core of the shot burned through the protective steel. The tank burst to flames, it's ammunition magazine behind the turret was no more. However while the tank was lucky enough to be able to retreat with it's own power, it's no longer combat effective, or as the Americans say "firepower kill".

"Jiaolong 1-3 destroyed one enemy."

"Target down."

I continued. "Target tank, twelve o'clock. Sabot! Shoot!"

The Chinese and South Korean tanks fired at the same instant. The South Korean's gunnery, as much as they are relying on conscripts, were as much accurate as our own, and the bang outside indicated the punishment that the ZTZ were currently taking.

"Comrade Major, we're hit. Still operational!"

"Jiaolong 3-1 is hit, firing computer is getting crazy!"

"Time to leave, Comrades!" Then I called my driver.

"Driver, straight back! Heading for alternate one." Sergeant Xun already had the reverse gear engaged, and twisted hard on his throttle control. The tank surged backward, then spun right and headed 100 meters to another prepared position, as the sky was littered with drones from both sides crashing to each other in a bid to gain a position for an attack. We reached the position in less than two minutes. This one had been dug parallel to the ridgeline; turret trained to the right. My gunner and I could see the Allied infantry now, dismounted and running ahead of their K21 and M2A4 Bradley assault carriers. Tube and rocket artillery from both Chinese and the North Koreans ripped through their ranks and rear areas as well as the drones, but were not quickly enough.

I pumped my right fist in frustration as from my viewing port, a whole flight of friendly kamikaze drones suddenly exploded without warning while looking for Allied armor to attack.

"Target - troop carrier with a big bulge on it's roof! It's killing our drones!"

"Got 'em!" the gunner answered, picking a K-21 infantry carrier modified as an anti-drone laser carrier, and then fired. The vehicle turned back as the 125mm sabot round left the gun. He watched the tracer barely miss it's engine compartment.

"Set to HEAT!"

"HEAT Loaded Comrade!"

"Fire!"

"Firing! Die, you imperialist bastard!" the gunner squeezed the trigger, and the helpless anti drone vehicle that was dumb enough to get close to the Chinese position in the name of killing more drones got hit straight on it's engine compartment forcing the crew to bail out.

But one threat gone, the other came in it's place.

"Target enemy tank, 1 o'clock!!"

Less than 700 meters away, the tank, identified as the older but still powerful Korean K1A2 whose design is based on American M1 Abrams, went down in flames. Xun relocated the tank again and in the process, the crew has bagged two more successful kill, one infantry carrier and one tank.

"Jiaolong Leader to all units, new order from brigade, begin moving to Line Number 3 - execute immediately. Also we have another news; We have a flight of J-10s and GJ-11s inbound escorted by two J-31s... but it will require 5 minutes to reach Sariwon."

"2-2 is hit, Jiaolong 2-2 is hit!"

"Damage report!" I dialed the company's net, then the response made me bang a hunk of armor near me in trepidation. "2-2 is lost, Catastrophic, crew bailed out... commander's dead."

Nevertheless, my crew did it's duty by stopping a charging K1A2 in it's tracks from barely 600 meters, which I thought was the one who killed Jiaolong 2-2. It was followed with a barrage of anti-tank missiles - from manned launcher and UGVs alike - reached out into the IPSDC lines. One miss, one kill. More smoke came in from both sides as Chinese and North Korean forces fell back another five hundred meters. The town that they were defending was now in sight.

Friendly drones and artillery was really in the fight, plus foolhardy North Korean tankers with their locally manufactured T-72-based Pokpung-ho and Cheonma-2 tanks as well as Chinese-supplied ZTZ-96 and 99s willing to die for their "Dear Leader" in the name of buying time. Even with their horrendous losses, I could see that their defense so far had inflicted a similar amount of damage as South Korean and American infantry was down to half of the strength he initially encountered, their tracked vehicles and UGVs are trailing back, sometimes firing their AT missiles. Things were going relatively well when one of the recon drone operator called for a new set of enemies was about to come.

"American Abrams from the northwest!!" I swallowed my saliva. As much as our leaders in China believed that America was a waning world power and how China's rise was meant to balance things out the M1 Abrams tank was not something to be underestimated despite it's design was older than my ZTZ-99; especially it's newest A3 variant.

Forty-two Abrams and its Bradley companion came over the hill in front of us. Several laser guided bombs behind him killed a whole platoon followed by it's launcher, a pair of J-10s, but then, both Firebirds were blotted out of the sky by a SAM.

"Target tank, one o'clock. Shoot!"

The ZTZ rocked backward with yet another shot. "Hit."

"Jiaolong 1 to all units." called the battalion commander. "Enemy drone swarm approaching from the north." The sky was blotted with up to 400 drones, but they made up their tardiness by killing a pair of Chinese tanks as well as infantry, light vehicles, and even SAM system defending Sariwon. Then the friendly swarm appeared and engaging them either by blowing itself kamikaze style or using it's machine guns, while the other jammed the link between the IPSDC swarm in a wild melee that suddenly included anti-drone lasers.

Back on the ground; Whang! A shot glanced off the turret's face indicated that the Americans are getting closer.

"Tank, 11 o'clock, closing in - "

Suifang turned his yoke controls and nothing happened. Immediately he reached for the manual traverse. I took over the co-axial machine gun, bouncing bullets off the advancing M1A3 that had come out of nowhere. The gunner cranked frantically at the handle as another round crashed into their armor. The driver aided me, turning the vehicle and hoping that they could return fire.

"Computer is out comrades, rebooting!" reported Suifang as he laid the gun manually with the Abrams was less than a thousand meters away when the gunner settled on it. He fired a HEAT round, and it missed. The autoloader slammed a different round - a Sabot - home in the breech. The gunner worked his controls and fired again. Hit.

"There's more behind that one," the gunner warned.

"Jialong Leader, this is Jiaolong 2-6, the Americans are coming in from our flank. need backup now!" From the battalion net, I commanded the driver: "Left track and back up fast!"

The tank's stabilizer was out from the hit so it had to be still in order to fire accurately, and with contested sky it could mean death to do so. But we have no such luxury as they stopped and fired one round before relocating. Meanwhile, a few drones managed to penetrate the enemy swarm and detonated themselves on the American formation, followed by missiles launched by larger GJ-11s as well as the overdue arrival of the Z-10 attack helicopters, costing the Americans seven more Abrams.

However, the Fierce Thunderbolts didn't last long as air-to-air missiles hit both choppers on it's tail assembly sending it out of control, plus several Sharp Swords were also taken out.

A second tank joined with me a hundred meter on his right; the hull number allowed me to recognize it as belonging to my third platoon leader. It fired off three rounds in succession before a shell landed not far from their position, reducing the third platoon leader's tank into a smoldering wreck. Luckily, I saw he and his crewmember managed to bail out.

We knocked out one more Abrams, but to our astonishment, it was the North Koreans and the Lenin Battalion who took the credit in forcing the Americans and South Koreans to pull back to their lines, using the last of their anti-tank missiles as well as sacrificing a whole tank company of Pokpung-hos to do so.

"They fought like tigers. The Koreans..."

"As well as our Slavic comrades, comrade Major... They had fought with distinction. Their commanders deserved the Order of August the First... The Imperialists had also fought like what we had expected them to do." replied Sgt. Suifang.

"Comrade Major Huang, what's happening down your way?" Colonel Xiagang inquired at me and my deputy commander upon his arrival. "Give me the final count."

"You can see it by yourselves, comrade." Colonel Xiagang and our political director Colonel Fung, looked around and saw the landscape littered with burning tanks from both sides. My deputy took over. "Five combat effectives... including Comrade Major Huang and mine. We barely made it."

"We really have to be grateful on the Korean people and our Slavic allies. Otherwise, we are all dead, comrades." It was Colonel Junhua; his uniform tattered from what I thought was from American or South Korean artillery strike.

"How about the other company, Comrade Colonel?" asked Fung.

"I have to inform you comrades here that the 1st Tank Company has been wiped out to the last man, 3rd Tank Company had fifty percent casualties, and 4th Inf. Coy has been reduced into one platoon plus one understrength infantry and one understrength tank platoon. We've also lost one of our artillery battery commander Comrade Major Liu Huaren. The battery itself survived, through."

Silence reigned before Colonel Junhua continued.

"And as much as we wish to stay here in Korea and stop the imperialists from knocking at our border until our final drop of blood." he continued. "The high command has ordered this battalion and Captain Xiaojun's parent battalion; the 3rd Battalion, to be transferred."

"To where, Comrade Colonel?" I asked.

"Japan. 104th Special Group Army has an urgent need to reconstitute one of it's heavy brigades as the other brigades there had been ordered to continue the offensive with main objective is the major town of Iwakuni... And before any one of you ask, replacement is on their way while the rest of the 2nd Heavy will be alright here in Korea with new units straight from the homeland."

"Will do, Comrade Colonel. Everything for China. Anyway, may I ask something?"

"Sure. Go ahead, you earned it, comrade Major."

"How about our comrades in Myanmar, Vietnam, and others?"

The colonel sighed before replied at me."I know you are not about to question orders, anyway. We are about to talk on this matter as part of our after-action report and self-criticism session here, comrades."

"I was just about to remind you comrades about the self-criticism session." Fung bantered in a quick succession. "But Comrade Colonel Junhua got it right."

"You two" Junhua pointed at him and the deathly silent Captain Xiaojun. Perhaps the horror we have seen so far had tempered his talk, so far... "Gather your surviving officers, including from the artillery, and head for the battalion tent."

Both officers went to an about face to gather what were left of their platoon commanders as well as their artillery battalion before then heading for the said headquarters tent. It's long before we officially depart for Japan, a country that I ironically always want to visit...

......

A/N: Hope you enjoy, and this is still the beginning phase of a long campaign!

1. The export sales of Korean K2 tank mentioned here is fictional.

2. "Plastics" here is a derogatory term for South Koreans, a reference to the popularity of plastic surgery in it's society.