125: Chapter 125 Two-Front War! The Steel Torrent's Two-Way Surge from North and South

The air in the underground command center of the Bangkang camp was so heavy it could be wrung out like water.

The massive holographic sand table was divided into two battlefields: north and south.

In the north, red dots representing the remnants of the Kachin forces flickered in the mountainous region; in the south, along the Salween River, red arrows representing the Myanmar Army were densely packed, like a writhing centipede.

Zhang Cheng stood before the sand table, his hands pressed against the edge of the console, his eyes as sharp as blades.

"Have you all seen the situation clearly?"

His voice was low, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

Around the circular conference table, the newly promoted generals all straightened their backs.

"In the north, Wu Lajue and those remnants are hiding in the deep mountains, thinking they can be mountain kings by relying on those 'Switchblades' and man-portable missiles given by the Eagle Horn Country," Zhang Cheng sneered.

"In the south, Min Aung Hlaing has taken the new equipment from Eagle Horn, pressing three main divisions to the riverbank and deploying heavy artillery positions—this is an attempt to force us into a decisive battle on the southern front."

He straightened up, his gaze sweeping over each general: "They think too highly of themselves. When I, Zhang Cheng, fight a war, I always follow my own rhythm."

"Old K, report the enemy and our situation."

"Yes." Old K stepped forward, data streams flickering in his electronic prosthetic eye.

"On the northern front, the total strength of the Kachin remnants is about eight thousand, scattered across five main strongholds in the mountainous region northwest of Myitkyina. They are equipped with twelve sets of US-made 'Switchblade' loitering munition launchers, over forty 'javelin' anti-tank missiles, and a large quantity of light weapons. Their greatest reliance is the complex terrain and pre-set minefields."

"On the southern front, the 33rd, 66th, and 99th Mechanized Infantry Divisions of the Myanmar Army, with a total strength of about forty-two thousand, are deployed along a one-hundred-twenty-kilometer front on the west bank of the Salween River. They are equipped with over eighty T-72S tanks, twenty-four BM-21 rocket launchers, seventy-two D-30 howitzers, and the newly acquired 'Gray Eagle' drone reconnaissance system from Eagle Horn."

Old K paused, then added: "According to intelligence provided by Erica (formerly 'Phantom') and satellite reconnaissance, a mercenary squad of about three hundred men from the 'Blackwater' of the Eagle Horn military has secretly arrived at the 33rd Division command post, carrying heavy anti-armor equipment and electronic warfare devices."

Low murmurs erupted in the conference room.

"Blackwater is here too? Eagle Horn is really going all out."

"Three hundred men? Are they even enough to fill the gaps in our teeth?"

Zhang Cheng raised his hand to suppress the discussion, a cold arc forming at the corner of his mouth: "They've come at the right time. I was just worried I wouldn't have a chance to test our newly arrived 'toys'."

He turned to Zhao Yuxun: "Division Commander Zhao Yuxun, what is the status of the 'Titan' division?"

Zhao Yuxun stood up with a "whoosh," his voice like a booming bell: "Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief! The division has twelve thousand eight hundred men, an equipment readiness rate of 98.7%, full loads of ammunition and fuel, and high morale! 120 M1A2 tanks are ready to crush any enemy at any time!"

"Good." Zhang Cheng looked at BigDecimal own again, "Brigade Commander BigDecimal own, what about the 'Calamity' brigade?"

BigDecimal own stood up, the cold, sharp temperament peculiar to a pilot making him look exceptionally keen: "15 apaches have completed pre-combat maintenance, and 40 Black Hawks are on standby at any time. My pilots can't wait to teach those 'Gray Eagles' a lesson—no matter how good a drone is, someone still has to fly it."

Zhang Cheng nodded in satisfaction and began to issue combat orders.

"This operation is codenamed 'Two Blades'. We will start the war in the north and south simultaneously, so the enemy cannot attend to both ends!"

"On the northern front, Zhao Yuxun will serve as the Commander-in-Chief." Zhang Cheng pointed to the northern mountains, "The 1st and 2nd Tank Regiments of the 'Titan' division will remain behind to prevent emergencies on the southern front. The 3rd Mechanized Infantry Regiment and the 4th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, supplemented by an armored infantry battalion from the 'Lightning' brigade, will form the 'North Wind' attack cluster."

"Your mission is not to suppress bandits, but to completely clear them out." Zhang Cheng's eyes were cold, "Wu Lajue and those people have been operating in the mountains for decades, colluding with local chieftains, and are deeply rooted. I want you to open the way with armored assaults, wash the ground with artillery, and clear them out with infantry. No surrender accepted—unless they are soldiers who have dropped their weapons and are lying on the ground. As for those chieftain heads and local tyrants, count them one by one, and liquidate them all!"

"Remember, we are not fighting a guerrilla war; we are conducting a modern security war. As soon as you occupy a village or town, immediately establish a temporary military government, distribute food and medicine, and promote our policies. I want to complete the political occupation while conducting military suppression!"

Zhao Yuxun nodded heavily: "Understood! Strong suppression combined with a soft-handed policy, both approaches simultaneously!"

"On the southern front, I will personally take command." Zhang Cheng turned to the south, "The main force of the 'Titan' division, the 'Hurricane' brigade, and the 'Thunder God' brigade will form the 'South Mountain' defensive cluster. Our strategy is: active defense, elastic counterattack."

He pointed to several ferry crossings on the Salween River on the sand table: "Min Aung Hlaing wants to cross the river to attack, he will definitely choose these points. Wang Yuanshan!"

"Here!" The artillery brigade commander stood up.

"Your 'guardian-2d' rocket launchers, aim at these pre-set crossing points for me. Once the enemy starts crossing the river, no need to ask for instructions, just fire directly! I want to make the Salween River their burial ground!"

"Yes! I guarantee I will turn the Myanmar Army's kayaks into sieves!"

"BigDecimal own."

"Here!"

"The apaches of the 'Calamity' brigade will be divided into three combat groups to patrol along the river. Once any enemy attempt to cross the river or artillery positions are discovered, clear them immediately. Remember, prioritize striking the 'Gray Eagle' drone control vehicles and communication nodes. Without eyes and ears, an army of one hundred thousand is just blind and deaf."

"Understood! Air superiority is in our hands!"

Zhang Cheng finally looked at Old K and Night Owl: "The Special Operations Brigade and the 'Shadow Blade' detachment will be divided into two groups. One group will follow the northern forces for mountain reconnaissance and guidance; the other group will infiltrate the southern front, focusing on hunting down Eagle Horn mercenaries and high-ranking Myanmar Army commanders. I want to turn Min Aung Hlaing's command post into a graveyard!"

"Yes!" Night Owl's voice was hoarse and firm.

After the deployment was completed, Zhang Cheng took a deep breath and looked at the audience.

"This battle is not only a military battle, but also a political battle and a public opinion battle. Eagle Horn wants to consume us through the hands of the Myanmar people, and the President will definitely spout nonsense on Twitter, and those people at the United Nations will also buzz around."

"But I tell you—" Zhang Cheng smashed his fist on the console, "In the face of absolute strength, all conspiracies and tricks are paper tigers! We will use this great victory on two fronts to tell the whole world: Northern Myanmar, I, Zhang Cheng, have the final say! Whoever wants to stretch out their claws, I will chop them off!"

"All units immediately enter combat readiness. Twenty-four hours later, Operation 'Two Blades' officially begins!"

Washington.

The President was in the Oval Office, talking at length about his "Eagle Horn Country First" policy to the Fox News camera.

When an aide handed him the latest briefing on the Myanmar war, he only glanced at it and scoffed.

"Look at this Zhang Cheng, he's bullying the little kids again." Golden Hair said to the camera, as if chatting with the audience, "I heard he's fighting on both sides at the same time? Fighting those poor people in the mountains in the north, and the legitimate government of Myanmar in the south? This is not what a good boy should do."

He picked up his phone, skillfully opened Twitter, and started typing:

"Just saw the terrible situation in Myanmar! That guy named Zhang Cheng, a self-proclaimed warlord, is attacking both the ethnic minorities in Kachin State and the legitimate government of Myanmar! This is not a leader, this is a bully! Eagle Horn Country strongly condemns this behavior that undermines regional stability! If he doesn't stop, we will consider taking further measures! #MakeMyanmarPeacefulAgain"

Click send.

In just a few minutes, the likes and retweets of this tweet exceeded one hundred thousand.

He smiled triumphantly and said to the aide: "See that? This is influence. My tweet is more useful than sending an aircraft carrier battle group."

The aide said cautiously: "Mr. President, but we did send 'Blackwater' people there, and also provided 'Gray Eagle' drones..."

"So what?" He glared, "That's 'advisors'! It's helping the Myanmar government maintain sovereignty! Can it be the same as Zhang Cheng's provocative behavior?"

He stood up and straightened his tie: "Notify the Ministry of Defense to send another batch of 'javelin' missiles to General Min. I want to see Zhang Cheng's tanks turn into scrap metal!"

Naypyidaw, Myanmar Defense Forces General Headquarters.

General Min Aung Hlaing looked at the reconnaissance photos sent back from the front line, his brow furrowed.

In the photos, on the east bank of the Salween River, Zhang Cheng's troops were building fortifications.

Those fortifications looked extremely professional; bunkers, anti-tank trenches, minefields, and fire support points constituted a complete defense system.

What made him even more alarmed was that the reconnaissance plane also captured the locations of several suspected long-range rocket artillery positions—those launch tubes were frighteningly thick.

"When will the 'Gray Eagle' drones from the Eagle Horn people be in place?" Min Aung Hlaing asked the Chief of Staff beside him.

"Three have already arrived, but..." The Chief of Staff hesitated, "Zhang Cheng's troops have strong electronic warfare capabilities, and our drones were interfered with as soon as they took off, and the images transmitted back were intermittent."

Min Aung Hlaing's face was gloomy.

At this time, a communications officer hurried in: "General! Urgent telegram from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! The resolution we submitted to the United Nations General Assembly has received support from the US, UK, France, Japan, and other countries, and will be voted on at tomorrow's assembly! The topic is 'Condemning external forces' interference in Myanmar's internal affairs and support for illegal armed forces in Northern Myanmar'!"

"Good!" Min Aung Hlaing slapped the table, "Let's see how Longzhou protects him this time!"

He walked to the map and tapped his finger heavily on the east bank: "Order the 33rd, 66th, and 99th Divisions, according to the original plan, to forcibly cross the Salween River at 5:00 AM tomorrow! I want to give Zhang Cheng a final blow with a military victory while the United Nations assembly is voting!"

"What about the Blackwater mercenaries?"

"They have already infiltrated the east bank, preparing to destroy Zhang Cheng's command system and artillery positions."

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Min Aung Hlaing's eyes: "Tell the Eagle Horn people that as long as they can help us win this battle, we will prioritize opening Myanmar's mineral mining rights to them!"

Salween River east bank, forward command post.

Zhang Cheng stood before the observation window, looking at the dotted lights on the Myanmar Army's positions on the opposite bank.

Through the night vision goggles, the enemy's activities were clear at a glance.

Old K stood behind him, reporting in real-time: "On the northern front, the 'North Wind' cluster has arrived at the attack departure position. Division Commander Zhao Yuxun reports that Wu Lajue's main force of about three thousand men is gathered in the Banwa Mountain area, relying on caves and minefields for defense."

"On the southern front, the vanguard troops of the Myanmar Army's three divisions have arrived at the riverbank and are assembling river-crossing equipment. Electronic reconnaissance has detected a large amount of radio communication, and it is judged that the total attack time will be tomorrow morning."

Zhang Cheng nodded and suddenly asked: "What about the United Nations side?"