A doctor who travels through two eras

When Zhao Pingzhi arrived in Xi'an, it was already midnight.

No matter how influential he is, there are procedures to follow when allocating a military aircraft and applying for a flight route; it's not something you can just do on a whim.

He Chenggong and Huang Jinpeng did not leave; they stayed with Lin Sanqi, chatting about this and that.

Lin Sanqi didn't know much about the war between the Tibetan Plateau and Baotou State in the 1960s, while He Chenggong and Huang Jinpeng were big shots in the military industry system and had a certain level of authority, so they should know more inside information.

That war was decades ago, and everything that needed to be declassified has been declassified, so Lin Sanqi wanted to ask about a big question that had been bothering him.

Perhaps it will be helpful for that self-defense counterattack in another time and space.

"Chairman He, Chairman Huang, there's something I really don't understand: back then, we clearly had the military advantage and were driving the Baotou Kingdom into a series of defeats. They were so scared that they almost thought we were going to attack their capital."

Given our overwhelming advantage, why didn't we capitalize on it and crush the enemy? Instead, we withdrew our troops later on? This is a question that I find utterly perplexing.

Huang Jinpeng smiled and asked in return:
"Do you think we're being a bit weak?"

Lin Sanqi nodded and readily admitted:

"I do have that feeling. Although I know that war was very difficult, we could not retreat no matter how difficult it was."

Huang Jinpeng smiled, asked his secretary to fetch a map, and then explained:
"Actually, our retreat back then was something we had no choice but to do. Mr. Lin, you may not be able to see anything from this map because it is a flat map and you can't see the terrain."

But you should know that this is part of the Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world.

Especially Motuo, you know it, right? It was once known as "the only county in the country without a road". It took us decades to build a road to this county.

Before the road was built, all supplies and necessities in Medog could only be transported by horse, like the ancient caravans, a process fraught with hardship and challenges.

Crossing high mountains, trekking through streams, climbing ladders, sliding on ziplines, and crossing single-plank bridges, each round trip takes about 20 days. The intensity of the labor and the treacherousness of the roads are unimaginable.

Mr. Lin, you may not have been there, but I went there myself back then. Where are the roads in Motuo? There aren't even any narrow paths. You just climb up and down mountains, it's like a primeval forest.

The horse I was riding back then fell off a cliff and died. If it weren't for a young soldier who bravely grabbed me, I probably would be a martyr now and would never come back.

If it were just the treacherous roads, that would be one thing, but in Medog County, heavy snow blocks the mountains for nine months straight during winter. There are only 12 months in a year, and for most of that time, it's impossible to get in.

Chairman Lin, think about it, if the road is impassable for nine months and no support can be provided, how can we effectively manage this place?

Lin Sanqi knows the famous name of Motuo, which is also a favorite outdoor travel destination for young literary and artistic people.

The Zhamo Highway opened to traffic in 2015. Tourists can simply take an off-road vehicle to get there. The entire route is through tunnels, so there is no need to cross those mountains with an altitude of over 5,000 meters, and there is no threat of death.

"Chairman Huang, what do you mean by 'Motuo'?"

Huang Jinpeng pointed to the map and said:
"The reason I brought up Medog is because the eastern front you mentioned, which is the southern region, is actually south of Medog. Or rather, a large part of the southern region occupied by the Baotou State actually belongs to Medog."

He Chenggong then explained:
"Let's put aside history for now, and let's not talk about the Simla Treaty or the McMahon Line. We could talk about those for three days and three nights. Let's just explain why we took the initiative to withdraw back then."

The reason lies in the Himalayas. In fact, the southern region and the mainland of our motherland are blocked by the Himalayas.

Given the conditions of the 9s, a nine-month closure of the mountain would have made it impossible to cross this formidable barrier.

Our army's combat effectiveness is absolutely not a problem; it can fight wherever it is directed. The problem is, now that we have occupied the southern region, can we hold it?

You should know that south of the southern region lies the Assam Plain of the Baotou Kingdom. At this time, they had the advantage of "favorable timing and geographical location." If they wanted to attack the southern region, there would be no obstacles at all.

Our southern region is like an isolated island. Without the support of supplies from the homeland, our soldiers are left here to face the frenzied attacks of the entire Baotou Kingdom alone, and we cannot hold it.

Therefore, rather than sacrificing ourselves in vain, it would be better to retreat to the strategic high ground and stop the Baotou Kingdom's northward invasion. At the same time, we should concentrate our forces and do our best to win the western front, namely the Kongka Mountain region.” Lin Sanqi understood. It turned out that the southern region was simply undefendable at the time, mainly because the nine-month closure of the mountains had cut off all support.

If we leave a unit there, the end result will definitely be a pointless sacrifice, which would be a huge waste.

Therefore, Lin Sanqi could understand the retreat back then.

Seeing Lin Sanqi remain silent, Huang Jinpeng assumed he was still resentful and didn't understand, so he pointed to the map and explained:
"Chairman Lin, look at the map, isn't there a protruding area?"

Lin Sanqi took a look and it was indeed true. The protruding part was very abrupt, and even a layman like Lin Sanqi could see that something was wrong.

"Where is this? This protrusion is great; its strategic location is extremely important."

Huang Jinpeng and He Chenggong both laughed upon hearing this, and Huang Jinpeng continued to explain:
"This place is called the Adam Region, and it's one of our counties."

Chairman Lin, you've probably noticed that Baotou State is actually divided into two parts, east and west, connected by a narrow corridor called the Siliguri Corridor.

This corridor is the only land passage connecting mainland India with the northeast, and at its narrowest point it is only 20 kilometers wide, making it considered India's "lifeline".

Our Adam region is like a nail embedded in South Asia, firmly nailed there.

Moreover, our Adam County is only about 80 kilometers away from the Siliguri Corridor. When that happens, we only need to send troops and we can occupy the Siliguri Corridor in one hour, completely cutting off Baotou State from east to west. Then it will be difficult for Baotou State to provide support.

At that time, we can concentrate our forces and easily take over the eastern part of Baotou. Given the difference in national and military strength between us and Baotou, it will be effortless. Therefore, the fate of Baotou is actually in our hands.

Lin Sanqi felt relieved upon hearing this:

"That's right. Even if the southern region is in the hands of Baotou Kingdom, it's only temporary. If they really provoke us, they'll take over the entire eastern region of Baotou Kingdom."

The people in the room chuckled softly.

He Chenggong also added:
"Actually, the strategic location of this area is not as important as we imagine. There are no oil, gas or rare earth resources underground. All we have are a bunch of dirty Baotou people, so there is not enough motivation to occupy it."

Lin Sanqi looked at the map and said worriedly:

"What if Baotou goes crazy? They call themselves the little tyrants of South Asia. They're usually a bit mentally unstable, otherwise they wouldn't have done so many bizarre things, like standing so many people on the roof of a train and not even letting a lizard go."

If they skip the Siliguri Corridor and instead cross the border directly from Bangladesh, we'll be in trouble. After all, they have the home-field advantage.

He Chenggong casually pointed to the west side of the map:

"Chairman Lin, don't forget that we also have the western front. We have an absolute strategic advantage here."

Now we have the Kongka Mountains in our hands, giving us a commanding view. Just a few hundred kilometers ahead lies Delhi, their core city.

Modern warfare involves aircraft and missiles; it wouldn't take more than a few minutes to launch one from here to Delhi.

Even if we adopt the tactics of World War II and send the army to charge, the mechanized forces can arrive in less than a day. So do you think Baotou will dare to make a move?

Lin Sanqi clapped his hands:

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! This shows that after years of strategic planning, we have actually completely surrounded Baotou State. When we do move, it will be a thunderous strike."

Thinking of this, Lin Sanqi looked at the high ground on the western front of the map.

This is another timeline, the place where Commander Xu Tianxing was stationed. It really was that important. No wonder we were willing to abandon the eastern front to defend the western front to the death; our commanders back then certainly had foresight. (End of Chapter)