Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

In 1947, India successfully gained independence through a strategy of non-violent non-cooperation.

Subsequently, India, as a British colony, demanded to inherit all of Britain's interests in South Asia, especially the area south of the McMahon Line occupied by British colonists.

However, newly independent India clearly lacks the capability to truly occupy the McMahon Line and maintain actual military strength.

With the founding of the People's Republic of China, India's only window of opportunity for negotiations with the Kagyu Party was completely lost.

Indian Prime Minister Nehru did not seek other solutions, but instead became completely obsessed with the McMahon Line.

This is also closely related to India's military development strategy.

The Ganges Plain in northern India is densely populated and economically developed, and is India's most important strategic focus.

Without a strong defense in the north, India's most central position would be seriously threatened.

Therefore, after gaining a certain level of strength, India began to advance in an all-round way.

August 1958, New Delhi, Prime Minister's Office.

"Mr. Prime Minister, the 114th Brigade reports that a 15-man patrol of our army has gone missing. Should we notify China and ask them for an explanation?"

Upon hearing Defense Minister Menon's words, Nehru countered with, "How do you think we should send a diplomatic note?"

“Of course, uh.” Menon suddenly stopped.

It seems like there's really no way to cause trouble in this matter.

The Indian army has always claimed that it is operating on its own territory, so the disappearance of the patrol team has nothing to do with China, and there is no reason to question it.

If you're going to question them, you have to admit first that they crossed the border.

"That's fine then," Nehru waved his hand.

For India, it would be most advantageous if nothing had happened.

"The intelligence agencies have discovered some anomalies on the plateau. Now we just need to continue to advance our forward policy."

"Keep pushing forward, but how do we resolve the nuclear issue?" Menon asked.

"Don't worry too much," Nehru reassured him. "We have the support of the Soviet Union and the United States; they wouldn't dare, and they can't stand firm on the international stage."

“That makes sense,” Menon nodded.

The international community has long reached a consensus on the issue of nuclear weapons, and a system of checks and balances has been established.

No matter which country it is, it is not so easy to use.

The US suffered such a crushing defeat in North Korea, yet they still dared not use it. Even if India were to actually clash with China and inflict a severe blow on China, they certainly wouldn't dare use it.

In this way, nothing can stop India's advance plans.

After another ten minutes or so of discussion, Menon left Nehru's office.

Sitting in his chair, Nehru looked north.

Due to the environment, Nehru could only see a gray haze.

But he knew that it was the Himalayas, and India needed to get its hands on it if it wanted security.

Driven by Nehru, the Indian army is advancing along the entire front.

On the western front in the Aksai Chin direction, Indian troops have established forward outposts in the Kiam Hot Spring area and have begun to gradually encroach northward.

On October 20, 1959, Indian Army Company Commander Kalam, as usual, dispatched a patrol of three Indian soldiers to cross the border northeastward from Kongka Pass for reconnaissance.

The three people walked along the mountain road for more than two hours. When they climbed to the top of a hill, they suddenly saw a winding road stretching into the distance.

"How come there's a highway here?" a short, stout Indian soldier asked in surprise.

The tall, thin soldier standing nearby said, "I heard Captain Kalam say that the Chinese built a highway in this area called the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway, and it's very likely this one."

"Xinjiang-Tibet? How could it be so fast?" The short, stout soldier was somewhat incredulous.

Several years ago, New Delhi formulated a forward plan, but even though road construction was the top priority of the plan, the construction progress was still very difficult and slow.

The Himalayas are the boundary where the Indian Ocean Plate and the Eurasian Plate collide, and the area is uplifting at a rate of about 5 centimeters per year.

In addition to the harsh climate, the area is also prone to earthquakes due to tectonic plate collisions.

There are several earthquakes every day, making it impossible for roads to exist for long.

Even if the road is repaired, it can only be used for two or three months each year, and it must be repaired again the following year before it can be used.

Even now, India's roads have not been built to the front lines, and supplies to forward outposts still rely on mule and horse transport.

How could China build a highway in such a short time that even India, the world's third-largest economy, couldn't? And it's a highway connecting Xinjiang and Tibet!
"I'm not sure either, let's take another look." The tall, thin soldier was also unsure, so he took out his binoculars to observe.

Just then, several patrolling soldiers suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

From a great distance, Indian soldiers could hear the other side telling them to withdraw from the border.

Despite the demand to withdraw from the border, the Indian soldiers remained unmoved and continued to observe the situation on the distant road.

The border guards were furious when they saw this.

They had seen the three Indian soldiers wearing red turbans a long time ago, but they were too far away to hear them when they shouted.

I can't believe they're still acting like they can't hear me even now that we're so close.

"Damn it, how dare they be so arrogant after illegally crossing the border? Let's go and beat that bastard up!"

With a wave of the squad leader's hand, the soldiers immediately split into three groups and began to move.

One force launched a frontal assault, while two others flanked and encircled the enemy.

It was only at this point that the Indian soldiers finally realized the danger.

Although they felt that the Indian army was incredibly powerful, it had now penetrated deep into Chinese territory, and without reinforcements, a prolonged battle would be disadvantageous.

"Retreat!" said the tall, thin Indian soldier. "Do not fire unless absolutely necessary."

The soldiers also saw the Indian soldiers' actions and knew their intentions.

However, it's already too late to leave now.

Just a few minutes later, the three Indian soldiers were disarmed and escorted back to the Chinese camp with bruises and swelling on their faces.

Subsequently, the patrol platoon sent a messenger to the company headquarters.

The decision on how to deal with these three Indian soldiers rests with their superiors.

As evening fell, Kalam paced anxiously back and forth inside the Indian army's forward position.

The deputy company commander, observing Kalam's expression, spoke up:
"Captain, three soldiers set off at 6 a.m. this morning. According to regulations, they should have returned to their unit before noon, but it's already 5 p.m. and they still haven't come back. We need to find out their whereabouts as soon as possible."

Kalam stopped circling around: "You're right, we can't wait any longer."

“This operation was ordered by New Delhi. We must find out the situation immediately and report to New Delhi.”

"I have a feeling this is very likely a major issue concerning the border!"

Kalam's expression was not good.

Soon, another Indian Army patrol team set off.

As night fell, a fierce wind began to blow through the valley.

The patrol headed north, calling out the names of the three men as they searched.

They shouted for hours until their voices were hoarse, but apart from the howling wind in the valley and the occasional echo, there was nothing else. The Indian platoon leader glanced at his watch and then shouted, "Halt!"

Hearing the squad leader's shout, the Indian soldiers who had been scattered gathered together again.

"When we set off, Captain Karam gave us orders that if we couldn't find the three of them, we had to return to camp by 11 p.m.

"It's already 10 p.m., what are your thoughts?"

The soldiers standing nearby had actually wanted to go back a long time ago; the nights in the Himalayas were freezing cold.

Therefore, one soldier immediately suggested, "We've walked for so long and gone quite a distance; it's unlikely that the missing soldier went that far."

The other soldiers echoed, "This is a sensitive area. We should retreat quickly to avoid causing unnecessary trouble."

Upon hearing the desired outcome, the squad leader immediately led his team to retreat.

Upon learning that the patrol had found nothing, Kalam did not sleep all night.

At dawn, Kalam summoned all the officers in the camp for a meeting.

"Three soldiers did not return overnight, this incident is very serious."

“I thought about it all night and came up with two possibilities.” Kalam held up two fingers: “They either got lost or they were arrested by the Chinese.”

“Captain, the possibility of them getting lost is very small,” the deputy company commander analyzed. “Even if they really did get lost, there would be gunshots or other sounds coming from them. It’s impossible for the search team to not hear anything at all.”

“That’s right, that’s what I think too.” Kalam nodded and said with certainty, “They must have been arrested by the Chinese.”

"I plan to immediately send troops north to rescue them."

Kalam's decision was passed unanimously, and no one raised any objections.

Soon, Kalam personally led a force of more than seventy men and set off.

The Indian army, fully armed, is accelerating its advance northeastward and is prepared to engage in combat with the Chinese army at any time.

Around noon, soldiers at the outpost atop Mount Shengli discovered something unusual.

"Squad leader! Something's happened!"

Upon hearing the shouts, squad leader Wu Zhenguo quickly climbed to the top of the outpost.

As soon as he came up, Wu Zhenguo saw people coming from the south in the distance.

When Wu Zhenguo looked through the binoculars, he was stunned.

He then saw an Indian army captain come into view, and the man was moving up and down.

"Damn, what kind of mobility is this? Riding a horse?"

Wu Zhenguo said he had never seen anything like this before, and it didn't seem like it at all, whether on foot or on horseback.

It wasn't until a few minutes later, when the Indian troops had climbed over the hill, that Wu Zhenguo could see clearly that the Indian captain was sitting on a bamboo cart, being carried by four Indian soldiers, which was why he was swaying up and down.

The Indian soldiers following beside the bamboo cart were carrying a tray with wine bottles and glasses on it.

Wu Zhenguo racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what was going on.

At this moment, the Indian troops who had climbed up the hill also discovered the outpost.

Karam slowly disembarked from the bamboo cart and picked up his binoculars to look around for a while.

"Judging from the size of the outpost, the opposite side should be a squad. A squad in the central army usually consists of 9-11 people, so the opposite side should be an reinforced squad of 11 people."

"70 to 11, we have an absolute advantage!"

According to the Indian army's thinking, as the eldest son of Great Britain, they were considered a great power, and one Indian soldier could easily defeat several Chinese soldiers.

Even if the Chinese army occupies the high ground and has simple fortifications, the Indian army will surely win in the face of overwhelming troop strength and combat power.

Putting away his binoculars, Kalam confidently gave the order: "The first platoon will infiltrate from behind the ridge and surround the central outpost."

"Hmph, I'm going to capture these Chinese soldiers alive and show China what India is all about!"

Looking at the red headscarves that appeared and disappeared in the valley in the distance, Wu Zhenguo immediately figured out the Indian army's plan.

"A flanking maneuver, damn it, is the Indian army planning to attack?"

The Indian troops are not far away and are well within their strike range. Wu Zhenguo wants to take action against the Indian troops, but he has orders not to fire the first shot. Therefore, Wu Zhenguo chooses to issue a warning first.

While instructing the soldiers to prepare, Wu Zhenguo picked up the tin megaphone.

Karam, who was directing his troops' frontal deployment from a distant hilltop, heard the shout and laughed disdainfully.

"Naive! At a time like this, you're still telling us to stay calm and not act impulsively?"

"If I wanted to retreat, I wouldn't have brought my troops here!"

"Pass on my order! All troops advance! Capture the central commander alive!"

Wu Zhenguo's words gave Kalam more confidence; he believed they were a bunch of easy targets who could be manipulated at will.

Seeing that the Indian soldiers ignored his shouts, Wu Zhenguo realized that a conflict was probably unavoidable.

The soldiers were fully prepared for battle.

Because Wu Zhenguo only made verbal warnings and did not order the firing of any shots, the Indian troops did not fire, but instead continued to tighten the encirclement.

50 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters.
When he learned that the Indian troops had come within 10 meters, Wu Zhenguo fired a warning shot into the air.

If that sound were a switch, the Indian army would immediately begin concentrated fire.

Several Bren light machine guns and dozens of Lee-Enfield rifles kept firing at the outpost.

"The enemy has opened fire! Counterattack! Counterattack!"

"Concentrate firepower to suppress the enemy on the right flank and create a breakthrough!"

The soldiers in the outpost immediately turned their fire on the Indian troops who were sneaking up from the right.

The firepower of light machine guns and submachine guns, along with the fragmentation grenades fired from rocket launchers and the grenades thrown, tore a gap in the Indian army's encirclement almost instantly.

"Deputy squad leader! Take your assault team and rocket launcher team to flank the enemy from the rear. I'll take charge of the frontal attack."

"Yes!"

The deputy squad leader waved his hand and led the two groups out.

After breaking through the encirclement, the soldiers ignored the Indian troops who were nearby and instead quickly made a large outflanking maneuver to the south, preparing to attack the enemy from the rear.

Although the number of people in the outpost was reduced by half, the intensity of the resistance was not reduced much, and the Indian troops were still being beaten so badly that they could not raise their heads.

Kalam looked at the outpost, which resembled a hedgehog, and listened to the bullets whizzing past his ears. He knew he had met his match.

"Retreat! Retreat 50 meters, find cover, and then fire!"

The two sides are now too close, and the Indian army has no cover at all. Moreover, the close proximity makes the threat of grenades too great.

At this point, Karam should have chosen to charge in melee combat, but clearly he didn't dare.

Or rather, even if the order to charge was given, no one dared to charge.

Under Kalam's leadership, the Indian troops found several small mounds to hide in.

(End of this chapter)