Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Inside the Prime Minister's Office, New Delhi.

At that moment, the air pressure inside the office was frighteningly low.

No one showed any joy on their faces; they were either filled with fear or were calculating with uncertain expressions.

After a moment, Nehru spoke up: "Gentlemen, can anyone tell me what's going on?"

"Just a few days ago, the situation was very good. How come Xishankou and Walong have been lost today?"

"And why hasn't a single brigade of our troops returned?!"

Nehru had all the champagne ready, just waiting to celebrate a successful counterattack, but now he's been dealt a heavy blow.

Seeing Nehru's bloodshot eyes, Menon stood up.

"According to reports from the front, the enemy has deployed a force of several thousand men behind Bomdila, and the frontal attack force consists of as many as 20 divisions."

"Nearly 200,000 enemy troops disregarded casualties and used human wave tactics to forcibly take over our positions."

"However, according to the telegrams I received, the enemy has also suffered heavy casualties. More than half of their divisions have retreated to the north of Xishankou due to casualties, and the number of troops continuing south is no more than 50,000."

That's why we say professional matters should be left to professionals.

Before becoming Minister of Defence, Menon served as a member of parliament, ambassador to the UK, and a member of the UN mission.

But he had never served in the military, not even as a private, let alone a platoon leader.

Menon was completely ignorant about military matters.

If Menon simply didn't understand military affairs at all, that would be one thing; he could still be the Minister of Defense. But he also committed a crime that civilian officials love to do: seizing power from military officers.

Army Chief of Staff Sanhuja had long since been squeezed out of all his power.

Moreover, due to the nationwide mobilization, Sanhuja is not currently in New Delhi.

This led to an awkward situation: Menon couldn't distinguish between true and false reports from the front lines.

Even if he had only served as a platoon leader and been to the front lines, he would know that with the conditions of the Himalayas, even a god couldn't deploy 20 divisions.

As things stand, two divisions on each side are already the limit.

However, Menon is not an officer, and in fact, the entire Ministry of Defense does not have a single proper military officer.

Therefore, they came to a conclusion.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, although the Chinese army has suffered nearly 100,000 casualties, our forces have also been exhausted."

"Now, in addition to the 50,000 troops on the eastern front, they also have several divisions on the western and central fronts, bringing their total strength to over 100,000, and they also possess a large number of tanks and artillery."

"The Chinese army will definitely launch a major offensive against India next, and we must come up with a countermeasure immediately."

After hearing the report, Nehru turned pale.

He had prepared himself mentally, but he hadn't expected the situation to change so rapidly.

With just this one battle, India's northern defenses have completely collapsed.

Before the war, the Indian Army had a total of 8 full-strength divisions and 1 newly recruited provisional division, as well as some independent battalions and brigades.

However, the provisional divisions and independent units were weak in combat and had virtually no heavy weapons, making them unable to undertake tasks on the front lines.

Of the remaining eight main infantry divisions, the strongest, the 4th Division, has been completely annihilated, and two other divisions have been destroyed. Only five divisions remain with combat capability.

However, of these five divisions, three are on the western border of Pakistan and two are on the eastern border of Pakistan.

Apart from these divisions, there are only a few scattered troops stationed along the borders with Nepal, Myanmar, and other countries.

The border area between East Pakistan, West Pakistan, and India is almost entirely flat, making it impossible to spare any of these five divisions.

Moreover, even if they were to be mobilized at all costs, given India's current transport capacity, they wouldn't have enough time to return to defend the area.

New Delhi is now essentially wide open.

According to Nehru's estimate, whether from Kashmir or the six northeastern states, if the central army were to march using mechanized methods, it could reach New Delhi in two or three days at most.

After a moment's thought, Nehru asked, "When does the Ministry of Defense predict the enemy will invade our territory?"

According to intelligence from the front lines, the Chinese army has halted its advance, but Nehru does not believe that the Chinese army will remain stationary indefinitely.

“It shouldn’t be very long,” Menon explained.

"On the western front, the central army has been continuously building roads, and they may soon be able to reach Lehcheng."

"In the eastern region, the Chinese army has also completed the road from Tsona to Tawang. In a month at most, the Chinese army will be able to build the road from Tawang to the West Pass, and there is an existing road from the West Pass to Assam."

Menon's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

No matter how you look at it now, it seems like India is finished.

The central army has captured Eagle's Nest Pass, and the Assam Plain is just six or seven kilometers to the south.

Once you enter the Assam Plain, it's flat as a pancake, and India has no natural defenses left.

"So, they'll arrive in New Delhi within a month?" Nehru's already dark face darkened even more.

“I’m afraid so,” Menon said, somewhat dejectedly.

"The nobles and wealthy merchants of Tezpur are now withdrawing, and the entire Assam Plain is already in a state of collapse."

Tezpur is the most important transportation hub in the six northeastern states of India. If Tezpur is occupied, the area east of the Karmen River will be isolated.

The already unstable northeastern states are now seeing a number of ambitious individuals taking action.

Rumors are rampant throughout northern India.

"Are you just going to stand by and watch? Don't you know how to do something?!" Nehru roared.

The chaos in the Assam plains is not the biggest problem right now; the biggest problem is what to do with the Ganges Plain.

Without the Ganges, would India still be India?
Menon quickly explained, "I have already ordered the scorched earth policy to be implemented. The gold in the banks of the northeastern states has been airlifted to New Delhi, all the banknotes have been burned, and key nodes and factories have been urgently arranged for demolition."

"According to the latest report, several important mines and steel mills have been destroyed, and the enemy will not be able to obtain any resources even if they invade Assam."

"What about New Delhi? I'm asking what to do about New Delhi?!" Nehru slammed his fist on the table and roared.

Nehru didn't care about the mines and steel mills at all; he only cared about his capital.

Menon was speechless.

Let alone New Delhi, if the 10 troops of the Chinese army were to march south, they could absolutely sweep across the entire India.

But Menon dared not simply run away.

However, he gave a wink to the side.

Foreign Minister Ladakh spoke up, "Sir, I have made urgent contact with the US and the Soviet Union. Although they did not give definite support, they will not stand idly by and watch China occupy India."

"We only need to maintain the government's presence to gain the support of the international community."

South Asia occupies a crucial position, extending westward to the Middle East and eastward to Southeast Asia, making it one of the world's most important shipping routes.

Neither the United States nor the Soviet Union would allow China to control this area.

Nehru immediately perked up. "You mean?"

"The central government will withdraw to Mumbai and return to New Delhi after the war ends."

Hearing Ladakh's words, Nehru felt like his head was about to explode. Delhi has a very long history, having served as the capital of seven dynasties. New Delhi and Delhi are separated by only one gate, essentially the old city and the new city, so it wasn't a problem.

But giving up New Delhi for Mumbai would be a big problem.

Having been forced to abandon the capital and flee, Nehru's name will likely be spat on by all Indians.

"We absolutely cannot retreat!" Nehru suddenly stood up.

"We have been invaded! We must immediately appeal for international intervention!"

"We must call on all Indians to defend their homeland, and everyone must fight to the very end!"

Seeing Nehru struggling to stay upright, everyone was at a loss for words.

India has only been truly independent for 15 years, so changing masters isn't a big deal.

Moreover, whether they stick their necks out or not, they'll still get stabbed.

Seeing the various expressions on the faces of the crowd, Nehru said nothing more.

He already had a plan in mind.

India has its own way of resisting!

While rumors were rampant and chaos reigned throughout New Delhi and the northern states, the central army officially announced a ceasefire and withdrawal of troops.

The Chinese army not only released all the Indian prisoners of war, but also returned all the Indian supplies to them.

In this counterattack, all the troops captured a lot of Indian army supplies.

However, these captured weapons were two generations behind, and nobody wanted to use them.

Even if they were brought back to China, those arms factories wouldn't bother with them and wouldn't bother to study them.

As for the food that was seized, no one dared to eat it.

Non-combat casualties caused by food shortages are even more severe than combat casualties.

The Silings have given an order that no one is allowed to eat it, not even a single lick.

The captured supplies were a complete burden to the various units.

Therefore, after receiving the order, all departments breathed a sigh of relief.

Without orders, they had to take these spoils, no matter how worthless they were.

Nobody wants to carry this garbage over mountains and valleys.

The more than 4,000 Indian soldiers who had been captured regained their curry rice and bolt-action rifles.

However, an accident occurred when the prisoners were released.

A large number of Indian soldiers are unwilling to leave and insist on staying in China.

Although they were only captured for a few days, these Indian Dalits felt that being a prisoner was far better than being an Indian soldier.

In China, although they were prisoners of war, they were still considered human beings; in India, however, they were not even considered human beings.

In response to the earnest expectations of these Indian prisoners of war, the Chinese army chose to repatriate them.

Sending these guys away is much more difficult and slower than capturing them.

Upon receiving news of the Chinese army's withdrawal, Nehru and other high-ranking Indian officials could hardly believe their ears.

Throughout world history, there has never been a case of an army withdrawing after winning a battle.

Nehru had already planned to lead all of India to a point of complete subjugation and financial ruin of China.

That's how India forced Britain to grant them independence.

When they did it again, they were completely adept at it.

However, the actions of the central army have caused Nehru to miscalculate somewhat.

Upon realizing what was happening, Nehru urgently ordered, "Pass on my order to immediately dispatch an air force to conduct a thorough reconnaissance."

A few hours later, looking at the intelligence that had been confirmed to be accurate, Nehru was somewhat incredulous.

play for real?
India is the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Does China not want this jewel?
"Absolutely true!" Menon exclaimed with delight.

"Our brave soldiers repelled the Chinese army and successfully thwarted their invasion!"

"A resounding victory! This is a resounding victory!"

The battle lines don't lie; the fact that the Chinese army didn't enter India speaks volumes about the victory.

Nehru's lips twitched, as if he wanted to smile, but inside he felt like he had swallowed a fly.

The other side attacked and left, treating India as nothing. This is more painful than killing him.

When has the great nation of India ever suffered such an insult?
However, India desperately needs this victory right now.

Nehru had no choice but to swallow this fly.

"Menon, contact all newspapers immediately and publish this news of victory."

"Let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organize a victory propaganda team to go to Britain, the United States, Soviet Russia, and all countries to publicize our victories and achievements."

"In addition, a notice was issued that, in order to celebrate the great victory of our army, today will be designated as Victory Day, with a 10-day national holiday and celebratory activities."

"yes!".
Indian newspapers published extensive reports of the Indian army's crushing of the enemy's invasion and its major victory.

To prove the authenticity of this victory, the newspapers even published the names of hundreds of central army commanders.

Song Jiang, Wu Yong, Lu Junyi, Lu Zhishen, and Wu Song.
However, although the whole of India is celebrating, the top leadership is actually very tense, with a constant stream of meetings.

Although the Chinese army withdrew, this battle has revealed a major vulnerability in India's defense capabilities.

The Dongba and Xiba are already showing signs of restlessness.

Moreover, although the Chinese army has retreated, the Indian army still has to be prepared.

India can no longer continue as before, maintaining only a small portion of its military forces and devoting the majority of its fiscal revenue to economic development.

They need to build a large army to confront China in order to feel secure.

India was forced to plunge headlong into the quagmire of the Himalayas, embarking on a massive increase in troops and a frenzy of equipment purchases.

The formidable supply lines provided by the long Himalayas, along with the massive amount of frontline infrastructure construction, have long accounted for the bulk of the Indian military's defense spending.

As a major maritime power, India, which should have focused its efforts on developing its navy and air force, has had to concentrate its main efforts on developing its army.

As a result, a large interest group has even formed along India's northern border.

However, the Himalayas are like a curse that India cannot escape, completely locking up any possibility of India's rise.

India is not without intelligent people; they know that what they are doing is wrong, but once they are swept up in nationalist sentiments, they are powerless to do anything.

On May 27, 1964, Nehru, whose spirit had been broken, died in depression two years later.

Driven by strong nationalist sentiments and hegemonic ideology, India continues its relentless struggle over the Himalayas.

The counterattack against India has ended. I'm taking two days off to work out the outline for the war against Vietnam. (End of this chapter)