The situation had escalated beyond what the Nation of Ox (Niu Guo) had anticipated. The sudden offensive by the People's Liberation Army had completely disrupted their negotiation blueprint. Nevertheless, President Haram had specifically instructed them to engage in a localized, small-scale war to demonstrate that the Nation of Ox's military strength was no longer what it once was, emphasizing strictly that the conflict must not be allowed to escalate. Although the Nation of Ox was not the originator of today's incident, the Sino-Indian border war of the 1960s was entirely ignited by them; if one were to investigate thoroughly, the current actions could be framed as a righteous reclaiming of lost territory.

Although both nations possessed nuclear capabilities, at this moment, the Nation of Ox's nuclear arsenal had become little more than decoration. It was fine if they did not use it, but if they initiated a nuclear strike, they would likely face a devastating counter-attack.

The infantry battalion deployed at Outpost 107 belonged to a subordinate unit of the 016 Mountain Division. They were exceptionally well-equipped. While the Sino-Indian border had enjoyed relative peace in recent years, minor skirmishes provided occasional opportunities for training. Thus, upon receiving orders, their response was swift. The anti-tank rocket company quickly encircled the fifty armored tanks that had breached the camp perimeter.

Anti-tank armor-piercing rounds streaked out, one after another. According to design specifications, no matter how thick the tank armor was, it could not withstand these projectiles. These were enhanced armor-piercing rounds procured by the Nation of Ox after the Battle of Xijin. Although they had not been tested against the heavy armor of the Great Dragon Country’s (Da Long Guo) Red Dragon tanks, they were considered more than capable of dealing with the Great Dragon Country’s main battle tanks. However, what they failed to realize was that while the Dragon Country border defense force's tanks retained the external appearance of the old Type 98, their armor, drive systems, and weaponry had been entirely—

Deputy Minister of Defense, Ranjeet Gh, and his entourage had retreated to a brigade headquarters located nearest to the infantry battalion. This location was already in the outskirts of Kaze Ka County. They waited with bated breath for the good news of the Dragon Country’s defeat. Outpost 107 was situated within a pass in the Himalayas. Aside from the small peak where the outpost stood, the surrounding terrain was remarkably flat, with valleys stretching down towards the Southern Tibet region. The Nation of Ox had previously anticipated that the Dragon Country forces would use this pass for their armored advance, hence they had secretly deployed a vast quantity of anti-tank munitions, which were finally proving useful today.

When the communications runner burst in, Ranjeet Gh smiled at the assembled group. "Look, good news is arriving! The Dragon Country people are overestimating themselves, thinking they can control everything as the Red Dragon. This time, we’ll deliver a stinging blow to that young upstart, and see if he dares to remain so arrogant."

"Report! The front line reports that the anti-tank armor-piercing rounds are unable to penetrate the Type 98 tanks. They are charging towards the Brigade HQ! They are less than 30 kilometers away!"

"What? Impossible!" Ranjeet Gh roared. "Didn't the weapons evaluation experts confirm that our deployed anti-tank rounds were sufficient to handle the Dragon Country’s armored forces? If that’s the case, then use short-range missiles against them!"

The runner swiftly departed to relay the orders. Mo Xint, Deputy Commander of the Nation of Ox’s Eastern Military Region, remarked, "It is rumored that the Dragon Country maintains close ties with the arms dealers. Could they have procured the Red Dragon’s heavy armored tanks and merely disguised them as Type 98s to mislead us?"

Councilman Dillon Raya interjected, "Whether it is or not, we must retreat quickly. While treaties usually forbid the capture of envoys during wartime, it would be humiliating if they captured us. Moreover, bullets have no eyes; if we lose our lives over this, it simply won't be worth it."

Just then, another communications runner entered, reporting on the frontline situation. "The Dragon Country deployed ten armed helicopters immediately following their tank advance. All our short-range missile attacks have been intercepted by them. They will reach the brigade headquarters via the pass in less than an hour."

Deputy Minister of Justice, Patel Khan, conceded, "Let's withdraw. Since they aimed to garrison Kaze Ka, we’ll let them have it for now. In any case, the Cabinet meeting has already decided that if necessary, we can allow the Dragon Country side to gain a small advantage."

Counterattacking effectively in such a short time seemed unrealistic for the Nation of Ox. Ranjeet Gh waved his hand dismissively. "Let’s go. Head to the next barracks and report to the President: the Dragon Country army is equipped with new weaponry, and we cannot withstand their advance."

By dawn, we were already sitting in Kaze Ka County, taking in the scenery. As for the Ox citizens within the county, no evacuation had yet been ordered; that plan would await a finalized border agreement between the two nations. However, to prevent any potential sabotage from behind the lines, large contingents of troops were dispatched to maintain order in the county seat. The Nation of Ox negotiation delegation sent another invitation; our secondary meeting was scheduled for this morning in a small village outside Kaze Ka County.

Upon meeting, the Nation of Ox Defense Minister Ranjeet Gh entirely ignored the previous night’s battle, instead stating, "To demonstrate our sincerity toward these talks, our Kaze Ka garrison voluntarily withdrew fifty kilometers last night. I sincerely hope Vice Commander Zhao will treat today’s peace talks with due seriousness and not disappoint the goodwill shown by our nation."

Regarding Ranjeet Gh’s audacious claims, I retorted, "Actually, I oppose your concession, because if there is no fighting, I won’t get promoted. Look how young I am; what a pity it would be if I never reach the rank of General in the future. Have you considered the triangular patch of land I mentioned yesterday?"

Deputy Minister of Justice Patel Khan burst out, "You are pushing us too far! We have already made a voluntary concession; what more do you want?"

I decided not to offer them any more pleasantries and stood up abruptly to refute him: "What more? You are the ones pushing too far! Back then, we had won the war but did not claim the rights of the victor. You lost the war but gained everything the victor was entitled to. Our benevolence was not met with your sincerity; instead, you have continuously pressed against the Great Dragon Country—encroaching on Xijin, Butan, and Nepal, all swallowed by you. Do you think we are unaware of your true objective? You covet all of our Tibet!"

Ranjeet Gh interjected, "Please, both sides must calm down. Let us put past events aside for now. We wish to know your country's bottom line regarding the border. If you demand all the land in our entire Eastern Region, that is completely impossible; such thinking is blatant aggression."

I countered, "Then what is your bottom line? Since the assessment hasn't entered the practical phase yet, I didn't bring Taozi along."

Ranjeet Gh stated, "Our side is willing to use the McMahon Line as a baseline, making appropriate concessions, to sign a border treaty with your country. We hope to forge a century of lasting peace and harmony."

It was a pity the British McMahon didn't live to see this day; otherwise, I would make him regret drawing that line. I said, "I understand your nation's intentions perfectly. There is no need to continue talking; let's each return to our camps. We will proceed with the plan decided in yesterday's meeting: you deploy forces along the McMahon Line, and we will go to New Delhi to see the Taj Mahal."

"Silence!" Deputy Commander Mo Xint of the Eastern Military Region shouted, "Don't try to scare us Ox people with war! Your Great Dragon Country absolutely dares not fight us on the Roof of the World! Why did you retreat back then? Wasn't it because you couldn't maintain normal supply lines for your army? We have an enormous network of roads and railways in Arunachal Pradesh. Do you think you can win against us by relying on human porters, pack animals, and manual labor for logistics? Perhaps that worked before, but not now. The southern foothills of the Himalayas belong to us!"

Resolving the Sino-Indian border issue through talks was fundamentally unrealistic. The Nation of Ox had already reaped all the benefits and did not fear dragging the matter into the twenty-second century. They believed that the Great Dragon Country government, hindered by the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, would never dare to launch a full-scale war easily. Even if the Dragon Country army gained the upper hand initially, as the front line expanded, their logistical supply would become a fatal threat.

Seeing their unyielding arrogance, I announced, "Since matters have reached this point, it aligns perfectly with my wishes. On behalf of the Great Dragon Country government, I formally declare: the Self-Defensive Counterattack against Ox has begun! I shall see you on the battlefield!"

Because Yao Guangrong and Tai Yicheng had long prepared for a counterattack against the Nation of Ox, and coupled with the fact that our underground Great Wall infrastructure was already robust, it was more than sufficient to support a large-scale war. There was no need to mobilize other military regions; the forces from Chengdu and Lanzhou alone could manage the task. It must be known that these two forces differed from other military regions; all their weaponry and equipment met the standards of the Three-Dimensional Corps' Army.

Launching a war is an arduous undertaking, yet now, war had silently erupted. Within a single day, the massive army descended from the snowy mountains in three prongs. The western combat zone covered the line from Tawang—West Pass—Dirang Dzong—Bumdeling. The right flank targeted the Walong region, and the central zone encompassed the Luoyu region. Over a thousand armored tanks breached the Himalayan ridge and, under the cover of Leopard armed helicopters, advanced irresistibly for over fifty kilometers. The sheer power of their firepower left the Ox border defense forces completely unable to retaliate; any small pockets of resistance encountered were quickly annihilated.

The government of the Nation of Ox publicly accused the Great Dragon Country of disregarding world peace and launching an aggressive war without provocation.

The government of the Great Dragon Country offered no response whatsoever. A Self-Defensive Counterattack required no prior approval from anyone, much like the Ox people had not bothered to notify anyone when they invaded our territory back then. Although other nations, concerned for their own security, also voiced criticism of the Great Dragon Country’s military actions, this did not halt the army’s relentless advance.

For decades, the McMahon Line had been like a venomous serpent, consuming the flesh of the Motherland. Someone once described the Sino-Indian War of the 1960s this way: ‘The victor possessed everything of the vanquished, except the title of victory; the vanquished possessed everything of the victor, except the name. The victor, basking in the illusion of triumph, became indifferent to the utter loss of gains and the immense humiliation. The vanquished, solely because they lacked the empty title of victor, remained restless, vowing revenge.’ Southern Tibet was a vast piece of territory lost after the founding of the Dragon Country. When recapture was imminent, the army had withdrawn midway due to various complex reasons—this had always been a deep wound and bitter resentment in the hearts of the Dragon Country people! Half a century had passed, and the hopes of reclaiming Southern Tibet were slim among the populace, but suddenly, the great army marched in, promising the restoration of all lost lands in a matter of days. This news was undoubtedly a seismic event within the Dragon Country; the populace erupted in fervor.

Although the final outcome of the battle was not yet decided, the Yarlung Tsangpo Hydroelectric Project, once merely a concept in the minds of the people, was immediately placed back onto the agenda. The potential drop along the Great Bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River was 2,230 meters. If a 40-kilometer diversion tunnel were constructed across the Great Bend, it could house the world's largest power station, with a minimum installed capacity exceeding 45 million kilowatts—seventeen times that of the Gezhouba Dam on the Yangtze River and four times that of the Three Gorges Dam, yet requiring significantly lower investment and posing no issues regarding resettlement or ecology. This super-hydroelectric project had been kept out of written records because Southern Tibet was occupied by the Nation of Ox. Now, the swift rise of the Great Dragon Country was set to fundamentally alter the military, economic, and political landscape of the entire Asian region.