Chapter 158: The Korean Peninsula (1)

Because the graphical image recognition chips used in automated machine gun turrets handle massive amounts of data and require exceptionally high performance, they were beyond the capabilities of currently mass-produced microcontrollers. Moreover, the required quantities were enormous, and existing stockpiles fell woefully short of demand. The only viable solution was to harvest chips from dismantled electronics, which led to a high failure rate. Consequently, a redundant deployment strategy of configuring multiple machine gun turrets at each location had to be adopted. This further exacerbated the severe shortage, causing the business of dismantling companies to boom.

Prices also began to soar significantly. A video chip that cost merely a hundred yuan or so before the apocalypse rose from one steamed bun per chip to two steamed buns per chip in the post-apocalyptic market. The Ministry of Commerce had already begun considering whether to reinstate an exorbitant profits tax.

The machine guns mounted on the turrets were predominantly legacy models from existing stockpiles. Newer models recently issued to the armed forces would not be considered for deployment until the stockpiled ammunition was completely exhausted. Taking into account the barrel lifespan of the machine guns, each gun was allocated a reserve of 5,000 rounds. Designed with four machine guns per turret, the single-shot accuracy was 70%, while burst firing increased accuracy to 95%. Four machine guns firing 20,000 rounds could eliminate approximately 9,500 zombies.

The turrets were electrically driven and powered by grid lines; in areas where running power lines was difficult, solar power was utilized. To prevent interruptions from both power sources, high-capacity backup batteries were installed as auxiliary power.

Construction surrounding the Greater Khingan, Lesser Khingan, and Changbai mountain ranges was a massive undertaking. Even the Special Committee, accustomed to concentrating resources on major projects, dared not launch a comprehensive offensive across all fronts. Based on the situation, the General Staff adopted a compromise approach: automated machine gun turrets and barbed wire were densely installed facing the direction of the Special Committee's own forces, while heavy artillery bases were established every 70 kilometers to stockpile ammunition and supplies. All other directions were prioritized for surveillance.

In areas where supplies could not be promptly transported, temporary defense positions were established by pouring water to form ice walls. At the same time, a large number of armed reconnaissance vehicles patrolled daily, bearing the responsibility of luring zombies away if danger arose.

Roads advancing toward the Korean Peninsula were meticulously maintained and repaired to facilitate troop mobility, ensuring that the main force could quickly pull back to reinforce if hordes of zombies poured down from the mountains.

This cleanup operation on the Korean Peninsula adopted a strategy of densely establishing 155mm heavy artillery fire bases along transit routes. Infantry advanced in a flat, sweeping line across the mountains and valleys of the peninsula, while heavy artillery moved synchronously along the roads to provide fire support.

Once the infantry spotted large hordes of zombies, they immediately called for fire support to scatter them with heavy artillery barrages, after which the infantry cleared out the remnants.

Warriors clad in plate armor marched laboriously through the snow-covered mountains, stumbling every step of the way, and many fell into ravines to their deaths. None of these hardships could stem the forward march of the heroes.

They tied ropes around themselves, linking squads together so that if another soldier fell off a cliff, the rest could haul him up like a human anchor.

From time to time, they had to fight zombies leaping out from snowdrifts. While the harsh cold did not affect the activity of the zombies, the human soldiers were severely impacted. Fortunately, the human soldiers quickly adapted and gained experience: they spread out their battle lines with snipers in the rear, followed by machine gunners and riflemen, and warriors holding long shields at the very front.

Standard combat tactics were adjusted: shield-bearers lured out the zombies, followed by coordinated fire from riflemen, machine gunners, and snipers, using dense firepower to compensate for the physical exhaustion of the human soldiers. If a massive horde was encountered, defensive lines were established on the spot to designate targets for the heavy artillery. After the artillery bombardment and subsequent battlefield clearing by the infantry, the advance resumed.

The only silver lining was that by this stage of the apocalypse, the massive hordes of zombies had practically wiped out all the wildlife in the mountainous regions.

Numerous survivors from the Korean mountain regions were encountered in Huichon. Having fled along the railway from Pyongyang, they were able to understand spoken Chinese thanks to the elementary school language teachers from the Propaganda Department, and many could speak Chinese quite well, even though they could not write it.

Under long-term military threats from the United States, North Korea had maintained robust combat preparedness. To guard against air raids, they had pushed tunnel fortifications to the extreme, and their material and weapon warehouses were exceptionally well-stocked, even containing sealed weapons and supplies from the 1950s. Consequently, the survivors enjoyed a relatively decent standard of living, and under the traditionally rigorous leadership of the local Party organization, order was well-maintained.

The United Front Work Department played a crucial role. China's development before the apocalypse demonstrated that China remained firmly on the socialist path. China had also provided strong support to North Korea, withstanding multiple U.S. provocations, which shifted their initial misunderstandings into an increasingly close relationship.

Following a meeting between United Front Minister Ye Liusun and their top surviving leader, that supreme leader was specially flown to Beijing to meet with Li Fengyi and Army Commander Liu.

Li Qiang no longer charged at the front lines, nor did he intend to do so in the future. He had already amassed enough merits and experience, and no one begrudged the young man sitting at the helm of the Special Committee's millions of troops.

The Party organization's lifestyle meeting had already pointed out his flaws of grandiosity and recklessness regarding his command positioning.

Stationed at the Shenyang base in his capacity as the Special Committee's Minister of Defense, he participated in the remote summit via video link.

The Special Committee briefed the top North Korean survivor leadership in detail on the current global situation. They had suffered immensely from American bullying, and their internal political security was extremely rigorous. Initially, they believed the apocalypse was a vicious attack launched by American imperialism. Even while hiding deep in the mountains, they conducted daily educational programs on resisting U.S. aggression, maintaining high combat readiness with plans to flee to China to establish a government-in-exile and continue fighting American imperialism to the death.

Upon hearing that the Special Committee intended to teach the Yankees a lesson, they were overjoyed. Disrupting Americans was an idea deeply carved into their bones by the Americans themselves, and they readily agreed to participate in the Special Committee's work as part of a new Communist International.

Terrified by the horrors of the apocalypse—which was truly horrifying, as out of North Korea's entire population of 23.9 million, fewer than 2 million could be contacted, and that number dwindled daily—they found themselves desperate.

Mountainous terrain accounted for 80 percent of the North Korean portion of the Korean Peninsula. With a less developed industrial base yet a pristine natural environment, the survivor population faced grave threats from both zombie hordes and mutated giant animals.

Coupled with the 12 million zombies surging over from China in a massive, overwhelming wave that swept across mountains and plains, their appearance practically raised the elevation of entire mountain ranges by the height of a layer of corpses, completely carpeting the earth.

This left a profound impression on them. No one understood the Chinese better than they did: the world knew how kind the Chinese could be, but the world also knew how ruthless the Chinese could be.

Throughout history, the Chinese had fought across the Korean Peninsula several times.

The post-apocalyptic Chinese people and Chinese zombies were terrifying; they could actually chase massive hordes of zombies running in every direction.

Circumstances dictated submission to the stronger.