A "Kasō-kei senki" story. However, battle scenes are casual and loose. I think it will be an HOI-style comedy piece that prioritizes strategy and political turns. If you're okay with that please do! The content is almost entirely based on the title...
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In a hurry, the partially completed Chinese coastal defense ship Zheng He prepared to depart, setting its course eastward upon leaving Sweden. This is not a metaphor but a physical journey.
In the Baltic Sea, the Zheng He's captain had intended to train the crew, while the ship set sail with only the essential equipment installed like the main engine. Even that alone made the journey to the homeland (a voyage around the earth) difficult, and on top of that, the crew's level of proficiency was not high by any means. It's not that the crew members were bad. They simply lacked experience sailing a large vessel of 10.000 tons and navigating the open ocean themselves, even the captain. Having accumulated a career operating patrol boats on the Yangtze River, the captain acknowledged his own lack of ability — a shortage of experience in commanding ocean navigation.
Originally, it was planned to hire a veteran Swedish sailor (a former member of the Swedish Navy) to guide the ship back to China under their instruction. However, this voyage of the Zheng He was incomplete, *1 and furthermore, due to the decision to proceed without sufficient training, the veteran sailor escaped as they couldn't deal with it. In this situation, the captain had no choice. Although mainland China requested them to return as soon as possible, it was inevitable to conduct training in the relatively calm Baltic Sea.
Moreover, due to this hastily arranged training, the temporary squadron of American light cruisers (information gathering task force) dispatched to the North Sea to monitor the Zheng He's voyage failed in their mission, causing great panic for the Americans. The US feared the Zheng He's involvement in commerce raiding.
With the Zheng He going missing, the United States mobilized its entire Atlantic Fleet to conduct a search. *2
. . .
Western South Mongolia (D-Day+46~53)
The 501st Augmented Reconnaissance Brigade Combat Team swiftly advanced into the western region of South Mongolia. *3 Without considering flanks or retreat routes, they pushed forward directly towards the base of the South Mongolian separatists. Having tankers accompanying the unit, there were no worries about fuel along the way.
Although there were several breakdowns of vehicles from the motorized unit (American-made trucks) during the journey, each time, they were promptly repaired with various parts carried (excessively) by the maintenance unit accompanying them. Whether it was fuel or various maintenance supplies, such extensive preparations were a manifestation of the expectations placed on the 501st Augmented Reconnaissance Combat Team by the East Eurasian General Command.
Thanks to their efforts, within seven days of starting the advance, they arrived at the base of the South Mongolian separatists. The presence of a large number of vehicles, particularly the imposing array of various Type 22 armored vehicles (infantry combat, anti-aircraft, reconnaissance, etc.), had a reassuring effect on the people of South Mongolia who had been fleeing in fear of the Chinese government cavalry units.
