As the battle at sea intensified, the Kazakh border was quieter than ever.

The Army was waiting for China to provoke after drastically increasing the capacity of laser guns, but it became idle as the Chinese military did not move.

However, it could not launch an attack first like the Navy because a preemptive attack could be expanded as an all-out war.

The reason why China could not make any further provocations on the Kazakh border was that the armed struggles in Xinjiang Uyghur and Tibet had gone too far.

Uyghurs had long been terrorizing across China in parallel with armed struggles, but the armed independence movement in Tibet was unthinkable.

As the Tibetan armed struggle, which had been calling for non-violent independence, spread like wildfire, the Chinese government was in a hurry to figure out where to start.

The Chinese government imposed a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. throughout the Tibetan area, but it was not enough to stop the Tibetan militants from engaging in protest activities.

After imposing the curfew, more frequent attacks on military units and police stations were done because it was easier for the militants to operate when there was no one in the streets.

Anyone moving during the curfew period was the Chinese military and police only, so they were a good prey.

They were amazingly successful in their armed protests as the armed forces attacking the Chinese Army were Tibetan militiamen who were trained by the Royal Bodyguards in Afghanistan.

As the armed struggle for independence broke out, news spread throughout Tibet that militiamen were secretly being recruited, and young people who wanted to participate in the independence movement were recruited en masse.

In the meantime, about 1,200 Tibetan returned to Tibet after a short two-week training session in Afghanistan.

Although it was only a short period of training, they learned how to handle various weapons and simple killing techniques, they were enough for their armed struggle.

Due to the well-trained armed forces, the Chinese military and police in Tibet were in trouble.

As time went by, even the Tibetan residents began to join.

"The U.S. CIA wants to free Xinjiang Uyghur first, but I think Tibet will be much faster. What do you think?"

Park Jong-il failed to answer Youngho's question.

It was because he had pondered about it for days and days, but he could not come to any conclusion.

The will for independence was stronger in Xinjiang Uyghur, but it was never easy because the Chinese government was fully in control of the region.

On the other hand, Tibet, unlike Xinjiang Uyghur, was a place where non-violent struggles had been prevalent, the Chinese government managed it a little loosely, but now that it had started an armed struggle, China would soon try to control it with its full force.

"I'm not sure which is in a better situation, so I'm still thinking about it."

"I'm thinking of sending our Royal Bodyguards to Tibet at the right timing. I started the fire anyway, so I'll have to finish it."

Youngho was going to send the forces in the form of mercenaries, not regular troops.

It was calculated to ease the political burden even a little bit.

If the dispute with China had been settled at an appropriate level, he would not have thought of this idea, but now there was no way this would end nicely.

It was difficult to return to the same old relationship unless the Communist Party of China dropped power, as the Liaoning aircraft carrier was destroyed in the Indian Ocean and a series of small naval battles as well.

That meant Kazakhstan had no choice but to maintain a hostile relationship.

At this point, the best option was to make Xinjiang Uyghur and Tibet independent.

It would not be easy at all, but if the global community intervened, there was a possibility.

"Even though we're winning at the moment, we will be the only ones at a disadvantage if we get caught up in a long-term war..."

"We're not fighting on our border, so there's no pressure. We'll ask for help from Western countries. They don't want China's dominance anymore, so they have no choice but to lend a hand."

If there was a best time to push the independence of Uyghurs and Tibetans, it would be now.

It was because China was much discouraged by the defeat at the sea and confused by the spontaneous armed struggles and a dispute with Kazakhstan.

"Is China going to roll its tail so easily?"

"It will try to show its power over us, but how can it attack us if it doesn't want war with us? But even so, I hope China comes forward to attack us first."

"There are many ways to make China overdo it. If we spill the news that we are behind the armed struggle in Tibet, the Chinese will immediately cross the border. The only way for the Chinese military to retrieve its pride is to beat us, so they won't miss their chance."

"It's a little bit risky, but let the rumors spread. The Kazakh government should deny the speculation no matter what though. Then there will be a reaction in any way."

***

As rumors circulated that Kazakhstan was involved in Tibet's independence, the Chinese government was furious.

It threatened Kazakhstan that it would pay the corresponding price if it did not withdraw its hand immediately.

However, the Kazakh government denied its involvement as it responded by saying that it was unreasonable of China to draw Kazakhstan into its domestic issues.

In addition, it did not forget to advise the Chinese government to return Xinjiang Uyghur and Tibet to their people as they were clearly independent countries.

Then the whole of China rose against Kazakhstan.

The Chinese people bashed Kazakhstan as unforgivable.

For the Chinese government, it was a welcoming movement since it became a good reason to be hostile against Kazakhstan that was mocking China.

As if it had been waiting, the Chinese military sent more troops to the border area.

Kazakhstan, which was ready for such a sudden change, was never embarrassed.

It had already spent an astronomical amount of money in preparation for the upcoming clash with China.

Kazakhstan's border unit was a mountain unit with mobility as its top priority, followed by a powerful air defense battery.

More rearward, the latest fighters and attack helicopters were ready to launch at any time.

It was Sunday morning, February 21, when Chinese troops appeared in the border area with Kyrgyzstan.

It was where China built a highway across the Tian Shan Mountains as part of One Belt One Road project, which was recently blocked by the border closure.

It was perhaps made a target as China thought the defense was relatively lax.

A mechanized unit, escorted by the Chinese Air Force, was proudly approaching the border, and clearing obstacles placed on the border.

When three Chinese tanks had just broken down the border fence and crossed it, laser guns were fired from the Kazakh side.

As three tanks in the front suddenly stopped, the following tanks, self-propelled guns, and armored vehicles stopped one after another.

Then, multiple rocket launchers were fired in the back, and soon, missiles began to fall down like hail from the sky.

In the air, Kazakhstan's F-35 fighters were already prematurely combating Chinese fighter jets.

After the missile attacks by long-range artillery and rocket launchers from the air defense unit ended, an Apache attack helicopter squadron appeared and began shooting at the Chinese Army.

The Chinese fighter jets were already overpowered by Kazakh fighter jets, so they were flying all over the place randomly shooting the remaining Chinese tanks and armored vehicles.

Such a battle was also taking place on the eastern border of Almaty, Kazakhstan, where China was devastated at the border without taking a single step forward into Kazakhstan's territory.

It was the Chinese military's mistake to make a complacent operation, thinking that this level of attack was enough to shake Kazakhstan.

It would have been otherwise if China had used ballistic missiles to attack.

However, not wanting to expand the war, China made a timid move.

He thought it would be all he had to do if he violated the border area and attacked, but that did not mean Kazakhstan had a perfect victory.

Five fighter jets and seven Apache helicopters crashed in two battles in an attack by the Chinese military, and the price of various weapons that were poured to deter the Chinese military was astronomical.

However, the battle, which sacrificed two mechanized divisions and three squadrons of Chinese fighters, ended with writing another page of modern warfare.

Having suffered a great defeat, China was no longer at the border.

Instead, it had begun to strengthen its maritime power.

It was an expression of his willingness to fight for revenge anywhere.

The aftermath of the battle also caused a shuffle inside the military.

Several were replaced, including the commander of the Western Front and the commander of the South Sea Fleet.

As if it was not enough, it made a fuss that it would temporarily hold an unscheduled National People's Congress.

Originally, it was held once every five years, but it was held temporarily at the request of the Central Committee, but the timing was strange, drawing global attention.

This was because the National People's Congress was a very important voting body that decided the overall history of China, including the selection of the next top leaders to lead the country.

So, it inevitably drew close attention of the global community to whether there would be a new wind in China.

Yeongho also ordered the Kazakh Navy to refrain from fighting at sea until the national congress was held.

This was because the direction of war could also vary depending on which person became a central military member.

He was also curious about what the outcome would be.

However, the armed struggle for independence continued in Xinjiang Uyghur and Tibet.