Chimera

And for all that they had used this small force of missiles effectively, Feng admitted in a moment of candor. The only reason he was where he was now with this air war was because of the effective use of that small arsenal of missiles against his air-defenses. Once those air-defenses had gone down, the same Indian launch aircraft had returned back to their fighter roles. But the important fact was that the Indians were now mostly out of their small ALCM inventory.

Probably… Feng thought.

He really didn’t know for sure whether the Indian inventory had been exhausted or not. But the intelligence estimates seemed to suggest it.

So that meant that the Indians would now be forced to depend on their remaining force on multi-role fighters for strike missions against PLAAF airbases and other infrastructure as well as PLA logistics.

Thanks to the massive offensives undertaken by the PLA along the Indian border, the Indians had been forced to allocate their small force of aircraft for the close-air-support role on the frontlines and for hitting PLA targets inside Tibet.

And in doing so they had encountered losses. Not enough to shut them down, but enough so that Feng could breathe easy and instead concentrate on countering Indian fighters.

But that no longer applied now that the ground offensives had lost momentum on both sides.

The Ladakh battlefields were a junkyard of prized weaponry from both sides for net zero gains. Both sides had exhausted their armies in Ladakh. To the east the offensive into Bhutan had made spectacular gains initially but was now bogged down in the mountains and had failed to capture the Bhutanese capital. And the Indians were counter-attacking to take back control. Frankly, the PLA Highland Division that had entered Bhutan from Tibet had failed in its major objectives but had succeeded in one very major objective. It had bogged the Indian forces in the east in a third country and had reduced their strengths in the Chumbi valley where they could otherwise have been used against PLA defenses.

Even more importantly, unlike the Ladakh and Arunachal-Pradesh fronts, the Indians could not allow this war to end while the Highland Division forces were still embedded inside Bhutan. That meant they would be focused on that theater from now on. And that made them predictable.

An advantage to exploit?

But that was for the CMC in Beijing to consider. On the sharp tactical end of the war, Feng had to accept that he now faced a battered but alive Indian Jaguar and Su-30 strike force licking its wounds…

Feng walked back to the table where the waiters were still waiting near his abandoned food plate. He apologized to them about the wasted food and asked for his uniform coat and cap. A few seconds later an orderly arrived with his winter overcoat with all the ribbons and insignia attached. He put those on and walked out of the room while everybody jerked into a standing attention in the middle of their meals. He did not return their salutes as he left the room.

As he exited the building and felt the biting cold winds outside, he saw his three-car convoy pulling up to take him back to the command center. In planning to have his meal in the peacetime operations buildings here, he had probably risked more than he should have. But he had enjoyed the breath of fresh air as compared with the thermal-controlled air inside his underground operations center.

As he prepared to get into the open door of his black sedan, he saw Major Li jumping out of the second sedan and walking up to him.

“You really should try the food here tonight. It is very good,” Feng said as he buttoned his overcoat.

“Sir, you should not be out here. It is not safe!” Li said.

“Yes, yes. I know,” Feng said. “But I needed the fresh air. I should eat alongside the men whom I order into combat every day. It was nice to see what their faces look like. When you get to my level of command, Li, you will understand why that is important.” Li smiled.

“And? What was your impression?” he asked Feng.

Feng exhaled a breath of cold air and decided it was time to get into the vehicle. Li got inside with him.

“They looked far fresher than I had hoped. Eager as well!” Feng said as the vehicles started moving. Li nodded and agreed with his CO.

“Indeed,” he said, facing Feng. “The pilots and officers you saw are from the 17TH Air Regiment that deployed here as per orders from General Chen after your meeting with him. More are deploying now. And the 19TH Fighter Division has moved initial detachments to Golmud and Urumqi airbases!”

Feng turned away from the shaded windows of the vehicle:

“So! A lot happened during my meal then!” he said. “But do you think it will be enough, Li?”

“I don’t understand. You told General Chen that these units are what you wanted.” Li responded with concern in his voice.