The border between Yujin and Vangala, the two Tiger's of Toyou, was a source of continuous confusion among all states which sought to understood the reasons behind the mobilization along the entire river. To the Yujiner, the river was known as the Great Green River, or the Da Lu River, and from it has come not only food and livelihood, but conflict and death.
In the 1950's, amidst the violent Vangalan revolution, Yujiner troops crossed the Da Lu under the name of the 3rd Expeditionary Unit, a counter-revolutionary force designed to stop the Communist revolution and establish a pro-Yujin puppet government in post-Franconian Vangala. The mission was a disaster, ultimately becoming what is known as the Vangalo-Yujin Conflict. Since then, numerous border clashes have erupted along the myriad of islands that span the course of the river, including the lush river delta, long the breadbasket of the Vangalan nation.
The Yujin political scene did not ease this already icy climate; any politician seeking to reduce the troop levels along the river faced immediate repercussions, with his chances at elections the next year the least of his worries. Cunning politicians took advantage of the border regions paranoia and fear, inciting hysteria and increasing troops levels in order to guarantee their chances at reelection. In this atmosphere, there is little wonder that more than a third of the entire Yujin armed forces is deployed on or near the border, with no less than ten regular regiments prepared to respond to any threat at any given time.
The border itself was divided into roughly three combat sectors: the delta, the river, and the mountainous northern regions, each commanded by a notable General. On the delta, the bitter and aged ZGD party member He Cheng, highly respected and unscrupulous, we was well known for maintaining high discipline at the expense of insubordinate soldiers. His intolerance was renowned throughout the nation; he had been chosen for his particular post for a reason, any invasion into the delta would be costly, and only the most ruthless commanders would be able to push a successful assault. On the river, and even older man, Wang Zhizhong, was widely believed to be senile and naive. He maintained his position through simple respect for his service, for he maintained no noteworthy merit of his own. However, the units under his command, for their part, maintained a respectable and redoubtable corps of officers capable of acting independently; a necessary trait for defending a front as expansive as the one that would be fought along the length of the river. And finally, in the mountainous highlands of the North, a youthful and spirited commander known simply as Colonel Láng, or "the Wolf" commanded only a small handful of men trained to make the most of the mountainous terrain. Among these units, the famed Overlanders Brigade, the most elite of Yujin's mountain units, were trained in unorthodox combat and fighting behind enemy lines.
Together, these three commanders formed the Western Theatre, and though theoretically they were supposed to cooperate, often these three men had better things to do. Because of this, they were supplemented by special operations units forward deployed beyond the Vangalan border. It was known by most commanders that Vangalan operatives were already operating in Yujin territory; in fact most politicians accepted that, at some level, there were Vangalan spies in every branch and agency of Yujin government. There was little doubt that the Yujiner had established a similar network of spies; but these were not elite clandestine operatives bent on destroying the very fabric of Vangalan society. The most effective spies did not cause chaos; instead they simply reported on the day-to-day events of the Vangalan government. Intelligence, more than any sabotage or destruction, was the most valuable weapon a military could have.
The military knew that a conflict, if not open warfare, between Vangala and Yujin was an inevitability, and most experts believed that that conflict would occur within the next decade. Yujin would need to collect as much intelligence on Vangalan positions, resources, routines and plans, and every other facet of military operations in order to gain the advantage. The only immediate problem they faced: President Wu's support of armed neutrality forbade Yujin to initiate any incursions into their Communist neighbor. That, however, would not always be true, and the military high command was already rustling dusty dossiers detailing secret intelligence gathering operations.
In the 1950's, amidst the violent Vangalan revolution, Yujiner troops crossed the Da Lu under the name of the 3rd Expeditionary Unit, a counter-revolutionary force designed to stop the Communist revolution and establish a pro-Yujin puppet government in post-Franconian Vangala. The mission was a disaster, ultimately becoming what is known as the Vangalo-Yujin Conflict. Since then, numerous border clashes have erupted along the myriad of islands that span the course of the river, including the lush river delta, long the breadbasket of the Vangalan nation.
The Yujin political scene did not ease this already icy climate; any politician seeking to reduce the troop levels along the river faced immediate repercussions, with his chances at elections the next year the least of his worries. Cunning politicians took advantage of the border regions paranoia and fear, inciting hysteria and increasing troops levels in order to guarantee their chances at reelection. In this atmosphere, there is little wonder that more than a third of the entire Yujin armed forces is deployed on or near the border, with no less than ten regular regiments prepared to respond to any threat at any given time.
The border itself was divided into roughly three combat sectors: the delta, the river, and the mountainous northern regions, each commanded by a notable General. On the delta, the bitter and aged ZGD party member He Cheng, highly respected and unscrupulous, we was well known for maintaining high discipline at the expense of insubordinate soldiers. His intolerance was renowned throughout the nation; he had been chosen for his particular post for a reason, any invasion into the delta would be costly, and only the most ruthless commanders would be able to push a successful assault. On the river, and even older man, Wang Zhizhong, was widely believed to be senile and naive. He maintained his position through simple respect for his service, for he maintained no noteworthy merit of his own. However, the units under his command, for their part, maintained a respectable and redoubtable corps of officers capable of acting independently; a necessary trait for defending a front as expansive as the one that would be fought along the length of the river. And finally, in the mountainous highlands of the North, a youthful and spirited commander known simply as Colonel Láng, or "the Wolf" commanded only a small handful of men trained to make the most of the mountainous terrain. Among these units, the famed Overlanders Brigade, the most elite of Yujin's mountain units, were trained in unorthodox combat and fighting behind enemy lines.
Together, these three commanders formed the Western Theatre, and though theoretically they were supposed to cooperate, often these three men had better things to do. Because of this, they were supplemented by special operations units forward deployed beyond the Vangalan border. It was known by most commanders that Vangalan operatives were already operating in Yujin territory; in fact most politicians accepted that, at some level, there were Vangalan spies in every branch and agency of Yujin government. There was little doubt that the Yujiner had established a similar network of spies; but these were not elite clandestine operatives bent on destroying the very fabric of Vangalan society. The most effective spies did not cause chaos; instead they simply reported on the day-to-day events of the Vangalan government. Intelligence, more than any sabotage or destruction, was the most valuable weapon a military could have.
The military knew that a conflict, if not open warfare, between Vangala and Yujin was an inevitability, and most experts believed that that conflict would occur within the next decade. Yujin would need to collect as much intelligence on Vangalan positions, resources, routines and plans, and every other facet of military operations in order to gain the advantage. The only immediate problem they faced: President Wu's support of armed neutrality forbade Yujin to initiate any incursions into their Communist neighbor. That, however, would not always be true, and the military high command was already rustling dusty dossiers detailing secret intelligence gathering operations.