[b][i]Chapter One, Desperation in Lingayen[/i][/b]

[b]Lingayen Beach, Municipality of Lingayen, Lingayen Gulf[/b]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/nTSFKM1.jpg[/img][/center]

The Municipality of Lingayen, Pangasinan, as well as its strategic Lingayen Beach, had been commandeered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as they desperately sought to fortify the area against a now-inevitable Chinese landing, and evacuation orders had been sent out to the local population to prevent them from being collateral damage. As the Siege of Taiwan to the north bought valuable time for the ASEAN Countries (except for Myanmar, which was Pro-China) to mobilize, the Philippines' meager naval strength had been gathered around Manila Bay to guard against a People's Liberation Navy attack from the west, while Arms Masters from all over the Philippines were mobilized to defend Lingayen Gulf and the municipalities around it.

Lingayen City itself was ill-equipped to be a strong point; it had been a hub of tourism and agriculture for the region and thus had little experience with the demands of war. Nevertheless, the local commander had put what forces he can spare inside the municipality, intending to oppose the Chinese from the beaches with Arms Masters - Both locals and foreign volunteers (and a mercenary). Arms Masters were their only hope; every infantryfolk, vehicle driver, and air force or helicopter pilot had been tasked to support them.

Second Lieutenant Noel Alonso, despite being only sixteen, oversaw the preparations for the defense of Lingayen Beach, such as it was, and he was not happy with how he and his people were about to be thrown away just because the Filipino people couldn't be shaken out of their lethargy earlier. 

The People's Liberation Navy had decided that they were content with having overrun half of Taiwan, and were now sending a fleet and an army down to Lingayen Gulf; the latter made up of a significant fraction of the People's Liberation Army which in ordinary circumstances, would be enough to overrun Manila itself. This cannot be allowed, so Alonso swiftly sent orders via radio to the Arms Masters who had come to take a stand alongside them, telling them to [i]come to Lingayen Beach now[/i] and...

[i]Oppose the bombardment and the landings; use whatever defensive abilities you can to make things much harder.[/i]

[i]Maximize casualties among the enemy; make them march over the corpses of their own people.[/i]

[i]Do not be afraid to fall back to the city; there's no other way of escape anyway.[/i]

[i]And above all, don't get captured; we cannot get you back from their clutches if we lose you.[/i]

As the innumerable transports and landing craft appeared on the horizon, as the Chinese broadcast their orders to surrender over the radio in multiple languages, as the Philippine Army and Marine detachments lay in their crude trenches, barely covered by what armored vehicles High Command could muster, Noel looked over to see if the Arms Masters both local and foriegn had arrived yet. It was late afternoon, 15:30 (3:30 PM), and the weather was cloudy; there would be no special advantages from the Moon today.

Nevertheless, for his country, he would fight on, even if the stand he made resulted in his death. So as the Chinese waited, their landing craft already numbering hundreds as they waited for the order to advance, Noel howled his defiance, daring them to strike, knowing full well they had missiles and aircraft and artillery and drones and tanks and all the ordnance of war... As well as their own Arms Masters to counter the ones who had come here to 'make a difference'.

He looked at the Japanese Imperial Princess who had come to fight alongside them, assuming she was beside him. As the Chinese began their bombardment, not giving the Arms Masters more time to prepare, as their landing craft surged to land thousands of their own infantry and marines, Noel said to the Princess, "Here's hoping your fire is a match for theirs'."

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