The Dragon Awakes

The Dragon Awakes is the first mission in the Chinese campaign of. The resulting battle marked the first major open engagement between China and the terrorist organization known as the Global Liberation Army.

The Parade
Before the start of the battle, a military parade was being held before the Politburo and the people in Beijing, showcasing the might of China's military to the world and putting forth new units such as the Overlord tanks and the Inferno cannons.

However, from the cover of Beijing's alleyways, a small force of GLA suicide bombers infiltrated the Forbidden City driving bomb-laden cars, intending to demolish the Chinese forces comprising the parade. The bombers drove right into the heart of the parade, detonating the bombs and killing hundreds of soldiers and civilians. This was followed by an assault of rebels and rocket buggies. Panic swept across the city and the civilians fled for whatever cover they could find, with many getting caught in the crossfire. Despite the surgical precision and savagery of the attack, the surviving parade forces of the Chinese military quickly recovered, eliminating most of the enemy. Suddenly, as the battle seemed won, a semi-trailer barreled in front of the Forbidden City. During this attack, a radio transmission was intercepted of a man screaming "Victory in death!"

At that moment, the nuclear blast was triggered, destroying the Forbidden City and much of Beijing's military force. Only a small base survived the carnage.

Counterattack
The Chinese general quickly sent men into two bunkers at the front of the base, hoping to deter the GLA nearby. These hopes were quickly dashed when two more car bombs drove headlong into the bunkers, destroying them and killing the men inside.

Deciding to take the initiative, the general quickly deployed his forces, consisting of three Dragon Tanks and a large platoon of Red Guards. Securing the surrounding area, they were surprised to find a group of tanks rolling towards their position, survivors of the blast. After eliminating a group of Technicals, the general ordered that a search be made for more survivors. They did find more survivors, including 2 Dragon tanks, more Battlemasters, and even a pair of Overlords near the blast zone of the GLA nuke.

With overwhelming firepower at their hands, the Chinese forces pressed forwards to the bridge leading to the GLA's nuclear storage facility. A GLA force that tried to stop the Chinese attack was incinerated by Chinese MiGs. With superior firepower, the Chinese destroyed the bunker and the GLA presence in Beijing. The GLA's nuclear material was also neutralized in the assault, ensuring that no further nuclear attacks could be launched on the capital.

Aftermath
Although a clear victory for the People's Liberation Army, China suffered heavily for the sheer brevity and inhumanity displayed by the GLA during the assault. Untold thousands of Chinese citizens and soldiers lay dead across the mighty capital, with a significant portion of the city, including the iconic Forbidden City, reduced to ruin. The attack prompted outrage across the whole of China, and soon afterwards the Chinese initiated a worldwide campaign to eliminate the threat posed by the GLA.

Tips

 * Remember, there is no need to build any unit for this mission. As soon as the mission starts, evacuate the bunker and order all Red Guards to garrison in the civilian buildings inside your base to achieve minimal casualties.
 * Fend off all incoming GLA troops, then advance southwards with a Dragon tank and burn down any pickup truck along the way; Garrison the large warehouse with Red Guards to provide covering fire.
 * After the air strike cutscene, the key to save time is to take the alternative route upwards as soon your troops across the bridge, and 3 Dragon tanks is all what you need. This way you can reach the primary target (nuclear storage) without the hassle of dealing with the GLA forces! And the three Dragon tanks should be sufficient enough to burn it down in less than 5 seconds.
 * Capture the Oil Derricks across the bridge.
 * Upgrade both Overlords with Speaker Tower upgrade.

Trivia

 * The Tiananmen is depicted in this mission, but not Tiananmen Square. Therefore, the People's Congress, Mao's Mausoleum, Monument to the People's Heroes and the National Museum of China are all absent.
 * Military Parade formations are not usually issued with any ammunition for parades, even in times of war.
 * The melody the PLA march to on parades is the PLA March-Past, which is based on the Battle Song of the PLA, not the National Anthem.
 * Ordinary civilians are not allowed to enter the city centre to watch the parade along Chang'an Boulevard as spectators in real life: they watch at home on TV.
 * The ground column formations in real parades march in closed order and in square formations upwards of 150-200 strong, not the two-rank open-order formations seen in the opening sequence.
 * As a whole, the game depicts a completely inaccurate map of both the city of Beijing and a Chinese military parade, most likely due to map size limitations.
 * There are two undamaged Overlord tanks in the destroyed city to the bottom left. It is unknown if the 2 Overlords are hiding when the attack happened.
 * There is a shortcut to the back of the bunker that allows the player to neutralize the bunker without eliminating the guards. Just put some Battlemasters and Overlords on that goal path.
 * The red banners with "Happy New Year" in Traditional Chinese suggest it is set during the Spring Festival, which would mean the war against the GLA began around February 10-25, 2013.