You might get something similar from reading accounts of the Chinese intervention in the Korean war. They were actively winning territory against the UN/US forc

You might get something similar from reading accounts of the Chinese intervention in the Korean war. They were actively winning territory against the UN/US forces. The (CCP) Chinese were a "rugged, lower economic power" opponent and the UN/US had much better tech, including nukes. A lot of the Chinese ruggedness came in the form of being willing to tolerate immense casualties and having strong internal media control. Sad but effective solutions to the healthcare and propaganda issues.