Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Chapter 161 The reinforcements finally arrived!

Li Guotao led the soldiers of the Seventh Company and marched south for several days before he received a notice from his superiors.

They immediately rushed to Huachuan area to rest and wait, and then the troops turned and advanced rapidly in the southwest direction.

Li Guotao led the Seventh Company on a journey for another three days and finally arrived near Huachuan. His superiors ordered the troops to rest and stand by on the spot.

After a long forced march, the soldiers had used up all the food they carried with them. They had thought they would be able to get sufficient supplies when they reached Huachuan, but the reality was that they received very little food.

Yu Congrong frowned and said, "The food we were given is only enough for one meal."

"I've asked the regiment commander, and the superiors will gradually distribute food to us, but... I think we can only guarantee one meal a day."

Li Guotao couldn't help but frowned upon hearing this, raised his head and looked to the south, and said: "The soldiers on the front line must have had a harder time than us. They also have no food to eat, and they have to fight the enemy on an empty stomach."

Yu Congrong sighed helplessly and said, "I heard from the regiment commander that it was mainly because the logistics supply lines were often bombed by the enemy, and the food supplies in the rear could not be transported at all."

Li Guotao nodded slightly. If the supplies had not been delivered, our army would not have been forced to retreat in the fourth battle.

In fact, grassroots soldiers like Li Guotao have no idea that the front line is constantly retreating and closing the defense line.

The superiors were afraid of affecting morale, so the battle situation reports sent down to the grassroots basically only reported good news and not bad news.

Only the top leaders understand the real situation on the front line.

As a time traveler, Li Guotao knew some specific details based on his understanding of this period of history.

But these things cannot be told to others.

But Yu Congrong is not stupid. If they cannot get enough supplies here, the situation on the front line must be similar.

Li Guotao said with a determined look: "If our logistical supplies could be transported up in time, we would have driven the enemy into the sea long ago."

Now Li Guotao finally felt firsthand how difficult the battle was for our volunteer army.

It is absolutely a miracle that we were able to successfully defeat the enemy under such difficult circumstances, and it is a miracle that only our volunteer army can create.

Li Guotao remembered that he had seen some information in his previous life. It was that in recent times, the boss was so anxious about this matter that he lost a lot of weight and had a layer of ulcers on his lips.

For this reason, the boss made a special trip back to China to seek help.

As a result, after crossing the Yalu River and arriving in China, we found a large amount of supplies piled up on the border, and there was no shortage of any kind of supplies.

Although the country was extremely poor at the time, it was a big country after all, so it had no problem supporting hundreds of thousands of troops on the front line.

It’s not that there is no food and ammunition, but that it is simply impossible to transport them up.

When the convoy crossed the Yalu River, it would encounter bombing, and the bridge was repaired and then bombed again.

The troops at the front were starving, but food was piling up like mountains in the rear. There were even whole slabs of pork piled up like mountains of meat. As the weather warmed up, the food thawed and rotted away.

Seeing this scene, the boss was heartbroken and burst into tears.

At an important meeting, he became furious and demanded that all domestic departments overcome all difficulties, support the front line, and try every possible means to transport supplies.

In order to cope with the more severe test of war in the future, the country is required to continue to send troops to reinforce.

At this moment, the 19th Corps had assembled in the Northeast and was ready to enter North Korea to fight at any time.

In addition, the Third Corps also began to gather and move north, preparing to enter the Korean War.

The country is also doing its best to win this war.

Li Guotao said with a determined look: "No matter how difficult it is, we will definitely win."

"Huacheon? We should be close to the 38th parallel!"

Yu Congrong nodded and said, "From the map, Huachuan is near the 38th parallel."

Li Guotao nodded slightly and said, "In that case, we are very close to the front line."

"We will probably rest here for a day or two before heading to the front."

Yu Congrong said: "That should be the case, but I haven't received any specific orders yet."

Li Guotao said: "Notify the soldiers to try their best to maintain their physical strength and be ready to go to the front line at any time." "Okay!"

Yu Congrong nodded helplessly.

How can I maintain my strength when I can’t even get enough food?

All we can do is rest more, move as little as possible, and reduce physical exertion. There is no other way around this.

For the volunteer soldiers, this difficulty is not enough to defeat us.

Li Guotao looked towards the south and said thoughtfully, "Just bear with it for a while. When we get to the battlefield and see the enemy, we won't have to worry about having no food."

Yu Congrong said with a smile: "I haven't eaten American canned food for a long time. I am craving for it."

"Haha~!"

"Don't worry, you'll be able to eat it soon!"

Just as Li Guotao had expected, the 27th Army only rested for two days near Huachuan before receiving an urgent order to move south.

After receiving the notice, Li Guotao hurried to the battalion headquarters.

Wu Qianli said with a serious face: "Our superiors ordered us to rush to Chunchuan to support the retreat of friendly forces and block the main force of the enemy heading north."

"Our superiors have ordered our Third Battalion to quickly advance to the area south of Chuncheon and rush to the designated location as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

The three company commanders responded in unison.

Li Guotao then said, "Battalion Commander, when do we set off?"

Wu Qianli handed the three maps to the three company commanders respectively, and then said: "Set off immediately, the sooner the better."

"The seventh company will set off first, and the eighth and ninth companies will follow."

"Yes!"

Li Guotao put away the map and asked, "Is there anything else you want to tell me, Battalion Commander?"

Wu Qianli said: "The situation on the front line is critical. The enemy's counterattack is very fierce. The friendly troops on the front line have been fighting with the enemy for a long time and have already run out of ammunition and food. The situation is very dangerous now, so we must race against time and try to rush to the designated location as soon as possible."

"Understood! Promise to complete the task."

Li Guotao responded, raised his hand to salute, then turned and left the battalion headquarters.

Li Guotao led the 7th Company and continued to move south quickly, successfully arriving near Chunchuan.

On the way, they met a group of troops retreating from the front line. They were all ragged and in a miserable state, and very weak, as if they didn't even have the strength to walk.

Only then did Li Guotao realize that the situation on the front line was worse than he had imagined.

Li Guotao asked: "Comrade, which unit are you from?"

A soldier walking in front replied: "We are from the 39th Army, which unit are you from?"

Li Guotao said: "We are from the 27th Army, and we are here to support you. Comrades, thank you for your hard work."

Hearing this, the soldiers were very excited.

"The reinforcements have finally arrived!"

Li Guotao asked: "How far is the enemy from here?"

The soldier turned around and pointed to the south and said, "Go south for about ten miles to the battlefield. Our remaining troops are blocking their attack."

Li Guotao ordered loudly: "Seventh Company, keep moving forward until you make contact with the enemy."

"Yes!"

The soldiers of the Seventh Company responded in unison.

(End of this chapter)