Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

The Volunteer Army's large-scale counterattack achieved good results and wiped out more than 20,000 enemies.

However, due to the orderly retreat of the enemy, there was still a big gap between the number of enemy killed and the expected number of enemy killed.

After several days of fierce fighting, the volunteers recovered a large amount of lost territory and even approached Seoul.

Most of the territory that the enemy had occupied after a month and a half of counterattack was recovered by the Volunteer Army within a few days.

But at this moment, the Volunteer Army was no longer able to continue its attack to the south. In addition, although the enemy was retreating, their main force was still there and they had been secretly waiting for an opportunity to launch a counterattack.

At this time, the leaders of the Zhisi also realized that the enemy was becoming more and more cunning, and it was unrealistic to eliminate the enemy in a short period of time.

Since the main force of the US military on the Western Front is difficult to deal with, they can only turn to the Eastern Front to look for a breakthrough.

At this moment, Van Fleet's main American forces were all gathered on the western and central battlefields, while the eastern front was basically defended by the puppet army.

So the Zhisi mobilized the main force and once again chose the puppet troops on the eastern front as their target.

This counterattack on the Eastern Front once again achieved brilliant results.

The six main divisions of the puppet army were defeated one after another, and tens of thousands of enemy troops were wiped out.

The puppet army's Third Corps suffered a disastrous defeat and almost lost all its troops.

In a rage, Lieutenant General Ridgway directly ordered the cancellation of the Third Army's number.

The friendly forces that assisted in the battle actually revoked the designation of their own army, and the designation was at the corps level. This was unprecedented in world history, and the incident once became an international joke.

Even decades later, Koreans still feel indignant when they mention this incident.

However, there is no way out, they can only endure it, because they still have to rely on their American father!
Not only was the Third Corps' number cancelled, but the puppet army's military command was also taken over by the US military headquarters.

Even decades later, the Koreans still did not have military command over their own army.

Due to the large-scale defeat of the puppet army on the eastern front, the volunteer army was unstoppable and pushed the front line on the eastern front again to the vicinity of the 37th parallel, and some troops even crossed the 37th parallel.

But after several days of fierce fighting, the volunteers were exhausted and could no longer maintain a larger-scale offensive.

Therefore, the top leaders of the Zhisi decided to withdraw the troops to the vicinity of the 38th parallel to rest and wait for the opportunity.

However, both Ridgway and Van Fleet were waiting for this opportunity, waiting for the moment when the Volunteer Army was unable to attack so that they could launch a large-scale counterattack.

Therefore, as soon as the Volunteer Army began to retreat, the enemy noticed this situation.

After Lieutenant General Van Fleet reported the situation to Ridgway, he immediately ordered all troops to launch a full-scale counterattack.

Hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, under the cover of airplanes and artillery, began to attack the Volunteer Army's defense line with all their might.

The volunteers could only fight and retreat at the same time.

After occupying Wenshan, Yongping, Hwacheon, Fupingli and Linje on May 5, they continued to attack in the direction of Cheorwon, Gimhwa and Yanggu, and made Yeoncheon and Cheorwon the main attack directions.

Iron is an important strategic transportation hub for the Volunteer Army to store and transport materials, and is also a strategic location to contain the enemy's offensive. Once occupied by the enemy, it will cut off the connection between the Volunteer Army's east and west lines, posing a serious threat to the rear base and the entire battlefield situation.

Zhisi immediately ordered the 63rd Army to defend Cheorwon to the death, block the enemy's offensive, ensure the safety of Cheorwon, and stabilize the entire front.

At that time, the 63rd Army had just advanced to Yuqingdong, Jutunli, Deoksanli and other areas near Cheorwon to prepare for rest and recuperation. After receiving the order, it immediately rushed to the preset battlefield to organize defense.

At this moment, there were only more than 63 people left in the rd Army, and after a fierce battle, they were already exhausted, and the troops were even seriously short of food.

However, the soldiers of the 63rd Army who received the order endured hunger and dragged their exhausted bodies to the battlefield again and began to build a defense line in Yeoncheon, Cheorwon and Cheorwon.

The atmosphere inside the 63rd Army headquarters was somewhat depressing.

Commander Fu, who was only given a handful of fried beans to eat every day, had a voice as loud as a bell.

"I know this battle will be difficult. Our frontal defense position is 25 kilometers wide, and we are facing four enemy divisions. In terms of troop strength alone, the enemy is twice or even several times our size."

"But Iron Field is extremely important. The gain or loss of Iron Field is directly related to the entire war situation."

"The general called in person and asked us, the 63rd Army, to hold Cheorwon for half a month and delay the enemy's advance."

"Even if our 63rd Army is wiped out, we must defend Cheorwon."

"I have already signed a military order to the general. As long as there is one man in my 63rd Army, Van Fleet will never set foot in Cheorwon."

"All troops must defend their positions to the death and not give an inch!"

"Yes!"

All the generals present responded in unison.

The task force was assigned to the second-line position as a reserve force. Li Guotao was leading the soldiers to repair fortifications on an unnamed high ground.

Li Moyin came over and said, "Do you understand the situation?"

Li Guotao smiled bitterly and said, "I've already guessed it. The 63rd Army was urgently transferred here to reinforce the defense. The enemy must be coming."

Li Moyin sighed helplessly and said, "I didn't expect the enemy to chase us so quickly!"

Li Guotao said: "This time, the enemy's mechanized forces have fully demonstrated their advantages."

"We have been fighting for so long. The soldiers have run hundreds of kilometers back and forth. Even the strongest men are exhausted."

"As for the enemy, their marches were entirely dependent on wheels. Although they were affected by the roads, their soldiers were able to conserve their energy."

"That's why the enemy's counterattack was so swift."

Of course, the main reason was the insufficient supply of food and fodder. In the last few days, the soldiers were lucky enough to have one meal a day.

The army commander requested that priority be given to supplying the front-line combat troops, but this was far from enough.

The commander was only given a handful of roasted beans a day, and these beans were originally meant to feed the horses.

The heavy equipment in the army is mainly transported by mules and horses. If these horses only eat grass, they will not have the strength to work, so they need to be fed with food.

But now people are not able to eat enough, so all the beans that were originally used to feed horses are now used as rations for the soldiers.

Li Moyin said helplessly: "There is nothing we can do about it. We don't have mechanized troops."

"The most important thing is that we don't have air superiority. Supplies from the rear can't be transported up in time, and the soldiers can only starve."

"But no matter what, we must hold our position and ensure the safety of Iron Field. Only by holding Iron Field can we ensure the safety of the entire defense line, and the main force can catch its breath and gradually reverse the disadvantage."

Li Guotao looked into the distance and said with a firm face: "Don't worry, we can definitely hold our position."

Li Moyin said: "The 63rd Army has made up its mind to defend Cheorwon to the death." "We need to hold on for half a month!"

Li Guotao smiled and said, "No problem at all."

Li Moyin smiled and said, "You are such a bold guy, you are not afraid of anything."

"Do you know how many enemies we are facing?"

Li Guotao said: "There are at least tens of thousands! And there are thousands of cannons and hundreds of tanks."

"And there are countless planes in the sky!"

"so what?"

"We knew the gap between us and the enemy, but we still crossed the Yalu River."

"I remember you once said to me, someone asked you why you think you can defeat the U.S. military?"

"Because only by winning the war can the Chinese people survive better."

Li Moyin nodded and said, "Yes, this is what Mr. Zhou said."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "I believe our soldiers can definitely win this battle. I am only concerned about how many enemies we can kill in the next battle."

Li Moyin smiled and asked, "How many do you plan to kill?"

Li Guotao smiled and replied: "The more the better."

"But the location of our position is not very good. I guess the enemy will not use this as the main direction of attack."

"Besides, this is the second-line defense position. I'm afraid we can only watch our brother troops kill the enemy in the next few days."

Li Moyin nodded and said, "That's right! But we are the reserve team and may be sent to the front line for support at any time. We can't be careless and must be ready for battle at any time."

Hearing this, Li Guotao's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "This is serious."

Li Moyin smiled and said, "Why would I lie to you? Not to mention you, even I would want to kill more enemies on the battlefield."

Li Guotao said: "I think these enemies are becoming more and more savvy. Ridgway and Van Vleet are not easy to deal with."

"They have now learned to maneuver and weave their way in, causing us a lot of trouble."

Li Moyin sighed helplessly and said, "The enemy's learning ability is beyond our imagination."

"Not only did they send elite troops to infiltrate us from the land, they even sent airborne troops to land directly behind us, causing us considerable trouble."

Li Guotao nodded slightly and said, "Then we must also be on guard, as they are carrying out airborne operations in Cheorwon."

Li Moyin said: "Our learning ability is no worse than the enemy's. We have already suffered losses at the hands of their airborne troops. How can we let them succeed again?"

"While defending the front, the 63rd Army also left a unit behind to prevent the enemy from launching an airborne operation in the rear."

"At the same time, this unit also serves as the general reserve of the entire army. Unless the front troops are really exhausted, they will not be easily mobilized."

Li Guotao smiled and said, "This way, we won't have any worries. We can let go and have a good fight with the enemy."

"In fact, such a blocking battle is also a good opportunity to destroy the enemy's manpower."

"After all, the enemy is well-equipped and has a large number of tanks and mechanized troops. If we pursue them, it is often difficult to encircle and annihilate their main force in an organized manner."

"But when defending, we still have a big advantage by relying on the terrain."

"The only drawback is that the enemy's artillery fire is too fierce, and we will definitely suffer a huge price in casualties."

"Now we can only rely on building fortifications as soon as possible to reduce casualties."

"But I believe the situation will get better and better in the future. As our air force joins the war, we will gradually regain air superiority, and the problem of insufficient logistical support will gradually improve."

"This way, we can be invincible, and then slowly find a way to defeat the enemy."

Li Moyin nodded slightly and said, "At this time, it is very rare that you can still maintain such an optimistic attitude."

On the morning of June 6, the enemy sent out several small groups of troops to launch a tentative attack on the 1rd Army's defense line, officially kicking off the Battle of Cheorwon.

The enemy's tentative attack was quickly repelled by the volunteers.

The enemy then launched a formal attack, mobilizing thousands of cannons and dispatching hundreds of aircraft to launch a fierce bombing on the 63rd Army's defense line in Cheorwon.

There were loud explosions one after another, and various positions on the front line were caught in a barrage of artillery fire one after another.

At this moment, both Ridgway and Van Fleet discovered the importance of Cheorwon. As long as they took the strategic support point of Cheorwon, they could completely defeat the Volunteer Army. By then, the Volunteer Army would not even be able to defend the 38th parallel and would only suffer further defeat.

In order to capture Cheorwon, Van Fleet spared no effort and ordered all troops on the front line to attack Cheorwon with all their might.

Van Fleet, who always advocated firepower, provided the US troops on the front line with many times more ammunition than before, so the enemy's artillery fire became more fierce.

The hilltops were turned into scorched earth under the destruction of enemy artillery fire.

The enemy directed the main spearhead of its attack at the Yeoncheon Pass defended by the 187th Division, attempting to seize the advantageous terrain on both sides of Yeoncheon, break through the middle, and head straight to Cheorwon.

On the less than 187-kilometer defensive front of the 3th Division, the enemy concentrated the forces of two divisions and launched a series of fierce attacks.

The most intense fighting took place at the North Mountain of Haengjeon-ri, North Mountain of Sinchon, and the areas around Hill 162 and Hill 167.1 at the Yeoncheon Pass.

This place is the only way along the Liantie Highway to the 63rd Army's defensive depth, and the one defending here is the 561rd Battalion of the 3st Regiment.

The enemy in front of them was five battalions of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division and four artillery battalions.

Led by a large number of tanks, the enemy launched continuous and fierce attacks on our defensive positions, and the battle was extremely brutal.

The brave volunteer soldiers always held their positions, refused to give an inch, and repelled the enemy's fierce attacks time and time again.

Li Guotao was observing the battle ahead and was eager to get to the front line and fight the enemy.

However, without orders, they cannot act on their own for the time being.

Wu Qianli came up to Li Guotao and said, "The soldiers are getting so frustrated and keep asking when they can go to the front line."

Li Guotao said helplessly: "Wait for orders!"

"This battle has just begun. We need to hold on for half a month. If you want to go to the front line, there will always be a chance."

"Let the soldiers save their energy and always stay in the best condition." (End of this chapter)