Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Chapter 89 Severe Test!
Hagaru-ri, US military headquarters.

Major General Smith stared at the sand table in front of him with worry.

Colonel Bowser pointed to the sand table and said, "At present, all troops have followed your instructions, shrinking their defense lines and preparing for retreat."

"According to the original plan, we will gradually withdraw from Hagaru-ri, first rush to Gutu-ri, then pass the Watergate Bridge and retreat to Heungnam Port."

Major General Smith said: "The enemy will not let us retreat easily. Have we discovered the main force of the enemy in the area from Hagaru-ri to Guto-ri?"

"Yes!"

Colonel Bowser nodded and said, "According to the plan, we can only move step by step and slowly retreat southward."

"After daybreak, we can dispatch all our aircraft to bomb enemy forces along the way."

"As long as we can occupy the commanding heights on both sides of the road, the troops can slowly retreat to Gutuli."

"The enemy will definitely block us, so our retreat will be very slow. It will take about two days to retreat to Gutuli."

Major General Smith frowned and asked, "But after dark, we will lose most of our air support. How will we resist the enemy's attack then?"

"At night, they will surely launch a full-scale attack on us."

"We also have a large number of tanks and armored vehicles, as well as a variety of advanced weapons and equipment," said Colonel Bowser.

"The enemy lacks heavy firepower. These tanks and armored vehicles, deployed near the highway, are like steel fortresses that can form a solid line of defense."

"The infantry can hold off the enemy's attack by occupying the commanding heights on both sides of the road."

Major General Smith nodded slightly and said, "The artillery position was occupied by the enemy, and dozens of heavy artillery pieces of the 11th Artillery Regiment all fell into the hands of the enemy."

"Bruval, that bastard, is aiding the enemy."

Colonel Bowser said: "General, calm down. After daybreak, our planes will launch a large-scale bombing of the surrounding area."

"Destroy these heavy artillery first, so that they won't have enough heavy firepower to pose a threat to our army."

"As long as we advance step by step and gradually retreat southward to ensure that our troops will not be defeated, we can safely retreat to Gutuli. As long as we cross the Watergate Bridge, we will be basically safe and can quickly retreat to Xingnan Port."

Major General Smith nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good, let's execute it according to this plan!"

"At this point, we can only try to minimize the losses and evacuate the Changjin Lake area as soon as possible."

“Yes sir!”

Just then, an enemy officer walked over quickly and handed a telegram to Colonel Bowser.

Colonel Bowser read it carefully and couldn't help but change his expression.

Major General Smith frowned and asked, "What happened again?"

Colonel Bowser replied helplessly: "The defenders of the Watergate Bridge reported that not long ago, the enemy attacked the Watergate Bridge and blew up the bridge deck."

"Que?"

Major General Smith's face suddenly darkened.

"The Watergate Bridge was blown up?"

"Yes, General."

"Asshole! Didn't I tell you to strengthen the defenses along the Watergate Bridge?"

Colonel Bowser quickly explained: "General, don't worry. The Watergate Bridge was only breached. The damage is not serious."

"The defenders of Gutuli have already mobilized engineers to repair it. It should be repaired soon and will definitely not delay the retreat of the main force."

Major General Smith said angrily: "Tell them to repair the Watergate Bridge as soon as possible, without any mistakes." "Yes sir!"

"Now I really want to know, what are they doing for a living? They can't even defend a small Watergate Bridge?"

Colonel Bowser explained: "It was mainly because the enemy was too cunning. They disguised themselves as Korean soldiers, approached the Watergate Bridge, and suddenly launched a sneak attack. The defenders were caught off guard, so they attacked the bridge and placed explosives."

"But this enemy was only a small force. After they blew up a section of the bridge deck, they retreated hastily."

"The Watergate Bridge is now completely under our control, and the engineers will surely be able to quickly repair the bridge deck."

Major General Smith gritted his teeth and said, "Notify these idiots to step up their guard and continue to send more troops to the Watergate Bridge. We must ensure the safety of the Watergate Bridge at all costs."

"This is our lifeline, and we cannot afford to make any mistakes."

“Yes sir!”

Major General Smith stared at the sand table, so distracted that he almost lost the calmness that a commander should have.

The current situation is full of crises.

The main reason was that the Volunteer Army was too powerful. Although they were poorly equipped, their willpower was beyond imagination, and their strategies and tactics were strange and changeable, so they were very experienced.

Major General Smith felt that this was the most powerful enemy he had ever encountered in his life.

The Battle of Changjin Lake was a very severe test for them.

Now Major General Smith is not completely sure that he can evacuate Changjin Lake safely.

Because the volunteer army can often create miracles unexpectedly, he cannot imagine what will happen next.

Major General Smith would not dare to slack off unless they arrived at Xingnan Port safely.

……

It was almost dawn, and in order to avoid unnecessary losses, the main force of the Volunteer Army was forced to temporarily stop the large-scale offensive.

The battle that night also yielded huge gains, as the volunteers captured a large area of ​​positions near Hagaru-ri in one fell swoop.

Especially after taking the airport, the enemy could only retreat southward by road, and their wounded could not be transported out in time.

Although they can also use helicopters for transportation, the helicopter's capacity is limited after all.

The large number of casualties caused by the fierce fighting will become a huge burden for them.

The enemy's actions at this time also made the volunteers realize that the enemy was preparing to retreat.

The 9th Corps Command immediately ordered all troops to block the enemy along the way with all their might and slow down their retreat.

After dark, the various troops launched a powerful offensive at night, gradually depleting the enemy's strength and striving to wipe out the main force of the enemy in Hagaru-ri in the Changjin Lake area.

During the day, the main force rested while the blocking force tried its best to stop the enemy's retreat.

In view of the importance of the Watergate Bridge, the superiors once again ordered to dispatch troops to support the Watergate Bridge and ensure that the Watergate Bridge was blown up to prevent the enemy from fleeing south.

At the artillery position, Battalion Commander Yang was organizing people to move the artillery.

After all, the enemy planes would arrive after daybreak, and when they dropped a string of bombs, all these precious cannons would become scrap metal.

Although the enemy also had night-flying bombers at night, the two sides were fighting fiercely and the scene was quite chaotic.

In addition, there had been a large-scale accidental bombing incident before, so the enemy became more cautious and did not dare to bomb easily.

So it is relatively safe at night, but at daybreak, the cannons must be moved as quickly as possible.

(End of this chapter)