Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 565: Making Up for This Lesson for Them

Not long after leaving Tuancheng, the chief of staff of the 1st Division of the South asked, "Sir, should we still make a detour to the east?"

Bai Shangye nodded without hesitation: "Take a roundabout route, immediately!"

For Bai Shangye, withdrawing from Tuancheng was not very safe; it would be best to stay away from the battlefield.

After confirming the target, Bai Shangye ordered his troops to speed up and make a detour to Qiu County.

According to previous reports, the 8th Division of the South was stationed in this area.

However, to Bai Shangye's surprise, the Southern 1st Division found itself unable to advance before even reaching Qiu County, as it discovered a large number of enemy troops.

An urgent telegram was immediately sent to the Eighth Army Group Command.

Looking at the telegram, Walker finally realized that the 6th and 8th Southern Divisions had not only suffered a rout, but had been almost completely annihilated.

Previously, the division headquarters had not grasped the specific situation of the entire division simply because the troops were too dispersed.

This conclusion greatly surprised Walker.

The fact that two main divisions of the Southern Army could be nearly wiped out in such a short time could not possibly be the work of the Northern Army.

If it wasn't the Northern Army, then it's easy to imagine who it was.

Moreover, if the South 1st Division's report is correct, it means that a Chinese unit is moving towards the Chongchon River.

Realizing what was happening, Walker shouted at Dane, "Immediately issue the order! Halt the entire army's advance and retreat immediately to the south bank of the Qingchuan River!"

"Sir, it's the Commander-in-Chief's order."

"Stop paying attention to that damned order!" Walker roared. "This is not the time to joke around with the Eighth Army!"

"Send the order immediately!"

At this point, MacArthur could say whatever he wanted, and Walker declared that he would not listen to him at all.

"Yes, sir!"

It must be said that Walker reacted quickly; the US 24th Division and the British 27th Brigade, which had already crossed the river, immediately stopped advancing and began to retreat.

The 5th and 7th Regiments of the 1st Cavalry Division also began to consolidate their forces and retreat.

As for the 1st Division of the South, they had already taken the lead in retreating before Walker's order was given.

The only exceptions were the Mei 3rd Regiment and the Nan 11th Regiment in Tuancheng.

Just as they were preparing to retreat slowly, the various detachments of the Second General Headquarters began to act according to plan.

Although the U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft spotted the Second General Staff Headquarters, the partial exposure did not attract the attention of the U.S. military.

At 5 p.m., the artillery regiment of the 21st detachment launched the first artillery bombardment on the outer positions of the regiment, and then the howitzer regiment also began to bombard the outer areas of the regiment.

Despite the intense artillery fire, the 11th Regiment of the South, responsible for defending Wurenli in the northeast of Tuancheng, unexpectedly held its ground.

Moreover, in the subsequent probing feints by the 21st detachment, the 11th Regiment of the South fought in a conventional manner, but its counterattack was not weak.

However, the actions of the 11th Regiment in the south puzzled Chen Chengxing, who was at the forward command post.

"This is the Southern Army? Something's not right."

"Commander-in-Chief, the Southern Army can't be all useless. It's normal for some units to be capable of fighting."

"No, no, no." Chen Chengxing shook his head.

"I'm not saying whether we can fight or not, but that the way we're fighting is wrong."

"The frontline troops are just making a feint to test the enemy's firing positions. Anyone who has fought in a war should be able to tell the difference."

"But look at the strength of the Southern Army's counterattack. Isn't that all they can do in the face of a general offensive?"

After Chen Chengxing pointed it out, Xu Wu also realized something was wrong.

The enemy's firepower was very strong. Even when facing direct fire from recoilless rifles, infantry guns, or even mountain guns, the Southern Army still unleashed its full firepower every time.

"No matter what, the current situation is in our favor." Xu Wu, who hadn't figured it out, simply stopped thinking about it.

"If the Southern Army's firing positions are willing to be exposed, we'll just take them out. Sooner or later, we'll be able to wipe them all out."

"That's all we can do for now." Chen Chengxing nodded. "Tell all units to be on high alert and prevent the enemy from doing anything unexpected."

"yes!".
It was precisely because of the Southern Army's constant counterattacks that their firing positions were being continuously eliminated.

The Second General Corps' attacking forces continued to erode the positions of the 11th Regiment in the south.

After more than an hour, as darkness fell completely, the Southern army had already captured many of their positions.

Just as the 21st Detachment was preparing to launch a general offensive against the Southern Army's positions, an unexpected incident occurred.

The 21st Detachment had just deployed and the artillery had only fired a few shells when the 11th Regiment of the South, which had been fighting fiercely, suddenly fled its position and disappeared into the mountains.

This unexpected situation left the attacking soldiers completely bewildered.

They had never encountered such a situation before; the Southern Army during the day and the Southern Army at night were like two separate forces.

Twenty-one powerful punches, all culminated in an afternoon, were essentially thrown at thin air.

Inside the command post, looking at the report from the 21st detachment, Xu Wu was also puzzled.

"They played so well during the day, but suddenly collapsed at night?"

"Could it be that the daytime feints and artillery bombardment inflicted fatal casualties on the Southern army?"

"Impossible." Chen Chengxing shook his head.

Knowing that resupply would be difficult later, the artillery regiments did not fire heavily, and Chen Chengxing did not even fire the rocket artillery.

Such a bombardment density, over a period of more than an hour, was insufficient to inflict fatal damage on the Southern army occupying an entire hilltop.

"Do you think the Southern army fought so fiercely during the day just so they could escape at night?"

Chen Chengxing touched his chin, feeling as if he had discovered the reason.

It's already dark. If the Southern Army scatters and flees into the mountains, it's impossible for the Second General to find them one by one.

In this way, they can escape successfully.

Xu Wu nodded seriously: "Captain, you know what, it's really possible."

After eliminating all the impossibilities, the remaining reason, however outrageous, is still the most likely one.

"Forget about those. There are still enemy troops inside Yunshan City. Have the 21st Detachment surround them and coordinate with the 22nd and 24th Detachments to launch an attack."

"We need to act quickly and decisively."

The Southern troops on the perimeter may have fled, but the enemy troops on the main positions cannot be allowed to escape as well.

At 9 p.m., after the encirclement was completed, the final assault began again.

But this time, when the firefight broke out, both sides were taken aback.

"Fuck! Where did these elite troops come from?!" The American soldiers on the position were utterly astonished.

They had never seen such disciplined and fearless soldiers.

"Sir, the enemy on the other side is definitely not the Southern Army! Bai Shangye is telling the truth; there really are a large number of Chinese troops outside Tuancheng!"

"The collapse of the 11th Regiment in the South was not because they were too incompetent."

"Chief of Staff, don't panic!" Wayne said in a deep voice, "We have advantageous terrain and overwhelming firepower; they can't get up here!"

"Disperse the tank companies to reinforce the front lines, and keep the artillery positions firing continuously."

"Yes, sir!"
At this time, Chen Chengxing also received the report.

"Commander, a report from the front: the main position at Tuancheng is not held by the Southern 1st Division, but by the US Army!"

"US military? Is that confirmed?" Chen Chengxing asked, somewhat surprised.

Both the previous reconnaissance and the evening battle indicated that the garrison in Tuancheng was the Southern Army. Why did the American army suddenly appear?

“There’s no mistake.” Xu Wu affirmed, “Although the soldiers couldn’t understand their shouts, the Southern Army and the American Army spoke differently.”

"Moreover, the enemy fired a lot of flares. Although we couldn't see their specific faces from a distance, they were all burly and different from the previous Southern troops."

"Go find the prisoners we captured and ask them which US unit is on the other side."

"yes!".
Since the mission was to fight in Korea, Chen Chengxing would certainly make preparations. There were several Korean soldiers in the headquarters, as well as several translators who could speak English.

Although Chen Chengxing also understands English, he doesn't have time to do translation work.

A few minutes later, Xu Wu hurriedly ran back.

"We've figured it out. The enemy is the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division, along with tanks and howitzers."

"The prisoners said the number was about five thousand."

"The 1st Cavalry Division?" Chen Chengxing's interest was piqued. "Good, good, good. I didn't expect that our first battle with the Americans would be against such elite troops."

"I love fighting elite troops!"

Seeing that the crowd was somewhat unfamiliar with the 1st Cavalry Division, Chen Chengxing casually gave them a brief introduction.

"The 1st Cavalry Division is the elite of the US military, known as the strongest ground force in the US Army, and has never been defeated since its establishment."

"This won't do! We have to teach him this lesson!"

"Otherwise, it would seem very impolite of us."

"Xu Wu, tell the frontline troops to stretch the skirmish lines to the maximum. The firepower of the US military is no joke."

"yes!".
At this time, the firepower density displayed by the US 3rd Regiment was significantly higher than that of the South 11th Regiment.

However, the attacking forces of the Second Headquarters were all operating in small groups. Although each group did not consist of only three people, they were still divided into attacking, covering, and supporting roles.

With the addition of machine guns and mortars issued to the battalion and company, a platoon can maintain firepower density while stretching out an 800-meter-wide battle line.

Moreover, while attacking, they frequently used flanking and flank tactics, which prevented the US 3rd Regiment from concentrating its firepower in one direction.

During an attack, if one soldier falls, another soldier will automatically move forward to replace him.

This gave the US military, which was firing at full firepower, the illusion that their hail of bullets had no effect whatsoever.

As the soldiers at the front approached the vicinity of the American positions, the commander immediately shouted, "Grenades!" The prepared soldiers immediately unleashed a barrage of grenades at the American positions.

Just as the American troops were scrambling to evade, the bugle call sounded.

"Beep beep beep beep."

"Kill!"
The soldiers charged into the position with their bayonets fixed.

"Fuck! The Chinese are coming up!"

"Fix bayonets! Drive these dwarfs away!"
This was the first encounter between the two sides, so they both unanimously chose to engage in close combat, hoping to quickly defeat their opponent.

However, upon encountering each other, the US military immediately realized that it had kicked a hornet's nest.

Their opponent was far too agile; in a one-on-one situation, they were no match for them.

Often, before they even realize it, they've already got a hole in their body.

Undeterred, the American soldiers attempted to attack from both sides.

Unexpectedly, the Second Division soldier sidestepped, smashing the nose of the American soldier behind him with the butt of his rifle, and then delivered a fatal blow to the American soldier in front of him.

In the end, the US military realized that only a three-on-one situation could achieve a stalemate.

Of course, it was just a stalemate.

If they wanted to assassinate the soldiers in front of them, they would have to sacrifice at least one or two lives.

Moreover, if the Second Division's soldiers get the first move, and one of them is taken down first, the remaining two won't be able to escape either.

The fierce bayonet fighting on the front lines terrified the American troops.

From then on, the 1st Cavalry Division never initiated another bayonet fight with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Wien, watching the battle from behind with the help of the flares, could hardly believe his eyes.

Compared to the opponent's agile movements, his own soldiers looked like idiots.

"Fuck! These people are like agile monkeys!"

"We must never engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Chinese army again!"

Wayne's face was extremely grim, and he decided to take advantage of his firepower.

"Order the frontline soldiers to retreat. The anti-aircraft company will clear the position with self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and quadruple anti-aircraft machine guns!"

"Yes, sir!"
Seeing the American soldiers retreating in disarray, the soldiers became excited.

"The Americans aren't as amazing as they claim. They can't take it even if it's a bloody knife!"

"Chase them! Sting their asses!"

The soldiers prepared to seize the opportunity and crush the enemy's second-line positions in one fell swoop.

However, just as everyone jumped out of their positions, they suddenly heard a series of explosions.

Several M19 twin 40mm self-propelled anti-aircraft guns opened fire on the forward positions.

In just a few seconds, the entire position was completely covered by a dense barrage of explosions.

"Take cover! Take cover!" the company and platoon leaders shouted repeatedly.

The soldiers immediately sought the nearest cover to avoid the barrage of artillery fire from the enemy.

Seeing the sudden and enormous casualties, Chen Chengxing was heartbroken.

However, the intensity of the US military's firepower is so unreasonable that he doesn't have any good solutions.

"Get the artillery to retaliate immediately! We can't let the Americans get away with this!"

"yes!".
Although the US military's anti-aircraft guns all have flash suppressors, they are still very conspicuous at night, especially during continuous firing.

Upon receiving the order, the howitzer positions immediately began to bombard the US anti-aircraft artillery positions.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
After a round of fire, although the US self-propelled anti-aircraft guns were not destroyed, they were forced to cease fire and relocate.

The first encounter between the two sides has come to a temporary end.

"Sir, the situation is probably very bad."

Although the fighting has temporarily stopped, no one believes it's over; the next wave of attacks will likely be even more intense.

Wayne nodded: "Judging from the current situation, the G army has a large number of troops, and we cannot hold out for long."

"Immediately send a telegram to your superiors requesting support."

When the front lines were attacked earlier, Wayne sent troops to scout the rear, and by then he already knew that his retreat was blocked.

If the 3rd Regiment wants to retreat, it needs reinforcements to open a passage for them.

Major General Guy, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, who received the request for assistance, was not overly alarmed.

In his view, even if it really was the Central Army that came, they couldn't possibly do anything to the 3rd Regiment.

"Call the Fifth Air Force and request air support."

"Have the 5th Regiment prepare to move out at dawn to support the 3rd Regiment's withdrawal."

"Yes, sir!"
Soon, several B-26 light bombers equipped with night vision devices appeared near Tuancheng.

Chen Chengxing was not surprised by the appearance of the aircraft. Given the United States' vast wealth, they would certainly provide air support to the front-line troops at any time.

However, it is nighttime now, and even if the aircraft is equipped with night vision equipment, it is impossible to achieve accurate dropping.

"Tell the soldiers not to be nervous, a few planes won't have much impact on the battle."

"However, it is essential to remind all units to strictly prohibit gatherings of personnel above the platoon level," Chen Chengxing instructed.

A small group of soldiers is a small target and will not attract the attention of American aircraft, but if there are too many people, a few aerial bombs can cause great losses.

As expected, the artillery of the Second Division was also dispersed and hidden in the gun craters.

Therefore, although the US bombers carried out the bombing, they did not cause much damage.

Half an hour later, Xu Wu came over: "Commander-in-Chief, frontline report: all groups have dispersed and advanced to their respective attack positions."

Should we launch an attack immediately?

"Prepare for the attack." Chen Chengxing nodded. "When attacking, we must advance as quickly as possible. Once we get close to the enemy, the American planes will not dare to drop bombs."

The combat capabilities of the U.S. Navy and Air Force are indeed superb, but even the best capabilities cannot guarantee absolute safety at night.

Therefore, the more chaotic the battlefield situation, the more advantageous it is for the Second General Staff.

Under the cover of darkness, the soldiers of the Second Division approached the American positions at an extremely fast pace.

Even though the US 3rd Regiment fired flares as soon as they heard the commotion and immediately opened fire, they were still caught off guard by the swift offensive.

Wayne looked at the situation at the front from inside the command post, his expression somewhat grave.

In their first encounter, the 3rd Regiment was caught off guard due to a lack of understanding of the true situation, which was understandable.

However, the fact that they were still caught off guard despite being well-prepared speaks volumes.

"Sir, although the central army's movements appear scattered, their tactics are clearly very well-practiced, as if they have become instinctive."

"Moreover, every point of attack by the enemy is a weak point in our defense."

“Even when faced with intense firepower, the enemy troops charged forward without regard for casualties.”

"I think we're in trouble this time."

Upon hearing the chief of staff's analysis, Wayne remained silent. Although he was not at the forefront, he was fully aware of the situation on the front lines.

The enemy appeared to be a disorganized group, but their actions were entirely guided by bugle calls and whistles, and their advances and retreats were quite methodical.

Only the most elite troops can do this.

For most troops, it's easy to disperse, but difficult to coordinate their actions.

Faced with such elite forces, the tanks and artillery that the US military relies on for survival do not seem to be as effective.

After a moment of silence, Wayne said with a heavy expression, "Immediately send a telegram to Major General Guy and Lieutenant General Walker, requesting that the 5th Regiment and all surrounding units move closer to me."

"This is probably our only way out."

"Yes, sir!"
According to Wayne's assessment, as long as the 5th Regiment can rendezvous with him in time, the central army will be unable to do anything to him, whether he is defending or retreating.

To Wayne's disappointment, the 5th Regiment did not even set out overnight.

Commander Guy of the 1st Cavalry Division ordered the 3rd Regiment to wait until daytime.

Then, under air cover, they cooperated with the 5th Regiment to open a passage and eventually retreated to the south bank of the Chongchon River.

Upon seeing the order, Wayne immediately flew into a rage: "Fuck!"

"What the hell is this order?!"

"Could it be that those guys at command think I'm lying about military intelligence?! They should come to the front lines and experience it for themselves!"

While waiting for orders, the Second Division had already captured several small positions and was about to enter the city.

Cities on the Korean Peninsula no longer have city walls, and the US military mainly relies on converted buildings as outposts and temporary sandbag bunkers for defense.

Such a defensive position is bound to have weak points.

Moreover, once urban warfare begins, aircraft are less effective at night.

"Sir, we must take action."

"." Wayne did not speak.

At that moment, he thought of the 11th Regiment in the South.

He now realized that there was some merit to the Southern army's strategy of holding out during the day and fleeing at night.

Running into the mountains under the cover of darkness makes escape incredibly easy.
After thinking for a long time, Wayne finally decided to follow the example of the South 11th Regiment.

After making the decision, the US 3rd Regiment concentrated all its artillery fire and bombarded the southwest direction.
(End of this chapter)