Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 566 Fuck! How is this possible?
Upon hearing the sudden outbreak of fierce fighting in the direction of Tuancheng, Chen Chengxing immediately raised his binoculars.

A few minutes later, Xu Wu rushed over.

"Commander, the enemy has abandoned their heavy weapons and is breaking out!"

"There were more than a dozen tanks and a large number of armored vehicles on the other side as cover, and the soldiers could not hold them off."

Currently, the Second General Staff mainly uses two types of anti-tank weapons: the 57mm recoilless rifle and the Type 71 rocket launcher.

The 57mm recoilless gun was completely unable to penetrate the armor of the M26 tank.

Rocket launchers can penetrate from the front, but hitting a fast-moving tank at long range at night is extremely difficult.

After losing four tanks and two armored vehicles, the US 3rd Regiment successfully broke through the encirclement and immediately split into three groups.

It wasn't that the US military didn't want to split up like the Confederate army, but rather that they simply didn't know the way.

Without a guide, it's impossible to know where you'll end up.

Upon hearing that the American troops had fled, Chen Chengxing was puzzled: "Fled? Who was whose teacher anyway?"

At the slightest disagreement, they turn tail and run. Was this a lesson taught by the American army or the Confederate army?
However, Chen Chengxing didn't think much of it: "Order all detachments to immediately launch a pursuit!"

"In mountainous areas, the US military's motorized advantage cannot be fully utilized, which is advantageous to us."

If the US military were to hold Tuancheng to the death, the Second General Staff would inevitably suffer heavy casualties.

But since they've come out, as long as we can catch up with them, it will benefit the Second Boss.

As for whether he can catch up, Chen Chengxing is not too worried.

If it were a plains area, the US military would be able to catch up with the Second Division if they took the road, but this was in a mountainous area.

The highway had long been blocked by the 23rd Detachment, leaving the US military with no choice but to cross the mountains.

Not everyone can outrun the Second General in the mountains.

Wayne never expected that the Second Boss would be able to catch up so quickly.

They abandoned heavy weapons and set off first, relying on motorized transport.

After running for only two hours, just as the sun was rising over the mountains, they were surrounded again.

Moreover, this time three battalions were surrounded in three different locations.

At this point, Wayne was so anxious that blisters appeared on the corners of his mouth.

The radio operator's hands trembled as he sent the distress telegram.

On the other side, Walker jumped up when he learned that the 3rd Regiment had been scattered and surrounded in the mountains.

"Isn't the 3rd Regiment supposed to be on a motorized march? How did the enemy manage to catch up?!"

He never imagined that someone could catch up with a tank or armored vehicle on foot.

"Sir, nobody knows how the enemy caught up," Chief of Staff Dane warned. "But if we don't provide support immediately, the 3rd Regiment is in danger."

Walker immediately ordered, "Get the 5th Regiment moving out immediately!"

"Reinforce the 1st Cavalry Division with its heavy tank battalion and 155mm howitzer battalion as well."

"In addition, we request emergency support from the air force, marine aviators, and naval carrier-based aircraft!"

Currently, the air force in North Korea mainly consists of bombers and air superiority fighters, while ground attack relies on naval carrier-based aircraft and marine corps aircraft.

Moreover, even though Walker was in the Army, he had to admit that the level of the Naval Air Force was truly high.

With the order issued, the 5th Regiment, which was already preparing, immediately set out.

The division's 155mm howitzer battalion and heavy tank battalion also crossed the Chongchon River to provide rapid support.

However, the 5th Regiment did not advance for long before it encountered repeated resistance from the 233rd Regiment.

"Sir, according to reconnaissance, the enemy on Xiaobai Mountain should be a division. The Northern Army is no longer able to organize such a large-scale battle. It must be the Central Army."

Colonel Connolly, commander of the 5th Regiment, lowered his binoculars: "I don't care who's on the other side, that's no reason to stop us from advancing."

"Have two artillery battalions conduct a comprehensive bombardment of the enemy positions, and have the tank battalion prepare to cover the infantry attack after the artillery barrage ends."

"Yes, sir!"

The US 5th Regiment brought two artillery battalions with them this time: one was the 105mm howitzer battalion that had been assigned to them before, and the other was the 155mm howitzer battalion that had just arrived.

A U.S. Army artillery battalion is equipped with 18 howitzers, so two battalions would have 36.

The intense artillery fire almost completely obliterated the field fortifications hastily constructed by the 233rd Regiment.

However, the soldiers, hiding in the pre-dug foxholes, suffered few direct casualties.

By the time the US infantry launched their attack under the cover of tanks, the soldiers had already returned to their positions after being alerted by the whistles.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
"Da da da".
Connery's face darkened as he looked at the position where the firepower seemed to have not been reduced much.

"Infantry, withdraw. Fire again," Connolly ordered. "This time, extend the bombardment to half an hour."

He had already communicated with Wayne, and the 3rd Regiment was not in danger at the moment, under the cover of dozens of planes taking turns.

The 5th Regiment still has plenty of time to break through the direction in front of them.

"Yes, sir!"

However, things did not develop as Connery had expected.

Despite repeated artillery bombardments, the 233rd Regiment held its ground.

For three whole hours, the US 5th Regiment didn't even manage to capture a single position.

"Fuck! Is this the central command?" Connery's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

He never expected that someone could withstand the combined attack of artillery and tanks for so long.

Moreover, given the current fighting style, it's unlikely that the 5th Regiment will be able to advance in a short period of time.

This is only the first line of defense; there are several more like it behind it.

Connery decisively decided to escalate the situation: "Request air support!"

There are a few light bombers here at Xiaobaishan, but that is far from meeting Connolly's needs.

He needs more aircraft, especially carrier-based attack aircraft.

They can dive and drop napalm bombs.

For heavily fortified positions, the oxygen deprivation and high temperatures caused by burning are sometimes more effective than explosions.

Soon, the Navy's carrier-based attack aircraft took off from the aircraft carrier.

Because a positional defense was necessary, the 23rd Detachment had no anti-aircraft weapons other than 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

The possibility of shooting down a high-speed diving aircraft with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun is extremely slim.

Therefore, the 233rd Regiment at the front line became a sitting duck for American aircraft to attack at will.

As the most skilled pilots in the U.S. military, naval aviators directly employed highly challenging ground-level strafing and bombing maneuvers.

Sometimes, the soldiers could even see what the American pilots looked like.

The accuracy of this close-range attack is frighteningly high.

While the infantry and tanks of the US 5th Regiment began their advance, the 233rd Regiment was still unable to raise its head due to the bombing by the aircraft.

At the same time, two US artillery battalions began to extend their fire.

Faced with the U.S. military's skillful air-ground coordination, the 233rd Regiment suffered particularly heavy casualties.

Left with no other choice, the soldiers had to bring the American troops closer to the battlefield to avoid being attacked by American aircraft.

At this time, the only good news for the 233rd Regiment was that, due to the terrain, the tanks could not drive directly to the position.

"The American devils are coming!"

"Comrades! Follow me and kill!"

"Kill!"
The soldiers leaped up and charged out of the flames, rushing towards the American troops.

The two sides were less than fifty meters apart, and within a few seconds, the bayonet was already at their feet.

The fifth group in the US felt the same fear that the third group in the US had felt before.

The two sides were simply not on the same level in terms of sparring skills.

After leaving behind a pile of corpses, the US troops retreated in disarray.

"Don't chase! Get back to cover immediately!"

"Retreat! Retreat now!"
Connery gritted his teeth as he watched the Central Army leap out of the ruins, covered in blood and mud, and rout the 5th Regiment's attacking force.

However, by this time he was already firing at full power, and since he couldn't take the position, he could only continue fighting.

Despite inflicting considerable casualties on the personnel and tanks of the US 5th Regiment in the face of continuous attacks by the US military, the 233rd Regiment itself suffered heavy losses.

"Damn it, is this the firepower of the Americans?"

Inside the 23rd Detachment headquarters, Sun Xun looked at the 233rd Regiment's report, feeling extremely distressed.

After glancing at his watch, Sun Xun gritted his teeth and said, "We can't keep fighting like this. We have to get the 233rd Regiment to retreat!"

Facing the combined air and ground forces of the US military, the 233rd Regiment was struggling. At this point, the 23rd Detachment should have sent reinforcements.

However, subsequent reinforcements were unable to reach the area.

Each U.S. division has its own artillery observation aircraft, which constantly circle overhead. As soon as reinforcements arrive, a barrage of artillery shells will immediately fall.

Faced with the US military's relentless artillery barrage, a company that went out would only have a handful of men left by the time they reached the 233rd Regiment's position.

In this situation, conventional methods of warfare are absolutely unacceptable.

After receiving the order, during a lull in the US offensive, while most of the enemy aircraft were withdrawing to replenish their ammunition, the 233rd Regiment dispersed into squads and platoons and ran out from various parts of the position.

Looking at the enemy troops fleeing in panic and the Stars and Stripes finally planted on the position, Connery nodded in satisfaction.

"The enemy has suffered heavy casualties and can no longer stop our offensive."

"Our army will be able to easily break through the remaining positions."

Connolly, smug and self-satisfied, failed to notice that not everyone in the 233rd Regiment retreated back to the second line of defense during the withdrawal.

Due to time constraints, after the 5th Regiment advanced for two hours, it gradually got dark.

Although the U.S. military has equipped some aircraft with night vision equipment, not all of them are equipped with it; it is mainly the bombers of the Air Force that are equipped with it.

The navy has only a small number of carrier-based aircraft, which are mainly used for nighttime defense.

Moreover, the problem of nighttime landings is something that the US aircraft carriers have not yet solved.

Therefore, the naval air force had already returned to base before it got completely dark.

Without air cover, Connolly ceased his attack and began to tighten his defenses. Inside the headquarters, Chen Chengxing looked at the night sky and said, "The American devils' planes are gone; now it's our turn."

"Reinforce the artillery regiments of the 22nd and 24th detachments to the direction of the 21st detachment. We'll crack these three tough nuts one by one!"

The three battalions of the U.S. Army were less than ten kilometers apart, and given the range of their mountain guns and heavy mortars, they did not need to rush to the front line.

As long as artillery positions are set up in suitable locations, they can provide remote support for the 21st Detachment's assault.

Although each wave of American troops numbered nearly 1,500 and was supported by tanks and armored vehicles, they could not hold out for long against the successive attacks of three infantry regiments and three artillery regiments.

Just as Team 21 started cracking walnuts, Team 23 also began its operation.

The 231st Regiment launched an attack on the US 5th Regiment, and Connolly's attention was immediately drawn to it.

Under the command of the artillery forward observation group, the two artillery battalions in the rear resumed their fire suppression.

With no American aircraft harassing them at night, the 23rd artillery regiment was finally able to open fire.

Although the calibers of the two sides differed considerably, the 23 artillery pieces still caused considerable trouble for the US 5th Regiment.

After the US 5th Regiment's attention was diverted, the 7th Company of the 233rd Regiment, which had been prepared in advance, made its way out.

The group passed silently through the side of the US 5th Regiment.

After arriving at a secluded ravine, everyone stopped.

Li Yunchang, the company commander of the 7th Company, took out a map.

"Old Zhang, based on the daytime and the current artillery fire, the enemy's artillery positions should be near Hill 875."

"What are your thoughts?" Instructor Zhang Yundong asked.

“We will each lead a platoon and split into two groups to search and advance. The 3rd Platoon will be the reserve force at the rear, ready to provide support at any time.”

After listening to Li Yunchang's plan, Zhang Yundong nodded: "Okay."

“I will lead one platoon to set off first, cutting through from the foot of the 875-meter high mountain. You will lead two platoons to cut through from the mountainside. The third platoon will be behind the second platoon to deal with any emergencies.”

"Okay, that's it."

After finalizing their plan, the two did not separate immediately, as they were still quite a distance from Hill 875.

The 7th Company continued marching forward, and at midnight, they quietly arrived at a hilltop north of Hill 875.

"Hill 875 is just ahead. How about we send a squad to scout ahead?"

Having a clear understanding of the situation will make things safer.

"Okay." Li Yunchang turned around and whispered the order: "Squad Leader 9!"

"Here!" The squad leader of Class 9 jogged over.

"Take the 9th squad and go out to Hill 875 to find out the specific situation in the vicinity."

"yes!".
After the 9th Platoon left, the 7th Company continued to wait in the same spot.

However, to Li Yunchang's surprise, after the 9th Platoon left, there was no sound. No news came back, and no gunshots were heard.

"It seems that something has gotten in the way of Class 9," Zhang Yundong analyzed. "The fact that there's no fighting means there's no danger."

“We don’t have much time to waste here. I’ll take the first platoon and head out first. You wait a bit longer.”

"Okay." Li Yunchang nodded.

Zhang Yundong turned around and waved his hand, leading the 1st Platoon forward. They were now close to the American positions and had to be careful.

After the first platoon left, Li Yunchang thought for a moment and then called the second platoon leader over.

“Something happened to the 9th squad. You take the 4th squad to take control of Hill 875. I’ll give you a heavy machine gun.”

Because the 7th Company was tasked with the infiltration and raid mission, in addition to their own mortars and general-purpose machine guns, the battalion headquarters also allocated two 12.7mm heavy machine gun squads, for a total of four heavy machine guns.

"Yes!"

Without wasting any words, the 2nd platoon leader led the 4th squad and the heavy machine gun team toward Hill 875.

After the platoon leader left, Li Yunchang did not wait long and soon led the remaining soldiers to continue advancing.

Just as Li Yunchang was crossing the mountainside of Hill 875, intense gunfire suddenly erupted from below.

"It's the instructors."

When Li Yunchang heard the continuous gunfire, he immediately realized that the 1st Platoon had encountered enemy troops.

"Second platoon, follow me to provide support immediately! Third platoon, follow behind!"

"Yes!"

The second and third platoons rushed towards the direction from which the gunfire had occurred.

The US artillery position guard company, which had been fighting the 1st Platoon to a standstill, immediately lost its composure when it saw enemies appearing from all directions.

In the pitch black, they had no idea how many people were on the other side; all they knew was that gunfire was happening everywhere.

Caught off guard, the US military thought they were under attack by their main force.

Sensing something was terribly wrong, the American artillerymen immediately took off running.

Upon seeing the American troops retreating, Li Yunchang shouted, "Don't pursue them!"

They were unaware of the specific deployment of the US 5th Regiment, and their wandering around could very well lead to them being ambushed.

"Company commander, this is the US artillery position, with dozens of large-caliber guns in front!"

"Go and see."

Looking at the 18 155mm howitzers and 18 105mm howitzers standing there, Li Yunchang was extremely excited.

"Good heavens! Look at these cannons! Even the Volunteer Army didn't have many of these!"

"Old Li, stop laughing. This isn't a gun or a grenade; we can't take it with us."

"Demolitionist, hurry up and blow up all these cannons!" Zhang Yundong waved his hand and ordered.

The US artillery positions had plenty of shells; they could simply pile them up next to the cannons, and all they needed to do was lay a few detonators to blow them up.

Looking at the busy soldiers, Li Yunchang felt extremely distressed; these were all artillery pieces belonging to the Second Division.

However, Li Yunchang also knew that with only about a hundred men, they couldn't possibly take these cannons with them, so blowing them up was the only option.

Under Li Yunchang's reluctant gaze, the demolition expert pressed the detonator.

"boom!!!"

With a deafening explosion, the entire Meiwu Regiment in the Xiaobaishan area was alerted.

Connery turned pale when he learned that his artillery position had been captured.

"Fuck! Go and catch these damned rats right now! I want to shoot them myself!"

These 36 artillery pieces played a significant role for the 5th Regiment.

Artillery has always been the most cost-effective way to project fire, regardless of the time.

Losing these artillery pieces will inevitably affect tomorrow's offensive, and the impact will be enormous.

Under Connally's orders, the 5th Regiment of the United States withdrew a large number of troops from the front lines.

The area south of Xiaobaishan suddenly became noisy.

The US military finally figured out how many enemies had sneaked in, and after breathing a sigh of relief, the various companies began a frantic pursuit and interception.

Both sides fought and ran, with the 7th Company, led by Li Yunchang, heading straight for Hill 875.

According to their previous plan, they were to break through from here in the northwest direction.

The 9th and 4th platoons that had been sent out earlier immediately understood what was happening when they heard the gunfire getting closer and closer.

"Comrades, get ready! We'll assist the main force in their evacuation."

"Get the heavy machine guns and general-purpose machine guns ready, it's up to you now!"

Hill 875 is a steep and easily defensible position, and their two infantry squads could hold it off for a while.

This treacherous terrain is the reason why there was no news from Class 9 for so long.

Climbing this mountain is too much trouble.

The 2nd platoon leader raised his binoculars and looked toward the direction of the battle in the distance.

But he was too far away to see anything except for the sporadic bursts of flame.

However, the advance troops sent by Li Yunchang soon arrived at Hill 875.

The advance troops were overjoyed to see the twenty-odd people who were already prepared on the high ground.

"Platoon Leader, the main force is expected to arrive in 10 minutes!"

"Okay, go tell the company commander and political instructor to go through from the right, and I will provide suppressive fire."

"Yes!"

Soon, the 7th Company swiftly passed through the foot of the mountain.

The moment the main American force was seen again, the 2nd Platoon Leader shouted, "Fire!"

"Da da da".
The intense firepower caught the pursuing US forces off guard.

"Fuck! How is this possible?!"

The American troops, caught off guard by the sudden attack, were forced to retreat in disarray.

They weren't surprised by the appearance of the blocking force, but rather by the sudden appearance of a large-caliber heavy machine gun in the area.

The 875 Hill is exceptionally steep, which is understandable for infantrymen, but the presence of a 12.7mm heavy machine gun on it is incomprehensible to them.

Their own M2 heavy machine guns, including the tripod, weighed a hefty 58 kilograms; there was no way they could even think of pulling them up that hill.

When Connery learned of this, he became even more furious and started cursing.

Despite his cursing, he knew he probably couldn't catch up with the ambush.

To deal with a large-caliber heavy machine gun, you would have to use artillery.

However, neither 75mm recoilless rifles nor 81mm mortars can reach the scene in a short time.

Even their own large-caliber machine guns couldn't arrive in a short time.

Don't even think about having frontline soldiers use M1919s and Garands to engage the enemy in gunfights.

However, this wasn't the only problem that gave Connery a headache.

Before he could figure out how to deal with the enemy forces on Hill 875, a new and big problem was presented to him.

(End of this chapter)