Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 567 Where are the people?

The sound of the 7th Company successfully detonating the US artillery position could be clearly heard inside the 23rd Detachment headquarters, even though it was seven or eight kilometers away.

"Looks like we've got a 7-hit streak."

Sun Xun immediately looked in the direction from which the sound came, even though he couldn't see anything.

The 231st Regiment's plan to infiltrate and launch a surprise attack definitely needed to be reported.

Moreover, having decided to take action, Sun Xun couldn't simply stop at a mere infiltration.

If the infiltration is successful, the next move for the 23rd team should be made.

"Tell the 232nd Regiment that fighter jets have appeared and to proceed immediately according to plan!"

"Artillery regiments are ready to provide fire support at any time!"

"yes!".
Upon receiving the order, the 232nd Regiment did not hesitate at all and immediately split into three groups, each battalion in number, and charged toward Xiaobaishan.

At this time, the US military had only occupied Xiaobaishan for a short time, and the positions on the hilltop had been leveled by them, so they could not build many fortifications in a short period of time.

The US military was already in a precarious position, and then it had to divert a large number of troops to encircle and intercept the 7th Company, which directly led to the 5th Regiment's weak frontline defense.

Faced with the 232nd Regiment's three-pronged attack, the US military, having lost its firepower advantage, seemed to have forgotten how to fight.

Even though the American soldiers on the front lines fought back desperately, they were still forced into a series of defeats.

Upon learning of the situation at the front, Connery, who was already overwhelmed by the bombing of the artillery positions, felt his head was about to explode.

The artillery position was attacked, and the few cannons and shells lost were a drop in the ocean for the American troops. But it was a different story once the position was recaptured. Tomorrow, they would have to suffer even more casualties to take it back.

But the facts do not change according to anyone's will; before Connally could respond, the U.S. frontline troops had already retreated.

As for the heavy weapons and supplies on the position, they were simply left lying around as usual.

Seeing the 232nd Regiment retake Xiaobaishan, Connolly had no choice but to deploy mortars to attack Hill 875 while waiting for dawn.

However, by the time the American troops finally arrived at the foot of Hill 875 with only a few mortars, the 7th Company had already fled.

Filled with rage, Connery could only vent his anger on White Mountain.

After daybreak, the navy's carrier-based attack aircraft flew over again and launched a barrage of bombs.

However, after losing the prolonged artillery fire suppression, the 232nd Regiment was able to continue holding out with the support of reinforcements in the face of repeated bombing raids.

In the afternoon, just as Connery was racking his brains about how to break through the current position, Walker's latest orders came in.

"Sir, General Walker has ordered the 5th Regiment to withdraw from the battle and return to the south bank of the Chongchon River."

"Why?" Connery asked, puzzled.

Although his artillery was all gone, with the support of aircraft, the 5th Regiment was still able to penetrate the enemy's frontal defenses.

"The 3rd Regiment suffered heavy losses last night, and now only less than 500 people are still holding on."

“Then we have to get them out and let these young men go home!” Connery said with a determined look on his face.

He is unwilling to retreat now. The mission of the 5th Regiment is to rescue the 3rd Regiment. If he goes back now, this trip will have been in vain.

Not only will you not get any credit, but you might even be held accountable.

"Sir, I'm afraid we'll have to retreat," the chief of staff said.

"Air Force reconnaissance aircraft reported that enemy forces were spotted in the vicinity of Guicheng and Dachuan. Lieutenant General Walker judged that this was an attempt by the Chinese army to encircle them."

Upon hearing that enemy troops had appeared in Tortoise City, Connelly's expression changed: "Order the 5th Regiment to withdraw from the position as quickly as possible!"

"The heavy tank battalion is responsible for rearguard cover!"

If I am not in danger, then even if there are only five people left in the 3rd Regiment, let alone five hundred, I will be saved.

But if it means putting myself in danger, then sorry, I won't be that kind of hero.

With the 5th Regiment's swift retreat, the 3rd Regiment was completely abandoned.

In the end, apart from some enemy soldiers who escaped under cover of night, the rest of the Third Regiment were either annihilated or captured.

Meanwhile, the US 24th Division and the British 27th Brigade were also retreating along the west coast towards the south bank of the Chongchon River.

Chen Chengxing was somewhat disappointed by the 8th Group Army's escape.

If we can delay for another two or three days, Zhi Si's encirclement will be completed.

Although this place is not far from the coastline, the US military could choose to escape by boarding a ship.

But once the encirclement is complete, pushing the minion wave back to the 38th parallel will be a piece of cake.

However, it seems that the senior U.S. military officers who had been through the baptism of World War II still had some brains.

Things like saving privates are simply impossible in reality.

If we want to wipe out the 8th Army, we'll have to wait until next time.

Seeing that the encirclement could not be completed, the commander decisively ordered all troops to retreat into the mountains immediately.

"Commander-in-Chief, Political Commissar, all regiments have withdrawn and completed their concealment."

Chen Chengxing nodded: "Take this time to rest and recuperate, we may be ready to go into battle at any time."

In the previous battle, because we were new to the area, there were many things we didn't understand.

Of the traps set up by the headquarters, only the Second Division accidentally managed to take down an American regiment; the rest of the troops were all defeated by the Confederate Army.

As for Shiji's large pocket, the encirclement was ultimately not completed due to Walker's swift retreat.

Chen Chengxing knew his superior's temper; he wouldn't tolerate anyone who didn't give in to his demands, and this matter was far from over.

"After the withdrawal, the various units have entered a period of rest and reorganization." As he spoke, Xu Wu opened another document: "This is a summary of the spoils captured by each unit."

Chen Chengxing became interested and reached out to take it: "8 tanks, 230 vehicles, 18 105mm howitzers, and a total of 129 other types of rocket launchers and mortars."

"Not bad, not bad." Chen Chengxing nodded in satisfaction.

"I knew it! The Americans have so many good things they can't use them all. We should help them out."

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing's words, everyone burst into laughter.

"The cars were assigned to the transport regiment, and the tanks were assigned to the armored battalion for training purposes."

"As for these American weapons, in addition to those that we want to keep, each unit should also keep some mortars and heavy machine guns as backups."

"The U.S. military has too much air superiority, so logistics will inevitably be a major problem."

"Leaving behind a small portion of American-made equipment will prevent us from being caught off guard later."

According to Chen Chengxing's estimate, the ammunition supply at the front line should be basically guaranteed, but it's better to be prepared than not, so that it can be deployed at any time if needed.

As for the 18 howitzers, Chen Chengxing did not intend to keep them; he only intended to keep the shells.

Artillery fires shells, and the number of shells determines the combat effectiveness of an artillery regiment.

With the current transport capacity of the two units, 36 105mm artillery pieces would be the limit.

To further enhance firepower, it would be possible only after gaining a certain degree of air superiority and securing logistical support in the later stages.

However, by that time, the Second General Staff had probably already switched to Soviet-style artillery, and these 105mm howitzers were obsolete.

"I will send a telegram to each detachment right away."

"Don't rush," Chen Chengxing called out to Xu Wu.

"I have read the battle report of the 23rd Detachment. The casualties were considerable, and the vast majority of the casualties were caused by aircraft and artillery."

"In the coming period, seminars will be held from the brigade level down to the squad level."

"We must find a way to reduce the damage caused by aircraft and artillery bombardment."

"Let me start by suggesting that the cat-ear hole should be deepened and reinforced, and it would be best if it could be dug into a tunnel."

"No matter how powerful the American devils' shells are, they can't hit anything more than 5 meters away."

"Yes! People from the General Staff will also participate in seminars in various departments."

"Hmm." Chen Chengxing nodded: "The 23rd Detachment suffered heavy casualties this time, so I plan to send them an infantry company from the armored battalion."

"An armored battalion?" Xu Wu was somewhat surprised.

Everyone in the Second Division knows that the armored battalion is the commander-in-chief's favorite, and he cherishes it even more than the special combat brigade.

“There’s no room for armored battalions to operate in North Korea,” Chen Chengxing said helplessly.

When the armored battalion entered North Korea, it only brought a few armored vehicles; the light tanks were left in China, and the trucks were given to the logistics regiment.

They're just in the name of an armored unit now; in reality, their work is no different from that of a guard battalion.

Therefore, Chen Chengxing planned to keep only the tank company personnel for future expansion, while the remaining infantry would be gradually added to the various detachments.

“Sun Xun is overjoyed now,” Xu Wu said with a smile.

The soldiers in the armored battalion are all elite veterans; any one of them could easily be a squad leader.

"Go, be prepared for a major battle at any time." Chen Chengxing waved his hand. "Yes, sir!"

On the other side, MacArthur was completely dumbfounded as he looked at Walker's report.

"Sir, the main force of the Eighth Army has withdrawn to the plains area and now requests permission to withdraw to Pyongyang."

“Tell Walker not to rush,” MacArthur waved his hand. “Have the Eighth Army temporarily stationed and resting on the plains.”

"Arrange for a plane; I want to go to the front lines myself." MacArthur only trusted his own eyes.

Soon, MacArthur's plane took off.

Although it's only the beginning of November, it's already snowing heavily in North Korea.

In the wind and snow, MacArthur peered out the window, carefully observing the situation below, but found no one there.

Even though the pilot risked lowering the altitude, MacArthur still found nothing on the snow.

Tuancheng was the last place MacArthur observed. He had also been to the other major battle sites, but he hadn't seen a single person there.

"Didn't the 8th Army claim to have discovered a large number of Chinese troops? Where are they?"

Walker was also unable to answer MacArthur's question.

He may not have witnessed it firsthand, but the casualties of the troops cannot be faked.

Seeing that Walker did not speak, MacArthur muttered to himself, "There may indeed be some central troops present, but I estimate it should only be a small, roving force."

After circling around northern Korea again and finding nothing, MacArthur dropped Walker off on the plains and returned directly to Tokyo.

The sudden appearance and retreat of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had already baffled MacArthur.

Based on his experience, MacArthur successfully estimated that the number of Chinese troops entering Korea should be less than 30,000.

The 8th Army's 100,000-strong troops retreated in disarray entirely because Walker was overly cautious.

After all, only the 3rd Regiment was besieged from beginning to end.

As for the 6th and 8th Southern Divisions, which were being badly beaten, they were not even on MacArthur's radar. These men would have been easily defeated even if they had encountered the Union Army.

Moreover, the total strength of the allied forces had exceeded 300,000 at this time.

He has an absolute advantage whether the number is 300,000 or 30,000.

Just as MacArthur was developing a new attack plan, the Pentagon also convened a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Gentlemen, the Chinese army has entered Korea. I think this should raise our vigilance."

"You have all seen the latest battle report. Not counting the Southern Army, our side suffered more than 400 casualties in this battle. The enemy's fighting strength should not be underestimated."

"Should the issue of the Chinese army's entry into North Korea be resolved through political means? Should the mission of the UN forces be re-examined?"

Faced with the question posed by Marshall, everyone fell into deep thought.

They all knew how much exaggeration was in this battle report.

For the U.S. military, unless you witness someone die in battle, it is not counted as a death in action.

As for those who ran away and whose whereabouts are unknown, those who were blown up, and those who were captured, they are all considered missing.

This can save the government a lot of money on pensions.

Strictly speaking, at least a thousand people died in this battle, not to mention the prisoners.

The loss of a reinforced regiment in World War I was not something that could be easily tolerated.

Just as everyone was deep in thought, someone spoke up: "Minister, we would like to know General MacArthur's opinion."

To the US government, MacArthur after the Inchon Landing was a god-like figure, and his ideas were extremely important.

"General MacArthur believed that China might have amassed a large number of troops in the Northeast, but there are currently no more than 30,000 troops in North Korea."

Upon hearing that there were only 30,000 central troops, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The participation of the Central Army should indeed be taken seriously, but 30,000 men are not enough to make the Allied forces too cautious.

Soon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to allow MacArthur to continue to act as he saw fit.

Having obtained permission, MacArthur quickly came up with the next operational plan.

First, the air force will destroy all bridges, roads, towns, villages, and factories on the south bank of the Yalu River that have not yet been occupied, in order to cut off all channels for the Chinese army to enter Korea.

Second, the 8th Army Group in the west and the 10th Army, which had already landed in the east, launched a pincer attack, pushing all the way to the Yalu River.

"Ten days. According to my plan, it will only take ten days for the allied forces to drive out all the Chinese and North Korean troops in North Korea."

"Once we reach the Yalu River, China and the Soviet Union will cease hostilities on their own."

At this moment, MacArthur was extremely confident.

"Chief of staff, tell the officers and soldiers that they can return home after they reach the Yalu River."

"I hope my promise will come true, which is to let them go home for Christmas."

"Yes, sir!"

"I think everyone will thank you!"

MacArthur waved his hand confidently: "As their supreme commander, this is what I should do."

"Go and relay the order."

"Yes, sir!"

Shiji.

Because Walker had fled too decisively, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army did not manage to encircle the American forces on a large scale.

Although the leader was very angry about this, he later realized that it wasn't entirely a bad thing.

The US military, which has not suffered major blows, is likely to greatly underestimate the actual combat effectiveness of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

This can lay a good foundation for the next encirclement and annihilation battle.

While the headquarters of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was ordering the western front troops to abandon their forward positions and retreat, the commanders were already planning for the next battle.

"If we want to wipe out the American forces in one fell swoop, we can no longer set up small pockets. We must set up a huge pocket formation on the western front."

"Now that Army A and Army C are in place, I think we can implement this encirclement plan."

In addition to the three armies of the 13th Army Corps, the first batch of troops to enter Korea included the B Army of the 4th Army Corps and the 2nd General Corps.

With the arrival of Army A and Army C, the western front now had two army corps, enough to contend with the US Eighteenth Army.

"Sir, the US military has too much air superiority. There are US reconnaissance planes everywhere in the air now, and it may be difficult for the main force to hide."

The 8th Army on the western front has over 100,000 men. Even if only a portion of them were taken, the entire Chinese People's Volunteer Army would have to be mobilized, which would cause too much of a commotion.

"So we must create a focal point to attract their attention, while the main force operates covertly."

Having fought for so many years, he can be considered a master of the pocket formation.

If you want to set up an ambush formation, you must never retreat directly to set up the formation; even the most foolish person would realize something is wrong.

At this point, a unit is needed to deliver a heavy blow to the enemy at a key position, and then feign heavy losses before retreating to lure the enemy.

Once the enemy is lured into the trap, it's time to close the door and beat them.

"Look here, Tuancheng."

“This place can radiate eastward to Guicheng and westward to Tangcheng. If the US military wants to continue northward, it must take this place.”

"What would happen if Chen Chengxing set up a regiment here?"

"Haha, the Americans can't help but fall for it!"

Normally, tasks like blocking and luring the enemy deep into enemy territory are done by non-main force units.

Now I'm leading a main force regiment here to have a good go at the Americans.

This not only buys time for the main force to open up the trap, but also makes the retreat to lure the enemy seem more reasonable.

"Sir, it's very good, but Chen Chengxing will probably feel the pinch."

The retreat of the main force meant that the troops defending Tuancheng would face the full firepower of the US forces.

Without reinforcements and supplies, the casualties will be considerable.

The commander said with a grave expression, "The US military isn't stupid. It's impossible to bring them in without paying a price."

"To deal with a powerful enemy, the blocking force must be capable of fighting; otherwise, if they can't hold off the enemy, how can they seal the trap?"

“This time, Chen Chengxing will handle it! Tell him how much he loses, and I'll make up for it!”

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)