Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 573 Where to Go?

Just as MacArthur, with a worried expression, ordered a full retreat of the UN forces, the Volunteer Army Command was also meticulously planning a full-scale offensive by the Volunteer Army.

"Currently, there are US 2nd Infantry Division, US 25th Infantry Division, Confederate 6th Infantry Division, and part of the Turkish Brigade in the area of ​​the stadium, Yuanli, and Yujunli."

"According to the instructions from the Central Committee, the 2nd and 25th U.S. Divisions, as well as the 1st Cavalry Division in Sunchon, are our main targets in this battle."

The commander drew several circles on the map, each circle representing a U.S. military unit.

After drawing the circle, the commander pointed to the map and said, "However, our primary targets are still the 2nd and 25th Infantry Divisions, with the 1st Cavalry Division as our secondary target."

"I have decided to launch a general offensive against the enemy in front of us with the D, E and F armies of the 3rd Army Corps, to push the enemy south and tighten the encirclement."

"The entire Second Independent Brigade is heading south, moving towards the 23rd Detachment."

"The C Army is advancing towards Sunchon, attempting to annihilate the 1st Cavalry Division."

"If successful, Army C will continue to advance straight towards Sukcheon, cooperating with Army A and Army B to encircle the enemy in Anju."

After explaining the battle plan, the commander added, "However, Army C's objective is too difficult, and we cannot place too much hope on it."

"This mission involves a considerable march, and given the strength of Army C, it would be difficult for them to take down the 1st Cavalry Division on their own."

The 1st Cavalry Division currently stationed in Sukchon has fewer than 10,000 men, but it is a fully staffed U.S. Army infantry regiment, a fully staffed artillery regiment, and a large number of divisional subordinate units.

Not only are tanks, heavy artillery, and other weapons readily available, but they can also receive air support at any time.

Eliminating them is far more difficult than when the Second Division wiped out the US Third Regiment.

And to be honest, if the US 3rd Regiment hadn't made a stupid mistake and abandoned their position to scatter and flee, it wouldn't have been so easy for the Second Commander to take down the US 3rd Regiment.

However, upon hearing the commander's plan, the people in the command post were somewhat puzzled.

"Should we direct Chen Chengxing's main force to move south?"

"Sir, this leaves the eastern defenses vulnerable, and the American forces could easily break through here."

The commander shook his head: "Although the Volunteer Army has encircled the UN forces, our troop strength is not absolutely superior."

The UN forces within the encirclement numbered over 40,000, and if the 1st Cavalry Division of Sunchon were added, the total strength would be over 50,000.

Facing the well-equipped U.S. military, which has air support at any time, the current strength of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army is still somewhat weak.

After all, the goal of the Chinese Communist Party this time was to eliminate the American troops in the encirclement, not just to defeat them.

The crucial Shaxili defense line now only has the 23rd Detachment, which is a huge weakness in the encirclement.

Just because it can be blocked today doesn't mean it can be blocked when the US military launches a full-scale attack.

That's why the leader proposed this bold plan.

"The east side is mostly mountainous. The UN forces are mechanized, which makes it very inconvenient for them to move into the mountains. Psychologically, they are unwilling to break through to the east."

"Furthermore, the Second General and the C Army attacked from the east. They would never risk going east without understanding the situation."

"We can take advantage of this psychology of the enemy and set up an empty city ruse for him."

After hearing the leader's explanation, everyone nodded in agreement; it was indeed a good idea.

Moreover, even if the UN forces really abandon their trucks and heavy equipment and go into the mountains, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army can catch up again, and it might be even easier to fight then.

Mountain warfare was one of the Volunteer Army's specialties.

After confirming the battle plan, the headquarters immediately issued orders to all armies.

The final offensive of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has begun.

The C Army, tasked with a special mission, was the first to launch an attack on Sunchon.

At first, Army C's offensive went very smoothly.

The remnants of the 8th Division that had fled back couldn't even last a single round; the C Army annihilated them as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

However, upon reaching Cangchenli, the C Army encountered the 1st Cavalry Division, which was fully prepared.

Army C immediately found itself in a fierce battle.

Although Army C gained the upper hand in some local battles, the 1st Cavalry Division was, after all, the elite of the US Army.

Soon, the 1st Cavalry Division mobilized its superior firepower to launch a fierce attack on Army C.

Li Yunlong tried every possible method, but still failed to break through the defenses of the 1st Cavalry Division.

"Those damned American devils only know how to bully people! If they've got the guts, let's have a real fight!"

"Damn it! How did Chen Chengxing manage to take over Meituan back then?"

He had read the battle report of Chen Chengxing annihilating the US 3rd Regiment. At that time, weren't the US troops very brave and launched several bayonet battles?
Why is it now like a turtle, staying motionless inside its shell?
Seeing Li Yunlong cursing and swearing, Zhang Dabiao assumed he lacked confidence in reading the battle report, so he quickly explained:

"Commander, as far as I know, the US 3rd Regiment only brought 18 howitzers at the time, and the 2nd Division also had an advantage in firepower."

"Damn it! The more you talk about it, the angrier I get!" Li Yunlong was even angrier.

Zhang Dabiao said in a low voice, "We have quite a lot too, more than the other brother units."

Li Yunlong had more than just a regiment with 36 mountain guns; the C Army also had a directly subordinate heavy mortar battalion and rocket artillery battalion.

This equipment is already superior to that of most armies.

Li Yunlong glared at him: "If you don't speak, nobody will think you're mute!"

"Go! Tell the rocket artillery battalion to get ready!"

Even if I can't take down Suncheon, I'll still break off two of his teeth!

"Yes!"

Walker's 1st Cavalry Division, which he had deployed ahead of time, played a very important role.

He successfully prevented the entire Eighth Army from being surrounded.

However, if you can take care of the head, you can't take care of the butt.

After the general offensive began, the three armies of the 3rd Corps of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army launched a fierce attack on the US 2nd Division and the US 25th Division from the north.

Faced with the overwhelming force of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, the UN forces, which had already received orders to retreat, had no will to fight.

They just wanted to leave the battlefield as soon as possible.

With one side launching a full-scale attack and the other side desperately trying to escape, the battlefield situation was predictable.

In just one day, the UN forces' positions, which were set up for cover, were breached one after another.

The Turkish brigade, which had already suffered heavy losses, was once again severely defeated by the genuine Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

However, unlike the Turkish brigade that retreated straightforwardly, the 6th Division of the South, which was also providing cover, was not so obedient.

"Sir, we have been ordered to retreat south and rebuild our defenses in Jianxiali."

"Damn it! We still need to build a defensive line?" Jin Junhao, the commander of the 6th Division of the South, turned green with rage.

In just one day, his 6th Southern Division suffered more than a quarter of its casualties. If they continued to defend Jianxiali, they would likely be wiped out.

The chief of staff whispered, "Sir, this is an order from above. Advisor Carson is already making preparations."

"Damn it! We can't just stand by and watch ourselves walk down a dead end, can we?!"

"Sir, what do you mean?" Jin Junhao pulled over a map: "According to intelligence, in today's operation, three army units appeared in our central front."

"How many people are there in the central army? Since they're here, they can't be in the direction of Anzhou."

"If we can get to Anzhou, we will surely be able to break out of the central army's encirclement."

Some of the people were tempted by this.

They are different from the US military. Although there is a large mountain range separating them from Anju, once they abandon their cars and heavy weapons, the small Dacheng Mountain cannot stop them.

After crossing the Dacheng Mountain, they could avoid competing with the American troops for the road, thus not affecting their retreat speed.

"It's settled then!" Kim Jun-ho made the decision.

As the 6th Division of the South turned, military advisor Carson immediately realized something was wrong.

After a moment's thought, he figured out the 6th Southern Division's plan from the direction of the troops' march.

However, he didn't show it, pretending that he didn't understand anything.

If the retreat can proceed smoothly, he doesn't want to be captured, much less die.

With the South Korean 6th Division withdrawing without notice, the US 2nd and 25th Divisions were forced to confront the relentless attacks of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

This caused the already disorganized troops to gradually descend into chaos.

Inside the 2nd Infantry Division headquarters, Major General Kaiser, the division commander, stared at the telegram in his hand, feeling extremely conflicted.

This is a telegram from his good friend, Milburn, the commander of the 1st Army in Anzhou.

Milburn advised Kaiser to retreat from Ontario.

The order that Kaize received from his superiors was to retreat along Yujunli towards Suncheon, which means retreating through the Shaxili area.

"What are your thoughts?" Kaiser put down the telegram and looked at the group.

"Sir, the 9th and 38th Regiments are currently engaged in combat with the enemy in Shaxili and Guangpingli, but according to the battle report, they may not be able to complete a breakthrough in a short period of time."

"If we follow orders to retreat, the consequences would be unimaginable if we were blocked on the road by the central army."

However, while some people support learning from the 6th Division of the South and withdrawing from Anzhou, others do not.

"Sir, retreating westward is against orders, not to mention that once we leave, the Eighth Army will only have two regiments from the US 25th Division on its flank."

"It is impossible to hold off a central army of over 100,000 with only two regiments."

"At that time, the highway from Anju to Sukcheon will be full of retreating UN forces. Once the Chinese army makes a deep run into the flank, the entire Eighth Army will be in big trouble."

"If the Eighth Army is in trouble, our 2nd Infantry Division will be in the same boat."

Inside the 2nd Infantry Division headquarters, everyone was talking at once, and Kaiser simply couldn't make up his mind.

After discussing for a long time without reaching a conclusion, Kaiser decided to go to the military headquarters and discuss it again with Kurt, the commander of the 9th Army.

However, when he finally arrived at the 9th Army headquarters by helicopter, he did not see Kurt.

Kaiser asked around the command post, but no one knew Kurt's whereabouts.

Frustrated, Kaiser could only angrily board the helicopter and prepare to return to the 2nd Division headquarters.

However, on the way, Kaiser discovered the situation.

Kaiser suddenly yelled at the driver, "Slow down, lower the altitude!"

After the flight altitude decreased, Kaiser looked towards the southern mountains.

After observing for a moment, Kaiser breathed a sigh of relief, patted the pilot, and signaled to speed up and return.

Inside the 2nd Infantry Division headquarters, Kaiser looked at everyone and made a firm decision: "The troops will retreat towards Sunchon!"

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Kaiser told them about his discovery.
"Although I did not meet General Kurt, on my way back from the military headquarters today, I found thousands of refugees traveling in the southern mountains."

“Normally, refugees always travel ahead of the army. The fact that the refugees have just arrived means that the main force of the central army has not yet arrived.”

"With the strength of the US 2nd and 25th Divisions, it shouldn't be a problem to break through Shaxili in a day."

Upon hearing Kaiser's explanation, everyone became excited.

"Great! I didn't expect the central army to be so slow!"

"We need to evacuate south immediately!"

While the US 2nd Division was busy breaking camp and retreating, Chen Chengxing was leading the 2nd General Staff southward through the mountains.

The refugees that Kaiser saw from the air were the 24th Detachment, which had been fighting in Korea for several months.

The US military imposed a very tight blockade on the logistics lines of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, which could not even guarantee the supply of ammunition and food, let alone clothing.

At this time, all the clothes of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers were somewhat tattered.

However, due to Chen Chengxing's request, the Second General still had plenty of cotton-padded clothes.

For convenience, hundreds of thousands of cotton-padded coats in the Beijing-Tianjin area were all stored in warehouses near the train station.

Although the 9th Army Corps, which was supporting the eastern front, did not have time to stop and replenish supplies due to the urgency of the situation, the logistics department directly added several carriages to the trains, so they did not experience a shortage of cotton-padded clothing.

However, snowflakes were already falling in North Korea at this time, and according to local people, it was colder than usual this year.

It seems that this once-in-a-century super cold wave is unavoidable.

Inside the temporary command post, the radio had barely been set up when it started beeping incessantly.

"Commander, the special forces have sent intelligence that the US 2nd Division has begun to accelerate its southward advance, and there are also signs that the main force of the US 25th Division is heading towards Shaxili."

Chen Chengxing took the telegram with one hand and immediately began marking the map with the other.

"The US military acted too quickly, and the situation is not optimistic."

Currently, the 23rd Detachment is located in Shaxi Village and Guangping Village, responsible for frontal blocking.

The 24th Detachment infiltrated the northwestern mountainous area of ​​Guangpingli, maintaining the blockade line while covering the flank of Guangpingli.

The 22nd Detachment is attacking Fengmingli, continuing to put pressure on the US forces.

If the US military were to advance at motorized speed, the three corps in the north simply wouldn't be able to keep up.

Even if the 23rd and 24th detachments were combined, relying solely on the two positions of Shaxili and Guangpingli, it would be very likely that they would not be able to completely stop the enemy.

Looking at the movements of the US military on the map, Chen Chengxing thought for a moment and then drew a circle on the map.

"We must take down Gusongling to relieve the pressure on Shaxili."

Everyone looked at the map and immediately understood what Chen Chengxing meant.

The location of Gusongling is very tricky, as it is right in the middle of the only main road that the US military can take to Shaxili and Guangpingli.

Moreover, the main road makes a sharp turn at the foot of Gusong Ridge, which would inevitably slow down the retreating UN forces.

As long as we can hold Gusongling, even if we can't stop the UN forces from advancing south, we can still inflict considerable casualties on the enemy forces that pass through.

This can greatly reduce the pressure on the positions in Shaxili and Guangpingli.

However, there is a problem: the 24th Regiment of the 25th Division of the US Army has already established positions at Gusongling.

(End of this chapter)