Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 585 This is the biggest gain
Upon seeing Chen Chengxing, Sun Xun approached with a note in his hand.

"Commander-in-Chief, this is a note left by Ridgway."

Chen Chengxing took it casually.

The note was written in English, and although Chen Chengxing only had a Level 1 certificate, he could still understand it.

"The 8th Group Army salutes the Chinese military commander! We will be back shortly!"

Chen Chengxing casually handed it to Xu Wu: "Since it's a tribute to the leader, then send it to the headquarters."

No one was surprised by Chen Chengxing's English proficiency.

Before entering the court, Chen Chengxing had already been pretending to study.

At the time, everyone thought he was a genius, but later they found out he was just so-so.

"Any other discoveries?" Chen Chengxing asked casually.

"Yes! We even caught a foreign devil, but he seems to be an idiot."

"Idiot? Bring him over to take a look." Chen Chengxing became interested.

Soon, a white man in his early twenties was brought over.

Looking at the black briefcase in the prisoner's hands, Chen Chengxing turned to Sun Xun: "What's going on?"

"Captain, we've already checked it. It's full of papers, densely covered with foreign characters."

"But when we brought the box over, this guy was like a mad dog, struggling wildly, and even dislocated his arm."

"To prevent him from dying, we have no choice but to return it to him first."

The box and the prisoner have both been inspected and found to be safe, so it's fine to leave them to this foreigner for now.

Upon hearing Sun Xun's words, Chen Chengxing realized that this was a system reward?

Is this foreigner, who looks like a bookworm, a real person or a fake?

Thinking it over, Chen Chengxing stepped forward and grabbed his ear.

"Fuck! What are you doing! I'm a prisoner of war! I demand the treatment I deserve according to the Geneva Convention."

Now Chen Chengxing was certain it was a real person.

However, Chen Chengxing was still wondering if it was a system reward.

He felt it was a bit unlikely that he could fit the instructions for the atomic bomb into a suitcase.

"What's your name?"

"Sheldon, Sheldon Cooper, Assistant Professor at Caltech."

“Well, Mr. Sheldon, I’d like to know what this is,” Chen Chengxing asked, pointing to the box.

Nuclear fission.

Before Sheldon could finish speaking, Chen Chengxing shouted the instant he heard the word "core": "Wang Dazhu!"

Sheldon was startled by Chen Chengxing's shout and stopped talking.

"Here!" Battalion Commander Wang Dazhu immediately ran over.

"Take over command post defenses, clear the area, and no one is allowed to approach!"

Even though Chen Chengxing trusted everyone present, sometimes it was better for them to know nothing.

"yes!".
A few minutes later, only Chen Chengxing and Sheldon remained in the command post.

The two sat facing each other, Sheldon still holding his briefcase.

"Now you can continue. What is this?"

Sheldon didn't use any technical jargon this time, but went straight to the point: "The atomic bomb."

Fearing Chen Chengxing might not understand, Sheldon added, "The method of producing a baby boy."

"The one in Hiroshima?"

"Yes, due to equipment limitations, I can only research gun-type nuclear bombs."

"You did this research yourself?!"

Chen Chengxing's voice changed, and his eyes looked like he had seen a treasure.

He felt that Sheldon might be more valuable than the nuclear bomb manufacturing instructions in the box.

However, at this moment, Sheldon looked at Chen Chengxing as if he were an idiot.

"Atomic bombs are divided into gun-type and implosion-type, and the principle is not complicated."

"Especially for gun-type nuclear bombs, all it takes is for two pieces of material to collide at high speed, just like a bullet hitting a target."

"However, because the material has a critical value limit, its power is limited."

"1.5 tons of TNT equivalent is already the limit."

"The power of an implosion nuclear bomb is unlimited, but I lack the necessary equipment for fine processing and precise control, so I haven't been able to develop it yet."

"Of course, I don't have the materials, so even the gun-type nuclear bomb has never actually been produced. So what I have here is just theory."

The little boy in Hiroshima is like a gun, while the fat man in Nagasaki is like an implosion.

Chen Chengxing ignored Sheldon's gaze and asked, "Why are you here?"

With the system in place, the production of nuclear weapons should not be a problem.

Therefore, the question that Chen Chengxing was most concerned about was why Sheldon appeared and how he appeared.

“For world peace.” Sheldon’s tone was very calm.

"What?!" Chen Chengxing thought his ears were broken.

"If only the United States and the Soviet Union possessed atomic bombs, they could potentially form a confrontation or cooperate to threaten the entire world, which would not benefit anyone in the world."

"But if every country in the world could possess nuclear weapons, then this problem would not exist."

"That's why I study gun-type atomic bombs. Any country, if it wants to, can produce them."

As early as when the United States bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Sheldon had already considered the issue of future world peace, and at that time he began his research based on scattered papers.

His later successful nuclear test by the Soviet Union further solidified his belief.

“I’m asking why you’re in North Korea,” Chen Chengxing emphasized.

Chen Chengxing didn't care whether Sheldon was mentally unstable or had an excessively strong sense of compassion; what he cared about was why Sheldon had come to North Korea.

Even if Sheldon truly cared about world peace, he shouldn't have been on the Korean battlefield.

No matter how you look at it, those small European countries are more in line with Sheldon's ideas.

"It was an accident." At this point, Sheldon, who had been expressionless the whole time, showed a hint of embarrassment.

"I originally planned to smuggle myself to Europe by cargo ship, but I ended up here."

Which ship did you take?

Chen Chengxing became curious: were ships bound for Europe being used to smuggle goods to North Korea?
"Los Angeles."

"Los Angeles is on the West Coast of the United States, so shouldn't Europe be on the East Coast?"

"But that ship is called the Europa."

"Alright." Chen Chengxing didn't dwell on whether it was the system's doing or not; anyway, it was now in his hands.

"You will achieve the goal of world peace," Chen Chengxing assured him.

"Wang Dazhu!" Chen Chengxing shouted again.

"Here!" Wang Dazhu ran in again.

"Immediately assemble the entire guard battalion and escort this person to the headquarters."

“I’ll write you a letter; you should deliver it to the commander personally.”

As he spoke, Chen Chengxing turned his back to block Wang Dazhu's view and quickly and simply wrote down the situation.

After handing the sealed letter to Wang Dazhu, Chen Chengxing gave him another instruction:
"It must be handed over to the leader personally; no one else may receive it or even look at it."

“This person is not allowed to be contacted by anyone,” Chen Chengxing said, pointing at Sheldon.

"From now on, no one in the guard battalion is allowed to act alone."

"Even when you're taking a dump, it has to be two people facing each other."

"Yes! Promise to complete the mission!"

Seeing Chen Chengxing's serious expression, Wang Dazhu knew that this man was no ordinary person.

"By the way, I remember there were a few people in the guard battalion learning foreign languages?"

Wang Dazhu nodded: "It's the political instructor and two officers from the battalion headquarters."

"Okay, let them stay. I still have a use for them."

As he spoke, Chen Chengxing wrote down a few more lists and translated Chinese characters in his notebook and handed them to Sheldon.

This will be his way of communicating with Wang Dazhu.

Of course, not much was written on it; it mainly consisted of things that were necessary, such as eating, sleeping, and defecating.

As for anything else, Sheldon can't do anything until he's sure it's safe.

Chen Chengxing dared not gamble on whether the United States knew about this.

Watching the guard battalion leave with Hilton, Chen Chengxing thought for a moment but still didn't send a telegram, not even a telegram to direct the operation. In his telegram to the Volunteer Army Headquarters, Chen Chengxing only mentioned the capture of Seoul.

At that time, there was indeed some unrest at Caltech.

The disappearance of an assistant professor is no small matter for them.

However, this is a big deal for the school, but insignificant for the United States.

So many people die in the US every year, an assistant professor is nothing.

Shiji.

"Commander, Chen Chengxing's telegram: Seoul has been captured."

"They encountered no resistance; the soldiers marched in with perfect steps."

"Marching in formation?"

"That's right, very stable."

"The enemy fled very decisively." The commander approached the map.

"The enemy's next move is likely to be to maintain the defensive line along the south bank of the Han River, starting from Incheon, Gimpo, Yangpyeong, through Wonju, Pyeongchang to Gangneung."

"With the natural defenses of the Han River and the mountains, they can gather their remaining troops and buy time."

"If we allow the enemy to continue to occupy the south bank of the Han River, control Gimpo Airport, and then use Incheon Port to maintain transportation."

"Even if we take Seoul, we will still be under bombardment from enemy planes and artillery."

"This is extremely disadvantageous for our future operations. What we need now is to press our advantage and pursue them!"

"Pass on my order: change the marching step to a running step, and all units head south to pursue!"

"yes!".
Under orders from the headquarters, the various units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army continued their pursuit across the Han River without stopping.

In the following days, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army made another significant advance.

Even though the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was in hot pursuit, the American troops were still far ahead in their vehicles.

Along the way, the various units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army never captured the main force of the UN forces again, only managing to capture a few American troops sporadically.

Looking at the reports sent back by various departments, the leader felt somewhat helpless.

"It has been proven that it is indeed difficult to achieve significant results by pursuing enemy forces with modern equipment on foot."

"The strategy of not pursuing relentlessly or launching a continuous offensive is correct."

Without pursuit, victory is unlikely to be converted into a decisive battle.

This is why, from the very first campaign, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army adopted the tactic of infiltration to cut off the enemy's rear.

Encirclement instead of pursuit is currently the only possible way for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to achieve victory.

Without encirclement, there were naturally no victories.

Moreover, as the battle lines moved forward, the troops became more and more fatigued each day, and the supply lines became longer and longer each day.

The defensive forces in the rear, meant to protect against US air raids, are becoming increasingly strained.

Since there was no opportunity, the leader naturally wouldn't waste any more time.

"The enemy's retreat speed is somewhat unusual."

"The enemy may have set up a strong defensive line somewhere. If the exhausted Chinese People's Volunteer Army were to rush into it, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Pass on my order: halt the pursuit, everyone retreat steadily!"

"Yes!"

Just as the commander was packing up his things to prepare for the retreat, he suddenly received a report that the Second General Police Guard Battalion had arrived.

"The Second General Guard Battalion? What are they doing here?" The commander asked, puzzled.

Prior to this, he had not received any reports whatsoever.

“I asked, but they didn’t tell me. Their battalion commander insisted on telling you personally.”

"So mysterious," the leader said. "Bring him in."

"Yes!"

Soon, Wang Dazhu strode into the headquarters: "Commander! Wang Dazhu, Battalion Commander of the Second General Guard Battalion!"

"Hmm." The commander nodded.

"Why did Chen Chengxing call you here? It's perfectly safe here."

"This is a letter written by the chief commander." Wang Dazhu handed the letter to the leader.

Wang Dazhu couldn't understand English and had no idea what the foreigner he was with meant for him.

The leader opened the letter with some puzzlement.

However, after glancing at it, the leader immediately stood up straight.

"Where are they?! Where are the boxes?!"

"They're all outside."

"Nonsense! Bring the person in right now!"

The commander had barely finished speaking when he immediately changed his mind: "Wait!"

"Don't come in. I'll arrange for you to return to China immediately."

As he spoke, the leader took another envelope, resealed Chen Chengxing's letter, and wrote another sentence on it.

After sealing the letter, the commander picked up the phone again: "Logistics? Is there a train returning to China tonight?"

"Stop the train and move 4 carriages out."

"Then don't worry about it, just throw those things aside for now."

"Oh, don't worry if it gets smashed, we can recover it later."

"These four carriages must be reserved for me."

"Yes! Right! We'll wait for the notification to depart!"

After hanging up the phone, the leader looked at Wang Dazhu.

"There's a bus to Pyongyang tonight. Take the bus to the train station and catch the train."

"Once you arrive in Dandong, you can enter the pass directly through Shenyang. I will send a secret telegram to the General Staff to coordinate."

"Yes!"

Seeing that even his superior was so nervous, Wang Dazhu realized the importance of the foreign devils he had under his command.

Even if the entire guard battalion is sacrificed, not a single hair on this person can be lost.

The leader saw them to the door and watched Wang Dazhu leave with Sheldon.

"This is the biggest gain from the third campaign."

"What kind of incredible luck did Chen Chengxing have?"

Inside the Eighth Army headquarters, Ridgway, unaware of what the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had gained, smiled as he looked at the sand table.

"The central army indeed ceased its attack and gradually withdrew."

Dane, standing to the side, didn't understand what he meant: "Sir, you expected this all along?"

Dane was terrified that Ridgway would suddenly give orders.

He would rather resign than be asked by Ridgway to send a victory telegram to his superiors.

“It’s just some speculation,” Ridgway said. “I’m not sure yet.”

"However, the central army stopped its attack and withdrew, and we finally had time to rest."

Ridgway's start in North Korea can be described as utterly disastrous.

Before they could even settle in, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army launched an attack.

So much so that the first important order he issued after taking office was a complete retreat.

Of course, the third campaign began shortly after Ridgway took office, so no one would hold Ridgway responsible for the entire army's withdrawal to the 37th parallel.

Ridgway was not deterred by this poor start.

Although Ridgway retreated repeatedly during this battle, he gained a clear understanding of the situation of the American forces.

The series of defeats has made the situation for the US military somewhat worrying.

At this time, the US military had problems with morale, command, and ideology.

However, the actual strength of this unit is not a major issue.

The speed of the retreat of the US military and even the Confederate army, while giving Ridgway some headaches, also gave him the possibility of turning defeat into victory.

Of course, Ridgway did not fantasize about pushing the front line to the Yalu River like MacArthur did.

He simply felt that there was no problem in holding onto North Korea.

And that's what Washington meant too.

The United States needs a bridgehead, but whether that bridgehead is half of North Korea or the whole of North Korea is irrelevant.

Ridgway immediately devoted all his energy to the reorganization.

(End of this chapter)