Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 591 Unlimited Firepower
Upon receiving Sun Xun's telegram, Chen Chengxing felt a bit of a headache, but he wasn't too surprised.

Ever since learning that Ding Wei had two regiments and Li Yunlong had one regiment.

Chen Chengxing deduced that there must be other troops stationed in the area from Chuankouli to Shangshuili.

Therefore, Chen Chengxing had already made adjustments last night.

In addition to the 21st Detachment speeding towards Tongyuanli, the 22nd Detachment and two rocket artillery battalions have already surrounded Tongyuanli.

Chen Chengxing has changed his main attacking position from Pingshali to Tongyuanli.

Of course, Chen Chengxing didn't ignore the situation in the Sheung Shui area either.

The 24th Detachment of the General Reserve has already moved in diagonally, preparing to occupy advantageous terrain and cover the flanks of Shangshuili, Pingshali, Tongyuanli, and Nan'anshan.

The 243rd Regiment, along with one mountain artillery battalion and one rocket artillery battalion, were reinforced in the Shangshuili direction.

However, with artillery and small cannons at their disposal, coupled with the air threat from the US military, they could only operate at night and were destined to be unable to arrive quickly.

At this point, the encirclement of the US 7th Division had been initially formed, and it would be best if the 23rd Detachment could capture Shangshuili.

Even if you can't take the city, as long as you can hold back the enemy in the water and prevent them from providing support, it can be considered a success.

As for whether the American troops in the water will escape in the end, we'll see when the time comes.

While the various units of the 4th Army Corps were busy digging fortifications, American aircraft arrived on the battlefield.

The full picture of the battlefield was finally revealed to Ridgway.

Looking at the small flags stuck all over the sand table, Li Qiwei frowned.

Chief of Staff Dane, who was standing nearby, said, "Sir, it seems we underestimated the Central Army."

"We thought they wanted to wipe out the 5th Regiment, but we didn't expect their real target was the 7th Division!"

"Should we immediately order the 7th Division to regroup and withdraw?"

With the cover of aircraft and the 1st Marine Regiment, the main force of the 7th Division can definitely withdraw safely.

Dane's words left Ridgway in a difficult position.

It should be noted that the UN forces on the western front are quite numerous.

The combined strength of the 7th Infantry Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 1st Marine Division alone is fifty to sixty thousand men.

If we retreat now, regardless of the 31st Regiment, the main force of the 7th Division can definitely withdraw safely.

However, if the US 7th Division is allowed to continue its holdout, the UN forces may be able to encircle and annihilate the Chinese army of over 100,000 men.

The prospect of settling the score in one battle was a considerable temptation for Ridgway.

Clearly, Ridgway still doesn't understand what mobile warfare is.

Seeing that Ridgway remained silent, Dane also shut his mouth and did not offer any further suggestions.

After several minutes of silence, Ridgway finally spoke: "What's the situation with the 5th Regiment now?"

"We have just received a report that the main peak of Nan'an Mountain has been captured by the Chinese army. The 5th Regiment is retreating southward, and the main force of the 1st Cavalry Division has come to support the 5th Regiment."

It's wishful thinking to think that a single regiment could hold off Kong Jie's three divisions.

Not to mention that Army C is reinforced with one howitzer regiment and one rocket artillery regiment.

Therefore, after daybreak, the 5th Regiment voluntarily abandoned its position and began to move south.

Upon hearing that the 5th Regiment had withdrawn, Ridgway ordered, "Send a telegram to the 1st Cavalry Division, instructing them to immediately organize their forces and retake Nan'an Mountain."

If the central army's target is the 5th Regiment, then it doesn't matter if Nan'an Mountain is given to the central army.

But now the central army's target is the 7th Division, so the importance of Nan'an Mountain has instantly skyrocketed.

The terrain south of Shangshui Village is treacherous, making it difficult for large troops to deploy. Moreover, there is a central command position there, making it difficult to break through from there.

While the terrain around Namsan is also not ideal, it is relatively flat, allowing the U.S. military's mechanized forces to deploy.

If we can recapture Namansan, the 1st Cavalry Division can advance north to the Han River.

With the 1st Marine Division launching a pincer attack from the south, the entire central force south of the Han River would fall into his encirclement.

"I'll go right away." Dane turned around and prepared to relay the order.

"Wait a minute," Ridgway suddenly called out to Dane.

Ridgway pointed to the map and said, "Order the main force of the 1st Marine Division, the British 27th Brigade, to advance to the Anwang area and be ready to reinforce at any time."

"Yes, sir!"
Looking at the sand table, Li Qiwei suppressed a slight unease in his heart.

If we can recapture Nam'an Mountain and, in conjunction with the blockade of the Han River and the coastline, the probability of annihilating the main force of the central army is very high.

"This is a golden opportunity for the UN forces, we absolutely cannot let it slip away!"

Ridgway secretly cheered himself up.

Upon receiving the order, the 1st Cavalry Division had no choice but to abandon its original plan to retreat and defend, and instead advance to attack.

However, once they reached Nan'an Mountain, the 1st Cavalry Division discovered that retreating was easy, but taking it back would not be so easy.

Kong Jie has already occupied all the hilltops in Nan'an Mountain suitable for ambush.

If the 1st Cavalry Division wants to capture the main position, it must first eliminate a large number of outer positions.

The two sides began to fight repeatedly over each hilltop.

Tongyuanli direction.

During the day, in order to wait for reinforcements and prepare for the night's attack, Li Yunlong did not launch a full-scale offensive.

At this time, Ridgway's main strategic objective was to encircle and annihilate the 4th Army Corps, but he would still try to rescue the 31st Regiment if possible.

However, saving the 31st Regiment is not that simple.

In the short term, only the 1st Marine Regiment could support the 31st Regiment, but at this time the 1st Marine Regiment was also fighting the enemy.

Although the battle was not intense at the moment, Ridgway knew that this was because of the daytime air suppression.

Once night falls, the fighting in the water will definitely be fierce.

Under these circumstances, how much strength the 1st Marine Regiment could spare to rescue the 31st Regiment became a major question.

Moreover, the two units are not under the same management system, making joint operations extremely difficult.

Just as Ridgway was having a headache, Dane offered a suggestion.

"Sir, I think it would be better to temporarily assign the 31st Regiment to the 1st Marine Division for unified command."

Ridgway's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing Dane's suggestion.

"Great idea, great idea!" Ridgway couldn't help but applaud.

"Immediately send a telegram to the 1st Cavalry Division and the 7th Division, instructing the 1st Cavalry Division to establish contact with the 31st Regiment, and then immediately provide aid to Tongyuanli!"

"Yes, sir!"
Upon receiving Ridgway's order, Major General Oliver, commander of the 1st Marine Division, did not hesitate.

After establishing contact with the 31st Regiment, Oliver decisively issued orders.

The 31st Regiment is making every effort to advance into the water!
Lieutenant Colonel Van Buren, the chief of staff of the 31st Regiment, who was eagerly awaiting rescue, was completely stunned when he received the order.

"Fuck! What kind of order is this?!"

"Break out to the water? Is this the 1st Marine Regiment rescuing the 31st Regiment, or the 31st Regiment rescuing the 1st Marine Regiment?"

"If the 31st Regiment could break through, would it need the support of the 1st Marine Regiment?"

In just one night yesterday, the 31st Regiment suffered more than a thousand casualties, including more than three hundred seriously wounded who were unable to move.

If no one comes to meet them, 31 leaving the position to break through would be suicide.

"Reply to the 1st Marine Division: Our unit is unable to break through the frontal encirclement and requests immediate reinforcements!"

However, Van Buren's telegram disappeared without a trace, like a stone thrown into the sea.

The 1st Marine Division had received the latest orders to quickly reinforce the area towards Nam An San.

Oliver was completely oblivious to the fate of the 31st Regiment at that moment.

The 31st Regiment could only anxiously await their fate, crammed into a small position.

As night fell, the 7th Division, 21st Detachment, and 22nd Detachment of Army C launched a general offensive.

Although the Second General Staff's howitzer regiment could not provide support, the C Army itself had a mountain artillery regiment and a rocket artillery battalion for fire support.

In addition, Chen Chengxing sent two rocket artillery battalions to reinforce the area.

The 31st Regiment was completely overwhelmed by the Volunteer Army's artillery barrage.

Even though Chen Chengxing's upgraded rocket artillery only carried two basic loads of shells, it was still the same.

Because of last night's attack, the 31st Regiment was compressed into a very high density, and the power of the shells was maximized.

Just half an hour of artillery preparation resulted in nearly a thousand additional casualties for the 31st Regiment.

Mentally calculating the number of rocket artillery shells the battalion had, Li Yunlong turned and gave the order after the final salvo:
"The artillerymen have finished their work. Fire the signal flare and charge! Harvest the corn!"

Three colored signal flares soared into the sky.

"Comrades! Follow me and kill!"

"kill!".
The soldiers shouted and charged forward.

Faced with fierce attacks from all sides, the 31st Regiment, whose morale had already plummeted, was simply unable to withstand the onslaught.

In just over ten minutes, the outermost position of the 31st Regiment was breached.

The entire 31st Regiment was thrown into chaos.

At midnight, the 31st Regiment, thrown into chaos, decided to break out.

After bombarding the south with 18 reinforced howitzers, more than a dozen tanks rushed out.

As for the remaining infantry, those who can keep up should do so, and those who can't can only hope for the best.

However, the 213th Regiment had already occupied advantageous terrain, completely blocking the US 31st Regiment's escape route to the south. The US 31st Regiment was thrown into chaos in front of the blocking positions.

With the 31st Regiment's Chief of Staff, Van Buren, killed by a mortar shell, the 31st Regiment completely collapsed.

The remaining less than two thousand American troops were almost entirely killed or wounded in the process of fleeing in all directions.

"Hahaha, that's great! That's great!"

Standing on the American position in Tongyuanli, Li Yunlong grinned from ear to ear.

"The US military is incredibly wealthy."

The US 31st Regiment was completely annihilated, and their supplies naturally fell into the hands of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

The C Army had previously wiped out many American troops, but it had never destroyed an entire regiment. The supply of American regimental-level units was an eye-opener for it.

Looking at the yellow powder in the large iron barrel, Li Yunlong asked in confusion, "What is this stuff?"

Li Chishui, who had already come over, explained, "This is egg powder. You can eat it by adding hot water. It tastes pretty good."

Li Chishui didn't care much about the supplies for the American soldiers; these were nothing to brag about.

Li Chishui's favorite items were the cigars and red wine issued to American military officers; these were the real tools for showing off.

"Damn it, are these American devils here to fight a war or for a vacation?"

"Hehe. Li Junzhang, no matter what he's here for, he's going to lose his life here."

“That’s right!” Li Yunlong nodded.

"However, we have won a battle and captured so much stuff, we can't waste it."

"Notify the cooks to start cooking! Steam the buns!"

"yes!".
Soon, while the soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, the cooks had already dug out one smokeless earthen stove after another.

White smoke began to rise from Tongyuan.

The battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 211th Regiment, who was cleaning up the battlefield, saw the cook squad leader running around instead of steaming buns and immediately called him to a stop.

"Hey Lao Liu, why aren't you steaming buns? What are you doing here?"

"Battalion Commander, I need to find a steaming cloth, otherwise I can't steam this head of hair."

“I have it, I have it,” a soldier said, pulling out a colorful piece of cloth from behind his back.

"This is thick; I plan to use it as a wrapping cloth. Take it and start steaming the steamed buns."

The head cook reached out, took it, and glanced at it: "Okay, the size is just right. I'll wash it and return it to you later."

"Wait a minute." The 3rd Battalion Commander suddenly grabbed the cook squad leader: "Let me see it."

Upon taking the cloth and unfolding it, the 3rd Battalion Commander exclaimed in surprise, "Look at the bear embroidered on top! Isn't that the flag of the 31st Regiment?"

"This is a precious treasure! You almost made us steam buns!"

"Old Liu, while you're looking for something else to use as a cage cover, I'll take this to the branch captain. The chief commander will definitely be happy!"

On the other hand, when Li Yunlong launched a general offensive in Tongyuanli, the 23rd Detachment also launched an attack on Xiashuili.

At this time, the 243rd Regiment had not yet arrived, so the 23rd Detachment had to take matters into its own hands.

Following Sun Xun's orders, the 231st and 232nd Regiments launched a fierce attack from the east and south.

Although there was no support from large-caliber artillery, the attack by the 23rd Detachment still put tremendous pressure on the 1st Marine Regiment.

Even though the U.S. military had made ample preparations during the day, the fierce attack by the 23rd Detachment still made it difficult for their regiment to cope.

After a fierce attack, the 232nd Regiment quickly broke through the outer defenses and successfully stormed Dongshan.

Upon learning of Dongshan's breakthrough, Sun Xun was overjoyed.

Once we can completely occupy Dongshan, we will have a clear view of the situation in Xiashui.

The 23rd Detachment can advance to attack the core positions in Shangshuili, or retreat to block the support or evacuation routes of Shangshuili.

Although the blockade is not as effective as a complete occupation of the waters, it can still cause a lot of trouble for the US military.

Sun Xun knew the consequences of occupying Dongshan, and so did Albert, the commander of the 1st Marine Regiment.

"No matter what, Dongshan must be taken back!" Albert said solemnly.

He had clearly set up a perfect defense on Dongshan and deployed an entire company of troops there, but the position was lost before midnight.

Hearing Albert's words, Hood shook his head: "I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Hu De came out of Tongyuanli to "seek help" and ran all the way to Shangshuili.

However, by the time he arrived, Albert had already received a telegram from his superiors and taken over the entire defense.

Of course, as a brigadier general, Hu De still had a place in the command headquarters.

Although Hood was a fool, he had at least participated in World War II and could still see the situation on the battlefield.

"At night, without air support, it's impossible for us to succeed on our own unless we concentrate our superior forces."

Dongshan is strategically important, but it's not a very large area, and the garrison can only hold one company.

If the 1st Marine Regiment sends one or two battalions over, they will definitely be able to take the position.

However, the central army was not limited to the troops at Dongshan; they were also launching attacks in other directions.

If we lose other important positions for the sake of Dongshan, it would be like losing the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.

Hearing what Hud said, Albert calmed down. He realized that his forces were at a disadvantage and it was impossible for him to send a battalion here.

After circling the command post twice, Albert asserted, "Even if we can't retake Dongshan, we must prevent the enemy from continuing to advance inward."

"If the enemy manages to get into the water, we'll be in big trouble!"

When Albert said "we," he wasn't just referring to the 1st Marine Regiment, but also the 7th Division.

If Shangshuili is lost, the Chinese army can occupy the pass, and the entire US 7th Division will be trapped.

"That's your business."

Hood could tell that they shouldn't attack, but he said he didn't know how to respond.

Albert didn't count on Hood either; he decided to leverage the strengths of the U.S. military.

"chief of staff!"

"Sir!"

"Send orders to the artillery positions: adjust the gun barrels and fire towards the eastern hill!"

Upon hearing that artillery was about to be fired, the chief of staff assumed an attack on Dongshan was imminent, and immediately asked, "How long will the artillery preparation take? Which company will be deployed for the attack?"

“There are no infantry.” Albert shook his head.

"The artillery will begin firing now and continue until dawn!"

Shangshuili was a supply depot for the US 7th Division, where thousands of artillery shells were stored. This was the source of Albert's confidence to use unlimited firepower tactics.

"No infantry?"

“That’s right.” Albert nodded.

"After daybreak, with the support of aircraft, we can retake Dongshan at a relatively low cost."

"The most important thing now is to stabilize the situation."

"Yes, sir!"

Upon receiving the order, the 18 105mm howitzers of the 1st Marine Regiment began to bombard the eastern hill without stopping.

Team 23, which originally intended to continue its attack from Dongshan, was forced to suspend its assault.

The 23rd Detachment planned to launch a counter-offensive when the US forces attacked.

As a result, the shelling has continued unabated since it began.

The unlimited firepower of the US military left Sun Xun helpless.

"Has it been an hour since the shelling started?"

"Are the US military just going to fire artillery all night and do nothing else?"

This time, the US military created a no-man's land simply by shelling.

The artillery zone completely blocked all routes for the 23rd Detachment to continue its advance from Dongshan to the US positions.

"Commander, given the current situation, I'm afraid we can only wait." The chief of staff standing beside him was also at a loss.

Due to the terrain, the only suitable directions for the 23rd Detachment to attack are the east and the south.

On the highway to the south, the US military had positioned more than a dozen tanks.

With its wide field of fire and powerful suppressive fire, it is extremely difficult for troops to break through head-on.

The east, which had just seen the light of dawn, is now blocked by artillery fire.

At this point, the 23rd Detachment seemed to have no other good options besides sending small detachments to launch flanking attacks.

However, while small groups of troops could inflict casualties on the enemy, they had no chance of capturing the waters.

"Let's wait a bit." Sun Xun reluctantly put down the binoculars.

"No matter how wealthy the US military is, they don't have unlimited artillery shells, right? They'll have to stop sooner or later."

To Sun Xun's surprise, the US bombardment really did last all night.

In just one night, the 1st Marine Regiment fired more than 3,500 shells at Dongshan.

Even though Sun Xun was furious, he had no choice but to accept this fact.

The US military used steel-clad artillery shells to defend its core positions and successfully held out until daylight.

(End of this chapter)