Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 598 Winning Learning
At 10 p.m., the US troops in Dijianli were met with the first wave of attacks from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

The American troops, on high alert, unleashed a furious barrage of fire into the darkness outside.

Because of the US military's thorough preparations and established defensive posture, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's attack did not proceed smoothly.

Moreover, the 42nd Artillery Regiment and the 2nd Howitzer Regiment, which were originally planned to cooperate with the infantry attack, did not arrive at the battlefield on time due to the presence of American aircraft.

This meant that the regiments involved in the attack could only rely on mortars or infantry guns to carry out their attacks.

These small-caliber artillery pieces were of very limited use against the fortifications in Dijianli.

Despite the fierce fighting of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers, after a whole night of fighting, they only managed to capture some forward positions.

The US military did not lose any of its core positions.

As dawn broke, the US counterattack began.

Machine guns, artillery, and tanks opened fire on the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's positions.

With nowhere to hide, the soldiers on the front lines began to suffer heavy casualties.

After the American planes arrived at Dijianli, the bombing completely covered the newly captured forward positions.

Meanwhile, under Ridgway's orders, the 1st Cavalry Division and the British 27th Brigade began to rapidly reinforce Dijonri, and the remaining units also took action.

The entire U.S. military force was mobilized.

At this moment, Chen Chengxing also realized that something was wrong.

"The situation is different from what we expected." Chen Chengxing said with a serious expression.

"The US military shows no signs of retreating; on the contrary, it seems they intend to hold out and await reinforcements!"

Xu Wu said, "Captain, if that's the case, the situation is a bit complicated."

"The original six regiments alone probably cannot defeat the US forces in Dijonri."

The Volunteer Army is now suffering severe casualties in all its units, and these six regiments have at most only a little over 6 men.

In terms of firepower, the two sides are dozens of times weaker.

If the US military retreats as before and enters mobile warfare, six regiments could put immense pressure on them.

But if the US military chooses to hold out to the death, it is impossible for more than 10,000 people to take it.

Chen Chengxing nodded: "The situation has changed, so the previous battle plan can no longer be used."

"Order the 21st Detachment to abandon the encirclement mission and join the assault at night; the 24th Detachment to immediately clear out the enemy in the south, establish a blocking position, and block the enemy's reinforcements."

"22nd and 23rd Detachments, be prepared to support the Dijianli battlefield at any time."

"yes!".
Because Dijianli attracted all the attention of the American aircraft, the two artillery regiments were finally able to get into position.

As darkness fell, the artillery positions began shelling the American positions.

However, the entire Volunteer Army is currently facing an extreme shortage of artillery shells, with each cannon only equipped with about twenty rounds, which is insufficient to provide sustained artillery support.

After destroying the American fortifications, the artillery bombardment ceased, and the only remaining option was for the infantry to break through with light weapons.

Relying on its powerful firepower and the support of tanks and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns from all sides, the US positions remained firmly in place.

This filled Freeman with hope; if he could hold on, he would be the greatest contributor.

Just when the commanders of the various units thought they would return empty-handed again tonight, at 11 p.m., the 21st Detachment arrived at the Dijianli battlefield.

After listening to the reconnaissance team's report, Li Chishui unfolded the map.

"Time is of the essence, there's no time for idle talk, we must launch an attack immediately."

"The 211th Regiment attacks Hill 1, and the 212th Regiment attacks Hill 3."

"Artillery regiment, immediately establish positions and provide fire support at any time!"

The 21 teams immediately showed something different when they took action.

In just 40 minutes, the flank positions of the US Army's Hill 1 were breached by the 4th Company of the 211th Regiment.

Using this position as cover, the 211th Regiment began to rapidly deploy to the flanks and the rear of the enemy forces.

By 2 a.m., the U.S. forces had captured Hill 1 and Hill 3.

The US 7th Company fled in disarray, and even the French 1st Company next door was caught in the crossfire, losing many men.

"Wortfalk!"

"what's the situation?!"

Freeman was completely stunned when he heard that two high grounds had fallen in succession.

The situation last night and in the first half of this night was clearly stable and improving, so how did it suddenly turn so bad in the second half of the night?
"Sir, in addition to the artillery, the enemy's other reinforcements should have arrived as well."

"The attack methods and firepower of the newly added enemy forces are quite different from those of the previous enemy forces."

Freeman roared, "But we can't just lose the position so quickly!"

"Tanks and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns didn't arrive in time to provide support!"

Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns have a strong suppressive effect on ground troops; as long as one arrives, the danger to the position can be eliminated in a short time.

The chief of staff couldn't answer Freeman's anger; he didn't know why things had broken down so quickly.

After his initial anger subsided, Freeman realized that he had to organize an immediate effort to retake the position.

Otherwise, the central army would advance unimpeded, and the 23rd Regiment would be fragmented.

"Order the 8th Company and the 3rd Company of the French Battalion to immediately support Hills 1 and 3."

"In addition, we will deploy two more tanks, one self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, and one self-propelled anti-aircraft machine gun to participate in the attack."

"We must take back the position!"

"Yes, sir!"

To plug this gap, Freeman mobilized almost all the troops he could muster at the moment.

Faced with the American troops charging forward, the soldiers of the 211th Regiment did not open fire directly, but instead calmly allowed the enemy to approach.

When the US troops approached to within 50 meters, a sudden burst of intense firepower erupted.

Heavy machine guns, light machine guns, submachine guns, and semi-automatic rifles all opened fire.

The sudden burst of intense firepower instantly felled a group of enemy soldiers.

By the time the American troops reacted and tried to lie down and take cover, the bugle call of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had already sounded.

"kill!".
Upon hearing the sudden bugle call and shouts of battle, a hint of fear immediately appeared in the eyes of the American soldiers.

However, the two sides were extremely close at this time, and before the American soldiers could react, the soldiers of the 211th Regiment had already rushed up to them with their guns at the ready.

The US military is good at using its firepower advantage in positional warfare, but once the two sides engage in close combat, they are no match for the US military and are wiped out in no time.

After the American troops withdrew from the position in a sorry state, a headcount revealed that the original 180-man company had been reduced to only about 30 men.

"Farke! Farke!"

The curses of the US Army's 8th Company commander were filled with fear.

With the 8th Company wiped out, the road in front of Hill 1 was now wide open.

If the Chinese army continues its offensive, the US military will no longer have any organized units to stop it.

"Gentlemen, the central army could strike at the regimental command post at any moment. We have no other choice now!"

"Construct the last line of defense on the spot immediately!" The US company commander issued the order to fight to the death with a trembling voice.

"Mortarmen, telephone operators, communications soldiers, even cooks—everyone has to be sent to the front lines!"

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the 211th Regiment, everyone was discussing the next course of action.

"Should we continue the operation? What do you think?" Regiment Commander Ren Wuliu looked at the political commissar.

They were unaware of the deployment of the US military.

Although the initial breakthrough of the position was not difficult, no one knew what would happen next.

"There are less than two hours until dawn. If we continue to advance down the mountain, we will be trapped in a situation where we cannot advance or retreat if we encounter resistance."

The political commissar nodded: "This is indeed a big problem."

"But the orders from above are to attack deep into enemy territory. If we stop now, we may miss the opportunity to win the battle."

Ren Wuliu rubbed his forehead: "This is what's giving me a headache."

The battlefield situation changes rapidly, and the rear command cannot react in time. Therefore, the front-line troops have a certain degree of initiative in combat.

However, Ren Wuliu is now caught in a dilemma. He is in a fog, and he doesn't know which choice is the most appropriate.

If the attack is stopped, the 211th Regiment can be guaranteed safety, but Ren Wuliu doesn't know whether the enemy will get a chance to catch their breath.

Ren Wuliu and the political commissar discussed it for several minutes, but still couldn't make up their minds.

Just as the two were struggling with their decision, Li Chishui sent a telegram.

Looking at the telegram in his hand, Ren Wuliu breathed a sigh of relief: "Now we don't need to think about it anymore."

"The commander-in-chief demanded that all units launch swift and fierce attacks to cut the enemy's defenses to pieces."

Sometimes, having no choice can actually strengthen one's resolve.

After confirming the order, the 211th Regiment charged down the mountain and into the American ranks.

As for encountering dozens of American soldiers blocking their way at the foot of the mountain, the soldiers didn't take it seriously, and didn't even realize that this was the last American resistance.

The 211th Regiment's three battalions split into two groups. One group rushed straight into the center, firing at anyone they encountered along the way; the other group followed the sound and headed for the enemy's artillery positions.

This caused chaos at the US military position, which erupted into disarray in an instant.

The radio channels were filled with desperate pleas for help.

However, by this time Freeman had already fled with his command post and was no longer in charge of command.

Thousands of American troops could only hold their positions and fight individually.

When dawn broke, Ridgway, realizing the danger to the 23rd Regiment, began to spare no effort in supporting Dijonri.

The UN forces' aircraft almost all gathered over Dijonri.

Even seasoned American soldiers had never seen such a high density of air support.

Sometimes, American soldiers worry that planes in the air might collide with each other and fall on their heads.

This astonishing number of aircraft bombed and strafed all the positions of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army again and again.

The explosions on the Volunteer Army's positions never stopped.

The 211th Regiment, which penetrated deep into enemy territory, was a prime target for US aircraft.

All units of the 211th Regiment, which only had makeshift foxholes, suffered heavy casualties.

However, the American pilots responsible for bombing the 21st Squadron's positions also saw a sight they had never seen before in their lives.

"Fuck! Are all these people crazy?!"

"Whether they are crazy or not, I don't know, but they are definitely the most tenacious and crazy troops in the Central Army."

"They are absolutely determined to fight us to the last man."

This was the first time the US pilots had ever seen soldiers ignoring cover and exchanging fire with aircraft, armed with rifles and machine guns.

Upon witnessing this, the American pilots realized that the 23rd Regiment was probably in for a rough time.

The actual situation on the battlefield was not much different from what the American pilots had imagined.

No matter how many times the Air Force bombed the 211th Regiment's positions, when the American infantry attacked, the soldiers still managed to keep the Americans from making any progress.

For an entire day, the 21st Detachment's position remained completely still, and the ground was littered with corpses from both sides.

Just as Chen Chengxing was preparing to order the other two detachments to surround them, Zhi Si was also urgently discussing the situation in Dijianli.

"After two days of fighting in Dijianli, the US military has re-established its defensive line in the Yuanzhou direction."

"Even if we capture Dijianli, there will be no further opportunities for attack, so a full-scale assault would be pointless."

"Commander, if we can eliminate all the enemy troops in Dijianli, it should have a positive impact on the battle situation."

"You're right, but the impact isn't significant."

"After two days of fighting, the American casualties must have been considerable. I estimate that there are only about three thousand enemy troops left now."

“But if we continue to commit forces to Dijian, the U.S. military could come from all directions, which would be disadvantageous for us.”

"At this moment, the favorable opportunity has been lost. Even if we take down Dijianli, it will only eliminate three thousand more enemy troops."

"This victory is not insignificant, but if we were to gamble with the main force of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, it would be a loss no matter what."

After discussing it, the members of the Shiji group decided that they couldn't do business that didn't bring them any benefit.

At 5:30 p.m., the headquarters of the Volunteer Army issued the order for a complete withdrawal of troops.

As night fell, the American soldiers looked at the suddenly silent battlefield in disbelief.

The intensity of the battles during the day was unparalleled, but at night, it took a complete 180-degree turn.

This rapid turn of events left the US military completely baffled.

As the various units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army withdrew from the battle, Army A and Army C also withdrew to the north of the Han River, and the two sides completely disengaged.

At this point, Ridgway finally became certain that the central army had retreated.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Ridgway issued the order to advance again.

This order took everyone by surprise.

"Sir, we've just suffered a significant setback. Is it wise to advance now?"

“No, quite the opposite.” Ridgway shook his head.

"This time we suffered heavy casualties, and the Chinese army also suffered heavy casualties."

"Dijianli was the first time that the UN forces had directly blocked the Chinese army's attack, which is an excellent example of a positive outcome."

"This shows that as long as we remain resolute, the Chinese army cannot do anything to us."

"At this point, as long as we continue to push the front line forward, this battle can be considered a great victory."

"The morale of the UN forces will then recover quickly."

"And most importantly, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has been fighting for five days straight since Shucheng, and their supplies are almost gone."

"As long as we proceed steadily and maintain the integrity of our lines, the central army will have no opportunity to attack."

“But…” Dane still felt that they should be defending, not attacking.

Ridgway said firmly, "No buts, execute the order!"

For the UN forces, what they need most right now is a victory.

Regardless of the actual outcome, who suffered losses and who gained advantages, on the front lines, the united forces of the Kuomintang were victorious, and a great victory at that!
"Yes, sir!"

Shiji.

The commander pointed to the enemy and friendly situation map and said, "The enemy and friendly situation is now very clear."

"The UN forces are now cautiously advancing along the entire front line; if they encounter the enemy at one point, the entire line comes to a halt."

"There are no gaps in the enemy's lines, and we have no opportunity to exploit them."

Although the commander said there was no opportunity to take advantage of the situation, everyone present knew that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was already at its last gasp.

The fourth campaign should not have happened in theory; the Chinese People's Volunteer Army launched the offensive under duress.

"Since there's no opportunity to exploit, we'll switch to full-scale mobile defense," the commander affirmed.

"Do not concern yourself with the gains or losses of a single city or place; take the loss or destruction of the enemy's manpower as your objective."

Shiji quickly confirmed the next operational plan.

The purpose of mobile defense is to wait for reinforcements.

The second batch of combat troops of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army is on its way.

Once fresh troops arrive, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army will begin rotating operations.

However, although fresh troops will arrive soon, the commander is well aware that the situation is not optimistic.

After the fourth campaign, it was clear that the US military had gradually recovered from its panic and was becoming more and more organized in its fighting.

Conversely, the problems of firepower and logistics for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army remained unresolved.

With one side growing while the other remains stagnant, the situation has begun to shift.

The most pressing need for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army now is to solve its logistical problems; this is an urgent matter that cannot be delayed.

Therefore, after handing over all the tasks, the leader, with heavy thoughts on his mind, embarked on his journey back to China.

(End of this chapter)