Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 602 Substitution
Inside the Eighth Army headquarters, Van Fleet stared at the sand table, lost in thought.

Chief of Staff Dane came over: "Sir, we received a telegram from the 9th Army that the 6th Division of the South has been scattered and the Central Army has wedged into our positions."

"Now both the 1st Army and the 9th Army are asking about the next steps."

“Tell them not to be nervous,” Van Fleet said. “Continue with the response plan devised by General Ridgway.”

This full-scale counter-offensive by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was entirely within the expectations of Ridgway and Van Fleet.

Therefore, Ridgway had already formulated a battle plan.

The old method still applies: use overwhelming firepower to slow down the enemy's attack and defend until the enemy's offensive is exhausted.

This plan doesn't actually suit Van Fleet's personality.

He had previously been trying to gradually replace Ridgway's plan with a more proactive approach.

However, after witnessing the powerful offensive of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, Van Fleet realized what was going on.

Although Ridgway's method may seem clumsy, it was the most correct choice at that moment.

During the day on the 22nd, due to the air superiority of the US military, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was unable to launch large-scale attacks, but sporadic fighting never ceased.

At night, the real large-scale infiltration began.

VanVleet received news of the loss of his position one after another, and by this time he had long since abandoned his previous aggressive approach.

Seeing the lines being breached again and again, Van Fleet ordered, "Order the entire army! Retreat immediately!"

Although VanVleet made the decision to retreat, he did not panic.

"Tell all units that if they are attacked fiercely, they should take advantage of the daytime when the Volunteer Army is unable to launch an attack and retreat by car. The maximum retreat distance is 30 kilometers!"

The 30-kilometer distance was a valuable lesson Ridgway provided to Van Fleet, a distance that just exceeded the distance the Chinese People's Volunteer Army could cover on foot overnight.

During the day, they retreated to places where the Volunteer Army could not catch up, and then continuously used new positions for defense.

It must be said that this move struck right at the weak point of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

The UN forces gradually retreated under the fierce attack of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Although the front line continued to push south, the main force of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army never found an opportunity to encircle the main force of the enemy.

The only intact unit captured in this battle was the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment of the British 27th Brigade, which had been reinforced to the 6th Division in the South.

For reasons unknown, the British troops were once again unlucky enough not to receive the order to retreat.

By the time the British troops realized what was happening and tried to retreat overnight, the 23rd Detachment had already surrounded them from behind.

The 2nd Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment of the 27th Brigade was surrounded on three sides by the 23rd Detachment on two nearby hills in Shemalie.

The road leading south to Uijeongbu has been taken over by the 23rd Detachment.

While organizing defenses, Battalion Commander Kahn of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment kept requesting reinforcements from the headquarters of the British 27th Brigade.

Brody was already leading the British 27th Brigade in a major retreat when he suddenly received this devastating blow.

"Fuck! How did the 2nd Rifle Regiment get surrounded by the enemy?"

"Didn't the troops in the north already retreat across the board?" Brody looked at the telegram with disbelief.

"Sir, no matter the reason, we must provide immediate assistance."

"Fuck! Fuck!" Brody cursed several times.

"Order the Canadian 3rd Infantry Battalion, tank company, and artillery company to seize Hill 351, establish a defensive line, and cover our flanks."

"Middlesex Battalion, immediately reinforce Chemari!"

"In addition, send a telegram to the U.S. 24th Infantry Division requesting that an infantry regiment be sent to open the Chemari Pass and cover the withdrawal of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment from the battle!"

"Yes, sir!"

Just as Brody was urgently providing support to Xue Mali, the 23rd Detachment had already launched an attack under Sun Xun's orders.

Although the British forces had a certain firepower advantage, they lost positions one after another and their defensive perimeter was constantly compressed in the face of the fierce attack of the 23rd Regiment.

During this period, the 10th Philippine Battalion, dispatched by the US 24th Division, launched an attack from the south, but was routed by the 9th Company of the 231st Regiment.

A tank company under the US 19th Regiment attempted to open a rescue route along the road, but was ambushed by an anti-tank squad. In the end, only three Pershing tanks managed to escape.

The British Middlesex Battalion on the perimeter was also unable to break through the defensive positions set up by the 23rd Regiment.

Even when Brody himself flew to Cheshire by helicopter to direct operations, it was to no avail.

By dawn, the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment was out of ammunition and supplies, and had suffered more than half its casualties.

Hearing the approaching gunfire, Kahn knew he was in dire straits and that reinforcements were no longer possible.

Looking at Brody, Kahn said calmly, "Sir, you should take the helicopter and leave. I need to prepare to break out."

Brody suggested, "Kahn, I can take you with me."

“Sir!” Kahn interrupted Brody.

"The blood flowing in my veins will not allow me to desert my post!"

For Kahn, dying in battle was one thing, being captured was another, and abandoning his troops and fleeing was yet another.

For Kahn, his best option at this point was to lead his team to break out and ultimately be captured.

For nobles, being captured was not a disgrace.

But if he runs away with Brody on a plane now, he will inevitably bear the shame in the future.

Brody nodded. "Alright, since you insist."

May God bless you.

After saying that, Brody turned and boarded the helicopter.

Watching the helicopter depart, Kahn gave the order to break out.

After concentrating all mortars and firing all their shells, the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment launched a hand-to-hand assault.

What followed was the complete annihilation of the army.

Of the nearly 1,000 men in the reinforced British battalion, fewer than 200 survived and made it into prisoner-of-war camps.

However, Kahn entered the officers' prisoner-of-war camp quite easily.

The 23rd Detachment annihilated the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment of the British Army with great success, but the situation was different on other fronts.

The US military's retreat was surprisingly skillful.

If the troops are subjected to a fierce attack, they will immediately retreat.

If their escape route is cut off, they will quickly call for air support and then use the powerful firepower of tanks and aircraft to blast a path to escape.

By the 26th, Shiji already knew that this time he was probably going to be disappointed.

Meanwhile, VanVleet had regained his composure.

He not only reorganized the front lines, but also amassed a large force in the Seoul area, preparing to fight a positional war against the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

However, Shiji clearly wouldn't do as Van Fleet wished.

With a command given, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army halted its offensive.

Despite failing to achieve a breakthrough in the first battle, Shiji was not discouraged.

After all, everyone already knew that the US military was difficult to fight, and it was expected that they would not be able to defeat them, so this would not affect morale.

Moreover, although the battle did not achieve the goal of annihilating the enemy on a large scale, the front line had been pushed from the 38th parallel to the vicinity of Seoul. The Chinese People's Volunteer Army regained the initiative on the battlefield.

This is very beneficial to Shiji's next steps.

No one has ever said that winning the Korean War required eliminating the U.S. military.

After the ceasefire, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and the US Army faced off for two days in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, before gradually withdrawing.

Ridgway was not surprised by the retreat of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

It is common knowledge that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had limited supply capabilities.

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army relied primarily on manpower to carry both ammunition and food. They ate as much as they could carry, and once they ran out of food, they had no choice but to retreat.

Therefore, when Ridgway saw the Chinese People's Volunteer Army begin to retreat as expected, he immediately sent a telegram to Van Fleet.

Ridgway instructed Van Fleet to launch a small-scale counterattack in order to maintain morale and the initiative.

Ridgway's order was exactly what Van Fleet wanted.

Van Fleet decisively ordered each division at the front to send a regimental combat team northward for combat reconnaissance.

However, the outcome of the troop's attack left Ridgway and Van Fleet completely baffled.

"What's going on?" Li Qiwei frowned as he looked at the report.

"No trace of enemy troops has been found in such a large area north of Seoul?"

"Only by advancing further north did they encounter resistance from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army?"

Van Fleet didn't know how to answer Ridgway's question.

This situation is indeed very unusual.

Normally, even if the Chinese People's Volunteer Army retreated to rest and resupply, it would not be possible for them to completely abandon the front line.

However, no trace of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has been found in the area north of Seoul.

Van Fleet scratched his head and said, "Sir, if the Volunteer Army doesn't attack, we'll attack them."

"Once the battle begins, the enemy will naturally be exposed."

After hearing Van Fleet's suggestion, Ridgway thought about it for a long time, but ultimately did not agree.

He sensed something was wrong.

"Maintain small-scale attacks first to probe the central army's intentions, while the main force remains vigilant and does not let its guard down."

“Alright.” Van Fleet could only nod.

Just as Ridgway and Van Fleet were struggling to figure out the whereabouts of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, Ridgway received a report from an Air Force reconnaissance plane a few days later.

US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had suddenly made a move, with a large number of troops beginning to assemble northeast of Seoul.

Ridgway immediately flew to Korea and, together with Van Fleet, carefully reviewed the frontline battle reports and all the air force's reconnaissance results several times.

“There’s no mistake.” Ridgway put down the report and looked at the sand table.

"The central army's retreat was just a brief respite; they should be launching an attack soon."

Van Fleet nodded in agreement: "It seems the enemy is preparing for another full-scale offensive."

"I predict that this attack will most likely take place within three to four days."

“I think so too.” Li Qiwei nodded.

"My judgment is that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army will likely launch an attack on the central and western front with five corps as its main force, with the goal of advancing directly to the south of Seoul."

Encirclement and outflanking maneuvers were among the best tactics employed by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, and Ridgway naturally thought of this approach immediately.

After thinking for a moment, Ridgway said, "The previous small-scale attack plan must be stopped immediately."

"All troops were withdrawn, and the main force was concentrated on the Sino-Western liaison, preparing for a defensive counterattack."

"Yes, sir!"

Inside the Second General Headquarters, watching the US military's actions, Chen Chengxing laughed and said, "It seems Ridgway has been tricked."

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army was indeed assembled for an offensive, but this time, unlike in previous battles, it did not target the American forces on the western front.

This time, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army set its sights on the South Korean puppet troops on the eastern front.

The outcome of the previous battle left Shiji extremely dissatisfied.

In the first four campaigns, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army deployed more than one corps each time, and the troops they wiped out were either an entire regiment or half a division.

In this battle, the headquarters concentrated the strength of three entire army corps.

With so many troops concentrated, the expectations of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army Command were naturally higher than the previous four times. This time, the Command's target was the entire U.S. First Army.

Of course, if they really couldn't finish it all, the commander could accept eating an entire division.

As a result, by the time the battle was over, they had only wiped out an entire British battalion and a few thousand Southern troops; the rest were not annihilated in any organized manner.

Such a victory made not only the headquarters of the Volunteer Army, but also the ordinary soldiers of the Volunteer Army feel a sense of pride.

With hundreds of thousands of troops mobilized, this is all the result? Isn't that like using a cannon to kill a mosquito?
However, the commander of the Volunteer Army was also aware that the US military had become accustomed to the Volunteer Army's combat methods and had found ways to counter them.

Even if he was unwilling, Shiji had to admit one thing.

That means the Chinese People's Volunteer Army could no longer wage large-scale annihilation battles against the US military.

However, the inability to annihilate the US military does not mean there are no other ways to win this battle.

After the commander convened a meeting with the heads of several corps, his attention turned to eastern Korea.

In order to block the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in Seoul, Van Fleet transferred almost all of the main U.S. forces to western Korea.

At this time, there were only one or two South Korean army units in eastern Korea.

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing say that Ridgway had been tricked, Ding Wei, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "The US military's equipment is indeed powerful, but their weaknesses are also very obvious: they have a lot of steel but little spirit."

"Once the South Korean puppet army is wiped out, the US military alone cannot support the entire Korean front."

Li Yunlong nodded: "That's right. Although we didn't eliminate the American troops in the last battle, we did manage to draw them to the western front."

"This is a great opportunity for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to annihilate the enemy."

"It's just a pity about Old Kong. He hasn't recovered from the battle at Nan'an Mountain yet."

After retreating from Nan'an Mountain to the rear, Kong Jie has been in a state of rest and recuperation, and has not yet completed his rest. Therefore, he is destined to miss out on this battle.

“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future,” Chen Chengxing said.

"I've heard that Soviet weapons are arriving in large quantities. I think Army B might be the first unit in the 4th Army Corps to be equipped with Soviet weapons."

"Now we can only watch as Lao Kong becomes rich overnight," Li Yunlong said, filled with envy.

However, Li Yunlong was unwilling to let the C Army also change their uniforms.

To change clothes, you need to be in a safe environment in the back, since it takes a long time to get used to the new clothes.

For troops like theirs that have been on the front lines, if they want to change their equipment, they have to withdraw from combat.

Letting Li Yunlong withdraw from the battle is worse than killing him.

"There will be opportunities in the future." Chen Chengxing waved his hand: "You two go back and prepare, I estimate we'll be taking action soon."

"Understood." Li Yunlong and Ding Wei nodded.

(End of this chapter)