Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 603: Concealing the truth
A few days later, the headquarters officially issued the next phase of the operational plan.

The 4th and 3rd Army Corps began a large-scale, covert eastward transfer.

Their objective was to cooperate with the North Korean 3rd and 5th Corps to annihilate the South Korean 1st and 3rd Corps in eastern Korea.

Meanwhile, the 19th Army Corps remained north of Seoul to coordinate with the Union 1st Corps in launching a feint attack on U.S. forces in the central and western regions to mislead the U.S. military.

The most crucial step in this plan was to keep it secret.

If the main force can be secretly moved to the east, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army can launch a perfect surprise attack on the South Korean army in the east.

The already weak South Korean army was simply no match for the main force of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

However, this plan also has its risks; troops that move laterally are more vulnerable than usual.

To successfully carry out this covert attack, a fairly reliable cover maneuver is required.

In order to cover the eastward advance of the two major army groups, the 19th Army Group formulated a very meticulous plan.

From the start of the operation, the 19th Army Corps reinforced its frontal blocking forces and launched a small-scale offensive towards the eastern part of Seoul.

No matter how you look at it, the 19th Army Corps' movements seem to indicate that it is planning to move southward from the east of Seoul.

Ridgway and Van Fleet had no doubts about the 19th Army Corps' actions.

After all, since the Chinese People's Volunteer Army entered Korea, the main battlefield has always been the western front, and each time it was a flanking maneuver.

The U.S. military began to focus on reinforcing the Seoul defense line.

Van Fleet planned to use his superior firepower to inflict heavy casualties on the Chinese People's Volunteer Army here.

While Van Fleet was completely unaware, the 4th and 3rd Corps spent several days successfully reaching their designated attack positions.

Meanwhile, the Union Army's 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Corps were also prepared.

This time, the Chinese and North Korean armies will launch a joint attack.

When the Chinese People's Volunteer Army suddenly appeared in large numbers and began to enter the attack positions right in front of the South Korean army, the South Korean army, which was taking a break, was stunned.

Commander Zheng Zaixun of the 3rd Division of the South put down his binoculars, rubbed his eyes, and then raised them again.

"Damn it, what's going on?"

Seeing that nothing had changed, Jung Jae-hoon was completely dumbfounded.

Weren't the Chinese People's Volunteer Army fighting the US forces to the death on the western front? What were they doing on the eastern front?
Just then, the chief of staff rushed over.

"Sir, we have received reports from all the regiments that a large number of central troops have appeared in front of their positions."

"It seems that the central army has also deployed in front of other friendly forces."

Hearing that the scale of the operation was so large, Zheng Zaixun said urgently, "Immediately strengthen the defensive fortifications!"

"Contact the Legion Headquarters, explain the situation, and request guidance!"

"Yes, sir."

Just as the Southern Army was hastily beginning to strengthen its defensive fortifications, the General Headquarters had already issued the order for a general offensive.

The artillery positions were the first to begin shelling, with a deluge of shells raining down on the Southern Army's positions.

Seeing the endless barrage of shells, Jung Jae-hoon's face turned somewhat green.

The Southern army was already unprepared, and as a result, it was met with several hours of artillery barrage.

"Damn it, isn't the enemy severely lacking in heavy weapons? How come they've been shelling for so long?"

According to previous battle reports, large-scale artillery bombardments by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army lasted at most a few tens of minutes.

This was the first time Zheng Zaihun had witnessed the Chinese People's Volunteer Army conducting several hours of artillery preparation.

"Sir, we're in danger!" the chief of staff ran over to report.

"The defensive fortifications and minefields at the front lines have all been destroyed."

Jung Jae-hoon felt like his head was about to explode; how could he have run into such bad luck?

"Where are the artillery? Where are our artillery?! Where are the army's artillery regiments?! Why haven't they counterattacked?!"

"Uh," the chief of staff said helplessly, "Sir, the artillery positions were destroyed in the first round of enemy fire."

With the special operations brigade conducting infiltration and reconnaissance, the Second General Artillery Corps would first strike threatening targets before targeting the South Army's forward positions.

Upon hearing that the artillery position had been destroyed, Jung Jae-hoon swayed involuntarily.

They couldn't beat the Chinese People's Volunteer Army with rifles before, but now they've come with artillery. How can they fight this battle?
This idea wasn't unique to Jung Jae-hoon; all the units of the Southern Army shared the same sentiment.

At 11 p.m., the Chinese People's Volunteer Army launched an attack.

The morale of the South Korean army had already plummeted to rock bottom, and this time the Chinese People's Volunteer Army charged as if they were entering an empty field.

The 21st and 23rd detachments of the Second General Corps, as the vanguard, charged into the Southern Army's position.

Faced with the fierce attack, the Southern army quickly collapsed across the board.

Before dawn, the Southern army's hundreds-of-kilometers-long battle line had vanished without a trace.

Along the front line stretching over a hundred kilometers, scattered and fleeing enemy troops were everywhere.

Faced with the Southern Army's hasty retreat, Chen Chengxing did not linger in battle. He decisively ordered the 21st and 23rd Detachments to cease their pursuit of the enemy and instead infiltrate behind enemy lines.

After receiving the orders, the two detachments completely ignored the Southern Army and fought their way through.

They didn't even have time to gather the prisoners or clean up the battlefield.

After breaking through the defenses, the troops will immediately rush towards the next target.

Li Chishui was the fastest runner among them.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to separate from the political commissar, Li Chishui led the 1st Battalion of the 211th Regiment to the forefront of the entire detachment.

Within six hours of the start of the general offensive, Li Chishui had penetrated 30 kilometers behind enemy lines.

They successfully blocked the retreating main force of the 9th Division of the South.

On the left flank of the 2nd Battalion, the vanguard of the 23rd Detachment, the 231st Regiment, had already advanced 28 kilometers and arrived at its designated position ahead of schedule.

The main forces of the two detachments then followed up, completely cutting off the escape routes of the 3rd and 9th Divisions of the South.

Upon receiving the telegram, Chen Chengxing nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good, the left flank of the first pincer attack is in place. Now it's up to the Northern army on the right flank."

According to the previous battle plan, the encirclement was to be three layers deep, with each layer larger than the last.

If all three layers can be formed, the Confederate army on the eastern front will lose at least two corps, and will also wipe out a lot of American troops in the process.

However, after the initial excitement, Chen Chengxing became worried again.

Currently, all units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army are advancing according to plan, but whether the Northern Army on the eastern route can keep up with the rapidly advancing Volunteer Army is a big question.

Soon, the intelligence from the Northern Army reached Chen Chengxing.

As it turned out, Chen Chengxing's concerns were not unfounded.

"Commander, the 2nd Army Corps of the North has lost its way in the mountains and has not arrived as planned!"

Upon hearing Xu Wu's report, Chen Chengxing was furious.

If the 2nd Army Corps of the North just got lost, it wouldn't be such a big deal.

However, the mission of the 3rd Army Corps was to advance alongside the 2nd Army Corps.

If the 2nd Army Corps of the North is lost, the 3rd Army Corps of the North must also be wandering around in the mountains.

In other words, two of the Union Army's three corps are now wandering around in the mountains.

Chen Chengxing walked quickly to the map.

After removing the 2nd and 3rd Northern Army Corps, the original pincer attack from the east and west was reduced to just one pincer.

It is impossible to complete the encirclement with just one pincer, and without completing the encirclement, it is impossible to eliminate the blocked Southern army.

Looking at the only remaining Northern Army on the map, Chen Chengxing asked anxiously, "What's the current situation of the 5th Army Corps?"

The commander of the 5th Army Corps in the north was Li Tianfu. Although Chen Chengxing did not know him personally, he was familiar with him.

Li Tianfu was from the Fourth Field Army; the 6th Division of the 5th Army Corps in the north was reorganized from the Fourth Field Army. "They are proceeding according to plan, and no accidents have occurred."

“Send a telegram to them immediately, ordering a division to advance to Dongli South Mountain as quickly as possible and cut off the Southern Army’s retreat route to the southeast.”

"The other two divisions took over the tasks of the 2nd and 3rd Army Corps of the North, forming a second encirclement."

This is the best solution Chen Chengxing could think of.

"yes!".
After receiving the telegram, Li Tianfu was somewhat speechless at the performance of the 2nd and 3rd Army Corps of the North.

"These guys always mess things up at crucial moments!" Li Tianfu casually tossed the telegram onto the table.

"Commander, what should we do now? Which division should we send to Dongli Nanshan?"

Li Tianfu said decisively, "I will personally lead the 6th Division!"

"You're going in person?" The chief of staff asked, somewhat surprised.

Li Tianfu said with some helplessness, "The second layer of encirclement has essentially failed; Chief Chen is just patching it up."

"Two divisions are absolutely not enough to control the front line that should be blocked by two corps."

"At most, they can only inflict casualties on small groups of stragglers."

"Dongli Nanshan is our main battlefield."

In order to keep up with the pace of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, Li Tianfu led the 6th Division on a fast and lightly equipped journey.

The next morning, the 1st Regiment of the 6th Division had already infiltrated behind enemy lines into the Guiyuanli area.

Looking at the brightening sky and glancing at the map, Li Tianfu gave the order to continue the march.

He knew very well that if he could not arrive in time, the South Korean army, which was blocked by the Volunteer Army, would escape due to the North Korean army's negligence.

In that case, the Northern Army would lose all face.

At the risk of being bombed, the 1st Regiment of the 6th Division of the North successfully reached Dongri Nanshan at 2 p.m., cutting off the South Army's retreat route to the southeast.

Upon learning that the enemy had also appeared to the east, the two division commanders of the 3rd and 9th Southern Divisions were extremely anxious.

"Commander Zheng, the enemy has formed an encirclement, and we are now being attacked from both sides!" Commander Li Zaiyuan of the 9th Division of the South had an extremely grim expression.

Looking at the map, Jung Jae-hoon said confidently, "Master Lee, we need to make a decision soon!"

"Master Zheng, please explain in more detail."

“Given the current situation, we only have two paths to take,” Jung Jae-hoon said, pointing to the map.

"First, we will engage in a decisive battle with the central army in the Wuma Mountain area in order to break through the encirclement head-on and then continue to retreat south."

Upon hearing that they were to engage in a decisive battle with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, Li Zaiyuan shook his head frantically.

"No, no, we are absolutely no match for the Central Army."

"Once the decisive battle begins, we are likely to be quickly defeated."

Lee Jae-won had a clear understanding of his own troops; if it were a battle against the Northern Army, they could put up a fight.

But if it were the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, there would be no chance of winning.

Jung Jae-hoon was not surprised by Lee Jae-won's rejection.

Anyone who isn't an idiot wouldn't choose this path, even if the number of volunteer soldiers they face is only half of theirs.

Jung Jae-hoon pointed to Fangtai Mountain on the map: "If we don't engage in a decisive battle, then the only option left is to retreat directly into the mountains!"

Upon hearing that they were to retreat into the mountains, Li Zaiyuan's expression became somewhat uncertain.

Retreating into the mountains is not as simple as it sounds.

To get into the mountains, you have to discard all your heavy weapons.

If they were American soldiers, with air cover, it wouldn't be a big problem. But they were Confederate soldiers, and American planes would never cover them.

Once they lose their heavy weapons, even the company and platoon-level units of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army could probably chase them down and kill them.

"Master Li, what are your thoughts? A decisive battle or a retreat?"

After staring at the map for a few seconds, Li Zaiyuan squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Retreat!"

The Southern Army seemed to have two options, but in reality, they had no choice at all.

Retreat was their only option.

The 3rd and 9th Divisions of the South abandoned their heavy equipment, such as trucks and artillery, and plunged into the mountains.

However, the main force of the Southern Army did not retreat in an orderly manner as planned, but instead fell into chaos from the very beginning.

Many Southern soldiers had lost their guns and hadn't brought much food with them.

Their goal was to travel light.

For the Confederate soldiers, as long as they could outrun their allies, they could survive.

Faced with the chaotic situation, Jung Jae-hoon and Lee Jae-won were completely powerless.

A large number of officers have torn off their insignia and blended in with the ordinary soldiers.

Now even orders are no longer being relayed.

Left with no other choice, the two could only take their trusted confidants and leave first.

"Commander, we have received a telegram from the 23rd Detachment."

"As expected, the Southern army abandoned their trucks and artillery and fled south into Fangtai Mountain."

"The 21st and 23rd detachments have collected a large number of weapons abandoned by the enemy. This equipment is enough to equip several divisions."

"So many?" Chen Chengxing was somewhat surprised. "It seems the Southern Army didn't even take their guns with them when they fled."

Xu Wu nodded: "They have plenty of rifles and food; the Southern army must be completely routed."

"Tell Li Chishui and Sun Xun to leave the logistics troops behind to transport the spoils, and the infantry to pursue them!"

"Yes!"

Inside the US military command post, Van Fleet was deeply troubled as he watched the Chinese People's Volunteer Army break through the eastern front.

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army's deception caught him completely off guard.

Looking at the map, Van Fleet said, "The Confederate army has collapsed across the board, and the 2nd Infantry Division is in danger."

Van Fleet wasn't bothered by the loss of several Southern Army divisions on the Eastern Front, since they were never counted as human in battle reports.

However, after the complete collapse of the Confederate army, a huge gap appeared in the UN forces' front line.

The US 2nd Division, on the other side of the gap, was once again exposed to the outside of the defensive line.

"Sir, we cannot allow the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to surround the US 2nd Division," Chief of Staff Dane said solemnly.

“Things are different now than before. In the past, if the 2nd Infantry Division had chosen to hold its ground, the Central Army, which lacked heavy equipment, would not have been able to take it down in a short time.”

"However, judging from the recent firepower situation of the central army, the enemy's firepower has been greatly enhanced."

"If we are surrounded again, the 2nd Infantry Division will inevitably be annihilated in a short period of time."

Throughout the Korean War, the US 2nd Division was arguably the most unlucky unit ever.

The Battle of Shaxi almost wiped out the US 2nd Division.

They had just finished replenishing and resting when they were suddenly faced with the superior strength of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

"We can't just sit idly by and watch the 2nd Infantry Division get surrounded!" Van Fleet nodded firmly.

Just as Van Fleet was pondering a solution, another telegram arrived.

Dane took the telegram from the operations staff officer, glanced at it, and immediately handed it to Van Fleet.

"Sir, an enemy force has reached the Wujuli area!"

VanVleet was taken aback: "Fuck! That's fast!"

(End of this chapter)