Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 609 Big Crisis

"Sir, latest intelligence." The chief of staff handed a telegram to the commander.

“United forces on other fronts have halted operations, but U.S. forces south of Jinping are still active.”

After glancing at the telegram in his hand, the commander said with a serious expression, "It seems the US military has no intention of ending this."

The chief of staff nodded: "According to intelligence, the main forces involved in this operation are the U.S. 1st and 9th Armies, which are the vast majority of the U.S. military's main forces in Korea."

The commander shook his head: "The US military shouldn't need to deploy so many troops."

"Putting everything else aside, there's not enough space in Jinping to deploy so many people."

The commander analyzed, "According to my estimate, Van Fleet will at most deploy a corps."

"However, it should be that elite forces are drawn from the US 1st and 9th Armies to form an attack arrowhead."

“That’s already quite a lot.” The chief of staff’s expression was somewhat serious. “The situation is not very optimistic now.”

A typical UN corps consists of two US divisions and one Yugoslav division.

If you add in some miscellaneous scattered troops from other countries, the number could reach fifty to sixty thousand.

Moreover, with other fronts halting their advance, the U.S. military would inevitably deploy its entire air force to the Jinping battlefield.

“North of Jinping and Tiehua, there is a flat plain. Jinping is our last chance.”

"Once the US armored forces enter the plains, we will have a hard time stopping their rampage."

Even if the Volunteer Army had a rocket launcher, let alone weak firepower, they still wouldn't be able to directly confront a charging tank formation.

The commander remained silent; he knew very well that only tanks could deal with tanks.

Moreover, the Jinping and Tiehua areas are currently the most important logistics bases for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

The 3rd Army Corps and a large number of rearguard troops that are in retreat have not yet all arrived in the Tiehua area.

It will take at least one to two weeks for all the main forces to withdraw.

In other words, once the US military enters the triangular plain north of Jinping, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army will not only lose its supplies, but its main force, which is currently retreating, may also be cut off by the US military.

This would be a fatal blow to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, even more serious than losing Harakawa.

After a moment of silence, the commander spoke: "Immediately issue the latest combat orders to the entire army."

"All units must, based on the current situation, resolutely block the enemy's reckless advance."

"Each army corps is strictly ordered to distinguish its own blocking forces and operational demarcation lines, confirm various control positions, and prepare for battle for the second and third line troops."

"Commanders of all armies and even all corps should personally supervise and inspect, and pay special attention to the coordination with the left and right flanks."

"All blocking forces must stop the enemy from continuing their assault at all costs!"

"If we cannot stop the enemy's attack now, it will inevitably lead to more serious consequences."

As the most important line of defense in the entire line of defense, Jinping and Tiehua, the mission of the 4th Army Corps is naturally of paramount importance.

Upon receiving the order, Chen Chengxing immediately rushed to Jinping.

Li Yunlong asked with some surprise, "Old Chen, what brings you here?"

He has received his orders, and Army C is currently extremely busy.

"Old Li, I heard you've led the charge again?"

Looking at Chen Chengxing's smiling face, Li Yunlong felt uncomfortable all over.

Damn it, Chen Chengxing has stopped wielding his big knife and turned into a smiling tiger.

Of course, what Li Yunlong thought in his heart was completely different from what he said.

"Old Chen, I was just in a hurry!"

"If Yuanchuan can't be taken down, not only will my C Army be in grave danger, but even the 3rd Army Corps will be in imminent danger."

"Our volunteer army has always been selfless and altruistic. How could I not contribute at this time?"

Chen Chengxing nodded: "What you said is very good."

However, just as Li Yunlong's face broke into a smile, Chen Chengxing changed the subject.

"The court official will be going to court soon. You can explain it to him yourself then."

Li Yunlong's face froze instantly.

Li Yunlong, still somewhat unwilling to give up, struggled to ask, "Ringmaster? Which ringmaster?"

"Which ringmaster? How many ringmasters are there in the 4th Army Corps?"

Li Yunlong's face instantly lit up with a smile again.

"Old Chen, Old Chen, we're old comrades-in-arms, you can't stab me in the back."

"Old Li, as you know, I've always been an honest person, and I really can't lie."

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing say that he was upright, Li Yunlong's lips twitched involuntarily.

"Of course, this is not something that cannot be discussed," Chen Chengxing added.

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing's agreement, Li Yunlong immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Go ahead! We'll do what we can, and we'll find a way to do what we can't!"

"It's very simple. During this battle of Jinping, you stay in the command post and command the operation!"

Chen Chengxing could foresee that the Battle of Jinping would be exceptionally brutal, and the C Army's command system could not afford to make any mistakes.

This is also an important reason why Chen Chengxing made the trip personally.

Li Yunlong absolutely forbade anyone from going to the front lines; if he were to be killed there, the morale of the C Army would inevitably plummet.

Seeing Chen Chengxing's serious expression, Li Yunlong nodded helplessly: "Okay! I'll listen to you."

After dealing with Li Yunlong, Chen Chengxing began to discuss the upcoming situation with him.

"The US offensive was very fierce this time, and the blocking positions south of Lianchuan were lost one after another."

"The C Army's defensive line between Wuyangli, Suning, and Jinping should focus on defending the Suning and Gaomushan lines."

"Old Chen, don't worry, I know about the telegram from the headquarters. We are not allowed to retreat without orders."

"Even if I wipe out the entire C Army, I will never give up Jinping!"

Li Yunlong had been working under his superior for some time, but he had rarely seen a telegram with such a stern tone.

This shows that the situation for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was extremely dangerous.

Chen Chengxing affirmed, "It's good that you know. This time, we must hold the position at all costs!"

After communicating with Li Yunlong about the battle plan, Chen Chengxing rushed back to Tiehua without even eating.

As soon as he entered the command post, Chen Chengxing asked directly, "Have you made contact with Army A yet?"

"We've made contact with them; they're currently in the Yanshan area."

Chen Chengxing strode to the map, glanced at the location of Yanshan, and decisively gave the order:
"Send a telegram to Army A, instructing them to halt their retreat, immediately organize forces to attack the enemy's flank and rear, slow their advance, and buy Li Yunlong time to repair the fortifications!"

"Tell them that they must take active defensive measures with their existing positions and are absolutely not allowed to retreat!"

"Yes!"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Chengxing gave another order: "Order the 22nd Detachment, the 24th Detachment, and the artillery detachment to move forward to the northern part of Jinping to build a second line of defense, and be prepared to take over at any time."

"The 21st and 23rd detachments will cease their rest and reorganization and will be temporarily integrated and used as the general reserve force."

"Old Luo, the reserve team is in your hands now. You'll be in charge personally."

The US military is coming in a fierce manner this time. Li Yunlong can hold out for three or five days, but Chen Chengxing really has no idea whether he can hold out for half a month as planned.

"Don't worry, the reserve team can be deployed at any time if necessary."

Both the 21st and 23rd detachments had gone through a major battle and should have been resting.

But that's the situation now; if necessary, even the lightly wounded must be brought up. After making the arrangements, Chen Chengxing maintained contact with Ding Wei and Li Yunlong.

Ding Wei's side has already made contact with the US 1st Cavalry Division.

Faced with the flank threat from Army A, the 1st U.S. Cavalry Division was extremely cautious, bombarding Army A's positions with artillery shells as if they were free.

Looking at the position that was being bombarded continuously, Ding Wei's expression was somewhat grave.

It wasn't that he was worried about the situation on the position, but rather that he sensed signs that the main force of the 1st Cavalry Division was shifting.

"chief of staff."

“Call the front lines and tell them that the next time the U.S. infantry attack, they should try to launch a counter-offensive.”

"Artillery regiment, be prepared to provide fire support if necessary."

The chief of staff hesitated noticeably: "A counter-offensive at this time? The American firepower is too great a threat during the day."

Ding Wei waved his hand: "We can't worry about that now, let's attack them first!"

If the 1st Cavalry Division manages to slip past, not only will I suffer the consequences, but Li Yunlong will also risk his life for me.

Upon receiving Ding Wei's order, the forward positions decisively launched a counter-offensive.

Caught off guard, the US military retreated several hundred meters in disarray.

However, upon hearing the good news from the front lines, Ding Wei showed no joy whatsoever; instead, his expression became extremely somber.

The defenses on the US positions were weak, which meant that their forces were not deployed.

His guess was correct; the US military did indeed intend to continue its northward advance.

"Order the 3rd Division to advance and make moves on the enemy's flank. If the American troops really want to leave, then attack their rear!"

"I refuse to believe that the US military can ignore tens of thousands of soldiers from my Army A!"

"yes!".
Seeing Ding Wei's actions, Charles, the commander of the US 1st Cavalry Division, felt a headache coming on.

He wasn't afraid of the less than 30,000 troops of Army A, but with them constantly making small moves on the flank, the 1st Cavalry Division didn't dare to launch a direct attack easily.

"Sir, General Van Fleet has sent another telegram, ordering us to ignore the flank threat and advance directly to Jinping."

"As long as we can capture Jinping Plain, we can achieve a complete victory."

"Fuck! Easier said than done!"

"With enemy forces operating on our flank, how should the artillery units deploy?"

Charles knew very well that the U.S. military's advantage lay in its firepower.

However, when there is a threat to the flanks and rear of the troops, it is impossible for him to place the howitzers in a safe rear location.

However, if howitzers are placed on the front lines, their survival will become a major problem.

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army's firepower was indeed weak, but that doesn't mean they didn't have artillery.

After all, the UN forces had lost quite a few artillery shells before.

After thinking for a long time, Charles finally decided to take a compromise approach.

"Order the 3rd Regiment to construct defensive positions and confront the enemy."

"Leave another 105mm howitzer battalion and 155mm howitzer company for the 3rd Regiment as firepower reinforcement."

“Tell Colonel Wayne that I don’t need him to achieve any results; he just needs to protect the flank of the 1st Cavalry Division.”

With the 3rd Regiment posing a threat, the Central Army dared not act rashly. Otherwise, the 1st Cavalry Division could turn around and launch a pincer attack, annihilating them completely.

The chief of staff of the 1st Cavalry Division hesitated and said, "Sir, in that case, with our understrength forces, I'm afraid we won't be able to easily defeat the enemy forces in the Jinping area."

“There’s nothing we can do about it.” Charles shook his head. “General Ridgway has ordered that we must not risk going any further.”

"Now we can only look to the 3rd Infantry Division."

Major General Robert, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, threw the telegram from Van Fleet directly onto the table.

"Fuck! Crossing 200 kilometers in a single day, and he's supposed to be the main attacker?"

"Isn't this bullying?!"

The chief of staff next to him pushed up his glasses: "Sir, according to intelligence, the 1st Cavalry Division has been blocked by a main force, and they have already split up their forces."

"Fuck! These are all excuses!" Robert roared. "Is it really true that the 1st Cavalry Division is incapable of defeating an entire corps in the Central Army?!"

In Robert's view, this was just the 1st Cavalry Division making excuses.

The goal was to push the 3rd Infantry Division forward.

Jinping is of paramount importance. It goes without saying that the central army will fight desperately to block it, and the casualties of the 3rd Infantry Division will be considerable.

Moreover, if things go wrong, the 1st Cavalry Division might steal the credit for capturing Jinping.

Despite his scathing remarks, Robert had to carry out Van Fleet's orders.

The reason is simple: Van Fleet will personally command this battle.

If the 3rd Infantry Division fails to arrive on time, he will definitely be in deep trouble.

Robert could only grit his teeth and order, "Get the troops moving faster!"

Inside the Second General Headquarters, Chen Chengxing had made proper arrangements, but he still couldn't put his mind at ease.

"Xu Wu, has Army C called requesting reinforcements?"

"No, Li Junzhang did not raise any difficulties."

"How could there be no difficulties?"

Chen Chengxing was somewhat skeptical; this didn't fit Li Yunlong's character.

If a real battle breaks out, Li Yunlong will definitely fight to the death, but he will never give up any opportunity to gain an advantage.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Chengxing said, "Call Army C and ask."

The Volunteer Army is currently facing a shortage of supplies, but Chen Chengxing would not hesitate to exchange supplies for even one more soldier's life.

Xu Wu immediately picked up the phone and received a call from Army C.

A moment later, Xu Wu hung up the phone and came over: "Commander-in-Chief, Li Junzhang is not at the military headquarters."

"Not on the front lines? Where did you go?"

"They said they went to the front lines to deploy defenses."

"I knew it, Li Yunlong was bound to cause trouble!"

"Prepare the car!"

"Commander-in-Chief, if we let Li Jun take charge of the command post first, there's no need for him to come in person. Sending a telegram will suffice."

"Why send a telegram? I'm not going to see Li Yunlong."

"I'll always feel uneasy if I don't see the deployments on the front lines with my own eyes."

Chen Chengxing put on his hat and walked outside.

He took two steps, then stopped.

"So, tell Wang Chengzhu to transfer two battalions from the howitzer regiment to reinforce Jinping, and try to give them enough shells to make up a basic number."

Because of the capture of a large number of artillery pieces, Chen Chengxing also expanded the howitzer regiment, which now has 4 artillery battalions with a total of 48 howitzers.

“Okay.” Xu Wu nodded: “I will ask the logistics department to assist in getting the artillery battalion to the front line as quickly as possible.”

"go a head."

(End of this chapter)