Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 611 Ice Cream Mountain
Despite winning Seed Hill, VanVleet showed no joy whatsoever.

"The progress is just too slow!"

Van Fleet wanted to change all of this, but he had no way to do so.

The Chinese soldiers risked their lives there; the American troops couldn't take the position without risking their lives to hold it off.

Dane understood Van Fleet's meaning and said, "Sir, Gaotai Mountain is even more treacherous than Seed Mountain. Tanks are useless there, and a direct assault would likely result in heavy casualties."

Seed Mountain and Gaotai Mountain belong to the same mountain range, but Gaotai Mountain is much higher and more precipitous than Seed Mountain.

"Although there are no tanks for cover, the attacking force has air support and artillery fire, so I don't think there should be too much trouble."

Van Fleet had a good plan, but the battlefield situation did not develop as well as he had imagined.

The 8th Division had ample time to construct its positions, and its anti-artillery measures were very comprehensive.

The intense firepower from the U.S. military did cause some casualties, but the soldiers of the 83rd Regiment remained very calm.

Listening to the sound of exploding shells, the soldiers squatted in the trenches, smoking and chatting as usual, without missing a beat.

"The Americans are coming!"

"Two hundred meters!"

"One hundred meters!"

"Fifty meters!"

Upon hearing the distance of fifty meters, the soldiers immediately stood up and fired.

Grenades and bullets rained down on the attacking American troops.

"Kill!"

Immediately afterwards, a small team rushed out.

The American troops, already thrown into disarray by heavy fire, were even more confused when faced with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army charging in with bayonets.

At this point, the US military had no choice but to withdraw and regroup.

Seeing the American troops collapse and retreat again, the soldiers disdainfully retreated back into the trenches to defend against the artillery.

"These American devils are no good either; they can't fight without the cover of tanks."

"Who says otherwise? It's been two days, and the American devils haven't made an inch of progress."

"On the nearby Hill 522, there were only six or seven people, and they still couldn't break through."

At this time, Van Fleet was also feeling helpless about the combat effectiveness of the American soldiers.

When defending, the US military, with its superior firepower, could easily fight against Chinese People's Volunteer Army forces that outnumbered them several times over.

However, once they attacked in the mountains, they lost their firepower advantage and the American troops were instead defeated by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

At this rate, he'll probably have no choice but to go to Jinping to see off the Volunteer Army.

After gazing at the sand table and pondering for a long time, Van Fleet said, "Since a frontal assault won't work, let's launch an attack from the flank!"

Although the US military's attack was not going smoothly at this time, the initiative on the battlefield was still controlled by the US military.

The U.S. military can freely choose the direction of attack.

"Sir, if we attack the flank, we can only strike the junction of the two divisions in the central army, where the forces are relatively small."

"But the 3rd Division is currently deployed in the east, while only the 1st Division in the south is in the central region."

"Given the strength of the Southern 1st Division, even with fewer troops in the Central Army, they would have a slim chance of success."

This isn't Dane looking down on the South 1st Division; it's just the truth.

Even though the 1st Division of the South was the most capable unit in the South Army, and Dane acknowledged their fighting strength, they simply couldn't win.

Forcing the 1st Division of the South to attack would only be a waste of time.

Van Fleet pointed to the sand table and said, "Have the 5th Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division move here."

"With the 5th Regiment as the main force and the 1st Division of the South as the auxiliary force, we will launch a strong attack on Hill 563."

If we can capture the flank positions of Gaotaishan, we can pose a fatal threat to the main position of Gaotaishan.

The U.S. military suddenly intensified its flanking attacks, putting immense pressure on the 83rd Regiment.

Although the offensive of the US 3rd Division on the front line has slowed down, it has not stopped, which means that troops on the front lines cannot be transferred out.

With only so many troops, even though He Wei sent all his reserves to the flank positions, the US forces still broke through the flank defenses after two days of fierce attacks.

The US 5th Regiment dispatched troops to rapidly advance behind the position, attempting to encircle the troops on the flank.

He Wei immediately fell into an extreme dilemma.

The 2nd Platoon of the 1st Company and the 8th Company on the flank positions were already surrounded, but these two units were unable to break out on their own.

To break through, the only option is for one unit to provide cover for another.

This also means that the troops responsible for providing cover have almost no chance of survival.

军情紧急，何伟一咬牙下达了命令：“命令8连首先突围，1连2排负责掩护；等8连突围后，1连2排再行突围！”

He Wei chose the 8th Company for a simple reason: because the 8th Company had more people, he chose to save more people.

"Commander, let me lead the guard platoon to charge again!"

Everyone in the 83rd Regiment knew that when the C Army was first reorganized, He Wei was the company commander of the 1st Company, which was also the unit that He Wei cared about the most.

He Wei waved his hand: "It's settled then! Go and give the order!"

The soldiers of the second platoon were not surprised by He Wei's order; instead, they chuckled.

"It seems the commander still approves of our fighting."

"Comrades! We can't let the regimental commander down!"

Watching the second platoon walk calmly toward their position, the soldiers of the 8th Company silently saluted and then quickly retreated.

The faster they retreat, the more opportunities the second platoon will have to retreat.

The US military naturally saw that the 8th Company wanted to retreat, and immediately sent troops to maneuver around it.

"You damn American devils, want to go over there? Ask your grandpa if he agrees first!"

"Hit me hard!"

The reinforced 12.7mm heavy machine gun began to fire in rapid succession.

The battlefield suppressive power of large-caliber heavy machine guns is undeniable.

A 12.7mm bullet can cut a person in two.

Even if the US military quickly found cover, it was useless; ordinary stones could not stop the strafing of 12.7mm bullets.

The American troops who attempted to outflank the enemy suffered heavy casualties and were forced to retreat.

Watching the 8th Company run further and further away, the commander of the 5th Regiment, Connery, was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.

"Fuck! Order the Confederate army to advance and attack!"

"Heavy mortar company, provide fire support!"

A small position cannot possibly have a large stockpile of machine gun ammunition. As long as the Confederate army harasses the position briefly, the US military can take it with a strong attack.

Connery's assessment was correct; the second platoon did indeed have few 12.7mm bullets, but the lack of a heavy machine gun did not mean they could not hold off the enemy.

Relying solely on squad-level weapons, the 2nd Platoon successfully repelled several waves of attacks from the US and Confederate forces.

The entire position was engulfed in thick smoke and flames by the American forces.

Only after the two platoons of bullets and grenades were completely used up did the US troops dare to surround them from all sides.

At this point, only four men remained in the second platoon on the position.

Glancing at the cliff behind them, the platoon leader turned around and asked, "Comrades! Are you scared?!"

"What are you afraid of?! If you're afraid of death, you're not a volunteer soldier!"

"That's right! Damn it! We swear we'd rather die than be taken prisoner!"

"Well done!" the platoon leader said, pointing to the cliff. "We will face our motherland even if we die."

"Our country and our troops are to the north!" "We'd rather die on our way home than fall into enemy hands!"

"Comrades! Come home with me!"

"Long live China!"
On the Gaotaishan position, He Wei looked at Hill 563, which was now completely silent, and felt extremely distressed; his eyes were also a little wet.

However, He Wei had no time to be sad. The battle of the second row was over, but his battle was not.

With its flank positions breached, the 83rd Regiment was attacked from both sides by the US forces.

The soldiers of the 83rd Regiment were fighting under almost endless firepower.

In order to avoid the complete annihilation of the 83rd Regiment, Wang Huaibao decisively ordered the 83rd Regiment to retreat, and the reserve 81st Regiment took over to fight against the US forces.

Despite the 8th Division's desperate resistance, the overwhelming disparity in firepower and overall strength prevented it from completely halting the American forces.

Both sides' lines advanced northward step by step.

By the ninth day of the war, the US forces had approached the outskirts of Jinping, and their artillery shells were even able to reach inside the city.

Jialishan, south of Jinping City, was the last line of defense.

Inside the headquarters of the 81st Regiment, Regiment Commander Xie Lei kept staring at the north side of Jialishan Mountain.

Jialishan is only a little over 200 meters high and is a small hill on a plain. At most, it can only support the defense of a company.

Such a weak defensive line was no match for the already deployed US mechanized forces.

Although the supplies in the city had been transferred by this time, there were still thousands of wounded soldiers and hospitals that had not yet been moved.

If Jialishan falls, the consequences will be unimaginable.

To the north of Jialishan lies a reservoir built by the Japanese invaders.

This was the 81st Regiment's last and only option.

However, Xie Lei was unable to make up his mind.

Once the reservoir is breached, the water will immediately flood the plains surrounding Jialishan, making it impossible for the US mechanized forces to move an inch.

However, Shui Liu did not recognize who was a volunteer soldier and who was an American soldier.

It can stop the advance of the American troops, and it will also block the retreat of the defenders of Jialishan...

As time went on, the American tanks drew ever closer.

After returning to their comfort zone, the US military's offensive capabilities were once again enhanced.

On Jiali Mountain, the 5th Company of the 81st Regiment was responsible for defense.

As the American troops drew closer, but no explosions were heard, the soldiers of the 5th Company could no longer contain their impatience.

Company Commander Xiao Yufei called the regimental headquarters.

"Commander! For the safety of the main force, all soldiers of the 5th Company are willing to fight to the last man in Jialishan!"

"Commander! Bomb it!"

"Please! Just blow it up already!"

At this moment, the veins on Xie Lei's hands were bulging, and he almost crushed the telephone receiver with his grip.

Xie Lei squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth: "Explode!"

It must be said that the 1st Cavalry Division of the United States lived up to its name, as it was indeed faster than the 3rd Cavalry Division.

At this time, the vanguard of the 1st Cavalry Division had already arrived in front of Jialishan.

Without any hesitation, a US infantry company launched an assault under the cover of more than a dozen tanks.

Just then, with a huge explosion, water gushed out from the breach and rushed down onto the plain below.

The vanguard of the 1st Cavalry Division, which was at the forefront, was immediately swept into the water.

Although the water was less than 1.5 meters deep at the time, shallow water does not mean that people cannot drown.

American soldiers who were knocked down by the water flow could not stand up at all, and after choking on water, they would lose consciousness.

These dozen or so tanks won't be overturned by the water, but the water can shut them down, since these aren't amphibious tanks.

This unexpected situation completely thwarted the US offensive.

When the current slowed down, and the American infantry retreated, leaving the tanks stranded and unable to move, the soldiers of the 5th Company rushed out.

Everyone waded through the water to the tank, smashing it and shouting as they went.

"You son of a bitch! You American devils! Get out here!"

"If you don't come out, we'll open fire!"

"Stuff grenades into the cannon barrel!"

The American driver, through the observation port, had already seen the rocket launchers outside gesturing at the tank.

Although he was facing him from the front, he was certain that there were also views from the sides and behind.

"Don't fire! Don't fire!"

The American soldiers inside the tank shouted and opened the hatch.

Although the soldiers couldn't understand what the American soldiers were shouting, they could tell from their actions that the Americans had surrendered.

However, the surrender of the American troops angered Van Fleet.

He didn't mind the soldiers surrendering, since in Western culture, surrendering is not considered shameful.

What Van Fleet was concerned about was that these guys didn't even put up a fight, simply handing over more than a dozen tanks to the enemy.

The 5th Company obviously couldn't drive these tanks, but they did remove the machine guns from them.

Although there was no gun mount, the machine gun was still usable, it just wouldn't be accurate.

Van Fleet slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Concentrate all firepower and flatten Jialishan!"

The U.S. military concentrated all its artillery fire and available aircraft to launch a massive bombardment of Jialishan.

The entire Jialishan Mountain was shrouded in flames.

The US retaliatory bombing was far more intense than the previous firepower.

Under the terrifying bombardment, the entire mountain looked like ice cream melting together.

So much so that decades later, the local people forgot the name Jiali Mountain and called it Ice Cream Mountain instead.

After a fierce bombardment, once the waters receded, the US infantry launched an attack on Jialishan.

Under Van Fleet's strict orders, the U.S. Army's 1st Division launched a costly offensive.

By the afternoon, Jialishan was covered with corpses.

The 5th Company's fortifications have been completely destroyed, and the soldiers have run out of bullets and grenades.

The soldiers could only collect some guns and ammunition from the enemy's corpses when the enemy retreated.

However, this period of time was very short. As soon as the infantry retreated, the US artillery would inevitably cover Jialishan again.

Xie Lei, who was behind, kept his binoculars on Jialishan, but he could only see the smoke and fire filling the sky and could not see the 5th Company at all.

He didn't know how the 5th Company fought, but the 5th Company, with its own strength, managed to hold off an entire UN army's 24-hour onslaught.

The following evening, Zhi Si personally called Li Yunlong.

The entire C Army withdrew from the Jinping blocking position.

When the 1st American Cavalry Division excitedly entered Jinping, they found only an empty city.

Moreover, the US military quickly discovered that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was on high alert at the second line of defense in northern Jinping.

Ridgway gave Van Fleet no chance to probe and directly ordered the entire army to switch to defense.

Although the U.S. military occupied Jinping as planned, none of its established strategic objectives were achieved.

Moreover, the US 5th Division suffered more than 5,000 casualties, forcing it to take a break.

As for the 1st Division of the South, nobody cares about their casualty figures.

(End of this chapter)