Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 614 Back Slope

"Hmph, the Americans are two-faced. If they can't get it on the battlefield, they think they can get it with words?"

"If they're so good with words, then let them try and take a bite out of the Volunteer Army's positions!"

"Send a telegram to the Central Committee suggesting that a counter-offensive be launched and that negotiations be coordinated."

Shiji had anticipated the outcome of the negotiations.

Therefore, in addition to selecting key reconnaissance soldiers from across the army to conduct guerrilla reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines, the headquarters also simultaneously planned the next campaign.

The Central Committee naturally agreed to the request from the General Headquarters.

Before peace talks are completed and a ceasefire agreement is signed, it is absolutely necessary to use force to promote negotiations.

Under orders from the Central Committee, the headquarters of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army began preparations for the Sixth Campaign.

According to the plan of the commander, the 6th campaign will be divided into two echelons.

The first echelon, consisting of eight corps, was responsible for the general offensive; the second echelon, consisting of five corps, was located behind the first echelon and served as the strategic reserve.

Soon, a rather general battle plan emerged.

The commander handed the plan to the deputy chief of staff: "Send the telegram down and get the troops moving."

"The specific battle plan will be detailed later."

Warfare cannot be launched with just a word; all units must make thorough preparations beforehand.

Especially for the several corps that have just been equipped with Soviet-style artillery, they must become proficient as soon as possible.

At the Second General Headquarters, Chen Chengxing got out of the car wearing a raincoat.

North Korea has entered the rainy season, and heavy rains have been falling for several days in a row.

Seeing Chen Chengxing walk in from outside, Xu Wu stepped forward and asked, "Captain, are you done with the meeting?"

"Hmm." Chen Chengxing nodded, took off his raincoat, and handed it to the guard next to him.

He had just returned from a meeting at the Corps' Siling Department.

The clerk has already entered the court and is also serving as the first deputy clerk of the Bureau of Records.

"The headquarters ordered the entire army to enter a state of combat readiness."

"The Second General Headquarters must also make immediate preparations, and logistical work and political mobilization must be intensified."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing." Chen Chengxing had just sat down when he remembered something else.

"The newly arrived troops need to organize their officers to study at the 4th Army Corps, and the 2nd Army Corps also has a task."

"You will be in charge of receiving them and arranging for them to be assigned to the 21st Detachment."

"Okay, I'll make proper arrangements."

Chen Chengxing nodded and didn't say anything more, but he stared blankly at the heavy rain outside.

According to the logistics regiment's report, the rain was even heavier further north, which was not good news.
Just as the Volunteer Army was making active preparations at the front, the headquarters received a telegram.

"Commander, a telegram from the General Logistics Department: There's a flood! The transport roads have been washed away."

"According to estimates, the railway, bridges and highways may not be repaired by September."

"Even if the grain were seized across the Yalu River, it would be impossible to transport it across the Chongchon River."

The area around the Cheongcheon River was the hardest hit by this massive flood, and all the bridges over the river were washed away.

The leader took off his hat and slammed it on the table: "When it rains, it pours!"

Based on past experience, the rainy season in North Korea usually ends no earlier than the end of August.

Several days of heavy rain have caused some ammunition to become damp, and the situation at the front lines hasn't been fully assessed yet. Now, food supplies are also being unable to be delivered.

Given the current situation, and with the Air Force unable to confirm whether it will participate, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army cannot afford to launch a major offensive.

After thinking for a moment, the commander ordered, "Have all units continue to intensify preparations, but postpone the start of the combat operation."

"In September and October, each unit searched for and annihilated small groups of enemy troops along the line, continuously inflicting casualties on the enemy."

"I estimate that by November, the supplies will be fully stocked, and the Air Force should be able to cooperate with us in operations."

"We now have a large military force at our disposal, and our air force and artillery are also being strengthened gradually. Time is not against us."

"But we must take defensive measures to prevent a sudden attack by the US military."

"If the enemy doesn't attack, then we'll wait until October to make a decision."

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army's 6th Campaign was put on hold, but the US military began to stir.

Van Fleet looked at the sand table and said, "The massive floods in northern Korea will inevitably affect the supplies of the Chinese and North Korean armies. This is a great opportunity for us to launch an offensive."

The logistics of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was already a weak point, and the floods would inevitably make logistics even more difficult.

Dane, who was standing nearby, said, "Sir, the front-line troops have been frequently clashing with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army these past few days."

"Judging from the situation, the Volunteer Army does indeed have supply problems, but I estimate that the UN forces will find it difficult to achieve any significant results unless they launch a full-scale offensive!"

“A full-scale offensive is impossible.” Van Fleet shook his head.

To launch a full-scale offensive, neither Van Fleet nor Ridgway could have the final say; Washington's permission was required.

Van Fleet was certain that Washington would not allow a full-scale attack by the UN forces.

"Not launching a full-scale offensive does not mean that we cannot attack."

Van Fleet, holding the command stick, pointed to the eastern part of the sand table: "My target is here."

"As long as we can capture these key positions on the eastern front, we can advance the eastern front to the same level as the central front, and then we can proceed with the next step."

At this time, the UN forces' front line was generally characterized by a central protrusion, which had both advantages and disadvantages.

However, as long as the eastern front is pushed forward, the drawbacks can be eliminated.

Of course, there was another issue that Van Fleet didn't explicitly state: he was currently reluctant to engage in a direct confrontation with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Not long after the Fifth Campaign, Van Fleet had already gained a full understanding of the fighting capabilities of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Therefore, he decided to target the Northern Army on the eastern front.

If we can't beat the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, we can't possibly lose to the Northern Army, can we?

Dane had no objection to the operational objectives pointed out by Van Fleet.

For the U.S. military, defeating the Union army was a piece of cake.

After confirming the operational objectives, the staff of the Eighth Group Army quickly formulated a series of operational plans.

Looking at the situation map, Van Fleet specifically instructed:
"Although Hill 965 is just a small hill on the Allied forces' route of attack and will not directly hinder their advance, it can serve as an observation post for the Union artillery. We must take it."

The 9th Army was in charge of this operation, and its commander, Kurt, nodded: "That's simple."

In the overall operation plan, Hill 965 was just a very insignificant target.

Van Fleet also knew that taking this place wouldn't be difficult, so he made a suggestion.

"The low morale of the Confederate army is a major problem for the UN forces at present."

"Hill 965 is both conspicuous and easy to attack, making it a perfect opportunity for the Confederate Army to practice."

"If the Confederate army can take this hill with the help of artillery, I think it will greatly help boost their morale."

The morale of the American troops is not a problem, but the Confederate army has not won a single battle from beginning to end.

Therefore, the South Army was somewhat hesitant and timid when facing either the Volunteer Army or the North Army.

As an important component of the UN forces, the Yugoslav Army's combat effectiveness directly impacted the UN forces' combat effectiveness.

Kurt had no further objections to Van Fleet's proposal and nodded in agreement: "I'll be ready."

Upon returning to headquarters, Kurt assigned the 36th Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division to the 2nd Infantry Division, specifically tasked with capturing Hill 965. To restore the morale of the Confederate army, Kurt allocated two hundred artillery pieces to reinforce Hill 965.

Hill 965 is less than 4 kilometers wide from east to west, and such a high density of artillery is quite rare even among US troops.

The Southern Army had never experienced such powerful artillery cover before.

According to Kurt's thinking, under such firepower, the South 36th Regiment should be able to easily take Hill 965.

However, the US military was unaware that Hill 965 and a large area of ​​surrounding positions had already been taken over by Chen Chengxing's Second Division.

The original plan of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was to advance from the east and west to wipe out this large, protruding force of the American troops in the middle.

Although the offensive plan was forced to be suspended, the Second Division, which had advanced to the front line, had not yet had time to retreat.

It can only be said that the US military was a bit unlucky in choosing the time for the 36th Regiment in the South.

After the 36th Regiment of the South completed its preparations, the attack officially began.

Two hundred artillery pieces of various types launched a relentless bombardment of Hill 965.

In order to reduce the pressure on the 36th Regiment of the South as much as possible, Kurt specifically ordered that there be no restrictions on ammunition during this attack.

Hill 965 was completely buried by the explosion.

Such intense artillery bombardment gave the Southern army ample confidence.

"What magnificent flames!"

"No one could survive such shelling."

"We got this credit for free!"

The soldiers of the 36th Regiment in the south became more and more excited as they talked, and everyone was eager to rush forward and take credit.

The US artillery bombardment lasted for a full half hour, and then the 1st Company of the 36th Regiment charged toward Hill 965 amidst excited shouts.

However, before they could even reach the position, they were blown up by a minefield laid by the Northern Army.

"Xiba!"

"Back off! Back off!"

The 36th Regiment of the South withdrew in droves.

Watching the performance of the Confederate Army, General Flosser, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, couldn't help but pinch his forehead.

The previous half-hour of shelling was basically wasted; the Southern Army withdrew without even seeing the enemy's face.

"Sir, right now we can only clear the mines first, or at least clear a passage," said Drummond, Chief of Staff of the 2nd Division.

Florson ordered, "Extend the artillery fire to detonate as many mines as possible in the minefield, and then have the 36th Regiment of the South clear the mines as quickly as possible."

"Tell the 36th Regiment of the South that they only have one day left, and they must capture Hill 965 by tomorrow no matter what!"

Flossen was certain that if he hadn't given a direct order, the Confederates could have spent half a month clearing mines.

Faced with Flossen's strict orders, the 36th Regiment of the South had no choice but to order its engineering company to clear the mines as quickly as possible.

Ren Wuliu curled his lip in disdain as he watched the Southern Army engineers crawling forward inch by inch on the ground after the artillery barrage.

"Let the soldiers with good marksmanship on the front lines open fire; take them down one by one."

As the unit with the best marksmanship in the entire army, the Second General Staff had been promoting precision shooting for a long time.

The Second Company had many soldiers who could be called sharpshooters, which made the other cadres who came to observe somewhat envious.

On the rear lines, watching the Southern soldiers lying on the ground being killed, someone put down their binoculars.

"I'm just wondering, how did Commander Chen train his troops?"

“We have some good marksmen in our army who have received the same training, but their numbers are far fewer than those of the Second General Staff.”

"Can't everyone become a genius just because they reach the second level?"

"This is really hard to explain," someone nearby explained.

"Back in the Jin-Northwest region, their fighting strength was among the best."

"It's strange that their individual combat effectiveness didn't decline when the troop strength was expanded later."

Normally, when the military expands, it should integrate a core force and some regular forces.

As a result, even newly recruited soldiers at the Second Division experienced a rapid increase in combat effectiveness, as if they had suddenly gained enlightenment.

After a few months of training, each of them can be considered an elite.

This is unique in the entire military.

"Let's not worry about the Second Division's combat effectiveness for now. I think we can learn from this sharpshooter system."

"The effect may not be so obvious in mobile warfare, but it is very obvious in positional warfare."

The people next to him nodded in agreement and kept taking notes in their notebooks.

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army is not as poor as the Eighth Route Army was back then, but sharpshooters are still the best way to achieve the greatest results with the least cost.

Faced with the precise fire of the 211th Regiment, the engineers of the 36th Regiment in the south considered retreating.

But faced with a direct order from their superiors, they had no choice but to continue to persevere.

All the South Korean engineers began to minimize their movements and try their best to keep their bodies low to the ground.

After a full day of work and the loss of more than thirty sappers, the mine-clearing operation was hastily concluded.

The engineering company reported that the mine clearance was complete, but whether anyone would step on it tomorrow was beyond their control.

Maybe the enemy buried it overnight.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the US artillery bombardment resumed.

This shelling started directly in the minefield and then spread all the way up the hilltop positions.

After an hour of preparation for the fire drills, the 1st Company of the 36th Regiment in the South set out again.

This time they didn't step on many landmines and easily stormed the high ground.

Before the Southern soldiers could even rejoice, they suddenly realized that a large number of grenades were flying towards them.

"Grenade!"

"There's an ambush!"

As the grenade exploded, a barrage of gunfire erupted simultaneously.

The Southern army retreated in a panic.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain and taking inventory, it was discovered that over eighty men had been killed in just five minutes, rendering the entire company incapable of fighting.

Seeing such an outstanding result, the cadres watching from the rear were so engrossed in writing that their pens were practically sparking.

The 211th Regiment built all its positions on the reverse slope near the top of the mountain, while the front slope only had dummy positions and warning positions.

The positions near the mountaintop consisted of deep trenches and bunkers, capable of withstanding attacks from light and medium mortars.

The 211th Regiment dug tunnels for the fortifications on the reverse slope of the mountainside, which could withstand any bombing.

Previously, US military aircraft had also conducted bombing raids, but apart from kicking up mud several meters high, they had no other effect.

When the 211th Regiment was subjected to concentrated artillery fire, it waited in the tunnels.

As soon as the enemy artillery fire ceased, the soldiers would move into firing positions and throw grenades.

The US artillery fire was indeed fierce, but it did not have much of a suppressive effect.

Having lost their artillery advantage, in terms of individual combat effectiveness, the South Korean army was not even worthy of carrying the shoes of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

(End of this chapter)