Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 629 Meat Grinder

After a full day of fighting on the 14th and a morning of fighting on the 15th, Wufangling has become a veritable meat grinder.

Both sides are constantly adding more people.

Initially, Beckett strictly adhered to the order not to use more than two infantry battalions.

However, his repeated attacks failed, which made Beckett desperate.

Beckett was like a gambler who had lost badly, with the three battalions of the 31st Regiment taking turns to attack.

Even so, on the 15th, the UN forces only captured a few less important positions, which were then recaptured by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army that night.

This made Márquez somewhat uneasy.

Upon arriving at the 31st Regiment headquarters, Márquez went straight to the point:

"Colonel, I need you to tell me the truth: how much fighting strength does the 31st Regiment have left? Can they take Hill 597 tomorrow? Can they hold it?!"

Beckett remained silent and did not answer Márquez's question.

It goes without saying that if I can accomplish the action I proposed, my future development will be smooth and I will definitely be promoted to a position of real power.

Conversely, if you fail to complete it, it's like you've let out a fart; you won't get any credit for it.

Beckett wanted to insist, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. If he said he couldn't do it, he would be in even more trouble.

Looking at the silent Beckett, Márquez understood.

"Beckett, the 31st Regiment has suffered heavy losses and has temporarily retreated to Nan Sishui in Tiehua for rest and reorganization. The attack mission on Hill 597 will be taken over by the 32nd Regiment."

The UN forces set up two large supply depots around Tiehua.

The supply depot was completely open to the US 7th Division and the South 2nd Division, and troops could replenish their strength here at any time.

Of course, normally, it would be most convenient to rotate and replenish troops by company, but now the 31st Regiment is clearly no longer able to fight, so letting them rest temporarily is the best option.

Upon hearing that the polar bear group was to retreat, Beckett became somewhat anxious, but ultimately said nothing.

Beckett snapped to attention: "Yes, sir!"

The 32nd Regiment completed the handover with the 31st Regiment overnight.

This time, however, Márquez decided to take command himself.

In front of the sand table, Márquez straightened his clothes: "Order the artillery positions to begin artillery preparation for Wufangling at 3:30 a.m., with a preparation time of two hours."

“五点半，炮火向后延伸，32团1营、2营左右两翼夹击597高地；南2师改调21团进攻537高地。”

At 3:30 a.m., the shelling resumed.

The US military's artillery preparation this time was no less intense than the initial shelling on the 14th.

In two hours, 20 shells rained down.

This small hill, less than 4 square kilometers in size, was once again engulfed by a violent explosion.

The soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army hid in the trenches where soil was falling everywhere, silently waiting for their chance.

As dawn broke, the US artillery fire began to extend backward, forming multiple layers that densely blocked the supply routes to Wufangling.

The UN forces launched attacks in batches, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate once again, with blood and flesh flying everywhere on Wufang Ridge.

Several hours later, seeing that the troops were still unable to break through the breach, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 32nd Regiment turned his binoculars in another direction.

"The enemy's frontal defenses are strong, and their crossfire can block the entire hillside. A frontal assault is absolutely not an option if we want to break through their positions."

"If we launch a direct assault, we will only suffer the same heavy casualties as the 32nd Regiment."

The deputy battalion commander standing nearby said, "Sir, the enemy's position is very well set up. Right now, it seems like there are no loopholes."

"If we can't find an opportunity on the front, then we'll outflank them," the battalion commander said. "We'll take a reinforced platoon from the 1st Company and outflank the enemy's No. 6 position to encircle and surround them."

Although position 6 was closer to the rear of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's positions, the crossfire was relatively weak due to the artillery blockade.

As soon as the US military moved, Li Chenghai on position number 6 immediately noticed.

"A flanking maneuver?" Li Chenghai scoffed. "Trying to show off your skills in front of Guan Yu!"

"One four-man combat team from Squad 1 will stay behind to hold them off; the rest of you retreat to the tunnel and await orders!"

Previously, the enemy had been exchanging fire with position 6. Now that they were going to launch a flanking attack, they would inevitably have to provide fire coverage.

Li Chenghai judged that an aerial bombardment was imminent.

Just one minute later, the four attack aircraft began their dive.

The trenches at position 6 were set ablaze by incendiary bombs.

"Immediately move the ammunition!" Li Chenghai shouted.

The ammunition on the position is crucial to whether they can hold it; they can't let it be destroyed by fire.

While rushing to transport ammunition, Li Chenghai kept throwing grenades at the approaching American troops.

Seeing the enemy still charging forward, Li Chenghai grabbed his automatic rifle and fired a burst at the platoon leader leading the American troops.

At the same time, Li Chenghai blew the military whistle, and the soldiers who were prepared in the tunnel immediately rushed out from the flank.

Flanked from both sides, the US forces were routed.

Of the more than 50 U.S. reinforced platoon members, fewer than 10 were evacuated.

The US military subsequently made several tactical adjustments, but to no avail.

Seeing that he could not break through the front lines, Márquez decided to adjust his attacking forces.

Two new infantry battalions stepped forward to take over the attack.

Subsequently, the six battalions of the 32nd Regiment and the 17th Regiment took turns launching a series of attacks.

Clark required only two battalions to participate in the battle, while Marquez commanded that there should be two battalions on the front line at any time.

Looking at the American corpses scattered on the ground and the unabated offensive, the soldiers were somewhat puzzled.

"Damn it, do you think the Americans can lay eggs? How come their troop numbers haven't decreased?"

"The number of troops has not decreased, but the troop deployment should have changed. The number of American devils has begun to decrease, while the number of Koreans has begun to increase."

"Damn it, shameless! Trying to wear us down with sticks!"

The soldiers were furious about the US military's actions, but there was nothing they could do.

By 3 p.m., the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was outnumbered and retreated into the tunnels, and the surface positions were once again occupied by the US military.

Even after securing their positions, the American soldiers felt uneasy watching the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers disappear in the blink of an eye.

Faced with a possible counterattack at night, the US military could only work hard to dig fortifications and strengthen its defenses as much as possible.

Inside the command center, Marquez was not overly pleased either.

Judging from the situation in the past two days, the battle is only halfway complete.

Looking at everyone, Márquez asked, "Tonight is the Central Army's home ground. What are your opinions on holding the position?"

The chief of staff standing nearby said, "Sir, my opinion is to strengthen the garrison!"

"Previously, a platoon was placed on each position, but now a company is being added. I don't believe the central army can still take it down."

Marquez hesitated, saying, "If we simply reinforce our troops, our casualties will be too high."

There is a fixed number of people that should be stationed in a position. If the density is too high, the casualties will be uncontrollable once the position is shelled.

Although the central army has not used many artillery pieces in the past few days, there should still be several dozen in total.

If these dozens of artillery pieces were to concentrate their fire, they would pose a significant threat to the position.

“But this will hold the position,” the chief of staff emphasized. “And we can also maintain a continuous fire blockade on the central army’s supply and troop transport routes.” Upon hearing about the continuous fire blockade, Márquez immediately began to consider the options.

In the previous two days of fighting, artillery barrages were only carried out during the US offensive. If the situation were changed to a 24-hour blockade, the situation would be very different.

Having figured it out, Márquez nodded: "That's an excellent idea!"

"The General Staff should immediately calculate how to block all enemy passages using the fewest artillery pieces possible!"

"In addition, strengthen the defense of the positions tonight, but do not increase the troop density too much."

"Yes, sir!"
That night, the 24th Detachment prepared to launch an attack to retake the position, as usual, but on the way, they were suddenly subjected to heavy fire from the US military.

This directly resulted in heavy casualties for the support troops before they even encountered a single person, with fewer than 50 people ultimately managing to reach the tunnel.

Watching the soldiers being helped into the tunnel, Huang Hao, the 9th Company Commander, knew that they probably wouldn't be able to recapture all the positions tonight.

However, Huang Hao did not give up. After arranging for the reinforcements to rest briefly, the 9th Company, reinforced to 150 men, was dispatched again.

At that moment, a light rain was falling from the sky, and the scattered raindrops felt as cold as steel needles on my face.

According to the plan, after the 9th Company reached the high ground from the rear tunnels, they would fight their way to the main peak in the order of No. 6, No. 5, and No. 4.

Just as the 9th Company moved forward on schedule, the artillery position of the 24th Detachment also launched a shelling attack on position 6 as planned.

The intense artillery fire blasted the bunkers built by the U.S. Army on Position 6 to smithereens, and nearly a company of soldiers were wiped out.

When the artillery fire stopped, before the American defenders could even catch their breath, the 9th Company's elite squad had already jumped onto their faces.

The 9th Company breached Position 6 in just 7 minutes, and incidentally, they also took advantage of the retreating American troops to advance on Position 5.

The speed at which the defenders collapsed surprised Márquez.

"The troop strength at each position has been greatly reinforced, how could they have been defeated so quickly?!"

Although the number of troops on the position was less than a company, there were at least a hundred men. In any case, the position should not have been captured so quickly.

The commander of the 32nd Regiment hurriedly explained, "The fall of Position No. 5 was entirely due to the routed troops of the 3rd Company blocking the line of fire, which allowed the central army to take advantage of the chaos and rush onto the position."

Marquez retorted angrily, "That's no excuse!"

Before Marquez could say anything more, a staff officer suddenly ran over and reported, "Sir! Position 4 has fallen!"

"Fuck!" Marquez was even angrier.

After cursing angrily, Márquez urgently ordered, "Immediately order the 3rd Battalion to counterattack position 4!"

4号阵地在往前就是0号和3号阵地，一旦3号阵地这个制高点被多回去，整个597高地就都得被多回去。

"Yes, sir!"

Before the American soldiers arrived, the first thing to arrive was American artillery shells.

The 3rd Platoon of the 9th Company had just captured Position 4 and was in a hurry to build defensive fortifications, so they didn't have time to hide in the tunnels.

By the time the bombing ended, the 3rd Platoon of the 9th Company had suffered more than half casualties.

Seeing the American troops counterattacking, Huang Hao ordered, "The wounded who can move should carry the seriously wounded back to the tunnels, and the lightly wounded should continue to repair the fortifications."

"The rest of you, use the position to launch a counterattack!"

The battle reached its climax right from the start.

A dense hail of bullets flew erratically across positions 6, 5, and 4.

After repelling three counterattacks by the US military, the positions began to be in dire need of attention, and even Huang Hao was wounded.

The US military launched flares into the sky again, and Zhao Yongqiang, the 3rd Platoon Leader, knew that the US military was coming again.

Looking at the company commander beside him, who was panting heavily, Zhao Yongqiang gritted his teeth and said, "Company commander, you take the 7th and 8th platoons back to the tunnel. I'll take the men to cover the rear!"

Huang Hao refused without even thinking, saying, "If you want to leave, then leave. I'm already seriously injured, there's no need for me to go back."

"Company Commander! The political instructor is dead. If you don't go back, who will hold the line?!"

"I don't care if I die, but the 9th Company can't do without you right now!"

Shaking his head, Huang Hao said, "The platoon leader has returned to the tunnel. According to regulations, he will automatically take over command after I die."

"Company commander! I'm begging you!"

Seeing that Huang Hao remained unmoved, Zhao Yongqiang threatened, "Don't force me to kneel down before you!"

"you"

Seeing Zhao Yongqiang's flushed face, Huang Hao was speechless.

He knew Zhao Yongqiang's character; if he said that, he was sure he would do it.

After staring at Zhao Yongqiang for a couple of seconds and patting him on the shoulder, Huang Hao led Class 7 and Class 8 away, albeit with some difficulty.

Looking at the remaining men, Zhao Yongqiang said, "Comrades, the enemy is coming up soon. Use more grenades and blow these bastards to bits!"

The soldiers of Platoon 9 didn't waste any words; they were all silently making preparations.

The US military also discovered the weakness of position 4, and this attack was exceptionally fierce.

Zhao Yongqiang's right ear was deafened by the explosion, his face was cut in several places by shrapnel, and even his arm became numb from operating the machine gun for a long time.

In the end, Zhao Yongqiang was shot several times and could no longer get up.

After trying a few times, Zhao Yongqiang simply threw the gun away and lay down on the ground without moving.

Several loud explosions rang in his ears, and the position fell into a moment of silence.

However, Zhao Yongqiang soon heard the movements of the US military; they had already set foot on the position and were conducting a search.

Zhao Yongqiang, lying motionless on the ground, did not attract the attention of the US military.

Only after seeing a figure pass by did Zhao Yongqiang smile and pull the trigger of a demolition charge he had specially left behind.

With a deafening boom, blood rained down once again on the battlefield.

The light drizzle continued in the sky above Wufangling until dawn.

At this moment, Márquez's mood was as gloomy as the weather.

Although most of Hill 597 was still in the hands of the 32nd Regiment, several positions were still captured by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

As for Hill 537, it goes without saying that even if the South Korean army occupied the position during the day, they would flee at night if the Chinese People's Volunteer Army charged in.

"The 32nd Regiment continued its attack on the enemy's positions and drove the enemy out of the high ground."

"Tell the Southern Army that they must take Hill 537 today and hold it!"

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army has three lines of positions at Wufangling: one horizontal and two vertical. They have been fighting for several days now, but the US military has not been able to capture even the two vertical positions where they can fully utilize their artillery advantage. It is unknown what will happen when they reach the horizontal positions.

The chief of staff reported: "Sir, Hill 597 should be fine, but Hill 537 is hard to say. The South Army's combat effectiveness is worrying."

The 2nd Division of the South had long since forgotten about the two battalions; they had committed almost all three regiments, but the fighting was still very difficult.

On Hill 537, only a few positions on the eastern slope could be easily captured by the Southern Army using artillery; most of the positions on the western slope required lives to be sacrificed.

Marquez waved his hand: "If three regiments aren't enough, then four! If that's still not enough, then add another division!"

The two large supply depots in Tiehua currently have several thousand new South Korean soldiers training there, so even with heavy casualties, they can be resupplyed at any time.

Under Marquez's orders, in addition to the three regiments already in the fighting, the Confederate Army transferred the 73rd Regiment to join the front.

On Hill 597, due to the repeated setbacks in their offensive, the US 32nd Regiment drove its tank company directly to the top of the hill.

Risking destruction by artillery fire, the tanks advanced along the mountain ridges to provide cover for the infantry's advance.

With overwhelming firepower, Hill 597 and Hill 537 were captured by the UN forces one after another, and the soldiers retreated back to the tunnels once again.

(End of this chapter)