Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 636 One Match Decides the Victory
"This is a telegram from the headquarters. The higher-ups have proposed two solutions."

Looking at the people present, Chen Chengxing said seriously, "One is to fight, and the other is to win back."

"What are your opinions?" Chen Chengxing asked.

The counterattack at night did not go particularly smoothly, which shows that the UN forces were constantly adapting to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's counterattacks.

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing's words, Luo Ping said, "If it's a takeover, then we must completely withdraw from Wufang Ridge and retreat to Shengwu Mountain."

"In that case, the junction between Shengwu Mountain and Xima Mountain will be exposed, which may be disadvantageous for us."

Luo Ping asserted, "My suggestion is to increase the stake!"

"We're suffering, and the US military is certainly suffering too. Now it's just a matter of who can't hold on any longer."

The others nodded in agreement.

The Second Boss has never backed down.

Seeing everyone's resolute attitude, Chen Chengxing affirmed, "Alright! Let's fight those American devils to the bitter end!"

After reaching a consensus, Chen Chengxing said, "Yesterday, the special operations brigade also sent a small unit to infiltrate behind enemy lines, and they captured a communications soldier."

"According to the interrogation, although the US military lost a lot of artillery pieces in the shelling over the past few days, their overall numbers actually increased, as they added three new artillery battalions."

"In addition, the U.S. military has officially issued combat orders and will continue to launch a general offensive on the North Mountain line."

Regarding the general offensive on Beishan, although we had a premonition yesterday, everyone's expressions were still somewhat serious when we actually received the definite news.

The northern foothills of Beishan were an important stronghold for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the Battle of Wufangling.

The material transfer station, emergency center, artillery battalion, cooking squad and other units are all located here.

Once Beishan is breached, Wufangling will no longer have any reason to be defended.

However, everyone just felt some pressure.

This defensive line is a horizontal mountain ridge, and relatively solid tunnels and reverse slope fortifications have been built. If a decisive battle were to be fought here, they wouldn't be afraid of the American forces.

Therefore, everyone was in complete agreement: to continue the fight!

With everyone's support, Chen Chengxing's confidence grew stronger.

"Currently, the entire battle in Korea is concentrated at Wufangling. This is the glory of the Fourth Army Corps and our Second General Corps."

"The tougher the fight we endure, the longer our brother units will have to rest and recuperate."

"We have now shown a very tough stance. If we just grit our teeth and hold on a little longer, the enemy will give in on their own."

"That's how war is. We may face difficulties, but the enemy may face even greater difficulties. At this time, it's a contest of courage and will."

"We must resolutely fight our way through Wufangling. We want to see who is tougher than the American devils!"

"If we win at Wufangling, we can severely damage the morale of the American troops!"

After reaching a consensus, Chen Chengxing immediately reported the Second General's determination.

After a meeting, the headquarters decided to provide full support and directly participate in the command of Wufangling.

The entire Chinese People's Volunteer Army began to operate around Wufangling.

Just as Chen Chengxing was planning his next move, Li Yunlong arrived with his troops ahead of schedule.

"Hahaha, Old Chen! Did you miss me?!"

Li Yunlong's voice had already entered before he even came in.

"Old Li, you're finally here!" Chen Chengxing said excitedly.

With reinforcements arriving, the battle at Wufangling was more than half won.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Chengxing quickly asked, "Which division are you leading?"

"Hehe, Old Chen, this time I've brought you five infantry regiments and one artillery regiment!"

Li Yunlong laughed and said, "How about that? Pretty loyal, huh?"

"Five regiments?" Chen Chengxing was somewhat surprised: "Then your defense zone only has one regiment left?!"

Army C has a division serving as the general reserve in Pingkang. If Li Yunlong were to send five more regiments to Shengwushan, his original defense zone would be in danger.

"How could that be?" Li Yunlong chuckled. "I'm not stupid. Old Kong assigned two regiments to reinforce my position."

Chen Chengxing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Kong Jie had provided support to Li Yunlong.

"You've come at the perfect time."

With that, Chen Chengxing led Li Yunlong to the map.

"The Battle of Wufangling has received strong support from the headquarters, and a large amount of supplies are being shipped out one after another."

"Considering the current battlefield situation, I think the next counterattack must be a major undertaking, not a small-scale one."

"If we're going to fight, let's fight a decisive battle."

"This time, we will not stop fighting until all positions are recovered. The 24th Detachment has finished fighting, the 23rd Detachment will go. When the 23rd Detachment is too exhausted, you will be the one to go."

"No matter what, we must take back Wufangling, and once we take back Wufangling, we must not lose it again."

"Great!" Li Yunlong exclaimed excitedly, "Let's decide the winner in one round!"

"But don't let the 24th Detachment fight first. They have been fighting for many days and are exhausted. You leave the first battle to me. I will personally go to Wufangling to command and make sure we can take back the position."

Chen Chengxing shook his head: "The C Army has come from afar and needs to rest for a while before they can go into battle."

"Besides, the 24 teams are already playing well, so replacing them now would only make things more complicated."

Ignoring Li Yunlong's argument, Chen Chengxing directly called Xu Wu over.

"Xu Wu, write this down."

"From this day forward, all battles will be fought at irregular times, with each unit engaging in random combat to minimize the losses caused to our army by the enemy's regular blocking tactics."

"But one thing remains unchanged: we must fight back every night, even if it's just for show."

"Moreover, before this counterattack, the artillery positions must conduct a five-minute artillery preparation, no more and no less, so that the enemy can grasp this pattern."

After considering the current situation, Chen Chengxing set a time for his counterattack.

"The final offensive is scheduled for one week from now."

"You relay the order to the 21st and 22nd detachments, and on the 27th, they will launch an attack to tie down the US 7th Division's attention."

Xu Wu closed his notebook: "Yes!"

Chen Chengxing ordered the 21st and 22nd detachments to make a feint, while also constantly adjusting his troop strength.

Because of the ongoing excavation of the forward tunnels, there are now anti-artillery fortifications every few tens of meters between Hill 597 and Hill 537 and North Mountain.

Although the fortifications are not very large, they have already established communication and coordination between the front lines and the rear.

Although the size of the fortifications limited the amount of supplies that could be transported, it was sufficient to meet the minimum needs of the frontline soldiers.

However, on the front lines, the soldiers inside the tunnels did not show that their supplies were becoming increasingly plentiful.

Instead, their counterattacks became increasingly disorganized and smaller in scale.

Van Fleet was overjoyed after receiving the report from the 7th Division.

"The central army's war potential has been exhausted!"

"The five minutes of shelling every evening is their last act of defiance."

The chief of staff immediately said, "Sir, our opportunity has arrived. If we can break through the Wufangling defense line, regardless of whether we fight or stop, we will have the initiative." Van Vellett nodded: "Tell the 7th and 3rd Divisions to prepare for an attack."

"Once the North Mountain breakthrough is completed, immediately dispatch mechanized forces to launch a strong attack on Gambari and cut off the enemy's retreat route."

"Regardless of whether the Siling official agrees to the surprise attack on Pingkang, I will wipe out both divisions of Wufangling!"

If I can take down these two divisions, my reputation will definitely soar.

From the beginning of the Korean War until now, the UN forces have never wiped out any division of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Van Fleet was unaware that, although the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's counterattacks seemed to be getting weaker and weaker during the day, the situation was quite different at night.

Right under the noses of the UN forces, reinforcements and supplies were pouring into the tunnels.

The 7th Company of the 243rd Regiment, having been replenished, also returned to the Wufangling battlefield.

In the past two days, with the reduction in daytime harassment, the US military has basically found all the tunnel entrances on the positions.

The 7th Company, under Qin Sheng's orders, came up to clean up the area, otherwise it would be difficult to resupply into the tunnels.

Their first target was position number 2. Once the enemy there was cleared out, they could free the 8th Company, which was hiding in tunnel number 2.

Then the two companies will act separately, with the goal of opening up the two mountain ridges in the northeast and northwest.

Relying on the forward tunnel, the 7th Company successfully passed through the bombing zone and stealthily arrived near the No. 2 position.

After glancing at his watch, Li Weigang, the company commander of the 7th Company, ordered the communications officer next to him: "Contact the 3rd Artillery Company and ask them to provide fire support."

"Yes!" the communications officer beside him immediately whispered into the walkie-talkie.

The artillery company of the 3rd Battalion, located 1,500 meters behind the 7th Company, was working busily.

According to the standard, the artillery company under the 2nd Infantry Battalion has two mortar platoons and one recoilless rifle platoon.

It possesses six 82mm mortars and six 57mm recoilless rifles.

However, this time the Third Artillery Company did not bring a recoilless rifle platoon, but was reinforced with four mortar platoons.

Once preparations were complete, a whistle blew, and the 12 mortars began rapid firing.

As more and more shells were fired, the mortar barrels began to get hotter and hotter. However, the soldiers did not panic. They began to pour cold water that they had prepared beforehand onto the barrels.

The fighting lasted for more than ten minutes, and the mortar positions were shrouded in smoke.

The American fortifications on position 2 were also bombarded several times, and most of the earthen and wooden bunkers were destroyed.

Without the support of bunkers, the US troops were no match for the 7th Company in terms of machine guns and rifles alone.

By 7 o'clock, all seven positions on the northeast and northwest ridges of 597 had been recaptured by the 7th and 8th Companies.

After handing over the entire position to the 8th Company, the 7th Company withdrew overnight.

Inside the 7th Division headquarters, upon learning that both ridges of Hill 597 had been lost, Márquez was furious.

This is not like a few days ago. Because of Van Fleet's orders, a large number of troops from the US 7th Division are attacking North Mountain.

The loss of the northwest ridge of Hill 597 was not a big deal; the troops attacking the north mountain were cut in two.

If things go wrong, the northern troops could be completely wiped out.

"Tell Beckett, you must take back positions 0, 4, 5, and 6 no matter what!"

"Order the 32nd Regiment to halt its northward advance and withdraw when the opportunity arises!"

"Yes, sir!"
Urged on by Marquez, the US military launched its attack before daybreak.

As a result, the US troops were dealt a heavy blow as soon as they broke out of Position 3.

Chen Feng changed his tactics this time, shifting from a defensive approach to a strategy of aggressive, rapid attacks and quick retreats.

The 8th Company left two three-man combat teams at each position. The American troops had just arrived when they were met with a fierce attack.

Before you could even see where the bullets and shells were coming from, the battle was already over.

The US military suffered dozens of casualties in vain, but did not see a single Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldier.

Moreover, Chen Feng not only directly antagonized the US military, but he also broke through the tunnel entrance on the main slope inside the tunnel of Position 0.

Through this tunnel entrance, the 8th Company could not only attack the flanks of the American forces attacking Position 0, but the sharpshooters could also reach every corner of Position 10.

The 10th position was like it was haunted; the American troops had no idea where the bullets were coming from.

The US military was disgusted for a whole day, but apart from successfully facilitating the retreat of the troops attacking North Mountain, they achieved nothing else.

Inside the U.S. military command post, Van Fleet looked at the battle report and couldn't help but furrow his brow.

The chief of staff standing nearby said, "Sir, the 3rd Infantry Division is under immense pressure right now. If we don't provide some support..."

While breaking through Beishan could indeed potentially encircle two divisions of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, the loss of the 3rd Infantry Division could also lead to the encirclement of the UN forces.

Van Fleet paused for a moment, but still said firmly, "I have faith in the 3rd Division."

Although the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has consistently demonstrated strong combat capabilities and its firepower has been greatly enhanced, Van Fleet still has faith in his troops.

After all, he had no other choice but to believe.

"Sir, I am equally confident that the 3rd Division can hold the line."

The chief of staff first affirmed Van Fleet's idea, and then said, "But I just compiled a summary of all the battle situations at Five Directions Ridge."

"In order to seize the eastern and western highlands of Wufangling, we fired nearly 40 shells in 48 hours from the 12th to the 14th; and then from the 14th to now, in 12 days, we have used more than a million shells."

"In addition, there were more than 5,000 casualties among the soldiers and 15,000 casualties among the Southern Army."

"But last night, the enemy took only 5 hours to recapture most of the surface positions and cut our attacking force in half."

"If it weren't for the 7th Division's swift support, the attacking forces would likely have suffered heavy losses."

"Sir, I must remind you that, given the current situation, even if we can capture the east and west highlands of Wufangling, it will be very difficult to capture the north mountain."

"If we continue to focus on attacking Pingkang, we will likely suffer losses."

The chief of staff's analysis calmed Van Fleet down.

After letting out a long sigh, Van Fleet said, "You're right. Our objective should be limited to the eastern and western highlands of Wufangling for the time being."

Having figured things out, VanVleet decided to make a change.

"Wufangling is too small and not conducive to the deployment of a large force. We should send out our most elite troops."

Where is the 187th Regiment now?

After thinking for a moment, the staff officer reported: "The 3rd Battalion of the 187th Regiment has just returned to Japan from the Kuli Sea and is currently resting. The regimental headquarters of the 187th Regiment, along with the 1st and 2nd Battalions, is currently in Busan."

“Two battalions are enough; any more would be too much,” Van Fleet said. “Order the 187th Regiment to move to Tiehua and prepare to take over the battle of Wufangling.”

"Furthermore, the 7th Division is ordered to withdraw from the battle immediately. Before the 187th Regiment arrives, the 2nd Southern Division will take over the offensive to maintain pressure on the enemy!"

The 187th Regiment belongs to the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division. In terms of firepower, they are far inferior to infantry divisions, but in terms of individual combat capabilities, they can definitely be called elite.

Putting aside other things, the 187th Regiment was among the first U.S. Army units to be equipped with automatic rifles.

Having fought the Korean War for so long, the US military naturally had captured automatic rifles from the Second General Staff Department and knew the advantages of automatic rifles.

However, the US military leadership does not currently approve of intermediate-power cartridges, so the new automatic rifles of the 187th Regiment still use full-power cartridges.

Or rather, this rifle is actually an M1 Garand equipped with a BAR 20-round magazine and a fire selector. Apart from having a slightly higher recoil, its range, power, and accuracy are quite good.

Van Fleet firmly believed that with the strength of the 187th Regiment, they could definitely wipe out the Chinese People's Volunteer Army on Wufangling.

(End of this chapter)