Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 637 The Final Offensive

Upon suddenly learning that the US 7th Division was going to retreat and that he was to take over, Li Dongxu, the commander of the South 2nd Division, was completely stunned.

The chief of staff standing to the side also looked rather grim.

"Sir, the US military is too afraid of death. They always leave these mine-clearing tasks to us."

"Aren't the lives of Southern soldiers also lives?"

"Sigh," Li Dongxu shook his head helplessly.

"What can we do? After all, we invited the American troops here. Since we invited them, we should just behave like subservient grandsons."

After thinking for a moment, Li Dongxu said, "Let the 21st Regiment retreat to replenish its troops and change equipment, the 22nd Regiment replace the 21st Regiment, and the 23rd Regiment replace the US 31st Regiment."

Despite the fact that the South Korean army had suffered more than 10,000 casualties, the 2nd South Korean Division still had sufficient manpower thanks to the continuous replenishment from supply depots.

North Korea is small, and the U.S. military is highly mechanized. It only takes a day for new recruits to be sent from military academies and training camps to the front lines.

During the Battle of Wufangling, the UN forces' supply depots were able to replenish at least a thousand troops every day.

However, they could only replenish Confederate soldiers, not American soldiers, which is why Van Fleet chose to temporarily dump the mess on the 2nd Confederate Division.

After taking over the US military positions, the 23rd Regiment of the South immediately dispatched troops to deploy the positions.

At the same time, Chen Chengxing is also making significant adjustments.

Chen Chengxing mobilized another five companies of soldiers to prepare to enter the East and West Heights.

In addition, he also transferred four 122mm howitzer batteries to participate directly in the front-line battle.

The military units of Army A and Army B also gathered 2000 new recruits and rushed over.

In addition to resting and training, Li Yunlong's troops also dispatched three battalions to help with logistics and transport artillery shells.

In contrast to the meticulous preparations being made for the rear battlefield, the front-line battlefield was still just a performance.

On Hill 597, as darkness fell, the 7th Company emerged again.

Looking at the No. 3 main peak position in front of him, Li Weigang only dispatched three three-person combat teams this time.

All nine men, armed with automatic rifles, charged into the position from east to west under the cover of the 7th Company's heavy firepower, using the military whistle as a signal.

The three combat teams had very clear objectives. After entering the position, they did not linger, regardless of whether the enemy was dead or alive, and they did not seize any spoils of war.

After launching a coordinated attack from the west side of the position, they immediately concealed themselves.

Although the 7th Company failed to capture the position this time, its rapid infiltration still gave the Southern troops on the position quite a fright.

"Request reinforcements! Request reinforcements immediately!"

"It would take at least a battalion of soldiers to hold the position!"

Listening to the chaotic reports from the front lines, Li Dongxu slammed the receiver down on the phone.

"Damn it! An entire company of soldiers was wiped out by less than ten enemy soldiers, and they didn't even inflict any casualties on the enemy!"

"Are they all useless idiots?!"

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army was already so short-handed, yet they still couldn't hold their positions.

The chief of staff said, "Sir, we must hold position number 3 no matter what."

"If the No. 3 main peak position is lost, the other positions behind it will be even more difficult to defend, and we will not be able to explain to General Van Fleet."

"Of course I know that!" Li Dongxu's expression was very unpleasant.

He never imagined that he would be in this situation so soon after taking over.

"The 23rd Regiment has to take care of four positions at the same time, so it is impossible to strengthen the troops on position No. 3 to a battalion. We can only add another company to them."

"Tell the soldiers at the front that the central army's forces are already very weak, and even if they counterattack, it will be with small units. Tell them not to panic and to suppress any enemy attacks with firepower."

"Yes, sir!"

However, to Li Dongxu's surprise, just as the reinforcements arrived at position number 3, Li Weigang sent out several combat teams to attack position number 3 again.

However, this time they did not directly attack the enemy lines, but mainly launched surprise attacks.

Despite enduring immense suffering, the Southern army managed to hold out until dawn.

Seeing that all the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers had retreated back into the tunnels, the South Korean soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the battle report, Li Dongxu had a terrible headache. In just one night, the 23rd Regiment had suffered more than 200 casualties.

At this moment, the chief of staff brought over a map: "Sir, no matter how strong the central army is, we have air support during the day, so they won't dare to go out easily."

"This is our best opportunity. I suggest we immediately attack the central tunnels."

Li Dongxu sighed: "It's easier said than done."

"The US military had already located the tunnels on the positions, but it seems they had no other options besides bunker sieges."

"Sir, that's because they don't know how to be flexible." The chief of staff placed the blueprints he was holding on the table.

"Sir, look, this is a shovel I invented based on ancient records. It can be used to dig holes directly in the ground."

"As long as we can pinpoint the direction of the enemy's tunnels, we can dig blasting holes in the top of the tunnels and throw grenades or demolition charges directly into the enemy's tunnels."

Looking at the blueprints, Li Dongxu asked with some doubt: "Can this shovel dig dozens of meters deep?"

"I guarantee it will work," the chief of staff said, patting his chest. "According to ancient records, tomb raiders often used this method to locate tombs."

"Then have the logistics department run a few rounds right away and test it out. If it works, I will definitely report to General Van Fleet for credit."

"Thank you, sir!"

The blueprints the chief of staff was holding were for the Luoyang shovel, and the shovel itself was not difficult to make.

The shovel head was quickly made, and the handle could be made directly from the steel pipe of the blasting cylinder.

The Luoyang shovel was highly effective. The Confederate army figured out the details of Tunnel No. 2 in just one day what the American army had been working on for half a month without being able to figure out.

Inside the tunnel, looking at the several round holes that had suddenly appeared on the ceiling, Li Weigang felt something was wrong.

"Damn it, the Southern army is treating us like dumplings!"

Taking the rifle from the soldier next to him, Li Weigang ordered, "Several men, stand down in the cave. As soon as you see the light at the cave entrance blocked, fire."

"Kill these bastards!"

As they were talking, Li Weigang noticed that the light above his head was being blocked.

Without hesitation, Li Weigang fired a short burst of fire.

On the ground, a Southern soldier was kneeling, having just pulled the pin on a grenade. Before he could even put it in, a gunshot rang out, and he screamed as he fell to the ground.

The grenade rolled out of his hand.

"Lie down!"

The soldiers next to him practically popped their eyes out.

"boom!"

After the explosion, several soldiers got up again, cursing.

Their attempt to steal a chicken backfired; they intended to bomb the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, but ended up wounding several of their own. However, the South Korean army didn't give up and instead began secretly throwing casualties into the bombardment from the sidelines.

This made things difficult for the volunteer soldiers.

Even with a fast reaction time, the best they can do is blow the explosives into the hole, causing it to collapse, but people can easily get injured.

Moreover, the Southern army could easily reopen the tunnel next to it.

After arguing for a long time, Li Weigang finally lost his temper.

"Call the artillery battalion and order them to fire artillery fire. I don't believe they can come digging craters while they're under artillery fire!"

The effect was excellent. Just a few heavy mortar shells landed, and the Confederate army was left with corpses scattered all over the ground, running away howling in agony.

The heavy mortar company directly aligned all the gun barrels with the various tunnels, ready to fire as soon as the Southern Army appeared.

Faced with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army also unleashing unlimited firepower, the South Korean army had to abandon its original plan after several attempts and instead used mortars to block the entrance to the cave.

Inside the tunnels, thanks to the support of forward tunnels and artillery, the soldiers' supplies, though insufficient, were not in short supply.

However, they were genuinely bored. With nothing else to do, the soldiers began to discuss what the people behind them were doing.
"For the front lines! Keep it up, everyone!"

The female soldiers in the cultural troupe carried several 82mm mortar shells on their backs and held clappers in their hands, playing them to encourage everyone.

From the logistics headquarters to the front-line transfer station, one could rely on cars and horse-drawn carriages, but when they reached Wufangling, the mountain roads were rugged, and thousands of tons of supplies could only be carried by people on their backs and shoulders.

To speed up the rescue operation, all the soldiers were working beyond their limits, and countless people were so exhausted that they vomited blood along the way.

The soldiers in the tunnels were holding on with great difficulty, while the transport teams behind them were also working hard.

On the 28th, two days before the final offensive, Chen Chengxing called Qin Sheng.

"Qin Sheng, the supplies are almost ready. The general offensive will proceed as planned."

"You must immediately submit a detailed and feasible counterattack plan to the command headquarters."

"I need you to be precise about the number of combatants, tactics, ammunition requirements, and where all that ammunition is being used."

This counterattack did not follow a large-scale, sweeping approach; it mainly relied on the soldiers inside the trenches at the front.

Qin Sheng, as the frontline commander, knew best about the situation inside the tunnel.

On the 29th, Qin Sheng delivered the project proposal.

"Commander, if we can cobble together the 24th Detachment, we can still muster 4 more companies. Add to that the 1 battalion from the 23rd Detachment and the 2 companies on the position, and we'll have a total of 9 reinforced companies."

"In terms of firepower, we now have 17 howitzer battalions, 1 rocket artillery regiment, 4 cannon battalions and 12 heavy mortar battalions."

"With the current troop strength and firepower, taking the east and west highlands of Wufangling should not be a problem."

Looking at Qin Sheng's plan, Chen Chengxing didn't offer any opinions for the time being, but instead asked, "How do you plan to use these troops and firepower?"

Qin Sheng stood before the sand table: "My goal is to take Hill 597 first."

As he spoke, Qin Sheng picked up the command stick and gestured on the sand table, saying, "Position No. 3 is the highest point on the main peak, and it is also a key position for both the enemy and us to gain a foothold. The enemy will definitely place their main forces here."

"But I deliberately refuse to attack position number 3."

"The troops secretly advance along the northwest mountain ridge, making a flanking maneuver from position 0 to position 10 for a surprise attack. After succeeding, they will take position 9 and trap the enemy!"

“然后部队兵分两路，一路攻击4号、5号、6号阵地，一路攻击8号、2号、11号阵地，最后再会攻3号阵地。”

"After capturing all of Hill 597, we will then divide our forces to attack positions 7 and 15, and then recapture Hill 537 from west to east."

"The mission of the howitzer battalion is to provide fire support before the infantry charge, and they need to destroy more than 90% of the enemy's surface firing positions."

"The mission of heavy mortars is to create a barrage 100 meters south of the battlefield to prevent enemy reinforcements and the retreat of the defending troops."

"In addition, five more howitzer battalions and rocket artillery regiments will be deployed as mobile firepower to adapt to changing circumstances and suppress the most threatening targets that are beyond our reach."

Qin Sheng's explanation was very detailed, but Chen Chengxing shook his head: "You're thinking too simply!"

"Sending so many troops up at once, it would be great if we won, but what if we lost? What would we do then?"

"Besides, the current situation at Wufangling is one where enemy and our artillery fire are dominant; the more infantry there are, the greater the casualties will be."

"Therefore, I suggest you consider small-scale troop tactics."

"Also, although long-range heavy firepower is powerful, it is basically useless in actual infantry combat."

"60mm and 82mm mortars, along with recoilless rifles and other accompanying artillery, are the best firepower for infantry,"

"You don't seem to have mentioned this in your plan, do you?"

"Third, whether it is the number of artillery pieces or the amount of ammunition, the enemy's total is overwhelming."

"You need to calculate exactly when, where, and how much ammunition we will use."

"If you throw out all 15 shells, how will you fight the rest of the battle?"

Chen Chengxing handed the plan to Qin Sheng: "Go back and redo it!"

"Remember, we're no longer the Eighth Route Army; we need to focus on artillery."

"yes!".
After Qin Sheng left, Chen Chengxing thought for a moment and ordered, "Send a telegram to all units of the Corps, instructing all units above the division level to send an observation team over."

"This general offensive will be an unprecedented combined arms operation between infantry and artillery, so let them learn from it."

"The General Staff will record all battle reports in detail and send them to the Volunteer Army Headquarters later."

"Yes!"

That night, while Qin Sheng was busy revising the plan, he also dispatched two companies to launch a feint attack to scout out the enemy's firepower and troop deployment.

When dawn broke on the 30th, less than 12 hours before the final offensive, Qin Sheng finally resubmitted the revised battle plan.

At this moment, Li Yunlong was trying to persuade Chen Chengxing to take over the counterattack.

Li Yunlong had never used hundreds of cannons in battle before, and he was incredibly envious.

Looking at the battle plan that was sent over again, Chen Chengxing nodded. It was starting to look somewhat promising now.

Putting aside the plan, Chen Chengxing said to Li Yunlong, "Old Li, you've only been at the front lines for a few days."

“In terms of location, you are not familiar with Wufangling, but the 24th Detachment is more familiar with it.”

"From a human perspective, the Battle of Wufangling started with the 24th Detachment. If it could end with them, that would be the best outcome."

"But don't worry, the UN forces will not give up so easily."

"Once the general offensive is complete, the 24th Detachment will definitely retreat. I'll let you take command then, and I'll put 17 artillery battalions and a rocket artillery regiment under your command. Is that alright?"

Li Yunlong's mouth immediately broke into a wide grin: "Is that really true?!"

If I were to put so many artillery pieces under my command, wouldn't I be able to take off?

Chen Chengxing looked displeased: "We've been comrades-in-arms for many years, when have I ever lied to you?"

"That's hard to say," Li Yunlong muttered.

However, Li Yunlong ultimately decided to trust Chen Chengxing, since there was no other way if he didn't.

(End of this chapter)