Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 638 Conspiracy
24th Detachment Forward Command Post.

Qin Sheng convened a combat meeting for officers at the company level and above.

Looking at the somewhat sparsely populated meeting room, Qin Sheng felt a pang of sadness.

Not only were there many new faces in the meeting room, but not everyone was present.

Composing himself, Qin Sheng glanced at his watch and said, "It should be daylight outside by now. The final assault will begin in less than 12 hours."

"The battlefield at Wufangling is not large, so it is not advisable to deploy too many troops at once, otherwise it will only increase casualties."

"Therefore, the operational plan for this operation is to launch a counterattack in three waves, with two companies as a group, using a rotation tactic."

"This will reduce casualties and allow the counterattack to continue uninterrupted."

"To achieve victory, it is essential to ensure that each route cooperates and coordinates with the others as much as possible, and that the forces of each echelon support each other to ensure the continuity of the battle."

Looking at the focused crowd, Qin Sheng continued, "However, we don't have the same radio communication capabilities as the Americans. It's already quite good if walkie-talkies can reach the company level."

"Therefore, before setting off, it is essential to ensure that every soldier has a thorough understanding of the combat plan."

"As for unforeseen circumstances, when to send reinforcements to the front lines depends on your own adaptability and battlefield command capabilities."

"Do you have any ideas?"

Upon hearing Qin Sheng's words, Chen Feng, the 8th Company Commander, said first: "Brigade Commander, based on previous combat patterns, one of our assault platoons should be able to hold out for about 20 minutes."

"I think we can directly stipulate that a platoon must hold out for 20 minutes, and the platoon leader can plan the attack time for each squad. This will effectively reduce the difficulty of command for the company commander."

"Of course, the company commander can't just rigidly follow the plan. There's always uncertainty. The company commander needs to judge when the follow-up troops will arrive based on the gunfire."

"If we go up too early, the large group of people might be bombarded by the enemy; if we go up too late, the positions we have already captured might be lost again."

"Normally, 20 minutes is fine, but if it's not normal, we have to come up with a solution immediately."

"As long as we judge the timing well and give full play to the initiative of the soldiers, I think taking the position will not be a problem."

Qin Sheng nodded: "Chen Feng is right. What about you? Do you have anything else to say?"

Others also chimed in with their own thoughts, some of which were inappropriate, while others were quite constructive.

Finally, Qin Sheng instructed the staff to compile the good ideas from the meeting and distribute them to each company along with the battle plan.

The soldiers began to devote themselves entirely to their studies.

At noon, the long-silent Wufangling was once again filled with deafening cannon fire.

However, this time it wasn't American artillery fire, but rather the artillery of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army that began to unleash its power.

For this artillery preparation, Qin Sheng deployed five howitzer battalions, with 60 122mm howitzers firing at Hill 597.

Countless shells rained down on the Southern Army's positions, raising clouds of dust.

The fortifications built by the Confederate army on the front lines were constantly destroyed by artillery fire.

At first, the Southern army didn't pay much attention, but as time went on, they realized something was wrong.

"When did the artillery fire from the Western Eighth Army become so fierce? Where did they get so many shells?"

When the US 7th Division fled, it didn't tell the South Korean army anything, and Hill 537 was not the main target of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's artillery. They had never encountered such a situation before.

After thinking for a moment, the commander of the 23rd Regiment in the underground command post turned his head and ordered, "Immediately call for American warplanes to help take care of the enemy's artillery battalion."

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the request for assistance from the Confederate army, the U.S. Air Force did not delay; instead, it immediately scrambled dozens of fighter jets.

Warning posts had already been set up on the rear positions of the Second General Headquarters.

The alarm sounded the moment the US military aircraft was spotted.

However, the artillery battalion that was carrying out the strike mission ignored the aircraft and continued firing.

Seeing the Chinese People's Volunteer Army acting so recklessly, the American pilots were enraged, and the first four planes began to dive.

However, before they could reach the optimal attack altitude, they saw a large number of flames suddenly appear in the sky.

"Anti-aircraft gun!"

The American pilot shouted into the radio as he desperately turned to the side, the immense G-forces causing him to feel dizzy.

However, not everyone can escape the anti-aircraft battalion lying in wait.

After being targeted by concentrated fire, a plane quickly flew into the nearby hilltop while emitting smoke, and several other planes were damaged by shrapnel.

Now, the US aircraft no longer had time to attack the artillery battalions; they focused all their energy on dealing with anti-aircraft fire.

Faced with a firepower network consisting of five air defense battalions and a large number of anti-aircraft machine guns, the U.S. military launched nearly two hundred sorties of fighter jets, and the battle between the two sides was extremely fierce.

US Air Force Commander Scott looked at the battle report sent back from the front lines and slammed it on the table.

"In less than 20 minutes, 6 aircraft were shot down on the spot, and 28 aircraft were damaged!"

Scott roared, "How was this war fought?!"

"Sir, the enemy's air defense weapons were previously mainly stationed at various important nodes, and this is the first time they have been used in a concentrated manner."

"Based on the pilots' report, the General Staff judged that, in addition to a large number of anti-aircraft machine guns, the enemy had deployed at least five anti-aircraft artillery battalions."

Although not explicitly stated, the operations staff's meaning was clear: if the fighting continued, the cost to the US military would certainly be far more than just a few aircraft.

Without hesitation, Scott decisively ordered, "Tell the airport that no more fighter jets will take off, and those already in combat should withdraw when the opportunity arises!"

"My soldiers cannot die for the worthless Confederate army!"

On the battlefield of Wufangling, the Southern Army soldiers were so angry that they cursed as the planes turned around and ran away instead of having any effect.

But they had no choice but to curse and endure the relentless bombardment from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army while hiding in their bunkers.

The artillery bombardment by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army lasted for five hours until evening, when it suddenly stopped.

Upon hearing the sudden silence, the Southern Army soldiers hurriedly climbed out of the air-raid shelter.

The South Korean army had already figured out the combat patterns of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army from the battles of the past few days.

Every night, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army would launch a regular counterattack, and they needed to rebuild their defensive positions beforehand.

The Southern Army began repairing the fortifications as soon as they emerged from the air-raid shelter. More than four hours later, at 9 p.m., they had finally finished repairing the position after working themselves to the bone.

The Confederate commander glanced at his watch and shouted, "It's 9 o'clock! The enemy's artillery fire is about to begin!"

"Everyone except the sentries, get into the bunker!"

"Quick! Quick!"

The Southern army reacted swiftly; the 9 o'clock shelling seemed to have become muscle memory for them.

The Southern soldiers had just retreated back into their caves when the artillery barrage began as expected.

Hiding in the air-raid shelter, the Southern Army commander listened carefully to the sounds outside and laughed, "The artillery fire is a bit sparse today! I think the enemy doesn't have many shells left."

"Sir, the enemy fired artillery all afternoon, so they must have used up most of their shells. They'll probably just deal with it by tonight." "I just don't know if the enemy will launch another attack tomorrow night."

"Hehe. Whether they attack or not, we don't care."

"To engage in a firepower contest with the UN forces is like throwing an egg against a rock."

Inside the air-raid shelter, the Southern soldiers were discussing things with laughter and joking.

They didn't think that such a small amount of firepower could do anything to them.

Soon, the artillery fire of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army began to spread in stages into the rear.

"The enemy is coming! On your positions!"

The South Korean troops easily returned to their positions, awaiting the charge of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army infantry.

Inside the forward command post of the 24th Detachment, Qin Sheng was observing the situation at Hill 597 through binoculars.

Although he couldn't see the situation on the high ground due to the darkness, he could imagine the current state of the Southern Army.

"A few days is enough time for the Southern army to adapt to our pace."

"Let them know now what it means to be deceptive in war."

"Tell the artillery positions to conduct a second shelling as planned!"

The staff officer beside him immediately relayed Qin Sheng's orders over the phone.

On the position, the South Korean troops who had just returned to their positions had not yet seen the Chinese People's Volunteer Army when they suddenly heard a sound that chilled them to the bone.

The artillery fire, which was extending backward, suddenly reversed course and slammed shells into their heads again.

Hill 597 was once again covered by artillery fire, and the Confederate troops who had no time to hide were bombarded and fell in disarray.

"Xiba!"

"Defend against artillery fire! Quickly, defend against artillery fire!"

The Southern soldiers panicked and ran in disarray, disregarding the original order, all heading straight for the nearest air-raid shelter.

At this point, it really is a matter of speed; if you're quick, you'll get what you want, and if you're

Those Southern soldiers who were furthest from the air-raid shelter and unable to take cover had no choice but to lie on the ground and resign themselves to fate.

Those with good fortune can live; those with bad fortune can only fly around aimlessly.

As the second round of shelling began to extend backward, the South Korean soldiers heard the shouts of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and the distinctive bugle calls of their charge.

"Bang! The enemy is really coming this time!"

"Quickly! Get into position! Set up your weapons and engage!"

"Quick! Quick!"

The Southern soldiers entered the position much faster this time than last time.

The Korean War has been going on for so long that everyone knows that once the bugle sounds, it will be a bloody battle.

But if it really came down to close combat, not a single UN soldier could hold his own against the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

If they cannot stop the enemy before they can penetrate the positions, they will surely be defeated.

However, when the South Korean troops rushed into the position, they found that there was no one there, and there was no sign of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

This caused the Southern Army's expression to change.

Before the South Korean army could react, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's grand gift arrived, and the South Korean army witnessed an incredibly spectacular scene.

More than 600 rockets fired from 54 rocket launchers of the rocket artillery regiment fell like meteors.

Another group of Southern troops were blown to pieces.

After this attack, the artillery of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army fell silent once again.

The Southern soldiers were completely stunned.

They knew, of course, that this was a tactic used by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, but there was nothing they could do about it.

If we don't go to the front lines, are we just going to hand them over to them?
Compared to the terrified Southern Army soldiers, the soldiers who had quietly entered the tunnels were also somewhat uncomfortable from the shockwave, but they were all grinning from ear to ear.

"This is our artillery fire! It's fucking fierce!"

"Who says otherwise? We've never fought such a rich war in our entire lives! Damn, we have more shells than men!"

"Back in the Jin-Sui region, if we had this kind of firepower, I dare say the commander-in-chief would have dared to attack Taiyuan!"

"Taiyuan? You underestimate the commander's courage. If we had had that many cannons back then, he probably would have led us all the way to Tokyo!"

"Then we'll see how many eyes that damned locust has."

"It's not too late to have them now. These American devils are the fathers of the Japanese devils. If we can't beat the Japanese devils now, we can beat their fathers instead."

"It's just a pity that the ones on the front lines now are Koreans, not American devils."

"It's only a matter of time. As long as those American devils are still in Korea, we'll have a chance to beat those sons of bitches to a pulp!"

The soldiers inside the tunnel were having a heated discussion, while Qin Sheng directed the artillery to fire back and forth, using feints and real attacks, at the Southern Army's positions several times.

By 10:30, the Southern Army's position had been reduced to scorched earth, all the fortifications had been leveled, and Southern Army soldiers lay scattered on the ground.

On Hill 597, the South Korean army deployed four companies, but the Chinese People's Volunteer Army did not move a single soldier. Relying solely on a clever strategy, they wiped out nearly half of the South Korean soldiers.

After suffering repeated blows, the Southern Army no longer dared to deploy all its soldiers on the front lines. The main force hid in air-raid shelters, and only a small force was allowed to be stationed on the front lines.

Inside the headquarters, Chen Chengxing glanced at his watch and turned around: "The Southern Army must be terrified. Now it's our turn."

"Pass on my order! All artillery pieces fire at once!"

"All-out offensive, commence!"

Upon receiving Chen Chengxing's order, Wang Chengzhu launched a final salvo at Hill 597.

This round of attacks was not as simple as before; all 17 howitzer battalions, 3 rocket artillery battalions, and 2 heavy mortar battalions were involved.

其中122毫米榴弹炮和120毫米迫击炮负责炸山上的敌人，152毫米榴弹炮和107火箭炮则是瞄准了南2师背后的4个炮营。

When the Yanggu area was bombed earlier, other artillery battalions provided support to the 2nd Division of the South. At that time, the artillery was already calculating their positions, and now it's a good opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

54 rocket launchers, firing 648 rockets, wiped out four enemy artillery battalions in an instant.

This single attack silenced the Southern army's artillery.

At this point, they had no time to worry about supporting the front lines; they were all running away.

At the same time, four 152mm howitzer battalions also carried out large-scale bombardment of the enemy's second echelon assembly area.

However, even though only 122mm howitzers and 120mm mortars were bombarding Hill 597, the Confederate troops hiding in the artillery bunkers were still temporarily deafened by the extremely high intensity of firepower.

(End of this chapter)