Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 641 Elite vs. Elite

On position number 2, Zhang Bingkun saw the Southern Army troops gathering in the distance.

Looking at the growing number of Southern troops, Zhang Bingkun muttered, "Damn it, it seems the enemy is going to change their attack direction."

Putting down his binoculars, Zhang Bingkun turned and shouted, "Squad leader, the Southern army is assembling. Adjust the angle and let's give them a good blast!"

The mortar squad leader didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "Coordinates!"

“方位3-2-0-0，距离850米。”

The squad leader immediately signaled each gun to adjust according to the coordinates.

"Cannon No. 1! One test shot!"

"Tom!"

The shell was fired instantly.

"Spot on the enemy's center!" Zhang Bingkun exclaimed excitedly.

With a wave of the squad leader's flag, the three cannons fired shells one after another.

The Southern army troops that were gathering were scattered in disarray after being attacked.

Zhang Bingkun was chuckling to himself when he realized that the Southern army had already found him by following the sound of artillery fire.

The three heavy machine guns immediately moved their muzzles towards them.

A barrage of bullets sent dirt flying from Zhang Bingkun's head.

Zhang Bingkun, hiding behind the earthen slope, patted his chest and said, "Damn, that was close!"

"Is it really necessary to have three heavy machine guns at me?"

Looking at the hilltop still covered in mud and dirt, Zhang Bingkun ran back to the artillery crew's position.

"Squad leader, the heavy machine guns on the other side are too aggressive. I'll take a phone and run to the cliff over there to observe the enemy situation and find a good position. Then you can shoot them."

"You're going to the cliff?" The squad leader frowned. "That place is too dangerous. Once the enemy finds you, you won't have anywhere to run."

"Don't worry, gunner, I've been observing for several days now," Zhang Bingkun explained confidently. "Only the top of that cliff on the entire 597 Hill is still covered in snow."

"As long as I bring a white cloth to camouflage myself, even American planes won't be able to spot me, while I can use my altitude advantage to detect enemy movements."

"Putting everything else aside, this is definitely beneficial to our mortar squad."

Seeing that Zhang Bingkun was confident, the squad leader thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"You can go to the top of the cliff to scout, but be sure to leave the rappelling rope ready. If you encounter any danger, retreat immediately!"

"Don't worry, I haven't lived enough yet." Zhang Bingkun immediately began preparations.

After struggling to climb the cliff, the first thing Zhang Bingkun looked for was the three heavy machine guns that had just shot at him.

Under the white cloth, Zhang Bingkun reported the coordinates, and the mortars immediately gave the enemy five minutes of rapid fire, silencing the three heavy machine guns instantly.

For the next period of time, the soldiers on position number 2 did not fire a shot; the three 60mm mortars alone were enough to rout the enemy.

Throughout the afternoon, whenever the Southern troops showed any signs of gathering or moving toward Position 2, artillery shells would immediately rain down on them.

This forced the Confederate army to relocate to the south slope.

However, when the Confederate army attacked position 2, position 8 formed a crossfire, resulting in heavy casualties for the Confederate army as well.

Inside the headquarters of the 1st Division of the South, Bai Shangye was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

Just then, a staff officer ran over excitedly: "Sir, we've stormed position number 6!"

"What? Number 6?!"

Bai Shangye darted to the observation window in one stride.

Through the binoculars, he could clearly see the situation at position number 6.

"Good! Very good!" Bai Shangye was extremely excited as he looked at the troops who had already taken up positions.

"Find out immediately which company charged in! I want to reward them handsomely!"

"Yes!"

However, before the staff could investigate the matter thoroughly, Bai Shangye watched helplessly as his troops were driven back by a counter-offensive by the Volunteer Army and were utterly routed.

If it weren't for the timely support of the mortars, they don't know how badly they would have been hit.

"Damn it! Useless! All of you are useless!" Bai Shangye's smile vanished instantly.

However, no matter how much Bai Shangye cursed, he could not change the fact that the Southern Army's offensive was weak.

Seeing the sun already high in the sky, Bai Shangye had no choice but to grit his teeth and order: "Cease the attack, begin resting, and notify Tiehua to replenish their troops immediately!"

Xu Wu walked over inside the Shengwushan headquarters.

"Commander, a report from the front: the enemy has ceased their attack."

“I reckon they’re too exhausted to fight anymore.” Chen Chengxing wasn’t too surprised.

"The enemy made a fatal mistake in command this time."

"To send so many troops to such a small position, and to launch such a concentrated attack, is utterly suicidal in the face of artillery."

Although the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had far fewer artillery shells than the US military, it was still enough for their needs.

If the Confederate army launches a concentrated assault, the mortars on Hill 597 alone will be enough to give them a hard time.

If it were a small-scale operation, the South Korean army, lacking numerical superiority, would be no match for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Xu Wu, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "Commander-in-Chief, we should welcome the enemy's counterattack."

"The Americans are using the lives of American and Confederate soldiers to fill the hole, which is exactly what we want."

"If we can really wipe out two enemy divisions at Wufangling, it wouldn't matter if we gave them the position."

"What I'm afraid of is them backing down."

When the 1st Infantry Division first arrived, the support from the US military was very effective.

However, by mid-afternoon, the US fighter jets had lost the ferocity they displayed in the morning in fighting the anti-aircraft artillery units.

Whether they will come again tomorrow is still unknown.

Without the harassment of aircraft, the artillery positions could teach the Southern army a lesson. Whether the Southern army would dare to fight like they did today is anyone's guess.

"Regardless of whether the enemy is cowardly or not, we will fight according to plan."

"Tell Qin Sheng to take positions 7, 11, and 15 as planned, in preparation for the attack on Hill 537."

"yes!".
After nightfall, Lu Ze led the Second General Guard Battalion to take over Hill 597, while Qin Sheng mobilized all available troops from the 24th Detachment.

Dozens of 82mm mortars provided artillery cover for the attacking troops; for every 50 meters the shells advanced, the soldiers advanced 50 meters.

Although heavy artillery was not used this time, the Southern army was still routed.

When Van Fleet learned that the 1st Division of the South had taken over the battlefield, not only had it failed to recapture a single position, but had also lost three, he nearly coughed up blood.

"These are elite troops?! Where did their previous bravery go?"

The chief of staff explained, "Sir, this is probably not because the Southern Army is incompetent, but because the Central Army is growing too fast."

“When fighting against the Central Army before, the 1st Division of the South had a firepower advantage, and they mainly focused on defense, so they had a certain advantage.”

"But what about now? The enemy's firepower has not only surpassed that of the 1st Division of the South, but the offensive and defensive positions have also been reversed. It's normal that the 1st Division of the South is no match for them."

"Sir, I suggest slowing down the offensive towards Wufangling. If that's not possible, we can switch to simply using artillery fire." The casualties and resource consumption in the battle of Wufangling are simply too great, and it seems that there is no end in sight.

Van Fleet roared, "We absolutely cannot stop!"

"If we stop now, wouldn't that be telling the whole world that the UN forces are no good? How will we negotiate the rest of the time?"

Faced with a situation that has already caused huge casualties, stopping is tantamount to admitting defeat, and someone will have to take the blame. Who is that person?

It certainly wasn't Clark, who opposed expanding the war.

After a long silence, Van Fleet gritted his teeth and ordered, "Send the 187th Regiment into the battlefield and take on the main attack mission!"

The chief of staff was taken aback by what he heard.

"Sir, the two battalions of the 187th Regiment have only been in Tiehua for a short time. Shouldn't they acclimatize for a few more days?"

The 187th Regiment can be considered one of the most valued units by the U.S. military.

The normal rank of a US Army regimental commander is colonel, but the commander of the 187th Regiment is brigadier general.

If we go up without making thorough preparations, and the casualties are high, we might not be able to explain ourselves to our superiors.

“There’s not much time left.” Van Fleet waved his hand. “I have faith in the warriors of the 187th Regiment!”

Seeing Van Fleet's resolute decision, the Chief of Staff fell silent.

The 187th Regiment can definitely be called an elite force, but what they are best at is airborne raids on important locations behind enemy lines.

Sending elite paratroopers to attack a stronghold is like using a fine sword to chop wood.

It's not that the 187th Regiment couldn't attack Hill 597, but it would be a losing proposition.

However, he was just a chief of staff, and all he could do was follow orders.

Of course, Van Fleet wasn't out of his mind; he had received instructions from Truman.

At this crucial time of the US presidential election, Truman needs a victory to boost his chances.

For this political show, the 187th Regiment began to move to the front lines, and Van Fleet also rushed to the battlefield, intending to personally command the upcoming battle.

As if by fate, after fighting in the meat grinder of Wufangling for more than half a month, both sides unexpectedly sent out their most elite troops.

After the 24th Detachment recaptured the entire 597 Hill, the 2nd General Guard Battalion did not retreat; instead, it took over all the positions.

The 24th Detachment completely withdrew from the battlefield and began its retreat and reorganization.

The command post of the guard battalion was located inside the tunnel on the reverse slope of the north side of Wufangling.

Seeing the sand table left by Qin Sheng, Lu Ze said, "Judging from the combat experience of our brother units, the battle for Hill 597 requires repeated back-and-forth fighting. The more troops you deploy at once, the greater the casualties and the worse the results will be."

The instructor, Zhuang Licheng, nodded: "We absolutely cannot make this mistake."

“Old Zhuang, this is what I’m thinking,” Lu Ze said. “I plan to divide the three infantry companies into three parts, and rotate one company each day, regardless of the outcome of the battle.”

"The company on the position was also divided into three parts: one platoon stayed in the tunnel as a reserve, and the other two platoons fought on the surface."

"The machine gun company was assigned to each platoon, with four 12.7mm heavy machine guns per platoon. As for the artillery company, it stayed on the north hill to fire."

“Okay,” Zhuang Licheng said. “I’ll take care of the logistics.”

“Now, from Beishan to the front line, there is an air-raid shelter every 50 meters. I plan to have three or four people assigned to be responsible for these fixed 50 meters.”

"The task of transporting supplies was assigned to them, one by one, to go to the front lines."

Lu Ze praised repeatedly, "That's a great idea."

"In the words of the chief commander, this is called 'just'."

"Assembly line operation".

Lu Ze patted his forehead: "Right, right, right, look at my brain, it's like an assembly line."

"With these three or four people stationed here, we can familiarize ourselves with the terrain within this 50-meter range without even looking, so that every time someone goes up there, they're completely clueless."

“That’s not all,” Zhuang Licheng said. “I also plan to bring together the entire battalion’s cooking squad.”

"The steamer keeps steaming, the stir-fryer keeps stir-frying, there are dedicated people in charge of packaging, plus regular delivery."

Lu Ze was utterly shocked: "They've brought the assembly line and modular production from machine manufacturing to Wufangling?"

"This isn't my idea," Zhuang Licheng said, scratching his head. "The captain told me about it and even gave it a name."

"Name? What name?"

"Central kitchen".

Lu Ze looked puzzled: "Central government? Cooking a dish makes it the central government?"

"I don't know about that, but this will definitely ensure that the comrades on the front lines can have a hot meal."

"Okay, let's do it that way!"

The next day, at 8 a.m., the U.S. military once again launched a massive bombardment of Hill 597.

Within three hours, the U.S. military fired more than 150,000 shells again.

As the artillery fire began to extend backward, the 187th Regiment of the US Army came up.

The two sides were taken aback as soon as they clashed.

"Commander! The other side has changed their personnel!"

"This enemy force is unlike any other Confederate or American force we've encountered before. They're all armed with automatic weapons and wearing grass-green bulletproof vests!"

Lu Zelian's unit arrived at the observation hole at the south end of the tunnel. Although they couldn't see the full view of the frontal battlefield, they could see the enemy's situation through the flanks.

"Elite, absolutely elite. Their tactical proficiency is extremely high, even surpassing that of the 1st Marine Division we fought against before."

The 187th Regiment immediately distinguished itself from the previous attacking forces upon its arrival.

The vanguard was an assault team, followed by a fire support team consisting of heavy machine guns, 60mm mortars, and recoilless rifles.

Fifty meters behind the fire support team was the second assault echelon, forming a deep deployment for continuous attacks.

Before the assault, mortars would first fire smoke grenades to cover small squads and platoons, thus dispersing their formations for probing attacks.

Once they have ascertained the strength and firepower of the defending troops, they will support the charge with a high-density barrage of artillery fire.

Watching the American troops attacking in small groups of three to five, Lu Ze felt as if he were seeing the Second Chief's apprentice.

Rubbing his eyes, Lu Ze said incredulously, "Damn it, what's wrong with the US military? They've stopped using firepower coverage and concentrated assaults, and are now playing small-scale troop tactics?"

Zhuang Licheng, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "It's just a small group of soldiers, but it seems that the US military has only learned the superficial aspects and not the essence."

"The initial feint and the coordination between infantry and artillery were very well executed, and the second echelon was also well prepared, but the offensive was rather disappointing."

"I think what they're using shouldn't be called a swarm tactic, but rather a suicide tactic."

In addition to avoiding clustering together, small-unit swarm tactics also require ensuring continuous attacks.

The groups of soldiers, whether in time or space, must respond to and support each other; otherwise, those in front will simply be throwing their lives away.

Sure enough, the soldiers of the 1st Company were having a blast. American soldiers kept sending groups of them up, and the soldiers were racking up kills one group after another. They were having an incredibly satisfying time.

However, the 187th Regiment is not only capable of these things.

Upon discovering that their attack had failed, they decisively retreated to their starting positions and set up T-shaped air-to-ground signs to guide the bombers in bombing the positions, while simultaneously preparing for the next attack.

(End of this chapter)