Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Inside the command post, Chen Chengxing convened an operational meeting, which was also attended by Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Kong Jie.

"At the negotiating table, the Americans once again expressed their dissatisfaction, and even threatened us with the strength of the US military."

"Don't they even consider whether they have the capability?"

"The headquarters has applied for the operation, and the Central Committee has approved it. The Americans want to negotiate? Then let's launch a punitive operation. In the next phase, we'll target the US military!"

As soon as Chen Chengxing finished speaking, Kong Jie immediately said, "This time we absolutely have to go! We suffered such a huge loss before, and we haven't gotten our revenge yet. We can't let the American devils just leave like that."

Kong Jie knew very well that no matter how the fighting went on, the Korean War was not far from ending.

He still has a large number of soldiers under his command who haven't killed American soldiers yet; once the war ends, they won't have that chance.

Li Yunlong and Ding Wei, who were standing to the side, also spoke up, afraid that they would be left out in the cold.

Listening to the chatter of the group, Chen Chengxing waved his hands repeatedly.

"There's a chance! There's a chance!"

After the group quieted down, Chen Chengxing continued, "The higher-ups have given us the operational guidelines for this counterattack: fight steadily and fiercely."

"In other words, the essence of this battle is, first and foremost, stability."

"We cannot fight without being prepared. Even if we do fight, the initial force should not exceed one battalion. We can gradually expand the force based on the results of the initial battles."

Li Yunlong asked with some confusion, "What do you mean by 'ready'? Which of our units isn't ready to fight at any time?"

“Old Li, that’s a very good question,” Chen Chengxing explained. “According to the headquarters, we should prepare to calmly deal with a large-scale counter-offensive by the US military before launching an offensive.”

"It should be at least two or three times the size of the battle at Wufangling. If we don't have enough reserve troops, then we shouldn't fight."

"But you don't need to worry about that. I will take care of everything. You can move around according to your designated areas."

After saying that, Chen Chengxing continued to explain: "You all understand the word 'steady,' so the word 'ruthless' is easy to understand."

"If you can't hurt the U.S. military, don't launch an attack."

"If we do not attack, we will not attack; if we attack, we will surely win."

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing's words, Ding Wei said, "The requirements from the headquarters this time are very high."

"We must ensure that we are in an invincible position, and also give the US military a good beating."

"We must inflict heavy damage on the enemy in order to advance the negotiation process."

“Old Ding is right.” Chen Chengxing nodded.

"Now is the crucial moment for negotiations. The American devils are threatening us with atomic bombs. Let's show them whether atomic bombs are effective or not."

"I think those American devils are incompetent; all they can do is hold onto an atomic bomb and try to scare people," Li Yunlong said disdainfully. "Let them drop it if they want; what's there to be afraid of?"

Ding Wei said with a serious expression, "We still need to take the atomic bomb seriously and be wary of it."

Chen Chengxing reassured him, "The atomic bomb is a problem, but it's not a huge problem."

"The core factor in resolving war is the army. Only when the army occupies the position can it be considered a true occupation."

"We are now very close to the UN forces on the front lines, and we are in the mountains, so atomic bombs are not very effective."

Although the US military still threatens to use atomic bombs, it no longer dares to talk about bombing the Chinese mainland.

Even if they were to use atomic bombs to bomb the logistics of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, the troops on the front lines would still be able to rout the UN forces.

After giving a brief explanation, Chen Chengxing said to the group, "The 4th Army Corps has stockpiled a lot of supplies. There is enough food to last until October, 18 basic loads of bullets, 28 basic loads of mortar shells, and 16 basic loads of howitzer shells."

"You can start building freely this time. The logistics department of the Volunteer Army has plenty of supplies and can replenish and transport them at any time."

Upon hearing that the terms were so good, Li Yunlong's face immediately lit up with a broad smile.

"Old Chen, Old Chen, if you approve two rocket artillery battalions for me, and spare two more howitzer battalions, I guarantee I'll slaughter a few more American devils."

Upon hearing that Li Yunlong wanted something, Ding Wei and Kong Jie immediately perked up.

However, neither of them spoke. If Li Yunlong could get his hands on it, they certainly wouldn't be able to escape.

“We don’t have that many rocket launchers,” Chen Chengxing shook his head.

This counterattack was a frontline counterattack, and the General Staff could not possibly allocate all its firepower to the 4th Army Corps.

Just as Li Yunlong was looking embarrassed, Chen Chengxing's next words made everyone smile.

"The headquarters has reinforced a total of one rocket artillery regiment and one artillery division. The Second Division doesn't want them; give them all to you."

“你们每人1个火箭炮营、2个122毫米榴弹炮营、1个152毫米榴弹炮营。”

"With your own artillery regiments and battalions, your firepower should be more than sufficient."

"Thank you, Lao Chen! It's true what they say, old comrades-in-arms are the best!"

Li Yunlong was just taking a chance, but unexpectedly, four artillery battalions fell from the sky.

This made Li Yunlong beam with joy.

"Li Yunlong, don't grin like a lotus flower. I'm warning you beforehand."

"Don't worry, I guarantee I'll beat those American devils to a pulp!"

According to the orders of the headquarters, each unit was to seek opportunities to fight on its own, so there was no unified arrangement for the timing of the attack.

On the evening of May 13, Chen Chengxing personally gave the order to fire the first shot of the counterattack.

Mount Corey, a company-sized position, where the U.S. military deployed a reinforced company.

The Second Army only deployed one infantry company here, but in terms of artillery, it deployed two howitzer regiments and one rocket artillery regiment from the entire artillery detachment.

At Chen Chengxing's command, the artillery began firing in unison.

As meteors fell, Mount Corey was engulfed in a violent explosion.

In less than half an hour, the artillery had fired 8 shells, turning the small hill of Kori Mountain, which was less than 1 square kilometer in size, upside down.

The U.S. troops defending Mount Corey never imagined they would suffer such a fierce attack.

However, before the American troops could even cry out in despair, they suddenly discovered that 14 heavy tanks had appeared at the foot of the mountain.

Behind the tank was a reinforced company of the 211th Regiment.

Although the heavy artillery of the artillery unit ceased firing, tanks and mortars of various calibers continued to bombard the area.

Faced with the fierce attack of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, the American troops didn't even have time to react before their bayonets were already pressed against their chests.

Just over twenty minutes later, an entire reinforced company of US troops, totaling 220 men, was wiped out.

Upon learning of the devastating defeat at Corey Hill, Robert, commander of the U.S. 3rd Division, rushed to the 66th Regiment's headquarters overnight.

Upon entering, Robert slammed his fist on the table, pointed at Battelle, the commander of the 66th Regiment, and roared, "Tell me, how did your troops manage to do that?!"

"How did the enemy manage to capture a well-defended hilltop position in less than an hour?!"

The 66th Regiment was an elite unit of the US Army. During World War II in the European theater, while allied forces around them were defeated, the 66th Regiment held their ground and fought to the death, buying time for reinforcements to be deployed. How did it come to this?
Bader, looking somewhat grim, explained, "Sir, you know the 66th Regiment, this really can't be blamed on us."

"The enemy used a large number of artillery pieces, and the defensive fortifications of Kori Mountain were almost completely destroyed by artillery fire. Then they used a large number of tanks as cover, and my troops were suppressed and could not raise their heads."

The U.S. 66th Regiment constructed a comprehensive defensive fortification system on Mount Corey, including barbed wire, landmines, and bunkers, among which were many concrete bunkers.

However, these bunkers were not very effective against heavy artillery.

"I know the enemy can use artillery, but that's no excuse for your defeat!"

"The hilltops of Wufangling were flattened by artillery shells, but the Volunteer Army still held them. Why couldn't you hold them?!"

This is a crucial juncture in the negotiations. If Corey suffers a major defeat, the negotiating team will inevitably be at a disadvantage.

When Robert mentioned Five Directions Ridge, Bader fell silent.

It wasn't that he didn't want to hold the position, but he was simply powerless to do so. He didn't even have time to send reinforcements before the position was lost.

Of course, the artillery positions weren't too late, but they were afraid of being countered by the Volunteer Army's artillery, so they didn't dare to fire, since the enemy's artillery fire was really fierce.

Throughout the entire battle, the 66th Regiment fired only 12 60mm shells, and those were fired by the defenders of Kori Mountain themselves.

Seeing the silent Badr, Robert angrily issued an ultimatum.

"No matter what, we must take back the position tomorrow. I will send three artillery battalions to support you!"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

“I’m telling you, until a deal is reached, Corey Hill must be in our hands, understand?”

"Yes, sir!"
The next day, Robert's reinforced artillery battalion arrived, but Badr, seeing that it was getting late, didn't dare to make a move at all.

Badr made up some excuse and managed to stall for time.

The US military finally opened fire on the morning of the 15th.

Three artillery battalions and the heavy mortar company under the 66th Regiment opened fire, and Kori Mountain was once again covered by artillery fire.

The US military's artillery preparations lasted from morning until noon.

After noon, the artillery fire began to extend backward, and Badr then sent a company of troops to launch an attack.

However, to the puzzling of the American soldiers, they did not encounter any resistance until they reached the top of the mountain.

There wasn't a single volunteer soldier on the mountain.

Only then did Bader realize that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had withdrawn that very night after the battle the day before yesterday, and that he had worried for nothing all day.

"Fuck! Bluffing!" Badr cursed, his face turning ashen, then ordered, "Have the 3rd Company immediately repair the fortifications to prevent another enemy attack!"

At the same time, Li Chishui also received a report that the US military had recaptured Mount Corey.

Chen Chengxing had to coordinate the overall situation and couldn't focus all his energy on this small position. Therefore, after firing the first shot, he handed over command to Li Chishui.

"The long-awaited day has finally arrived," Li Chishui said with a smile.

The reason he didn't occupy Corey Hill was that he wanted the US military to keep adding fuel to the hill.

"Have the 211th Regiment send another company. This time, the artillery regiment will not conduct artillery preparation. Let's see if we can launch a surprise attack. If the enemy is prepared, then call in artillery fire!"

"yes!".
After nightfall, the 2nd Company of the 211th Regiment quietly made its way towards the direction of Keli Mountain.

The US 66th Regiment lived up to its reputation as an elite unit. Even when the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's elite troops were less than 50 meters away, they continued to reinforce their positions with great urgency.

Seeing that the American troops were focused on digging trenches, the vanguard team immediately used a covered flashlight to send a signal to the rear.

After receiving the signal, the 2nd Company continued to advance for several dozen meters before launching a signal flare into the sky.

A rapid burst of fire from several 82mm and 60mm mortars was met with a shout from the soldiers, who charged toward the American troops.

The American troops, who were engrossed in their work, were caught off guard.

Half an hour later, the 2nd Company abandoned Kori Mountain once again and returned with the spoils and prisoners.

Badr nearly coughed up blood.

He pondered this over and over, but still couldn't figure out what the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was thinking.

However, after the Chinese People's Volunteer Army withdrew, the US military had to redeploy troops to Mount Corey.

This time, Badr learned his lesson. Even when building fortifications, he still pushed the sentry posts far out to prevent another sneak attack.

For the next two days, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army did not launch an attack, which greatly relieved Bader.

That very night, Badr was awakened from his sleep by the sound of artillery fire.

He jumped out of bed and shouted, "Where are you firing?! Where are you firing?!"

"Sir, Mount Corey is under heavy artillery fire!"

Badr rushed to the telescope and saw flames shooting into the sky above Mount Corey.

This time, Li Chishui only mobilized the artillery regiment of the 21st Detachment and the heavy mortars of each regiment, and the firepower was vastly different from Chen Chengxing's first attack.

但是12门122毫米榴弹炮、24门76.2毫米加农炮、18门120毫米重迫击炮形成的火力打击群，足以覆盖科里山这个小山头。

At this moment, the chief of staff also ran over: "Sir, the enemy has dispatched two companies of troops, under the cover of 14 tanks, to launch a blitzkrieg against Kori Mountain. The 4th Company on the position is engaged in a bloody battle!"

Badr turned and shouted, "Organize troops to counterattack immediately!"

However, to Bader's dismay, the 66th Regiment came up empty-handed.

By the time the 2nd Battalion of the 66th Regiment arrived at the position, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had already retreated.

This infuriated Badr, who cursed loudly, feeling like he had been played.

He wanted to fight the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to the death, but they wouldn't even meet his face.

But faced with this situation, he had no other choice.

Although the Chinese People's Volunteer Army also had positions, Bader knew very well that even if the entire 66th Regiment were deployed, it would have no effect.

After a few minutes of rage, Badr reluctantly issued the latest order.

"Have the 6th Company cooperate with the 5th Company to repair the fortifications. Don't just repair the frontal positions; build positions on the reverse slope as well. If there's time, dig a tunnel as well."

Based on Bader's experience, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has already fought once, and the earliest they will fight again is tomorrow night.

It's not difficult to dig a simple tunnel in 24 hours.

Bader was unaware that at 1 a.m. that night, Li Chishui dispatched another company, and at the same time, the artillery fired another salvo.

American soldiers who were digging trenches ran back up the slope, howling in pain.

Ten minutes later, the artillery fire began to extend backward. (End of Chapter)