Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

While Li Yunlong was commanding the Western Group in combat, Kong Jie was also commanding the Eastern Group to launch an attack.

The Eastern Group's mission was to break through the defenses of the Southern 3rd Division and the Southern 8th Division, join forces with the Western Group at Hill 630, and then cooperate with the Central Group to completely annihilate the enemy forces within the encirclement.

As soon as the artillery preparations were completed, the 41st and 53rd Regiments set off from Longhudong and Songshili respectively, launching simultaneous attacks on the southern and western ferry crossings of the Jinjiang River.

In an effort to buy time, the 3rd Division of the South used artillery to create a fire blockade in the valley on the east side.

However, before they could even catch their breath, gunshots rang out from behind them.

Kong Jie adopted a two-pronged approach: launching a frontal attack while also sending special forces to infiltrate behind enemy lines.

A special operations squadron and a reconnaissance company infiltrated behind the 3rd Division of the South and launched a surprise attack on the two crossings of the Jinjiang River.

Upon learning that the garrison at the ferry crossing was suffering repeated defeats, An Zhixun, commander of the 3rd Division of the South, decisively ordered:
"The 34th Reserve Regiment shall be moved forward immediately to rebuild the defensive line, while the 35th Regiment at the front shall be withdrawn to establish a second line of defense."

"Tell the soldiers not to worry about the enemy behind them; it's just a small group of enemies launching a sneak attack."

The 34th Regiment obeyed orders immediately and advanced against the wind, preparing to engage the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

But they soon realized something was wrong.

"Commander, the 35th Regiment has escaped!"

"Ran?!"

"Ran!"

"They didn't even set up positions in the designated areas; the 35th Regiment is already in a semi-out-of-control state!"

"Damn it!" The commander of the 34th Regiment was truly furious; this was blatant betrayal.

With the 35th Regiment gone, it's impossible for the 34th Regiment alone to establish a complete defense.

The Volunteer Army wouldn't even need to fight him; they could easily outflank and surround the 34th Regiment from the side, leaving the 34th Regiment with no chance of survival.

"Contact the division headquarters immediately and request reinforcements!"

"Yes, sir!"
At this point, the commander of the 34th Regiment had not given up.

If reinforcements can come to their aid from behind the 34th Regiment, they can still fight.

Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion of the 53rd Regiment of the 5th Division of Army B was accelerating its infiltration behind enemy lines in an attempt to control the enemy's escape route to the south.

A scout ran up: "Battalion Commander! We've spotted a 107mm mortar battery position up ahead!"

Upon hearing the enemy artillery, the 2nd Battalion Commander did not hesitate and turned around to shout, "4th Company Commander!"

"To!"

"Take men and take over the artillery positions. Have the prisoners turn their cannons around and bombard the enemy positions to disrupt their plans!"

"Yes!"

Although the South Korean artillery positions also had two heavy machine guns, they were clearly no match for the Volunteer Army's strong offensive.

In just a few minutes, the 4th Company completed the occupation of the position.

The South Korean artillery readily complied with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's order to shell the South Korean forces.

Whether out of fear or not, they fought the South Korean army with even greater fervor than they fought the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, firing shell after shell rapidly from the cannon barrels.

Soldiers of the 34th Regiment of the South, suddenly attacked by their own men, began to curse and their original plan to retreat had to be temporarily changed to anti-artillery defense.

When they finished defending against the artillery fire and tried to retreat, they suddenly discovered that their retreat route was blocked.

The commander of the 34th Regiment wanted to break out by force, but by this time the morale of the soldiers in the 34th Regiment had already hit rock bottom, and they were simply unable to organize a priority attack.

After two attempts, the 34th Regiment in the south had no choice but to send a telegram to the division headquarters requesting assistance.

Upon learning that the 34th Regiment was surrounded, An Zhixun was extremely anxious, but he had no other good ideas.

The 35th Regiment has not yet returned to its original unit, so even if we wanted to send reinforcements, we couldn't.

After thinking for a long time, An Zhixun said, "Send an order to the 34th Regiment, telling them that the howitzer positions on the south bank will concentrate all their firepower on the north bank."

"This is the 34th Regiment's only chance. We must seize this opportunity to break through the blockade. Once we reach the riverbank, we can find a way to help them retreat back to the south bank."

Now, the 3rd Division in the south can be said to have reached a point where they can make a profit from every business they run.

However, the 34th Regiment of the South was also unlucky. It had just been hit by its own 107mm mortars and was then suddenly bombarded by howitzers.

Hiding in the underground command post, the chief of staff of the 34th Regiment of the South had bloodshot eyes.

"Commander, does this mean the higher-ups don't want the 34th Regiment anymore?"

"If you don't want it, just say so. There's no need to send us out only to bomb us!"

"These bastards, why weren't they this dedicated when they were fighting the Chinese People's Volunteer Army?!"

The commander of the 34th Regiment of the South, who was standing to the side, was speechless.

He never imagined things would develop this way.

While the 34th Regiment headquarters was shrouded in gloom, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army took advantage of the enemy's unstable morale to launch an attack.

As the last group to enter the fray, the middle lane group experienced the longest shelling time here.

Ding Wei bombarded the area for a full two hours.

The front-line positions of the 6th Division in the south, except for the tunnels on the back slope, were almost completely ransacked.

Ding Wei glanced at his watch and stood up.

"It's almost time. Order the artillery to extend backward, and all units to launch the attack as planned."

Upon receiving the order, the 243rd Regiment of the 24th Detachment launched an attack.

Eight minutes later, the 7th Company was the first to storm the high ground north of the South Army's forward fortifications.
Inside the headquarters of the 6th Division of the South, Kim Jun-ho looked at the small red flags on the sand table that were constantly encroaching on his own space, his expression very serious.

Judging from the current situation, the advance preparations of the 6th Division of the South have had some effect, but the offensive of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army is still very fierce, and the 6th Division of the South is finding it difficult to cope.

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army's flanking attack was blocked by the blocking positions they had set up in advance, but the enemy launched a strong attack from the front.

Ten minutes ago, the red flag representing the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was already planted on Hill 13.

After thinking for a while, Jin Junhao asked, "What's the situation with the Capital Division, the 8th Division, and the 3rd Division?"

“Not optimistic.” The chief of staff shook his head: “The 8th Division has not been attacked yet because it is tucked between the 3rd Division and our division, but the positions of the Capital Division and the 6th Division have been breached.”

"We have no way of knowing how the fight has progressed."

"Damn it," Kim Jun-ho cursed, though it was unclear who he was cursing at.

According to intelligence, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has once again divided its forces, and it seems that it will still try to outflank the enemy from the flanks to form a pincer attack.

This tactic was simple and brutal, like an endless nesting doll, but Kim Jun-ho had no way to counter it.

"Human wave tactics! The Volunteer Army must have used human wave tactics!" Jin Junhao said through gritted teeth.

Although each unit of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army was small, the entire battlefield was filled with an offensive posture, which made Kim Jun-ho feel somewhat desperate.

The chief of staff immediately suggested, "Sir, the best strategy to deal with human wave tactics is artillery barrage."

"In order to inflict maximum damage, I think we should call in air support in addition to the five artillery battalions we have."

Jin Junhao pointed to the sand table and ordered, "The artillery battalion will fire first, setting up a barrage between positions 8 and 11. Once the bombers arrive, have them continue bombing backwards." "Yes, sir!"
The continuous 20-minute aerial bombardment and artillery barrage slowed the progress of the central force.

However, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers continued to chip away at the South Korean positions bit by bit, despite the artillery fire.

In order to retake the position, Kim Jun-ho also continuously sent reinforcements.

Both sides will often fight over a single position repeatedly, sometimes even more than ten times.

However, just as Kim Jun-ho gritted his teeth, preparing to stake all the resources of the South 6th Division here, the South 3rd Division collapsed.

The defenses of the 8th Division in the south collapsed instantly, like dominoes falling.

The right flank, which was originally defended by two divisions, was now wide open.

Upon hearing this news, Kim Jun-ho slumped into his chair.

"It's over. It's all over!"

With its flank breached, the 6th Division of the South would be lucky to avoid total annihilation, let alone withstand a frontal attack.

Seeing Jin Junhao's ashen face, as if he had lost all his energy, the chief of staff said urgently:

"Sir, our most important task now is to retreat. Even if we can't retreat directly to a safe place, we should try to move south as much as possible."

Kim Jun-ho also realized that now was not the time to be sad. Even if they retreated to await rescue, they still had a chance to survive.

"Prepare to evacuate immediately and retreat to Baiyanli as quickly as possible."

"The 39th, 40th, and 41st Regiments will retreat in turn to cover the artillery's advance retreat!"

Kim Jun-ho's order was to retreat in alternations, but once they got to the ground, the various units of the Southern Army did not alternate at all.

What was originally a fairly secure position instantly turned into a race.

Whether you survive or not depends entirely on how fast you run.

By 5 p.m., 20 hours into the battle, the various units of the 4th Army Corps had leveled the battle line with Wufangling.

At the same time, Li Yunlong's 9th Division also pushed the Wufangling front a large area southward, cutting off the US military's route to support Yincheng from Tiehua.

Inside the battle command post, Chen Chengxing was somewhat pleasantly surprised as he looked at the Southern Army, which was sandwiched between Ding Wei, Kong Jie, and Li Yunlong.

"The original plan was to wipe out the 6th Division of the South and cripple the other divisions, but unexpectedly, two regiments from the 8th Division of the South and the 3rd Division of the South also fell into the encirclement."

Xu Wu, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "The Southern Army can be said to have panicked and acted recklessly this time. Just a few small-scale flanking forces scared a large number of Southern troops into changing direction."

Chen Chengxing slammed his hand on the table. "If we don't accept the gifts that the Southern Army has brought to our door, it would seem like we don't know any manners."

"Order all units to implement the guiding principle of steady and relentless fighting, and on the premise of consolidating the occupied areas and ensuring the integrity of the encirclement, each unit should use a part to expand the results of the battle."

"Once the artillery is in position, bombard the ground with artillery fire!"

Clark flew urgently to the front lines from the Ironclad UN Command and immediately convened a meeting of senior officers.

"I don't understand, how could we lose 195 square kilometers of land in just 20 hours?!"

If it were when the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had just entered Korea, Clark would not have been surprised by the outcome of this battle, but now it was the end of the campaign.

The Southern army has been fighting for so many years, how come it's still like a balloon, bursting at the slightest touch.

No one could answer Clark's question, or rather, they didn't want to answer it.

The commanders of the Capital Division, the 3rd Division of the South, and the 8th Division of the South who escaped were still shaken.

In the previous Battle of Wufangling, the US military took the lead, and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's attention was entirely focused on the US military. At that time, the South Korean army did not feel anything was wrong.

However, when the South Korean army turned its attention to itself, it realized that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, which had come up with firepower, was too strong in combat. The South Korean army was like a child, easily kicked to the ground.

Seeing the silent crowd, Clark didn't say anything more. After giving a few reprimands, he had his staff pull back the curtain on the wall.

Pointing to the map on the wall, Clark said, "Regardless of whether we need to negotiate or not, we must take back the lost territory, otherwise the Chinese People's Volunteer Army will have a huge advantage."

"My plan is for the US 3rd Division to attack from Tiehua, open up the road to support Yincheng, and then advance from west to east."

“南1师、7师、9师、11师，会同3师、8师、首都师余部，由白尚业统一指挥，正面发起进攻！”

"Seven artillery battalions in the Yincheng area, as well as the 7th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division of the General Reserve, were assigned to the South Army."

"I have only one request: at all costs, open up the passage to facilitate the retreat of the 6th Division of the South, and at the same time recapture Chifeng Mountain to block the Volunteer Army's continued southward advance."

To ensure that no problems arose, Clark meticulously planned the attack direction and operational objectives for each division.

After the meeting, a staff officer hesitated for a moment before asking, "Sir, are we really going to let the South Koreans command the 7th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division?"

Upon hearing this, Clark immediately realized what was happening.

Oh no, I got a little tipsy earlier.

How can South Koreans be qualified to command the US military, especially an elite unit like the 1st Marine Division?

"Your reminder is timely. If the 7th Marine Regiment receives the order, they will definitely complain."

"Immediately amend the order: the 1st Marine Division will not participate in this battle, and will instead be supported by the newly trained 1st Marine Regiment of the South Korean Army."

Bai Shangye was furious when he learned that Clark had changed his mind so frequently.

Although they are both Marines, can they be the same?

The Southern Dynasty's First Marine Regiment was entirely composed of extremely new recruits, and their combat effectiveness was extremely low.

"What do you mean?!" Bai Shangye slammed his fist on the table, his face full of anger.

"If a US corps commander can command a Confederate division commander, why can't I, a deputy corps commander, command a US regimental commander?!"

No one spoke in the command post.

Most of the people present had experienced Japanese colonialism, and they knew very well that no matter how much the South Korean government was now shouting about democracy, it was no different from being Japan's lapdog back then.

Dogs cannot command people.

After cursing and swearing for a few minutes, Bai Jingye finally stopped, feeling helpless.

"Order the artillery units to launch a fire strike!"

He now has a total of 15 artillery battalions under his command, and he believes that even without the American forces, he can recapture the lost territory.

Meanwhile, the artillery of the 4th Army Corps had been waiting for a long time, and an artillery duel broke out immediately.

Bai Jingye attempted to launch an attack with his infantry, but in such a fierce artillery battle, the infantry had no chance to speak.

Before they even saw any Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers, the South Korean army, after being subjected to a barrage of fire, abandoned the corpses and retreated, never daring to launch another attack.

Bai Jingye had no choice but to temporarily halt his attack.

By 7:30 a.m. the next morning, after all the troops were basically in place, a barrage of artillery fire once again fiercely bombarded the main positions of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

This time, a large number of bombers also appeared over the position.

Under the cover of artillery and aircraft, the Confederate infantry launched another attack.

(End of this chapter)