Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

"Commander, the Indian army is using helicopters to transport supplies to Hill 07. Our scouts have also discovered that the enemy is setting up heavy machine guns at the pass below Hill 05."

"It must be that the 4th Company on Hill 05 was discovered by the enemy."

Upon hearing the chief of staff's report, Li Ruyi was startled.

"Hill 07 and the pass below?"

Hill 05 is located right in the middle of these two points. The enemy is making moves from both ends at the same time, so they must be trying to attack Hill 05 from both sides.

Li Ruyi urgently ordered, "Have the 4th Company strengthen its preparations. They must hold the position no matter what. The 2nd Battalion must assemble immediately and be ready to provide rescue at any time!"

“Old Li, it’s not time yet. If we act without instructions, what if our superiors investigate?” Political Commissar Kong Wenhua pulled Li Ruyi aside.

If the Indian army launches an offensive against Hill 05, the 4th Company can certainly launch a counterattack, but if the 211th Regiment pushes forward, it could very well turn into a decisive battle.

Li Ruyi said, "Of course I know that. If we were to take action, we would definitely have to report to our superiors. But for now, we are just making preparations."

Kong Wenhua slapped his thigh in exasperation.

He knew Li Ruyi's plans very well; this was a long-standing tradition of the Second Army.

Kong Wenhua now only hopes that the Indian army has not discovered the movements of the 211th Regiment.

Just as the 211th Regiment headquarters was on high alert, Raj, the battalion commander of the 5th Battalion of Jet, was standing on a hillside not far from the pass, observing the situation on Hill 05 with binoculars.

"Fortunately, they took the initiative to compete with us, otherwise it would have been really difficult to eliminate them."

"Now that we have this central force, we can present their heads as a gift to the Premier."

Tomorrow is Nehru's birthday, and Raji wants to give Nehru a big victory as a birthday present, and also move his own position higher.

"Major, this is all thanks to Shiva's blessing." The staff officer beside him clasped his hands together.

"Shiva, please protect us." Everyone put their hands together.

After putting his hands down, Raji's expression turned serious: "Pass on my order, attack!"

With Raj's order, Indian troops launched a simultaneous attack on Hill 05 from both sides.

Seeing that the enemy had begun to attack, the soldiers of the 4th Company on Hill 05 stopped hiding and opened fire.

By this time, the Chinese army had completed its equipment upgrade, giving it a firepower two generations ahead of the Indian army.

Indian troops launched several assaults involving hundreds of soldiers, all of which were easily repelled.

If the Indian soldiers hadn't already maximized their survival skills, the casualties from these few charges alone would have been devastating.

However, even though Indian soldiers are fighting primarily to save their lives, casualties are gradually increasing.

With casualties approaching 100, Raj couldn't hold back any longer. Keep in mind, Jet Battalion only had 900 men in total.

Although the number of Indian soldiers who die more or less doesn't affect him, he will be ridiculed by other battalion commanders during meetings.

"Infantry, halt your attack. Mortars on position 7, open fire to provide fire coverage for position 5."

The staff officer standing nearby reported, "Major, there aren't many shells airlifted up. If we launch a large-scale fire campaign, the shells will probably run out very quickly."

Raj waved his hand: "Let's fight first, and then we'll have the helicopter transport it. We must present this gift to the Prime Minister tomorrow."

"yes!".
The Indian army's three 81mm mortars began firing shells wildly.

Inside the forward command post, Li Ruyi stood at the observation hole to observe the situation on Hill 05.

The chief of staff put down the phone, walked over to Li Ruyi, and reported:

"Commander, the situation in the 4th Company is not too serious. The soldiers are hiding in the artillery shelters and there are no casualties."

"However, the location of Hill 07 is somewhat tricky, and it is impossible to return fire with 60mm mortars from Hill 05."

"Tell them to hold on." Li Ruyi said without turning his head.

"Although the enemy has an artillery advantage, their attack can only advance along the mountain ridge. With the firepower of the 4th Company, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

The 211th Regiment's six 100mm mortars had already been set up, but since it wasn't time as stipulated by higher authorities, his heavy mortar company couldn't fire yet.

Otherwise, a single volley of fire from a heavy mortar company could change the course of the battle.

However, even though the 4th Company did not receive any support, its position remained unshaken.

After a relentless 12-hour offensive, it was already late at night, and the Indian army had no choice but to halt and prepare to fight again the next day.

Seeing that the Indian troops had finally behaved themselves, the 4th Company Commander spat and said, "Damn it, now it's my turn!"

"Instructor, you lead the 2nd and 3rd platoons to hold the position, and I'll lead the 1st platoon to take position 07!"

"No, we don't have Hill 07 yet. Let's see how the Indians fight it!"

Looking towards Hill 07 in the darkness, the instructor said, "Position 07 is not easy to attack. It will be difficult for anyone to attack along the mountain ridge."

Just as difficult for the Indian army to attack the 05 position, the same was true for the 4th Company to attack the 07 position.

Such a narrow mountain ridge could be sealed off by a single heavy machine gun.

“I’ve thought about this,” the company commander explained. “Today, when the Indian troops attacked, they mainly used Lee-Enfield rifles, Sten submachine guns, and Bruin light machine guns. Their heavy machine guns are water-cooled, which is our opportunity.”

Water-cooled heavy machine guns are not only inconvenient to transport, but also cannot be fired for extended periods in high-altitude areas where water is scarce.

The general-purpose machine guns in the 4th Regiment are sufficient to counter the Indian Army's heavy machine guns, and their firepower sustainability may even be better.

The instructor thought for a moment and nodded: "The Indian army probably won't attack Hill 05 tonight. Take two more large-caliber heavy machine guns with you as fire support, and leave one on the position."

"Sure." The 4th Company Commander did not refuse.

Since he is going to attack Hill 07, even if the Indian army counterattacks, Hill 05 will only be attacked from one side, and one heavy machine gun will be enough.

After a brief preparation, the 4th Company Commander led 23 soldiers to charge towards the enemy's position.

Along the way, the soldiers captured four firing points in succession. It wasn't until they advanced to the unnamed hill west of Position 7 that the Indian army finally reacted and brought out all three of their heavy machine guns to block them.

In the darkness, tracer bullets wove together a dense web of fire.

Seeing that the Indian army had brought out all their heavy machine guns without reservation, the 4th Company Commander used a flashlight to signal to the rear.

Two 12.7mm heavy machine guns began firing.

Compared to a 7.7mm heavy machine gun, the 12.7mm heavy machine gun is overwhelmingly powerful.

The bunkers built by the Indian army on Hill 7 were completely ineffective against the fire of the 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

The bunkers and the Indian troops inside them were all pulverized by bullets.

The Indian commander on Hill 07 nearly popped his eyes out.

"That's impossible! How can a heavy machine gun move with infantry?!"

The Indian Army is also equipped with the M2 heavy machine gun, but infantrymen simply cannot handle it, so it is not deployed in mountain troops.

The three Vickers heavy machine guns and three 81mm mortars on position 7 have already caused the Indian army great difficulty, and helicopters have been used for ammunition resupply.

As a result, the Chinese army has now directly pointed 12.7mm heavy machine guns at the heads of the Indian army.
The soldiers ignored the Indian troops' shock.

After destroying all the enemy's fortifications, the Indian army no longer had the ability to stop the attack.

The soldiers charged directly into the Indian army's positions.

Although the Indian army had an infantry platoon and various reinforced firepower groups on the position, they were still slaughtered and scattered all over the place when faced with 23 Chinese soldiers.

The soldiers strictly followed the instructions of their superiors.

As the gunfire from the direction of Hill 07 went from intense to silent, Raj, who had been awakened from his sleep, looked increasingly grim.

The Indian and Chinese armies use different weapons, and the gunshots sound different, so Raj could naturally tell which side had the advantage by the sound of the gunshots.

The commotion just now clearly indicates that the Indian troops on Hill 07 have been surrounded.

As the gunfire ceased, a staff officer approached: "Sir, we've lost contact with the position."

"I can tell!" Raji roared. "Send orders to the troops at the pass to withdraw to their positions!"

"Yes, Major!"

The staff officer, having been scolded, hurriedly retreated.

The deputy battalion commander standing nearby said, "With the loss of position number 7, we probably won't be able to eliminate the enemy on position number 5 today."

If you can't eliminate the enemy, you naturally can't offer a gift.

"Forget it, let's pretend nothing happened." Raj waved his hand. "Let's make preparations again, take back Hill 07 first, and then slowly take Hill 05."

Raj believed that the loss of Hill 05 and Hill 07 was due to Indian army negligence, which allowed the Chinese army to take advantage of the situation.

He felt that as long as Jet Battalion got serious, the position could be easily captured.

"I'll dispatch a helicopter for reconnaissance immediately."

Both Hill 5 and Hill 7 have extremely rugged terrain, making it virtually impossible to use scouts to gather intelligence.

Raj nodded and instructed, "Don't rush. The enemy doesn't dare to continue attacking, and we still hold the absolute initiative."

"Also, be careful not to make big movements; our goal is to squeeze gradually."

"Yes!"

The Indian army's preparations were very slow, usually taking several days, so the area around Saizhang Lake became eerily quiet again.

Li Ruyi was unaware that the Indian army was moving so slowly; he simply assumed that the Indian army was not making any moves.

This relieved Li Ruyi.

India's sudden counterattack resulted in them being pushed back a position.

If the two sides were to engage in a full-scale battle, it could very likely affect the higher-ups' strategy, and that would be an unforgivable tragedy.

However, although the Indian army stopped moving, the incident still made the Central Staff somewhat nervous.

To prevent the Indian army from reacting and reinforcing its troops, the higher command decided to launch the attack ahead of schedule.

On October 20, the various departments that had completed their deployment began operations.

Because they needed to march covertly, and because the area was mountainous and densely forested with many impassable cliffs, the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 211th Regiment set off separately in the middle of the night.

By 6:00 a.m., the 2nd Battalion of the 211th Regiment had also secretly assembled a few hundred meters away from the Indian army's position.

As dawn broke and the troops began a large-scale operation, the Indian army noticed the anomaly and immediately went into combat readiness.

"Based on the war case studies compiled by the United States in Korea, the enemy should be launching a human wave attack next."

Raji straightened his collar: "Tell the soldiers to unleash full firepower and reap the lives of the enemy!"

"Yes!"

Inside the bunker, the Indian troops were bursting with confidence, each soldier seemingly possessed by a Brahman war god.

The sound of bolts being pulled back filled the air as they prepared to enjoy the thrill of mowing down a large area.

However, the human wave charge that the Indian army had imagined did not occur.

Or rather, the Indian troops didn't see a single person; instead, they heard shrieking sounds from the sky.

Immediately afterwards, the Indian army's forward positions, which had already been marked, were subjected to mortar fire.

Although the 100mm mortar is less powerful than the 120mm mortar, it is more than enough to deal with Indian army bunkers.

With just one salvo, the Indian army's foremost bunkers were directly destroyed.

The Indian troops behind were stunned.

"The enemy is utterly lacking in martial ethics; instead of charging, they've resorted to bombarding us with heavy artillery!"

"Stop talking, get out of here! The bunker is just a sitting duck in front of heavy artillery!"

Before the battle, Indian soldiers never expected to be bombarded by heavy artillery.

The Indian soldiers didn't care whether the Chinese had identified all the bunkers or not, and they retreated in a chaotic rush.

The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion were stunned as they watched the Indian troops fleeing in panic; they hadn't even made a move yet.

The companies and platoons called the battalion headquarters directly, requesting to take the initiative.

The 2nd Battalion Commander laughed: "Damn, our mission was a feint attack. Is this a failure or a success?"

When formulating the mission, Li Ruyi did not plan the next steps for the 2nd Battalion at all.

After all, no one could have imagined that the Indian troops would run away without either side taking photos.

However, given the current situation, it seems there is no other option but to pursue them.

The 2nd Battalion ordered: "Call the regimental headquarters and immediately cease shelling. All platoons, advance and pursue!"

The artillery company that received the notification was also completely bewildered.

We just warmed up, how did it end already?

When the Indian soldiers in the second-line bunkers saw their comrades running back frantically, their words filled with terror, their previous confidence vanished instantly.

Upon seeing the Chinese troops appear, regardless of whether their positions were suitable or not, the Indian army's machine guns immediately began firing wildly.

Although water-cooled machine guns have many inconveniences, their firepower is exceptionally fierce when there is sufficient water.

The assault team was unable to break through to the front line for a while.

Inside the command post, seeing that the Indian troops had stopped running, Li Ruyi immediately ordered the artillery positions to prepare for covering fire.

However, he was somewhat puzzled as he looked at the flames shooting out from the Indian army's bunker.

"Bring me the map," Chief of Staff Li Ruyi gestured.

Looking at the map spread out in front of him, Li Ruyi drew a few circles on it and then drew a few lines.

"What's wrong?" Kong Wenhua asked from the side.

“The Indian army’s bunkers are placed incorrectly,” Li Ruyi said with a hint of surprise.

"Something's not right? What's wrong?" Kong Wenhua immediately raised his binoculars and looked over: "The enemy's firepower is fierce, and the river is completely blocked."

“The enemy’s firepower is indeed very strong, but look over there.” Li Ruyi pointed to the other side of the hill: “There are several bunkers there as well.”

Following the defensive line pointed out by Li Ruyi, Kong Wenhua immediately spotted four or five isolated bunkers on the edge of the Indian army's position.

After figuring out the locations of the bunkers, Kong Wenhua looked down at the map.

He also found something wrong.

"Did the Indian army anticipate our battle plan?"

According to intelligence gathered, apart from one company in Hebei, the rest of the Indian Army's Jet Battalion's positions were all in Henan.

The Indian army's deployment was not wrong; this formation could effectively pincer attack the 211th Regiment attacking Yanhedao.

This is also why Li Ruyi sent his main force to take a roundabout route, even though this roundabout route was extremely difficult.

However, if the Indian army wanted to attack the river from both sides, it should not have placed bunkers on the flanks.

These bunkers are completely in conflict with the main bunker complex; if one side fires, the other side has no firing range.

The chief of staff standing nearby said, "Is the Indian army trying to cover its rear flank?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the chief of staff overturned his own judgment.

"That's not right either. The Indian army's main positions were built in a standard way, but these bunkers were obviously built later."

“No need to think about it,” Li Ruyi said. “Eliminate all the impossibilities, and what’s left is the only possibility, no matter how incredible it may seem.”

Pointing to the map, Li Ruyi asserted, "The Indian army must be planning to ambush us from both sides in this ravine!"

"I have to say, their prediction was damn accurate! India has definitely studied our army's combat habits."

Below the Indian army's position in Hebei, there is a ravine. Li Ruyi's original plan was to use this ravine to encircle the Indian army in Hebei.

Kong Wenhua pointed to the hilltop opposite the Indian army's bunker complex and said, "If the Indian army wants to launch a pincer attack, there must be Indian army positions on that hilltop."

Li Ruyi nodded: "Whether the Indian army is trying to ambush us or not, we can tell at a glance."

A pincer attack requires both sides to work together; you can't achieve a pincer attack from just one side.

"Chief of staff, send a reconnaissance team to investigate and find out the enemy situation on this hill."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)