We promised to develop a game called Candy Crush, what the hell is the Third Reich?

Chapter 224 [The Volunteer Army in Liutan] (4.3k)

of course.

This is merely a deduction based on the current battle situation and the offensive and objectives of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

The specific situation depends on the subsequent offensive by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Because at this point in the live broadcast's storyline, the first night's attack had just ended, and both sides realized something was wrong.

at this time.

The sky in the story is already gradually brightening.

Throughout the Changjin Lake area, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, which had launched a fierce attack all night, had switched from offense to defense, and the soldiers were hiding in various parts of the mountains.

Inside Li Ran's live stream.

As dawn broke, these U.S. soldiers finally dared to come out.

Li Ran followed the others out of the tent. They too had fought in the dark all night, but as soon as they came out, they heard the shocking voices of the American veterans around them:
"Oh, my God!"

The sight that came into view was terrifying.

The orderly defensive positions of yesterday have now become ruins, and the snow has been stained dark red by the piles of corpses.

Twenty or thirty bodies of U.S. federal soldiers lay frozen on the ground in various poses.

Some were shot in the head, and some were blown up.

Besides the traces of artillery fire, the camp was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

The surrounding mountains.

There wasn't a single trace of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

It's like it never appeared.

If it weren't for the fact that I was actually cornered and beaten all night long.

The U.S. federal soldiers absolutely refused to believe that such a unit existed; the camouflage technology alone was enough to make them unbelievable.

at this time.

The roar of bombers echoed through the sky.

US federal planes flew over the mountains surrounding Liutanli and continuously dropped incendiary bombs.

Boom boom boom boom——

The explosions rising from the surrounding mountains boosted the morale of the U.S. soldiers in the camp.

Under the orders of the superior.

Some soldiers were quickly cleaning up the battlefield.

They dragged back the bodies of the dead U.S. federal soldiers and rushed to the front lines where the fierce fighting had taken place the previous night.

Li Ran followed the others to the front lines to clean up the battlefield.

the other side.

Inside the live stream room of Zheng Chen, a streamer from Xinxingli next door.

The situation is not optimistic.

Compared to Liutanli and Hagaru-ri, one was the main force and the other was the division headquarters.

The 31st Regiment of the People's Liberation Army in Xinxingli became the breakthrough point for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

The other two volunteer troops, under orders from above, switched to a defensive posture during the day, but Xinxingli continued to suffer fierce attacks from the volunteer troops.

In Xinxingli, at dawn.

On the high ground next to the U.S. federal camp.

The sky was torn apart by artillery fire.

On the US side, tank tracks rolled over the frozen ground, engines roared, and they climbed the hillside ahead.

The tank's cannon slowly rose, aiming at the makeshift defensive fortifications on the mountain.

boom--!
boom--!
The voice of the U.S. federal commander echoed over the radio:

"Advance! Advance!"

Hear the order.

Many U.S. soldiers rushed out from behind their bunkers, followed the tanks ahead, and advanced toward the higher ground.

Zheng Chen was also among them.

However, their position was quite far back. After a night of fierce fighting, the surrounding U.S. federal soldiers all looked exhausted, including Zheng Chen, but no one dared to relax.

Because the battle is not over yet, if you relax your guard, you will lose your life.

The tanks advanced toward the defensive fortifications on the mountain, while simultaneously reporting their positions over the radio.

Based on the reported positions, the artillery battalion at the foot of the mountain continued to bombard the mountaintop. The artillery shells exploded on the mountaintop, and the continuous explosions made the mountain tremble slightly.

Smoke filled the air, enveloping the entire mountaintop.

As the tank advanced.

The weapons of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army on the mountaintop were ineffective against these tanks, and their counterattacks became increasingly rare.

The faces of the surrounding U.S. federal soldiers couldn't help but show joy.

Has the other side given up?
however.

As they got closer and closer to the position on the mountaintop.

suddenly!

Dozens of wooden-handled grenades were launched from the reverse slope behind the high ground, flying in arcs towards the US federal troops.

Found.

But it's too late.

The grenades from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army were perfectly timed, detonating almost the instant they hit the ground.

boom! boom! boom! boom!
The grenade fragments hit the tank's armor without causing much damage, but many of the infantry following behind were killed before they could react.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of bullets came from the fortifications on the mountaintop.

Although they could not damage the tanks, U.S. soldiers continued to fall.

Anchor Zheng Chen's heart was pounding. He was hiding behind a rock, having just been nearly blown up. Luckily, he was positioned at the back.

I was just thinking of peeking out to take a look.

The radio crackled with the exasperated voice of the U.S. federal commander, and the howitzer battalion below intensified its firing.

The explosions on the mountain were continuous.

Shrapnel, rocks, and debris flew all over the hillside.

The bombing continued for half an hour.

The U.S. federal soldiers had just received orders to continue their advance.

This time.

They moved even closer to the defensive fortifications on the mountaintop, some as close as twenty or thirty meters.

suddenly.

Many figures leaped out from the high ground, some carrying explosive packs, others holding bayonets.

The U.S. soldiers hastily raised their guns and fired, but the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers were already right in their faces.

Bayonets clashed.

Zheng Chen initially thought that the Volunteer Army would abandon their positions under such firepower, so he moved to a forward position to broadcast the situation on the position live.

But unexpectedly, they were ambushed by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

He instinctively raised his gun to block, but it was too late; the bayonet pierced his stomach in an instant.

He was a young volunteer soldier, his face covered in soot, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, as the young volunteer soldier drew his bayonet.

Zheng Chen collapsed to the ground, slowly shifting his body backward.

Meanwhile, the volunteer soldier had already stabbed another U.S. federal soldier in the stomach.

"Medic! Medic!!"

"Help me! Mom! Help me!!!"

"No! Run!!!"

The battlefield was in complete chaos.

The U.S. soldiers were stunned by the sudden hand-to-hand combat, and the ranks began to collapse.

Some dropped their guns and tried to run away, but many more were forced to fight back, the sound of clashing bayonets mingling with the cries of the dying.

boom--! !

There was a loud bang.

not far away.

That seemingly indestructible tank was now transformed into a fireball.

A volunteer soldier covered in blood climbed to the back of the tank and stuffed an explosive charge into the engine compartment.

The shockwave from the explosion knocked over five or six nearby U.S. federal soldiers.

A heat wave swept through.

The heat was burning on Zheng Chen and the faces of the surrounding U.S. federal soldiers.

The U.S. soldiers couldn't understand why, under such circumstances, these men were unwilling to give up the high ground and were still climbing forward with explosives.

How come there are still so many people after bombing for so long?

They don't know why.

Perhaps we'll never know why.

the other side.

Inside Li Ran's live stream room in Liutanli.

The forward positions.

The bodies of eight U.S. federal soldiers and six Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers were intertwined, a testament to the fierce hand-to-hand combat that had taken place there the previous night. These bodies, frozen solid for half the night due to temperatures below -30°C, remained so for most of the night.

They can no longer be separated.

Everyone wanted to clean up the battlefield.

But they didn't know where to start, so they could only examine the soldiers' corpses for any usable information.

I rummaged through the soldiers' pockets and found yellowed photos, notebooks filled with writing, and strips of cloth with words that many U.S. federal soldiers didn't recognize.

Although they didn't recognize the words, the sheer number of characters convinced these U.S. federal veterans that it must be important intelligence.

Especially that little notebook filled with writing.

Hearing their discussion, Li Ran walked over, looked at the strips of cloth and notebooks in their hands, and said:
"Bring it here, let me take a look."

The U.S. federal soldiers were somewhat bewildered, while the veteran who had cheated at cards yesterday looked on in astonishment:
"what?"

"You can read their words?"

Li Ran nodded, took the strips of cloth and notebooks handed to him by the others:
"I studied it for a period of time before."

This is actually a privilege enjoyed by players; it's an automatic translation.

Meanwhile, netizens in the live stream were also curious about what was written on the strips of cloth and notebooks found in the pockets of the volunteer soldiers.

Could it really be some kind of secret?

however.

The moment the cloth strip and notebook were opened, the curious chat in the live stream fell silent.

Li Ran's movements also froze.

Seeing this, a nearby U.S. federal soldier asked curiously:
"What did you write?"

"Could it really be some kind of military secret?"

"Then we've done a great service."

"Tell me quickly."

Li Ran looked at the words on one of the strips of cloth and said:
"This is not a secret."

"It's just slogans."

Upon hearing Li Ran's words, the surrounding U.S. federal soldiers were somewhat bewildered:
"slogan?"

"Why would they carry this thing around?"

"And you brought so many?"

"Are you sure?"

"What does it say?"

The surrounding U.S. soldiers questioned, "Who would carry slogans and signs around during combat? They're completely useless."

Li Ran shook his head, picked up a strip of cloth, pointed to the words on it, and said:

"This banner reads, 'We will hold the position as long as we are here, and we will live and die with the position!'"

"It means that as long as people are alive, the position must be held, even if they die in battle, they should die on the position."

Then he took out a strip of cloth and said:
"It says here, 'Use me in the first battle, and victory is assured!'"

"It means that if I'm sent to the first battle, I'm sure we'll win."

Next are the following strips of cloth:

"This reads, 'I'd rather freeze to death standing tall than starve to death bending over!'"

"It means that one should rather freeze to death than bow one's head and submit."

Turning out the last strip of cloth, Li Ran began to speak:

"It says on it: 'Defeat American Free Federal Imperialism!'"

"Yes, it means exactly what it says."

As Li Ran finished speaking...

The surrounding U.S. federal soldiers looked on incredulously, clearly unable to accept the translation of these slogans: Imperialism?

The old soldier who cheated at cards yesterday seemed to remember something, quickly reached out and flipped open the notebook in Li Ran's hand, and said:
"Damn it!"

"What about this one?! What about this one?!?!"

"What does it say on this!"

Li Ran looked at the brief words and date on it and said:
"This is a diary."

Then he looked at the contents of the diary and subconsciously read it aloud:

"November 5, 1950, Ji'an."

"The train is parked by the river, waiting to depart."

"The company commander said that we didn't have enough cotton-padded clothes, but since the order had been given, we had to go."

"Little Shandong broke the last half of the cornbread into three pieces, gave me one, and kept a tiny bit the size of a fingernail for himself. He smiled and said, 'After the war, when we get back to Jinan, I'll treat you to braised pork.'"

"Actually, he had never eaten braised pork before, and neither have I. I really want to try it."

"November 14, 1950, location unknown."

"Old Liu from the cookhouse distributed the last handful of fried noodles to everyone, and then licked the empty bag himself."

He said, "After the war, I'm going to steam a pot of white flour buns and eat my fill."

"the next day."

"One of the bombs dropped by the bombers landed right in the mess hall."

"The pot is gone, and so is Old Liu."

"November 18, 1950, an unnamed village."

"Passing by a bombed-out village, I saw an old woman digging her daughter's body out of the rubble."

"The little girl was still holding half a piece of candy in her hand, and it looked so much like the piece of candy her sister was holding when she was killed by the Japanese."

"This battle must be fought to the end."

"November 24, 1950, outside Liutanli."

"The snow was up to our waists, and the wind was so strong we couldn't open our eyes."

"Old Zhao's ear froze off, but he didn't notice it himself and even asked me why I was looking at him."

"When I checked on him in the middle of the night, Old Zhao was no longer moving."

"November 25, 1950, outside Liutanli."

"The snow was too heavy, and Little Shandong died."

"November 27, 1950, outside Liutanli."

"It's so cold, I might die."

"I don't know if we can hold out until tonight's final assault."

Perhaps fearing that he wouldn't be able to hold on, he wrote three more lines immediately after this entry in his diary.

I don't believe there are any tasks that can't be completed.

I do not believe that any difficulty is insurmountable.

I do not believe there are any enemies that cannot be defeated.

Looking at those deep marks, one can imagine the strength with which the volunteer soldiers carved them.

These U.S. soldiers were unaware of this, but some viewers in the live stream knew that this was the combat creed of the Ninth Army Corps of the Republic when they participated in the war.

Three things I don't believe

At the end of the diary, there was a line of faint pencil writing mixed with blood:
"I hope that after the victory, someone can taste Jinan's braised pork for me."

After Li Ran finished reading, some of the U.S. soldiers around him touched the cross on their chests, some stared at the notebook in disbelief, and some were so shocked by the contents of the diary that they doubted everything.

At this time.

On the distant mountain ridge.

After repeated bombings, the U.S. federal troops, who were trying to retake the high ground, were fighting the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, which was hiding in various places on the mountain, while urgent alarms were coming from the camp behind them.

But no one took action.

Everyone looked at the notebook in Li Ran's hand.

The descriptions in the notebook differed greatly from their understanding. Were they righteous or invaders?
Sudden.

The deafening bugle call of a charge echoed from the distant mountain ridge.

Tap-tap-tap-tap—! Tap—!

After repeated bombings, the surviving Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers are leaping out of the collapsed fortifications.

Dragging their frostbitten legs and wrapped in thin cotton clothes, they charged towards the U.S. soldiers. Amidst the spitting fire of machine guns, men fell one after another, but more figures rose from the snow.

Everyone was stunned.

Watching the volunteers on the mountain fighting so desperately, he turned to look at the notebook in Li Ran's hand.

The figures leaping across the mountain ridge overlapped with the characters in the notebook.

An old soldier looked at the fearless volunteer soldiers in the distance:

"Oh, God"

The howling north wind blew by.

On the yellowed paper, the three lines of pencil writing looked particularly glaring in the sunlight:
I don't believe there are any tasks that can't be completed.

I do not believe that any difficulty is insurmountable.

I do not believe there are any enemies that cannot be defeated.

Such a nation, such a will.

What kind of people are they fighting against?
These American soldiers, who were deeply impressed by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, were completely unaware that the bloody battle at Chosin Reservoir had only just begun.

(End of this chapter)