Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 100: There's a truth that doesn't need to be explained.
High ground, howitzer position
"Company commander, the military headquarters has replied!"

"A battalion has been deployed to break through the southeastern position, with artillery support provided by us!"

"They even gave our Steel Seventh Company a commendation, but..."

Mei Sheng glanced at Wu Wanli halfway through his sentence and couldn't help but smile.

"what happened?"

"The military has given Wan Li another commendation separately?"

Seeing that the gaze had fallen on Wu Wanli, Wu Qianli couldn't help but ask.

"Hahaha……"

"Strictly speaking, it was a reprimand, and it was the leader's exact words, but it wasn't very harsh. Let me read it aloud!"

"Cough cough..."

Mei Sheng cleared his throat and was about to read out Kong Jie's original reply from the telegram.

The members of the Seventh Steel Company rarely received such a reply, so they all pricked up their ears and waited with great interest and smiles.

"Wu Wanli, you think you're so tough, huh? You dare to go and take on an entire American platoon all by yourself, gun in hand?!"

"I've read the battle report. If it weren't for your Pinghe team rescuing you, you really wouldn't be back!"

"Look at you, you're supposed to be a staff officer, not a common soldier, yet you're spending all your time doing some kind of silly exercise?!"

"You, take care of your own safety, that's an order!"

Soon, Mei Sheng finished reading the "reprimand" in the reply with a smile.

"Hahaha……"

"This isn't a reprimand; it's the old commander's concern!"

Lei Gong smiled and sighed.

"That's it!"

"If we weren't so familiar with each other, I would have thought Chief Kong Jie was Wan Li's godfather!"

"Hey? Wu Wanli, why don't you recognize the commander as your godfather? Then we can even change the way we sing the second half of the song!"

Yu Congrong chuckled cheekily.

"Change your singing style? What style?"

Pinghe asked with some doubt.

"Cough cough..."

"There's one truth that doesn't need to be explained! Wanli's godfather is the commander!"

Yu Congrong cleared his throat and sang out with a slightly undulating voice.

"Screw you!"

"Wanli's father is also my father. Are you joking about this?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Qianli kicked Yu Congrong in the buttocks, feigning anger.

"Oh, platoon leader, spare me! I almost forgot about that..."

"Instructor, the company commander is beating and scolding the soldiers! You must do something about it!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong immediately covered his buttocks and fled behind Mei Sheng.

"hahahahahahahahahaha……"

Upon seeing this, the soldiers of the nearby Steel Seventh Company burst into laughter, instantly dispelling the fatigue and tension from the recent battle.

Only Wu Wanli was slightly stunned, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

Unexpectedly, the "Kong Erlengzi" that Li Yunlong scolded in the TV series "Bright Sword" in his previous life would value and care about him so much in this world.

"Brother, have the artillery platoon turn their guns around and prepare to bombard the enemy."

"Once this battle is over, the first phase of the plan will be complete, and we can go back to work on the final plan to crush morale."

Wu Wanli realized what was happening and reminded him.

"Wanli is right."

"Lei Gong, open fire according to the coordinates and time specified in the telegram!"

"Anyway, it's inconvenient to take the shells and cannons with us, so let's bomb as many as we can, no need to be stingy!"

"Pinghe, you take the reconnaissance platoon and prepare the position for defense and vigilance. If the enemy advances rapidly, you can fire a warning shot directly!"

"Yu Congrong, you'll be in charge of guarding the prisoners and helping the artillery platoon move shells and such."

Wu Qianli thought for a moment and then immediately gave the order.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the members of the Seventh Steel Company readily agreed.

"Brother, what about me?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanli couldn't help but ask.

"You fought the fiercest during the battle just now."

"Take a break while you're holding your gun; nobody's made of iron."

Wu Qianli looked at the bloodshot eyes of Wu Wanli and sighed.

"Ok."

Wu Wanli was indeed quite tired, so he had no choice but to agree.

……

A while later, the scheduled time for shelling arrived.

"Load the shells!"

Lei Gong gave a loud command.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers in the artillery platoon quickly loaded the grenades one by one in silence, the heavy shells making a dull thud as they struck the cannon barrel.

"dinner time!"

After loading was complete, Lei Gong waved his hand and roared.

"Bang! Whoosh—"

In an instant, the cannons spewed flames, and the roaring grenades pierced the night sky, trailing long plumes of flame, rushing straight down the mountain to the American positions.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The shells crashed into the American positions, and deafening explosions rang out.

Amidst the flames, the American positions were thrown into chaos, with mud and debris kicked up by the explosions swirling in the air and dust filling the air.

Sharp shrapnel sliced ​​through the air, mercilessly tearing apart everything in its path.

"Drip drip drip drip drip..."

Amidst the roar of artillery fire, a powerful bugle call of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army sounded, signaling their charge.

A battalion of Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers formed waves, charging towards the American positions in an orderly fashion.

In the darkness and snow, the American troops, who were still being bombed, couldn't tell how many Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers were attacking and had to send a telegram to their superiors for help.

....................................

Misato, 1st Marine Division Command
"Sir, urgent message from the front!"

The U.S. Chief of Staff hurried in and said.

"Fuck you!"

"The Chinese army's harassment has tricked us several times already. Our soldiers will collapse if they don't get the rest they need!"

"Anyway, I won't trust them anymore. Just do as I said, have the soldiers take turns resting, and let the small Chinese units harass us as they please!"

Major General Smith waved his hand impatiently.

"Sir, this time it might be different."

"The previous attacks were mostly all bark and no bite, and posed no real threat to our positions."

"But this time, the artillery positions on the southeastern highlands have been captured by the Chinese army."

"Now a converging force of Chinese troops, supported by artillery fire, is launching a full-scale attack on the positions in the southeast."

"I'm afraid that what's ahead is just a feint to mislead us, and that this is the real all-out attack!"

The U.S. Chief of Staff sighed, his eyes filled with worry.

"What?! The southeastern mountainous region has been captured by the Chinese army?!"

"How could it be so fast?"

"Although the number of soldiers deployed there is small, their firepower is formidable, and the terrain is treacherous. Have they defected?!"

Smith slammed the coffee cup to the ground in a rage.

"Sir, it was the masterpiece of that Chinese steel company."

"They used one man to draw away and tie down part of our main force, which led to the fall of Yamaguchi, and that's how..."

The U.S. Chief of Staff handed Smith a battle report and said.

"That same Iron Company again?"

"Damn it! Can anyone tell me how one person managed to hold off a portion of the main force?!"

Smith didn't even glance at it, tearing the telegram to shreds and roaring.

"Sir, that man is the 'God's Gun' mentioned in the previous battle report, or the 'Satan Sniper'..."

The US Chief of Staff also felt a sense of frustration and said.

"So... the price they paid for capturing the position was the death of that Chinese sharpshooter?"

Upon hearing this, Smith's anger subsided slightly, and he asked, "Uh... it seems they didn't die in battle."

The U.S. Chief of Staff paused for a few seconds before speaking.

Upon hearing this, Smith laughed in exasperation, speechless with astonishment.

"Get the guys moving, we can't be tired for more than two days."

"General MacArthur replied that the steel bridge components were almost finished and would be airlifted over soon."

"Damn it, I never want to fight the Chinese again. They are even more troublesome than the Japanese in the Pacific."

Smith took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and a hint of fatigue flashed in his eyes before giving the order.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the US Chief of Staff immediately agreed.

....................................

Soon, the American reinforcements, who had just returned to their camp to rest, were called up again and hurriedly headed to the front line to strengthen the defenses.

Two of the companies were transferred together to reinforce the southeastern position.

On the way
"Damn, this is so annoying."

"Are the higher-ups all idiots, constantly harassing us with these Chinese troops? Why are they making us run around like crazy?!"

Captain James, holding his submachine gun, complained with a hint of morning grumpiness.

"Don't worry, James. They said that even if we're exhausted, it'll only be for a couple of days. Once we get through this, we can go home."

Captain Curry gripped his rifle, offering a bitter smile as he offered words of comfort.

"Two more days, then another two more days!"

"General MacArthur also said that we should be able to go home for the New Year before Christmas!"

"I really want to see my kids play rugby, charging around like I do!"

James sighed, his eyes filled with longing as he spoke.

“I miss my child too. He doesn’t like rugby, but he loves basketball.”

"He said he hopes to shoot three-pointers as accurately as I do..."

"Trust the general, we can get back."

Curry sighed and said.

"Shall we make a bet? We'll bet on this month's salary."

"I bet this time the southeastern positions will be harassed again, and it'll be another wasted effort!"

James found humor in his misery.

"Then I'll bet that the Chinese army will launch a desperate attack, and that there will be fierce fighting on the positions!"

Upon hearing this, Curry immediately agreed.

"it is good!"

James nodded in agreement.

Soon, they led two companies of American soldiers toward the southeastern position.

Along the way, the roar of artillery fire they heard grew louder and more frequent.

Flames continued to blaze from the distant positions.

But by the time they actually reached the position, the roar of artillery fire had already ceased.

On the battlefield, smoke filled the air, flames roared, and dust billowed.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder, a mixture of acrid odor and blood, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

The ground was riddled with deep craters, and the soil was scattered and disordered, as if it had been churned up by a giant beast.

In the trenches, scrap metal, shell casings, and wood chips flew everywhere, mixed with the items and limbs left behind by the soldiers.

Oh my god!

"We were all wrong. With strong artillery support, they broke through the position first, but then withdrew immediately."

James looked at the mess and said.

"In other words, China's harassment forces have already breached our main lines. How much longer can we hold out?"

Curry's mood sank to the bottom as he looked at the devastation on the field.

"boom!"

Suddenly, an explosion rang out.

A U.S. soldier not far away was instantly engulfed by shrapnel and flashes from a landmine, collapsing with his flesh mangled.

"Fuck you!"

"They also planted landmines!"

"Don't move! Let the engineers clear the mines!"

Upon seeing this, James immediately realized what was happening and shouted loudly.

The fact that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had time to lay landmines after breaking through the US positions demonstrates their formidable offensive capabilities.
Thinking of this, the already exhausted and fearful American soldiers' morale plummeted even further.

This is just a microcosm; a large number of US troops are exhausted from tonight's harassment operations.

As news of the battle in the southeastern front spread among the U.S. 1st Marine Division, Wu Wanli and the Steel Seventh Company became almost mythical in the rumors.

Because Wu Wanli was able to turn the tide of battle against five platoons, he was called God's favorite by the American army, an indestructible Easterner.

The Steel Seventh Company also acquired the nickname "Steel Demon Army".

However, the Seventh Steel Company didn't care about any of that.

After achieving their strategic objectives, the Steel Seventh Company and other harassment units obeyed orders and withdrew from the Zangmi-ri battlefield without lingering for battle, returning to their camp.

....................................

Steel Seventh Company's Base

"That was a great battle! It nearly blew the American devils' souls away! Hahahaha..."

Yu Congrong burst into loud laughter.

"Well, it's a pity about those howitzers; it's inconvenient to bring them back."

Lei Gong said with a face full of regret.

"No matter what, this time our Steel Seventh Company fought with the spirit of an entire regiment and perfectly achieved the commander's requirements."

"Didn't the commander give us an award?"

Gao Daxing echoed.

"Chief..."

Mei Sheng suddenly thought of something and looked at Wu Wanli.

"Comrade Wu Wanli, the commander wants to see you!"

A messenger approached and said.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanli immediately stood up and followed the communications officer out.

On the road
Wu Wanli was wondering what Kong Jie would say when he ran into Lü Chaoran, who was looking for him.

"Reporting to Commander Wu Wanli!"

"The Han auxiliary troops have been expanded and are ready to receive orders at any time!"

Upon seeing Wu Wanli, Lü Chaoran immediately gave a standard military salute.

"The expansion is complete, great!"

"I'm on my way to see the leader, probably to ask me about the situation."

"Go and properly discipline them."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanli waved his hand knowingly.

"Yes!"

Lu Chaoran smiled obsequiously and responded loudly.

……

Soon, Wu Wanli and his communications officer arrived at the military command post and stepped inside.

At this moment, the messenger consciously lagged behind by half a step, following behind Wu Wanli.

When the guards at the gate saw Wu Wanli arrive, they immediately straightened their backs and gave him a respectful military salute.

Wu Wanli continued walking inside without looking to the side, casually raising his hand to give a very standard military salute.

After Wu Wanli had completely walked in, the guards at the door slowly lowered their hands, glancing inside with admiration.

Success, who happened to be passing by on a mission, saw this scene and stood there dumbfounded.

"Brother Chenggong, what's wrong with you?"

Xu Mumu scratched her head and asked.

"See that? Wu Wanli, the Volunteer Army's top soldier, and the only one with the rank of staff officer!"

"That salute while marching, how handsome and imposing!"

"A real man should be like him!"

A hint of envy flashed in Chenggong's eyes as he spoke.

(End of this chapter)