Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 102 Defeat American Imperialism!
"Commander, there's one more person I'd like to see before we set off."

"If he were here, our plan might have had unexpected consequences."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"Who?"

Kong Jie asked, somewhat surprised.

"Commander of the 1st Marine Regiment, Puller."

Wu Wanli smiled slightly and said.

"no problem."

"I'll write you a note. If you need his cooperation later, just go ahead and do it."

Kong Jie thought for a moment, then said trustingly.

"Yes!"

Wu Wanli was deeply moved and agreed before leaving the tent.

……

Soon, Wu Wanli was taken to the place where he was held in solitary confinement by Pule.

Wu Wanli walked in slowly and saw Pule leaning against a corner, looking at Wu Wanli with his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Heavy gift crab, do you Chinese have the habit of coming to see your defeated opponents and showing off your martial arts skills?"

Puller chuckled self-deprecatingly and asked.

"A defeated opponent? No."

"At least today, it can be considered a conversation between two soldiers."

Wu Wanli handed the red wine to Pule and said.

"Damn, how long has it been since I had red wine?"

"Just say what you have to say. I can listen for the sake of the wine, but I can't guarantee that I will agree to your request."

Puller's eyes lit up, and he took the red wine and said.

“Mr. Puller, no rush, we have two more old friends.”

As Wu Wanli spoke, he clapped his hands.

Soon, old John and old George were ushered in.

Upon seeing Puller, the bewilderment on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by delight.

"Sir! How are you?"

Old John spoke with a slight tremor in his excited body.

"I'm fine, but I don't know what this Chinese guy is up to?"

Puller first showed delight, then spoke with considerable caution.

"Mr. Puller, you are also a seasoned veteran. Do you think this war should be fought?"

Wu Wanli picked up his glass of red wine and asked.

"I admit that this was a wrong war fought in the wrong place, and those damned politicians ruined the lives of innocent soldiers."

"But soldiers take it as their duty to obey orders and their honor to defeat the enemy. Even if it happened again, I would still participate in this war without hesitation."

"Just say what you want to say."

Puller took two large gulps of wine, a complex expression on his face, but he still spoke firmly.

"I would like to ask you and your two old friends for a favor."

“I want Christmas carols to fill the air in the funeral parlor, but you know, Smith and his men might just order a volley.”

"Although I don't care about the lives of these American prisoners, I hope my plan will be completed perfectly. What do you think?"

Seeing this, Wu Wanli simply got straight to the point.

"Is the Christmas carol playing?"

"Are you trying to crush the fighting spirit of those homesick guys?"

"My grandfather fought in the Civil War, and I myself fought in the Pacific, becoming an American hero through countless battles, big and small, and a five-time Medal of Honor recipient."

"To put it bluntly, my old John and old George have just as much battlefield experience as you."

"Do you think I would give up my life's honor for these things?"

Upon hearing this, Pule laughed loudly as if he had won a great victory.

Upon hearing this, Old John, standing nearby, straightened his back proudly and gave Wu Wanli a rather arrogant and provocative look.

"Chinese people, you don't need to think about threatening us with your lives anymore."

"Your army is disciplined; it's impossible for you to kill prisoners at will!"

Old George also boasted with considerable pride.

"Honor? Colonel Puller, so this is your greatest weakness?"

Wu Wanli ignored the words of the two small fry and looked at Old John with a playful gaze, saying...

"Weakness? What do you mean?"

Puller slowly put down the bottle, suddenly feeling a little uneasy being stared at, and quickly asked.

"If you don't agree, I have a way to ruin your reputation."

Wu Wanli took a small sip of red wine and said.

"Shit!"

"Do you want to duel me? I'm not afraid of you!"

Puller, dragging his weary body, slightly rose and called out.

Upon hearing this, Old John and Old George, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but feel a slight stirring in their hearts.

There are three of them here, while Wu Wanli is alone.

What if they suddenly take Wu Wanli hostage...

"If you dare to touch me, I'll be quite happy, because then I'll have a legitimate reason to get back at you."

"Even if you don't dare to touch me, haven't you heard that there's a self-organized group of American prisoners called the Han-Puppet Army?"

Seeing their fearless attitude, Wu Wanli couldn't help but find it amusing.

"What Han puppet army?"

Puller paused for a moment, then asked.

“Sir, there’s a Chinese soldier who organized some of the prisoners, but in reality, they’re just doing dirty work for the Chinese.”

Upon hearing this, Old John's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly whispered in Puller's ear to explain.

"Fuck you!"

"Damn it, you're going to use them to torture us?!"

A hint of unease flashed in Puller's eyes as he roared.

"Torture? That can't shatter the honor of our American heroes."

"But I heard that our army received a small number of pigs, and apparently some sows as well?"

"You're saying that if Regiment Commander Puller of the 1st Marine Division, after taking drugs, were to have a wonderful exchange and cooperation with a sow..."

"And what's more, it just so happened that it was photographed by one of our military's war correspondents and widely publicized internationally. What will happen to your heroic reputation then?"

Wu Wanli took another sip of red wine and looked at Pule with a half-smile.

"Fuck you!"

"I am going to kill you!!"

Upon hearing this, Pule recalled the scene and felt a wave of nausea wash over him. He angrily lunged at Wu Wanli.

Seeing this, Old John and Old George quickly followed, intending to surround and attack Wu Wanli.

However, with his close-combat advantage, Wu Wanli grabbed Puler's fist like an iron clamp and pulled him to the side, causing Puler to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

Old John and Old George didn't even get a chance to touch Wu Wanli before being kicked to the ground by Ling Lie's two kicks.

"You started it, so don't blame me."

"Commander Pule, you have ten seconds to consider. If you don't agree to cooperate with me, you can go and mate with a sow."

Wu Wanli's eyes turned cold as he looked at the watch that Secretary Liu had given him.

The second hand twitched and swung, as if striking Ple's heart with each tick.

Eight seconds later, Wu Wanli stood up and started to walk outside.

"Damn it! I promise you!"

Feeling humiliated, Peller shouted loudly.

"That's right!"

"I've taken the alcohol away. Just have a couple of sips, that's enough. We have a mission to carry out tonight, so don't get drunk."

Wu Wanli grinned, took the red wine next to Pule, and walked out with a flourish.

Only three old men, Puller, John, and George, remained, embracing each other and weeping bitterly.

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

Steel Seventh Company Headquarters

"Wanli is back!"

"So, what reward did the commander give you?"

Yu Congrong looked at Wanli returning and said with a smile.

"award?"

"I got a severe scolding from the army commander, who said I was taking risks every day!"

Wu Wanli said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Wanli has been gone for so long, is something wrong?"

Pinghe, keenly aware of the time, asked.

"Indeed, we have a new mission."

"The commander has adopted my 'surrounded on all sides' plan. Tonight, we will split up with other small units and cooperate with the Han Chinese army and those prisoners to let the sound of Christmas carols fill the American troops."

"After tonight's psychological warfare, all three main armies of our Ninth Army Corps will be in place tomorrow."

"At that time, we will launch a general offensive against an army that has lost all morale!"

Wu Wanli smiled slightly and said.

"Surrounded on all sides, Christmas carols are playing... Ah!"

"Although we harassed the American troops and damaged their morale, the extra night of downtime means they may have recovered."

"With this wave of homesickness, the American devils will be greatly shaken, and their last chance for recovery will be gone."

Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng immediately smiled and offered his analysis.

"The American devils are going to celebrate Egg Day..." "Our Spring Festival is still a while away, but I'm starting to miss my wife. I haven't told them my grandson Gao Cheng's name yet."

Upon hearing this, Gao Daxing couldn't help but say something.

“We’re different from the Americans. They have homes to return to and insist on causing trouble right on our doorstep!”

“If we don’t drive them out, our family won’t be able to have a good New Year, and we won’t be able to live a peaceful life in the future.”

As Mei Sheng spoke, a hint of anger appeared in his eyes as he looked in the direction of the American troops.

"That's right!"

"They're so rich, they can have all the chocolate, cigarettes, meat, and alcohol they want, so why do they have to come to our poor place and cause trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong also spoke with considerable anger.

"The Americans probably want us to listen to them and want the whole world to follow their system so that they can use economic means and the circulation of the dollar to enslave and exploit us."

"We have been a semi-colony for so long, and our sovereignty must never be violated again!"

Mei Sheng thought for a moment and then said.

"that is!"

"We didn't care before, but from now on, no one is allowed to speak loudly to us Chinese!"

Wu Wanli's heart clenched, and he shouted loudly.

"Well said! That's inspiring!"

"Win them over to the heart tonight, then take over the town tomorrow! Let's crush these American imperialists!"

Wu Qianli shouted loudly, deeply moved.

"Defeat American imperialism! Defeat American imperialism!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company shouted loudly.

"Rest for a moment, then proceed with Wanli's plan as soon as it gets dark!"

Wu Qianli gave the order loudly.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company responded loudly.

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

Night fell, the stars were dim, and the crescent moon was without light.

US military positions

"Sir, we've arrived at our new comfort post. This is the main position of the 1st Marine Regiment."

"Their regimental commander, Puller, was captured by the Chinese army, and another battalion was defeated by that Chinese steel company at Xiaogaoling."

"That's not all. In the previous harassment battle, the high ground they controlled was once again taken by the Chinese Steel Company, and they even turned their howitzers around and bombarded them again."

"Therefore, their morale was almost the most severely damaged in the entire 1st Marine Division."

The U.S. Chief of Staff sighed and explained the situation to Smith.

"What?"

"Does the 1st Marine Regiment have a natural grudge against that Chinese steel company?"

"How could they have been beaten so badly..."

Upon hearing this, Major General Smith couldn't help but think that it was a miracle that the 1st Marine Regiment had managed to hold out this long.

He slowly walked into the position and saw that most of the American soldiers were staring blankly into space.

Some were looking at photos of their family members, their eyes filled with tears.

Some tried to take a nap while holding their guns, but could only close their eyes and tremble in the trenches.

Upon seeing this, Major General Smith took off his own military overcoat and draped it over an American soldier.

Upon seeing this, a U.S. squad leader immediately saluted Smith and tried to wake the soldier.

You should know that last time, Commander Pule did the same inspection. When he saw a sleeping sentry, he immediately ordered four men—the soldier's squad leader, platoon leader, company commander, and battalion commander—to surround the sentry and do planks until the soldier woke up.

"Shh-"

Smith put his index finger to his lips, signaling not to wake the soldier, before continuing to walk inside.

Once inside, Captain James was watching Captain Curry complaining, completely unaware of Smith's arrival.

"Damn it, I really don't want to stay in this godforsaken place any longer!"

"I want to go home, I want to celebrate Christmas!"

James looked at Curry and complained loudly.

"Um...actually, I don't think there's anything good about going home for Christmas."

"It was an honor for us to fight for the United States at Chosin Reservoir, and for us to be under the leadership of Major General Smith."

Curry saw Smith behind James and quickly coughed loudly.

"What?!"

"Curry, have you been blown away by the cold wind? Why are you suddenly saying such nonsense?"

"Didn't you just say that Smith was a damn stupid pig, and that even a dog could give him a better command?"

"And you complained the most about wanting to go home for Christmas, you even said you dreamed of killing Smith and then exchanging the money for a ship ticket from the Chinese army... Ugh!"

James was speaking when Curry suddenly stepped hard on his foot, causing him to cry out in pain.

He clutched his foot, whimpering in pain as he spun around, only then noticing Major General Smith behind him, whose face was even darker than a black man's.

“Sir, we’re here to offer our condolences and boost morale. Calm down, calm down…”

Seeing this, the US Chief of Staff quickly pulled Smith aside and whispered a reminder.

"Ok."

"Soldiers, I know you all want to go home."

“I wanted to go home too, but the Chinese army blocked our way home, and we had no way to get back properly.”

"But I assure you, I will lead you out of here in two days at most!"

Major General Smith took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and shouted encouragingly.

But clearly, none of the American soldiers below were willing to listen to him.

They merely glanced at Smith before continuing with their own business.

After all, they've heard this kind of talk far too many times, and they've long since become numb to it.

"Get the supplies to the guys..."

Seeing this, Major General Smith sighed helplessly and said...

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the U.S. Chief of Staff immediately agreed.

Soon, a team of U.S. military logistics personnel delivered Christmas trees and some Christmas items to the U.S. soldiers.

Upon seeing this, the American soldiers felt a surge of emotion and quickly accepted the Christmas supplies.

Smith and the chief of staff watched the American soldiers' reactions with tense expressions.

In fact, this was a risky move on their part, hoping to boost the morale of the US troops and turn them into a desperate army fighting to go home.

"Is this really possible?"

Smith looked at some of the American soldiers who were weeping and wailing, and felt somewhat uneasy.

"Sir, there's a Chinese saying: 'An army that fights with a desperate heart will surely win.'"

"As long as there are no external forces involved, this move of ours has the potential to revitalize the morale of our men."

The chief of staff thought for a moment and then analyzed.

"No external force... okay, then it should be fine."

Smith nodded slightly, reluctantly accepting.

However, not long after, a Christmas carol suddenly came from afar.

"We wish you a Merry Christmas!"

"We wish you a Merry Christmas!"

"We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

"Good tidings we bring to you and your kin!"

"..."

As the Christmas carols began to play, the American soldiers who had just received their Christmas gifts were momentarily stunned, their eyes fixed on the area outside their positions.

"Surrender, buddies! China will treat prisoners of war well and send you back home unconditionally to eat turkey and celebrate Christmas!"

"Surrender..."

During a break in the Christmas carols, Lü Chaoran used a makeshift megaphone to shout loudly at the American troops at their positions.

In the field, many American soldiers clutched their Santa hats tightly, a hint of hesitation flashing in their eyes.

Several U.S. soldiers even gave Smith and the U.S. Chief of Staff a hostile look.

"Fuck you!"

"Get the soldiers firing! Spray them out!"

Upon seeing this, Major General Smith roared in slight panic.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Captain James immediately went down to prepare to issue the firing order.

"and many more!"

"There is a situation!"

At that moment, Captain Curry grabbed James and shouted.

"What's wrong, Curry?"

James asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Take a look yourself, and then decide whether you still want to issue the firing order!"

Curry glanced furtively at Major General Smith, handed the binoculars to James, and whispered something.

"What?!"

"Isn't that our American hero, Commander Puller?"

"I remember the battle report from my superiors saying he was dead, so how come he's with the Chinese now? Could I have misread it?"

James was shocked when he saw Puller and blurted out.

His words were overheard by nearby American soldiers, who whispered among themselves about the situation. The old men of Plutner, who were about to fire, hesitated.

(End of this chapter)