Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 103: US-China Ceasefire, Long Live Peace!
Burial Miri Frontline

“Sir…”

A very young U.S. Army lieutenant slowly walked toward Major General Smith, who was on an inspection tour.

Several U.S. soldiers followed behind him.

"What?"

"What are you doing?!"

Major General Smith looked at the American soldiers who had surrounded him, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.

The two guards beside him silently gripped their guns, ready to shoot the rioting American soldiers should anything happen.

"Guys, don't get excited."

"Please feel free to make any requests you may have, and the general will consider your opinions."

The U.S. Chief of Staff, standing nearby, nervously swallowed and said, pressing his hands slightly down.

“Sir, the guys don’t want to fight anymore.”

"On a peaceful Christmas Eve filled with carols, perhaps there could be less killing."

The young U.S. Army lieutenant calmly looked at Major General Smith and spoke slowly.

"You don't want to fight anymore?"

"What do you mean...?"

Major General Smith's expression darkened slightly as he asked.

"Sir, please don't misunderstand, we have no malicious intent to rebel."

"What I mean is, perhaps we can negotiate with the Chinese and reach a ceasefire?"

The U.S. Army lieutenant looked at the red and white Santa hat in his hand and said with deep feeling.

"Get the Chinese to agree to a ceasefire? How is that even possible?!"

Upon hearing this, Major General Smith frowned slightly and shook his head in disbelief.

“Sir, this lieutenant might be talking about a ceasefire for one day or one night.”

"There are precedents for this situation."

The U.S. Chief of Staff thought for a moment and then reminded Smith.

"You mean the Christmas Armistice during World War I...?"

Smith paused for a moment, then suddenly thought of that legendary event in the history of warfare.

On Christmas Eve of World War I, the British troops could still faintly hear the Germans singing Christmas carols on the other side of the battlefield.

Before long, the peaceful Christmas atmosphere spread, and Christmas carols were also heard on the British side.

Some of the bolder soldiers shouted loudly to the other side of the position, "Merry Christmas!" The other side immediately echoed back with "Merry Christmas" greetings.

Several unarmed German soldiers were the first to emerge from the trenches and enter the no-man's-land in the middle of the battlefield, offering their blessings to the British soldiers on the other side.

British soldiers responded quickly, laying down their weapons and entering the middle of the battlefield to greet the German soldiers.

The soldiers from both sides shook hands and offered each other cigarettes.

Like old friends reunited after a long separation, they chatted about everyday things amidst the battlefield.

The friendly atmosphere of this small group of German and British soldiers quickly spread to the surrounding defense zones.

Throughout the entire western front, both sides in a stalemate ceased hostilities and spontaneously began celebrating Christmas.

Historically, this sudden event has been known as the "Christmas Ceasefire".

……

"But, wouldn't General MacArthur or Congress blame us for this?"

Major General Smith paused for a few seconds, then asked, still somewhat unable to accept it.

“Sir, the orders from above are for us to do our best to get these lads home.”

"So, by doing this, aren't we also carrying out orders from above?"

"On Christmas Eve, the soldiers' war-weariness had reached its peak, and forcing a battle might actually put them at a disadvantage."

"It just so happens that the delivery of our steel bridge components takes time, and the ceasefire gives us a chance to catch our breath..."

After a moment's thought, the U.S. Chief of Staff leaned close to Smith's ear and whispered his plans.

"Okay, what you said makes sense."

"Lieutenant, are you willing to go out of the field and negotiate with the Chinese yourself?"

Major General Smith nodded helplessly and asked.

"I am willing!"

"Sir, let me accomplish this great moment of peace!"

The young U.S. lieutenant smiled slightly, then made a prayer gesture, picked up the Christmas tree, and fearlessly stepped into the snowstorm outside the position.

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

the other side

"Company Commander, do you think Wanli's method of crushing morale will work?"

"Why do I feel like the American devils aren't reacting much?"

Yu Congrong looked at the American soldiers who were still singing loudly in front of him and scratched his head.

"The fact that the US military did not fire a shot is already very telling."

Mei Sheng thought for a moment and then said.

"Perhaps by now, the American soldiers are already homesick, hahaha..."

Wu Wanli said with a smile, a candy in his mouth.

At this moment, a tall, thin black soldier with slightly tearful eyes slowly turned around and looked at Wu Wanli.

"Child, this is not funny!"

The Black American soldier sighed and said...

"Hey! This American devil can't tell the difference between the big and small kings, huh?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong raised the butt of his submachine gun in a threatening gesture.

"Yu Congrong... never mind."

"They are all children from ordinary families who came to fight. If they miss home, please understand."

Lei Gong, puffing on his pipe, stopped Yu Congrong.

"I was just trying to scare him..."

Hearing that he missed home, Yu Congrong was also touched and murmured to himself.

"Reporting to the company commander, there's movement ahead."

“A U.S. soldier came out carrying a Christmas tree, but his posture didn’t seem like he was surrendering.”

At this moment, Pinghe, who was in charge of reconnaissance, ran back and said.

"He came out carrying a Christmas tree?"

"What the hell is going on..."

Wu Qianli frowned slightly and raised his binoculars to look.

In the distance, an American soldier carrying a Christmas tree in his left hand, wearing a Santa hat, walked by loudly singing Christmas carols.

At this moment, among the Han Chinese and American prisoners of war, Puller immediately recognized this impressive subordinate.

At that moment, his heart clenched, a sense of shame washed over him, and he instinctively wanted to hide.

"Sir!"

"do you remember me?"

"You personally awarded me my medal!"

"Sir, you were ruthless on the Pacific battlefield!"

The young U.S. Army lieutenant saw Puller, took out a medal, and shouted excitedly.

"Buddy, I..."

At this moment, tears streamed down the face of Commander Pule. He looked at his former subordinate with extreme shame, and even had thoughts of shooting himself.

"Merry Christmas..."

The U.S. Army lieutenant didn't ask Puller why he was there; he simply handed him the Santa hat and smiled, offering a Christmas greeting.

"Merry Christmas, old friend..."

"Are you here because you need any help?"

Puller wiped away his tears and asked.

At that moment, Captain Lü of the Han Army walked over, pricked up his ears to listen, and was ready to report back at any time.

"Sir, the guys don't want to fight anymore."

"General MacArthur had promised us that he would take us home for the holidays before Christmas."

"Although we can't go home now, we still want to celebrate the holidays..."

The U.S. Army lieutenant said with a smile.

"You mean, you hope to have another Christmas ceasefire with the Chinese and spend Christmas Eve together?"

Puller was slightly taken aback, but soon understood what his old friend was thinking and asked.

“Sir, no matter what, I still want to give it a try.”

"At least General Smith, who came to inspect, has agreed to the proposal. It remains to be seen how the Chinese view it."

The U.S. Army lieutenant looked at Puller with hopeful eyes and said.

"Lu, could you pass this proposal on to the Chinese?"

Pule looked at Lü Chaoran and asked.

"Commander...hello!"

Lu Chaoran was about to answer when he suddenly spotted Wu Wanli and the others in the distance. He quickly smiled obsequiously and saluted.

"what's the situation?"

Wu Wanli, who was at the forefront, asked, "Report, they want a ceasefire."

"The reason is..."

Lü Chaoran recounted their conversation.

"Ceasefire..."

"What tricks are those American devils playing?"

Wu Qianli frowned slightly and looked at Mei Sheng.

"Company commander, at least the Christmas ceasefire they were talking about did happen, during World War I in 1914."

"As for whether or not to stop the fire, we'll just have to ask our superiors."

"I always felt that this would be a political event that would stir up anti-war sentiment in the United States..."

Mei Sheng keenly sensed the political implications and spoke cautiously.

"Brother, I agree with what the instructor said."

"If we were to engage in a direct military confrontation with the US military, the casualties would be too great. It would be better to use this method to put pressure on the US military's rear."

Wu Wanli looked at Mei Sheng with admiration and said.

"it is good!"

"Meisheng, send a report to your superiors for instructions."

Seeing that Mei Sheng and Wu Wanli both agreed, Wu Qianli nodded and gave the order.

"Yes!"

Mei Sheng agreed.

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

Chinese People's Volunteer Army, Army-level Command

"Commander, oh my god!"

"Wu Wanli's psychological warfare tactics have achieved results that we never expected!"

The chief of staff excitedly took the telegram and handed it to Kong Jie, saying...

"Why are you so excited? I've never seen you like this since we won Hagaru-ri."

"Hahahahahaha..."

Kong Jie looked at the chief of staff with some surprise, and then smiled as he accepted the battle report.

"Ceasefire?"

"Wasn't Wanli sent to demoralize the American troops? How did this happen?"

Kong Jie looked at the battle report with some surprise and asked, puzzled.

"Commander, what is the reason for the US ceasefire?"

"It's Christmas Eve, so we can celebrate Christmas!"

"Their war-weariness had reached its peak, which is why it erupted in this way."

"Moreover, since US Commander Smith agreed, it means that the Christmas ceasefire will be carried out by the entire 1st Marine Division!"

"To conquer a city is the inferior strategy; to conquer a heart is the superior one!"

The chief of staff looked at Kong Jie and explained excitedly.

"Commander!"

"The incident that Wu Wanli did was more than just a psychological attack on these American soldiers."

"Instead, they can use newspapers to appeal to the anti-war sentiments of the American people across the ocean!"

"This could be a political and diplomatic victory!"

Director Yu, who was standing to the side, also saw the great significance of this, and a look of shock flashed in his eyes as he sighed.

"Using the ocean to attack the anti-war sentiment of the American people..."

"That kid Wu Wanli is like Confucius with a sword at his waist, skilled in both literature and martial arts!"

After the chief of staff's explanation, Kong Jie also realized the huge potential that could be exploited in this incident.

"Commander, please issue the order for approval immediately."

"In such a tense situation, a single misfire could ruin this rare opportunity!"

said the chief of staff.

"But...we're about to launch a general offensive against the American forces."

"If this happens and our comrades develop friendships with the American soldiers, will they be less likely to fight to the death?"

After thinking for a moment, Director Yu raised her concerns again.

"will not!"

"Commander, most of the troops involved in the Christmas ceasefire were Han Chinese volunteers spontaneously organized by American prisoners of war. At most, there were also a small number of harassing troops. The comrades in the main force were not affected at all."

"Moreover, we will be the attacking side next. When we launch an offensive against the US military, we will definitely not be the ones who suffer if we are soft-hearted."

"Moreover, we have two main forces that are about to arrive. They lost so many men to the American forces in the previous battles, how could they possibly be merciful?"

"So this event is almost entirely beneficial to us!"

The chief of staff shook his head and said.

"Alright! Let's do as the chief of staff suggested!"

"At the power generation front, just say that the military has agreed to the US military's Christmas ceasefire request and that there can be a brief exchange with the US military. Just have the political commissar keep a close eye on things."

Kong Jie pondered for a moment and then spoke.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff immediately agreed.

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

Burial Miri Front

"Company Commander, Army Commander Kong Jie personally approved the Christmas ceasefire proposal and said that we can have a brief exchange with the US military and try our best to arouse the anti-war sentiment of the US military."

Mei Sheng looked at Wu Qianli and said.

"Row!"

"Then let's reply to the US military!"

Wu Qianli nodded and said.

"and many more……"

"Company commander, perhaps we can reply without sending a messenger."

"It might be more effective to have American prisoners of war shout it out."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"call?"

Wu Qianli was slightly taken aback before speaking.

"Yes."

After Wu Wanli finished speaking, he went down to explain to Lü Chaoran.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Chaoran immediately agreed.

……

Soon, the prisoners waved to the American soldiers in the trenches and shouted a sentence.

"Sino-US ceasefire, peace forever!"

"Sino-US ceasefire, peace forever!"

"We wish you a Merry Christmas!"

"We wish you a Merry Christmas!"

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

"..."

Soon, calls for peace and Christmas carols mingled together, completely crushing the American troops' will to resist.

Inside the trench, James and Curry carefully led a few American soldiers out of the trench.

Then they realized that no one was firing at them, so they boldly strode towards the direction of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

With them leading the way, soon more and more American soldiers, wearing Santa hats and singing Christmas carols, marched toward the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

"What?!"

"What I want is a ceasefire, not Sino-US friendship!!"

"Damn it, bring them back now, or they'll all be shot..."

Seeing this, Major General Smith became somewhat exasperated and started cursing loudly.

However, before he could finish speaking, the US Chief of Staff immediately covered his mouth.

"Sir, the atmosphere has reached a certain point. If we keep saying these things, we might become the soldiers' gift for getting to know the Chinese."

The U.S. Chief of Staff smiled bitterly and looked into the distance, saying...

"But if other positions see this position from the start, they might also be tempted to come out and celebrate Christmas with the Chinese..."

"Oh no, is this the psychological warfare tactic in Chinese military strategy?"

"After tonight, the brave and fearless 1st Marine Division will be wiped out."

"Do you think they'd fire shots into the air if they saw Chinese people?"

Major General Smith suddenly realized the heavy blow this would deal to the soldiers' morale, and said with his hands trembling slightly.

"Sir, the battlefield is a chessboard for old politicians to play their games, but it is the young soldiers who pay with their lives."

"This battle should perhaps never have been fought."

After the guard next to Smith finished speaking, he gritted his teeth and also walked towards the direction of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

(End of this chapter)