Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 109 Building China's Own Armored Force!

"Reporting, Company Commander! A US force is advancing towards us!"

"Four half-track armored anti-aircraft gun vehicles, two Pershing tanks, plus one armored personnel carrier."

"However, one of the armored vehicles is currently under repair due to a malfunction, but it should be able to set off again and head towards us soon."

"Could it be... that the highest-ranking commander of the 1st Marine Division is inside?"

Pinghe, having detected the situation in the distance, immediately ran back to report.

"Company commander, the number of heavy armor units has been matched."

"The remaining armored vehicles at the US military command have all been deployed, and I think it must be Smith."

Mei Sheng thought for a moment and then said.

"What do we care? Let's just take him down!"

"If the US military loses its command, it will fall apart."

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong's eyes instantly ignited with fighting spirit.

"How many American soldiers are in this force? Is it enough for a battalion?"

Wu Wanli estimated the magnitude of the battlefield threat he sensed and felt something was amiss, so he quickly asked.

"Wanli is right. In terms of numbers, there is indeed no guard battalion as the intelligence said. It is estimated to be only about a company."

Pinghe frowned slightly and said.

"A company?"

“Unless that American prisoner lied to us, something is definitely not right.”

Lei Gong shook his head and said.

Where is the flag?

"Did they bring the divisional flag of the 1st Marine Division?"

Wu Wanli suddenly thought of something and quickly asked.

"no!"

Pinghe thought for a moment and then said.

"Brother, Smith is definitely not here."

"He's using a smokescreen, making it look like he's going to support the front lines."

Wu Wanli immediately confirmed.

"He sent all his armored vehicles to support a company, while he himself remained stationary with the rest of his men. Is there some kind of conspiracy?"

Wu Qianli said with a slightly solemn expression.

"I think that old fox Smith is trying to run away."

"It's obvious to anyone with eyes that the 1st Marine Division is already at its last gasp."

"If he hadn't been worried about being punished in China after returning, I think he would have run away long ago."

Wu Wanli guessed.

"Company commander, shall we fire?"

Pinghe asked.

"Wanli, should we go around that?"

Wu Qianli frowned slightly and asked.

"No, let's fight."

"This may not be a bad opportunity. With these armored vehicles, we can launch an attack on the US forces."

"The situation is urgent now. You see they're in a hurry to get here. Let's split up, hide, and catch them off guard."

Wu Wanli said.

"With all this armor, you're still acting so arrogant?"

Wu Qianli was slightly taken aback before speaking.

"Brother, have you forgotten that we hid three tanks at the Water Gate Bridge?"

"Adding the armor here, that makes five heavy tanks, plus four half-track armored vehicles and one armored command vehicle!"

"After this battle, our Soviet big brother will definitely think highly of us, and air support should not be a problem."

"As long as we capture more heavy armor and build our own armored forces, we will have the opportunity to try armored assault operations in the future!"

Wu Wanli suddenly thought of something and said.

It was now the end of 1950, and the Soviet Air Force had already begun supporting the Korean War in 1951, which is the historically famous "MiG Alley"!
Given the even greater success achieved in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir than before, the extent and timing of Soviet aid are uncertain...

"If there's an opportunity to build China's own armored force... then let's fight!"

"The artillery platoon will lie in ambush on both sides of the route the US troops are bound to take, set up firing positions, and suppress the US forces with full-scale fire!"

"The reconnaissance platoon will focus its attacks on the positions of the US half-track vehicles, using everything from bazookas to other vehicles."

"The artillery platoon should locate the bombing positions in advance and bombard the American soldiers with heavy fire,"

"Prepare the previously captured rifle grenades in advance, and launch white phosphorus incendiary smoke bombs as soon as the battle begins!"

Looking at Wu Wanli's resolute face, Wu Qianli gave the order.

"Yes!"

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

Wu Wanli glanced at the crowd, then picked up his weapon and walked forward.

"Comrade Wu Wanli, what are you doing going in the direction of the road?"

"Danger!"

Gao Daxing saw Wu Wanli's direction and quickly grabbed him.

"There are excellent hiding spots there, and the US military would never expect me to be here, so don't worry."

"These tanks must be captured, not destroyed. This is the only way to fight them."

After Wu Wanli finished speaking, he resolutely walked towards the center of the most dangerous road.

His frosty face was so young, and his white cloak fluttered in the wind and snow.

Wu Qianli stared at Wu Wanli's thin back in the distance, and couldn't help but pause for a moment. He opened his mouth, but in the end he held back and walked towards the ambush.

"Company Commander, you've always been reluctant to let your younger brother take risks, so why have you been like this lately..."

Mei Sheng noticed Wu Qianli's inner turmoil and asked in a low voice.

“Before, he was just a greenhorn, and I was afraid he would die, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to face my parents when I got back, so I kept a tight rein on him.”

"But now we're gradually realizing that this kid is really capable; he can achieve results in battles that we never expected."

Wu Qianli smiled, seemingly somewhat proud.

"Comrade Wu Wanli is a strong fighter, so...aren't you worried?"

"I asked Gao Daxing, who was standing to the side."

"I'm worried. It would be a lie to say I'm not worried."

Wu Qianli said.

"Then why..."

Gao Daxing asked, puzzled.

"Because I discovered that each of his adventures resulted in fewer comrades being sacrificed..."

"We are all children of our parents, comrades who fought together. How could I be selfish?"

Wu Qianli took off his green military cap with a five-pointed star, shook off some snow, and put it back on.

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong and the others couldn't help but turn their gazes toward Wu Wanli in the distance, their hearts heavy with unease.

His position was in a snow pit diagonally behind a rock, on the side of the road, not exactly in the center.

"Rumble--"

The roar of tanks could be heard as two US Pershing heavy tanks led the way.

The tank's massive cannon pointed majestically to the sky, its heavy tracks mercilessly crushing the snowdrifts and small, withered trees ahead.

"Quick! Quick!"

"Damn it, the tank in front suddenly broke down! We've already wasted a lot of time!"

A U.S. Army Major Johnson shouted.

He was originally the battalion commander of the guard battalion, but in order to disguise Smith as being among the reinforcements, he brought this killing sergeant with him.

As one of the few tough and combat-ready American men, he stayed directly in the half-track anti-aircraft gun vehicle to command.

In the American military formation, Fan Wencheng, carrying an M3 submachine gun, followed behind the tanks, panting heavily.

"Hey! Yellow-skinned pig, can't run anymore?"

A black American soldier looked at Fan Wencheng and sneered with disdain.

"How can you say that? He's a Chinese-American staff officer who's highly regarded by the Chief of Staff!"

Another white U.S. military officer said sarcastically.

Fan Wencheng gripped his submachine gun tightly, feeling a surge of humiliation, but ultimately lowered his head. "See? I told you the Chinese were weak and easily bullied, just like when I killed those Chinese laborers back home!"

The U.S. Army sergeant looked at Fan Wencheng, who had his head down, and burst into laughter.

The other American soldiers couldn't help but laugh when they saw this.

As a core unit like the guard battalion, there is not a single person of Chinese descent among them.

The purpose is not just to humiliate Fan Wencheng, but to dispel the fear of facing the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

See, is this all there is to the descendants of China?

On a half-track armored vehicle

Major Johnson, seeing the American soldiers humiliating and laughing, realized the morale benefits of it and acquiesced.

Soon, the US armored forces were getting closer and closer to Wu Wanli's position.

Wu Wanli silently emerged from the snow pit with his sniper rifle, observing the American forces through his scope.

Amidst the white, falling snow, one could vaguely see two American soldiers aboard tanks, each observing the road and reporting the situation.

One reason was that people inside Zangmi Village didn't believe the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had broken through so quickly.

On the other hand, the situation in the south was too urgent, and the breakdown at the front had delayed things. So, in the snowy night, they had to drive at maximum speed and rely on spotters to avoid roadblocks and deep pits, so as not to waste any more time.

Behind the Stone

Wu Wanli put away his gun and silently estimated the throwing distance of his grenade.

In this battle, his grenade throws had to land precisely in the two American tanks; otherwise, a single shot would surely kill him.

"Please, please, can you give me some lucky events with my permanent godlike luck boost?!"

As Wu Wanli watched the approaching American tanks, he silently prayed in his heart.

Not long after, when the two American tanks were halfway there, they broke down again, blocking the middle of the road.

A half-track armored vehicle on the side and rear did not notice and crashed right into the rear right side of the tank in front.

"Bam—"

At the moment of the crash, Major Johnson almost stumbled and fell off the car.

"Fuck you!"

"You bunch of bastards, are you doing this on purpose?!"

"Breaked down twice in ten minutes, and both tanks at the same time!?"

Johnson was already in a hurry, and seeing this situation and almost being knocked off the car, he instantly became furious.

He drew his pistol, jumped off the anti-aircraft gun vehicle, and fired a shot at the armor of each of the two tanks.

"Bang! Bang!"

"Get out here! Tell me what happened?!"

"Sappers, don't waste time, hurry up and fix it while I'm training!"

Johnson roared angrily.

Upon seeing this, the American soldiers inside the tank shakily climbed out and stood in front of Johnson.

"You made the troops stop twice in ten minutes, how did you drive like that!"

"Do you even know how dire the situation is on the front lines?!"

"Could it be... that you're deliberately doing this out of fear of going to the battlefield?!"

Johnson glared at the group of American tank crewmen, pointed his gun at them, and yelled.

"Sir, we absolutely did not intentionally run away!"

"I don't know why, but today the tanks seem to be cursed, and they've started breaking down one after another."

"When we fought our way from Hagaru-ri, we were blocked by layers of enemy fire over such a long distance, but our tanks never broke down even once!"

A U.S. tank commander sighed and said in a low voice.

"So what's going on now? Surely it's not that the Chinese practice witchcraft?"

Johnson frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

……

A concealed location not far from US troops
"Company commander, the American devils have actually stopped!"

"Their tank crews have all come out; the tank is malfunctioning and being repaired. It's like God is helping us!"

Gao Daxing's heart pounded with excitement as he whispered.

"Company commander, what are you waiting for? Let's attack!"

Upon seeing this, Yu Congrong said with a face full of excitement.

"Wan Li seemed to have said something about capturing more heavy armor and building China's own armored forces..."

"Could this fool have predicted even this current situation?!"

Lei Gong was stunned, recalling what Wu Wanli had said not long ago.

"Since we're going to capture it anyway, let's wait for the American engineers to repair it for a while. Once it's fixed, we'll start fighting!"

"Wouldn't it be better if the American soldiers could rest for a bit, have something to eat, and then fight even better?"

"According to the original plan, we'll start firing as soon as I fire my gun."

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

"Yes!"

Yu Congrong nodded.

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

A while later, the U.S. military engineers finally fixed the malfunctions in the two tanks.

When Johnson turned around, the anger he had just suppressed instantly surged up again.

Some American soldiers were seen eating compressed biscuits and chatting, while others were dozing off while holding their guns.

"What are you doing! Immediately..."

Johnson was yelling at the American soldiers when he was halfway through his shout.

"boom--"

"Comrades, fight hard!"

When Wu Qianli saw that the American tank crews were about to return to their tanks, he quickly shouted.

"call out--"

A barrage of shells roared towards the American soldiers, and several fiery clouds instantly bloomed.

Several soldiers from the 7th Steel Company raised M1 rifle grenades and blasted white phosphorus smoke incendiary bombs towards the American troops.

In an instant, the burning white phosphorus emitted plumes of white smoke, completely obscuring the American troops' view.

Just as the smoke was about to completely envelop him, Wu Wanli raised his gun, and the red crosshair precisely locked onto Major Johnson.

"boom!"

Wu Wanli's Garand roared, and a bright yellow bullet spun rapidly and struck Johnson in the head.

A spray of blood mist landed on the white snow. Johnson collapsed heavily onto the snow, his body twitched a few times, and then he lost consciousness.

Caught off guard and without their commander, the American troops were thrown into chaos, instinctively firing their guns.

"Firepower! Firepower!"

Seeing the American troops in disarray, Yu Congrong quickly shouted loudly.

In an instant, machine guns from several firing groups unleashed their firepower simultaneously, and the crossfire swept away a large number of American soldiers from the flanks like a string of candied hawthorns.

The American soldiers even tried to lay the anti-aircraft gun flat and fire it after boarding the half-track anti-aircraft gun vehicle.

However, the next second, several bazooka rockets flew in and instantly tore their bodies apart, leaving only piles of minced meat under the anti-aircraft guns.

"What fierce all-American firepower... Oh no! It's that Chinese steel company!"

"Quickly, back to the tanks!"

The US tank commander quickly reminded him and tried to climb back into the tank.

"Da da da!"

However, just as he climbed onto the vehicle, Wu Wanli behind him fired a single shot and knocked him to the ground.

Upon seeing this, the other American soldiers immediately tried to raise their guns to fight back.

"Da da da da..."

Wu Wanli roared as he emptied a magazine of bullets, mowing down all the American tank crews in front of him at close range.

"Drip drip drip drip drip drip!"

At this moment, the bugler of the Seventh Steel Company blew the bugle with all his might.

"Comrades, come after me!"

Wu Qianli picked up his submachine gun and charged out first.