Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 126 Blitzkrieg of Seoul!!

志司
"Li Yunlong is indeed a skilled fighter; he's one of our old 129th Division's ace soldiers!"

"But his habit of disobeying orders on the battlefield is quite serious!"

"We've tried every kind of punishment imaginable: carrying heavy pots, feeding horses, doing embroidery at the clothing factory. We're just afraid he still won't improve!"

The boss sighed and said with concern.

"I'm also worried about this issue. Do you remember when the clothing factory stole two hundred military uniforms from him before?"

"This time, he dared to rob cotton-padded clothes from Gongdelin and the prisoner-of-war camps, claiming that they were donated by those KMT prisoners of war to fight in the Korean War!"

"But in the end, everything he did was for the greater good, not for his own personal gain, so I still brought him here."

After cursing the boss a couple of times, Chief Chen changed the subject and began to speak well of Li Yunlong.

"Alright, since you trust this kid so much, then let's hope that he can shoulder the heavy responsibility after taking over the 27th Army!"

"Old Chen, I've been wanting to meet Comrade Wu Wanli, the number one hero of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir and this elite US military raid!"

The boss looked at Wu Wanli as he walked in and introduced him.

"You must be Wu Wanli. I've seen you in the newspapers a lot lately. You're quite accomplished at such a young age."

Chief Chen extended his hand to Wu Wanli and praised him with a smile.

"It's just a minor skirmish; the main credit goes to the leaders for their strategic planning."

"When the leader was reciting the Zhongzheng Formation, I wasn't even born yet."

Wu Wanli reached out and shook hands with some excitement, saying modestly.

"Hahahaha, this kid is quite modest."

"If that kid Li Yunlong had won such a victory, he'd probably be rewarding himself by causing trouble."

Chief Chen patted Wu Wanli on the shoulder and said with an appreciative look.

"Wanli, your Steel Seventh Company did a fantastic job blocking the attack by the elite US forces this time!"

"But your General Kong Jie has failed in his command and has allowed the American troops to come over."

"I've already decided to hand over the heavy responsibility of the 27th Army to that kid Li Yunlong. What do you think about your army commander being promoted to the logistics department?"

The boss thought for a moment, then looked at Wu Wanli tentatively and asked.

Chief Chen immediately understood the boss's intention and looked at Wu Wanli with anticipation.

If an ordinary person were to achieve great feats and be praised by so many people, they would probably become an arrogant soldier long ago.

The boss, seeing that Chief Chen had praised Wu Wanli's humility, was taking the opportunity to test whether Wu Wanli could truly maintain a humble attitude.

"Boss, this is not something I can comment on. You and the other leaders should make the decision."

"However, if I make mistakes in the future, I hope to become an ordinary soldier and continue to fight on the battlefield to atone for my crimes!"

"I don't have a high level of education, but I heard Instructor Liu say something to me: 'Shame is the mother of courage!'"

Wu Wanli smiled and said.

Upon hearing Wu Wanli's words, smiles appeared on the faces of the General, Chief Chen, and Instructor Liu.

That's a brilliant answer! Commenting on the leader is a bit arrogant, but using the comment to express oneself is perfectly fine!

Not only was he full of humility, but he also used this opportunity to speak up for Kong Jie, who had protected him for so long, and he also subtly praised Instructor Liu, who had a relatively low profile at the meeting, for his high level of education.

Killing three birds with one stone, this reveals a rising star in the military who is both progressive and supportive, yet humble despite his great achievements.

"Comrade Wu Wanli is highly skilled; he truly deserves to be Commander Kong Jie's favorite general!"

"I knew it! Kong Jie was willing to protect you and report the Seoul plan, and even said he'd get you into military academy. I didn't misjudge him!"

Chief Chen smiled.

"To atone for one's crimes and perform meritorious service, to know shame and then be courageous... Alright!"

"Wanli's words make sense. It would be a waste of a capable man to let him take charge of feeding horses, raising pigs, and cooking."

"Then let Kong Jie stay in the 27th Army as deputy commander. Hopefully, he can redeem himself through meritorious service!"

The boss looked at Wu Wanli for a long time before finally changing his mind.

"Wanli, as the operations staff officer, share your thoughts later."

"Hanqing, take good care of your studies and learn from your experiences to grow."

"Now that everyone is here, let's get down to business."

"Chief Chen said."

"Then let's talk about the troop strength for the battle first."

"The Ninth Army suffered too heavy losses in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, making it impossible to launch another major battle."

"I plan to transfer the elite troops of the Ninth Army Corps to the 27th Army Corps, with the 27th Army Corps and the Third Army Corps you brought as the main force to participate in the next major battle."

The boss said.

"The Third Army Corps consists of the 38th, 39th, 40th, 42nd, 50th and 66th Armies, a total of six armies."

"With the 27th Army included, we will be launching a major campaign involving seven main armies, making our strength incredibly formidable!"

Chief Chen said with a hint of excitement in his heart.

"More than these."

"In this elite US raid, their remnants were able to defeat an entire North Korean regiment, which enraged the North Korean army."

"They expect to mobilize two or three legions to launch the next campaign together with us."

"It's been a long time since we've fought a battle this well!"

The boss smiled and said.

"We cannot underestimate the enemy. According to the latest intelligence, the UN forces are not weak either."

"Their main force consists of four main divisions: the US 1st Cavalry Division, the US 2nd Division, the US 24th Division, and the US 25th Division!"

"In addition to the British 29th Brigade, the Turkish Brigade, and several divisions from the puppet Korean forces, we also received assistance."

"This battle will be a massive one..."

"Chief Chen said."

"So many troops..."

"Has the intelligence work been done? How is their defense line constructed?"

The boss asked.

"I've seen the latest intelligence on the front lines. This newly appointed Ridgway is quite something."

"He deployed most of the South Korean troops in front, forming the first line of defense."

"The US, British and Turkish brigades are stationed on the second line of defense."

"In addition, there are three mobile defense lines in the rear, ensuring that the main force of the US military is always in a position where it can attack or defend at will," Chief Chen said, pointing to the battle map.

"In that case, based on the known intelligence and battle maps, the most important direction of this offensive should be on the western front."

"We should launch a major offensive from the west with our main force and directly threaten Seoul!"

"On the eastern front, a detachment can be sent out of Hwacheon to attack Hengseong. Once captured, it can be bypassed to attack Suwon and cut off Seoul's retreat route!"

Looking at the battle map, Wu Wanli spoke with an air of dominance.

"The main attack on the western front is to advance on Seoul, while the eastern front will bypass and cut off the retreat route. It's still the same strategy as before, the encirclement around Chosin Reservoir, but now it's offensive."

"Your ideas are similar to those of the General Staff, so let's continue. What are your specific thoughts?"

The boss nodded approvingly.

"Boss, look at the battle map. The western front can be simply viewed as three important battle points."

"First, there is the Imjin River, where the puppet South Korean army is stationed. A river-crossing battle will be fought here."

"Then, there are the two major passes and barriers leading to Seoul: Goyang Castle and Uijeongbu Castle. We'll have to fight a surprise attack here!"

"Finally, there's Seoul. If we have time, we'll have to fight a siege battle here!"

"If we win all three major battles and the encirclement from the eastern front is timely, we can decide the fate of the world in one battle!"

Wu Wanli pointed to the battle map and explained the Third Campaign in the simplest language.

"Hahahaha... Concise and to the point, excellent analysis."

"But you're too daring, aren't you afraid of breaking your teeth?"

Chief Chen smiled.

"Wanli is right too. We must despise our opponent strategically, but take them seriously tactically. Only in this way can we achieve great results!"

"However, it is still too difficult to achieve complete success with such a large-scale encirclement."

"After all, the main force of the US military is mechanized. I'm afraid they won't be able to win and will just run away."

"Take the Battle of Chosin Reservoir as an example. The US 1st Marine Division suffered consecutive defeats at Sinhung-ri and Hagaru-ri, yet it managed to maintain its organizational structure during the retreat."

"Overall, we can proceed according to Wanli's plan, but we don't need to set the campaign objectives too high."

"If we can take Seoul and leave behind as many American troops as possible, then we've succeeded!"

The boss thought for a moment and then said.

"The boss is right, that's probably a good way to play, but we can't be too ambitious."

"Wanli, please continue."

Chief Chen nodded in agreement.

"Now that we've established the tone for the three major battles, let's talk about the first one: crossing the Imjin River!"

"There are two routes to choose from when crossing the Imjin River."

“One is the Xinjinpu section, which has a complex terrain. I call it the wave-like section of the river.”

“One is the flat and easy-to-cross Gaolangpu, which I call the straight section of the river.”

"The American devils must think we'll attack from the Yizi River section, but we won't!"

"We'll cross the Bolang River and catch them off guard!"

Wu Wanli laughed.

"A covert maneuver?"

"As for the Yizi River section, should we send some troops to draw the attention of the US forces?"

Chief Chen realized what was happening and asked.

"No, we must also attack the Yizi section of the river fiercely to confuse the enemy. However, we don't need many troops; at most, one division will suffice."

"We must send our most elite troops to launch a fierce attack on the undulating section of the river, because this is a section of the river that juts out. If we can break through, we can directly penetrate the heart of the puppet South Korean main force or divide their troops."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"Okay!"

"Wanli, you must have studied the tactics a long time ago, how could you think of them in such detail?"

Chief Chen looked at Wu Wanli with eyes that almost lit up with admiration.

"A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier! You can see that from the Winter in Seoul plan."

"go on!"

The boss couldn't help but stand up, looking at the battle map and laughing.

"As I just said, after the Battle of Imjin River, we will launch a long-distance raid to directly attack the front lines around Goyang Fortress and Uijeongbu Fortress."

"Actually, there's Cheongpyeongcheon in the east, but to get there we have to take a long detour to attack Seoul, so I'm not considering it."

"This is the front line where the main force of the US military is located, so it's impossible to fight so easily anymore."

"But faced with logistical pressure and the powerful offensive of the US military, we absolutely cannot afford to delay."

"We must break through the battle lines with overwhelming force, regardless of casualties!"

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"That makes sense."

Chief Chen nodded in agreement.

"I'd like to ask, to what extent can the Soviet air support reach?"

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then asked.

"Even with the air force of our new China, we can probably only go 30/70 with the US military."

"After all, the Soviet air force was mainly responsible for ensuring the logistical supply lines along the Yalu River, and did not intend to participate in the war with all its might."

"These three points are only because of our great success in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir."

"In other words, we can only achieve local air superiority for a short period of time at most."

Chief Chen said with a wry smile.

"Local air superiority... is enough."

"We should concentrate our captured armor and elite troops and launch a lightning-fast offensive against the UN forces through rapid infiltration!"

"Swiftly, with a surprise attack and concentrated force, we must crush these UN forces in the shortest possible time!"

In other words, it was a blitzkrieg of Seoul!!!

Wu Wanli clenched his fist and shouted domineeringly.

(End of this chapter)