Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 137 Spring Festival Blitzkrieg! Winning Over Chu Yunfei!
Seoul, U.S. Army Headquarters
"Fuck you!"

"Damn it, those cunning Chinese actually launched an offensive during their Spring Festival!"

"How are the reinforcements we sent out doing? The air force should have achieved victory by now, right?"

Ridgway looked angrily at the battle map and asked.

"Sir, according to the latest news, our air force support has also been defeated by the Chinese..."

The U.S. Chief of Staff lowered his head and sighed.

"What?!"

"what are you saying?"

"Even in the most disadvantageous Battle of Chosin Reservoir, our air force was invincible. How could we possibly lose!"

"Moreover, we have deployed two large air force formations this time. Do you think we can compete with the few warplanes that the Chinese captured in Hagaru-ri?"

"The Air Force is not the Army; cases of defeating a larger force with a smaller one are almost impossible in air combat."

Ridgway's expression instantly turned cold, and he stared intently at the Chief of Staff as he asked.

At this moment, he was already wondering if the air force was afraid of casualties and withdrew after fighting for a short time.

"Sir, not only those fighter jets, our pilots say they've spotted Soviet-made MiG fighters in the combat squadron."

"Moreover, those pilots had extremely rich combat experience and were not like pilots of Red China at all."

"The Air Force even suspected that these were the Soviet ace pilots who had participated in the Soviet-German War."

The U.S. military chief of staff explained.

"MiG fighter jets? Soviet ace pilots? This is no small matter..."

"The Soviet Union actually sent its air force to support China's war of aggression in Korea. Didn't they consider the consequences?"

Li Qiwei's expression became slightly more serious as he spoke.

"Sir, the Soviets only sent an air force formation, which may have already indicated their stance."

"They saw the fighting power of the Chinese army at Chosin Reservoir, so they are willing to increase aid and investment, which is expected to include the air force and equipment."

"But that's all there is to it. If they dare to send troops to fight, the scale and consequences of the battle will probably be beyond our control."

The U.S. Chief of Staff thought for a moment and analyzed.

"That's not right either. Even if the Soviets send air force, they can't commit too much at once. They'll definitely have to see how the Chinese perform."

"Our two air force formations account for almost half of the army's air power. How could we possibly suffer a crushing defeat?"

Li Qiwei frowned slightly and asked.

"Sir, at the crucial moment of the battle, the Chinese Iron Seventh Company stormed into the South Korean artillery position and seized the anti-aircraft weapons there."

"Our second air force squadron was eager to provide support and was completely unprepared for the South Korean artillery, so it suffered heavy losses under the sudden attack of Chinese anti-aircraft guns."

The U.S. Chief of Staff sighed and said.

"The Seventh Steel Company of China, it's that Seventh Steel Company of China again!"

"Why is it that such a small unit can always influence the course of the battle at crucial moments!"

Ridgway slammed his fist on the table in anger and roared.

“Sir, they recently defeated an elite SEAL team.”

"You should know that the entire SEAL team is composed of elite non-commissioned officers who participated in the Pacific War."

"This shows that this elite force may be the strongest spearhead that the entire Chinese army has cobbled together from various sources."

The U.S. military chief of staff speculated arbitrarily.

"No wonder……"

"Telegram to the front-line troops: Once a suitable opportunity arises, you must annihilate this Chinese Iron Seventh Company at all costs!"

"Once this unit is completely annihilated, the morale of both sides will be reversed, and the political significance will be completely different."

"Especially Wu Wanli, the company commander of the Seventh Steel Company. If I can capture him alive, I will definitely hang him publicly!"

Li Qiwei said angrily.

"Sir, such an order is probably..."

The U.S. Chief of Staff frowned slightly, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

"No need to worry, even the most elite troops are just a company. It's worth it even if we suffer several times the casualties. Just issue the order."

"Will the reinforcements arrive in time? If the Imjin River defense line collapses, retreat immediately."

Ridgway took a deep breath and said calmly.

“Sir, we cannot turn back now.”

"The Chinese army is not only after the Imjin River defense line. Based on the movements detected by reconnaissance, they have already launched an infiltration and encirclement operation."

"In other words, even if we're not fighting for the Imjin River defense line, we still have to reach the key transportation routes behind the Imjin River defense line to cover their retreat."

"Otherwise, if the Chinese army succeeds, apart from the Capital Division in Seoul, the main force of the South Korean army will be completely wiped out, and our Syngman Rhee will be left with no troops."

The U.S. Chief of Staff shook his head with a wry smile and said.

"Then we can't retreat..."

"Speaking of the Capital Division, what's the latest news on Quan Douguang and his men? And how's the investigation on Lu Taijian going?"

Suddenly remembering something, Ridgway asked.

"Sir, didn't you send Roh Tae-geon to lead elite South Korean troops to infiltrate and fight, to pledge their allegiance?"

"They did indeed fight the North Korean army to the death, but fortunately they did not encounter the Chinese army, so the results were quite good."

The U.S. military chief of staff said.

"They dealt a fatal blow to the North Korean army..."

"What about Jeon Doo-gwang? How has he been behaving in Seoul? Has anything unusual happened to him?"

Li Qiwei still had a bad feeling and asked.

“Sir, Quan Douguang is indeed acting a bit strangely, but he hasn’t contacted the Chinese army.”

"I heard that he abused his power for personal gain, using his prestige and authority in the South Korean military to extract large sums of money and delicacies from the South Korean government."

The U.S. military chief of staff said.

"Hahaha... He's a greedy and corrupt person?"

"What's the harm? Just collect this evidence, but keep it hidden."

"If he were upright and honest, wouldn't he be harder to control?"

Li Qi smiled, his vigilance easing considerably.

“Sir, but he…”

The U.S. Chief of Staff was about to continue explaining.

After all, it's one thing for Quan Douguang to be greedy for money, but what kind of embezzlement did he get by requisitioning thousands of chickens and hundreds of pigs?

"Let him be greedy; just tell Syngman Rhee about this."

“It would also be beneficial for us to control the South Korean government if they compared themselves within a limited scope.”

Li Qiwei waved his hand, interrupting.

"A limited comparison?"

The U.S. Chief of Staff looked at Ridgway, seemingly grasping a deeper meaning in his heart.

It seems that it doesn't matter who is the South Korean president, it's fine for the US military.

In wartime, it would be good to have a dog like Quan Douguang, who is good at fighting, as the commander.

At worst, we can just replace it after the war; it's just a matter of the US military saying a few words.

"Tell me about the planning arrangements for the Imjin River. What can we do now?"

Ridgway asked.

"Sir, the most crucial battle position on the Imjin River is in the direction of the 27th and 50th Armies; that's a salient position."

“If the battle situation changes suddenly, our newly formed 38th Regiment of the 24th Division, which is supporting them there, will be at risk of being attacked from both sides.”

"Because that is the most convenient location to reach the defense line from Goyang Fortress to Uijeongbu Fortress. That is the barrier of Seoul and the defense line of our American army. We cannot ignore it."

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

"That 50th Army, I remember it was the Nationalist army we supported before?"

Upon hearing the designation, Ridgway asked.

"Yes, sir. They are the former 50th Army of the National Revolutionary Army. I don't know if it's out of trust or consideration of the war situation, but the Chinese Air Force seems to be mainly protecting the 27th Army." "Sir, should we launch a massive bombardment of the 50th Army to prevent them from attacking our 38th Regiment from both sides?"

"The U.S. military chief of staff asked."

"Boom! But without using bombs."

"Have the fighter jets carry propaganda leaflets, promising them generous treatment to entice them to defect. If they turn against you in battle, the reward will be even greater!"

Li Qi smiled slightly and said.

"Sir, are you trying to emulate the psychological warfare you waged against the Japanese back then?"

The US military chief of staff's eyes lit up slightly, and he said.

"Give it a try. If the 50th Army can defect, we have a real chance to launch a counter-offensive, push the front line back, and even take Pyongyang!"

"Hey... the strength of the Chinese army should not be underestimated. How's the matter of asking you to go to the island to ask for an operations staff officer going?"

Ridgway said.

"Reporting to the general, we had already selected a suitable candidate, namely the famous Nationalist general Chu Yunfei."

"This person had fought against Li Yunlong, the commander of the 27th Army of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, many times. He knew his opponent's tactics well. He was also a graduate of the fifth class of the Whampoa Military Academy. He had extremely high combat skills and made outstanding contributions in the Sino-Japanese War."

"However, according to our intelligence department, this person is strong-willed and principled, and may not agree to our demands..."

The U.S. military chief of staff said.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, he's a military academy graduate, and he has a wealth of combat experience..."

"This is exactly the kind of talent we urgently need. Let's try our best to recruit them."

Li Qiwei's heart stirred, and he gave the order.

"Yes!"

The U.S. Chief of Staff immediately agreed and went to make preparations.

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

Far from the Imjin River defense line, at the 38th Regiment of the US 24th Division
"Sir, this is the general's latest order."

The chief of staff of the 38th Regiment handed the telegram to the regimental commander and said.

"The military situation is urgent, just summarize it for me."

"Commander Locke said."

"First, if we encounter the Chinese Steel Seventh Company, we must annihilate it at all costs, even if the losses are several times that of the enemy."

"Second, we cannot retreat directly. We should try our best to secure support to hold the Imjin River defense line and at least open up a retreat route for the South Korean army."

The regimental chief of staff glanced at the telegram and summarized.

"Annihilation at all costs, it seems the Iron Seventh Company has achieved something this time that's giving the general a headache."

Commander Locke smiled dismissively and said.

He was originally stationed in Europe with a regiment, but due to the sudden change in the situation in North Korea, he was urgently transferred here.

"Sir, the Chinese Iron Seventh Company has repeatedly launched surprise attacks, greatly influencing the battle situation. It is normal for General Ridgway to pay attention to it."

"It's incredible, especially since they just defeated a secret, elite SEAL team."

"That's what the regimental chief of staff said."

"You're talking about the Battle of Xicun, right? The SEALs were really unhappy about it and even volunteered to temporarily join our regiment to fight."

"I have already ordered them to serve as reconnaissance teams. If they run into that Steel Seventh Company, then we'll be destined to meet again."

Commander Locke smiled and said.

"The SEALs are elite veterans who have been trained in the Pacific War. If we encounter them, we can at least hold them off until the main force arrives."

The regimental chief of staff nodded and said.

"Never mind, why think about these things? What are the chances of such a coincidence?"

"We'd rather think about how to help those damned South Koreans hold the line later."

"Transmit General Ridgway's orders and guidelines to the officers, and report any encounters with the Steel Seventh Company immediately."

"Commander Locke said."

"Yes, sir!"

The regimental chief of staff nodded in agreement.

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

There is a canyon on the only way to reach the Imjin River defense line.

The core members of the Seventh Steel Company are gathered here for a small meeting.
"Company Commander, it's too dangerous for you to act as bait first. I don't think it's a good idea!"

"This is not the small US military unit we've seen before; this is an entire main US military regiment."

"If you're not careful, you'll be surrounded, and the Seventh Steel Company won't have enough troops to rescue you!"

After listening to Wu Wanli's plan, Liu Hanqing shook his head and offered a reminder.

"That's right, Company Commander. We have no idea how far the US reconnaissance troops are from the main force. If we get entangled with them, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Pinghe thought for a moment and then calmly said.

"Not only that, Company Commander, you also need to lure them in and then make a quick withdrawal. If you're even a little slow, you'll be crushed by fire..."

Lei Gong sighed, his opinion pessimistic.

"Company Commander, I'm willing to do it. Let me go!"

"It doesn't matter if I sacrifice myself, but you are the commander of the whole company, so you can't be hurt."

Wu Siyi raised his hand and said.

"Having more people would make things more likely, and I'm willing to go with the company commander!"

Eager to achieve success, he thought it over carefully and said...

Fortune favors the bold, and with Wu Wanli's combat prowess as a guarantee, accumulating some merit in battle is no problem.

"Stop talking. My mind is made up. Only I can handle this. And all your worries are fine. Trust in my abilities."

"Once I lure the US reconnaissance forces here, you can give them a good beating and make them feel the pain."

"When the main force of the US Army hears the gunfire, they will definitely come to our aid. Then we will fight and retreat, leading them into the planned encirclement."

"Once we take down this US army unit, we can advance directly into the US military defense line from Goyang to Uijeongbu!"

Wu Wanli said.

He possesses a complete map vision, allowing him to accurately pinpoint the locations of various US military units. He also boasts superhuman agility, luck, and marksmanship, making him a worthy successor to the modern-day Zhao Zilong.

If you change the person or bring someone else, they won't be able to achieve the same level of effectiveness.

Moreover, it was merely a lure, not an attack by one person.

"Company commander, I have another concern."

"What if we reach the ambush zone but the main force's flanking maneuver doesn't arrive as planned?"

"After all, the South Korean army's resistance is still ongoing..."

After hesitating for a long time, Gao Daxing asked.

"I believe that even if Commander Li Yunlong and his men suffer heavy casualties, they will fight their way through."

"I'm leaving. I'm handing over command to Instructor Liu. I'll bring the American troops with me!"

Wu Wanli said with a firm look in his eyes.

Back in Cangyun Ridge, when Li Yunlong heard that Zhang Dabiao had fallen behind, he immediately led the New First Regiment to fight back.

"Wanli, I don't have much experience in commanding..."

Liu Hanqing felt a great responsibility placed upon him and said with some pressure.

"So what? Everyone in the Steel Seventh Company has been in the military longer than me."

"Only blood and fire can forge true warriors, and with Lei Gongyu and others like them, don't worry."

Wu Wanli looked at Liu Hanqing and smiled slightly.

"Yes!"

"salute!"

Seeing Wu Wanli's determined gaze, Liu Hanqing stopped trying to persuade him and instead shouted loudly.

The entire Seventh Steel Company saluted and watched Wu Wanli depart into the distance.

(End of this chapter)