Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 140: Zero Casualties in the Capture of the Key Town of Tashanli!

Inside the Panzer 6

"Company commander, the telegram has been sent. Once the air force sees the signal flare, they should provide fire support as requested!"

"However, the U.S. 38th Regiment still has quite a few reconnaissance teams. We should take a longer route to go around them; that would be the safest option."

Liu Hanqing thought for a moment and then offered his suggestion.

"No, the defenses in Tashanli are probably quite strong. After the 38th Regiment is caught in a pincer movement, they will definitely try their best to move towards Tashanli. If we take a long detour, we may not have enough time."

"Just follow me closely, and I guarantee we won't be detected."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

Soon, the Sky Eye Map of Hearts of Steel was opened, and the 38th Regiment was still making a final effort to search.

However, the Seventh Steel Company followed Wu Wanli and took a clever route to bypass the enemy and go straight into Tashan.

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

At this time, the 38th Regiment of the United States
"What!? It's gone!?"

Regiment Commander Locke stood up abruptly, glaring angrily at the regimental chief of staff.

“Sir, the gunshot just now was fired by the Navy SEALs. In fact, we only saw one Chinese person from beginning to end.”

"As you know, the Seventh Steel Company of China also uses entirely American equipment, so we didn't recognize it..."

The regimental chief of staff lowered his head and explained.

"Sir! Latest telegram from the South Korean army: The entire Imjin River defense line has collapsed, and the South Korean army has been completely defeated and thrown into disarray. They are pleading for our cover to help them retreat."

"Not only that, the first group of South Korean soldiers who had fled to our lines have already run up to our lines and asked us for shelter, and their numbers are growing."

At that moment, a U.S. military staff officer rushed over with a battle report and said...

"The Imjin River defense line has collapsed... Sir! The 50th and 27th Armies are likely to launch a pincer attack!"

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

"Hahahahahaha..."

"You mean, that one Chinese guy outsmarted our entire 38th Army and escaped unscathed?"

"What a shame!"

Commander Locke laughed in fury, and finally roared loudly.

"Sir, even the 1st Marine Division couldn't kill this man, let alone us?"

"The most urgent task now is to figure out how we should respond, otherwise the annihilation of the 38th Regiment will be a foregone conclusion!"

"The regimental chief of staff said anxiously."

"How many South Korean soldiers are there? Can we take them with us?"

Commander Locke took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and asked.

He originally thought that he could exchange casualties for the complete annihilation of the Steel Seventh Company, which would also count as a meritorious achievement.

But now that annihilating the Steel Seventh Company is impossible, let's see if we can cover it up by using the excuse of rescuing friendly forces.

"Sir, if it's only in part, it won't have a significant impact on our speed."

"But if we really have to deal with the main force of the South Korean army, then our arrival time at Tasan-ri will be greatly delayed."

The U.S. Army Chief of Staff said.

"If we bring these South Korean troops under our control, can they participate in the blocking battle and buy time for our 38th Regiment's main force?"

Commander Locke thought for a moment and then asked.

He wasn't just hoping the South Korean army would dare to block the retreat; he was thinking of having a small number of American troops stay behind with some South Korean troops to buy time for the main force to withdraw.

"Sir, fresh South Korean troops might be of some help."

"But these demoralized, unorganized South Korean troops...excuse my bluntness, but the fighting strength of a US battalion is greater than that of a US battalion plus a bunch of South Korean routs."

The regimental chief of staff shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and said...

"These useless bunch of good-for-nothings..."

"Fine, let's gather some together to make it look like we're doing something else!"

"As for the other South Korean soldiers, let them try to make their way to Tasan and survive!"

Commander Locke considered for a moment and then spoke.

"Yes, sir!"

The chief of staff of the 38th Regiment should get off the bus.

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

27th Army Headquarters
"Old Li, Old Li, great news!"

Holding a battle report, Kong Jie walked briskly toward Li Yunlong with great interest.

"Hahahaha... Look at how happy you are, you silly Kong. I know it even if you don't tell me."

"The Steel Seventh Company has successfully lured the US 38th Regiment deep into our territory and is now under attack by the US 38th Regiment, right?"

"I've already got the air force ready; they'll blast a path for the Steel Seventh Company to safety!"

"Zhang Dabiao has also arranged a vanguard assault team, which will be there to meet Wanli and the others as soon as possible!"

Li Yunlong laughed heartily as he guessed.

"Old Li, you really guessed wrong this time!"

"It wasn't the Steel Seventh Company that lured them in; it was Wu Wanli alone who lured the entire US 38th Regiment deep into their territory!"

Kong Jie glanced at Li Yunlong with a hint of smugness and smiled.

"What? One person seduced you?"

"What kind of mind-altering drug did he put on him that allowed him to be chased by a main force regiment of several thousand American soldiers?"

Li Yunlong paused slightly, and said in disbelief.

"Not only that, it's incredible that they managed to escape unscathed while being chased by so many American troops!"

"Old Kong, show me the battle report."

Zhao Gang, who was standing to the side, also widened his eyes and quickly took the battle report to read it.

"How's it going?"

Li Yunlong leaned closer and asked with a hint of doubt.

"Old Li, if we make even one wrong step in this matter, Comrade Wu Wanli won't even have a whole corpse left!"

"He single-handedly wiped out an American reconnaissance team and drew the attention of the American vanguard."

"Then the US 38th Regiment, like wolves that have seen blood, rushed straight at Comrade Wu Wanli."

"Later, Comrade Wu Wanli used incendiary bombs and signal flares to strike the American vanguard who were paranoid, and then escaped while gunfire was raging."

"More importantly, the Seventh Steel Company is now leading an armored convoy toward the location in Tashan!"

Zhao Gang glanced at it a few times, his eyes filled with amazement as he spoke.

"Every step was fraught with danger, yet every step was executed flawlessly, and now the result has been perfect!"

"Old Li, Wu Wanli and the Steel Seventh Company are worth ten times the might of the elite troops!"

Kong Jie praised.

"hahahahahahahahahaha……"

"If any son of a bitch dares to propose a plan like this to me before the war, I'll treat him like a pretentious, armchair strategist!"

"But Wanli actually managed to do it! Well done!"

"It seems we don't need to use that batch of air force personnel to cover the Steel Seventh Company's breakout..."

A glint of light flashed in Li Yunlong's eyes as he spoke excitedly.

"Hey, Lao Li, didn't we agree on this?"

"This batch of air force personnel is intended to support the Steel Seventh Company."

"Breaking out is no longer an option, but the US military has definitely stationed elite troops in the important town of Tashanli. The Air Force needs to provide support to the Steel Seventh Company!"

Upon hearing that Li Yunlong seemed to have other plans, Kong Jie quickly spoke up for the Steel Seventh Company.

"Old Li, actually I agree with what Old Kong said."

"If the Steel Seventh Company can capture Tashanli, it will be able to completely sever the connection between the US 38th Regiment and the US 24th Division, and then this biggest victory will be a sure thing."

"According to the telegram, Comrade Wu Wanli hopes that when the signal flare is raised, the fighter jets will immediately begin to bombard the outer fortifications of Tashan. Let's support that."

Zhao Gang glanced at the telegram and said.

"When did I say I wouldn't provide air support to the Seventh Steel Company? Do you think I'm the kind of person who doesn't keep his word?"

"Convey the request from the Seventh Steel Company to the Air Force and ask them to fully cooperate!"

Li Yunlong waved his hand and said.

"Commander, I have a question. Why does Wanli only want us to blow up the outer fortifications in Tashan?"

"Wouldn't it be better to just blow it all up at once? That would make the attack easier, wouldn't it?"

The chief of staff, who had been listening in silence, thought for a moment and asked in confusion.

"Under the threat of death, the US 38th Regiment will definitely try to escape towards Tashanli. By the time the Steel 7th Company takes Tashanli and rebuilds its fortifications, it will be too late." "So what they want is not just to take Tashanli, but also to become a thorn in the side, firmly nailed to the US 38th Regiment's retreat route, completely cutting off their escape route!"

"This Wu Wanli does resemble Han Xin, who served as a halberd-bearer in the Han Dynasty. He's really good at fighting!"

"That's all for now, go and relay the orders."

Zhao Gang sighed with a serious expression.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff quickly agreed.

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

Hidden spots on the outskirts of Tashan

"Reporting to the company commander, we have a general understanding of the situation in Tashan."

"There weren't many American troops guarding Tashan, but there were a lot of sentries on the perimeter."

"However, these American soldiers are a bit special... They are all dark-skinned, and it was so dark just now that I almost didn't see them clearly and was discovered."

"If one of the black scouts hadn't suddenly grinned and given me a glimpse in the moonlight, our reconnaissance would have been exposed."

Pinghe said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"We seem to have encountered this before, but how could there be someone like this? Did they get too tanned from farm work?"

Yu Congrong was slightly taken aback and asked.

"This is a race that mainly lives in Africa and spread throughout the world through the triangular slave trade."

“There are indeed Black people in the U.S. military, even entire companies and battalions. We never expected to run into them.”

Liu Hanqing smiled and explained.

"The Black troops seem to have a solution..."

"Pinghe, is there any other valuable intelligence?"

Wu Wanli asked.

"These US troops have decent firepower, but their deployment is unclear."

"However, many retreating South Korean troops also drove into Tasan, which seemed to be the South Korean 1st Regiment that we initially defeated."

Pinghe thought for a moment and then reported.

"Company commander, why are we even doing reconnaissance in the tanks? Let's just take the tanks and push forward with a strong attack!"

"As long as we can quickly take Tashanli, the soldiers of the Steel Seventh Company are not afraid of casualties. I am willing to be the first vanguard suicide squad!"

Yu Congrong advised him.

"No, the men of the Seventh Steel Company are indeed not afraid of death, but we can't let them sacrifice themselves like this."

"Company commander, how about we try to lure these American troops out again, perhaps by attacking their outer outposts or the South Korean troops?"

Gao Daxing thought for a moment and then said.

"The US military isn't that stupid; it's too difficult to lure them out."

Lei Gong, a veteran of many battles, shook his head and rejected the idea.

"Company Commander, do you already have a plan?"

Gao Daxing keenly noticed Wu Wanli's thoughtful expression and asked.

"Yes, there is, but it's a bit risky."

"But the situation is urgent now, and if we want to take Tashanli quickly, we have no choice but to give it a try."

"I wonder how Wu Siyi and Shi Qian are doing."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"Reporting to the company commander, we captured some South Korean soldiers with our guard platoon, including a South Korean battalion commander!"

"As you instructed, no guns were used; the arrest was carried out secretly."

Prehistoric hurriedly returned, pointing behind him as he spoke.

"Go, be quiet!"

Wu Siyi was seen escorting a South Korean captain as he walked over.

Several South Korean soldiers were kept on the perimeter by Chenggong and Xu Mumu and were not allowed to approach.

"Strip off the rest of their clothes, just keep this South Korean battalion commander."

"Prehistoric, Wu Siyi, have your guards change into South Korean military uniforms and prepare to infiltrate Tasan-ri with me!"

Wu Wanli looked at it and said.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the prehistoric people immediately did as instructed.

"Company commander, this is too risky. Let's think about it again..."

Liu Hanqing was slightly taken aback, and quickly offered some advice.

"We're out of time."

"After I sneak in with my men, I will find the commander of the US military unit as soon as possible, and then try to kidnap him and persuade him to surrender."

"If they refuse to surrender, I will fire signal flares, the air force will bomb them, and the armored convoy will launch an attack!"

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"Company commander, what if you can't find the American commander?"

Gao Daxing scratched the back of his head and asked.

"I can find it, believe me."

"If we really can't find it, I can just launch a signal flare, bombard it with air force bombardment, and take it down with armored forces."

Wu Wanli smiled confidently and said.

He did have to worry about this problem before, but with the Hearts of Iron + Company of Heroes version of the Sky Eye map, searching is no longer a problem at all.

"Company Commander, are you trying to secure an entire Tashanli for the later blocking battle against the US 38th Regiment?"

After thinking for a moment, Liu Hanqing guessed what Wu Wanli was considering.

“That’s right, taking Tashanli is only the first step.”

"A heavily damaged Steel Seventh Company, which had suffered heavy casualties in a strong attack, could not withstand the attack of the 38th Regiment within the dilapidated defense line of Tashanli."

“When I’m not around, command is handed over to Instructor Liu, and everything proceeds according to plan.”

Wu Wanli nodded and said.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hanqing and the others quickly agreed.

Soon, Wu Wanli and his men, dressed in South Korean military uniforms, completed their coercion and enticement of the South Korean battalion commander, Park Kyung-hwi, who then kowtowed repeatedly in agreement to cooperate.

So Wu Wanli and the others escorted him toward Tashan.

……

Outside Tasan-ri, numerous South Korean soldiers were fleeing and were rushing towards the town of Tasan-ri.

Initially, U.S. Army Commander Major Mike considered the insufficient defensive forces and thought of recruiting these people to supplement the troops and assist in the defense.

However, as the number of South Korean troops increased, Major Mike hesitated due to security concerns and ordered his men to temporarily keep the South Korean troops outside.

However, these South Korean soldiers who had come through so much trouble were all quite angry when they saw the South Korean soldiers ahead of them go in and then they were stopped.

But when faced with the guns of the American troops, they could only curse and complain outside, and no one dared to be the first to stand up.

"boom!"

However, at this moment, the South Korean battalion commander, who was being coerced by Wu Wanli, gritted his teeth and fired a shot into the sky.

"Why is our defense line the first line, and the American troops are behind us? Isn't it obvious? We're being used as cannon fodder for them!"

"The Chinese army's pursuers will be here soon; if we can't get in, we're doomed!"

"And they've already let people in, so why can't we get in?"

"If these American soldiers don't spare our lives, then we'll take them as our pledge of loyalty!"

After firing his gun, the South Korean battalion commander shouted loudly.

Upon hearing this, many South Korean soldiers, eager to save their lives, shouted in response.

They were already angry, and now that someone was leading the charge, they all vented their anger together.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Let us in! Let us in!"

At this moment, the South Korean soldiers who were blocked outside fired their guns into the air, putting pressure on the US troops.

In the crowd

"If we can get the South Korean army to turn against the US military and fight them, and then have armored forces storm in and force them to surrender, it seems like we might have a chance to take Tasan-ri with zero casualties."

Wu Wanli smiled slightly, looking with great interest at the American soldiers sweating profusely at the defensive line.

(End of this chapter)