Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 163 When foes meet on a narrow path, the brave shall prevail! Always draw your sword when facing an enemy!
27th Army Headquarters
"Old Li, Old Li!!"

"Wanli cleverly designed a trap, and the British 29th Brigade's artillery was completely destroyed by the air force!"

"That was awesome! So awesome!"

Kong Jie rushed in excitedly, holding a battle report.

"What?! It's all fucking blown up?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong quickly took the telegram and examined it closely, his eyes instantly flashing with surprise.

In his mind, destroying half of the British artillery would be a success, but he never expected to destroy them all.

"Those British devils, they concentrated their artillery fire on the Ganggang Seventh Company, but they didn't expect their own guns to be destroyed instead, huh? Hahahaha..."

"Wu Wanli is a fucking genius among geniuses!"

"I'm going to recommend him for credit!"

Li Yunlong looked at the battle report and said excitedly.

"By the way... is the Steel Seventh Company still pursuing the British 29th Brigade?"

"Now that we have achieved such great results, why don't we return to our base for rest and reorganization?"

"Otherwise, I'm really afraid that these British soldiers will be desperate and try to wipe out the Steel Seventh Company."

Zhao Gang nodded slightly and said with concern.

"The Seventh Steel Company has already moved, but..."

"They went on an attack on the British 29th Brigade's armored assault force."

Kong Jie said, holding the battle report.

"It's fine, they can rest wherever they want, anyway, we control the battlefield now... Wait!"

"The Seventh Steel Company has gone on another attack?"

Li Yunlong was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly widened his eyes to ask.

"Old Li, this Steel Seventh Company is really going to fight the whole game!"

"They said we can't let the British raiding force arrive ahead of time, otherwise the comrades of the Third Battalion might suffer heavy losses."

A hint of admiration flashed in Kong Jie's eyes as he spoke.

"There's not much room for maneuver left in armored units engaging in direct combat..."

"How many heavy tanks does the British 29th Brigade have? Will they be able to take out the 7th Steel Company without any tanks?"

Li Yunlong was silent for a moment, then asked with a hint of worry.

"I don't know the exact number, but it will definitely be more than the number of tanks in the Seventh Steel Company."

"If it were a normal back-and-forth battle, the outcome would really be uncertain..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang said...

"I know the Steel Seventh Company is hot right now, they're practically the elite spearhead of our Volunteer Army!"

"But we can't fight like this, the burden of every battle is falling on the shoulders of a single company?"

"Give me a power source right now..."

Li Yunlong paused for a moment, seemingly remembering an old friend, his eyes reddened, and he was about to give the order.

"Old Li, wait a minute!"

"Wanli seemed to have anticipated your reaction, so he added a sentence in the telegram..."

"Commander, I know that the British army may have more heavy armor and stronger firepower than the Steel Seventh Company."

"But when paths cross, the brave prevail. No matter how powerful the enemy, we must be brave enough to draw our swords!"

"Even if the enemy outnumbers us, the Steel Seventh Company can still fight our way to a glorious victory!"

Kong Jie held the telegram and read it with a strong and clear voice, his heart already filled with excitement.

"When two warriors meet on a narrow path, they will surely draw their swords when facing an enemy!"

"Good! Damn, really good! You're worthy of being my soldiers!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong was shocked. His eyes were filled with admiration and appreciation for talent. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, praising him loudly.

He seemed to see himself back then, the one who was once a powerful and spirited figure in northwestern Shanxi.

"Talented people emerge in every generation!"

As Zhao Gang reflected on Wu Wanli's repeated astonishing performances, he couldn't help but sigh.

"I've already lost the monk, I've lost Sun Desheng, I can't lose Wu Wanli too..."

"What are the 50th and 38th Armies saying now? How long until they can launch an encirclement and annihilation operation?"

Li Yunlong looked at the battle map, frowned, and asked.

"The 50th and 38th Armies are rushing here, but considering the distance, the general offensive can not be launched until at least tomorrow or the day after."

Kong Jie thought for a moment and then said.

"The American reinforcements will surely arrive soon, and the British might actually manage to break through then!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yunlong shook his head and said...

"Report to the commander!"

"Zhang Dabiao has led the 80th Division to Yixiantian in time, and together with the First Assault Regiment, successfully annihilated the British heavy tank battalion!"

At this moment, the chief of staff walked in with a telegram in hand, his face beaming with joy, to report the victory.

"Well done!"

"So that means the 80th Division, which is closest to us, has already freed up its resources!"

"How are the 79th and 81st Divisions doing? Where are they now?"

Li Yunlong nodded slightly and asked.

"Reporting to the commander, the 79th and 81st Divisions are both moving towards Kamagosu-no-Sato Town."

"But let alone them, even the 80th Division probably couldn't keep up with the speed of the British 29th Brigade."

"Unless Zhang Taofang's 3rd Battalion can outpace the advance troops of the British 29th Brigade and arrive at Bugok Sang-ri ahead of schedule."

"Otherwise... we would have to fight a similar encirclement and annihilation battle with the British army at Pugok-sang-ri to completely wipe them out."

"But the British 29th Brigade has more troops than the Polar Bear Regiment, and the US military can also provide more support."

The chief of staff sighed and said.

"Wu Wanli has already led the Steel Seventh Company to pursue the vanguard of the British 29th Brigade, probably out of concern for this situation."

"We also need to get moving and cooperate. We can't let Wanli lead the Steel Seventh Company to fight alone."

Li Yunlong hesitated for a few seconds, then finally spoke with a firm gaze.

"Old Li..."

Zhao Gang immediately guessed what Li Yunlong was thinking from the look in his eyes and hurriedly tried to advise him.

"Other things can be discussed, but this is not. I'm not fighting just for Wanli alone; the sooner this war ends, the better!"

"Moreover, after the previous battles, the British army has suffered heavy losses and almost all of its artillery has been destroyed, making it a toothless tiger."

"Tell all divisions to speed up and advance towards the British 29th Brigade by forced march. I'll take care of these British troops myself!"

Seeing this, Li Yunlong quickly waved his hand and said firmly.

"Old Li, we can suggest that the 50th Army send troops to guard the passage from Uijeongbu and block the American reinforcements."

"The 38th Army, as a reserve force, can come to participate in the battle when the opportunity arises, or help the 50th Army to block the attack."

"After all, we are all brother units fighting the American devils together. We can't just look after our own army. We also need to unify and coordinate our operations."

Zhao Gang said.

"Okay, let's generate electricity like this!"

Li Yunlong thought for a moment, then nodded emphatically.

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

Thirty li outside of Fugu Shangli, the three battalions are resting here.

“Battalion Commander Zhang, I have checked it. The car is not malfunctioning, but it is completely out of fuel. It is already remarkable that it has managed to get this far.”

"That's what Gou Sheng, a volunteer soldier, said."

"What do you mean, 'Acting Battalion Commander Zhang'? Call him Battalion Commander Zhang!"

Another volunteer soldier, Wang Ergou, reprimanded him.

"It's alright. I'm just a deputy company commander. If the company commander hadn't sacrificed himself and Battalion Commander Wu hadn't become the regimental commander, it wouldn't have been my turn."

"Since the car can't be started, let's just keep marching and try to get to Kamagosu-sato as soon as possible before we rest."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Taofang showed no anger whatsoever; instead, she spoke kindly.

"Battalion Commander, breaking news!"

"The Seventh Steel Company's design allowed the air force to blow up all the British artillery, and now they are charging towards the British armored assault force!"

At this moment, the instructor came over with a battle report and said...

"The artillery has all exploded! Comrade Wu Wanli did a great job..."

"This means the British army's ability to launch assaults has been significantly reduced, and our subsequent blocking operations will be several times easier." "However, the British armored assault force probably has more armored vehicles than the Steel Seventh Company, right? Wu Wanli and his men are in danger..."

Zhang Taofang said.

"Battalion Commander, the orders from above are for us to move into Fukugak-sangri as soon as possible. We can't delay any longer."

Upon hearing this, the instructor quickly offered a reminder.

"The Seventh Steel Company is the first armored unit of our Volunteer Army, and it is the seed of future armored forces."

"No matter how many heavy armors the British have, my Third Battalion must stand up for them!"

"Alright, I'll stay behind with the Ninth Company to hold them off, and you take the rest of the men and charge into Kamagosu-gami."

A determined glint flashed in Zhang Taofang's eyes as she spoke.

"Zhang Laosan, have you thought this through? The Ninth Company has suffered heavy losses and is lacking in anti-tank weapons. All we have are those menbazookas and some explosives..."

Upon hearing this, the instructor quickly offered some words of advice.

"I know that I am not doing this for personal reasons, nor is it a momentary impulse."

"Think about it, our car is out of gas, and if we rely on our own two legs, the British army might catch up with us in no time."

"It's better for me to lead the men to build a defensive position than to be caught up and run over by tanks on the plains later."

Zhang Taofang shook her head and said firmly.

"This……"

Upon hearing this, even the instructor hesitated.

If the car still had gas, he would definitely take Zhang Taofang with him, but in the current situation, the light infantry of the Third Battalion might actually be caught up.

"Don't worry, I'm not alone..."

"The armored forces of the Seventh Steel Company are also heading this way. I believe in their speed."

Zhang Taofang noticed the instructor's struggle and offered words of comfort with a smile.

"Third Battalion, leave all three bazookas and explosive packs in the battalion to the Ninth Company!"

"Comrade Zhang, I await your triumphant return!"

The Third Battalion Political Instructor gave Zhang Taofang one last deep look before turning and leaving.

……

The Ninth Company's ambush position

"Battalion Commander, we don't have any high-explosive anti-tank mines. The mines we've laid so far can only sever the tracks of British tanks."

"It was said by a soldier from the Ninth Company."

"It's enough to blow off the tracks. Our main task is to hold off these British troops and wait for the Steel Seventh Company's support."

"Have the makeshift fortifications been set up? How's the trenching going?"

Zhang Taofang asked.

"Battalion Commander, the frozen ground in the snow is too hard; it's not suitable for digging trenches."

"We only dug some foxholes and spread them out to reduce the enemy's firepower density."

"The main problem is that this place is all flat. It would be nice if there were hills or something."

The volunteer soldier sighed and said.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Stop thinking about it and focus on improving our stealth..."

"Make good use of the bazookas we have and try to take down as many British tanks as possible."

Zhang Taofang looked at the swirling snowflakes in the distance and said.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the volunteer soldier immediately agreed.

……

"report!"

"A scout in the distance has blown his whistle to signal! This means that British armored forces are advancing in our direction!"

At that moment, a communications soldier rushed back and shouted loudly.

How far are we from that point?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Taofang looked at the shallow foxholes with a solemn expression.

"Come on, come on!"

The communications soldier pointed into the distance and shouted.

"Everyone, stop what you're doing immediately and lie down and take cover!"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Taofang quickly said something.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of the Ninth Company lay down in their foxholes, ready to go.

"Rumble————"

Soon, the roar of British tank engines could be heard in the distance, and tall British tanks came into view.

Leading the group were six British Centurion heavy tanks, followed by eighteen Cromwell light tanks and four troop carriers.

"boom!"

With the explosion of a landmine, a burst of flame erupted from the bottom of a British Centurion tank, and its tracks were instantly blasted off.

"Boom! Boom!"

The other two Centurion tanks, unaware of the mine, also ran over it, their tracks were blown off, and they instantly lost their mobility.

On the front

"Bazooka!"

Zhang Taofang roared and raised his bazooka, aiming it at a British tank.

The volunteer soldiers on the other two sides also raised their bazookas and fired them at the sides of the British tanks.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

Three rockets, trailing white smoke, spun rapidly toward the British tanks.

"boom!"

Zhang Taofang's rocket exploded first, and the scattered shrapnel failed to penetrate the Centurion tank's frontal armor.

However, one of the shrapnel fragments happened to shatter the periscope of the British tank, rendering it blind.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two other rockets penetrated the side armor of the British tank, went inside, and exploded violently.

The intense flames and shockwave shattered the tank's interior along with the British troops, instantly deflated the tank's armor.

In a very short time, three of the British Centurion tanks were out of commission, two were destroyed, and one was rendered blind.

British troop transport vehicles
"Shit!"

"Dismount! Provide cover fire for the tanks!"

"Sappers, immediately begin repairing the tank tracks!"

Upon seeing this, the British major shouted angrily.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the British soldiers on the vehicle jumped off and moved toward the tank.

On the front

"Fire!"

Seeing that the British troops had just gotten off the vehicle and hadn't even leaned against the tank yet, Zhang Taofang immediately gave the order.

"Da da da da da da..."

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Gunfire erupted on the position, with countless bullets flying into the gaps between the British tanks.

In an instant, more than a dozen British soldiers were unable to dodge and fell to the ground after being shot.

However, at this moment, the British tanks that had finally exposed their firing positions also turned their guns around and fired their shells.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

In an instant, countless shells exploded in the makeshift foxholes of the Ninth Company, and soldiers of the Ninth Company were hit by shells from time to time, sacrificing themselves heroically in the flames.

"Da da da da da da da da..."

At the same time, a whole row of British tank machine guns opened fire simultaneously, the dense barrage of fire pinning down the remaining soldiers of the Ninth Company, preventing them from raising their heads.

"Comrades, grab your explosives and fight them to the death!"

"Killing one is enough, killing two is a bonus, charge!"

After Zhang Taofang and the others had a brief respite from the fire, they picked up explosive charges, shouted loudly, and prepared to perish together with the British tanks.

(End of this chapter)