Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 211 Iron-Blooded Lone City, Deadly Trump Card!
Daejeon, UN Command
"The battle had only just begun when the Chinese 7th Steel Regiment had already crippled the South Korean 8th Division and annihilated thousands of American soldiers."

"Lizhou is gone too. The remaining fighter jets at the airport, as well as the ammunition depot, have all been occupied by them."

"You're telling me now that Edward actually has the nerve to ask me to send reinforcements?"

Ridgway said angrily through clenched teeth.

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunfei's mind raced, and he immediately understood one of the reasons why Wu Wanli led the Steel Seventh Regiment to launch a lightning attack on Lizhou.

By drawing enemy fire and disrupting the rhythm of the US offensive, we can buy time to seize the initiative in the battle!

"General Ridgway, I offer no advice, I simply point out some facts that are common knowledge."

"When Wu Wanli was just a soldier, he killed countless enemies with his marksmanship and even shot down a warplane!"

"When he became a company commander, he led the Chinese Iron Seventh Company into the headquarters of the U.S. 1st Marine Division, captured Major General Smith alive, and became the direct cause of the U.S. 1st Marine Division's complete surrender!"

"When he became a battalion commander, he led the Chinese 7th Steel Battalion and the rebel 1st Division of the South Korean Capital to defend Seoul, winning one battle after another and defeating the US 25th Division!"

"When he became the regimental commander, he led his troops on a 100-mile mountain road raid, launched a lightning attack on Yeoju, and defeated the South Korean 8th Division, as well as an elite airborne regiment."

Chu Yunfei looked at Li Qiwei and said without changing his expression.

"As a military advisor, you might as well just say what you want to say?"

Upon hearing this, Chief of Staff Van Fleet's sense of apprehension intensified, and he asked...

"Yes."

"As a special military advisor, you have dealt with them before and are very experienced. Feel free to share any ideas you may have."

Li Qiwei nodded and urged.

"General, if a single regiment can pose such a significant threat, considering his previous growth trajectory, what would happen if he commanded a division?"

"I estimate that one division would be enough for him to fight Suwon alone."

"If it were an army, he could have reached Daejeon, where we are now!"

"If it were an army group, he would dare to fight his way all the way to Busan!"

Chu Yunfei said seriously.

"Mr. Chu's words are a bit too alarmist."

"However, if there is an opportunity, it is still necessary to eliminate this major threat as soon as possible."

Thinking of Wu Wanli's previous achievements, Li Qiwei felt a little uneasy.

“Sir, if we were to mobilize our forces now and shift our focus of attack to the east of the Han River, we would probably waste a lot of time.”

“Every second is precious on the battlefield, and we don’t know what the Chinese soldiers are planning.”

Chief of Staff Van Fleet keenly sensed something was amiss and offered a warning.

"We can't guess what the Chinese are going to do for the time being, but the South Korean 8th Division on the eastern part of the Hanjiang South Front has been almost wiped out."

"Lizhou is related to the supply line and airfield of the US 5th Division. If the Chinese 7th Steel Regiment is allowed to occupy it, there is a hidden danger of being cut off from the rear."

"Therefore, Lizhou must be captured no matter what, and it is time for the Chinese Seventh Steel Regiment to be annihilated."

"Didn't we previously send a cavalry regiment to ambush near Tiande Peak? How's the situation?"

A dark look flashed across Li Qiwei's face as he spoke.

"Sir, our 1st Cavalry Regiment has just arrived and just saw the 27th Army about to encircle and destroy the feint attack force of the US 5th Division in front."

"The cavalry regiment risked their lives to save the Chinese army and drove them back, but in doing so, they were exposed and lost the opportunity to ambush them."

"Now the 1st Cavalry Regiment is relying on its armored units to set up a battle formation, and with the support of the air force, it is moving around the plains outside Tiande Peak and building fortifications with its infantry."

"If the 27th Army wants to send troops to the rescue, it must break through this powerful firepower network."

"And if they dare to commit their main force, then we can forget about defending Tiande Peak!"

"Chief of Staff Van Fleet said."

"What a waste of a great ambush opportunity."

"Fine, since there's a cavalry regiment watching over Tiande Peak, then let's not leave the US 5th Division's feint attack force idle there, shall we?"

Ridgway said.

"Sir, that feint attack force has already joined up with the main force of the US 5th Division and is now heading towards Lizhou together."

"Chief of Staff Van Fleet said."

"it is good!"

"Keep a close eye on the movements of the Chinese 27th Army. I actually hope they will send a large number of troops to the rescue, leaving the Tiande Peak area undefended."

"In this way, the 1st Cavalry Division can turn its spearhead and charge straight in to break through!"

"At that time, the entire defense line south of the Han River will collapse instantly, and Seoul will be just around the corner."

Ridgway smiled smugly.

"Sir, what if the 27th Army doesn't provide support?"

Chief of Staff Van Fleet asked.

"Will the Chinese just stand by and watch their elite troops be completely annihilated?"

"If that's the case, their morale will suffer a heavy blow!"

"On the contrary, by annihilating this major threat, we can eliminate our worries and concentrate our forces to continue breaking through the southern defense line of the Han River!"

"Pass on my order: the US 5th Division will launch a fierce attack on Lizhou. The goal is not only to capture Lizhou, but also to annihilate the Chinese 7th Steel Regiment!"

"If they manage to break through after this battle, then Edward should atone with a bullet!"

Li Qiwei snorted coldly and gave the order.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Chief of Staff Van Fleet immediately agreed.

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

In Lizhou, black smoke shrouded the city walls, and the entire city exuded a chilling atmosphere.

Inside the headquarters of the 7th Steel Regiment

"Commander, those American devils have once again deployed their air force to bombard our city walls."

"As soon as our air force took off and shot down a few of their fighter jets, their main air force force disappeared without a trace!"

"That's fucking despicable!"

"We finally managed to reinforce the fortifications, but who knows when we'll be able to finish repairing them!"

Gao Daxing clenched his fists and cursed.

"I think the American support aircraft haven't fully arrived yet, and they don't have enough spare air power besides protecting the army, so they're using this method to wear down our manpower first."

"Once they gain a significant air advantage, it won't be so easy to drive them away."

"However, the city wall fortifications need to be repaired urgently; we have a major battle to fight next..."

Wu Wanli looked at the battle map and said.

"Commander, telegram from the headquarters: the commander-in-chief has awarded the entire army a commendation for our great victory in the blitzkrieg at Lizhou."

"According to the instructions from above, if we want to break out now, the 27th Army will send a division to cover our escape at the cost of their lives."

"But if we are confident, we can hold the Yeoju area for three days and tie down the US 5th Division, so that the eastern part of the Han River South defense line will be safe for the time being."

"If we can hold the Lizhou area for five days, the main force of the UN forces on the western front will probably become restless."

"If we can hold out for seven days, we can capture Hengcheng on the eastern front and advance straight to Jipyeong-ri, thus completing our encirclement and counter-offensive against the US forces!"

Liu Hanqing said.

Upon hearing this, everyone seemed unsure of what to do, and their gazes turned toward Wu Wanli.

They were not afraid of fighting, but after all, it was a regiment facing the US 5th Division, and they no longer had the natural barrier of the Han River to defend against.

More importantly, the US 25th Division had previously been fighting a near-isolated battle, while the main force of the UN forces was tied up.

Currently, the US 5th Division is stationed on the Western Front with over 100,000 UN troops, all of whom are mobile and highly mobile.

If the 7th Steel Regiment fights too fiercely again, the hundreds of thousands of UN troops might desperately try to encircle and annihilate it.

In short, perseverance will inevitably lead to countless difficulties and dangers, even a life-or-death situation!
【bite----】

[The system has detected that the host is facing a battlefield decision and has selected to activate!]

Option 1: Temporarily avoid the US military's advance...retreat to Tiande Peak, and preserve the fighting force for the Korean War!

[Reward: Gain a 15% increase in retreat speed and a 5% reduction in retreat casualties]

[Option Two: The Seventh Steel Regiment's sword is not without its advantages! Guarding Lizhou, it commands the entire UN forces!]

[Reward: Gain a 25% bonus to infantry defensive combat and a 35% bonus to trench and fortification construction speed]

Soon, the cold system notification sounded perfectly in Wu Wanli's mind.

"hold fast."

Without much hesitation, Wu Wanli immediately made his choice. The advantages and disadvantages of the two options were obvious: retreating carried less risk and less reward, while holding on carried greater risk and greater reward.

However, the system is merely a tool for Wu Wanli, who has the necessity to defend Yeoju and influence the entire Korean war situation.

【bite----】

[Selection complete, system reward has been issued!]

[Note: If you do not execute this selection, the system will go to sleep.]

Soon, the system's cold notification sounded again.

At this point, defensive bonuses and construction speed bonuses had been integrated into every aspect of the Steel Seventh Regiment.

Lizhou City Wall

"Wait a minute... I suddenly feel there's something wrong with the current firepower construction of the city walls."

"The firepower configuration of machine guns should not only take into account the density of firepower, but also the ability to withstand bombing."

"Anti-aircraft artillery won't work either. How can we guarantee the overall air defense network like this? We should..."

"In addition, there are some problems with the deployment of troops in various places..."

Deputy Battalion Commander Lei Zhen scratched his itchy head, as if his mind had suddenly become clear, and pointed out the details of the deployment and adjustments.

The soldiers of the 7th Steel Regiment seemed to feel that their initial unfamiliarity with the city wall defense had faded, and their vigilance had suddenly increased significantly.

More importantly, the reconnaissance battalion soldiers, who were originally exhausted and not proficient in earth and stone construction, suddenly seemed to have an epiphany, and their efficiency in repairing fortifications increased dramatically.

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

Inside the headquarters of the 7th Steel Regiment

"Bring on the American devils' firepower and elite troops, no matter how big the storm is, my 7th Steel Regiment will withstand it."

"As volunteers, we bear the fate of the people of Beijing and dozens of provinces on our shoulders. How can we back down because of difficulties?"

"The Wu family doesn't have such cowardly cowards, and the Volunteer Army certainly doesn't."

Wu Wanli touched the cormorant whistle that Wu Qianli had given him and said in an unquestionable manner.

"Nothing much to say. Anyway, our regimental commander has led us through countless dangers and we've never lost. I'm willing to hold the east gate, which is the most likely target of the American devils!"

"Anyway, we have plenty of ammunition and fierce firepower. We have light machine guns, heavy machine guns, bazookas, howitzers, mountain guns, mortars... we lack nothing!"

"Even the Air Force can now hold its own against the American devils, what's there to be afraid of!"

Yu Congrong patted the captured American pistol and shouted loudly.

"Exactly! We haven't fought a battle like this in eight lifetimes, we're terrified!"

"Commander, I'm also willing to guard the East Gate. Our assault battalion isn't just sitting around doing nothing!"

Gao Daxing immediately volunteered for battle.

"According to the latest report, the armored forces of the US 5th Division are advancing at full speed and are expected to cross the Baiyuan Canyon and reach Yeoju in a few hours."

"Unfortunately, our comrades were exhausted from the long battle and were not fast enough to rush over and ambush us."

"Otherwise, it would definitely be enough to give those American devils a hard time."

Pinghe sighed and said regretfully.

"It's precisely because they saw that we were exhausted and our city defenses were damaged that they rushed to send armored units to attack us."

"With the combat effectiveness of our Steel Seventh Regiment's hundred-mile raid and blitzkrieg against Lizhou, they will be much more difficult to fight once we have rested and recuperated."

"At the same time, they also took advantage of our inability to send troops to launch a surprise attack, which is why they acted so recklessly."

Wu Wanli looked at the battle map and laughed.

"According to intelligence, this armored unit is the provisional armored regiment of the 5th Division of the United States, with 36 tanks, 12 anti-aircraft gun vehicles, and more than 3,000 elite American troops in troop carriers."

"If we can take them down, at least when we need to go out of the city for field battles, we won't have to worry about being cut off and surrounded by armored forces."

"Given that we will eventually need to break out, this armored force poses a particularly great threat to us!"

A murderous glint appeared in Liu Hanqing's eyes as he spoke.

"Commander, don't we have an air force?"

"We might as well have already blown him up!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong immediately spoke up.

"No."

"The main force of the American air force must be protecting this armored unit at all costs, otherwise the American warplanes sent to bomb us wouldn't be so weak."

Liu Hanqing shook his head and said.

"No rush, don't we still have a trump card?"

"During the Battle of Pingxingguan, Marshal Lin's troops were also overlooked by the Japanese in the same way, which resulted in a great victory in the ambush!"

"Now it's the American devils' turn to suffer this loss!"

Wu Wanli smiled slightly and said.

"Reporting to Commander Wu Kaka, all the officers have followed your instructions and are setting up defenses in the White Plains Canyon area, preparing to ambush the armored forces of the US 5th Division!"

At that moment, Park Jung-hee strode into the command post and said excitedly.

For a moment, Yu Congrong and the others were slightly taken aback, and then a look of surprise appeared on their faces.

Yes, how could they forget about the elite of the New Eighth Army!

"Commander, this means the vanguard of the US 5th Division is going to suffer heavy losses again, hahaha..."

"Should we also send a force of elite troops to support the battle in Baiyuan Canyon?"

Yu Congrong asked.

"That's right, Commander. The greater our advantage, the fewer our casualties we will suffer."

Upon hearing this, Gao Daxing immediately echoed his sentiment.

"How many men did Quan Douguang send to ambush them?"

Wu Wanli was not in a hurry, but turned his head and asked.

"The provisional armored regiment of the US 5th Division was quite powerful, so Quan Douguang brought thousands of veterans of the uprising with him."

"Using the weapons they seized in Seoul, they adopted all-American equipment, just like the 7th Steel Regiment, including artillery, machine guns, and anti-aircraft guns!"

"In addition, there are thousands of troops filling in the lines, which can also help to increase the momentum!"

"As for the other 20,000 troops, they are on their way, but they will arrive slowly to ensure their concealment and will need some time."

Park Jung-hee said with a hint of pride.

"Use all the telegrams. When launching an ambush, only use those few thousand American-equipped troops. Don't let the line-filling troops show their weakness!"

"Try to disguise it as the fighting style of the 7th Steel Regiment to mislead the US military."

"The Seventh Steel Regiment left behind about a thousand wounded and exhausted soldiers to continue guarding Lizhou, while the remaining three thousand men and I headed towards Hongyun Valley."

After observing for a while using the map of Iron Heart in his mind, Wu Wanli immediately spoke.

What kind of place is Red Cloud Canyon?

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong was momentarily stunned.

"Red Cloud Canyon and White Plain Canyon are two routes that the American devils took to reach Lizhou."

"However, the White Plains Canyon is relatively wide, suitable for armored units to pass through, and it is also relatively fast."

"Red Cloud Canyon is much slower, and the passage is narrow. Surely the American devils wouldn't take such a long detour?"

Liu Hanqing frowned and asked.

"Perhaps not now, but if they encounter setbacks in Baiyuan Canyon, they might have other ideas."

Wu Wanli said.

"Wanli, so you had Quan Douguang disguise the Seventh Steel Regiment's tactics to make the American devils think that our Lizhou defenses were weak and that they would bypass us through the Red Plains Canyon?"

Liu Hanqing immediately realized what was happening and asked.

"I can't guarantee that the US Fifth Division will definitely fall for the trap, but guarding the two checkpoints is ultimately the safest course of action."

"If they support Baiyuan Canyon, Quan Douguang's troops can hold out for the time being."

"Do as I say for now and hold out on the periphery for a while. Otherwise, Lizhou City doesn't have much depth, and the US military might bomb it into ruins at any cost."

"I never fight a drawn-out battle that relies on casualties to buy time!"

Wu Wanli stood with his hands behind his back, speaking with boundless pride.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, everyone responded with complete trust.

(End of this chapter)