Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 214 Crimson Clouds and Blazing Flames, Bloodbath Against the US Fifth Division!

A biting wind swept across the rugged cliffs of Red Cloud Canyon, where the 3,000 elite soldiers of the Seventh Steel Regiment lay dormant like rocks on the cliff tops on both sides.

The sunlight pierced through the thin mist, illuminating Wu Wanli's resolute face beneath his hat brim.

"When Anshan was burned, our forces, including those of the insurgents, outnumbered the American troops."

"During the ambush, the fighting ability of the insurgents who were firing from the mountain was not much different from that of our elite troops."

"This time, our Seventh Steel Regiment only has these three thousand elite troops. With so many fewer soldiers and firepower, the battle may be very difficult."

"Are you scared?"

Wu Wanli looked at Zou Xixiang, the Guizhou sniper beside him, and asked with a smile.

"Not afraid!"

“I started hunting with my father when I was seven years old. What haven’t I hunted: rabbits, birds, and goats?”

"These American devils run slower than birds!"

After Zou Xixiang finished speaking, he habitually took out half a dried chili pepper and put it in his mouth.

"Commander, when we withdrew from the Han River, he led a sniper squad to harass the US 25th Division, killing many American soldiers. His marksmanship is top-notch!"

Upon hearing this, Pinghe couldn't help but praise him.

“Zou Xixiang…”

"Didn't I remember promoting you to sniper squad leader and putting you under Zhang Taofang's command?"

"Zhang Taofang seems to have been promoted to battalion commander, didn't you go with him?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanli immediately asked.

"Commander, there are many like him. The first-term sergeants are all elites in the army. It can be said that half of the soldiers in the Steel Seventh Regiment started as squad leaders."

"The honor of our Steel Seventh Regiment shines brightly!"

Yu Congrong, standing on the other side, said proudly.

"I do like the honor of the Seventh Steel Regiment, but the most important thing is that there are plenty of good guns here, and there's no shortage of bullets!"

"I'm used to spending money lavishly in battles with Commander Wu, and I don't want to go back to the regular army and live a life of counting bullets."

Zou Xixiang said with a smile.

"it is good!"

"Here, take this bag of ammunition. Use it and kill those American devils properly later!"

"How can a marksman like you live on counting bullets? Hahahaha..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanli felt a pang of anxiety and immediately grabbed a bag of bullets from Pinghe, tossing it to Zou Xixiang.

"Captain..."

Pinghe's smile froze, a pang of pain shot through her heart, and she hesitated before speaking.

“I know you too well. You have a hundred bullets on you, but you don’t even carry your observation pistol. You’re carrying five hundred bullets specifically for this purpose.”

"You're already worried about such a small amount?"

Wu Wanli reached out his right hand to adjust Pinghe's military cap, and said with a smile and a scolding.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……"

"Commander, I have to tell on this."

“Pinghe had so many bullets. Sometimes I would ask him for some, but he would act like a miser and refuse to give them to me, and even try to hit me.”

Seeing that Pinghe had been humiliated, Yu Congrong laughed and complained to his face.

"Thank you, Commander! Thank you, Battalion Commander! I have 206 bullets now. I wouldn't dare say I'll hit the bullseye every time, but I definitely won't miss more than three times!"

"After all, although our 7th Steel Regiment is well-off, these bullets are still very precious to the Volunteer Army, and I will not waste them."

Zou Xixiang grinned as he took the bullet and said seriously.

"You mean... 206 bullets, that's at least 203 American devils?"

"You're quite boastful, aren't you? Be careful you don't blow your own horn!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong couldn't help but tease him.

Upon hearing this, Zou Xixiang simply smiled without refuting, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he silently wiped the sniper rifle in his hand.

"I am a soldier, so don't say anything that is detrimental to unity."

"The regimental commander has only praised two people as the 'Gun God': one is Zhang Taofang from before, and the other is Zou Xixiang now."

"If you don't trust others, don't you trust the commander's judgment?"

"Comrade Zou, I believe in you."

After a long silence, Liu Hanqing immediately spoke up.

"I believe in you too. Play well, and maybe you will become a hero in the eyes of future generations."

Wu Wanli looked at Zou Xixiang's serious and murderous expression as he cleaned his gun and said with a smile.

"How could that be? A hero can only be a peerless meritorious official like Commander Wu."

"I'd be happy if future generations of children could come and cook me some chili peppers!"

After Zou Xixiang finished speaking, he chewed the half-eaten chili pepper again, but still couldn't help swallowing it.

(PS: When I have time during the holidays, I plan to visit Grandpa Zou.)
"Yes, they will! Forget chili peppers, those idiots might even offer you spicy chicken!"

"Commander, the artillery battalion has adjusted all the gun barrels and is just waiting for the American devils to enter the ambush zone."

Lei Gong happened to be passing by and overheard the conversation, so he continued speaking.

"it is good!"

"Get the soldiers ready, that should be about right."

Wu Wanli glanced at his watch and said.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, everyone readily agreed.

After the order was given, the soldiers of the 7th Steel Regiment loaded their guns and continued to lie prone behind the rocky bunkers or kneel in the makeshift foxholes, silently sticking out only the muzzles of their guns.

The ammunition belts of machine guns gleamed coldly under the frost, while the muzzles of mortars and howitzers were already locked onto the winding valley below.

Looking down from above, this mighty army that once swept through Seoul and Incheon resembles a group of bronze-cast statues, its very breath swallowed by the howling wind.

Before long, the roar of an engine echoed from the valley entrance, shaking the earth, and was instantly caught by Wu Wanli on the hillside.

"coming!"

"I knew it, the American devils have more than just Shirahara's armored forces..."

Wu Wanli pulled out the signal gun with his left hand and raised the binoculars with his right hand, pretending to observe the distance, but in reality, he had already merged into the Sky Eye map of the Iron Heart and overlooked the whole situation.

The vanguard convoy of the US 5th Division kicked up clouds of yellow dust, and the 90mm guns of ten M26 Pershing heavy tanks pointed diagonally at the sky.

Hundreds of troop carriers followed closely behind, with Browning M2 heavy machine guns mounted on their roofs swaying slightly with the bumps.

U.S. soldiers wearing Stars and Stripes armbands leaned back in the vehicle, chewing gum, their faces relaxed.

Their waists were laden with pineapple grenades, and the bayonets of their Garand rifles shimmered like silver waves in the sunlight.

Inside the command vehicle of the 32nd Regiment

"Sir, why do I feel a chill down my spine, as if I'm being watched by the Grim Reaper?"

"I heard that they once burned down Anshan, burning countless comrades of the 25th Division to death."

"Now the terrain of Red Cloud Canyon seems a bit strange. Could the Chinese army be ambushing us?"

David, the chief of staff of the 32nd Regiment of the U.S. Army, rubbed his head and said.

"ambush?"

"The 7th Steel Regiment of China only has a few thousand men. The main force is engaged in fierce fighting with the armored battalion in Baiyuan Canyon, while the remaining thousand men are recuperating in Lizhou City."

"No matter how powerful they are, they can't be in two places at once!"

"Be brave, David. Even the Normandy landings couldn't kill me, let alone these Chinese troops now?"

"The newspapers keep saying how strong they are, but I don't think they're stronger than Hitler's German army!"

"Look at the cannons behind us! If the Chinese army dares to act recklessly, they will suffer a terrible fate!"

Mike, the commander of the 32nd Regiment of the U.S. Army, smiled and pointed in the direction behind him.

"Okay, damn it, looks like I was overthinking it."

David glanced at the howitzer convoy behind him, but his hand unconsciously tightened its grip on his gun.

Behind them, dozens of Dodge 10-wheel trucks, fully loaded with 105mm howitzer components, had their tires deeply embedded in the gravel.

Some M19 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns at the rear even more cautiously aimed their twin 40mm gun barrels at the cliffs on both sides.

Not far from the US 32nd Regiment, the troops of the two follow-up regiments of the US 5th Division crowded at the entrance of the canyon, guarding and waiting.

Inside the temporary command post of the 5th Division, "Sir, Colonel Mike reports: The 32nd Regiment is unimpeded! Unimpeded!"

"At the same time, a telegram came from the Baiyuan Canyon on the east side, confirming that the troops who ambushed them were indeed elite troops wearing Chinese People's Volunteer Army uniforms and equipped with full American firepower."

"Not only that, but the number of people and the amount of artillery fire also roughly match up. It should be confirmed that it is the main force of the Chinese 7th Steel Regiment."

"The thousands of assault teams that crossed the mountains and went straight to the center also made great progress and did not encounter any resistance."

"With our unimpeded access here, Lizhou City is practically within our grasp!"

The U.S. Chief of Staff handed the telegram to Edward and said with a smile.

"That being said, everything has gone a little too smoothly, and I have some concerns."

"What did they say over at Baiyuan Canyon? Are they sure it's the main force of the 7th Steel Regiment? Didn't they notice anything unusual?"

Major General Edward asked.

"They mentioned some trivial details. Although they are elite, they seem to be somewhat inferior to the original Chinese steel army."

"Moreover, generally speaking, that Chinese man named Wu Wanli likes to fight quick battles and use blitzkrieg tactics."

"But this time in Baiyuan Canyon, they didn't seem to be in a hurry at all, and didn't charge in to reap the final harvest."

"Instead, they used the advantageous terrain and firepower to wear down the armored vanguard battalion, as if they intended to grind it down like that."

"Sir, we're almost through. Should we allow the armored vanguard battalion of Shirahara Canyon to retreat?"

Edward said.

"The anomalies you mentioned are all easy to explain. After the Chinese army's blitzkrieg raid on Lizhou, they also fought a defensive battle for the city."

"Even an iron man would be tired after another raid on Baiyuan. It's normal for his condition to decline and he to be unable to charge forward."

"Okay, it seems I was overthinking it, but the armored battalion cannot retreat."

"Let them suffer first. Once the main force of our 5th Division has completely crossed the Red Cloud Canyon and is close to Lizhou, I will immediately issue the retreat order."

"This is the only way to ensure that the main force of the 7th Steel Regiment of China will not have time to return to defend!"

Major General Edward thought for a moment and finally made his decision.

"Sir, but if we fight like this, that armored battalion of several thousand men could suffer heavy losses, or even..."

Upon hearing this, the US Chief of Staff was startled and quickly offered a reminder.

"so what?"

"If Chinese soldiers are willing to sacrifice themselves, are they any worse than those farmers?"

"Tell them that if they dare to back down even a step, I will shoot them all!"

A cold glint flashed in Edward's eyes, a sense of "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand," as he spoke with unwavering resolve.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the US Chief of Staff reluctantly agreed.

"Chirp——————"

However, at that moment, the piercing whistle of a signal flare instantly drew their attention.

In the sky, the red light of the signal flares shone brightly, as dazzling and vivid as the gaze of death.

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

Red Cloud Canyon, ambush position
Before the crimson trail of the signal flare had even faded, the entire Red Cloud Canyon was suddenly engulfed in a blazing inferno. The belts of ammunition spewed from three thousand firearms like fiery whips wielded by gods, whipping the torrent of steel at the bottom of the valley, sending sparks flying.

"beat!"

Wu Wanli's roar pierced the sky, and the light machine gun in his hand roared first.

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

"Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump..."

The heavy machine guns on both sides of the cliff roared in unison, and dozens of metal storms instantly tore the American vehicles below into honeycomb.

The windshield of the lead vehicle was shattered into a white spiderweb pattern. Inside the cockpit, the American driver was severed at the waist by a 12.7mm bullet, his upper body still stuck to the steering wheel.

The canvas canopies of the subsequent troop carriers were also riddled with holes in an instant, and the blood mist emanating from inside the vehicles turned the green canvas into a scarlet curtain.

"Bomb it up!"

Yu Congrong led his bazooka squad out from behind the rocks on the mountain, and a dozen rockets, trailing white smoke, hurtled straight down at the top of the Pershing tank.

The tank's top armor was as fragile as paper in the face of the armor-piercing projectiles. Several tank turrets were blown off with a roar, and burning diesel fuel flowed down the tracks, turning into a river of fire.

Two American armored soldiers, their bodies ablaze, screamed as they rolled out of the hatch, only to be instantly pinned to the ground by a hail of bullets flying from the cliff top.

"Grenades! Three in a row!"

Amid Wu Wanli's roar, three hundred wooden-handled grenades traced deadly parabolas.

The time-delay fuses detonated simultaneously three meters above the ground, and thousands of pre-fabricated fragments transformed into a steel hurricane that swept across the valley floor.

More than a hundred American soldiers who jumped out of the vehicle were thrown over by the blast wave, their bodies, with debris stuck in their backs, hanging like rag dolls on the twisted frame.

Artillery positions

"It's time to eat!"

Lei Gong covered his ears and roared loudly.

In an instant, mortars and howitzers roared in unison.

105mm high-explosive shells and 60mm mortar shells slammed into the rear guard convoy of US troops, and the Dodge trucks disintegrated in an orange fireball.

The loaded shells were ignited by a secondary explosion, and the flying debris from the gun barrels smashed the two anti-aircraft gun teams into a bloody pulp.

The US military's self-propelled anti-aircraft guns fired 40mm shells indiscriminately, but ended up cutting their own retreating soldiers in half.

"Oh, God!"

David, the chief of staff of the 32nd Regiment, held the smoking wreckage of a radio and watched helplessly as the hit troop transport vehicle crashed into the mountainside.

The fuel tank explosion threw six American soldiers into the air, their burning remains hanging from the branches of dead trees.

"Damn it, thank goodness I jumped out of the car quickly!"

"Don't be afraid, we have reinforcements from the main force of the US Fifth Division coming later. Organize a defensive counterattack on the spot..."

"boom!"

Just as Commander Mike struggled to his feet and drew his Colt pistol, a bullet from Zou Xixiang pierced his forehead.

The bullet tumbled and exploded inside the skull, splattering brain matter and bone fragments all over the Stars and Stripes patch.

"Sniper! Ten o'clock!"

Just as a U.S. Army captain pointed to the flash at the top of the cliff, a second bullet pierced his throat.

Zou Xixiang's action of pulling the bolt to eject the shell was smooth and fluid, and his sights were already locked on the antenna soldier carrying the radio 300 meters away.

As the third bullet burst into blood on the back of the target's neck, he had only chewed the second half of the chili pepper in his mouth.

The canyon has now transformed into a furnace.

Burning vehicle wreckage piled up in the valley floor, forming a steel graveyard, while the screams of agony rising and falling in the thick smoke were gradually drowned out by the whistling of artillery shells.

Only three Pershing tanks from the US 32nd Regiment were still able to fire, but they were targeted by bazookas flying from both sides of the cliff.

As yet another rocket penetrated the engine bay, the entire canyon trembled from the shockwave of the explosion.

"No retreat! Establish a ring defense!"

Chief of Staff David roared with all his might, but his voice was immediately drowned out by the sound of gunfire.

Soldiers from the 5th Division were frantically climbing overturned trucks, some trying to use the bodies of their fallen comrades to build cover, only to be instantly blown to pieces by mortar shells.

The medic knelt in a pool of blood to inject morphine into the wounded, but a stray bullet shattered half of his head, and the syringe was still stuck in the convulsing soldier's arm.

The surviving anti-aircraft gunners quickly aimed their fire at both sides, attempting to suppress the firepower of the 7th Steel Regiment on both sides of the canyon.

"Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump..."

It was indeed very effective at first. Under the dense barrage of anti-aircraft guns from the half-tracks, countless large-caliber bullets blasted the bodies of hundreds of soldiers from the 7th Steel Regiment to pieces.

However, their arrogance didn't last long. Zou Xixiang, Ping He, and other sharpshooters, along with subsequent artillery fire, silenced all the American artillery positions.

……

ambush position in Hongyun Canyon

"Commander, these rounds of fire have taken out at least a thousand American soldiers. Their tanks in the front and their anti-aircraft guns in the rear have all fallen silent!"

"Hahahahahaha..."

Looking down at the American soldiers whose bodies were flowing like a river, Yu Congrong laughed loudly with delight.

"If our only opponent is this team, I'll laugh just like you."

Wu Wanli frowned slightly, looking at the two main regiments of the US 5th Division through the Iron Heart Sky Eye, and said with a still solemn expression.

(End of this chapter)