Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 227 Capture the commander of the US 5th Division alive and build a new merit forest for the US military!

The shrill roar of the MiG fighters tearing through the clouds suddenly subsided, and Wang Wei's Wanli-1 took the lead in diving, its belly shadow sweeping across the hillside like the Grim Reaper's scythe.

Countless MiG fighter jets followed closely behind in a wedge formation, the sunlight reflecting off their silver wings with a blinding, cold gleam.

"Incendiary bombs ready—drop!"

With Wang Wei's roar over the radio, more than a hundred napalm bombs detached from their racks.

The orange-red projectiles traced dense parabolic arcs in mid-air before accurately striking various parts of the US military formation.

Liquid flames instantly splashed out, turning more than thirty American soldiers into human torches. They screamed and rolled down the hillside, igniting the bushes, and the flames shot up along the dry grass toward the following troops.

"Fuck! The Chinese have started bombing!"

"Spread out! Quickly spread out!"

"Machine guns! Machine guns for anti-aircraft fire!"

The U.S. Army lieutenant colonel roared and lay down on the ground.

But his voice was quickly drowned out by the second round of bombardment.

More than a dozen MiG fighter jets flew over the US military at extremely low altitudes, their 23mm cannons spewing out deadly fire.

The tracer rounds, after piercing the chests of several American machine gunners below, continued their momentum, blasting the stacked ammunition boxes into towering fireballs.

Shrapnel from the flying bullets severed half of a dead tree, and the trunk crashed down on five soldiers who were setting up a mortar.

Under the command of a U.S. Army major, several U.S. Army machine guns were aimed at the nearest Wanli-1 and subjected to a barrage of fire.

However, after strafing the American infantry, the Wanli-1 fighter jet pulled up into the sky, dodging the whistling bullets.

After the American machine guns switched targets, the aircraft suddenly turned its nose and dove vertically, with the bombs mounted under its wings whistling down.

In an instant, bombs rained down on the battlefield like divine punishment, with three of them slamming into the US heavy machine gun positions.

Flesh and gun barrel parts were ejected in the blast wave, and half of Patton's blood-stained medal spun and embedded itself in the scorched earth.

The remaining American troops rushed frantically toward the crevice in the rocks, only to be locked onto by a formation of four aircraft flying overhead.

Incendiary bombs and high-explosive bombs were poured down alternately, turning the entire hillside into a raging inferno.

As soon as the two American soldiers jumped into the crater, they were drenched in aviation gasoline. The splashing flames ignited the signal flares in their arms, and their two curled-up bodies instantly exploded into crimson fireworks.

……

Down the mountain, at the US forward observation command post

"Shit!!!"

"Why would it be the Chinese Air Force? Didn't you say that our air force went to launch a surprise attack on Lizhou Airport and destroy Chinese Air Force fighter jets?"

"How is this going?"

Major General Edward put down his binoculars and roared angrily.

"Sir, judging by the time, our air force should be bombing Lizhou Airport right now."

"In other words, these Chinese air force personnel took off precisely at the optimal time."

"If they had arrived earlier, our air force coming from Lichuan could have abandoned the surprise attack on the airfield and come directly to fight them."

"If they were late, they wouldn't have had time to take off and would have been bombed by our air force."

"But... not only did they time their takeoff perfectly, they also happened to bypass the best route from Lizhou!"

"Otherwise, they would definitely run into our air force on the way!"

“Sir, I suspect there is a Chinese spy among us, and in a high position at that.”

"Otherwise, how could everything have been calculated so perfectly?"

The chief of staff of the US Fifth Division looked at the Chinese fighter jets in the sky and was quite shocked.

He was unaware of Wu Wanli's "Iron Ambition Sky Eye Map" and could only classify it as a spy report.

"It's too late to say all this now!"

"Immediately issue an order for them to retreat and take shelter in air-raid shelters!"

"Immediately telegraph our air force, ordering them to return and provide support immediately!"

"Everyone else, retreat immediately and take shelter in the air-raid shelter!"

Major General Edward gritted his teeth and gave the order.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff of the 5th Division of the United States quickly agreed.

……

Edward's orders were quickly relayed, and the American soldiers on the mountain fled down the mountain in a panic, hiding in air-raid shelters.

Some American "firemen" who came into contact with the flames were even shot dead on the spot to prevent them from getting close to the air-raid shelter, lest they all perish.

High ground in Hongyun Canyon
"Commander, you can actually... calculate so accurately!"

"I had heard stories about Zhuge Liang in the Three Kingdoms period, who was said to be incredibly resourceful and even able to borrow the east wind. At the time, I thought there was no such person in the world."

"But after fighting alongside you, I realized that there really are people who can calculate everything perfectly!"

Looking down at the American troops being relentlessly bombed, Gao Daxing was overwhelmed with emotion, and his admiration for Wu Wanli grew even stronger.

"There is no such thing as an absolutely foolproof plan in the world. It's just a matter of who can analyze more information and how lucky they are."

"I happen to have both information and luck."

"After this round of fighting, the American devils shouldn't have many soldiers left, right?"

Wu Wanli tightened the military overcoat he had put back on and said.

"Their vanguard battalion was wiped out by us, leaving only a few hundred men. Then, with the air force bombing them, it was probably almost wiped out."

"About two battalions came up from behind. They were positioned slightly further back and were fresh troops, so they ran faster."

"But the air force's incendiary bombs were still very lethal, causing at least several hundred more casualties to them."

"In general, we annihilated more than a thousand American soldiers in this round. The American troops down the mountain now have more than two thousand infantrymen plus an artillery battalion left."

Gao Daxing thought for a moment and then analyzed.

"Reporting to the regimental commander, Political Commissar Liu forwarded this message to you!"

"A quarter of the streets and alleys in Muyunli have been occupied by our army. The remaining American troops are about three thousand infantrymen plus an artillery battalion."

"We expect to finish the battle within a day!"

At this moment, Shiqian handed a telegram to Wu Wanli and said.

"one day?"

"It's still too long. Ridgway's US Second Brigade can arrive in less than a day."

Wu Wanli looked at the Iron Heart Sky Eye map and shook his head.

"Commander, shall we have Political Commissar Liu send a telegram urging Division Commander Zhang Dabiao and Quan Douguang to speed up their attack?"

Gao Daxing thought for a moment and then offered his suggestion.

"never mind."

"They've done their best; rushing things could cause problems."

"Tell Division Commander Zhang Dabiao to arrange for some people to set up defenses in Yangcun, prepare to block the US Second Brigade, and be fully prepared."

"As for whether we can speed up the process of annihilating the US Fifth Division, that depends on our Steel Seventh Regiment."

Wu Wanli said.

"Our Seventh Steel Regiment?"

"Commander, the Seventh Steel Regiment has also suffered considerable losses, and it's impossible for us to spare any manpower to continue the counterattack."

"Unless... the US First Brigade withdraws."

"But that's unlikely, isn't it? Would they abandon the 5th Infantry Division?"

Gao Daxing said.

"That depends on whether Ridgway wants to protect Chipyong-ri or the 5th American Division."

"I actually hope he chooses the 5th Division of the Imperial Army, so we won't have to fight the Battle of Chipyong-ni."

"After all, this battlefield is much easier for us than the deadly attack on Chipyong-ni."

Wu Wanli looked at the battle map and said.

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

Red Cloud Canyon, outside the eastern flank of the position, the headquarters of the 1st US Brigade.
"Sir, we've attacked several times and already wiped out two companies of soldiers."

"The firepower of the Chinese army is too strong. They are not only fully equipped with American weapons, but they also have more machine guns and mortars than our normal units."

"Not only that, they must have poured all their artillery fire onto our side."

"In this situation, we simply cannot break through."

"That's what the chief of staff of the U.S. First Brigade said."

"The artillery fire is all being poured on us, but what about Major General Edward's side?"

"They don't have much Chinese artillery fire there, does that mean they can't get up there?"

Freeman frowned and said with displeasure.

"According to their telegram, they did indeed make a call."

"But the Chinese fought to the death, driving back the vanguard battalion of the US 5th Division with bayonets."

"General Edward had originally planned to send two more battalions to provide support, but then the Chinese Air Force arrived..."

"As you know, our air force went to bomb Lizhou Airport, so we have no way to retaliate."

"Therefore, the attack by the US 5th Division also failed, and many people were lost."

"That's what the chief of staff of the U.S. First Brigade said."

"Sir, although the Chinese have fierce firepower, can't we just deplete their ammunition?"

"They're suppressing us with firepower right now, but what can they do without it?"

Upon hearing this, Park Jung-hee immediately offered his suggestion.

“Your idea is tactically sound, but strategically unworkable.”

"Because by the time we run out of their ammunition, Muyunli will have completely fallen, and the US 5th Division will be finished."

"Eh……"

"How come the Chinese can accurately predict the timing of their air force sorties?"

"How is our air force doing? Have they successfully bombed Lizhou Airport?"

Colonel Freeman asked.

"No, they were stopped by anti-aircraft fire as soon as they started bombing, and Major General Edward ordered the air force to withdraw just as they were about to eliminate them."

The chief of staff of the US First Brigade shook his head.

"Sir, something terrible has happened!" "Urgent telegram from the headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Division on the Eastern Front!"

"After the Chinese army on the eastern front captured Hengcheng, three corps continued to pursue the main force of the US 2nd Division."

"At the same time, they have dispatched an army corps, which is rushing to our location to provide support!"

At that moment, a U.S. military staff officer rushed over and said anxiously.

"What?!"

"How could the main force of the Second Division be in such a bad state? It's one thing to lose Hengcheng, but they can't even hold back the Chinese troops on the eastern front?"

Freeman's heart sank, and he immediately looked at the battle map, complaining.

“Sir, the Chinese army on the western front only has three corps, and they can hold off our attacks by several divisions.”

"On the eastern front, only the US 2nd Division is the main force, while the rest of the divisions are ROK divisions, which will be very difficult to fight."

The chief of staff of the U.S. First Brigade explained.

“I left only one French battalion at Chipyong-ri. If the Chinese reinforcements take it down on their way here, then the junction of the eastern and western fronts will fall into Chinese hands.”

"In this way, our eastern and western fronts will be separated, and there is even a risk that the Chinese army on the eastern front will make a strategic outflanking maneuver to encircle the retreat route of 100,000 troops on the western front!"

“In this situation, even if the Chinese 7th Steel Regiment, the 80th Division, or even the New 8th Army were annihilated, it would only be a tactical victory.”

"Strategically, the main force of the UN forces will be surrounded, and the war situation will completely collapse!"

Freeman instantly realized the danger and immediately spoke up.

"This……"

"What should I do?"

"We no longer have enough troops to reinforce Chipyong-ri."

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff of the US First Brigade immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and quickly spoke up.

"Pass on my order: have the air force turn back and continue bombing Yeoju. Bomb everything except the airport. Don't leave any bombs behind!"

"The US First Brigade shall halt its attack on Hongyun Canyon and immediately withdraw its troops to march straight for Lizhou!"

"I didn't want to attack this fortified city, but now I have no choice!"

"Only by taking Lizhou can we expand our strategic depth and defend it in a triangular formation with Dipingli."

"We must use Yeoju to hold off the Chinese troops on the western front, and use Chipyeong-ri to hold off the Chinese troops on the eastern front. We must not allow them to join forces and attack a city from both sides!"

"If only the US 5th Division could have done its job and captured the western side of Red Cloud Canyon, if only the eastern front could have held back the main force of the Chinese army, sigh..."

"Enough talk, let's relay the orders!"

"If his 7th Steel Regiment could withstand the pressure and turn the tide of battle in the eye of the storm, so can our 1st US Brigade!!!"

Freeman made up his mind and clenched his fist as he spoke.

This American military talent, who would later rise to the rank of NATO Army Commander, also demonstrated remarkable strategic vision and courage at this moment.

Heroes abound throughout the world, and the United States also boasts military geniuses.

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

On the road to Yangcun, the temporary command post of the 2nd US Brigade
"Sir, if we continue our forced march after this short rest, we will reach Yang Village, south of Muyunli, in another ten hours."

"But the Chinese army may send troops to block us, and we estimate it will take several more hours to capture it."

"If you factor in the time it would take to attack the Chinese army from both sides, it would take twenty hours to resolve the battle."

"Chief of Staff Van Fleet said."

"Can Mu Yunli hold out for another twenty hours?"

Li Qiwei frowned and asked.

"can."

"But that's the longest we can hold out. We have no room for error; we can't afford any more problems..."

Chief of Staff Van Fleet said solemnly.

"Sir, something terrible has happened!"

"The eastern front, Hengcheng, fell, the US Second Division was defeated and was pursued by the main Chinese force."

"Not only that, they also dispatched an army to support the western front, and the poorly defended Chipyong-ni could very well be captured in the process!"

A U.S. military staff officer rushed over and said.

"Fuck!"

"We cannot lose Chipyong-ni, otherwise our eastern and western fronts will be cut off and we will be strategically surrounded!"

"Has Red Cloud Canyon been captured?"

"If we take it, we'll force the US 5th Division to abandon its plan to attack the Chinese 80th Division and the New Eighth Army from both sides!"

"Change the plan to have the 5th Division of the US Army march eastward from Hongyun Gorge and directly attack Yeoju with all its might, while the 1st Brigade of the US Army will directly support Chipyong-ri!"

After surveying the overall situation on both the eastern and western fronts, Ridgway immediately waved his hand and spoke.

"Sir, Major General Edward personally led a regiment and suffered heavy losses in Red Cloud Canyon. They have lost over a thousand men, but the position still hasn't been captured."

The U.S. Army staff officer handed another battle report to Ridgway and said.

"Fuck, Edward, you piece of trash!!!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qiwei's anger surged, and he cursed loudly.

"Sir, an urgent telegram from Colonel Freeman."

"To safeguard the overall strategic situation, he has abandoned the offensive at Hongyun Gorge and turned the entire army's spearhead towards Lizhou."

"He said he wanted to take Yeoju to expand the strategic depth and then form a defensive belt between Yeoju and Chipyeong-ri."

"In this way, we can hold off the Chinese troops on both flanks, preventing them from joining forces to attack a city from both sides, and also ensuring that the main force on the western front is not encircled!"

At that moment, another U.S. military staff officer walked in and reported loudly.

“Okay, okay, okay!!!”

"Not all American generals are idiots; there are also brilliant minds among them!"

"Tell Freeman that if he succeeds in making this move, I will give Edward his position as commander of the 5th US Infantry Division after the war!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qiwei was overjoyed, and his eyes instantly lit up with admiration. He quickly replied.

"Sir, what about the Fifth Division?"

Chief of Staff Van Fleet asked.

"Since we can't take Red Cloud Canyon and the US 2nd Brigade has left, the original plan to annihilate the Chinese reinforcements from both sides can be scrapped."

"Have the troops speed up their advance, capture Yangcun, and then attack the rear flank of the Chinese reinforcements to cover the reception of the US 5th Division."

"If we can hold out the 5th Division until our attack comes to our aid, we can then make a full-scale breakout."

"Evacuate as much as you can, even if only one or two thousand break through, it will leave behind some seeds."

"We've already had two divisions completely wiped out by the Chinese. We can't afford to let them wipe out the US Fifth Division completely as well, otherwise it would be the size of an entire corps. What a disgrace..."

Li Qiwei sighed and said.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, Van Fleet immediately agreed.

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

Red Cloud Canyon, 7th Steel Regiment Command Post

"Wanli, you're back!"

"The US 1st Brigade has just abandoned its offensive and been redeployed; its current strategic objective is unclear."

Upon seeing Wu Wanli return, Liu Hanqing quickly reported this.

"Their strategic objective is obvious; they're aiming for Lizhou."

"Didn't I have Lei Zhen train the line-filling troops ahead of schedule? How was it?"

Wu Wanli, wearing a military overcoat, stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the latest changes to the markings on the battle map, and spoke.

"The effect wasn't very good. It was just a bunch of ragtag soldiers who learned to fire guns and throw grenades, and to lie down when artillery came."

"With this level of combat capability, they're at best comparable to the militia. It'll be difficult for them to face the elite US First Brigade."

"Moreover, the US Air Force launched a large-scale bombing of Lizhou, destroying all the larger-caliber artillery pieces in the city, leaving only some mortars."

"Lizhou City is in danger..."

Liu Hanqing said.

"Mass bombing?"

"From another perspective, many of the families of those linemen in the city must have been killed in the bombing. They also learned what the US military did to civilians."

"In this situation, at least they have the will to fight, after all, their families are behind them."

"Let Lei Zhen mix the elite of the 7th Steel Regiment in the city with these line-filling soldiers as originally planned. At least we can gather several thousand troops to defend the city."

"Tell him that he must hold out until we have completely annihilated the US Fifth Division and then return to reinforce Lizhou!"

Wu Wanli said.

"After annihilating the entire US Fifth Division?"

"Wanli, isn't this going to take too long? I'm worried that Lizhou City won't be able to hold out..."

Liu Hanqing said.

"At normal speed, it does take too long."

"But now that the US 2nd Brigade has left, the main force of our 7th Steel Regiment can be freed up to accelerate the complete annihilation of the US 5th Division."

Wu Wanli looked at the Iron Heart Sky Eye map in his mind and said.

The Sky Eye map clearly marks the command post at the foot of the mountain as the actual headquarters of the US 5th Division.

This also tells Wu Wanli that Major General Edward and a group of personnel from the division command system are below.

"accelerate?"

"Wanli, are you planning to launch an attack on the US Fifth Division?"

Liu Hanqing said.

"more than!"

"I also want to capture the commander of the 5th Infantry Division alive, so that Major General Smith of the 1st Marine Division and Major General William of the 25th Infantry Division can keep each other company!"

"Once I've arrested more high-ranking U.S. military officers, I'll create a new 'merit forest' for the U.S. military as well."

"It wouldn't be bad to help our volunteer soldiers stir-fry some flour and reform them properly, right?"

"Order the entire regiment to prepare for battle! The final battle against the US 5th Division is about to begin!"

A sharp glint flashed in Wu Wanli's eyes as he gave the order with a chilling murderous aura.

(End of this chapter)