Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 293 Liberating Hengcheng! Preparing to Receive the Soviet Warship Group! The Strength of the Chinese Navy Greatly Increases!
"If our motherland is invaded, every patriotic man should stand up for himself!"

"Drink this bowl of hometown wine, for the brave warrior will never return!"

"..."

"Let the blood stain the most beautiful flowers, stain my chest!"

"Red flags flutter, bugles sound! Swords are drawn, thunder roars and lightning flashes!"

"When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave one always wins!"

"........."

"Forward! Forward! Forward!!"

"The Spirit of the Chinese Army!!!"

The military song that Wu Wanli had composed earlier was played over the radio communications in various tanks and armored vehicles.

Some of the stronger infantrymen joined in the singing, but most were too exhausted to shout, only occasionally humming the tunes of the war song to encourage themselves to catch up.

The armored torrent of the 7th Steel Brigade, like molten lava, rolled across burning fields and broken roads, relentlessly pursuing the remnants of the 3rd Regiment of the 9th Division of the South Korean Army, which had completely collapsed ahead.

Eight captured Sherman tanks roared and spewed black smoke, their tracks kicking up wet, cold mud and snow, their guns pointing low and menacingly at the increasingly clear outline of Hengcheng on the horizon!
Eight M8 armored vehicles followed closely behind, their sleek bodies appearing and disappearing in the dust kicked up by the tanks.

Their machine gun turrets swayed wildly from side to side, weaving together scorching and deadly nets of fire that mercilessly licked at the fleeing, screaming, and terrified South Korean soldiers.

"Press them down! Charge down on their backs!"

"Don't stop! Don't scatter! Drive the sheep quickly!"

Wu Wanli leaned half his body out of the command compartment of the Sherman turret and shouted loudly.

The soldiers of the Seventh Steel Brigade skillfully leaped and sprinted through the gaps between tanks and armored vehicles, accurately taking out the scattered enemies who attempted to turn around and resist, efficiently eliminating the last will to resist in the rout.

The South Korean troops ahead were in increasing chaos, trampling and shoving, throwing their weapons, helmets and even heavy ammunition belts along the way, all in an effort to gain a slim chance of escaping into Hengcheng half a second earlier.

Wu Wanli stared at the gray-brown outer perimeter of the city wall, which the driven, routed soldiers were crashing into, drawing ever closer...

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

Hengcheng, inside Han Jiu's division headquarters

The flickering light bulb, with its unstable voltage, emitted a crackling noise, casting an inconsistent light on the huge map of Hengcheng and its surrounding defenses on the wall, adding to the sense of unease.

Division Commander Park Jung-hee stood with his back to the door, his arms braced against the edge of the heavy wooden table. His gaze seemed to pierce through the map, fixed on the invisible, rapidly approaching terrifying storm.

"Commander! Commander! No, something terrible has happened!"

"The Third...Third Regiment...they've been routed and returned!...It's over...it's all over!"

The heavy wooden door of the command post was slammed open with a loud crash, and a second lieutenant staff officer rushed in as if his backside was on fire, his helmet askew, panting heavily.

"Ah Xiba!"

"What's the panic! Speak clearly!"

Park Jung-hee suddenly turned around, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, and lashed out at his panicked subordinate, cursing him.

"The Seventh Steel Brigade of China is driving the routed soldiers of the Third Regiment...charging into the outer perimeter of the positions!"

"They're moving too fast! We simply don't have time to organize an effective interception!"

"They have tanks! American Shermans! And armored vehicles leading the way!"

The South Korean staff officer was jolted awake by his shout, as if he had been whipped. His voice, however, became shrill with fear as he recounted his story.

"tank?!"

"Even if the Chinese 7th Steel Brigade annihilated the US reinforcement regiment, where would they get their tanks?!"

"How could those Americans just leave their tanks intact to the Chinese?!"

Deputy Division Commander Jin Mingkui stood up abruptly, the chair legs scraping against the cement floor with a screeching sound, his face instantly turning ashen, even paler than the mud plaster on the wall.

Park Jung-hee's eyes narrowed suddenly, and his body tensed like a bowstring ready to be released.

Steel Seventh Brigade!

One day and one night!
A 241-mile long-distance raid!
A bloody battle at Chaoding Bridge!

Annihilate the entire reinforced US regiment!
Armored forces captured!

Destroy and drive away his main force, the Third Regiment!
And they are now rushing towards Hengcheng at full speed!

These messages were like cold barbed wire grinding against his heart, bringing waves of piercing chill and dull pain.

He personally experienced Wu Wanli's ruthless methods at the headquarters in Shuainan City.

The lightning-fast, ruthless rhythm of the attack resurfaced clearly in my mind, even more oppressive than the shouts of the staff officer before me.

"Ah Xiba!"

"Eight Shermans and eight M8 armored vehicles—I don't believe the Chinese can't divide and annihilate the Third Regiment!"

"Wu Wanli is doing this on purpose; he wants to drive the routed soldiers to charge!"

Park Jung-hee slammed his hand on the table and immediately began to curse.

As if to confirm his words, a series of muffled explosions pierced through the thick layers of soil and concrete, and the ground beneath our feet shook noticeably once again.

The frontline telephone extension in the corner of the command post, which had always kept the line open, suddenly rang shrilly.

The staff officer lunged forward and grabbed the microphone, but after only a few words, all the color drained from his face.

What came through the phone was not just the sound of explosions, but also dying screams, frantic Korean curses and commands, the clear sound of machine gun fire, and the heavy rumble of tracks grinding the ground!
"Commander, the second outer position has been attacked!"

"Their armored units are too fast! Without support, the outer defenses definitely won't be able to stop them!"

"Not only that, we now have another problem!"

“A large number of defeated soldiers from the Third Regiment are surging in from all directions, but Chinese troops are following behind them. Should we let these defeated soldiers come over?”

The South Korean military staff officer, holding the microphone, stared blankly at Park Jung-hee and Kim Myung-kyu, conveying the words of someone on the verge of collapse from the phone call.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through Kim Myung-kyu's forehead.

"Commander! We can't let them in! We absolutely cannot open the passage and let the routed soldiers of the Third Regiment in!"

"Once the city gates open, the tanks of the Seventh Steel Brigade will squeeze in right after the fleeing soldiers!"

"Then everything will be over! Hengcheng will fall to the Chinese army in no time!"

"Whether they are routed soldiers or Chinese troops, we must resolutely keep them outside our Hengcheng defense perimeter!"

He rushed to Park Jung-hee's side, his voice filled with uncontrollable trembling and anxious urging.

Thinking of the scene of being torn apart by that armored torrent, Kim Myung-kyu felt as if his blood had frozen in despair.

"block?"

Park Jung-hee turned his head sharply, staring intently at the deputy division commander's terrified face, a cruel sneer spreading across his lips.

He had the humiliating memory of being captured in Suanam-seong and a clear understanding of the combat capabilities of this South Korean army unit.

"Shouldn't this... be the case?"

That smile instantly sent a jolt through Kim Myung-kyu's heart, and he asked in a low voice.

"Deputy Division Commander Jin, do you think our soldiers, whose morale was already low, would be so terrified by the horrific scene of their allies, only to be refused entry and even killed by our own firepower..."

"Do you think they would still have even the slightest thought of holding out in the face of all this?"

"Forget about those Chinese steel monsters, the sheer number of fleeing soldiers and the complete loss of morale among our own troops is enough to turn the entire outer defense line into a pile of mud in an instant!"

"At that time, we will all become prisoners or corpses within an hour!"

Park Jung-hee sighed and immediately pointed it out.

Kim Myung-kyu's face turned ashen, his lips twitched a few times as if he wanted to retort, but he found that his thoughts and tongue were frozen by this cold reality.

Park Jung-hee is right!
Those temporary conscripts who were just getting by in Hengcheng, after witnessing the hellish scenes outside and watching their own men kill each other...

They probably don't even have the strength to pick up and aim their guns!
Morale?

It's like a candle flickering in the wind!
It would be a miracle if they could stop it!
A tremendous sense of powerlessness instantly gripped him, more chilling and despairing than the cold air in the basement.

"Then...what do we do?!"

"Letting them in means certain death! Not letting them in... means even faster death!"

"Commander Park, what should we do?"

Kim Myung-kyu asked almost instinctively in a hoarse voice.

Upon hearing this, Park Jung-hee rubbed his bloodshot eyes.

There was no warmth in those eyes, only the ferocity of a trapped beast and the cold calculation of someone about to burn their bridges.

He rushed back to the huge map, his rough fingers tracing the main gate on the west side of Hengcheng marked on the map, which was also the core direction of the retreating soldiers and the Chinese armored forces' attack at that moment.

"Since they can't stop the fleeing soldiers and their tanks from charging in,"

"Then let the defeated soldiers in! Even 'help' their tanks... charge in!"

Park Jung-hee clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth.

"what?!"

Kim Myung-kyu and the other staff officers stared wide-eyed at their division commander, as if struck by lightning.

At this moment, their eyes were filled with fear and confusion, as if they wondered if their commander had gone mad.

Releasing defeated soldiers was already a last resort; why "help" the enemy's tanks?

Park Jung-hee's finger jabbed hard at an area on the map near the west gate of Hengcheng, the only way to enter the city!

"Immediately! Now! Right now! Disarm the engineer battalion and concentrate all explosives and anti-tank mines!"

"Dig anti-tank trap zones in this area inside the city gate!"

"Time is of the essence. The anti-tank traps don't need to be perfectly aligned, but they need to be deep and wide enough!"

"Then, fill all the stockpiled heavy anti-tank mines that the US military urgently airlifted to us—those big lumps of iron that need the pressure of a tank to detonate!—with anti-tank trap zones!"

"Once the Chinese armored forces rush in, they will immediately suffer heavy losses from anti-tank mines!"

"The remaining few tanks and armored vehicles do not pose a threat; they can be dealt with by anti-tank infantry teams!"

"After annihilating the Chinese armored forces, our soldiers will be greatly encouraged!"

"If we coordinate with artillery fire to defend against the Chinese infantry, we definitely have a chance!"

"Even if we prepare for the worst, and the outer positions cannot be held, we can rely on artillery fire to retreat and retreat back to Hengcheng to hold it to the death!"

"As long as we eliminate the Chinese armored forces, we have a chance to shatter the myth of the invincibility of the Chinese Seventh Steel Brigade, boost morale, and gain the opportunity to hold out for reinforcements!"

Park Jung-hee slammed his hand on the table and said through gritted teeth.

In an instant, the entire command post of the 9th Division of the Han Army fell into a deathly silence, with only heavy breathing remaining.

Everyone's brains were racing to process this ruthless, survival-like calculation.

"Remember, only let the Chinese armored forces in, and hold off the main Chinese infantry force for ten minutes!"

"I don't need much, ten minutes is enough!"

"Tell the battalion and company commanders on the front lines to spare no effort, using machine guns! Hand grenades! Piercing with lives! They must hold back the main force of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army infantry following the Chinese armored units!"

"Even if it really can't be done in ten minutes, we can buy time, every second counts!"

"We must buy time for the 'harvesting' in the pit!"

"Perhaps in five minutes, the Chinese armored forces could be routed!"

"Once you see those damned Chinese tanks and armored vehicles drive into the city gate, immediately detonate the explosive charges that have been pre-planted at the observation posts on both sides of the passage!"

"Blow up their armored unit's retreat route!"

"As long as Chinese tanks are lured into the anti-tank trap zone and detonate the anti-tank mines, no matter how many are destroyed, the remaining tanks and armored vehicles will be trapped in the narrow city gate, with their rear blocked by rubble, like turtles in a jar!"

"At this point, our anti-tank team will use explosives and rockets to clean up the mess!"

"I'll emphasize it again: it doesn't matter if the outer defenses are breached or abandoned!"

"At worst, we can gather all our forces and retreat to the core fortifications of Hengcheng to defend it to the death!"

"As long as we eliminate the tanks, our biggest threat, even if it's just a small victory, and regain some morale, we can drag this out..."

"Delay until General Ridgway's reinforcements arrive! That's our only chance!"

"Do you understand everything?!"

Park Jung-hee looked around at the South Korean military officers and gave a loud order.

In an instant, the deathly silence was abruptly broken.

The despair and fear on Deputy Division Commander Jin Mingkui's face faded considerably, replaced by a frantic agreement, as if grasping at a straw in a desperate situation.

"Brilliant, Commander!"

"What a brilliant strategy for survival!"

"Blow up the Chinese army's tanks and armored vehicles, severely damage their offensive capabilities, reverse their morale, and we can hold out for reinforcements!"

"I'll arrange and relay your orders right away! I guarantee it will be done as quickly as possible!"

Deputy Division Commander Jin Mingkui vigorously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice hoarse but carrying a hint of morbid excitement.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his helmet and rushed out of the command post.

In a race against time, every second is precious!

The gate was kicked open and then closed again, adding a touch of cold, dusty atmosphere to the command center of Han Jiushi in Hengcheng.

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

Meanwhile, outside the outer perimeter of Hengcheng's west gate...

Wu Wanli, leading the vanguard of the armored forces of the 7th Steel Corps of China, is rapidly approaching.

Inside the first tank at the very front.

"I wonder if these South Korean troops will let the routed soldiers pass through, or if they will just wipe them all out?"

Wu Wanli leaned half his body out of the tank commander's tower, feeling the cold wind carrying the strong smell of gunpowder and blood as it rushed towards him, and said.

After he finished speaking, his sharp gaze swept across the battlefield ahead.

At this moment, they were less than a mile away from the outer perimeter of Hengcheng!
Moreover, those South Korean soldiers who had fled had already reached the edge of the position!
On the South Korean positions, the expected intense firepower to suppress and intercept the fleeing soldiers did not materialize.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

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

Countless mortar shells and a hail of bullets from both sides were not aimed at the chaotic tide of fleeing soldiers and tanks!
Instead, they fired almost all of their fire at the firepower assault detachment led by Yu Congrong, which was closely following behind the eight tanks and eight armored vehicles!
In an instant, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army infantry group charging from the rear was fiercely suppressed!

A large amount of bullets and shrapnel kicked up dense dust around the crowd!

Dozens of unarmored volunteer soldiers who were charging on the flank suddenly stopped, blood splattered, and they fell to the ground!
"Fuck his mother!"

“Attack, keep attacking!!!”

Yu Congrong's voice boomed through the walkie-talkie, mingled with the intense sounds of gunfire.

"Wanli! There's something fishy about these South Korean soldiers!"

"They used mortar fire to bombard our infantry behind us, and machine guns opened fire from the flanks, strafe our unarmored infantry behind us, but ignored our armored units charging in the front..."

"It's like they're deliberately letting the South Korean routs and our armored units pass through!"

"I had a feeling that these South Korean soldiers were up to something!"

"Should we halt for now and cooperate with Yu Congrong to crush this outer resistance first? Should we proceed cautiously and steadily?"

Liu Hanqing, who was temporarily acting as the gunner, also looked up from the gunner's periscope and said with a furrowed brow.

Wu Wanli's gaze sharpened slightly, and the Heavenly Eye Map instantly unfolded in his mind!

In an instant, a three-dimensional image of the Hengcheng city gate area appeared in perfect detail!
In the image, South Korean troops are digging three crisscrossing deep trenches and triangular traps along the only way to the city gate!

A dense array of heavy anti-tank mines, resembling the kiss of death, were laid inside!
Numerous red lights flickered amidst the ruins on both sides!

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that heavily armed anti-tank infantry were lying in ambush!

Furthermore, red dots symbolizing the explosive structure flashed inside the load-bearing walls on both sides, a destructive signal indicating the impending collapse of the passage!
This is the ultimate weapon that Park Jung-hee prepared for him!

Unfortunately, none of this was of any use to Wu Wanli, who had activated his vision cheat!
After observing everything, Wu Wanli smiled knowingly.

Well done, Park Kaka! You've improved in battle!
He couldn't reveal the system's secrets, but he could transform that insight into a rational judgment.

"Hanqing, relax!"

What new tricks can the South Korean military come up with?

"They're just copying the old tricks of our Seventh Steel Brigade!"

"If I'm not mistaken, their killer move is to set traps in the narrow area near the city gate, using anti-tank ditches and anti-tank mines."

"We used this method when we fought the American landing forces at Incheon. They are just students at best!"

As Wu Wanli spoke, he suddenly grabbed the intercom in the car, his tone abruptly becoming resolute and his command filled with a murderous aura.

"Thunder God! Thunder God!"

"This is Steel Corporation No. 1!"

"Target: Hengcheng City Gate Tower and approximately 100 meters of the city wall on both sides! Listen carefully, it's the city wall!"

"Use armor-piercing and high-explosive rounds! Give me saturation coverage!"

"Blow down and smash all the brick and stone walls that are in the way!"

"Be quick! Be fierce!"

"I'm going in through the breach! I'm going to smash those South Korean soldiers' turtle shells!"

Wu Wanli's command was quickly transmitted to the artillery detachment's command radio.

In the distance, on the artillery detachment's position
"Boom... Bombarding the thick rammed earth wall, not to blast open the city gate, but to directly rip the wall open?"

"Hahahaha! It has to be you, Captain! Ruthless! Decisive! Delicious!"

"The South Korean army definitely won't expect you to charge in so recklessly without even leaving the gate!" "Get moving! Quickly! All howitzers! Mountain guns! Target—Hengseong city walls!!"

"Scale—Correction!"

"Direction - Move left by XXX!"

"All positions! Armor-piercing rounds, high-explosive rounds! Load—!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Lei Gong immediately roared in a rough, hoarse voice, like the beating of a war drum.

In an instant, the artillery position erupted in cheers!
The Chinese People's Volunteer Army artillerymen were like clockwork, rapidly turning the azimuth and elevation mechanisms!

The heavy shell was loaded into the breech! The clanging sound of the breech closing was incessant!
In less than ten seconds, the huge cannon muzzle was pointed directly at the ancient and seemingly indestructible city wall of Hengcheng!

"Ready—Fire!!!"

Lei Gong raised his command flag high and roared with a wave of his hand.

In an instant, the world fell silent!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

A deafening explosion rang out, followed by thunderous roars and the earth shaking!
A row of cannons roared simultaneously, the blazing flames spewing from their muzzles instantly dispelling the gloom on the high ground and turning the entire sky red!

The enormous recoil released by the burning propellant charge in the breech caused the heavy cannon to lurch backward!
The baseboard slammed into the ground! It kicked up a cloud of dust! A shell!

A barrage of shells, trailing a piercing, ear-piercing whistle, tore through the air, tracing a destructive arc before precisely striking the Hengcheng city gate tower and the tall, thick rammed earth walls on either side!
"Boom! Rumble—!"

The first loud bang came as an armor-piercing shell penetrated the city bricks!
The second sound was a terrifying high explosion that completely released its energy!

Bricks, stones, mud, wood... all shot into the sky amidst a chilling sound of shattering and collapsing!

One wall after another was torn apart as if by an invisible giant hand!

The sturdy brick structure was torn to shreds by the unparalleled explosive energy!
Thick smoke and dust instantly enveloped the entire section of the city wall!

"Crash-"

A massive breach in the city wall, like a wound cleaved open by a god, appeared menacingly on the thick walls of Hengcheng!

The once majestic city gate tower collapsed completely, and the massive rammed earth wall crumbled and collapsed from the breach, with an astonishing volume of earth and stone falling down!
Steep slopes formed both inside and outside the gap! Suddenly, the view opened up!
Inside the turret of "Tank No. 1"
Liu Hanqing was stunned as he witnessed the spectacular, violent, and incredibly satisfying explosion and collapse in the distance.

He abruptly turned to look at Wu Wanli in the command tower! Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Wu Wanli's figure stood straight as a javelin, his silhouette appearing exceptionally imposing in the light and shadow of the explosion.

When facing an enemy, adapt to changing circumstances, take unconventional approaches, and use brute force to overcome all techniques!

This is not a simple tactical adjustment; it is a thorough understanding of the entire battle situation!
It's a precise grasp of the enemy's psychology! It's a daring yet exquisitely brilliant fatal blow!
Shock shot through Liu Hanqing's spine like an electric current! Following it came a profound sense of respect!

"Wanli! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"Are you trying to tear down their walls and storm in? Now all those damn traps are just ruins!"

Liu Hanqing's voice even changed slightly, full of admiration as he praised.

"Comrades! Did you see that?!"

"The road is open!"

"It was our Thunder Cannon Team that blasted it open! It was our Chinese cannons that blasted it open!"

"Target—a breach in the city wall!"

"Charge in with me! Crush them!!"

Wu Wanli had no time to respond to the praise; instead, he gripped the communicator and gave orders that were transmitted over the radio to all the armored vehicles and tanks.

"Come on!"

"kill!!!"

The radio channel was instantly engulfed by a roar like a torrent of steel!

"Squeak!"

The engines of all tanks and armored vehicles were pushed to their maximum speed!
The eight Sherman tanks roared even louder!

The tracks screeched wildly against the ground, kicking up clouds of dust!
They are no longer prey rushing towards the city gate trap, but aiming at the newly formed huge breach in the city wall!

Chinese tanks and armored vehicles, like arrows released from a bow, accompanied by a small number of infantrymen rushing in from both sides, charged forward relentlessly toward the dust-filled breach in the city wall!

Outside Hengcheng, on the outer perimeter of the battle lines

The South Korean soldiers who were originally fighting desperately to block Yu Congrong's firepower assault detachment and the main infantry force that followed were now enduring increasingly fierce firepower counterattacks from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

puff!
A South Korean sergeant, who was struggling to operate a heavy machine gun, was suddenly pierced through the neck by a bullet that flew in with great precision!

In an instant, blood gushed from his neck, and soon he became a corpse, slumping limply onto the sandbag.

"Hold on! For South Korea! Hold on for ten minutes! Then the Chinese tank formation will be finished!"

A South Korean officer nearby shrank back in fear, his ears filled with the hysterical screams of his commander and sergeants.

"Then...what is that?!"

A South Korean soldier nearby screamed, pointing towards the city wall, his voice filled with disbelief and fear.

All the nearby South Korean soldiers looked up at the Hengcheng city wall with either curiosity or despair.

Then, they witnessed a scene they would never forget.

The city walls, which symbolized the safety of the city and their only support, collapsed amidst deafening and continuous terrifying explosions!
It was as if it were made of paper, and a huge, shocking gap was torn open!

A huge plume of yellow smoke was rising into the sky like a demonic dragon from that terrifying gap!

Then, what happened next made their blood freeze instantly!
Amidst the smoke and dust, Chinese armored forces emerge!
A short, stubby cannon barrel!
A massive silhouette!
An overwhelming aura!

One! Two! Three! More and more Chinese tanks and armored vehicles, as if bathed in flames, surged irresistibly into the city through the breaches in the collapsed city walls and the massive slopes!

"Holy crap, what's going on?!"

"It's their tanks! It's Chinese tanks! They're entering the city!!"

"Then what the hell are we supposed to be guarding here for?!"

"Damn it, I shouldn't have had any hope!"

"The Chinese people are invincible!"

"We can't fight anymore, there's no point in defending!!"

For a moment, the South Korean soldiers on the outer perimeter shouted in despair.

"It's over..."

The South Korean officer's lips trembled, and his eyes instantly lost all light, as if his soul had been ripped out.

"The city has fallen?!"

"The city has fallen!!!"

A South Korean soldier screamed hysterically, like a devastating mental shockwave! It instantly swept across the entire outer perimeter of the South Korean army positions!

The belief that "we must hold out for ten minutes" was shattered instantly by the shocking images of the city walls collapsing and Chinese tanks surging into the city!

The fighting spirit that had been barely maintained under the urging of officers and supervisors melted away as quickly as ice and snow under the scorching sun!
Instead, an overwhelming tide of fear and despair surged forth!
"Run!"

"The Chinese have stormed the city!"

“We’ve been abandoned!”

"Run for your lives! Run for your lives!"

I don't know who shouted first, but it was as if the floodgates had been opened!

Desperate cries spread like a plague!

The South Korean soldiers, their eyes glazed over, dropped their weapons and even pushed aside the officers and supervisors who tried to stop them, desperately climbing out of the trenches.

They abandoned their positions and began to flee in chaos, retreating, flanking, and even desperately running towards directions where there were no friendly forces!

collapse!

Utter collapse!
It was utterly pointless for a South Korean officer to shoot and kill one or two deserters!

The crowd instantly drowned out the gunshots!
The outer defensive line of Hengcheng collapsed with a crash, like a paper wall soaked in water!

"Great opportunity! Damn it! Kill them—!"

"Firepower Brigade! Run them over—!!"

Yu Congrong noticed the enemy's position was weakening and immediately shouted loudly.

After shouting, he suddenly leaped up from a shell crater, grabbed a light machine gun, and charged out first.

“Da da da da da——!!!”

Yu Congrong's machine gun spat out scorching flames as it fiercely swept towards the backs of the chaotic and retreating South Korean troops!
"Come on—!"

"Comrades! Avenge our fallen comrades—!"

"Kill all these bastards—!"

The pent-up anger and desire for revenge were ignited at this moment!

The entire main force of the Seventh Steel Brigade, like a giant steel dragon awakening, launched a general offensive!

They surged forth from the trenches, from the shell craters, from the ruins, forming an unstoppable force that swept towards the completely collapsed outer positions of the South Korean army!

The bayonets gleamed with the cold light of revenge!
The gun barrels were spitting fire!

The outer defenses of Hengcheng instantly turned into a hell for the routed South Korean soldiers, and the complete fall of the city was inevitable!

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

Inside the command post of the 9th Division of the Han Army in Hengcheng, the radio suddenly emitted a piercing static sound.

"Commander! The Chinese tanks... haven't even entered the city gates!"

A South Korean military staff officer, pale-faced, burst through the door, his military cap askew on his sweat-dampened sideburns, and shouted.

Park Jung-hee, sitting at the map table, suddenly looked up, his pencil drawing jagged cracks on the battle plan.

"The Chinese bombarded the west city wall with heavy artillery! The entire section of the wall collapsed! Eight Sherman tanks and eight more Sherman tanks are rolling in through the breach!"

The staff officer's voice trembled as he pointed towards the smoke-filled south of the city and shouted.

"boom--!"

As if confirming his roar, the ceiling of the command post was shaken down and the sound of the explosion was so close it was heart-stopping.

A piercing scream suddenly erupted from the communications radio: "The Second Regiment can't hold out! Chinese infantry are pouring into the breach in the city wall... It's the main force of the 7th Steel Brigade! Repeat... Ah—!"

In an instant, the call came to an abrupt end amidst the sound of machine gun fire and screams.

"The entire defensive line of the Second Regiment on the outskirts of Hengcheng has collapsed! The Third Battalion on the west flank has also been breached by the Chinese army!"

"Only a guard battalion and a remnant regiment remain in the city, Commander! How can we defend it?!"

Deputy Division Commander Jin Mingkui kicked over a wooden stool and shouted.

Park Jung-hee suddenly grinned, a suppressed, chilling laugh escaping his throat, sounding particularly eerie against the backdrop of gunfire.

"Shou?"

"We are the ROK 9th Division! Not an elite US Army division! How can we defend in this situation?"

"Give me the order!"

"The division headquarters, along with the guard battalion, is to immediately assemble at the warehouse in the east of the city! The entire division... is to break out on its own!"

After a moment of internal struggle, Park Jung-hee finally sighed and gave the order.

Kim Myung-kyu immediately grabbed the microphone, but as he dialed, Park Jung-hee's iron-like hand gripped his wrist.

"Remember to avoid the main street."

Park Jung-hee, who had escaped from Wu Wanli's clutches multiple times, added with bloodshot eyes, recalling his past experiences.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Kim Myung-kyu quickly agreed.

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

Three kilometers away, the hatch of a Sherman tank, blackened by artillery fire, was suddenly flung open.

Wu Wanli leaned half his body out of the turret, and the gust of wind swirled gunpowder smoke into his collar.

His eyes were unfocused as he stared at the map deep within his consciousness, the crimson triangle representing the South Korean command post, which was moving rapidly along the dotted line of the textile factory warehouse in the east of the city.

"Park Jung-hee is definitely going to run, and that's the easiest route for him to escape!"

"Lei Gong! Use high-explosive bombs to block the intersection of Donghua Street! Gao Daxing, lead the infantry to seal off the back alley of the textile factory!"

"Armored units, follow me and charge!"

Wu Wanli gave a loud order over the wireless communication system.

In the eastern storage and transportation warehouse district, twelve American-made Dodge trucks roared to life.

Just as Park Jung-hee was getting into the jeep, the warehouse's iron gate was suddenly torn apart by a shell!
Concrete debris rained down on the convoy, and a truck full of soldiers was overturned and burned into a wall of fire.

However, amidst the smoke and dust, sixteen bright headlights suddenly shone like the compound eyes of a monster, and the Sherman tank's massive 90mm gun barrel smashed through the brick wall!

"tank!"

The South Korean military guard battalion commander hissed as he drew his gun.

"boom!"

The Sherman cannon spewed out a three-meter-long burst of orange-red flame, and the battalion commander, along with the sandbag bunker, was instantly blown to pieces.

Wu Wanli's lead tank crashed straight into the burning wreckage of the truck, its tracks grinding against the twisted steel plates with a metallic groan.

The heavy machine gun on the top of the M8 armored vehicle immediately followed, unleashing a deadly barrage. The ammunition belts whipped the night sky with crimson flames, and the South Korean soldiers who attempted to climb the vehicle to fight back fell like wheat being harvested.

"Anti-tank team!"

Deputy Division Commander Jin Mingkui hid behind the overturned truck and roared wildly.

Just as the three soldiers carrying bazookas leaned out, the coaxial machine gun of the Sherman tank suddenly unleashed a barrage of fire from the side.

The warhead pierced through the brick wall, tearing the three men and the rocket launcher into a bloody mist.

Park Jung-hee drew his gun and fired short bursts at the approaching infantry, the bullets sparking as they grazed the Sherman armor.

He watched in despair as eight armored vehicles, like iron combs, sliced ​​the remnants of the guard battalion into dozens of pieces.

Whenever South Korean troops attempted to regroup, tank high-explosive shells would accurately land on the crowd.

The warehouse windows shattered with a deafening roar, and the infantrymen of the 7th Steel Brigade leaped into the battlefield from the second-floor windows. A barrage of Thompson submachine gun fire swept over the last South Korean soldiers putting up their resistance.

When the battle ended and Wu Wanli led his troops to kick open the iron door of the warehouse office, Park Jung-hee was calmly wiping his pistol.

“Wukaka, when you let me go outside Suwon City, I told myself that if I caught you again, I would consider accepting my fate.”

“But my family is in the hands of the US military. Although I truly admire you, I cannot defect to you.”

"Shoot me, or put me in a prisoner-of-war camp..."

The division commander, who had been captured once again, kicked open the empty magazine, smiled bitterly, and handed his pistol to Wu Wanli, who had come through the smoke of battle.

"Since you're in this predicament, then take your pistol and go back!"

Wu Wanli's blood-stained leather boots trod across the scattered documents, but he didn't take the Colt 1911. Instead, he smiled and said...

"Go back and reorganize your troops for another battle! I hope you can lead an entire army to fight me next time!"

Amidst the astonished gazes of the officers and soldiers in the room, he reached out and patted Park Jung-hee on the shoulder, adding to the conversation.

"Wukaka, I've planted sixty anti-tank mines in front of the city gate! If you charge in the conventional way..."

"What if I actually blow up your tank group next time?!"

Park Jung-hee's knuckles creaked as he confessed.

"The Seventh Steel Brigade is invincible!"

Wu Wanli kicked open the twisted window frame, but his gaze was fixed outside.

Eight Chinese tanks are rolling over the last resistance point on the battlefield.

From afar came the thunderous roar of "Long live!", and in the firelight, Yu Congrong's assault team was throwing the flag of the Ninth Division of the Han Army off the city wall.

His silhouette, backlit by the gunfire, appeared almost divine as he looked back: "I, Wu Wanli, could never lose! Anyone else saying that is arrogant—"

"But I've conquered Pingze, slaughtered Shuiyuan, and swiftly attacked Hengcheng. Every time, I've fought my way out of desperate situations."

"If you want to kill me, have Li Qiwei send five more divisions!"

Park Jung-hee's pupils dilated sharply upon hearing this.

The man before him exuded an aura of ruthlessness that had annihilated the US airborne regiment and wiped out the entire replenishment regiment, yet he also carried an arrogant disdain for life and death.

He suddenly recalled the assessment of a US military intelligence officer: "He is a demon born for war, and also a military god who transcends the mortal realm."

As the gunfire subsided, the future South Korean president abruptly stood at attention, his rusty, bloodstained hands trembling as he raised them to his forehead, giving Wu Wanli a standard military salute.

The moment he turned and rushed out of the ruins, Gao Daxing's sniper rifle moved half an inch with him in the distance, but was finally pressed down by Yu Congrong's thick palm.

"Hengcheng has been liberated!"

"The three reorganized regiments of the Han Ninth Division annihilated countless enemy troops! And our armored forces remained intact!"

"Another great victory!"

Liu Hanqing waved the telegram and rushed into the command post, his face beaming with excitement.

"Damn it! My aim with an armor-piercing shell to blast the city gate was enough to earn me three pounds of sweet potato liquor, right?"

"Hahahahaha..."

Lei Gong laughed heartily.

"Send a telegram to Zhisi—Yokoseki is now in my hands!"

"Get the navy ready to receive the Soviet warships!"

"The strength of the Chinese navy is about to double!"

Wu Wanli took a deep breath, looked towards the ocean, and said with boundless pride.

(End of this chapter)