Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 341 Wu Qianli: Wanli, I did my best...

"Drip drip drip drip drip drip—"

As the bugle call of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army sounded, it was as if the mountains on both sides of the canyon came to life!

Countless figures in khaki hues burst forth from their bunkers in a three-on-three assault formation with the force of a breached dam!

Each of their three-person teams constitutes a basic combat unit.

One person, armed with a light machine gun or submachine gun, charges forward, drawing suppressive fire.

One person, armed with a rifle or PPSh-41, is positioned in the center, firing flexibly and preparing for detonation.

One person carries a demolition charge, explosive pack, or cluster grenade to cover the rear, ready to launch an attack and destroy armored targets at any time.

Three groups form a combat squad, and three squads form a combat platoon.

In this way, layer upon layer, multiple waves of attacks were formed on the limited offensive surface of the canyon, echoing each other, taking turns to strike, and providing mutual cover.

A regiment of soldiers, personally led by Regiment Commander Zhao Yonglin, acted as the "tip of the knife" in the attack, aiming directly at the paralyzed core of the US vanguard in the middle of the canyon, and plunged fiercely into the chaotic US troops.

"Suppress! Suppress the infantry! Get the engineers forward!"

Zhao Yonglin's eyes were bloodshot as he waved the command flag.

The demolition team soldiers, carrying explosive packs and cluster grenades, charged towards those steel behemoths under the fierce cover of their comrades' fire!

"Da da da da da..."

Bullets whizzed past their heads and sides, sending clods of dirt and stones flying.

Soldiers kept falling with muffled groans, but their successors took their places without hesitation and continued to charge into the blind spot of the steel fortress ahead.

A Chinese volunteer soldier was hit in the leg by machine gun fire from the flank and fell to the ground.

He gritted his teeth and forcefully rolled the smoking cluster grenade in his hand toward the exposed tracks of a Pershing tank not far away!
With a loud bang, a section of the track broke off, and the massive vehicle shook and tilted violently.

Meanwhile, on the left hillside
Commander Sun Dalei led a regiment to swiftly attack the American follow-up troops who were disoriented by the landmines.

The US military is relatively concentrated here, which is exactly where their firepower can be effective.

A large number of Chinese People's Volunteer Army machine gunners set up behind various bunkers and fired extremely fiercely.

Bullets rained down on the American infantry who had just jumped off the truck and had not yet formed an effective defense.

Under precise command, mortar shells rained down in rows on the group of American soldiers trying to assemble, and fire and shrapnel instantly engulfed everything.

A regiment on the right hillside, commanded by Regiment Commander Wu Jianguo, was tasked with intercepting the rear of the US armored column and its accompanying infantry, preventing reinforcements and hindering the enemy from using the flank roads to outflank them.

Their fighting was equally intense, with fierce frontal fire drawing the enemy tank turrets to rotate, while demolition crews burst out from among the rocks and bushes, rushing towards their targets.

The "wave" charge of the three main regiments, combined with the suppression from the concealed firing points (machine guns and mortars) of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army on the high ground of both sides of the canyon, formed a three-dimensional attack.

The 38th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division of the United States, an elite vanguard unit, was instantly routed by the brief vacuum of tank cover lost and the immense psychological impact of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's desperate charge.

"God! They're everywhere!"

A U.S. lieutenant had just pushed aside the body of his fallen comrade when he was shot through the chest by a burst of bullets.

"Tanks! Blow up that Sherman! Where's the rocket launcher? The rocket launcher!"

A volunteer soldier squad leader roared.

"Bazooka! Bazooka, come here!"

American soldiers were also screaming in terror, trying to find heavy weapons that could deal with the sheer number of people.

Gunshots, explosions, shouts of killing, and screams filled the canyon, and the stench of blood was so thick it was suffocating.

Under the fierce close combat of the 81st Division soldiers, who used bayonets, rifle butts, entrenching tools, and even fists, the vanguard of the US 2nd Division piled up a second obstacle line at the entrance to Hanxi Canyon, consisting of the corpses of their own soldiers and damaged equipment, but it was still extremely chaotic.

Inside the command vehicle of the 2nd Infantry Division, Division Commander Kaiser witnessed the entire vanguard being instantly swallowed up and torn apart through the observation port of the periscope, which was obscured by smoke and dust and was constantly shaking.

The initial fear lingered on his face for only a moment before being replaced by a humiliated rage and the cold ruthlessness of a professional soldier.

"Damn Chinese yellow-skinned monkeys! How dare they do this!!"

Kaiser slammed his fist into the map on the command console, causing the entire vehicle to shake slightly.

"Commander! The 38th Regiment is entangled!"
They're engaged in hand-to-hand combat! Our firepower advantage is being undermined!

The Chinese offensive was extremely fierce; it was a mass assault!

"That's what the chief of staff of the U.S. Second Division said."

What's the panic!
Relay my orders!

First: Order the artillery regiment! All artillery fire! Immediately at maximum rate of fire! Cover the east and west sides of the canyon with firepower!

Forget about any distinctions! That's the point of attack for the Chinese soldiers!

High-explosive shells, shrapnel shells! Fire! Flatten them! Stop the follow-up attack!
Quick! Keep firing until the cannon barrel overheats!

Second: All vehicles, including tanks and armored vehicles capable of firing, must immediately turn their guns around!
Tank main guns fire horizontally! Machine guns sweep! Covering the foot of the mountain!
Especially those Chinese soldiers who charged ahead in groups of three!

They are demolition experts!

Tear them to pieces on their way to attack!

Armored battalion, close in and fire towards the mountainside!
Third: Immediately call the Air Force! Top priority! Cancel the original target!
The target is immediately changed to the two flanks of the Hanxi Canyon entrance! The coordinates are the same as the artillery area!

Make them take away all the napalm, high-explosive bombs, and rockets!

Throw everything you can down there! Quick! Tell them our striker is being held hostage!

Immediately provide fire support to suppress all visible moving targets!
Fourth: Order the rearguard, the 9th Infantry Regiment!

Divide into two battalions! Get off the vehicles immediately!

Seize the remaining firing positions on higher ground on both sides of the highway!
Especially behind those large, protruding rocks on the west side! Set up heavy machine guns and recoilless rifles!

Construct a ring of fire! Block off the roads!

Any Chinese who dare to approach the road will be crushed with fire! Protect the main force's retreat route!

Fifth: Order the 38th Regiment and all vanguard units! Converge! Move closer to me!
Organize a ring defense behind the tank wreckage! Use the car chassis as cover!
Concentrate the light machine guns and bazookas! Hold the line at all costs!
Buy time for the artillery and air force! Anyone who dares to retreat will be court-martialed!

Kaiser's orders, like a cold, metallic torrent, quickly flowed into the massive war machine of the U.S. military after a moment of chaos.

The well-trained junior officers of the U.S. Army immediately relayed the order to every soldier.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The first to ring out were the roars of the US 2nd Division's artillery battalion and reinforced artillery groups.

The American artillery, which had just been stunned by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's charge, finally resumed its operations.

More than a dozen 105mm and 155mm howitzers roared with extreme rate of fire.

The shells, with their sharp whistling, were like the scythe of death, precisely striking the assault launch positions that Wu Qianli had ordered to be deployed—the lower and middle sections of the mountain walls on the east and west sides of the canyon!
The earth shook violently again.

This time, the artillery fire was no longer the probing or carpet bombing used to clear a path, but rather carried out with a clear purpose of blocking and destroying.

High-explosive shells pulverized the rocks, while shrapnel shells exploded in the air, raining down steel pellets that swept across all exposed areas.

"Take cover! Fire!"

The volunteer soldiers who had just rushed down the hillside to prepare for the second wave of attack were instantly covered by a hail of bullets.

Their newly established momentum was abruptly halted, as if it had struck an invisible wall of fire.

Warriors charging at the forefront were constantly being thrown back by the violent blasts of air, or riddled with bullets by the dense steel balls, falling on the way to the front.

A huge boulder, blown away by the explosion, rolled down and knocked down a soldier who was carrying ammunition.

The charging troops, who had just been riding high on the momentum of victory, were suddenly engulfed in a death storm of steel and fire, as if being repeatedly struck by a heavy hammer.

Immediately afterwards, the remaining tanks and armored vehicles of the US military also reacted.

The tank turrets, which were fortunate enough not to be destroyed at the forefront, spun wildly.

They abandoned aimless charges and firing at more distant targets, instead targeting the clearly visible three-on-three combat teams at the foot of the mountain and on the gentle slopes.

"boom!"

The Pershing tank's main gun suddenly spewed out scorching flames, and a high-explosive shell whistled as it slammed into the platoon position where an anti-tank demolition team had just organized its advance.

The fireball from the explosion instantly engulfed three Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers who were advancing while taking turns providing cover.

The violent explosion not only tore their bodies apart, but the powerful shockwave also knocked several nearby soldiers to the ground, causing them to bleed from their mouths and noses and temporarily incapacitating them.

"dong dong dong dong..."

The tank's coaxial machine gun and the armored vehicle's twin-mounted heavy machine gun began to spray bullets wildly.

The dense barrage of bullets formed a blazing whip, licking back and forth along the route of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's attack.

Many soldiers who had just managed to escape the artillery fire were immediately knocked to the ground by the fierce direct fire.

The charging line was riddled with holes, and flesh and blood were flying everywhere.

A machine gunner lying in a shell crater was about to raise his head to suppress an armored vehicle when a burst of machine gun bullets broke his neck, causing him to fall to the side of his gun.

"Grenades! Suppress the machine gun position on the right!"

A volunteer army battalion commander roared, but before he could finish speaking, a tank shell exploded near him, the blast wave violently knocking him over.

Almost at the same time that the US ground artillery and tank machine guns began to exert their suppression, the screeching of air force fighter jets came from the sky.

“Buzz buzz buzz buzz…”

The U.S. Air Support Forces react much faster than usual.

Before long, the US fighter jets suddenly swooped down!

The first US warplane flew almost vertically toward the hillside on the east side of the canyon where the main attacking force of the 81st Division was most densely concentrated.

American pilots didn't even need to do much observation or aiming, because the billowing smoke and flames below, and the crawling, yellowish-brown creatures, were the best targets.

The eight aerial bombs mounted on the wings were launched in succession like venomous snakes.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!"

The bomb exploded on the steep slope, instantly creating a wall of fire.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion, who were organizing the follow-up assault, were instantly blown to pieces, with severed limbs scattered everywhere.

The shockwave swept away all the rubble from the small hill.

Following closely behind was a U.S. military aircraft that dropped napalm.

A blinding white light flashed, and the napalm bomb landed in a hidden forest area on the flank of the 3rd Battalion of the 82nd Regiment, which had just been charging forward fearlessly.

The forest burst into flames instantly, the intense heat sucking away all the oxygen.

Five or six volunteer soldiers who didn't manage to get out of the way completely were covered in flames and instantly turned into burning human torches.

They screamed and writhed in the flames, their piercing cries drowning out the gunfire.

"Help...help..."

A young volunteer soldier struggled to extinguish the fire on his comrade, but he himself was burned on the arm by the flames, and the excruciating pain made him let out a shrill scream.

"Damn it!"

The volunteer army company commander's eyes were bloodshot with rage, but he could only watch helplessly as the flames blocked the support route.

More US warplanes joined the massacre in the sky.

A deadly web of bombs, rockets, incendiary bombs, and machine gun shells brutally covered, burned, and tore apart the routes of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers as they charged.

The originally fearless charge was suppressed, cut off, and dismembered by the overwhelming firepower of the US military, which combined air and ground forces and could launch attacks instantly!
Elite U.S. infantry of the 9th Infantry Regiment were also rapidly carrying out Kaiser's orders.

Some of them immediately set up Browning heavy machine guns and 57mm recoilless rifles on higher ground on both sides of the road, behind rock bunkers and broken walls that were not yet covered or completely destroyed by artillery fire.

The dark muzzles of guns and cannons were pointed at the narrow road and the gentle slope at the foot of the mountain below.

"Da da da da da da-!"

Several fierce tongues of fire suddenly swept across the flanks, forming a crossfire network.

Below the road, another 81st Division demolition team, which was preparing to use a section of destroyed tank wreckage as cover to attack the core point of the US forces, was instantly penetrated by this sudden flanking fire.

The soldier carrying the explosive charge had just leaned out of his body to charge when he was shot in half by a heavy machine gun bullet.

"Bang! Whoosh—boom!"

The anti-tank rockets fired by the recoilless rifle also roared.

Although the accuracy was not high, the fragments and shockwaves generated by the explosion posed a huge threat to infantry charging in groups.

A rocket veered off course and crashed into the densely packed charging route. Although it did not directly hit the crowd, the massive explosion and shockwave instantly knocked down five or six soldiers nearby who were preparing to throw grenades.

After suffering extremely heavy losses, the attacking forces of the 81st Division finally broke through the initial chaos and confusion of the American troops and rushed to the mountainside and even the bottom of the valley.

But what they encountered head-on was a well-organized, highly layered, and extremely brutal firepower network rapidly deployed by the US 2nd Division under Kaiser's frenzied orders.

The US military's air-ground coordination was perfect, with artillery covering the area behind the hillside and high ground to block reinforcements.

Tank fire directly to eliminate exposed forces at the front and demolition teams attempting to approach.

Aircraft bombing and strafing suppressed the main force of the attacking group.

Infantry occupied high ground on the flanks, forming a crossfire network that cut across the battlefield.

The entire canyon seemed to transform into a real meat grinder in an instant.

Relying on their indomitable fighting spirit and skillful tactics, the soldiers of the 81st Division continued their assault against the raging storm of steel!

But every second is bloodshed, and every step forward comes at the cost of several or even a dozen lives!
Looking at the soldiers falling around him, Li Zhenshan, the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment, shouted with bloodshot eyes: "Don't stop! Fire support! Demolition team! Charge again!"

Another demolition expert, clutching a satchel charge, leaped into the air amidst a hail of bullets, but before he could run ten meters, he was torn to shreds along with the explosives by the machine guns of a fighter jet that was swooping down from the sky.

"boom!"

A Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldier used a captured American-made Super Bazooka rocket launcher to fire from a hidden crevice in the rocks, accurately hitting the side armor of a Sherman tank in the distance that was attempting to use a howitzer to fire at the hillside.

A fireball erupted, and the tank turret emitted black smoke before ceasing fire.

However, the rocket launcher team that fired also exposed their position and was immediately suppressed by a barrage of bullets from nearby US military positions, and could no longer raise their heads.

In the middle of the canyon, the firepower of the US forces began to stabilize around the makeshift ring of fortifications built around several disabled tanks and truck wrecks.

"Conserve ammunition! Aim and fire! Crossfire!"

"Machine guns! Block off that open area!"

"Bazooka! See that tan-colored shadow peeking out over there? Shoot!"

The US commander roared as he organized the defense, and light machine gun and carbine bullets clashed into a web of fire.

Confined to a narrow area, the soldiers of the 38th Regiment unleashed a ferocious barrage of firepower in their desperate struggle for survival. Combined with the firepower coverage from the infantry on the high ground on the flanks, they ruthlessly reaped the lives of any volunteer soldiers who dared to approach.

Engineers used the wreckage of incendiary bombs as cover and quickly constructed bunkers with sandbags.

The communications soldier frantically called for artillery fire from the rear to adjust the target.

The surging waves crashed and shattered time and again before the dike of flesh and steel.

Corpses littered the hillsides and valley floor, and blood soaked the scorched earth, quickly freezing into dark red lumps of ice in the bitter cold.

In the observation post located in a stone cave halfway up the mountain, Wu Qianli's knuckles turned white as he gripped the binoculars tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.

The telescope's field of vision was blurred by smoke and tears.

But he could still clearly see his valiant warriors, as resilient as steel, withering away like autumn leaves in the enemy's storm of fire.

Each fallen figure was like a red-hot dagger stabbing into his heart.

"Commander! The artillery and air strikes are too intense! Our attack is being suppressed!"

A staff officer from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, his voice trembling with tears, pointed down the mountain at the assault route that was shaking violently under the bombing of the US Air Force.

"Report! Commander Sun's phone call! The 82nd Regiment's flank is being suppressed by a heavy machine gun! The attacking troops have suffered heavy casualties! Requesting permission to suppress that machine gun!"

"Report! Commander Zhao's side... The battalion attacking the cluster of American tank wreckage has suffered over half its casualties and can no longer advance! The American circular defensive firepower is too strong! The demolition team can't get through!"

"Report! Regiment Commander Wu of the 83rd Regiment has been wounded by shrapnel! He is still commanding! But his troops are stuck in the ravine due to aircraft blocking their way out! He requests artillery support to suppress the heavy artillery positions behind the American lines!"

Bad news came crashing down on the command post like hail.

Each casualty report made the air even more still.

Mei Sheng's face was ashen, he bit his lip so hard that blood seeped out, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Give me the order!
1. All divisional and regimental mortars, concentrate your fire and destroy that ring-shaped core fortification that the US forces just erected on the highway. Especially the area around those three burning tanks—bomb them apart!
Without fortifications, they are easy targets!
2. Order the main force of the three regiments to continue the attack without stopping, regardless of the cost, and charge forward!
Use bayonets! Use explosives! Force them to retreat!

Once we charge in and engage in close combat, that will be our advantage!
We must prevent their tank main guns and heavy machine guns from being used!

3. The remaining machine guns of the heavy machine gun company!

Keep a close eye on those bastards' correction aircraft and low-dive planes in the sky!
Don't be afraid of being exposed! Seize the opportunity and give us a good beating! Every battle we can take down is a victory!
4. The reserve battalion that stayed at command post, along with my guard company, are coming with me. We're heading towards the central section of the US 2nd Division to attack their artillery units!

Wu Qianli gritted his teeth and roared.

"Commander, we can't be impulsive! Under this kind of firepower, we could really die!"

Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng immediately offered his advice.

"If we don't fight, are we just going to stand by and watch our comrades below die?"

My aim in attacking the US 2nd Division's artillery fire is not to destroy them, but simply to force them to relocate and create a lull in the main force's fire.

In the gaps without artillery cover, let them seize the opportunity to charge and attack; the more tanks they destroy, the less pressure they'll face!

Wu Qianli looked in the direction of Fupingli and sighed.

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng wanted to offer further advice.

"Execute the order!"

After saying that, Wu Qianli slammed his hand on the table, picked up his submachine gun, and rushed out.

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

Before long, Wu Qianli led the assault team, composed of the division's guard company and a battalion reserve, and carved a bloody path through the enemy lines.

Their starting point was a partially collapsed bunker on the east side of the canyon, and their target was several American artillery positions deep in the canyon that were spewing deadly flames.

The commando team didn't shout; instead, their ferocity erupted from silence.

These Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers kept their bodies low, like streaks of gray lightning clinging to the ground, tumbling, leaping, and crawling amidst the smoke columns of exploding shells and the tracer bullet trajectories of machine gun fire.

Every protruding rock, every deep crater, was a brief anchor for their lives.

The smoke was so thick it was almost impenetrable, carrying the stench of sulfur and burnt flesh, acrid and stinging the lungs and eyes.

"Puff puff……"

A burst of heavy machine gun bullets swept across the low slope where Wu Qianli had just stood, the flying pebbles and frozen soil hitting his back with a crackling sound.

He tumbled forward into a narrow ditch, with his guard Xiao Wu close behind. Xiao Wu had just leaned out halfway to guard his flank when a mortar shell exploded less than ten meters to his right!
"boom--!"

The violent blast and shockwave suddenly overturned Xiao Wu.

He groaned as half his body was instantly torn apart by the scorching airflow, his military uniform turning into fluttering rags mixed with dirt and blood.

Xiao Wu fell heavily to the bottom of the ditch, his right hand clutching a horrific gash on his left shoulder, deep enough to expose bone, with blood gushing out like a fountain, staining the gravel at the bottom of the ditch red.

"Wu Zi!"

Wu Qianli's pupils suddenly contracted, and his roar was filled with heart-wrenching urgency.

He lunged forward with both hands and feet, tearing off the tourniquet from his leg and preparing to tie it up.

"Commander! Don't worry about me!"

Xiao Wu's face was contorted with pain, and large beads of sweat mixed with dirt rolled down his face, but his voice was filled with unwavering stubbornness.

"Cannons! The cannons are firing ahead! Charge forward...blow them up! Avenge us!"
Let’s go! "

He shoved Wu Qianli's hand away and roared with his last bit of strength.

Wu Qianli's hand hung in mid-air, the tourniquet he was gripping tightly was soaked with blood.

He looked at that young yet resolute face, his lips pressed into a hard, straight line.

There was no time to hesitate, no time to grieve. He turned sharply and roared at the outside of the ditch, "Old Zhang! Take a team and stay to take care of the wounded!"
"The rest of you, keep charging! Target—that damn artillery!"

Wu Qianli's PPSh submachine gun spat out scorching flames as he charged back into the death-shrouded slope, relentlessly attacking the distant roaring cannons.

The remaining Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers gritted their teeth, ignoring the figures falling around them, stepping over the bloodstains of their comrades and the fragments of enemy and friendly corpses, and followed closely behind at an even faster speed, resolutely thrusting towards the most deadly nexus of the American firepower network.

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

At this moment, inside the US Second Division command vehicle
"General! Enemy forces have broken through on the eastern slope!"

The chief of staff of the 2nd Infantry Division, his high-powered binoculars fixed on the distant, gently sloping hill shrouded in the smoke of gunfire, shouted loudly.

Through the gaps in the smoke and dust, a large number of tan figures emerged from the edge of the artillery fire zone at an almost insane speed and along a bizarre serpentine path, heading straight for the flanks and rear of the American heavy artillery positions with an extremely clear objective!

How many people? Which direction?

Kaiser sprang up from the makeshift chair made from a shell box, rushed to the observation window, and snatched the binoculars from the adjutant beside him.

"To the east! A reinforced battalion-sized force! The leader moved extremely quickly!"
They broke through the third machine gun blockade!
Damn it! These lunatics!

They're heading straight for our artillery positions! The closest one is less than 300 meters from the D artillery company's position!

The chief of staff of the US 2nd Division quickly reported, his throat dry.

"Three hundred meters?!"

Kaiser's fist slammed heavily onto the cold armor plate, the dull thud making everyone in the command vehicle's heart skip a beat.

These heavy howitzers are the long-range firepower backbone of the entire US 2nd Division and the key to breaking through the strong defenses of Fuping-ri!

If the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's suicide squad were to wipe them out in this deadly canyon, the consequences would be unimaginable!
retreat?

The entire artillery regiment was caught up in the infantry melee, and the heavy equipment couldn't even turn around in this canyon!

Leave them to exchange blows?

That Chinese commando team was like demons rushing in with explosives!
Several ideas collided in Kaiser's mind like lightning, and the time to make a decision could only be measured in seconds.

He took a deep breath of the murky air, a mixture of engine oil and gunpowder smoke, and loudly ordered:

"Order! All artillery groups—cease fire immediately!"

The U.S. military staff were stunned upon hearing this, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Cease shelling?

Wouldn't that mean completely giving up on suppressing China's overwhelming offensive forces?

"General! Cease fire?!"

The chief of staff of the U.S. Second Division asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"Execute the command!"
All artillery positions were to be covered by the 38th Infantry Regiment!

Disengage immediately! Retreat!
Retreat towards the canyon exit! Find a new firing position! Save these cannons at all costs!

Order the 38th Regiment, the vanguard!

Abandon existing fortifications! Retreat!
At all costs, hold back those Chinese soldiers who want to bomb our artillery!

We must hold them captive on the front lines, even with bayonets! This will buy time for the artillery to withdraw!

Immediately! Quickly!

Kaiser roared.

The radio communication station was instantly drowned out by the desperate, repetitive commands.

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

US 2nd Division, front line, core of the battlefield
When the overwhelming and fierce artillery fire of the US military suddenly stopped without warning, the entire tense and chaotic battlefield seemed to be paused for a fraction of a second.

The continuous, deafening roar, like a hammer striking the earth from the depths of hell, suddenly vanished.

Only the whistling of bullets, the echoes of explosions, and the dying screams of soldiers continued, but the heavy pressure that had been weighing on the hearts of every soldier instantly disappeared by more than half!
"The artillery has stopped?!"

The battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment, who was lying behind the burning tank wreckage, suddenly raised his head. His face, covered in blood and mud, was initially blank, but was then illuminated by an indescribable ecstasy.

His hoarse roar pierced through the noise of gunfire:

"Cease fire!! That's the signal! Charge—!!!"

“Charge——!!!”

With the continuous suppression and obstruction of the artillery barrage gone, the 81st Division soldiers who had been pinned to the hillside roared out!

The main force, which had been lying in wait in various places, charged out like a raging tsunami without any further mobilization orders, roaring out from the back of the hillside, from the collapsed bunkers, and from the burning forest debris!

The crowd surged like a tide, their voices echoing through the valley!
Following the bloody path they had just carved out at great cost, they charged straight towards the center of the canyon highway—the core area of ​​the US armored forces!

The U.S. infantrymen who had built a ring of defense using wreckage, vehicles, and makeshift sandbag bunkers were instantly plunged into apocalyptic panic!
"Fire! Fire! Stop them!"

A U.S. lieutenant had just raised his gun and shouted when he was tackled to the ground by Chinese soldiers who rushed at him from a dozen meters away. A bayonet plunged into his neck, and blood splattered onto the cold armor plate.

Without infantry cover and unable to maneuver quickly in narrow terrain, US tanks and armored vehicles became the most conspicuous and vulnerable targets!
"Armored target! Focus fire! Charge!"

The objectives of each combat team were crystal clear.

Countless gazes and gun barrels instantly locked onto those steel behemoths slowly turning amidst the chaos of battle.

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army demolition experts, carrying explosive packs, cluster grenades, and captured rocket launchers, rushed towards the massive vehicles under the cover of fire from their comrades using light machine guns and submachine guns!

Like countless moths drawn to a flame, they charged headlong into the swirling shrapnel and the barrage of fire from the tank's coaxial machine gun!
"Boom——!!!"

The massive explosion shook the canyon.

A Sherman medium tank, which had just turned its turret and was attempting to fire at the crowd, was hit by a soldier who rushed out from the flank trench and precisely stuffed an explosive charge into the gap between the right track and the wheel hub!
The moment the explosive charge detonated, the right track of the tank was completely severed, the heavy vehicle sank sharply, and the turret tilted, billowing thick smoke.

The terrified screams of the American soldiers inside the vehicle were swallowed up by the deafening explosion.

Immediately afterwards, several anti-tank grenades, puffing white smoke, were thrown into the vehicle through the roof hatch...

Another Pershing tank, which was being targeted by three or four demolition teams at the same time, was in dire straits.

The demolition crew on the left tried to approach the tracks but was suppressed by the tank's machine gun fire.

On the right, a soldier carrying a bazooka suddenly emerged from behind a pile of burning car wreckage, crouched down, and took aim!
"Pfft-!"

The over-caliber rocket roared out, trailing a white plume of smoke, and slammed into the front left armor of the tank!

With a loud bang, although the armor plate was not completely penetrated, a huge rip was torn open, and the high-temperature jet instantly ignited the ammunition loaded inside!
"Boom!! Boom—Boom!!"

A secondary explosion has occurred!

A massive fireball shot into the sky like a mushroom cloud!

The heavy Pershing turret was blown away by the violent explosion, tumbling and crashing into the American infantry group dozens of meters away, causing another round of heavy casualties.

The heavy tank hull was twisted and deformed in the raging fire, and none of the American soldiers inside survived.

The whistling of rocket launchers, the muffled thud of anti-tank grenades, the deafening roar of explosive charges, and the successive explosions...

The sounds of American armored soldiers' heart-wrenching cries and Chinese soldiers' desperate shouts created a symphony of carnage on the narrow canyon road.

The steel burned, exploded, and twisted; every disabled or exploded armored vehicle became a roadblock and a torch hindering the retreat of the American troops.

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

US 2nd Division, new artillery position

Just as the main battlefield on the highway was locked in a fierce stalemate, the US artillery units, having suffered heavy casualties, finally managed to set up some heavy artillery pieces on a relatively open, leeward slope outside the canyon exit.

"Coordinate correction! Target: Canyon center!"

Chinese offensive formation! Maximum rate of fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!!!

Major Stone, the company commander of the D artillery company, who had just scrambled up a small hill, saw through his binoculars the hellish fire and thick smoke on the canyon road behind him, especially the burning wreckage of his own armored vehicles.

His eyes were bloodshot, almost dripping with blood, and he roared into the radio, waving his fists.

"Boom! Boom! Boom boom boom—!"

The surviving American heavy artillery roared once again!

This time, the shells no longer targeted the flanks of the hills, but instead, like hailstones, struck directly at the main assault group of the 81st Division, which was locked in fierce combat with American infantry and the remaining tanks and armored vehicles on the road!
The power of 105mm and 155mm howitzers was devastating in densely populated flat areas!

Shrapnel and shockwaves were like countless giant, invisible scythes, reaping madly from the crowded masses!

The dense charging force was instantly torn open with huge, bloody holes!
Orange-red flames burst forth in the center of the crowd, each explosion accompanied by flying limbs and bloody carnage!
"Fuck your mother! The artillery is firing again! Spread out! Find cover!"

Sun Dalei, the commander of the Third Regiment, who was organizing his soldiers to surround and destroy a half-track armored vehicle, was suddenly thrown to the ground by the blast wave, covered in dust and with his ears ringing.

He watched helplessly as a platoon of soldiers, who had been full of energy just moments before, were mostly swallowed up in the bright light of the explosion.

With artillery support, the US infantry quickly stabilized their near-collapse and even began to launch small-scale counterattacks.

A tank destroyer that had previously cowered in a corner, relying on its sturdy frontal armor and main gun modified from an anti-aircraft gun, went on a rampage, firing wildly and crushing everything in its path!
In the short few minutes that the US 2nd Division artillery resumed its bombardment, the balance of power on the battlefield was once again ruthlessly reversed.

At this moment, Wu Qianli, who was leading the assault team at the forefront, was lying under the chassis of a completely destroyed American truck.

Violent explosions rang out in succession less than twenty meters away, with scorching metal fragments and frozen soil rubble raining down on the steel plates under the vehicle, producing a heart-stopping crackling sound.

The blast wave whipped up a stench of gunpowder and blood that nearly suffocated him.

"Commander! The American artillery is firing again!"

The battalion commander of the Second Battalion, who had just mowed down an American skirmisher who was trying to ambush Wu Qianli with his submachine gun, crawled over and shouted at the top of his lungs amidst the huge explosion.

"The artillery positions seem to be outside the canyon! We can't reach them! The main force has suffered too many casualties!"

Many of our brothers who hadn't evacuated were still trapped by enemy fire!

Wu Qianli struggled to lift his head and peer out through the gap between the truck tires and the ground.

The once unstoppable assault force was shattered by the sudden barrage of artillery fire.

The main force, which had just crossed the front line, was suppressed in a limited area on the road, exposed to the dual strangulation of direct and indirect fire from the US military.

The volunteer soldiers had to painstakingly search for cover amidst the burning wreckage of vehicles, piles of corpses, and craters created by explosions.

Every attempt to launch an attack was met with intense artillery fire, resulting in heavy casualties.

The high ground on the flanks was recaptured by the US forces, and the crossfire was like two iron pincers clamping down on the throat of the 81st Division.

And with each roar of the main gun from the rampaging American tank destroyer in the distance, an organized resistance was shattered.

The momentum of the charge was abruptly interrupted, and the soldiers' blood was visibly staining the cold, hard earth red.

Further away, on the road leading to Fupingli deep in the canyon, the main force of the 2nd US Division is relying on the newly established order.

While enduring the fierce resistance of the American troops at the rear, they accelerated their advance towards Fupingli...

"Wanli, I've done my best. I've already destroyed a portion of the American armored forces and killed so many American devils. The rest is up to you..."

"Pass on my order: withdraw from the battle."

Wu Qianli took a deep breath and gave the order.

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

It must be said that the Second Division of the United States paid a bloody price in the Hanxi Canyon.

The armored forces suffered heavy losses; of the original 35 tanks, only 17 tanks with varying degrees of damage but still capable of maneuvering, and thirteen armored vehicles remained after the fierce battle.

More than 2,000 soldiers were killed or wounded. The 38th Infantry Regiment, which was tasked with the vanguard attack and defense, suffered the heaviest casualties. Its three battalions were almost completely destroyed, and more than 1500 soldiers were lost.

The artillery and heavy weapons companies that followed also suffered nearly 600 non-combat casualties, the painful cries of the wounded deliberately masked by the roar of the engines.

The entire artillery regiment suffered heavy infantry casualties and depleted a large amount of ammunition in its efforts to safely relocate, which severely hampered its ability to launch subsequent assaults.

However, this torrent of steel, torn apart and exhausted by the Hanxi Canyon, finally managed to get through this fatal hurdle.

The massive army swept through the devastation, accelerating towards the final, blood-soaked battlefield of Fuping Village.

On the command vehicle of the US Second Division

"Damn the Seventh Steel Corps of China, no unit can protect you now!"

If we don't wipe you out, we'll be letting down all the brothers who died!
The entire army must accelerate its forced march, advance to Fupingli, and annihilate the Seventh Steel Brigade of China!

Looking at his heavily wounded troops, Division Commander Kaiser angrily gave the order.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff of the U.S. Second Division quickly agreed.

(End of this chapter)