Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 389: The Seventh Steel Brigade will lead the attack! Cross the Han River!!!

Inside the headquarters of the Sixth Army behind enemy lines in Korea

"Report!
Great victory!

Li Yonghao, Regiment Commander, 567th Regiment!
A great victory at Yingchoujian!

In an instant, the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Choi Yong-nam held a half-broken red and blue pencil above the sand table, and Deputy Commander Park Jung-cheol suddenly straightened his back.

The three division commanders, the army chief of staff Kim Myung-chul, and a dozen staff officers surrounding the sand table all stared intently at the young staff officer.

"say clearly!"

Chief of Staff Kim Myung-chul's voice was low and deep, with a hint of tension that was barely perceptible.

The staff officer swallowed hard and hissed, "The 567th Regiment successfully blocked the main force of the puppet South Korean 2nd Division at Yingchoujian!"
After several hours of fierce fighting, the enemy was completely defeated!
The puppet Han Second Division abandoned their supplies and fled in all directions, covering the mountains and fields!

Regiment Commander Li is organizing his troops to take stock of the captured weapons, which include more than thirty heavy machine guns!
Ammunition trucks and mortars were piled up like mountains!
The South Korean division, equipped with American weaponry and numbering over ten thousand, was completely routed!

A startled cry erupted from Li Minghao, the commander of the Second Division. His knuckles, gripping the edge of the sand table, turned white instantly, his face filled with disbelief: "What?!"

One regiment crushed a full-scale division of the pseudo-Korean forces?

Or is it the Second Division?

They have a 105mm howitzer battalion!

There's a Sherman tank company!
That kid Li Yonghao only has some outdated Japanese mountain guns and crappy machine guns!

Third Division Commander Park Sung-hwan retorted in a gruff voice, shaking his head vigorously: "Impossible!"

Even if the fake South Koreans are cowardly, they are still American-equipped troops armed to the teeth!

A regiment was routed in a frontal attack?

Arabian Nights!

Could the intelligence be incorrect?

A wave of shock surged through the cramped command center.

Every officer's face was a mixture of elation and deep-seated suspicion.

The 2nd Division of the Pseudo-Korean Army was a colossal, well-equipped force that stood in their way to Seoul.

"The process! The process of the battle!"

Cui Yongnan finally spoke, his sharp gaze fixed on the staff officer.

The staff officer spoke rapidly, his voice tinged with the excitement of surviving a close call: "Commander Li has deployed the First Battalion to launch a feint attack on the eastern ridge to draw fire, while the Second Battalion lies in ambush behind the rocky hill on the western side!"

Once the puppet South Korean army convoy had completely entered the narrowest part of Yingchoujian, the Second Battalion suddenly opened fire, targeting the rear of the convoy to completely block their retreat!
The enemy was thrown into chaos on the spot!

Just as the South Korean army organized a counterattack, their commander, who seemed to be the newly appointed division commander Park Jung-hee, immediately called for US air support!
But the American planes arrived quickly, and their bombs seemed to have eyes, dropping them all into the midst of the South Korean army's own troops!
The explosion caused so many people to fall over!
Flames soared into the sky, and cries of agony filled the air!
The puppet South Korean army was already being blocked and attacked by us. This bombing terrified them and they completely collapsed!

Complete collapse!

Commander Li decisively ordered a pursuit, which led to the subsequent great victory!

Chief of Staff Kim Myung-chul gasped, adjusted his glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses were full of scrutiny and suspicion: "American mistaken bombing? What a coincidence."
Why did the bomb hit so accurately at the crucial moment when the South Korean army was trapped and about to counterattack?

The staff officer was momentarily speechless: "This..."

That's what the frontline report says.

The defeated soldiers of the puppet South Korean army also shouted the same thing, saying they were stunned by bombing from their own planes.

A brief silence fell over the command center.

The enormous victory was shrouded in mystery by the bizarre factor of "accidental bombing by the US military."

Deputy Commander Park Jung-chul strode to the huge battle map, pointing his finger directly at the winding, thick blue line that was the Han River: "Hmph! Who cares if it was an accidental bombing!"

The results are right here!

The fake Korean Second Division, a division of over 10,000 men equipped with American weapons, collapsed! It collapsed right under our noses!
Seoul is just across the river!
The main force of the UN forces was bogged down on the western front!

On the eastern front, Chinese comrades Li Yunlong and General Wu Wanli are thrusting towards Seoul like sharp knives!
Now, the biggest obstacle between us and Seoul, the fake Korean Second Division, has shattered on its own!

The defenses of the Seoul area have been breached!

The puppet South Korean army collapsed, and the US 3rd Marine Regiment was crushed like ants by the Chinese comrades' 7th Steel Brigade in Jiuli!
What's left on the other side of the Han River now?
What decent force could possibly stop us?

He slammed his hand on the table, the sound echoing through the roof: "A warplane! A once-in-a-lifetime warplane is right before our eyes!"

How long have our Sixth Army behind enemy lines, consisting of three main divisions and 36,000 soldiers, been assembled here awaiting orders?

This is the moment you have been waiting for!
Are we to continue hiding in the mountains and watch helplessly as our Chinese comrades once again become the sole main force in conquering Seoul and liberating our motherland's capital?
Must our Korean People's Army forever play a supporting role, forever only capable of playing auxiliary tasks?!

These words were like boiling oil poured into a raging fire.

The first division commander, Cui Chengxu, was the first to step forward. He was not tall, but his eyes were like sharpened blades, and his voice was resolute: "The deputy commander is right! Seoul! That's the capital of the puppet state of South Korea!"
It was a great disgrace to let it slip through our fingers last time!
This time, we have the advantage of timing and location! The enemy is terrified and their defenses are weak!

Our equipment may be inferior, but we have fighting spirit!
We are determined to restore our motherland!

With 36,000 bayonets, taking advantage of the recent defeat of the puppet South Korean army and the absence of American reinforcements, we will risk our lives and surely be able to tear open the Han River and plant our flag on the city wall of Seoul first!

This pioneering achievement must belong to our Korean People's Army!

"Yes! Take Vanguard! Liberate Seoul!"

Several young staff officers, infected by the fervent emotions, also roared, their eyes burning with intense fervor.

National pride and the desire for victory erupted violently in the command post like a long-suppressed volcano.

The wargaming pieces representing the enemy and our own positions on the sand table seemed to tremble slightly in this intense atmosphere.

Chief of Staff Kim Myung-chul, his face grave, walked to the map and pointed to the complex terrain symbols representing Seoul and the surrounding area on the opposite bank of the Han River: "Calm down! Everyone, calm down!"
Deputy Commander Park and Division Commander Choi, I have no doubt about your courage and determination!
However, fighting a war is not just about guts!
How did we manage to cross the Han River?
How can we break through any possible defensive fortifications on the other side of the strait?
Relying on the flesh and blood of these 36,000 soldiers?

The pseudo-Korean Second Division has collapsed, but let's not forget how it collapsed!

It was a mistake by the US military!
Will such a windfall happen every day?

Will it happen to us every time?

Is the enemy force in the Seoul area weak?

Yes, it feels empty compared to before.

But the US military isn't stupid!
Ridgway is no exception!

No matter how intense the battle on the western front is, wouldn't he squeeze out some troops to reinforce his command center?

According to my intelligence, the first batch of rapid reaction forces drawn from the western front by the US military will arrive on the outskirts of Seoul by tomorrow evening at the latest!

It could be armored units, or it could be their elite paratroopers!

Our 36,000 people can still maneuver around on this side of the river by taking advantage of the terrain.

Once across the river, exposed in open terrain, facing the enemy's armored onslaught and absolute air superiority, you'll be a sitting duck!

Commander, our Sixth Army is the main force behind enemy lines, and these soldiers are the precious seeds of our Korean revolution!

Don't act impulsively and bet all your capital on a seemingly tempting but actually highly uncertain adventure!
The main force of the Chinese comrades is right behind us, especially Comrade Wu Wanli's Steel Seventh Brigade, which has just captured Jiuli and is full of momentum and has superb tactics!
The best strategy is to cooperate with them, proceed steadily and cautiously, and advance step by step!

The credit for capturing Seoul goes to our People's Army!

Why insist on being the vanguard and risk total annihilation?

Kim Myung-chul's rational analysis was like a sharp needle, piercing the fervent bubble that had just risen in the command center.

The eyes of the pro-war faction and the pro-prudence faction clashed fiercely in the air, neither willing to give way.

A young staff officer who had been silent all along suddenly couldn't help but speak up excitedly, pointing to the location of Seoul on the map: "Cooperation? It's cooperation again!"

Chief of Staff Kim, that's Seoul!

Last time, when the Chinese People's Volunteer Army broke in, our People's Army certainly contributed as well, but it wasn't as glorious!

This time, the Chinese comrades led the Eastern Front Assault Group, advancing from Jiaping, Qingpingchuan, Guangzhou City, and Jiuli City, sweeping through like dry leaves and rotten branches!

The enemy is about to reach Seoul again!

Does this mean that the battle flag of our Korean People's Army can only ever follow behind others, only entering after they open the city gates?

Are we destined to be supporting characters, just extras?!

In an instant, the air in the command center froze, becoming so heavy it was suffocating.

Park Jung-chul and Kim Myung-chul, who had been arguing fiercely just moments before, fell silent, and the passion on the faces of Choi Sung-wook and several other division commanders also faded.

Army Commander Cui Yongnan's gaze swept over the tense bodies of the three division commanders, finally settling on the face of the young staff officer who had uttered "just passing by".

The young staff officer felt a chill run down his spine under his gaze and instinctively straightened his chest.

After thinking for a moment, Cui Yongnan said, "Chief of Staff Kim's words make sense."

In war, you have to settle accounts.

In terms of equipment, we are inferior to the enemy.

In terms of firepower, we are inferior to the enemy.

In terms of support, we are even worse off than the enemy.

but!

We have a biggest advantage that our enemies can never outsmart!

That is, for whom do we fight! For whom do we die!

This debt is a matter of national and personal vendetta! It's a matter of national dignity! It's a matter of restoring our lost land!
The collapse of the pseudo-Korean Second Division is real!

The Han River defense line is indeed vulnerable at this moment!
The Chinese comrades' military might has indeed deterred the main force of the enemy!
Isn't this the opportunity we waited for and created through the sacrifice of countless comrades and our tenacious struggle behind enemy lines?

Last time in Seoul, our People's Army failed to be the first spearhead to breach the city. It was a matter of strength, and a regret!

But this time, fate has presented us with an opportunity!
The enemy's attention was drawn to our forces, and the gates of the Han River were left slightly ajar to us!

If we retreat back into the mountains and forests again out of fear of enemy planes and artillery, and out of fear of possible sacrifice, waiting for our allies to open that door for us...

Then, how can we, who are wearing these military uniforms, face the expectant eyes of the North?

What right do I have to greet the tears of my fellow countrymen in the South?

What gives us the confidence to have the names of our generation of soldiers written into future military textbooks?!

"boom!"

An invisible flame instantly ignited the command post!
Park Jung-chul, Choi Sung-wook, and other officers who were in charge of the war were filled with patriotic fervor, and their eyes turned red.

Chief of Staff Kim Myung-chul opened his mouth, but all his words of dissuasion turned into a swallowing sound as his throat bobbed.

Cui Yongnan stopped looking at anyone, turned around abruptly, and faced the huge battle map again: "Pass on my orders!"
First Division, Commander Choi Sung-wook!
Your unit is a left-wing assault group!
Target area: Seokho-ri Ferry Crossing on the upper reaches of the Han River!

Collect all river-crossing equipment on-site, including rafts, fishing boats, and even doors!
No matter the cost, we must establish a solid bridgehead in Shihuli before dawn tomorrow!
Break through the enemy's left flank defenses!

Second Division, Commander Li Minghao, your unit is the Central Assault Army!

Objective: The front of the Han River, the direction from which the enemy is defeated at Yingchoujian!
The puppet South Korean army has just suffered a defeat, abandoning countless supplies. Your unit should pursue them swiftly along their retreat route and advance straight to the Han River!

Utilize pontoon bridges, boats, or even swim across using equipment left behind by the enemy!

Be like a nail, firmly driven into the beach on the opposite bank of the river, to draw the enemy's main firepower!
Third Division, Commander Park Sung-hwan!
Your unit is a right-wing assault group!
Target: Downstream of the Han River, towards Suwon!
The river channel here is relatively gentle, but the enemy may have deployed strong defenses!
Your unit will first send a small, elite detachment to infiltrate and reconnoiter, while the main force will covertly approach the enemy!
Once the left flank and the center are engaged, your unit must immediately launch a strong attack!

Support the overall strategy and expand the breakthrough points!

The artillery battalion, engineer battalion, and guard battalion directly under the military headquarters are under the unified command of Chief of Staff Comrade Kim Myong-chul!

We will do everything in our power to ensure the crossing of the three assault divisions!
Concentrate all mortars and mountain guns to suppress the enemy's firing positions on the opposite bank!
The engineering battalion spared no effort, using local materials to hastily construct a pontoon bridge!
The guard battalion, as the general reserve, is ready to be deployed at any time to break through the defenses!

Each command, like a torrent of scalding iron, flowed into the veins of every commander.

The staff officers' pencils flew across their notebooks, making a rapid, scratching sound.

On the sand table, the red arrows representing the three divisions were firmly pushed by the staff officers with trembling hands toward the blue Han River, which symbolized the natural barrier!
"The general offensive will begin at 4:00 AM tomorrow!"
The signal was given that the First Division fired in the direction of Shihuli!
Comrades, I know how wide the river is, how rapid the current is, and how cold the enemy's cannons are!

But behind us lies the land of the North and our hopes!

Ahead of us lies the fallen capital and our loved ones!
This battle is not for personal glory, nor for empty fame or fleeting profit!

All for the sake of truly returning Seoul to the hands of its people!

He clenched his fist tightly, raising it high as if to grasp at the unknowable fate:

"For the motherland! For reunification! Forward!"

"For the motherland! For reunification! Forward!!!"

Inside the command post, all the officers, whether they were combat-oriented or cautious, roared with all their might at that moment.

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

The frozen surface of the Han River stretched out under the pale light of the sky, its solid ice as smooth as a mirror.

On one side of the riverbank, more than 30,000 figures of the First Army behind enemy lines in North Korea thronged in the north wind.

They wore thin cotton-padded clothes and worn-out rubber shoes. In their hands, they mostly held old Type 38 rifles or captured rifles. Their only heavy firepower consisted of a few old-fashioned mountain guns and a handful of Type 92 heavy machine guns.

Army Commander Cui Yongnan stood on a high slope, the cold wind tearing at his tattered military overcoat.

He gazed at the silent, massive army before him, his hoarse voice booming through the tin megaphone, filled with a desperate, tragic resolve: "For the motherland! For unification! Forward! Cross the Han River!"

There was no thunderous response, only a heavy panting and the metallic clang of clashing weapons blending into a suppressed murmur.

Countless pairs of chapped feet stepped onto the frozen river surface, producing a teeth-grinding cracking sound.

More than 30,000 North Korean troops surged like a black tide bursting its banks toward the opposite bank of the river, which represented Seoul and the line between life and death.

The other side was eerily silent.

Behind the snow-covered trenches stood 7,000 elite troops from the U.S. Delta Force.

They were dressed in the latest cold-weather camouflage combat uniforms, and the barrels of their Garand rifles, Browning machine guns, and M3 submachine guns gleamed in the cold air.

The heavy machine gun positions were arranged in a staggered manner, with the dark muzzles of the M2 heavy machine guns pointing towards the river.

Behind them, the 105mm howitzer group had removed their gun covers, and their muzzles were raised high.

In the sky, hundreds of P-51 Mustang and F-80 Meteor fighters circled like eagles, their engines roaring deep and deadly.

When the first wave of North Korean soldiers rushed to the middle of the river, less than 500 meters from the south bank, the entire south bank of the Han River suddenly came to life!
"Fire!!!"

When U.S. Delta Force Commander Allen gave the order, it was as if the gates of hell had been opened.

All the heavy machine gun positions simultaneously spewed out blazing flames, and a dense hail of bullets wove a web of death, sweeping across the ice surface.

The North Korean soldiers at the forefront fell in droves, as if swept away by an invisible giant scythe.

Crimson blood was splattered on the pale ice surface, quickly freezing into glaring black and red ice crystals.

boom! boom! boom!
The 105mm howitzer barrage roared deafeningly, shells whistling as they crashed into the charging crowd. The ice trembled and cracked violently from the massive explosions, sending towering columns of water mixed with ice shards, limbs, and frozen soil into the air.

Each explosion empties an area.

Fighter jets swooped down from the sky, their wings trailing white smoke as they fired rockets at the ice surface.

The napalm bomb was dropped and instantly exploded in the charging crowd, turning into a thick, burning inferno.

Flames spread wildly and leaped across the ice, engulfing everything, while shrill screams pierced through the roar of gunfire.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and burnt flesh.

Death is like a storm on a glacier, indiscriminately reaping lives.

The tide of the charge was forcibly halted and torn apart. However, the will of the North Korean soldiers displayed astonishing resilience amidst the blood and fire.

The soldiers who followed stepped over the corpses of their comrades and the burning flames, and through the broken ice holes, continued their charge forward.

Someone was hit by a bullet and fell down, and the people behind him grabbed his rifle and put it on top of him.

The machine gunner was shot down, and the assistant gunner immediately rushed forward and pulled the trigger.

With limited range from their rudimentary weapons, they used their own flesh and blood to shorten the distance.

People keep falling, but new ones keep coming.

The ice surface was already stained red with blood, covered with corpses, and trampled into a filthy, blood-soaked ice path by subsequent footsteps.

Finally, after paying an unimaginable price, the first wave of people broke through the barrage of steel and flames and rushed into the frontline US foxholes and barbed wire area on the south bank!

A fierce, hand-to-hand combat erupted instantly.

The slender bayonet of the Type 38 rifle clashed, stabbed, and parried fiercely against the gleaming bayonet of the M1 rifle.

Fists, gun butts, teeth, entrenching tools... everything usable became a weapon.

Roars, screams, the cracking of bones, and the clanging of metal mingled together, unleashing the primal instinct to kill.

Some North Korean soldiers, their bodies engulfed in flames, still roared as they charged toward the nearest enemy, using their last strength to cling to their opponent and roll into a burning shell crater.

The narrow trenches and foxholes became meat grinders, and every step forward required countless lives to be sacrificed.

Multiple breaches occurred at Delta Force's forward positions, and soldiers from both sides engaged in fierce fighting, temporarily suppressing the US military's firepower advantage.

"Hold the line!"
Firepower to cover the open area ahead!

Clear out the enemy troops who have broken into the trenches!
Mortars! Concentrate fire on the follow-up echelons! Don't let them get any closer!

Major General Allen, commander of Delta Force, spoke in a cold and steady voice, which was transmitted to each team via walkie-talkie.

The well-trained U.S. soldiers quickly recovered from the initial assault.

Relying on pre-established strongholds and crisscrossing trenches, they formed combat teams and provided mutual cover.

They ruthlessly slaughtered the North Korean soldiers who broke into their positions with precise bursts of fire and fierce automatic fire.

Browning's striker was in a favorable position, and his short bursts were like the Grim Reaper's scythe, taking away several lives with each sweep.

US grenades were exploding continuously at close range.

The North Korean soldiers who subsequently attempted to cross the river to reinforce the troops were exposed on the unprotected river surface and the open ground on the south bank, once again becoming perfect targets for heavy machine guns and mortars.

American shells and bullets rained down like hail, and desperate North Korean soldiers ran, fell, and were blown to pieces or pierced by bullets on the ice.

The ice groaned under the continuous explosions and pressure, and huge cracks spread like a spider web.

Many people were caught off guard and fell into the icy river, instantly swept away by the rapids or frozen to death.

The fighter jets in the air were even more unrestrained, repeatedly diving and strafing the dark mass of follow-up troops on the river and the assembly area on the north bank.

Napalm bombs fell again, turning large swathes of ice into a fiery inferno.

The heavy bombs dropped by the bombers created huge, bloody vacuum zones in the dense crowd amidst the earth-shaking roar.

On the high ground on the north bank, Cui Yongnan watched helplessly as his soldiers, like moths thrown into a furnace, were mercilessly devoured by the raging flames of steel.

His eyes were bloodshot, his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked, and his nails dug deep into his palms without him even noticing.

It was over. He knew it was all over.

The lives of 30,000 soldiers, along with his desperate gamble, will be buried today on the frozen Han River.

A metallic taste rose in his throat, and he bent over abruptly, coughing violently, spraying blood onto the snow beneath his feet.

Delta Force's counterattack began like precisely calculated gears meshing together.

The strangulation at the front lines was nearing its end, and the North Korean soldiers who had broken in had been almost completely wiped out.

Major General Allen, commander of Delta Force, rang out in his cold voice again: "Attention all assault teams, target: remaining enemy forces and the North Shore assembly area!"

Attack sequence, commence!

Woo——!
The piercing bugle calls of the American troops echoed across the south bank!
Delta Force soldiers surged out of their fortifications like a tidal wave.

They did not charge in a scattered manner, but advanced in a tight combat formation—with fire support groups, assault groups, and support groups providing alternating cover.

US armored vehicles roared out from the flanks, their machine guns unleashing a barrage of fire to clear obstacles for the US infantry.

The artillery fire began to extend, accurately striking the remaining mortar positions and heavy machine gun emplacements of the North Korean army on the opposite bank of the river.

The individual combat skills of U.S. soldiers were fully demonstrated during the offensive.

Their marksmanship is incredibly accurate; they can easily hit targets hundreds of meters away with single shots while moving.

They were skilled in tactical maneuvers, using shell craters, corpses, and ice protrusions as cover, advancing in alternating leaps, and their firepower never ceased.

Faced with sporadic, unorganized counterattacks from North Korean soldiers, they calmly cleared a path with hand grenades or instantly crushed them with concentrated automatic fire.

The battle quickly escalated from a brutal stalemate into a one-sided, crushing mopping-up operation.

The defeat spread like a plague through the North Korean army.

As the surviving North Korean soldiers watched their comrades fall one after another, and as the steel torrent from the south bank rolled in like an impregnable wall, their last shred of courage completely collapsed.

They screamed, dropped their rifles that were empty or jammed, and turned around like headless flies, wanting nothing more than to escape this hellish place.

The shouts of the supervising officers and the sound of pistols firing deserters seemed so weak and powerless in the face of the immense chaos and fear.

The entire riverbank was in complete chaos, with people pushing and trampling each other as they fled desperately in the direction they had come from.

The massive force of over 30,000 people was now scattered and fleeing in despair, like an ant colony being crushed by a giant hammer.

Major General Allen stood on the south bank, coldly raising his binoculars: "Pursue!"
Teams A and B are pressing forward head-on!

C Detachment spread out to the flanks and encircle them!
Armored units, firepower covering the main force of the routed army!
Air units, clear the battlefield, target the rout of enemy forces!

Like sharks smelling blood, the Delta Force, led by armored vehicles and followed closely by infantry, charged across the Han River, treading over the corpses and broken ice.

Fighter jets roared overhead as they swooped down, their machine guns strafing and bombs ploughing through the fleeing crowd like a plow, carving bloody paths through the fleeing masses.

The elite American soldiers pursued at an extremely fast pace, firing precisely as they ran, and North Korean soldiers who were falling behind screamed and collapsed on the snow.

This brutal pursuit seemed poised to wipe the First Army behind enemy lines in North Korea completely off the map.

Just after the US troops had pursued for some distance, a dull tremor came from the ground.

To the southeast, on the horizon stained gray with the smoke of battle, a red battle flag suddenly appeared, fluttering in the wind!

Immediately afterwards, one, two, ten... countless identical red flags pierced through the smoke and dust like wildfire.

The tank formation of the Seventh Steel Brigade surged forward under the banner, followed closely by a well-organized attack formation.

The largest and brightest military flag fluttered in the wind, with seven powerful characters prominently displayed on it: "China Steel Seventh Corps"!
The top cover of the tank at the very front was lifted, and Wu Wanli stood tall and firm like a mountain!

The biting wind whipped up the hem of Wu Wanli's tattered military overcoat, revealing the pistol holster slung across his waist.

His face was as cold as ice, and his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, instantly sweeping across the entire hellish battlefield.

A frozen river strewn with corpses, American troops pursuing like wolves and tigers, North Korean soldiers fleeing in disarray...

Wu Wanli suddenly waved his hand, and his resolute voice resounded across the battlefield via radio: "Cease pursuit!"
Artillery barrage—target: US pursuit front!

Rapid fire!

Tank formation, deploy on the left flank!

Assault detachment, artillery detachment, engage the enemy head-on! Rescue them!

"Yes!"

The first thing that came through the walkie-talkie was Lei Gong's signature hoarse roar.

Whoosh—boom! Boom! Boom!

The artillery positions behind the Seventh Steel Brigade erupted with a deafening roar!

The ground shook violently.

The shells, whistling through the air, flew over the heads of the fleeing North Korean troops and, as if guided by eyes, slammed into the forefront of the Delta Force's pursuit!

Dense bursts of fire shot into the sky, precisely constructing a raging wall of death.

The first few US military jeeps and armored vehicles were instantly engulfed in flames and turned into twisted scrap metal.

The elite US troops in pursuit reacted swiftly, immediately halting their advance and seeking cover on the spot. Their formation remained perfectly intact, but the momentum of the pursuit was abruptly halted.

At the same time, the tank formation of the Seventh Steel Brigade roared, its tracks kicking up snow and frozen soil, flanking from the flanks like steel beasts.

The turret rotated, and the 76mm tank gun and coaxial machine gun spewed out scorching flames, suppressing the Delta Force squad that was trying to outflank the fleeing troops.

The assault detachment led by Gao Daxing and the fire support detachment commanded by Yu Congrong, like two giant steel pincers, quickly unfolded under the cover of artillery fire.

Using tanks and the terrain, they formed a solid defensive line, fiercely separating the fleeing North Korean soldiers from the pursuing American troops.

Bullets whistled and weaved between the two lines, and a new battlefront was formed in an instant.

The terrified North Korean soldiers finally got a moment's respite, like a flood that had burst its banks being temporarily stopped by a dam.

They stopped in their tracks, most of them collapsing to the ground, panting heavily, their faces a mixture of relief at surviving a disaster and numbness at witnessing hell.

However, the instinct for survival quickly overwhelmed everything else.

After a brief pause, the will to survive once again drove their legs.

They no longer looked at the Steel Seventh Brigade fighting for them, nor at the American troops covered by artillery fire ahead; they only wanted to get away from the battlefield and escape this land of death.

Large numbers of North Korean troops surged up again, retreating in disarray to the northeast, away from the Han River and the battle.

"Stop! Turn around!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap, drowned out all the noise.

Wu Wanli had already jumped off the tank and was striding ahead of the fleeing soldiers.

He suddenly drew his pistol from his waist, pointed it at the sky, and pulled the trigger without hesitation!
boom! boom! boom!
Three crisp, deafening gunshots brought the chaotic tide of fleeing soldiers to a standstill.

"Machine gun! Set it up!"

Wu Wanli gave the order in a stern voice, his tone carrying an unquestionable, iron-fisted authority.

Wow! Wow!
The frontline soldiers of the Seventh Steel Brigade acted instantly.

A dozen light machine guns and several heavy machine guns were quickly set up on the snow and behind rocks, their dark muzzles pointing menacingly at the open snowfield in front of the fleeing soldiers and the narrow valley entrance leading northeast.

The machine gunners of the Seventh Steel Brigade had their fingers tightly on the triggers, their eyes cold, waiting for the order.

Wu Wanli stood behind the machine gun line, picked up a tin megaphone and shouted, "Listen up, all of you!"

The Han River is right behind us! Seoul is right in front of us!
Your blood hasn't dried up yet!

You haven't avenged yourselves yet!
Now let's turn around and have the Seventh Steel Brigade take the lead in attacking!

You, follow behind! Take back the lost ground!

Get revenge for the blood debt!
"Who dares to take another step back—"

Before he finished speaking, a tall North Korean officer with a blood-stained face and a look of resentment suddenly pushed his way out from the group of fleeing North Korean soldiers.

He screamed hysterically in Korean: "7! (Fuck your Steel Seventh Brigade!)"

Amidst the roar, he suddenly raised the old Type 38 rifle in his hand, the muzzle not pointing at the American soldiers, but trembling as it aimed at Wu Wanli, who was shouting!
This sudden turn of events!
The surrounding North Korean retreating soldiers were stunned, and even the Steel Seventh Detachment soldiers with machine guns on their hands tensed up instantly.

Wu Wanli's eyes suddenly turned cold, and without the slightest hesitation, he raised his pistol.

boom!
A gunshot rang out with extreme crispness and clarity!
The North Korean officer with the gun suddenly had a shocking bloody hole in his forehead, and his body fell backward as if his bones had been removed, the rifle in his hand crashing to the snow.

Fresh blood gushed out, staining the white snow beneath him red.

Dead!

Absolute silence enveloped the retreating North Korean soldiers!
Everyone was completely stunned by this cold, precise, and merciless shot; even their breathing seemed to stop.

"Fire on the ground!"

Wu Wanli withdrew his gun and gave a sharp shout at the machine gun position.

Da da da da da—! ! !
Dozens of light and heavy machine guns roared simultaneously!

But the bullets didn't hit the crowd; instead, they lashed out like scorching iron whips at the snow less than ten meters in front of the fleeing soldiers!

The permafrost was ripped up, and the snow was pounded up as if boiling, forming a dense, leaping, death warning line!

The thud of bullets piercing the frozen ground was like the drumbeat of death, striking the hearts of every fleeing soldier.

Hot shell casings clattered and fell onto the snow, filling the air with gunpowder smoke.

The gunfire ceased, with only the white steam from the scorching gun barrels rising in wisps in the cold air.

The fleeing North Korean soldiers were frozen in place, as if under a spell.

Looking ahead at the death line formed by shell craters and billowing snow mist, looking at the Chinese soldiers behind that line and the dark muzzles of guns, and then looking back at the still steaming corpse of the officer...

The collapsing will was instantly crushed and reshaped by absolute violence.

Their survival instinct told them that retreating meant certain death.

One, two... More and more fleeing soldiers stopped, slowly turned around, and faced once again the battlefield of the Han River, which they had just fled from, a battlefield filled with the sound of gunfire.

They gripped their broken weapons tightly again, their knuckles turning white from the force.

Wu Wanli's icy gaze swept over the group of soldiers, whose faces were ashen yet who had been forced to muster the last vestige of ferocity. He roared, "Pinghe! Take your reconnaissance detachment forward! Designate targets for the artillery!"
Yu Congrong! Firepower detachment, move forward to cover the infantry!
Gao Daxing! The entire assault team, fix bayonets!

Thunder! Prepare for artillery fire!
Target—the south bank beachhead! Five rapid-fire rounds! Blow the road open for me!

"Yes!!!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately responded in unison.

(End of this chapter)