Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 67: Planning Ahead for the Water Gate Bridge!
"Sorry, I need to check."

The U.S. lieutenant slowly approached and said.

At this moment, Wu Wanli carefully scanned his surroundings.

There weren't many sentries; there were only seven or eight American soldiers near the vehicle.

He took a deep breath, gripped his pistol tightly, and was ready to fire at any moment.

Behind the vehicle, all the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company remained on alert, ready to jump off the vehicle and fight at any moment.

The U.S. lieutenant glanced at the white U.S. soldier in the driver's seat, his guard lowered considerably, and continued walking towards the back of the vehicle.

However, just as he was about to explore the back of the cabin, Colonel Richie, holding onto the metal frame of the cabin, poked his head out.

"Fuck you! Why isn't the bus leaving yet?!"

Colonel Richie roared, feigning anger.

"Sir!"

When the U.S. Army lieutenant saw Richie, he was slightly taken aback at first, but then immediately saluted and called out.

He didn't have a strong impression of Richie, but he had seen him a few times before when the defense was being redeployed.

"The Chinese army's pursuers could arrive at any moment!"

"Sir Lieutenant, do I need to get out of the car to cooperate with your inspection?"

Richie said in a pretentious, gloomy tone.

"Sorry!"

"Let go!"

The U.S. lieutenant's heart tightened, and he quickly bowed and apologized before waving to signal for them to proceed.

"boom--"

The engines roared up quickly, and the military vehicles carrying the Seventh Steel Company headed towards the airport.

The U.S. Army lieutenant, feeling guilty, led his soldiers in saluting the convoy as they departed.

Inside the cabin

"Colonel Richie, you did a great job!"

"You saved those soldiers from bloodshed."

Mei Sheng looked at Richie, who had sat back down, and praised him.

Oh my god!

"Hurry up, I feel really guilty."

Colonel Richie sighed and said.

"No rush, we'll need your help to get into the command post later."

Mei Sheng glanced at his watch and said.

“I… fine, as you wish.”

Richie leaned back and smiled wryly.

"Company commander, political instructor, I just peeked out a bit."

"Lei Gong and his men's artillery fire was so fierce that it seemed to have set the American airfield on fire."

"Some U.S. troops are currently fighting the fire, so the airport command center is likely to be poorly defended."

Pinghe said.

"That's perfect, Company Commander!"

"We'll be even more confident in taking control of the airport command center soon!"

Yu Congrong laughed.

"The car has slowed down; we're almost there."

"Get ready for battle!"

Wu Qianli sensed the military vehicle slowing down and said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement and then began to examine the weapons in their hands.

Soon, the three military vehicles came to a complete stop, just a few meters from the entrance of the airport command center.

At the entrance to the airport command center, there were only four U.S. military guards, plus a U.S. military captain personally greeting them.

"Sir Colonel, you've finally arrived!"

The U.S. Army captain strode over and said.

When Wu Wanli saw that the American captain had arrived, he opened the car door and, with his superhuman agility, suddenly seized the American captain.

The scene unfolded so suddenly that before the American soldiers could react, Wu Wanli's pistol was already pressed against the American captain's head.

At the same time, the soldiers of the Steel Seventh Company at the back of the vehicle quickly got off and pointed their guns at several other American soldiers.

"Don't move, or you'll die!"

At this moment, Mei Sheng shouted loudly in English.

"What?"

The U.S. Army captain stared at all this in bewilderment, his mind reeling.

The other American soldiers were in the same boat; before they could even load their guns, they were already being pointed at by countless gun barrels.

"What about the rest?"

Mei Sheng approached and asked.

"My God, there are only a few dozen soldiers left here."

"Half of them are defending the outer perimeter, and the other half are fighting the fire. That's all the people left here..."

"Colonel Richie, what exactly is going on?"

Upon seeing Richie, who was also being held hostage in the distance, the U.S. Army captain immediately put on a mournful face and said...

"Sorry, I was also coerced."

"But at least, I saved the soldiers' lives."

Richie blushed and retorted sarcastically.

"Company commander, the American troops only number a few dozen, and they have been divided into firefighting and defense teams."

"Should we sneak over and take it out, or...?"

Mei Sheng said to Wu Qianli.

"Brother, this airport has announcements and a radio station."

"Whatever it takes, get the U.S. Army captain to gather officers of all ranks."

"The rest will be easily solved."

Wu Wanli smiled slightly and said.

"Alright! We'll do it Wanli's way!"

"These few dozen American soldiers, what can they possibly do?"

"Yu Congrong, you lead the fire platoon and sneak up on the American troops who are fighting the fire."

"Pinghe, you take the reconnaissance platoon and sneak towards the defending American troops."

“Meisheng, you take the American prisoners to carry out the fake orders.”

"Whether it succeeds or not, let's get started."

"The Seventh Steel Company must completely control the airport within half an hour!"

Wu Qianli immediately gave the order.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the members of the Seventh Steel Company immediately agreed.

Soon, the U.S. military officers who received the order did not hesitate and immediately set off for the command center, but they were all brought under control.

Without command, the US troops were quickly wiped out by a surprise attack from the artillery and reconnaissance platoons.

Within twenty minutes, the Seventh Steel Company had completely taken control of the airport in Hagaru-ri!
Airport command center

"We've struck it rich! We've struck it rich!"

"Sabre fighter jets, Mustang fighter jets, B-29 bombers..."

"If we can bring these back to China and study them thoroughly, the air force of our new China can avoid taking twenty years of detours!"

Mei Sheng said with great excitement.

"Okay!"

"Once our new China also has its own large air force, let's see if those American devils' US military will still dare to be so arrogant!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Congrong immediately spoke angrily.

"Eh……"

"I heard that we didn't have enough planes for the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China."

"They even flew it twice just to make up the numbers!"

Lei Gong sighed, saying helplessly.

"It will happen, everything will happen..."

"I just hope that if we capture these planes, the Chinese Air Force can become stronger faster."

Wu Wanli paused for a moment, then spoke with slightly reddened eyes.

He still remembers that in his previous life there was a group of adorable Chinese military enthusiasts.

They were incredibly excited about a fighter jet sketch on the Tiexue forum.

They were having a poignant discussion about how many J-8s could take down one F-22.
I even couldn't sleep because I was so envious of the planes in Hollywood.

It wasn't until ten years after the bombing of the Yugoslav embassy that the J-20 made its debut at the Zhuhai Airshow.

Countless Chinese people, with tears in their eyes, shouted, "Long live the motherland! Long live the Air Force!"

"Eighth Master" and "Flying Leopard" can finally rest.

Now, he can finally make a contribution to the Chinese Air Force ahead of schedule.

"Wanli, what's wrong?"

Wu Qianli seemed to sense Wu Wanli's emotions and asked.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking, if China had a powerful air force, would our volunteer army be able to raise our heads and fight during the day too..."

Wu Wanli wiped away his tears and said.

Even if they don't, we won't be afraid of them!

"Even with just our army, we'll defeat those American devils!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Qianli glanced at Wu Wanli, then raised his head and puffed out his chest.

"The company commander is right!"

"We risked our lives so that China would have the opportunity to develop its air force!"

Mei Sheng said.

"Let's not talk about this anymore." "Meisheng, send a telegram to your superiors."

"Everyone else, be ready for battle."

Wu Qianli gave the order.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately agreed.

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

Chinese People's Volunteer Army, 27th Army Command
"Commander! Good news! Great victory!"

"After capturing the artillery position, the Seventh Steel Company marched forward and quickly occupied the American airfield!"

"We captured a large number of advanced American warplanes!"

The chief of staff excitedly handed the telegram to Kong Jie and said...

"What?! They've taken over the airport too!"

"That was awesome! Absolutely awesome!"

"This Steel Seventh Company is simply the strongest company in our Volunteer Army!"

"Did the US military launch a counterattack? Could the Seventh Steel Company hold off the aircraft at the airport?"

Kong Jie suddenly stood up and asked excitedly.

"Commander, the American devils might not have even noticed!"

said the chief of staff.

"how is this possible?"

Kong Jie was startled and asked.

"The Seventh Steel Company, taking advantage of intelligence gaps and the cover of the US artillery regiment commander, disguised themselves and infiltrated the airport."

"Then, using radio and broadcasting, they lured and controlled all the American officers."

"Finally, we sent troops to sneak over and quickly eliminate the unprepared and even commandless American forces."

"They've got control of the airport command center now, and with Richie's help, they can probably hold out for a long time!"

"The telegram says that all of this was orchestrated by Comrade Wu Wanli!"

The chief of staff said in shock.

"Beautiful, so beautiful!"

"Wu Wanli and the Steel Seventh Company have really put on a spectacular show in the battle!"

"Pass on my order! Use those large-caliber artillery pieces to bombard the American positions relentlessly. Even if we run out of shells, it's fine!"

"We must break in quickly and provide support to the Steel Seventh Company to ensure that those fighter jets are unharmed!"

Kong Jie was startled and immediately gave the order.

"Commander, I also know the value of these fighter jets."

"But if the air force from Xingnan Port comes to bomb and destroy it after dawn, there's nothing we can do..."

The chief of staff thought for a moment and said with concern.

"These fighter jets are already ours. Do those American devils want to bomb them?"

"After daybreak, the American devils would routinely send out reconnaissance planes first."

"Put all the prisoners next to the fighter jets. And wasn't the commander of the US artillery regiment captured too?"

"Tie him and the commander of the Polar Bear Regiment to fighter jets, and see if the American devils will still bomb them!"

Kong Jie slammed his hand on the table and gave the order.

"This is a good idea!"

"If we keep fighting like this, I reckon the American devils will be running away very soon."

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff immediately nodded in agreement.

"Escape? They're dreaming!"

"Hill 1071 guarded the choke point of the US military's retreat and was the most important blocking position."

"Wasn't the 58th Division of the 20th Army the first to send troops to build positions on Hill 1071 to block the enemy along the way?"

"How are the preparations going?"

Kong Jie looked at the battle map and asked.

"Reporting to the commander, the 58th Division has dispatched its most elite troops to Hill 1071 to block the American forces!"

"The Xiaogaoling position on the southeast side was originally vacant, but the 3rd Company of the 172nd Regiment recently filled the gap."

said the chief of staff.

"The 3rd Company of the 172nd Regiment, I seem to remember that. Isn't the company commander named Yang Gengsi?"

"That first-class combat hero of East China, the King of Demolition?"

Upon hearing this, Kong Jie immediately remembered and said.

"Yes, that's him."

The chief of staff thought for a moment and immediately responded.

"Since the 20th Army has contributed, we can't just stand by and do nothing."

Which of our battalions has suffered the fewest casualties right now?

Kong Jie immediately asked.

"It should be the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Assault Regiment."

The chief of staff replied.

"Row!"

"The American devils want to retreat to Xingnan Port, and the Water Gate Bridge is their only way out. We need to plan ahead for the Water Gate Bridge!"

"After taking the first line of defense, the Third Battalion will immediately set off for the Water Gate Bridge to carry out the mission of blowing up the bridge."

Kong Jie thought for a moment and then said.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff immediately agreed.

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

Hagaru-ri, the front line

After Kong Jie issued the order, all of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's artillery fire was concentrated and aimed at the American positions.

With a command from the artillery commander of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, a dense barrage of shells poured down like an angry downpour.

The shells streaked across the night sky, leaving trails of dazzling fire, before colliding violently with the American front-line positions.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

In an instant, the explosion resounded through the sky, deafeningly loud.

The earth trembled from the shelling, dust billowed up, and the sky was obscured.

In the firelight, the shadows of the American soldiers stretched and twisted on the hard trench walls.

The shelling continued until the smoke cleared.

The surviving American soldiers slowly peeked out from their hiding places. Their eyes no longer held fear, but rather deep exhaustion and despair.

"Drip drip drip drip drip..."

At this moment, the bugle call of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army tore through the sky like a dragon's roar.

Countless volunteer soldiers, guns in hand, launched a final, fierce attack in waves of three-man formations.

This time, without artillery support, the US troops only resisted for half an hour before losing their fighting spirit and retreating to the rear.

3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment
Tan Ziwei was about to lead his troops to continue the charge when Zhang Taofang stopped him.

"Reporting to the battalion commander, the communications officer has just relayed the order."

"Let our 3rd Battalion proceed to the Water Gate Bridge to carry out the mission of blowing up the bridge."

"They've prepared explosives for us."

Zhang Taofang said.

"Water Gate Bridge... Great!"

"Comrades of the Third Battalion, clean up the battlefield, replenish your weapons and ammunition, and head to the Water Gate Bridge!"

Tan Ziwei nodded slightly and gave the order loudly.

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

1st Marine Division, Rear Command

"Fuck you!"

"Our defenses collapsed before dawn?!"

Major General Smith angrily tore a document to shreds and roared.

"Sir, the combat effectiveness of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army has been seriously underestimated."

"They are even more difficult to deal with than the Japanese troops in the Pacific theater."

"This is not our fault..."

The U.S. Chief of Staff hesitated for a long time before speaking.

"you're right."

"We can't keep fighting to the death with the Chinese..."

"If we keep fighting like this, we will all perish in this cold winter!"

Major General Smith hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"However... General Almond recently gave us orders to continue the offensive."

"What if we disregard orders from our superiors and lead the troops in retreat...?"

The U.S. Chief of Staff sighed and hesitated.

"Continue the attack?"

"Damn it, what kind of crazy order is this!"

"Remember, Almond is only a major general."

"Besides, they're from the Army, and we're from the Marines. Of course, they'd love for us to be cannon fodder!"

"I cannot let the young men of America die in vain."

"Connect me to the Tokyo line. I need to contact General MacArthur immediately."

Major General Smith took a deep breath and said.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the US Chief of Staff breathed a sigh of relief and agreed.

(End of this chapter)