Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 84 Wu Wanli's Series of Schemes!
1st Marine Division Command
"Sir, urgent report from the Royal Marines!"

said the chief of staff.

"Another urgent telegram?"

"I told you, they must speed up their support for us!"

"Especially the Water Gate Bridge, which urgently needs reinforcements for its defenses; this is a direct order!"

Major General Smith took a sip of coffee and said with a hint of impatience.

"Sir, they followed orders and sped up their march before being ambushed by Chinese troops."

"Only a small number of troops escaped..."

The chief of staff sighed and said.

"A small number of troops..."

"Alright, I misunderstood them. Let them go and reinforce the defenses of the Watergate Bridge. There's no need for them to head north to join us."

Smith paused for a moment, then said with a slightly serious expression.

"Sir, I haven't finished speaking yet."

"The remaining small number of British troops were also ambushed."

"They are now surrounded by that Chinese steel company and are in imminent danger."

"Now they are requesting that we send the nearest troops to provide support."

The chief of staff said with a wry smile.

"Shit!"

"How could those foolish British soldiers fall into a series of ambushes by the Chinese army?!"

"Where do we have nearby troops that can support them?!"

Smith angrily spread his hands and cursed.

"Sir, isn't there still a military unit at Shuimen Bridge?"

"Why not transfer them to support the British army?"

The chief of staff paused for a few seconds before offering his suggestion.

Are you confused?

"The Water Gate Bridge is our only way to retreat; how can we allow our troops there to move around so casually!"

"Moreover, the Chinese army has just carried out the bombing of the bridge, so the risk is too great."

Upon hearing the name Watergate Bridge, Smith immediately stood up and said with obvious reluctance.

“Sir, actually, when we forced the British troops to speed up their northward march to provide support, they already had objections.”

"Now, the main force of the British Royal Marines has been wiped out in order to support us."

"And in order to preserve our strength, we refused to send reinforcements to our aid..."

"This could trigger a diplomatic incident, or even cause a collapse of trust within the entire Allied forces!"

The chief of staff thought for a moment and pointed out from a holistic perspective.

Upon hearing this, Smith opened his mouth, but ultimately did not refute it, instead falling into deep thought.

He was no fool; from a military perspective, he had already discerned that the key to Wu Wanli's strategy lay in the Water Gate Bridge.

However, from a political and diplomatic perspective, he simply dared not risk not providing assistance.

Wu Wanli had already taken this situation into account; his strategy was an open one, and the US military, knowing this, could only grit their teeth and accept it.

"Sir, don't hesitate."

"Even if it's just for show, we should still provide support."

"After all, General MacArthur desperately needed a scapegoat for this major defeat at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir."

"If you stand by and watch the British troops who risked their lives to provide support die, and incur the wrath of the Allies, you might be punished after the war..."

Seeing Smith struggling so much, the chief of staff simply offered further guidance.

"Damn it, these reinforcements are actually dragging down our forces!"

"Pass down the order to the Watergate Bridge command to send reinforcements as needed to support the British forces."

"Provide full support to the British forces while ensuring the safety of the Watergate Bridge!"

Smith carefully considered his words before speaking.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff breathed a sigh of relief and agreed.

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

Water gate bridge, pump house command post
"Bam—"

"Sir!"

U.S. Army Captain Littishall, with dark circles under his eyes, hurriedly opened the door to the break room and called out anxiously.

"Fuck you!"

"I just dreamt that I was having fun in Tokyo with eighteen girls!"

"You bastard, why are you bothering me at a time like this?!"

Major Marshall angrily pointed at the U.S. Army Captain Littishar and cursed.

"Sir, it's an urgent telegram from General Smith!"

"After the British Royal Marines were ambushed, the small group that managed to escape was then surrounded by that Chinese steel company and is now in imminent danger!"

"The general ordered us to, while ensuring the safety of the Watergate Bridge, carefully consider our troop strength and provide full support to the British army!"

The U.S. Army Captain Littishar handed the telegram to Major Marshall and said...

"The British Royal Marines? Aren't they supposed to help us reinforce the Watergate Bridge?"

"Now they still need us to save them, damn it..."

Major Marshall frowned, his sleepiness instantly vanishing by more than half.

He keenly perceived the contradiction between the words "deliberation," "ensuring safety," and "going all out."

Taking into account the overall situation, he roughly understood the military's intentions.

"Damn it, they're trying to pin the blame on me!"

Marshall, realizing what was happening, snorted coldly and cursed.

"Sir, should we rescue the British troops or not?"

"U.S. Army Captain Littishal asked."

How much garrison strength do we have left?

Marshall got out of bed and asked.

"Sir, there are two infantry platoons on the north side of the bridge, and one infantry company on the south side, plus eight tanks!"

"U.S. Army Captain Littishal said with a troubled expression."

"so little?"

"That's fine..."

“Send two infantry platoons and a tank from the south of the bridge to provide support.”

"By the way, you can take it."

Marshall thought for a moment and then gave the order.

"Huh? A tank? Holy crap?"

U.S. Army Captain Littishal pointed to himself and asked with wide eyes.

"What? Are you scared?!"

"Now is the time to make a difference for America!"

How could you back down?!

Marshall admonished.

“Sir, I…”

"Give us more tanks!"

"That iron-willed company was capable of breaking through Hagaru-ri single-handedly!"

"Litichar pleaded."

"Shut up!"

"Excuting an order!"

Marshall said indifferently.

"Yes...sir."

Litichar said weakly, then turned and left.

Just as he walked out of the room and closed the door, he saw Marshall lying back on the bed, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.

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

South of Shuimen Bridge, outside the position
"Sir, we are ready."

"All military vehicles and tanks have been inspected and are in good condition..."

A U.S. Army lieutenant reported dejectedly.

"You drive."

"I'll sit in the passenger seat."

Litichar pulled out a walkie-talkie from somewhere and said...

"Sir, what's wrong...?"

The U.S. Army lieutenant looked at the walkie-talkie and asked.

"Get all the guys on the bus, we'll talk in there."

"Tell me in the car."

Litichar took the walkie-talkie and got into the passenger seat, giving the order.

"Yes, sir!"

The U.S. Army captain responded. Soon, all the U.S. Army soldiers were on the vehicle.

Litishar then gave an order that tanks and other vehicles could only follow behind him and were not allowed to overtake him.

On the vehicle

"Sir, I heard that the Chinese steel company wiped out an entire battalion at Xiaogaoling."

"If we go like this, aren't we just sending ourselves to our deaths?"

The U.S. Army lieutenant said as he drove.

"You're driving too fast, slow down."

Litichar did not respond directly to his words, but instead gave a command with a smile.

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing this, the U.S. Army lieutenant immediately slowed down.

"It's still too fast."

Littishal looked at the U.S. Army lieutenant and said.

“Sir, it’s already slow enough. If it gets any slower…”

The U.S. lieutenant was about to explain, but when he saw Litisha's ambiguous smile, he paused for a moment, then instantly realized what was going on.

"Sir, are you trying to... stage a rescue?"

The U.S. Army lieutenant observed Littishal's expression and tentatively asked.

"What fake roadside assistance? Our car has a problem and can only go that fast."

"Hopefully the British troops can hold out until we arrive, otherwise our trip will have been in vain."

Litichar looked out the window with a sense of contentment and said.

At that moment, a platoon of artillery was lying in ambush not far away outside the US military convoy.

"Instructor, this convoy was drawn from the position south of Shuimen Bridge, and it has about two platoons of soldiers."

Wu Wanli had just finished his reconnaissance and returned to report.

"Two platoons isn't a small number..."

Mei Sheng frowned slightly and murmured hesitantly.

"Instructor, so what if there are two platoons?"

"They only have one tank, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"If we make a move now, we can definitely catch them off guard!"

Yu Congrong looked at the convoy in the distance and said.

"Don't be impulsive, this is part of the Wanli Plan."

"If we ambush this American force now, we'll definitely alert them. Let's see what Wanli has to say."

Mei Sheng looked at Wu Wanli and said.

"Look! Although the US military has deployed two platoons, their marching speed is extremely slow."

"Moreover, judging from the number of tanks they allocated, I feel that they probably don't genuinely want to provide assistance."

"I estimate that even if we don't ambush them first, the main force of the Seventh Company will not be at risk of being attacked from both sides for the time being."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Not an ambush?"

"Wanli, are you planning to attack the bridge directly?"

"But we only have one platoon. The U.S. Army should have three more platoons at Watergate Bridge, and they also have tanks."

"We're still not good enough."

Mei was afraid that Wu Wanli would act impulsively, so she quickly reminded him.

"If there really were only three platoons, I would dare to blow them up."

"But the US reinforcements are moving so slowly, which means they could come back and attack us from both sides at any time. The risk is too great."

"Therefore, what we need to do is fight a mobile war and weaken the US forces defending the Watergate Bridge."

"Let's try to blow up the US military's tanks or ammunition depots at the Watergate Bridge first."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"The strategy of using the British army to besiege the point and attack reinforcements turned into a feint attack, taking advantage of the American army's unpreparedness to blow up the tanks and ammunition depots at the Watergate Bridge?"

"Wow, that's amazing..."

A hint of admiration flashed in Mei Sheng's eyes as he praised her.

"Wanli, what about the company commander and the others?"

"Won't the combined American and British forces attacking the company commander and his men cause the main force of the 7th Company to suffer too heavy losses?"

Yu Congrong suddenly thought of this question and quickly asked.

"A pincer attack?"

"Which is more important: the Watergate Bridge, the lifeline for the 1st Marine Division, or a small group of friendly forces from other countries?"

"Moreover, it's clear from their marching speed that they have no intention of providing assistance."

"If there's any major disturbance at Watergate Bridge, the US military will definitely rush to its aid with a perfectly reasonable excuse!"

"The pressure on the main force of the Steel Seventh Company will then be easily relieved."

Wu Wanli smiled slightly and asked in return.

"There's also the strategy of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao'..."

"Wanli, now that I've met you, I understand that military geniuses do indeed exist!"

Upon hearing this, Mei Sheng's body trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Let's go to the Water Gate Bridge and turn it upside down!"

Wu Wanli was not smug; instead, he waved his hand and urged them on.

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

South Camp of Water Gate Bridge
At this time, most of the US troops were already asleep.

However, out of vigilance, the U.S. military still set up eight outposts on the perimeter.

There are four visible sentries and four hidden sentries.

Outside the camp, on a small hillside

"Wanli, the US military sentries are easy to deal with; sending a few scouts can solve the problem quickly."

"But they must still have hidden sentries, and it will be difficult for us to find them all."

Mei Sheng looked at the American military camp not far away and said.

"Then I'll go and take out all the hidden sentries first."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"Wanli, can you guarantee you'll wipe them all out?"

"It's not that I don't believe in your combat capabilities, but if even one American sentry is let go..."

"If the sentry fires at the crucial moment, our raid on the camp will be ruined."

Yu Congrong said.

"Trust me, I can."

Wu Wanli smiled confidently, then without explaining further, plunged into the snowstorm and groped his way forward.

He certainly doesn't have any seasoned reconnaissance or sentry skills, but he has a battlefield threat detection cheat!

Sure enough, Wu Wanli hadn't been cautiously inside for long when his battlefield threat sensor kicked in, making his heart race.

Following the direction of the sensed threat, Wu Wanli quickly noticed a boulder not far away.

Wu Wanli was almost certain of his decision. He gripped the military dagger in his hand and slowly reached out.

When he reached the boulder, a fully camouflaged American soldier was eating chocolate, thinking of the turkeys back home.

However, the next second, he suddenly felt a huge iron hand cover his mouth.

Before he could even struggle, he felt a chill on his neck, and blood gushed from his carotid artery.

Not long after, he felt all the strength drain from his body, his vision gradually blurred, and then his head lolled to the side, and he died silently.

After dealing with the American soldier, Wu Wanli did not pause at all and continued to sneak towards the hidden sentry ahead.

As he cautiously approached, the American soldier happened to be holding the blonde woman, lost in his fantasies with a wicked grin.

The next second, Wu Wanli quickly subdued him and swiftly slashed him with his military dagger.

The crimson blood instantly stained the white snow, and the American soldier soon collapsed and became a corpse.

"It's strange that none of these US military sentries are on duty properly."

As Wu Wanli gently laid the body down, he murmured to himself.

For a moment, he didn't even realize that he had received a super-lucky boost.

He quickly moved forward and soon eliminated all the remaining sentries.

He sheathed his blood-red bayonet and hurriedly returned to the hillside.

"All the hidden sentries are taken care of. Now, eliminate the visible sentries and infiltrate together!"

Wu Wanli said with certainty.

"This……"

Yu Congrong looked at Mei Sheng with some uncertainty.

"Let's trust Comrade Wu Wanli's abilities."

"go!"

Mei Sheng hesitated for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and gave the order.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of the firepower platoon immediately responded.

Soon, the team led by Wu Wanli made its way towards the military camp south of Shuimen Bridge under the cover of night.

(End of this chapter)