Changjin Lake: From Xinxingli to Seoul

Chapter 94 Wu Wanli Gets Promoted!
"The slogan matches, no problem!"

The volunteer soldier sentry shouted towards the other side of the hiding place.

"Okay, I'll take them in!"

Over there, a volunteer soldier walked toward the Seventh Steel Company, saying this.

"You must be comrades from the Seventh Steel Company, hello!"

"Come with me quickly, the commander and the others are waiting."

The volunteer soldier looked at the flag of the Seventh Steel Company and quickly said...

"The commander is waiting for us..."

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Qianli was slightly taken aback before quickly responding.

Soon, the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company followed this soldier along a secluded path, turning several corners, and suddenly arrived at a hidden military camp that seemed to have been turned upside down.

At the entrance to the military camp, several leaders stood, surrounded by some guards.

"Look!"

"Speak of the devil and he appears, hahaha..."

"Old Yu, I won this bet."

“Your daughter Yu Sanwan, who speaks English, will have to be temporarily transferred from the political department to help with the interrogation.”

Not far away, Kong Jie pointed in the direction of the Seventh Steel Company and smiled at Director Yu beside him.

"You guessed right about the timing of the Steel Seventh Company's arrival, no problem!"

“My daughter is also a member of the revolutionary ranks. She naturally obeys the organization’s arrangements, and the bet was just for fun.”

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Director Yu smiled and said nonchalantly.

"Commander, Director Yu and I saw it a long time ago."

"What do you mean by betting? You just want to drag us into welcoming the Steel Seventh Company."

"However, as the Seventh Steel Company is the most meritorious company in our Ninth Regiment, I would be willing to meet these heroes in person!"

The chief of staff glanced at Kong Jie and pointed it out.

"Eh……"

"They are still fighting, so we can't give them much reward, but they still need to be treated with courtesy."

Kong Jie smiled slightly, looked at the Steel Seventh Company that was walking in, and readily admitted it.

not far away

"Hello, Chief!"

"salute!"

When Wu Qianli saw the leader come out to greet him personally, he was flattered and shouted loudly.

"Hello, Chief!"

The soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company straightened their chests, proudly gave a standard military salute, and shouted in unison.

"Good good."

"Comrades of the Seventh Steel Company, thank you for your hard work!"

"You fought this battle brilliantly!"

"What a formidable and valiant army!"

Kong Jie smiled and gestured for them to stop, then said...

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company felt a surge of excitement, and they couldn't help but hold their breath slightly and straighten their backs even more.

As an army commander, Kong Jie personally welcomed a company with his chief of staff and director of the political department. This shows how much importance he attached to it!
While they were excited, they also knew that Wu Wanli was a major contributor to this glorious achievement.

It was he who influenced the Steel Seventh Company, enabling them to achieve one remarkable feat after another, and bringing the Seventh Company to a height they had never reached before.

"After playing several matches in a row, they must be exhausted."

"I've asked the logistics team to prepare some hot food, plenty of it!"

"Since your temporary campsite is on the way, let's go together!"

Kong Jie looked at the frost and wounds on the bodies of the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company and said with a touch of heartache.

"Thank you, chief!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Qianli's eyes widened, and he was stunned for half a second before shouting loudly.

"Thank you, chief!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers of the Seventh Steel Company excitedly joined in the shout.

"Comrade Wu Wanli, come here!"

"The commander wants you to stay by his side."

The chief of staff looked in Wu Wanli's direction and said.

"Yes!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Wu Wanli's eyes, but he immediately agreed and ran to Commander Kong Jie's side.

At this moment, the group became a large brigade with Kong Jie and Wu Wanli in front and the Steel Seventh Company behind, and they walked inside.

Along the way, soldiers who saw Kong Jie saluted in response.

However, when many soldiers see the flag of the Seventh Steel Company behind them, they often salute a second time from the bottom of their hearts to express their respect.

In one inconspicuous corner, several soldiers were saluting as they watched the group pass by, and immediately began to talk.

"Cheng... Brother Cheng, why is the Seventh Steel Company making such a big show of force?"

"The leaders personally greeted them, and so many people saluted their company flag?"

Soldier Xu Mumu scratched the back of his head and asked in a simple and honest tone with a Henan accent.

"Idiot, you don't even know the Seventh Steel Company?"

"That's the ace company of our entire Ninth Army Corps!"

"If we were to release some openings to recruit new soldiers, believe me, soldiers would fight tooth and nail to get selected!"

The soldier, his eyes filled with longing, watched the departing flag of the Seventh Steel Company and said...

"They're practically fighting tooth and nail...it's that popular?"

"Well, many other companies have also made contributions; they are all elite companies."

"Anyway, I think every company is important and every company has its own significance."

Xu Mumu smiled憨厚ly and looked at Chenggong, saying.

"You, can you compare that to the Steel Seventh Company?"

"That's a case of minor casualties resulting in a major victory, do you know what that means?"

"Small risks, big rewards!"

"And look at that equipment, it's American weaponry with even denser firepower than the US military!"

"Even the food, I heard, is...all you can eat!"

"Do you remember the two cans of food our battalion seized last time?"

"We only used it to make soup, but others can have meat every day!"

Seeing Xu Mumu's dazed expression, Chenggong quickly and vividly described the scene.

"Eating meat every day..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mumu finally patted his stomach and swallowed, but he clearly hadn't listened to the earlier discussion about risks and gains.

"Hey, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

“They just arrived and definitely need to rest and eat. I’m going to help the cooks move things. You can come along if you want.”

"Take this, I'll keep it to take up space in my pocket!"

Successfully checked his pockets and tossed the last two Daqianmen cigarettes to Xu Mumu.

"Brother Chenggong, I don't smoke..."

Before Xu Mumu could finish speaking, she saw Chenggong running towards the direction of the Seventh Steel Company. Helpless, she shoved the cigarette into her pocket and jogged after him.

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

Ninth Army Corps, Provisional Command
"Wanli, your Steel Seventh Company has done a great job this time, cutting off the retreat route of the US 1st Marine Division completely!"

Kong Jie looked at Wu Wanli and praised him.

"We also have to thank the comrades of the 20th Army for their cooperation in releasing some British troops as bait, so it's not entirely our credit."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wanli humbly replied.

"Comrade Wu Wanli, there's no need to be modest. Merit is merit."

"However, the battle is not over yet, and promotion will have to wait until after the war. But don't worry, we won't forget you."

said the chief of staff.

"Hey, if it weren't for this kid's strong personality during the war, I would have liked to train him in political work after the war, so he could become a good political commissar in the future."

Director Yu looked at Wu Wanli and said with a hint of regret.

"Compared to political work, I think Wan Li's future career path would be better if he joined our General Staff Department!"

"Don't you see how far-sighted and accurate Comrade Wu Wanli's advice was? He played a huge role!"

Upon hearing this, the chief of staff immediately stepped forward to intervene. "What you said makes some sense."

"However, we should also consider Comrade Wu Wanli's own opinion."

Kong Jie thought for a moment and then said.

"I will unconditionally obey the arrangements of my superiors and the organization!"

"However... I still prefer to stay in the front-line troops."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

Others may not know, but he knows it in his heart.

What brilliant strategic vision? It's nothing more than familiarity with the Chosin Reservoir storyline.

However, his memory became relatively limited during the later battles of the Korean War.

Given the trust built up by previous decisions, a single misremembering on his part could cost the entire army its life.

"I don't think it's better than this."

"Although it's not easy to arrange personnel changes for promotion during wartime, we can still make the decision to let Comrade Wu Wanli hold a staff officer title in a lower-level unit first."

Kong Jie thought for a moment and then said.

"Commander, that's a good suggestion."

"Having a staff officer title will not affect his performance in the front-line troops later on."

"If Comrade Wu Wanli has any other ideas in the future, he can report them to the authorities without any problems."

"Otherwise, the procedure will always seem a bit strange."

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

"Comrade Wu Wanli, didn't our Party branch say that you have a strong desire to join the Party? Here, take this."

"Write your application to join the Party today and submit it to your instructor for filing with the Party branch."

"Follow the procedures carefully, don't delay."

"If your instructor is unavailable, I'll be your introducer for joining the Party!"

Director Yu of the Political Department thought for a moment, then handed the paper and pen to Wu Wanli and said with a smile.

"My lords, I..."

As Wu Wanli listened to the words of the leaders, his heart trembled slightly, and a touch of emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Alright, time is limited, so there's no need for those flattering words."

"This is considered a promotion for you, not just an ordinary soldier anymore. There will be more promotions after the war, don't worry."

"Let's get to work now, Staff Officer Wu."

Kong Jie waved his hand, stopping Wu Wanli from saying anything more, and said with a smile.

"Staff Officer Wu..."

"Yes!"

Wu Wanli was slightly taken aback, then responded with a hint of surprise.

"Now, the 1st Marine Division has basically entered the town of Zangmiri."

"They adopted a posture of holding their ground for the time being, with only a small number of reconnaissance units engaging in sporadic fighting."

"This is somewhat different from the blocking operation we imagined, and it is also different from the decisive battle in the open area north of the Watergate Bridge that we had anticipated."

"Shouldn't they hurry to the Watergate Bridge and have the engineers repair it?"

"I can't figure out their strategic intentions..."

The chief of staff pointed to the map on the wall and explained the current situation to Wu Wanli.

"Building a bridge, a strategic intention..."

"Commander, I suddenly have a ridiculous idea. Please don't laugh at me."

"The Shuimen Bridge is now completely destroyed by the bombing, and it is almost impossible for the engineers to repair it in a short time."

"But when I was fighting in Hagaru-ri, I saw a kind of American plane that could go straight up and down."

"Do you think it's possible that they're waiting for a metal frame to be built directly in the rear, and then using that vertical thing to transport it over?"

"At least, I can imagine that airplanes transport the logs from the narrow bridge to fill the bridge, and that's roughly how I would put it."

Wu Wanli hesitated for a few seconds, making reasonable inferences based on the information he had.

"Instead of building a bridge, we'll just wait for the goods to arrive and then build a bridge over them?"

"If it were just a log bridge over a river, I could understand it."

"But is it really possible to transport a water gate bridge capable of supporting tanks..."

Director Yu frowned slightly, somewhat disbelieving.

"The United States claims to be the world's leading industrial and technological power, so it is possible for it to have such means."

Because of his previous trust in Wu Wanli, the chief of staff hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

"Ah, it's a pity that only the 20th Army is in place right now. The other two armies haven't arrived yet. Otherwise, we could have launched a decisive battle directly without having to think about all that."

Kong Jie sighed and said.

"Although we don't have enough military strength for a decisive battle, I have some ways to weaken the combat effectiveness of the US military."

Wu Wanli thought for a moment and then said.

"any solution?"

Upon hearing that Wu Wanli had another plan, the chief of staff's eyes lit up, and he asked.

"First, use the strategy of exhausting the troops."

"The U.S. 1st Marine Division suffered numerous ambushes along the way, incurring heavy losses and remaining on high alert."

"Now that we've finally arrived at the beautiful town of Zangmei, we're definitely thinking about taking turns to rest and prepare for the final battle ahead."

"We'll just refuse to give them that chance!"

"We only need to delegate autonomy and send out a large number of small units to harass the US military in batches, so that they will think we are about to launch a general offensive at any time."

"Their military strength is now less than half of what it used to be, and if anything happens, the entire division will be prepared for battle."

"If we go back and forth several times, the already low morale of the US military will plummet!"

Wu Wanli smiled slightly and said.

"Commander, this is a great idea!"

"The art of war lies in deception and realism. They dare not gamble on when we will launch a full-scale attack. They can only keep on alert and mobilize."

"The morale of the US military, which had already suffered a series of defeats, was bound to plummet."

The chief of staff thought for a moment, looked at Wu Wanli with admiration, and quickly agreed.

"A strategy to wear down the enemy, excellent!"

"The first few times were manageable, but if the US military becomes more alert later, small units may not be able to achieve their objectives."

Kong Jie thought for a moment and then said.

"Commander, that's why I said to give them a certain degree of autonomy."

"Small units are fine, as long as they have morale and can inflict heavy damage on the American troops!"

"Our Steel Seventh Company is willing to participate in this operation. You don't need to add more men or give us guns. Our company will fight with the spirit of a battalion!"

Wu Wanli smiled confidently and said.

"Commander, I have faith in the capabilities of the Steel Seventh Company."

"Besides, even if the US military really does abandon the situation in the end, that would be a good thing!"

"When our main forces are all present, we will launch a general offensive, making the first battle the decisive one!"

"They will definitely be caught off guard!"

"This is a military strategy left by our Chinese ancestors. How come I didn't think of it right away?"

The chief of staff said with a hint of excitement.

"Great, Wanli's method is a well-intentioned scheme, and the American devils will fall for it no matter what."

"Wanli, go back and have a hot meal with the comrades of the Seventh Company. You will also participate in the operation tonight."

"This time, I want to see if these foreign devils' Western-style warfare tactics can compare to the military strategies of our ancestors!"

Kong Jie slammed his hand on the table and said with great authority.

"Commander, I actually have another plan. After we finish with the strategy of exhausting the troops, we can completely crush the morale of the American troops to rock bottom!"

"We can begin implementation after this operation is successful."

"I'll tell you now, what if I don't come back..."

Wu Wanli sighed and began to speak.

"Eh!"

"Since it will be carried out after this operation, let's tell you after the victory."

"Live well, that's an order too..."

Upon hearing Wu Wanli's words, Kong Jie walked up to Wu Wanli with a serious expression, straightened the brim of his military cap with the five-pointed star, and slowly said.

"Yes!"

A warm feeling welled up in Wu Wanli's heart, and he quickly responded loudly.

(End of this chapter)