Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

"Commander!"

A staff officer rushed in, carrying an urgent telegram.

"Reconnaissance reports that General Van Fleet, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, is mobilizing a large force! The enemy has amassed over 60,000 troops, 300 artillery pieces, and over 100 tanks in front of Shangganling! Nearly 200 aircraft are also circling overhead, ready to engage!"

"They call this operation 'Operation Showdown'!"

Upon hearing this number, everyone in the command center gasped in shock.

More than 60,000 people! Three hundred heavy artillery pieces!

The Volunteer Army only had two companies defending the front line of Shangganling!

The stark disparity in troop strength is utterly disheartening.

Li Yunlong slammed his hand on the table, causing water from the teacup to splash all over the table.

"A showdown? I'll show Van Fleet my true colors!"

Li Yunlong gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with a crazed fire: "Pass on my orders! The two companies at the front lines, even if they're wiped out to the last man and shed their last drop of blood, they must hold the position! As long as Wusheng Mountain is still in our hands, those American devils won't be able to cross this hurdle!"

Just as Li Yunlong issued the death order.

The tunnel door to the command post was pushed open.

Lin Yang, dressed in a mud-covered Volunteer Army uniform, strode in with Political Commissar Shen Jian and He Yuzhu.

Two years had passed, and Lin Yang's eyes had become more reserved, but his imposing aura had become even more unfathomable. His current Special Mountain Independent Division was the trump card of the entire Volunteer Army headquarters.

"Old Li, don't be impulsive."

Lin Yang walked to the map and sharply scanned the terrain of Shangganling.

"The US military is determined to flatten the hilltop with artillery shells this time. I've studied Van Fleet's tactics; he loves to use far more ammunition than usual to bombard the ground. If our two forward companies hold their positions to the death, they won't last more than two hours under the enemy's heavy artillery fire."

Li Yunlong scratched his head in frustration: "Then what do you suggest we do? Are we just going to give up the position to them?"

"Of course not!"

Lin Yang pointed to the dense network of tunnels on the map.

"If we can't hold the surface positions, we'll retreat into the tunnels! We'll fight a protracted war with the enemy! They'll occupy the surface positions during the day, and we'll sneak out at night to counterattack and retake them!"

Lin Yang turned to look at Li Yunlong, his eyes revealing a chilling determination.

"Old Li, this time at Shangganling, the two of us brothers have to put on a perfect team effort."

"You're in charge of the frontal defense! Use your mad dog-like spirit to relentlessly pursue the main American offensive! Draw all their attention and firepower to the surface positions!"

Li Yunlong glared at him: "You want me to be bait? Then what are you going to do?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Yang's lips.

"The US military must have packed so many people and artillery into this hill, which is less than four square kilometers in size. Their formation must be very dense."

"You hold them off head-on, while I lead the special forces division, using the secret tunnels we've dug, to infiltrate their heavy artillery positions and command posts from behind!"

Lin Yang's finger jabbed heavily into the rear of the American position.

"You draw their fire, I'll take care of ripping them out! Once we take out their artillery positions and cut off their supplies, they'll be nothing but lambs to the slaughter on the surface!"

Upon hearing this insane plan, Li Yunlong's eyes lit up with an almost frightening intensity.

"Good lad! That's a ruthless move, cutting off their supply lines! Fine, face me head-on! Even if I wipe out the entire army, I won't let those American devils have a moment's peace!"

With the tactics finalized, a bloody battle that would go down in history was about to begin!

In the early morning of May 1952, 10.

The Battle of Shangganling officially broke out.

On this day, the sky seemed to be completely torn apart.

The U.S. military deployed 300 heavy artillery pieces, 27 tanks, and dozens of bombers circling overhead, launching a frenzied bombing campaign against the less than 4-square-kilometer position at Shangganling.

The shells rained down on the position like a dense hailstorm.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The earth-shattering explosions merged into a continuous rumble of thunder. The entire Shangganling area was shrouded in thick smoke and dust, even obscuring the sun.

How intense was the artillery fire?

The rocks on the hilltop were blasted into powder, and the soil was churned up to a depth of more than two meters. Grabbing a handful of soil, you could find it full of scalding hot shrapnel and bone fragments.

Li Yunlong stood in front of the observation hole of the rear command post, looking at the scene in front of him that was like a living hell. His fists were clenched tightly, his nails piercing his palms, and blood dripped down.

"Commander! The surface positions are all destroyed! The first and second companies have suffered heavy casualties and have retreated into the tunnels as planned!" the staff officer reported loudly, his eyes red.

"Good for them retreating!" Li Yunlong roared through gritted teeth. "Tell the brothers in the tunnels! Give them a good beating! We absolutely cannot let those American devils gain a foothold on our positions!"

Over the next few days and nights, Shangganling became a veritable meat grinder.

During the day, the US military used its artillery superiority to occupy surface positions, while the Chinese People's Volunteer Army organized assault teams at night to break out of the tunnels and engage in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.

The position changed hands repeatedly between the two sides.

The conditions inside the tunnels were extremely harsh.

Water shortage! Oxygen shortage! Medicine shortage!

The soldiers were so thirsty they licked the water droplets from the rock face; the wounded, without anesthesia, could only bite on towels and endure the pain. The air was thick with the smells of gunpowder, blood, and rotting corpses.

Li Yunlong's troops fought an exceptionally tough battle, with casualties rising sharply. But he gritted his teeth and organized counterattacks time and time again, keeping the American offensive bogged down on this scorched earth.

At this time.

Inside a deeply hidden abandoned tunnel on the side of the main peak of Shangganling.

Lin Yang was leading three hundred of the most elite assault team members of the special forces division, quietly awaiting the order to launch the attack.

He Yuzhu lay prone beside Lin Yang, gripping a sharp military dagger tightly in his hand, a full bag of explosives slung over his back. Two years of war had completely transformed this cook from Beijing into a ruthless and decisive elite veteran.

"Commander, General Li's side is about to collapse. The enemy's artillery fire is too intense; several tunnels have been blown up," He Yuzhu said in a low voice.

Lin Yang stared at the hands on his watch, his eyes as cold as an abyss, illuminated by the faint firelight filtering through the tunnel entrance.

"Wait a little longer. The enemy's artillery fire is still covering the entire area, which means their rear defenses are the most relaxed."

Lin Yang closed his eyes, listening to the muffled cannon fire coming from above. He was calculating the enemy's firing rate and reloading intervals.

Suddenly, the artillery fire paused briefly. It was the US artillery conducting a large-scale ammunition replenishment.