Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

February 5, 1951, west of Hongchuan County.

Ridgway stood on a high slope at the temporary command post, his binoculars revealing the rolling mountains to the north.

Within a month of taking over as commander of the Eighth Army, he did three things: reorganize the defeated troops, study Chinese tactics, and wait for their supply lines to break down.

But the result he received made him increasingly uneasy.

Intelligence reports piled up to half a person's height: the Communist army's supplies had never been interrupted. Trucks traveled day and night, heading south from the Yalu River, delivering ammunition, fuel, and food to the front lines. Their offensive had lasted forty days with no sign of stopping.

The situation is even more troublesome in the air.

远东空军的损失报表每天摆在他桌上：F-80被击落17架，F-84被击落9架，B-29轰炸机被击落4架。中国人的喷气式战斗机比F-86还快，他们的单兵单兵防空飞弹让任何低空突防都成了自杀。

"General," the staff officer handed over the latest intelligence, "the Communist forces on the eastern front are being mobilized. The 42nd Army, the 66th Army, and that armored division are all gathering in the direction of Hengcheng."

Ridgway took the intelligence and studied it for a long time.

"What are they trying to do?"

The staff officer dared not answer.

Ridgway walked back to the command post and stood in front of the map. Hengcheng, the eastern front, the defense zone of the ROK 8th and 5th Divisions.

He suddenly understood.

"They want to attack the eastern front first," he said, "wipe out the South Korean forces, and then flank the western front."

"General, what should we do?"

Ridgway was silent for a few seconds.

"Transfer that regiment from the 2nd US Division there. Tell Cui Rongxi to hold Hengcheng; reinforcements will arrive soon."

He paused.

"Also, send a message to the Far East Air Force: concentrate all available aircraft and bomb their supply lines. Bomb trucks, bomb roads, bomb railways—"

The staff officer hesitated for a moment: "General, the air force losses have already..."

Ridgway interrupted him.

"I know. But if we don't cut off their supplies, we're bound to lose on land."

From February 6th to February 10th, the sky south of the Chongchon River was torn apart for five days.

The U.S. Far East Air Force mobilized its entire force. F-80s provided escort, F-84s carried bombs, and B-29s took off from Japan, with only one objective: the logistics lines of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

But they encountered Type 2 fighter jets.

The two types of fighter jets taking off from Andong flew more than 200 sorties a day, forming an iron net over the Chongchon River. F-80s dared not fly low, F-84s dared not operate alone, and B-29s could only drop bombs horizontally at an altitude of 10,000 meters, with abysmal accuracy.

What terrified the US pilots even more was the ground.

Those small devices carried on the shoulders—which the Chinese People's Volunteer Army called "man-portable air defense missiles"—could lock onto the exhaust nozzles of any jet aircraft within 4 kilometers. Of the ten aircraft targeted, seven or eight never returned.

Five-day battle damage statistics:

- F-80s shot down: 24

- F-84s shot down: 13

- 7 B-29s shot down

- Pilots killed or captured: 68

Major General Partridge, Commander of the Far East Air Force, sent a telegram to Ridgway:

"General, if this bombing continues, my air force will be rendered inoperable within three weeks."

Ridgway received the telegram and remained silent for a long time.

Then he called back:

"Cease large-scale daytime bombing and switch to sporadic nighttime harassment."

February 11, Hengcheng.

When Commander Deng pushed open the door of the command post, Commander Peng was standing in front of the map.

"The American forces on the Western Front have moved." Commander Deng strode closer. "Ridgway has concentrated three divisions to put pressure on Commander Hong. But this is not the main offensive."

Commander Peng did not turn around.

"What about the eastern front?"

"The ROK 8th and 5th Divisions are still in their original positions. The US 2nd Division's regiment arrived south of Hoengseong last night."

Commander Peng stared at the map and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Ridgway wanted the South Korean army to hold us back until the outcome on the western front was decided before we made our move."

He turned around.

"But he overlooked one thing—his planes were bombed for five days, but the Jiefang trucks were still running. We have the resources to fight on two fronts at the same time."

He drew a circle around the location of Hengcheng on the map.

"Tell Commander Hong to hold the line on the west front. On the east front—first wipe out the South Korean 8th Division."

At 2 PM on February 11th, north of Hengcheng.

Zhao Dongliang stood on the turret of a Type 59 tank, his binoculars revealing the positions of the South Korean 8th Division.

On the hillside, fortifications are densely packed, with layers of barbed wire, and mortar positions are concealed on the reverse slope.

The staff officer unfolded a map beside the car.

"Commander, the 42nd Army has moved into attack position. The 66th Army is still moving and is expected to arrive before dark."

Zhao Dongliang nodded.

"We can't wait any longer. The 2nd Division's regiment is only 30 kilometers away from here."

He jumped off the tank, squatted on the ground, and shone a flashlight on the map.

"The 42nd Army attacked from the left flank and penetrated from the rear. We pressed forward from the front and drove the South Korean army towards the center."

After the 66th Army arrived, they blocked the retreat route to the south—and incidentally, stopped the American army unit.

The staff officer recorded the orders.

"Attention all units, open fire upon seeing the signal flare. The battle will end tonight."

At 2 PM on February 11, three red signal flares rose into the night sky.

The artillery fire erupted in an instant.

122mm howitzers, 107mm rocket launchers, and 120mm mortars—thousands of artillery pieces opened fire simultaneously. The forward positions of the South Korean 8th Division were engulfed in flames, barbed wire was blasted to pieces, landmines were detonated, and bunkers were overturned.

The shelling lasted for thirty minutes.

At 22:30, the Type 59 tank group launched an attack.

Zhao Dongliang sat in the command tank, listening to reports from various companies through his headset.

"The First Battalion has broken through the front line and is advancing into the rear."

"The Second Battalion encountered an enemy tank company and resolved the battle in three minutes."

"The Third Battalion has bypassed the enemy's left flank and cut off the highway."

Zhao Dongliang remained silent. He stared at the periscope in front of him as the turret spun, a shell flew out, and a bunker spitting fire three hundred meters away was reduced to rubble.

The tracks rolled over the positions abandoned by the South Korean army and continued to advance south.

At 2:00 AM on February 12th, south of Hengcheng.

Brigadier General Choi Young-hee, commander of the ROK 8th Division, stood outside the command post, listening to the sounds of artillery fire from all directions.

The phone call had long been cut off. The radio was filled with static. One messenger was sent out, but none returned.

The chief of staff ran over, his face covered in dust.

"Division Commander, that regiment from the US 2nd Infantry Division is blocked by the PLA's 66th Army 30 kilometers away and can't get through!"

Cui Rongxi remained silent.

He turned to look north. There, flames soared into the sky, and the roar of artillery was deafening. Chinese tanks were advancing from three directions, and his troops were being wiped out piece by piece.

"Retreat," he said.

The chief of staff hesitated for a moment: "Where to retreat to?"

Cui Rongxi did not answer. He jumped into the jeep and started the engine.

The jeep sped into the night, with the still-burning battlefield behind it.

At 6:00 AM on February 12th, 20 kilometers south of Hengcheng.

On the 66th Army's position, soldiers squatted in their fortifications, watching the dense crowds surging in from the south on the highway.

It's not Mei Er Tuan.

They were defeated soldiers from the South Korean 8th Division.

Trucks, jeeps, tanks, and infantry were all mixed together, desperately fleeing south.

The officer's baton was nowhere to be found, most of the soldiers' rifles were missing, and some were even without shoes.

"Should we fight or not?" someone asked.

Regiment Commander Li Changhe raised his binoculars and looked for a long time.

"Don't fight. Let them pass."

"Commander?"

"There's another US Second Regiment behind them. Let them run, block the road."

The fleeing soldiers surged past the position, and not one of them stopped to resist.

Two hours later, the sound of cannon fire came from the south.

The 9th Regiment of the 2nd U.S. Army clashed with the retreating South Korean troops, completely blocking the road.

Chinese artillery shells rained down from the sky, causing chaos and destruction.

……

February 13, Hengcheng battlefield.

Commander Deng held the battle report, his voice echoing in the command post.

"The counterattack at Hengcheng lasted for two days and nights."

"Results: The ROK 8th Division was completely annihilated. More than 12,000 enemy soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured, including 8,200 prisoners."

"Seized: 21 tanks, more than 150 artillery pieces, more than 700 vehicles, and countless guns and ammunition."

"The 9th Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division: killed, wounded, and captured 1,200 enemy soldiers; the remaining troops scattered."

"A total of more than 13,000 enemy soldiers were killed."

"Our casualties: 600 killed in action, 200 seriously wounded, and 1,800 slightly wounded. Total: 2,600."

Commander Peng remained silent for a long time after listening.

"Thirteen thousand to two thousand six, five to one. Ridgway is quite capable."

He looked at Commander Deng.

"The Eastern Front is secure. Ridgway's plans have been completely thwarted."

Commander Deng nodded.

"The western front is also secured. Commander Hong said that the American offensive was noticeably weaker today, probably because they heard that the eastern front had been breached."

Commander Peng stood up and walked to the map.

"Send a telegram to Commander Hong: Take advantage of his illness and kill him. Organize a counterattack tonight and push those three divisions back twenty kilometers."

He turned around and glanced at the people in the room.

"Also, the air force did a good job this time. Send a telegram to Comrade Ping An to let him know."

"Those planes of his saved countless trucks' lives."

February 14, Shenyang.

Zhao Ping'an was on the assembly line at the arsenal when he received the telegram.

"The great victory at Hengcheng resulted in the annihilation of 13,000 enemy troops. Our forces suffered 2,600 casualties. The air force shot down more than 40 enemy aircraft, and air superiority north of the Chongchon River was secured."

He read the telegram once, folded it, and put it in his pocket.

Someone nearby asked, "Minister, has the front line been won again?"

Zhao Ping'an nodded.

"Ridgway wanted to bomb our supply lines. The Air Force shot down more than forty of his planes in five days, and he didn't dare to come again."

"How much did our trucks lose?"

The dispatcher opened his notebook.

"Forty-three vehicles were destroyed. Twenty-two were repaired. The net loss was twenty-one vehicles."

"What about the inventory?"

"There are still more than 3,000 vehicles in Shenyang. The Changchun factory delivered another 800 vehicles this month."

Zhao Ping'an remained silent for a few seconds.

"Ridgway wants to wear us down. He has a few hundred planes, but we have an air force capable of shooting down his planes, and tens of thousands of trucks."

Turning around and walking back to the workshop, thinking to myself

"A war of attrition. I want to see how long Ridgway can hold out..."

I've been preparing for over two years to flex my muscles in this war, Ridgway, don't let me down...

"Only after you've given it your all will we easily defeat you, and then you'll admit defeat! This time, we'll completely subdue you in one fell swoop!"