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

June 15, 1951, Headquarters of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Ten days have passed since the Battle of Tieyuan ended. Commander Peng stood in front of the map, surrounded by the commanders of the various army corps. No one spoke; the battle debriefing meeting had been held for two days, and they were now discussing improvement plans.

Commander Deng stood up, holding the battle report in his hand, and repeated it again.

"In the Battle of Tieyuan, the 63rd Army and its attached units fought for fourteen days, killing and wounding more than 25,000 enemy soldiers. Among them, the ground forces suffered about 18,000 casualties, tank crews about 1,200, and pilots about 2,200."

He paused.

"Destroyed 316 enemy tanks and shot down 1,010 enemy aircraft—801 of which were shot down in air combat and 309 were shot down by anti-aircraft missiles."

"Our army suffered 7,400 casualties, including 2,800 killed in action."

Commander Song remained silent for a long time.

"25,000 to 7,400, 3.4 to 1."

Commander Peng nodded.

"At the last meeting at Chosin Reservoir, we did some calculations. The casualties of well-equipped troops were eight times greater than those of unequipped troops."

He looked at the people present.

"This time, the troops in Tieyuan were well-equipped. Twenty-four thousand men held out for fourteen days, holding off four divisions. They suffered seven thousand four thousand casualties."

"What if we didn't have Comrade Ping An's things?"

No one answered.

Commander Peng answered the question himself.

"Twenty thousand people. At least twenty thousand people."

He stood up and walked to the window.

"Comrade Ping An, why don't you tell us?"

Zhao Pingan, who was sitting in the corner, stood up.

"Commander, let me first report on the current production capacity of the Northeast industrial base:"

The monthly production capacity is 300 Type 59 tanks, 120 Type 2 fighter jets, and 600 anti-aircraft missiles. RPG-7 missiles and ammunition can be replenished at any time.

He paused for a moment.

"But our military industrial logistics and maintenance also discovered some problems during the Tieyuan Campaign."

"What's the problem?" Commander Peng turned around.

"First, there's the fortification," Zhao Ping'an said. "Even the strongest fortifications can't withstand continuous bombardment from heavy artillery. In fourteen days, the position was leveled thirteen times. Each time, it was the engineering company that risked their lives to repair it. We are accelerating the development of high-grade cement to solve this problem, but we need some time to upgrade the technology and adjust the production line. We strive to solve this problem in six months."

It wasn't that Zhao Ping'an couldn't exchange for high-grade cement, but the headquarters had done the math and realized that exchanging the same resources for artillery shells would be more beneficial to the front lines. Therefore, Zhao Ping'an could only try to accelerate technological upgrades. The problem was still the shortage of skilled workers and R&D personnel, which was a fundamental issue.

Zhao Pingan put this question aside for the time being and continued speaking.

"At the same time, the US military has also become smarter. The Air Force has summarized its experience and found that the other side has learned about the performance and approximate number of our two types of fighter jets, as well as the lack of our pilots in terms of both number and experience."

They are now leveraging their numerical advantage in aircraft and the experience of their pilots, employing close-quarters combat and multi-swarm tactics.

"This is attrition warfare against us. In the Battle of Tieyuan, we suffered heavy pilot losses. Even though the pilot casualty ratio exceeded 1:2, our proportion of lost pilots was still greater than the enemy's. We have roughly estimated that the enemy currently has at least four times our number of pilots on the battlefield. Therefore, I personally suggest that the Air Force preserve its pilots, maintain the strategic threat, and utilize the high-altitude, high-speed advantages of our aircraft to attrite the enemy's pilots through hit-and-run tactics."

"Okay, let's do it this way." Commander Peng also saw the number of over 200 pilots lost in the Battle of Tieyuan and felt heartbroken. Pilots are not ground troops, and their training and replenishment are much slower.

"Commander, that will lead to the next problem. The air force will no longer be able to defend our airspace as thoroughly as before. The enemy will use its numerical advantage to engage our fighters with their own, while the rest of their aircraft will continue to bomb our positions. We can only rely on anti-aircraft firepower to fight back. Our logistics will urgently replenish a batch of heavy machine guns to make up for the lack of anti-aircraft firepower."

"Alright, let's do it this way for now." Commander Peng made the decision. "We defeated Chiang Kai-shek before we didn't have planes. Now that we have planes, there's no reason why we shouldn't fight. The battlefield can't always be smooth sailing. Tell the troops below that we're about to go through a tough period."

After a chorus of responses, Commander Peng gestured for Zhao Ping'an to continue speaking.

"Yes, Commander. The enemy has also found a way to target the Type 59 tank. They are attacking from the side by using their numbers and superiority, as well as using aircraft to attack from above. At the same time, the enemy also has targeted tactics, such as using tank guns to destroy the tracks of our tanks and then calling in heavy artillery fire from the rear. This is one of the reasons why we have suffered heavy losses of Type 59 tanks recently. If the Type 59 is hit directly by a 122mm heavy gun, it will be destroyed. However, if the 155mm heavy gun is hit at close range, it will cause fatal damage to the crew inside the tank."

Here we can only suggest making more use of artillery radar to detect enemy artillery positions and conduct counter-artillery operations. We will provide some extended-range ammunition, which can increase the firing range of artillery by more than 10 kilometers. However, if the enemy realizes that we have counter-artillery capabilities, they may adopt guerrilla tactics with dispersed lines.

My current advice is that unless there is a confirmed large-scale artillery concentration in a specific location, we should not reveal that we have precision counter-battery equipment.

"Okay, we'll do as Comrade Ping An says. You're an expert in the technical aspects, and we'll determine when we'll need your technical support based on the battlefield situation." The commander thought for a moment and nodded.

"Yes, Commander. One last point: based on recent changes on the enemy's side, we've discovered that their new commander is much stronger than the previous one, and has found various ways to counter our advantages. So, let's assume that in the next battle, the enemy has become smarter and doesn't fight on the front lines, but instead attacks from the mountains? Or what if they choose a narrow area where heavy artillery fire can reach? Our tanks are all medium or larger, and their mobility is inferior to their light tanks."

Some mountainous areas are unsuitable for tanks, requiring infantry. With negotiations imminent, I suspect the other side might try some tricks.

Commander Peng looked at him.

"A peace notification? What do you mean? What are you trying to do?"

Zhao Ping'an was silent for a few seconds. He pointed to a place on the map.

"I consulted with the newly arrived brigade commander, and based on his opinion, I want to establish a defensive line here—by digging tunnels."

Dig down to the ground. Thirty meters deep, beyond the reach of tanks, planes, and heavy artillery. We can provide the necessary equipment.

July 10, 1951, Kaicheng Laifengzhuang.

The first meeting of the armistice negotiations was held here.

Commander Deng sat on one side of the negotiating table, opposite Vice Admiral Joey, Commander of the U.S. Far East Naval Command. Translators, staff officers, and recorders filled both sides.

Joey spoke first.

"We propose that the existing line of actual contact be used as the military demarcation line. However, if you agree to bring the Kaesong area under our control, we can consider making concessions in other areas."

Commander Deng smiled after hearing the translation.

"General Joey, Kaesong is now in our hands. If you want it, you can come and take it."

Joey's expression changed.

"General Deng, please be mindful of the seriousness of these negotiations."

"I'm very serious," Commander Deng said. "What we can't get on the battlefield, we can't get at the negotiating table either. That's our principle."

The first day of negotiations ended in discord.

In the following days, the two sides repeatedly argued over issues such as the demarcation line, prisoner exchange, and ceasefire monitoring.

The US took a hard line, demanding that the demarcation line be moved dozens of kilometers north. China refused to budge an inch and insisted on a ceasefire in place.

Negotiations have stalled.

Commander Peng reviewed the negotiation records at headquarters and uttered only one sentence:

"Tell them, if you want to talk, then talk properly; if you don't want to talk, then keep fighting."