Twenty-Ninth Section: Catching a Turtle in an Urn
So tired, everyone come and give some support. Went to eat dinner.
From Samso-ri, Yongwon-ri to Seodang Station; Cheonggok-ri; Bongeun-ri, under the cover of night, our army launched a large-scale attack on the nearly 100-li-long two highways. The sky was filled with thunderous explosions, dense tracer bullets, signal flares, illuminating shells, and the piercing whistles of artillery shells tearing through the air, as well as the muffled explosions of hand grenades, hand-held explosives, explosive tubes, and dynamite packs. The enemy abandoned thousands of tanks, large guns, and vehicles, and the US military, having discarded their heavy equipment, fled into the mountains towards Anju and beyond, with fleeing enemies covering the entire mountain range, while our army charged forward under the sound of bugles.
Under the guidance of two heavy tank companies, the long-rested reserve team's second battalion, second company Zhu Dagui and assault second company Jiang Xuefeng quickly launched an attack on the enemy. Assault first company Qi Mu rode on light tank company Tian Qin's tank to start attacking the enemy from behind. The piercing whistling sound of explosions continued to erupt around the tanks of the US 1st Cavalry Division's 7th Regiment, with bursts of gunfire ringing out from time to time. The enemy tanks' tracks were blown off, and the American tank crew inside frantically jumped out and fled.
The US 1st Cavalry Division was in full retreat, abandoning tanks and artillery that were not suited for the mountainous terrain. The American troops were fleeing in disarray along the narrow roads of North Korea, their faces smudged with smoke and dirt, their heads bowed as they trudged forward. The only sound was the dull thud of their boots on the ground, a reflection of their low morale. Despite General Gay's repeated attempts to boost their spirits by lecturing them on the necessity of this war, all the soldiers could think about was ending this godforsaken conflict and returning home to their farms, cities, and families. They yearned to hold their gentle wives and mischievous children in their arms, to feel the warmth of home. The ideals of freedom, democracy, and fighting against evil communism meant nothing to them now; they just wanted to escape this hellhole.
Yu Wei and Han Tian gazed at the highway packed with the 1st Cavalry Division's tanks, artillery, and vehicles, their eyes shining with excitement. To prevent the enemy from destroying these equipment after dawn, Tian Qin's light tank company drove their own tanks to hidden locations, while Han Tian directed the artillerymen to tow the captured American artillery to the front line in preparation for supporting the battle to annihilate the 2nd Infantry Division and the 5th Cavalry Regiment.
The three battalions of Zhao Zilong have assembled their troops to pursue the defeated US military, crossing mountains and rivers. The US military, who had already abandoned their heavy equipment, continued to discard various equipment along the way, fleeing in disarray. As far as the eye could see, there were discarded mortars, ammunition, light and heavy machine guns, telephone lines of various colors, military coats, and steel helmets on the roadside. Due to the lack of an airport, it was impossible to transport over 2,000 wounded soldiers by air, so in order to escape, the enemy ruthlessly abandoned their wounded soldiers amidst their curses. Of course, the mechanized US military could not compare to the volunteer army's iron-clad infantry, and the three battalions and the second battalion of the second regiment continued to annihilate and capture over 750 enemy soldiers on the road. The political commissar of the first battalion received orders to lead the first battalion of Owen Ben's troops in a long-range ambush of the fleeing enemy on an eight-kilometer-wide front, with each node on the mountain head guarded by a company or platoon. However, the US military, which had lost its heavy firepower and was short of guns and ammunition, could not break through these positions, and sometimes even a single squad's position could not be broken through. The good night cover allowed the enemy to launch a breakthrough action, and small groups of US military remnants continued to pass through the mountain paths, with over 3,700 US soldiers escaping to Anzhou. However, in the end, over 2,000 US soldiers were surrounded by Zhao Zilong's third battalion and Zhu Dagui's second battalion in a small valley. The surrounded US military had nowhere to hide under the accurate mortar fire and machine gun sweeps of our army, and when the night-fighting expert second battalion of the second regiment attacked the enemy position, the enemy threw down their guns and raised their hands in surrender. Under the impact of over 30 heavy tanks from the tank regiment, the US military's second division and fifth cavalry regiment retreated step by step with over 11,000 soldiers, eventually being surrounded by the 40th army's 118th division and independent division on a wide plain between Fengyingli and Sansuoli.
When daylight broke, the enemy finally realized their predicament, surrounded on all sides in this open area. Despite over a hundred US planes rushing to provide support, despite intense bombing, they were unable to break through the encirclement of the 2nd Division. Moreover, after 90mm anti-aircraft guns shot down three C-119s and two C-47 transport planes, the US transport planes did not dare to come and airdrop supplies.
The two mortar battalions re-established by General Han Tian, under the support of Wang Jue's anti-aircraft artillery company, began to fiercely bombard the US military's tank and automobile fortress positions. The hair of General Keizer, commander of the 2nd Division, was disheveled, his face pale, his eyes bloodshot, and he looked like he had aged over a decade overnight due to fear, anxiety, and panic.
Despite his extreme anxiety, despite pacing back and forth in the command post until the ground was almost worn out, despite sending out plea for help telegrams every hour to UN Headquarters and the 8th Army Command, how could the self-absorbed US high command take care of him? Perhaps only the bombs dropped by B-29s from over 20,000 meters in the air, bombing some distant small target, could provide them with psychological comfort.
When more than 6,000 remaining US soldiers surrendered two days later, the entire 2nd Division, which had a wartime strength of 18,000 men, was annihilated. The 5th Cavalry Regiment, which had over 4,500 men, was also completely wiped out. The main force of the supporting 1st Cavalry Division lost over 6,000 men, and the 1st Cavalry Division, which once had over 22,000 men, plus the remnants of the 8th Cavalry Regiment in Suwon, were left with only over 5,000 men.
Walking out of the temporary command post, Gaoquan is enjoying the tranquility of the battlefield after the war, breathing in the air that still smells of gunpowder. He walks with Qian Duo past the burning wreckage of cars, listening to the sound of burning rubber tires crackling. The independent regiment of over 12,000 men has lost more than half of its troops, and although they received a commendation from Commander Zhang saying "invincible in battle, unshakeable in defense, iron-blooded heroic troops", he remembers the vow he made when entering Korea: "to bring back as many soldiers as possible to their hometown". But now, how can he face the parents who lost their children, the wives and children of the fallen husbands and fathers? He cannot help but bow his head and weep.
Zhang Xiaoshan fiddled with the radio on a jeep, and then heard a song that stunned all the officers and soldiers. The announcer on the radio said in Chinese: "This is Central People's Broadcasting Station, now playing the national anthem of the People's Republic of China."
Tattered uniforms, faces covered with gunpowder and dust, the officers and soldiers listened to "Rise up, those who do not want to be slaves, let our flesh and blood build a new Great Wall. The Chinese nation is at its most critical moment... Advance under enemy fire, advance, advance."
It started with a low humming of the accompaniment, then the whole crowd stood on top of the tank that was still emitting thick smoke and sang the national anthem together, shaking the sky.
This is the voice of a nation reborn after bloody struggles, this is the roar of a fallen nation's resurgence, this is the Chinese people's tenacity and fervor in an extremely difficult environment of isolation, this is the voice of a newly-born great power China announcing to the world that it is about to enter the ranks of the world's great powers.
