Section Thirty-One: Repairing
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When the Chinese People's Volunteer Army advanced to the 38th parallel on December 8, after the second campaign had eliminated more than 800,000 enemy troops, including over 48,000 US troops and over 33,000 puppet army troops, and captured countless others, the entire army was filled with the idea that the US military was nothing special. Some officers and soldiers who had experienced the War of Resistance against Japan and the Liberation War even believed that except for their air power, tanks, and artillery, the US military was not as good as the regular divisions of the Japanese Imperial Army or the Nationalist Party's elite American-equipped troops. Many mid-to-high-level commanders were also basking in the joy and glory of this victory, and some even shouted out extreme slogans like "From north to south, push all the way to the end, eliminate the enemy, and return home for the New Year".
The Independent First Division was ordered to regroup in Pyongyang, replenish its forces and prepare for another battle. However, Kim Sang put forward that the reorganization in the urban area of Pyongyang would be harassed by US military aircraft, which is not conducive to the rest of the troops. Therefore, the Independent First Division withdrew to the suburbs, while Kim Sang and his Plug Flag Troop and Capital Guard Division entered the urban area of Pyongyang.
"Zhang Lianchang, when can we drive the enemy into the sea?" After the last battle, Li Dasheng had become familiar with Zhang Yutian, and as comrades-in-arms who had fought together and taken bullets for each other, what could be more intimate than that? Looking at Li Dasheng's face, which was uglier than a bitter melon when he smiled, Zhang Yutian said happily, "Soon, we've only been in Korea for over 40 days and have already driven the enemy back to the 38th parallel. To be honest, the Americans aren't that great either. If our commander were still a regimental or division commander at the time, he would have driven them into the sea with one blow. Now, if the American devils didn't have air support, we could drive them into the sea in a month. With air support, we're not afraid either. With Commander Peng's and our commander's wise leadership, it will take us at most two months to fight our way to the coast." Li Dasheng said excitedly, "Speaking of the three battles, our regiment fought bravely at Longyuanli, where we defeated an American division, a British brigade, and several hundred aircraft supporting the enemy every day. Although we suffered over 6,000 casualties, the enemy lost 36,000 to 37,000 men, with a casualty ratio of six to one. The enemy's bones are softer than those of the Nationalist Party. I heard that the comfort letters sent from home have filled our regimental headquarters, and many girls have written to our commander asking to be friends... Ha ha!" Zhang Yutian couldn't help but laugh when he heard about Shen Fei's affairs. Gao Quan, who was passing by outside, frowned upon hearing this conversation. "You two come here," he said sternly. "The battle has just begun, and you're already so arrogant." Looking at the angry Gao Quan, with his bulging eyes, dark face, and twitching facial muscles, Li Dasheng and Zhang Yutian looked like naughty children who had done something wrong, hanging their heads in shame as they slowly walked over. After being kicked in the buttocks, they heard a stern warning: "Remember, you must concentrate your attention on any weak enemy, or you will certainly capsize in a ditch. Moreover, the Americans are not weak either. I'll be watching to see how you two fight from now on." The two brothers looked at each other with gloomy faces, feeling unfortunate for themselves and each other. It seemed that their commander would often educate them from now on.
Here is the translation:
In the headquarters of the Supreme Commander, "Old Peng" gave a standard military salute to express his respect for the old revolutionary veteran. "Come in, come in, sit down, don't be formal," said Old Peng with a smile. "You did very well this time, eliminating so many enemies that the Americans are still reeling from it. Look at this American newspaper, it says that your troops' combat effectiveness is not inferior to an American division."
Looking at Old Peng's kind face and his smiling eyes, Gao Quan was hesitant to express his concerns, but thinking of the situation of his troops... "Actually, our troops are not much better off than the Americans," he said.
Old Peng looked surprised, but after a moment of thought, he said, "Go on, speak your mind. It's easier to solve problems when we know what they are."
Gao Quan took a deep breath and continued, "Firstly, our troops have suffered heavy casualties in two battles, many units are severely undermanned, and the new recruits haven't arrived yet. This has a significant impact on our combat effectiveness and future operations. Secondly, we lack food and ammunition, which means we can only fight for 7-8 days at a time. Our logistics are not doing well, and it's hard to get supplies in this foreign land. Unlike back home where the local people support us with food and supplies, here it's difficult to even gather food locally. The soldiers are hungry and cold, and we can't keep up with the consumption of warm clothing and shoes."
Gao Quan spoke passionately, ignoring the gaze of Vice Commander Han beside him.
"Old Peng, this is minus 20 degrees Celsius weather, hunger and cold can be deadly. I heard that the 9th Army Corps lost over 10,000 men in the last battle, but over 40,000 men froze to death or were injured. We also have a problem with guns and ammunition. Maybe our division has been lucky enough to capture some from the enemy, but the 66th and 50th Armies are almost out of ammo. How can we fight this war? Are we supposed to send soldiers with empty guns to attack the enemy?
Because of our logistics, we can only launch attacks for 7-8 days at a time. The Americans are not fools, if they retreat and lengthen our supply lines, and then counterattack, how can our troops without food or ammo resist? There's also the problem of complacency and underestimating the enemy in our troops. We've eliminated over 120,000 enemies in two battles, but there are still 270,000-280,000 enemy soldiers left. The enemy can still mobilize reinforcements from their own country and Europe, and now they're prepared to fight a defensive war. They have built many permanent fortifications on the 38th parallel, while our troops don't have much more manpower than the enemy, and our firepower is much weaker.
Therefore, I suggest that our troops take two months or more to regroup and reorganize in the area of the 38th parallel. By then, our air force can provide support from abroad, our logistics can be protected, and our troops' personnel and equipment can be fully replenished. With those 176 tanks and four tank battalions that arrived from home, after two months of training, they will form a strong fighting force. This way, we'll have an easier time defeating the enemy, and who knows, with sufficient supplies, we might even be able to drive them into the sea in one go."
At this time, Gao Quan, who was excited about speaking, did not notice the changing expressions on Peng's face, which were filled with worry, sorrow, and joy, and he fell into a great contradiction. The puppet army had built strong fortifications in the 38th parallel area, while the US military was repairing them from behind. If they wanted to fight, they could only fight against the US military, but the enemy's main force, the US military, would escape, and there were still tens of thousands of US troops retreating at sea. If they fought too fiercely and attacked too deeply, their rear would be empty, and it was possible that the US military would launch a second Inchon landing. However, this was not allowed by politics, nor was it allowed by the national pride that had just been stirred up domestically, nor was it allowed by the conditions of Soviet aid, nor was it allowed by diplomacy in all aspects. Therefore, when Peng said seriously, "This is the decision of the Party Central Committee," Gao Quan replied, "Yes, although I still have personal opinions, I, Gao Quan, resolutely obey and execute the orders of the Party, with the Party commanding the guns." Although Gao Quan was still very regretful, he had to carry out the order of the Party. The only thing he could do was try his best to minimize the casualties of his troops, remind other troops not to charge too deeply, and cross the 38th parallel as a political requirement, eliminating part of the puppet army after crossing the line.
Riding on the pre-war days, various departments began to train and educate, and the convoys that transported the troops went back to transport supplies. Under Gaoquan's suggestion, the new-style stir-fry with eggs, vegetables, and carrots was widely welcomed by the soldiers. With the arrival of supplies, the heavy artillery ammunition of the whole army was replenished to two bases, the infantry guns and mortars were replenished to five bases, the machine guns and submachine guns were replenished to six bases, and each soldier had 10 hand grenades. In addition, more than 800,000 old soldiers were drawn from various units to supplement the front-line troops.
When the deputy commander Li Yixiao received more than 60,000 old soldiers, he smiled with joy. Those old soldiers knew that they were the backbone of the troops from their gun-wielding posture. The security guard Tom also made those old soldiers envious, although he was a member of the elite team in the army, but he didn't have such good assault rifles. Although everyone knows about the Wan Sui Army's 38th Army and the Iron Blooded Lion Independent Regiment, looking at their equipment, the murderous aura, and the ten-wheeled large truck that came to pick them up, with a high-mounted machine gun on top, compared to other old soldiers who had to march to the army on foot, this treatment was just different.
The fully replenished independent division set out for our army's departure position on the 38th line on the night of December 20.
