Chapter 66: The Fierce Tiger Emerges from the Mountain and Roars at the Mountains and Rivers
"The newly launched 'Operation Ripper' has achieved brilliant results! In just 14 days, the capital of the Republic of Korea, Seoul, was recaptured from the clutches of communism." This news was widely publicized by American media, newspapers and broadcasts, as if the US military was achieving a huge victory on the battlefield.
Only Li Qimiao was worried, because of the fierce fighting on the front line, and worrying about the dwindling reserve forces. The volunteer army was fiercely sniping on the front line, and the US puppet army could only start a useless charge after repeated bombing and artillery fire and dense machine gun fire, just hoping that the enemy would be exhausted by the repeated bombardment and then they could easily take over the position!
But in order to strike our army, not allowing our army to have a chance to breathe, General Mathew Ridgway repeatedly ordered troops to launch an attack on the Volunteer Army from Goyang to Bonghwa-ri, which is 80 kilometers away from the 38th parallel and has a wide front of over 100 miles. Every day was filled with artillery fire, and the enemy transported truckloads of corpses downhill, while our army also sent out supporting troops one after another. It seemed like this meat grinder was testing the endurance of commanders with the blood of soldiers!
The independent first division preparing to go on the front line met the 38th army who came down to rest. Looking at the old battalion commander with a face full of dust, the emotions that had been suppressed for a long time surged up. The two men squatted on the rocks by the side of the road not far away, smoking and watching the cars speeding by on the highway, raising clouds of dust, and the air defense sentry not far away on the mountain, carefully observing the sky under the green pines to see if there were any enemy planes coming to bomb.
Liáng Jūn looked down at the flickering cigarette, and said with a bitter smile: "This time I've really suffered a loss. Originally, we were doing well in the Zhongyue area, but then we were transferred to defend Hancheng, and we took a big hit from the American 3rd Division. This son of a bitch is always either using tanks for cover or dropping bombs from planes. Many soldiers who were guarding high-rise buildings were killed by enemy planes, and many soldiers' barricades were blown up by a single cannon. The enemy's firepower was too strong, and the lesson was profound."
To be honest, the battle in Seoul was a big loss, although we killed 3,000-4,000 American soldiers and wounded nearly 10,000 enemies, but my troops sacrificed more than 6,000 people, plus over 10,000 wounded, which is much more than the enemy. This battle was really frustrating! Looking at the old company commander who lowered his head, Gao Daquan also didn't know how to comfort him, and only said
"Our army is on the defensive, and we will always be suppressed by the enemy's firepower advantage. Although I studied (pirated) trench works earlier, they are only useful in mountainous areas with rocky terrain. In urban warfare, the enemy does not care about civilian casualties, and there are not many solid buildings in Hanshui City either. This is why you, Old Commissar, suffered relatively heavy losses this time. However, we have fought few urban defensive battles and lack experience. We still need to study hard for future reference."
Li Jun Chang looked at Gao Quan seriously and said, "You'd better be careful this time when you go up to fight the 3rd US Division. They have a type of armored vehicle called an infantry fighting vehicle, with thin armor, but it's equipped with a 35mm machine gun and a 60mm mortar, and can also carry ten infantrymen! I've suffered a lot at their hands!" Gao Quan jumped up in surprise, stuttering nervously, "W-what? They have infantry fighting vehicles?"
Looking at the silly appearance of Gao Quan, Liang Jun finally burst out laughing "You little devil, why are you so tense? This thing has thin skin, I've destroyed many in Hancheng, but its 35mm machine gun can fire continuously, my heavy machine gun was knocked down by it several times, and there's also a 60mm mortar that can shoot curved trajectories! The firepower is very strong, the Americans are really damn rich!" But Gao Quan no longer had the mood to listen, he was only thinking, could it be that the Americans have also crossed over? And they even have some knowledge of military affairs! It seems that this battle will be even more brutal.
Actually, he didn't know that this batch of armored infantry fighting vehicles was ordered by the newly independent Israel because they found that the continuous firing machine gun could also destroy the opponent's World War II level tanks. The 35mm machine gun and 60mm mortar could also support infantry combat. However, it was directly requisitioned by the US Army due to the lack of armored infantry transport power on the front line.
"Alright, just be careful and pay attention to your opponent. Gao Quan, who was drinking hot tea while being examined by Nurse Tian Yu, looked at Feng Gui, who had just walked in, and said: "Feng Gui, this time our old commander was outsmarted by the Americans. I want you to go investigate the American infantry fighting vehicle, see how it performs in combat, what kind of firepower it has! If possible, try to get one back for us to 'study'. Also, go take a look at the combat strength of the American 3rd Division. Last time we didn't really engage with them, so this time your reconnaissance must be thorough. That's all, you can go prepare the troops now!"
"Yes, I guarantee the completion of the task." Feng Gui gave a military salute and then took the reconnaissance requirements and walked away quickly. As a result, the four assault companies under Feng Gui's command were immediately dispersed to conduct reconnaissance and harassment operations.
The troops of the shock camp who marched in the mountains during the day quickly took advantage of the cover of night and soon approached the surroundings of the enemy's overnight camp. The enemy was sleeping soundly in their tents, with only a few sentries on guard around them (they didn't dare send out patrols for fear of being attacked by our army), and there was only one layer of barbed wire around the perimeter.
Soldiers crouched in the depression, their black gun muzzles trained on the enemy who might appear at any moment. Jiang Xuefeng carefully observed the layout of the enemy's position and nodded to Cao Ri, who had just arrived from another unit. A swift shadow quickly crawled towards the US military camp, clearing out landmines buried underground one by one, pulling out fuses and putting them in his backpack before continuing to infiltrate the enemy camp.
"Ji'en, you bastard, come and do your duty quickly, or I'll make you wash socks for the whole company!" Sergeant Jie was furious when he saw that Ji'en's post was empty again. Ji'en shouted from a distance, "Sergeant, I'm having a bowel movement!" "Then hurry up, I'm timing you. If you can't finish within one minute, you'll have to wash a pair of socks for someone else every second."
You pervert, Jian's heart cursed, but he just hastily wiped his butt and pulled up his pants before running over. Cao Ri saw them retreat further back and then stop to observe carefully. Not far away, many tanks and armored vehicles were parked, and there were also many sentries on that side, it seemed difficult to get close, only some methods could be used.
Cao Ri retreated along the original route and after discussing with Jiang Xuefeng, they decided that Jiang Xuefeng would go in another direction to probe the enemy, lure them away, and then Cao Ri would take the opportunity to sneak past and conduct a thorough reconnaissance.
