Chapter 52: Breaking the Sabbath's Offensive

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  As the US 23rd Regiment of the 2nd Division had been annihilated, Gao Quan's attention turned to the two US military units that came to support. In order to break Lee Kiefer's idea that our army could only launch a surprise attack on Sunday, so that the US military would not dare to pursue our main force, Gao Quan decided to fight a few more battles. The food reserves of the division were all taken out and distributed to the soldiers, and many old soldiers were also mobilized to go up the mountain to collect wild vegetables and fruits to supplement the food supply.

  Gao Quan, with a slightly pale face, leaned against the wall, coughing from time to time, but still carefully looking at the situation map of both armies. The front line of the US 38th Regiment of the 2nd Division was almost all flat plains. If our army attacked without a place to hide, so many tanks and artillery would be lost under the bombing of planes, and the enemy would easily run away, unable to annihilate them.

  However, after crossing the Liupu River, the front line of the 5th Cavalry Regiment was mostly mountainous roads, which was conducive to our army's infiltration, division, and encirclement. But the enemy had many tanks and artillery, and our firepower advantage could not be brought into play, resulting in more casualties. It seemed that only a clever strategy could work.

  As the US reconnaissance plane arrived on the battlefield in Toppurri, the originally calm battlefield became lively again. The rolling black smoke almost blocked the sky above the battlefield, with bullets flying back and forth, and dense explosions everywhere. The pilots who had thought that the 23rd Regiment was completely annihilated immediately reported the good news to the division headquarters (because they had not contacted the division for a whole night, so the officers at the division headquarters all thought that the 23rd Regiment was finished), and more than a thousand US troops were still holding on in an stronghold supported by several large fortifications, although small-caliber mortar shells from the Communist forces were constantly whizzing into the US position, setting off small explosions and smoke. The American army still existed and was still resisting!

  At this time, the wireless radio also transmitted the chaotic voices from the ground, the dense gunfire, the explosion of hand grenades, the wailing of the wounded, and the angry scolding of officers. The delighted pilot immediately called out through the wireless radio to the US military below: "I am Louis, the pilot of the Second Division's artillery reconnaissance plane! If anyone can hear me, I can call for assistance you need - ammunition, air support, medicine, anything! Please respond!"

  Feng Gui, who was hiding in a US military bunker, shouted hoarsely with his hands covering his throat: "Come and rescue us quickly! We've lost everything, the ground is full of wounded soldiers, we have no ammo or supplies left, our soldiers are already engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the Chinese army, Colonel Freeman has been killed, Colonel Jack is seriously injured...!"

  After a loud explosion, his voice disappeared. Zhang Dabiao, who was covering his mouth, finally burst out laughing and imitated Feng Gui's voice, saying "Come and rescue us! We have no ammo left!" He frantically pounded the ground with his fists, creating deep holes in the mud.

  However, Feng Gui had really lost his temper this time. Soon, the sound of punches and flesh hitting each other came from the bunker. When Zhang Dabiao emerged from the bunker with a bruised face and limping legs, Liu Laosan and Li Jijin looked at each other nervously. They were about to go in and see what happened when they saw Feng Gui's ferocious eyes and quickly retreated.

  Only after watching Feng Gui walk away did Liu Laosan ask quietly: "Hey, Old Li, how did our battalion commander get beaten up like this?"

  Li Jijin whispered back: "I'll tell you a secret! Our division commander is the descendant of a southern martial arts master. He can jump high and break big rocks with one hand. This time, the American artillery was powerful, but our commander has practiced the Golden Bell Cover and Iron Shirt techniques. If he hadn't been hit by an American shell, he wouldn't have been injured! So how could Battalion Commander Feng defeat our division commander?"

  Cao Riyan, who was passing by, muttered to himself: "I used to be a bandit in the green forest, but I've never heard of our commander's reputation. Is he a descendant of a martial arts master?" He looked at the division headquarters with surprise and shook his head before running towards the reconnaissance company.

  Liu Laosan asked again: "Old Li, what's going on? Why did Battalion Commander Feng get beaten up?"

  Li Jijin whispered back: "Don't ask, just don't ask. It's not good to know too much."

  Colonel Kolombet of the 5th Cavalry Regiment had just finished repairing a bridge destroyed by our army overnight, and after receiving news from his superiors that the 23rd Regiment was completely annihilated, he prepared to retreat. However, he suddenly received an urgent telegram from the Eighth Army Headquarters, requesting them to continue northward to support the remaining US troops. Despite being deeply saddened by the news of his friend Freeman's sacrifice, Kolombet still set out immediately to fulfill his duty and responsibility. To speed up their advance, two artillery battalions and two infantry battalions launched a fierce attack on the mountain occupied by the Communist army. However, the Communist forces seemed to emerge from underground, and despite suffering heavy casualties under the repeated firepower of our aircraft and artillery, they continued to snipe at our troops with reckless abandon. Unable to bear it any longer, Kolombet decided to take a gamble and led a strike force consisting of 23 tanks and over 160 officers and men from the 3rd Battalion's 1st Company under the cover of aircraft to rapidly advance towards Pungchiri.

  Under the order of "only tanks, infantry eliminated" issued by High Command, the troops of 42nd Army's 126th Division continuously ambushed enemy convoys along the road. Despite the enemy using incendiary bombs to burn the hills and forests on both sides of the highway into a wall of fire blocking our army, wave after wave of hand grenades, machine guns, recoilless rifles, rocket shells repeatedly cleared the infantry loaded on top of tanks. The 90mm rocket tubes even tore apart the weak armor on the side of several enemy tanks, creating huge fireballs and jumping steel beasts; not to mention the roadside bombs converted from 155mm artillery shells, which directly overturned tanks, with broken tracks falling to the ground, and the charred steel armor stained with the bright red of shattered flesh. After Colonel Kolombets led his troops to escape that passage leading to hell, they had lost one-third of their tanks and two-thirds of their infantry.

  The tank company commander, who had narrowly escaped death, angrily shouted: "The road to Pingli is a trap set by the enemy for us! That damned Gaoquan won't let us in so easily. He'll drain our blood and then let us enter Pingli as powerless prisoners of war, to be sent to labor camps! No, damn it, I don't want to go in! I'll take my soldiers and tanks back!" At this time, the sound of gunfire from Pingli was becoming more sporadic. Seeing the urgency of the situation, Kolomiyets disregarded the tank company commander's opposition, bound him up and stuffed him into the tank, then ordered the tank to launch a rapid assault on Pingli!

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