the world is at stake

The wind tide blowing from Gaima Plateau is heading south, and winter is coming.

The mountains are cold and weird.The vegetation has decayed, and the scenery is only black and gray.The lines of the ridges are constantly changing under the flares, and the distorted shadows are like impressionist paintings, unpredictable.

The sergeant major of the second platoon of Company C held up his binoculars to observe the movement in the thick darkness.

The strange and foreign land in view is extremely uncomfortable.It's not the tropical beaches of Florida, the majestic mountains of the Rocky Mountains, or the meandering rivers of Mississippi.

It's just a damned, barren, poor wilderness.

There are black, skinny Asian aborigines living here. They are either groveling and begging for some food scraps, or they are running around in a hurry to escape, or they are full of hatred and try to avenge their shame.

The staff officer of the 29st Cavalry Division scattered the [-]th Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion in the mountains east of Shaliyuan with a single point on the map.Those son-of-a-bitch officers in the division are just so casual, thinking that no one in North Korea can threaten them.

The second platoon was stationed on a high ground in the mountains east of the Shaliyuan.The company headquarters was stationed in Hewan Village on the high ground, but the entire platoon of thirty or so soldiers could only build a circular fortification on the open space outside the village.

It is good to be able to stay outside the village and do fortification.

The fierce company sergeant forced a squad to climb up to the high ground near the village, and placed a mortar on top, firing flares all night and all night, saying that it was to prevent the North Korean army from attacking at night.

North Korean army?

Those guys who ran for their lives like mice can still attack at night?

In addition to the sergeant major who was stubbornly loyal to his duty, he grabbed two unlucky second-class soldiers and stood by the mortar, firing a shell every few minutes.

The other soldiers huddled behind the leeward rocks, cursing the damn weather and the sergeant major, and MacArthur who sent them to North Korea, a shitty place.

But at this moment in Jinchuan, southeast of Shaliyuan, Major General Hobart Gay of the First Cavalry Division received a telegram from the Eighth Army at his headquarters.

The communication staff officer issued a warning, "Your Excellency, our electronic interception personnel discovered that a large number of strange radio signals suddenly appeared around the Shaliyuan. They were in frequent contact five days ago, and the communication tonight has increased by an order of magnitude."

Major General Gay stood in front of the sand table and frowned after receiving the draft telegram from the staff officer.He asked the staff officer to mark the location of the radio signal.

But the staff officer shook his head and said: "Sorry, Your Excellency. Most of the interceptors found walkie-talkies used by the platoon. There are hundreds of them, covering almost all areas thirty kilometers to the north. And they don't speak Korean, but Chinese."

"Chinese, can you know the specific content of their communication?" Major General Gay asked.

Although MacArthur strongly advocated that China would not send troops to North Korea, the senior commanders of the US military were still vaguely uneasy.They captured some Volunteer scouts, but UNC always denied that this was a precursor to an attack.

The staff officer shook his head and said, "We recruited some Chinese soldiers to listen, but they only understand the dialect of southern China, and they don't understand what is being said on the walkie-talkie at all? They only know the dialect of other parts of China."

At the end, the staff officer added, "I just now know that there are [-] million people in that damned country, and there are countless dialects. Their language is a natural code."

Major General Gay realized that the danger was approaching, and his brows frowned even tighter.But before he gave any order, more than a dozen radio stations in the headquarters suddenly beeped.

The atmosphere in the headquarters suddenly became tense.

All the troops under the [-]st Cavalry Division sent a communication to the division headquarters almost at the same time.

The tranquility of the night completely disappeared at this moment.It's like hot water in a cauldron finally reaches the critical point in the fire and suddenly boils.

The war drama, which was thought to be coming to an end, has just played its cruel prelude.

On the high ground in the village occupied by Company C of the 29th Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion, the company sergeant heard the rustling of stones breaking in the wind.He stared wide-eyed beyond the stone parapet, trying to spot something in the afterglow of the flares.

The sound fades away quickly...

But something is wrong.

The sergeant major fought in World War II, fighting Japanese shorties in New Guinea, Iwo Jima, and Luzon.He knows that the East Asian army is not easy to mess with, and he is especially good at forbearing, lurking, and sneak attacking.

"Damn it, get up." The sergeant major kicked the hapless guy beside him. "There are enemies outside the parapet, and they are lurking under our noses. Machine guns, set up the machine guns."

The infantry squad guarding the high ground panicked out of their respective shelters, and rushed to the gravel parapet with their weapons in hand.An M1919A4 heavy machine gun was set up, pointing at the suspicious direction described by the sergeant major.

Three flares hit the sky in a row, illuminating the area of ​​hundreds of meters around.All the American soldiers stared nervously at the shadows made of rocks and mounds under the high ground.

At first glance, the high ground is all gray, and there is nothing unusual.

But if you look closely, you will find dozens of crawling human figures scattered around the highlands.They are perfectly hidden in the night, quietly approaching the parapet.

At this moment, the distance between the two sides is less than 30 meters.

The U.S. troops on the high ground were all extremely terrified.But before the sergeant major gave the order to attack, a flare was also lit up in the dark night opposite, and hit the heads of the Americans who built the parapet.

The night is illuminated!

"Fire and kill these yellow-skinned monkeys." The sergeant major cursed anxiously.He had seen the Japanese play this trick before.But the situation before us is more dangerous than anything in the past.

With the shout of the sergeant major, about 180 meters outside the parapet of the high ground, behind the shadow of the stone, the fire and the sound of guns exploded.Two 57mm anti-personnel grenades flew out of the chamber, trailing smoke, and hit the parapet with a whoosh.

The M18 recoilless gun was less powerful, but under the impact of two shells, the breast wall made of gravel was still blown up and flying all over the sky.

The gravel itself turned into high-speed fragments instead, blowing up the American soldiers behind the parapet and screaming again and again.

Behind the shadow of the stone are two artillery squads of the Volunteer Army, which are specially strengthened to deal with the US highland guard posts that are used to build simple fortifications.

After firing two grenades, the second gunner quickly opened the bolt and ejected the hot shell casing.The third gunner quickly stuffed another grenade in, closed the bolt, and patted the gunner on the shoulder.

A gunner knelt on the ground with one leg. He didn't bring a bulky triangular gun mount, and only used the single leg of the gun body to support the gun body on the stone.

Before being slapped on the shoulder by his comrades, he turned the muzzle slightly.After the second round was loaded, he fired a shot at the flaming US machine gun position opposite him.

The M1919A4 fought happily behind the parapet, pulling out a half-meter-long muzzle flame.The bullets were whizzing around, and the ground below the high ground was spewing dust.

But half of the 18 rounds of ammunition hadn't been knocked out, and the two M[-] guns were all on it.

The violent explosion blasted the flesh and blood of the American soldiers behind the parapet, and the important firepower output suddenly went silent.An infantry platoon lurking under the enemy's nose immediately jumped up from the hillside and quickly approached the enemy's position.

After the blasted rubble, the US machine gunner hugged his arm and shouted.The poor fellow from Kentucky, usually the handsomest guy in the company, was crying all over the place looking for his severed arm.

The sergeant major was held down by the collapsed parapet, and he struggled to get up again, shouting loudly: "Machine gun, get the machine gun up again."

There is only one squad on the high ground, except for a mortar, only the machine gun is the mainstay of firepower.If it misfires, the entire squad of U.S. troops will be finished in a short while.

Two U.S. soldiers obeyed the order and hurriedly ran to reset the M1919A4.But before the bulky heavy machine gun was erected again, more than a dozen black things flew up from the broken parapet.

"Grenade, get down!" The sergeant major yelled again, pulling a soldier who was leaning against the parapet and shooting desperately to get down together.

The highland parapet was repaired in the shape of a chrysanthemum, and the thrown grenades exploded in several 'petals'.

The grenade used by the Volunteer Army in the early days was of poor quality, but this time it was the Soviet product, RG-42.

More than a dozen grenades exploded one after another, causing heavy casualties to the American soldiers on the high ground.Then came the volunteer soldiers who charged up with rifles.

When the sergeant major got up again, one arm was already useless.He drew out his self-defense pistol with one hand, and fired repeatedly at the black shadow emerging from the parapet.

The monotonous gunshots rang out four or five times, and it seemed that one or two targets were hit.But this was the final result of the Sergeant Major of Company C of the 29th Air Defense Artillery Battalion.He was quickly shot dead by volunteer soldiers rushing up from the other direction.

Before he died, the sergeant major staggered and tried to escape, but when he turned over the parapet from the other side of the high ground, he saw flames everywhere in the nameless river bend.

Flares provided illumination for the entire battlefield. Several highlands around Company C were attacked, and mortar shells continued to rain down on the village where the company headquarters was located.

The volunteer soldiers who rushed up quickly cleaned the battlefield, and they soon discovered that each squad of the U.S. military had a heavy machine gun and a mortar was also strengthened.

"Strengthen the fortifications, the enemy will definitely want to take this place back."

"Squad, come up. There's a mortar here."

"Put up the enemy's heavy machine gun and see if it can still be used?"

"Communication soldier, tell the battalion headquarters that we have already opened the high ground to the north of the enemy, and the attack channel has been opened."

What rushed up to the high ground was a reinforced platoon, commanded by a company commander of the Volunteer Army himself.Whether it is a heavy machine gun or a mortar, immediately turn around and bombard the main force of the US military on the high ground.

The M19 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun was exposed in the open space of the village and became the focus of the attack.There is a special '82 artillery platoon' that continues to output firepower towards it, suppressing it firmly.

During the exchange of fire, the company commander of the Volunteer Army who occupied the highlands in the north couldn't help feeling emotional: "It's great that the firepower is strong. Two M18s were waiting, and they quickly opened up the enemy's fortifications like smashing hard walnuts.

In the past, we used to fight such a small group of fortifications stubbornly defended by stubborn enemies. There were both mortars and heavy machine guns.Now this battle is called a happy one! "

Chapter 16 Falling on the Eve of Victory

The battle started at 11 o'clock at night, and Major General Gay, who was staying in Jinchuan, could hear the rumble of artillery in the night. It was the eighteen M41 self-propelled howitzers of the divisional artillery battalion roaring non-stop.

All regiment-level units of the [-]st Cavalry Division reported on the radio that they had been violently attacked at night.The opponent charged at the [-]st Cavalry Division with at least twice as many troops, and fought together on a front of more than [-] kilometers.

There is no doubt that the opponent has changed.This organizational ability alone is not possessed by the bereaved dogs of the North Korean army. It must be China that sent troops.

The 155mm grenades were launched into the sky one after another, flying towards the target area more than ten kilometers away.Those were the positions where the attacked troops called for fire support.

There are also three 105mm howitzer battalions supporting the battle at the front.Three cavalry regiments plus two divisional armored battalions, and more than 300 tanks were all mobilized.

But after half an hour, Major General Gay got a clear report, "The opponent interspersed two infantry battalions between our Seventh Cavalry Regiment and Eighth Cavalry Regiment?"

This is due to North Korea's mountainous terrain.

In Ruixing County, east of Shaliyuan, the [-]th Cavalry Regiment, the [-]th Cavalry Regiment was preparing to attack on its left flank.There is a gap of about three to five kilometers between the two reloading regiments.

When the opponent found this gap, he took advantage of the dark night to boldly insert nearly 2000 people.These 2000 people occupy the commanding heights on both sides of the road, and are rapidly building fortifications, deploying artillery, and blocking the road.

"This is the Eighth Cavalry Regiment who wants to eat me." Major General Gay didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh, "A group of light infantry, with few artillery and no tanks, actually wanted to forcefully eat my [-]st Cavalry Division." The main force."

This is something that has never been done before.

After the shock, Major General Guy is optimistic about the current situation.

The U.S. military has an absolute advantage in firepower, but it is difficult to use it at night. Even the bombardment of dozens of large-caliber heavy artillery is more of a deterrent and blocking nature.

But that doesn't matter, firepower is everything.

The order of the First Cavalry Division to the regiments was to stick to the spot and wait for dawn.

As soon as the sun breaks, the US Air Force in the Far East will appear overwhelming.

Not only the aircraft carriers cruising in the open sea, not only the airports in South Korea, even the B-29 in Japan will fly over with heavy bombs.

The American Air Force has so many wings that it can obscure the sky.

Major General Gay thought so, but the commanders of the regiments below him felt the pressure.The divided Eighth Cavalry Regiment didn't think so.

The Third Battalion of the Eighth Regiment was arranged near Yinbo Lake, behind it was the 99th Field Artillery Battalion.In order to pursue a wide field of fire, its two tank companies are arranged on the shore of the lake, guarding a road leading to the north.

This would be a perfect arrangement, if the enemy hadn't rolled over from the mountains on the flanks.

As soon as the battle started, the battalion commander, Major Moore, received bad news—the enemy seemed to regard this place as a breakthrough, and concentrated a large amount of artillery fire for bombardment.

The staff officer of the battalion rushed into the command post like shit, and reported that at least one artillery company was in the outer position of the third battalion.

Major Moore scolded angrily: "Idiot, it's just an artillery company.

Listening to the explosion sound should be 75 mm caliber.And behind us there was a battalion of 105mm howitzers.Send out the tanks to find out the enemy artillery position and destroy it. "

When the major said this, the M16 anti-aircraft machine gun vehicle of the battalion headquarters was firing wildly at a surrounding hill.The two infantry squads stationed on the hill were said to be dead, and the enemy was shooting at the battalion headquarters from the hill.

It was not safe for Major Moore to stay in the tent at the battalion headquarters, and he was forced to lead the signal troops to the tank platoon directly under the battalion.An M26 tank is aiming directly at the top of the mountain with a [-]mm tank gun, supporting its own infantry to regain the commanding heights.

On the top of the hill, a platoon of the 120th Regiment of the 360th Division of the Volunteer Army was overwhelmed by the enemy's superior firepower and could not hold its head up.The enemy's machine gun vehicle was equipped with four M2HB large-caliber heavy machine guns, and it swept across the abandoned fortifications like a broom.

The M26 tank gun was even more unbearable. It fired from a few hundred meters away, accurate and ruthless.The two temporarily strengthened fire teams in the platoon have been destroyed, and even the platoon leader of the strengthened platoon has been reimbursed.

The other platoon deputy also had a broken leg, fell into a pool of blood and shouted, "First squad leader, where is the first squad leader?"

"Our squad leader just died." A young head popped up from behind the dilapidated fortifications. He looked ashamed and looked less than 20 years old.

The platoon deputy looked at his broken leg, and ordered to the young soldier who took the lead: "Now you are the squad leader, go find the recoilless gun of the gun crew."

The effective range of the M18 is only 300 meters, and the long-distance accuracy is not high.In the previous confrontation, the two artillery groups failed to hit the tank under Zhongshan, but were bombarded by the enemy to pieces.

The young soldier found a relatively complete cannon from the corpses of his comrades, and carried the cannon back to the platoon deputy.

The platoon deputy glanced at it, and then ordered: "Look for special armor-piercing ammunition, not the one with a round head, but a thin cylinder with the head of the shell."

The young soldier searched among the corpses of the artillery crew again, and found a shell that looked a little strange.

The platoon deputy endured the pain, stabilized his body with his broken leg, and set up the cannon on his shoulder, asking the young soldier to open the bolt and load the cannonball into the barrel.

The batch of artillery supported by Zhou Qingfeng was very cost-effective.

Generally, this kind of small gun is cheap, and the scope is twice as long.But the batch of M18s he sent was equipped with a six-fold zoom scope, taking into account the large field of view and long-distance aiming.

The sight alone is several times more expensive than the gun.

As for the special armor-piercing ammunition, it is an unprecedented ammunition, which was temporarily designed by military personnel.

Considering using 50 years of technology to create a shell that can shoot at tanks at a long distance, we have to strengthen the propellant and equip the shell with tail fins.

The muzzle velocity of the special bullet is faster, the tail is stable and accurate, and equipped with a six-fold sight, it can exert an effective range of 800 meters.But its price is more than ten rounds of ordinary ammunition.

The Volunteers were very happy after using this shell.

But the artillery shells brought by Zhou Qingfeng were mainly grenades with a wide range of uses, and the special armor-piercing shells could only be used to hit tanks, and only [-] rounds were shipped.The Volunteer Army only carries two rounds per artillery group, and they are reluctant to use them for targets that are not particularly valuable.

But sometimes being too frugal hurts yourself.

Now that the situation on the battlefield is critical, the platoon deputy with a broken leg is going all out.

He first raised his head slightly to observe the US barracks a few hundred meters down the mountain.The M16 anti-aircraft machine gun car chugs and chugs endlessly, and the large-caliber projectiles smashed the mountain to dust.