Siheyuan: A Family of Loyal and Brave People

In the early morning, a red sun rose from the eastern horizon. Dewdrops lay on the grass leaves by the roadside, and the air, which should have been clear, was filled with pungent gunpowder smoke.

At dawn, when the enemy's morale was most relaxed, the volunteer army launched a strong attack on the enemy's 402nd Regiment.

With the help of artillery cover, the three main regiments of the Volunteer Army fully utilized their numerical advantage, surrounded the enemy on three sides, and launched attacks one after another, like an endless wave, rushing towards the enemy positions.

The enemy's 402nd Regiment immediately fell into a bitter battle, and when the news that their retreat had been cut off came, their already low morale was further dampened.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the American officers in the regiment led their soldiers to retreat at full speed without waiting for the order from the commander of the 402nd Regiment. At this point, if they did not flee, they would be surrounded and annihilated.

The US military officers gave priority to the safety of their own troops. As for the rest of the UN troops in the regiment, the US military didn't take them seriously at all. They were just a bunch of miscellaneous soldiers who were put together temporarily, so they were buried. If they could delay the Volunteer Army and buy them time to evacuate, it would be a worthy death.

This is a major disadvantage of the United Nations Army. Soldiers from different countries have different status, interests, beliefs, and demands. When the war is going well, they can still maintain superficial unity and unite to resist the enemy.

Once the battle situation becomes unfavorable, internal conflicts will instantly intensify, disagreements will break out, combat effectiveness will drop sharply, and it will be easy to collapse.

At this time, the situation of the 402nd Regiment was no longer unfavorable, but was almost in a desperate situation.

Originally, considering the excellent equipment and strong combat capability of the US Army, it would be fine for them to stay and hold on until help came. However, the US Army in the 402nd Regiment had just been severely beaten by the th and th Companies, and had lost not only manpower but also morale. They dared not stay and continue to fight, and could only choose to retreat.

As the U.S. troops retreated, the remaining soldiers of various countries in the 402nd Regiment were all in an uproar, and the situation instantly got out of control.

Many quick-reacting enemy soldiers hurriedly abandoned their positions and chased the American troops, hoping to find a way to survive together.

Those who reacted slowly just stood there, not knowing whether to move forward or backward.

However, the volunteers did not give them much time to think. Seeing that the enemy was wavering, they intensified their offensive and launched a reckless charge against the enemy's positions.

After just one wave of fierce attacks, the soldiers of the 402nd Regiment who remained in their positions collapsed and began to flee in an organized manner.

The commander of the 402nd Regiment did not think about restraining the troops, but at this point in the war, it was meaningless to execute a few deserters to maintain military discipline. They had already lost command of the troops, and the entire regiment had lost its most basic organizational ability.

The only thing they could do was to run as fast as they could. It was better to escape than to stay where they were and wait for death.

……

After repelling the first wave of attempts by the US military, the two companies that cut off the retreat of the 402nd Regiment soon faced a fierce battle.

A US military force almost equal in number to two companies, led by the commander, launched a strong attack on their makeshift and crude positions, intending to open up a retreat route.

The mission of the 5th and 7th Companies is to hold on here and delay the enemy's retreat, so as not to let the enemy succeed.

As a result, the battle between the two sides entered a white-hot stage.

Driven by the desire to survive, the American soldiers showed strong fighting power. Various automatic firepower fired alternately, covering the positions, almost suppressing the seventh and fifth companies.

After the suppression, the US soldiers quickly maneuvered in batches, intending to provide alternating cover, bypass the positions set up by the Seventh Company, and escape.

"Follow my orders, prepare the grenades!"

Cheng Hao lay prone in a makeshift trench made of piled earth. He made a decision immediately after seeing through the reserved observation hole that the US troops were trying to take a detour from both sides.

The experienced soldiers from the 7th Company took the grenades that had been unscrewed long ago, pulled the fuses, and threw them all out at Cheng Hao's command.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Billowing smoke and dust rose up along with continuous explosions. For a moment, sand and rocks flew everywhere, and the vision of both armies was all gray and yellow.

Cheng Hao didn't stick his head out to observe. Just from the enemy's gunshots and screams, he could tell that this round of grenades was effective and had successfully suppressed the American troops that had approached.

The temporary defeat of the US military did not make Cheng Hao relax his vigilance. He urged his troops to guard their positions strictly and not to attack rashly with a calm expression.

In this local battle, time is undoubtedly on the side of the Seventh Company.

They only need to hold out for a few more quarters of an hour and wait for the main force on the front battlefield to sweep over, and then they will be able to catch a turtle in a jar and easily swallow up most of the 402nd Regiment.

However, the battlefield situation is unpredictable and the development of events is often beyond the control of the commander.

As soon as Cheng Hao's order was conveyed, dozens of people on the left wing rushed out of their positions and launched an attack on the stunned American troops.

"What's going on over there?! Didn't I give the order not to attack?"

Cheng Hao frowned and looked at the messenger beside him, his trembling voice full of anger.

Disobeying orders is a taboo on the battlefield. How can we fight a war if we act in such a chaotic manner?

The messenger glanced at the left wing hastily and explained: "Captain, it's not our company, it's the Fifth Company."

"Fifth Company?"

Cheng Hao's eyes were dim, and after he realized what was happening, he sighed helplessly.

Shortly after repelling the first wave of US troops, in order to facilitate command, the 7th and 5th companies were stationed on separate sides.

The right wing was defended by the fifth company and the left wing by the seventh company.

At this time, the fifth company suddenly attacked, and Cheng Hao was really out of reach.

"Captain, should we continue to hold our position, or..." the platoon leader asked carefully.

Friendly forces suddenly launched an attack. Although the Seventh Company was not informed in advance, it was difficult for the Seventh Company to ignore it.

"Have you forgotten the order I just gave?

Order all members of the Seventh Company to strictly defend their positions and not to attack without authorization.

Anyone who disobeys the order will be punished by military law!"

Cheng Hao once again solemnly reiterated the military order.

The soldiers of the fifth company were not under Cheng Hao's command, but those of the seventh company had to obey his orders.

"Yes!"

Cheng Hao had a very high prestige in the Seventh Company, so no one dared to question or refute his orders. The officers who came over were ready to go down and carry out the orders.

"First Platoon Leader, send your men to the left wing and be ready to support the Fifth Company's retreat at any time!"

Not leaving your position does not mean doing nothing.

The fifth company launched an assault on its own, and if anything unexpected happened, Cheng Hao would still have to help clean up the mess.

Now the two companies have penetrated the enemy's rear, choking the enemy's throat while also putting themselves in danger. We are all in the same boat, and we will prosper together and suffer together.

If the left-wing position guarded by the Fifth Company is breached, the Seventh Company led by Cheng Hao will also be affected.

On the other side, dozens of people from the Fifth Company, led by the company commander, attacked the U.S. troops.

Perhaps they did not expect the 5th Company to be so crazy that they would abandon their positions and launch an attack on them. The US troops were caught off guard and suffered considerable losses in just one encounter.

The morale of the American troops was already low, and they were supported entirely by the will to escape. Now that the vanguard had suffered a second setback, many of them were in a panic.