Chapter 69: Assault on the Qingchuan River Bridge 4
A fierce battle broke out on the west side of the Qingchuan River Bridge, but British Major Ackerman failed to provide timely support. Ackerman's reason for refusing to provide support was that the Chinese army attacking Thompson had no heavy weapons, artillery, or heavy machine guns, and their weapons and equipment were inferior to Thompson's.
of the U.S. military.
Thompson's company belongs to the 1st Cavalry Division of the US Army. It is a company with outstanding military exploits. Thompson is also an excellent commander. How can a few Chinese people with crude weapons do anything to Thompson.
Unexpectedly, in just ten minutes, Thompson's defense line collapsed. Thompson retreated to a house with dozens of American troops. Ackerman wanted to support him, but it was too late. The river had just frozen, and people could not be on it yet.
Walking across the Qingchuan River Bridge, soldiers became a living target for the Chinese. The Qingchuan River Bridge was less than ten meters wide, and with just one light machine gun, the entire bridge deck would be blocked.
Ackerman looked anxiously at the battle situation on the west side of the Qingchuan River Bridge through the telescope. When he saw Thompson leading a dozen remaining soldiers to escape across the Qingchuan River in embarrassment, Ackerman immediately ordered Lieutenant Bader to respond.
When he saw Captain Thompson, Ackerman felt very uncomfortable. The image of the US military was greatly compromised in Ackerman's heart. Thompson had lost his hat, his pistol was nowhere to be found, and one of his leather boots was also lost. "Captain Thompson,
How could this happen? Are these Chinese people Ares?"
Ares is the god of war in ancient Greek mythology, one of the twelve main gods of Olympus, and the son of Zeus, the king of gods, and Hera, the queen of heaven. In the Western world, he is regarded as the embodiment of the martial spirit.
Thompson was extremely embarrassed. Originally, Thompson looked down on Ackerman the most. He was just a descendant of a down-and-out English nobleman. He always acted like an aristocratic gentleman and felt that he was superior to others. He didn't expect that Ackerman would see his joke today.
"Major Ackerman, although the Chinese we encountered are not Ares, they are also the strongest enemies I have encountered. They attack very fast, their soldiers are brave, and their individual quality far exceeds ours. You should provide timely support.
We." Thompson told the truth without any concealment. He was very dissatisfied with Ackerman's failure to support him in time.
The 1st Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army is the main force of the U.S. Marine Corps and has always been the pioneer of the U.S. Army. Captain Thompson of the 1st Cavalry Division is a proud man. He did not expect to have such a high opinion of the Chinese Army. The U.S. Army has always respected its capable opponents. Ackerman felt
Because of the seriousness of the problem, he did not defend himself and immediately ordered, "Lieutenant Bader, strengthen the security. With the bridge as the center, security posts will be placed 200 meters on both sides."
The sky was getting dark, and the Ninth Company took control of the west side of the Qingchuan River Bridge before dark. Feng Ren ordered to build simple fortifications along the river bank to prepare for the U.S. military raid on the other side. The Ninth Company Commander Feng Ren and the instructor Cheng Min discussed, "Instructor, the U.S. Army
It's on the other side, no more than 500 meters away from us. We should rush over and defeat this group of American troops to ensure that we can successfully control the Qingchuan River Bridge."
Cheng Min shook his head and replied, "Old Feng, the instructions from our superiors require us to control the west side of the Qingchuan River Bridge. Now we have completed the task. The terrain on the east bank of the Qingchuan River is complex, and the situation of the US military is unknown. Without orders from our superiors, we cannot act without authorization."
Feng Ren's idea was rejected by Cheng Min. After waiting for a few minutes, Feng Ren proposed a new plan, "Instructor, we can send a small force to sneak across the Qingchuan River and harass the US military from the flank. The US military's flank is threatened.
Don’t dare to launch an attack on us easily.”
Regarding Feng Ren's sneak attack plan, Cheng Minmin agreed, "Old Feng, your plan is good. I agree with it. It will prevent the US military from sleeping peacefully. Who are you going to send over to carry out the sneak attack mission?"
Feng Ren answered without thinking, "Of course it's Jiu Shan. After a period of training, Jiu Shan has become more and more mature and can stand alone."
Cheng Min suggested, "I agree to go as a platoon leader, but we need to bring Santong and Lu Chen with us. Santong is cautious and Lu Chen is an all-rounder. With them and Jiu Shan together, I feel at ease."
At four o'clock in the morning, when it was just dawn, Feng Ren assigned a mission to Chen Jiushan, "Jiushan, your mission is to sneak across the Qingchuan River and harass the U.S. troops on the east side of the Qingchuan River Bridge from the flanks. Remember, when you see my signal, you must immediately
Pull back, the signal is three yellow flares."
Cheng Min ordered, "Platoon leader, Deputy Liu and Lu Chen will follow you. Remember, your mission is to harass. Once you achieve your goal, withdraw immediately."
Chen Jiushan replied, "Instructor, company commander, please rest assured that we will go over soon and attack the US military from the flank. We will evacuate immediately after receiving the signal to retreat."
There were still eighteen soldiers in Chen Jiushan's platoon, plus Liu Santang and Lu Chen, a total of twenty people. Chen Jiushan led everyone along the bank of the Qingchuan River and moved 500 meters southeast. The river here is wider and the green area is more open.
There is a small island in the middle of the Sichuan River. Chen Jiushan whispered an order, "Everyone, please pay attention. The ice on the river is very thin. You can only crawl, but you cannot stand up and walk. Let's take action. The first target is the island in the middle of the river."
Erzhu was the first to step into the river. He quickly lay down and rolled forward. Erzhu was from Hecheng in Northeast China. He grew up by the Nen River. Rolling ice was a childhood game. The river bank is more than 250 meters away from Jiangxin Island.
, and soon the second pillar rolled to Jiangxin Island, and everyone followed the second pillar to climb up the river island one after another.
Jiangxin Island is small in area, with sparse vegetation and only a few low elm trees. It is still 140 to 50 meters away from the other side. Liu Santang reminded Chen Jiushan, "It's a long row. It's already broad daylight. We have to be more cautious. I
You and Lu Chen will be lying in ambush on Jiangxin Island to cover your crossing the river in case of any unexpected events."
Chen Jiushan agreed to Liu Santang's suggestion and directed everyone to climb to the river and roll towards the other side. Lu Chen hid behind an elm tree and raised the Zeiss telescope to look at the other side. This sight made Lu Chen break into a cold sweat.
The Qingchuan River has sparse trees, but there are large bushes. Through the telescope, Lu Chen clearly saw several American soldiers running along the river bank. These American soldiers were very cautious and hid their bodies in the bushes. They saw the rolling
The Chinese troops on the river were not in a hurry to open fire, as if they were waiting for something.
Chen Jiushan's platoon of soldiers were still crawling on the ice mountain with a small target. The US military was waiting. Lu Chen immediately put down the telescope and said to Liu Santang, "Liu Lieutenant Commander, it's not good. The US military is ambushing on the other side. We must shoot immediately."
Call the police."
"Pa—" Lu Chen raised the Mosin-Nagant rifle and quickly pulled the trigger. A bullet flew out of the barrel. At a distance of 150 meters, a US military observer leaned out of the bushes to observe the river.
In this situation, a Mosin-Nagant rifle bullet hit the left shoulder of the US military observer. The US military observer wailed and threw himself into the bushes.