Chapter 204: [Volunteers in Liutanli] (4.3k)

Certainly.

This is merely an inference made based on the current war situation, as well as the offensive and objectives of the Volunteers.

The specific situation will still depend on the subsequent offensive from the Volunteers' side.

Because within the plot of the live stream at this moment, the offensive of the first night has just ended, and both sides have discovered that something is wrong.

At this time.

The sky within the plot is already beginning to brighten.

Throughout the Zhangjinhu region, the Volunteers, who had been attacking fiercely for an entire night, have already shifted from offense to defense, and the soldiers are concealed everywhere in the great mountains.

Inside Li Ran's live stream room.

Because the sky has brightened, these Federal soldiers finally dare to come out.

Li Ran follows the others out of the tent; they had also fought in the dark for an entire night, but just as they came out, they heard the shock of those veteran American soldiers in their ears:

"Oh, God..."

The scene that comes into view is enough to make one feel fear.

The forward defensive position, which was still orderly yesterday, has now turned into a ruin, and the accumulated snow has been dyed dark red by the piled-up corpses; twenty or thirty corpses of Federal soldiers are frozen on the ground in various postures.

Some were shot in the head, some were blown to death.

And inside the camp, besides the traces of artillery fire, the smell of gunpowder smoke is everywhere.

On the great mountains all around.

One actually cannot find a single trace of the Volunteers.

It is as if they had never appeared.

If it weren't for the fact that they had been truly blocked and beaten for an entire night.

The Federal soldiers would absolutely not believe that such a unit could exist; the camouflage technology alone is enough to make people numb, as one simply cannot see where they are.

At this time.

The roar of bombers comes from the sky.

Federal aircraft sweep over the great mountains around Liutanli, continuously dropping incendiary bombs.

Boom, boom, boom, boom—explosions continuously rise on the surrounding mountains, adding some confidence to the Federal soldiers in the camp.

Under the orders of the officers.

Some soldiers are quickly cleaning up the battlefield.

Dragging back the corpses of the dead Federal soldiers, and rushing toward the forward position where the fierce battle took place last night,

Li Ran follows the others here, heading to the forward position to clean up the battlefield.

On the other side.

Inside the live stream room of the streamer Zheng Chen in neighboring Xinxingli.

The situation is not optimistic.

Compared to Liutanli and Xiajieyuli, these two—one is the main force, and the other is the division headquarters.

The American 31st Regiment here in Xinxingli has become the breakthrough point for the Volunteers.

Under the orders from above, the Volunteers in the other two places have shifted to a defensive state during the day, but the Volunteers here in Xinxingli are continuously suffering fierce attacks.

Xinxingli, at dawn.

On the high ground next to the Federal camp.

Artillery fire tears through the sky.

The tank tracks on the Federal side crush the frozen earth, engines roaring, climbing toward the hillside in front.

The tank muzzles slowly lift, aiming at the crude defensive fortifications on the mountain.

Boom—!

Boom—!

The voice of the Federal commander echoes on the radio:

"Advance! Advance!"

Hearing the order.

Many Federal soldiers rush out from behind the bunkers, following the tanks in front, advancing toward the high ground.

Zheng Chen is also mixed in among them.

It is just that his position is very far back; after a night of fierce fighting, the surrounding Federal soldiers all look exhausted, including Zheng Chen, but no one dares to relax their spirit.

Because the battle has not ended yet; once they relax, they will lose their lives.

The tanks are advancing toward the defensive fortifications on the mountain, while simultaneously reporting coordinates on the radio.

The howitzer battalion at the foot of the mountain continuously bombards the mountaintop based on the reported coordinates; the howitzer shells explode on the summit, and the continuous explosions make the great mountain tremble slightly.

Gunpowder smoke fills the air, filling the entire mountaintop as the tanks advance.

The Volunteers' weapons on the mountaintop are unable to cause damage to these tanks, and the counterattacks are becoming fewer and fewer.

Joy cannot help but appear on the faces of the surrounding Federal soldiers.

Could it be that the other side has given up?

However.

Suddenly, as they get closer and closer to the position on the mountaintop!

Dozens of wooden-handled grenades are thrown from the reverse slope behind the high ground, flying in arcs toward the Federal team.

They discovered it.

But it is too late.

The grenades on the Volunteers' side were timed perfectly, detonating almost at the same time they landed.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The shrapnel from the grenades hits the tank armor without causing any damage, but the infantry following behind are blown to death in large numbers before they can react.

Immediately following, dense bullets shoot over from the mountaintop fortifications.

Although they cannot cause damage to the tanks, the Federal soldiers fall one after another.

Streamer Zheng Chen's heart is pounding; he hides behind a rock, having almost been blown to death just now, fortunately, he was walking further back.

Just as he is thinking about poking his head out to take a look.

The exasperated voice of the Federal commander comes over the radio, and the firing density of the howitzer battalion below increases even more.

The explosions on the mountain merge into one.

Shrapnel and crushed stones flying from the entire hillside are scattered everywhere.

The bombardment continues for half an hour.

Only then do the Federal soldiers receive the order to continue advancing.

This time.

They are even closer to the defensive fortifications on the mountaintop, with a distance of only twenty or thirty meters.

Suddenly.

Many figures leap out from the high ground, some holding explosive packs, others wielding bayonets.

The Federal soldiers hurriedly raise their guns to fire, but the Volunteers have already rushed to their faces.

Bayonets draw blood.

Zheng Chen had thought that under such firepower, the Volunteers should have abandoned the position, so he walked to a position further forward, wanting to live-stream the situation on the position.

But he did not expect to be rushed by the Volunteers.

Subconsciously, he raises his gun to block, but it is already too late; the bayonet instantly stabs into his stomach.

That is a young Volunteer, his face covered in black ash, but his eyes are terrifyingly bright; as the young Volunteer soldier pulls out the bayonet.

Zheng Chen falls to the ground, continuously dragging his body backward.

And that Volunteer has already pierced the stomach of another Federal soldier.

"Medic! Medic!!"

"Save me! Mom! Save me!!!"

"No! Run quickly!!!"

The battlefield has become completely chaotic.

The Federal soldiers are stunned by the sudden hand-to-hand combat, and the team begins to collapse.

Some drop their guns and want to run back, but more are forced to fight back; the sound of clashing bayonets and the wails of the dying are mixed together.

Boom—!!

A loud noise.

Not far away.

That indestructible tank has now turned into a fireball.

A Volunteer soldier covered in blood climbed to the back of the tank at some unknown time and stuffed an explosive pack into the engine compartment.

The shockwave of the explosion flips over five or six nearby Federal soldiers.

Heat waves sweep through.

Baking the faces of Zheng Chen and the surrounding Federal soldiers.

Those Federal soldiers do not understand why, under such circumstances, these people are still unwilling to abandon that high ground and can still hold explosive packs and crawl forward.

Clearly, they have been bombarded for so long, why are there still so many people?

They do not know why.

Perhaps they will never know why.

On the other side.

Liutanli, inside Li Ran's live stream room.

At the forward position.

Eight corpses of Federal soldiers and six corpses of Volunteers are intertwined, and one can feel what kind of tragic hand-to-hand combat took place here last night.

And these corpses, because of the temperature of over minus 30 degrees, have been frozen for half the night.

They can no longer be separated.

Everyone wants to clean up the battlefield.

But for a moment, they do not know how to start, and can only first check the corpses of these soldiers for any useful information.

They flip through the pockets of these soldiers; inside are yellowed photos, small notebooks filled with writing, and some cloth strips with many characters that the Federal soldiers do not recognize.

Although they do not recognize them, because there are so many characters, these Federal veterans all feel that they should be important intelligence.

Especially that small notebook filled with writing.

Li Ran hears their discussion, walks over, looks at the cloth strips and notebooks in everyone's hands, and speaks:

"Bring them over, let me see."

These Federal soldiers are a bit confused; the veteran who was cheating at cards yesterday looks amazed:

"What?"

"You recognize their characters?"

Li Ran nods, takes the cloth strips and notebooks handed over by everyone:

"I studied them for a period of time in the past."

In reality, this is the privilege of being a player: automatic translation.

And the Blue Star netizens in the live stream room are also curious about what is written on the cloth strips and notebooks found in the pockets of the Volunteer soldiers—could it really be some kind of secret?

However.

The moment the cloth strips and notebooks are opened, the curious barrage in the live stream room instantly falls silent.

Li Ran's movements also freeze.

The Federal soldiers nearby see this and ask curiously:

"What is written?"

"Could it really be some kind of military secret?"

"Then we have performed a meritorious service."

"Tell us quickly."

Li Ran looks at the characters on one of the cloth strips and speaks:

"This is not any secret."

"But some slogans."

Hearing Li Ran's words, the surrounding Federal soldiers are a bit confused:

"Slogans?"

"Why would they carry this stuff for no reason?"

"And carry so many?"

"Are you sure?"

"What is written on it?"

The surrounding Federal soldiers question one after another; who would carry slogans and banners on their person during a battle for no reason? They have no use at all.

Li Ran shakes his head, picks up a cloth strip, and points to the characters on it:

"This cloth strip says, 'As long as one lives, the position lives; live and die with the position!'"

"It means that as long as one is alive, the position must be held; even if one dies in battle, one must die on the position."

Then he takes out another cloth strip and speaks:

"This one says, 'Send me first in the first battle, and I will surely win!'"

"It means that if I am sent to the first battle, I will surely win once I go."

Then the next cloth strip:

"This one says, 'Stand in the wind even if frozen to death, never bow even if starved to death!'"

"It means that one would rather freeze to death than straighten one's back, and would rather starve to death than bow one's head and submit."

Flipping out the last cloth strip, Li Ran speaks:

"This one says, 'Defeat the American Imperialism!'"

"Um... it's just the literal meaning."

Li Ran's voice falls.

The surrounding Federal soldiers are full of disbelief; for a moment, they clearly cannot accept the translation of these slogans. Imperialism?

And that veteran who was cheating at cards yesterday thinks of something, hurriedly reaches out to flip open the notebook in Li Ran's hand, and speaks:

"What the hell..."

"What about this?! What about this?!!!"

"What is written on this!"

Li Ran looks at the short characters and dates on it and speaks:

"This is a diary."

Then he looks at the content of the diary and subconsciously reads it out:

"November 5, 1950, Jian."

"The train stopped by the river, waiting to depart."

"The company commander said there weren't enough cotton-padded clothes, but the order had arrived, so we had to go."

"Little Shandong divided the last half of a steamed bun into three parts, stuffed one piece to me, and kept a piece the size of a fingernail for himself; he smiled and said, 'After the war, I'll treat you to braised pork in Jinan.'"

"Actually, he had never eaten braised pork, and of course, I hadn't either; I really want to taste it."

"November 14, 1950, don't know where."

"Old Liu from the cooking squad divided the last handful of roasted flour among everyone and licked the empty bag himself."

"He said, 'After the war, I'm going to steam a pot of white flour buns and eat my fill.'"

"The next day."

"One of the bombs dropped by the bombers in the sky landed on the cooking squad."

"The pot is gone, and Old Liu is gone too."

"November 18, 1950, unknown village."

"Passing through a bombed-out village, I saw a grandmother digging her daughter's corpse out of the ruins."

"The little girl was still clutching half a piece of candy in her hand, so similar to the candy her sister was clutching when she was killed by the devils."

"This war must be fought to the end."

"November 24, 1950, outskirts of Liutanli."

"The snow is waist-deep, and the wind is blowing so hard I can't open my eyes."

"Old Zhao's ears were frozen off; he didn't notice it himself and asked me what I was looking at him for."

"When I looked at him in the second half of the night, Old Zhao was already motionless."

"November 25, 1950, outskirts of Liutanli."

"The snow is too heavy, Little Shandong is dead."

"November 27, 1950, outskirts of Liutanli."

"It's too cold, I might be dying too."

"I don't know if I can hold on until tonight's general offensive."

Perhaps afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold on, three lines of characters were written immediately after this diary entry.

【Do not believe there is any mission that cannot be completed.】

【Do not believe there is any difficulty that cannot be overcome.】

【Do not believe there is any enemy that cannot be defeated.】

Looking at the deep traces of the characters, one can imagine what kind of strength the Volunteer soldier used to carve them at that time.

These Federal soldiers do not know, but some Blue Star netizens in the live stream room know that this is the combat creed of the Ninth Army of the 【Republic】 when they participated in the war.

【The Three Do-Not-Believes】

At the end of the diary, there is another line of very faint pencil writing mixed with blood:

"Hope that after the victory... someone can taste the braised pork in Jinan for me."

After Li Ran finished reading, the surrounding Federal soldiers—some go to touch the cross on their chests, some stare fixedly at the notebook in disbelief, and some have been shocked by the content of the diary to the point of doubting everything.

At this time.

On the distant ridge.

After rounds of bombing, the Federal troops wanting to retake the commanding height are fighting with the Volunteers concealed everywhere on the mountain, and behind them are the urgent alarm sounds coming from the camp.

But no one takes action.

Everyone looks at the notebook in Li Ran's hand.

The description in the notebook and their cognition have produced a huge gap; are they ultimately the righteous ones? Or are they the invaders?

Suddenly.

The sound of a bugle call shaking the sky comes from the distant ridge.

Ta-di-ta-di-ta—! Ta—!!

After experiencing rounds of bombing, the surviving Volunteer soldiers are leaping out from the collapsed fortifications.

They drag their frostbitten legs, wrapped in thin cotton-padded clothes, rushing toward the Federal soldiers; in the fire spitting from machine guns, people fall one after another, but more figures stand up from the snow.

Everyone is stunned.

Looking at the Volunteers on the mountain fighting so desperately, and then turning to look at the notebook in Li Ran's hand.

The figures leaping on the ridge are overlapping with the characters in the diary.

A veteran looks at the Volunteer soldier in the distance who is fearless:

"God..."

The howling north wind blows.

On the yellowed paper, those three lines of pencil writing appear particularly glaring in the sunlight:

【Do not believe there is any mission that cannot be completed.】

【Do not believe there is any difficulty that cannot be overcome.】

【Do not believe there is any enemy that cannot be defeated.】 【216】 Such a nation, such a will. 【217】 What kind of people are they ultimately fighting against? 【218】 These Federal soldiers who are shocked by the Volunteers still have no idea that the bloody battle of Zhangjinhu... has just begun. ===== CHAPTER 205 =====

Such a nation, such a will.

What kind of people are they even fighting against?

These U. S. Federal soldiers, shocked by the Volunteer Army, had no idea that the bloody battle of Zhangjinhu... had only just begun.