In December 1950, the Volunteers decided to launch a third campaign to foil the enemy's so-called "ceasefire first, negotiate later" conspiracy.
The 39th Army, as the right column of the Volunteer Army, faced the first task of breaking through the Defense Line of the Yeongjin River, which was firmly held by the Rok army's First Division.
The Linjin River is a tributary of the Han River, and in the middle reaches there is a section lying across the "third (eighth) line" – this section is the breakthrough chosen by the 116th Division of the 39th Army of the Volunteer Army.
With this natural barrier, the ROK 1st Division built three defensive positions with a depth of about 18 miles, boasting that it was "an insurmountable copper wall and iron wall" by the Chinese army.
It was the cold winter season, the banks of the Linjin River were thick with ice and snow, and the south bank was full of natural cliffs that were difficult to climb.
After wu Xinquan, commander of the 39th Army, and the commanders of various divisions repeatedly studied the battle plan, they had Xu Peng, commander of the 344th Regiment of the 115th Division, call him and give him a chance to face.
As soon as Xu Peng entered the military headquarters, Wu Xinquan said: "Commander Xu, this breakthrough through the Linjin River is an uphill battle, are you determined to fight it well?" ”
"Report to the commander, our regiment loves to fight hard battles!" Xu Peng replied without hesitation.
"Good! It is this fearless spirit that you want! Wu Xinquan's words turned sharply, "This time I want to give you a relatively special task, so that your regiment can fight a hard battle!" ”
"What task?" Please commander instructions! ”
"This task is a bit difficult, do you kid dare to take it?"
"I said Commander, why are you so abrasive today, what task do I dare not accept?"
"Well, the task for your regimental commander is two words—to be beaten!"
"Beaten? Beaten by whom? Xu Peng couldn't help but be stunned, it was strange! What kind of task is this?
"That's right, your regiment's mission is to be beaten!" And it's the enemy's beating! ”
"Commander, just say it, I know it's not that simple."
"Haha... You boy..." Wu Xinquan laughed and said, "Let your regiment be beaten, and let you be a strange soldier who broke through the Battle of Linjin River this time!" ”
Subsequently, Wu Xinquan briefed Xu Peng on his battle plan and the specific tasks given to the 344th Regiment.
Because the enemy has already built an extremely strong defensive line on the south bank of the Linjin River, coupled with factors such as weather and terrain, it has increased the great difficulty of our army's operation of crossing the river. Under such circumstances, the implementation of a strong attack and a forced crossing will undoubtedly cause our army to pay a relatively high cost of casualties, so it is necessary to adopt the tactic of "repairing the road and secretly crossing chencang" to cross the river.
"How about a Ming Xiu Zhan Dao and secretly cross Chen Cang?" Xu Peng asked.
"To put it simply, it is to send a force to contain and confuse the enemy and create surprise for most of our army to cross the river, so as to ensure that the main force of the whole army can successfully break through the Linjin River..."
"I see! Does the commander mean to let our regiment contain and confuse the enemy? Xu Peng suddenly realized.
"That's right! The specific task for your regiment is to advance to the line from Gaolangpuli to Jiuye Mountain, actively maneuver with firepower and troop strength, form an attack and diversion against the enemy, attract the attention of the enemy by means of fake forced crossing, and cover for the large troops who really cross the river! ”
Xu Peng nodded as he listened: "This trick is wonderful!" The gaolangpuli line is the most likely place for our army to cross the river in the eyes of the enemy. ”
"What needs to remind you is that the troops undertaking the task of crossing the river and really attacking and harassing must be able to attract the enemy's powerful firepower, and the enemy's aircraft, artillery, and tanks may all be able to greet them with all their might, and they must be fully prepared ideologically!"
Seeing that Xu Peng was silent, Wu Xinquan said: "It is indeed extremely challenging to complete this task, especially the commander must pass this level of his own, who is willing to watch the troops he has brought out step by step suffer losses!" ”
He paused for a moment and continued: "However, for the sake of the overall victory, this is another move that we must go out!" Someone has to take up this daunting task! Comrade Xu Peng, I have discussed with Master Wang Liangtai and feel that you are the most suitable candidate. You can think about it, and if you feel like you can't accept it, I can..."
"Don't think about it!" Xu Peng blurted out, "Our 344 regiment has no soft eggs and is willing to accept this challenge!" ”
At midnight on December 27, Xu Peng personally led the 344th Regiment Forward Guard Detachment to Gaolangpuli, quickly eliminated the remnants of the enemy in the Yuanchangli area, and completely controlled the north bank of the Linjin River.
Subsequently, Xu Peng mobilized the officers and men of the 344th Regiment to actively maneuver to attract enemy fire and attention and cover the main force of the army to break through the Linjin River.
To this end, he ordered the 2nd Battalion to enter the 87th Heights south of Yuantangli, and the rest of the troops organized the crossing of the river with great fanfare.
The enemy was indeed deceived, and on the afternoon of the 30th, they sent planes and artillery to the positions of the Sixth Company to carry out indiscriminate bombardment.
In order to further contain the enemy, Xu Peng ordered the 2nd Battalion to advance to Jiuye Mountain, which was more likely to touch the enemy's "nerves", and launched a fierce battle with the 11th Regiment of the 1st Division of the ROK Army.
Mount Nine Wild is a rocky mountain, and the mountain is full of hard stones, and it is impossible to build fortifications. However, as a commanding height of the protrusion of the Linjin River Bay, this mountain can look down on the Roktan position from a commanding height and become a nail in front of the wedge into the enemy position.
On the 31st, the enemy army was deceived again and launched a crazy attack on Mount Kwano, with planes, artillery, and tanks taking turns, and shrapnel and rubble flying all over Mt. Kwano...
At that time, the units of the Volunteer Army at all levels were not equipped with anti-aircraft firearms, and the commanders and fighters of the 2nd Battalion could only use light and heavy machine guns to deal with low-altitude bomb-dropping and strafing enemy aircraft.
Subsequently, the enemy sent out infantry to attack in a big way, and the volunteer soldiers fought back, and when they ran out of ammunition, they fought with bayonets with bayonets, and most of the soldiers of the 6th company of the 2nd Battalion fought with the enemy until the last moment of their lives on The Nine Wild Mountains.
Under the leadership of Xu Peng, the commanders and fighters of the 344th Regiment persisted until the main force of the army broke through the Linjin River to launch a general attack, and did not let the enemy cross the Jiuye Mountain. Although all the battalions of the regiment suffered many casualties, they successfully pinned down the enemy's strength, consumed a large amount of enemy artillery fire, and successfully completed the strange task of "being beaten."
Under the cover of the 344th Regiment, 7,500 soldiers of the 116th Division went into hiding for two days and nights, successfully broke through the Linjin River, joined forces with brother troops, and drove straight in, liberating Han (Cheng) and advancing to the "37th Line", which had a major impact on the world.
After the war, the performance of the 344th Regiment was fully affirmed by Shi Xinquan. The commander of the 116th Division, Master Wang, and political commissar Shi Ying also wrote a letter to the Volunteer Army Headquarters, praising the 344th Regiment for completing the arduous task of covering the large troops to cross the river, and asking them for credit.
The military history of the 39th Army also recorded such a stroke: "The 344th Regiment played an important role in preparing for the breakthrough of the main offensive troops. ”