"We killed 2,655 of them. About 400 of them escaped. We lost 68 dead and 196 injured. "Li Yannian, the regiment's staff officer, read the key points of the post-war statistics. They were going to report to the military headquarters soon. No one cared about how many weapons and ammunition they seized. The black powder bullets had long disappeared from the Liberation Army's equipment. It was meaningless to seize more.
Although they killed many enemies, more than 200 of the 2,000 motorized infantry troops were killed or injured in the battle. This ratio was close to 15%. The officers of the motorized infantry regiment were in a heavy mood. If a troop lost more than a third of its members, it would lose its combat power. This time, the losses were about half of that.
The "big losers" were the cavalry battalion. Nearly 30 people died and more than 90 were injured. That was almost half of the motorized infantry's casualties. Wu Chaoyang, the battalion commander, had a bandage on his right shoulder and head. After hearing the statistics, he looked sad and angry. His eyes were red.
"Old Wu, you can't be blamed for this. We didn't have a map. When the cavalry chased after them, the results were great. Don't … don't be sad, "Qi Rui comforted him.
During the battle, Division Commander Zheng quickly came up with a battle plan. They would fight for the high ground before the Americans and stabilize the high ground. At the end of the first day, the Liberation Army completed the battle plan at a small cost.
The battle continued on the second day. The Americans couldn't stabilize the situation after losing the high ground. The Liberation Army successfully broke through the Americans' position and advanced toward their rear. Seeing that the encirclement was a foregone conclusion, some of the smarter Americans immediately chose to run.
The cavalry's advantage was to chase from behind. At this time, the cavalry did not choose to chase from behind. Instead, according to the intelligence that the scouts seemed to have discovered, they took a detour through a mountain path. This path could cut in behind the retreating Americans. Wu Chaoyang and the regiment commander felt that the pursuit could be completed by the infantry. However, this choice of backstabbing was more likely to achieve greater results.
This bold decision worked. The cavalry battalion that suddenly appeared from the mountain path killed the Americans like they were cutting melons and vegetables. They were about to completely cut off the Americans' escape route. At this time, a group of American firearms suddenly emerged from a small canyon that the cavalry battalion did not notice and launched a flank attack on the cavalry battalion.
Wu Chaoyang reacted quickly. He immediately gave the order to stop the charge and dismounted to fight. In the desperate battle that followed, the cavalry battalion, which had lost almost all of its warhorses, blocked most of the retreating Americans and achieved its initial goal. In Qi Rui's eyes, this was a very brave and decisive command. Although the losses were not small, it was not to the extent of losing a battle.
"It's my fault. I saw something suspicious behind that rock, but I was hot-headed and didn't send anyone over. If they could send troops over immediately, they would be able to stop the Americans. This is my fault, I'm sorry to everyone … "Wu Chaoyang's left fist pounded on the table as tears gushed out of his eyes.
The young officers were speechless for a moment. After the battle, everyone reflected on the battle and found that their commands were not as satisfactory. Many of them were completely wrong. The reason why the others weren't as agitated as Wu Chaoyang was because their commands hadn't caused any major losses. In essence, the people in the regimental headquarters had made no fewer mistakes than Wu Chaoyang. Moreover, when Wu Chaoyang was defeated, he fought back with all his might and didn't retreat. Many of the regimental officers asked themselves and felt that their reactions in that situation were not as good as Wu Chaoyang's. From Wu Chaoyang's wounds, it could be seen that if the bullets had been slightly off target, Wu Chaoyang would have died on the battlefield.
Death was so real. Qi Rui and the others who had actual combat experience were better. They had already experienced this kind of fear. The Min dynasty had been peaceful for a long time. A considerable number of officers in the motorized infantry regiment had no real combat experience.
At this time, the curtain was lifted and Division Commander Zheng strode into the regimental headquarters. He didn't look angry or not angry, but when his eyes swept across the officers of the motorized infantry regiment, they all felt a chill in their hearts. Division Commander Zheng was a soldier, a soldier with rich combat experience. It was hard to describe that sweep with words. The soldiers could feel too much from it. It was something that only old soldiers who had experienced life and death would have. It wasn't brutality or indifference, but a kind of strength.
All the young people couldn't help but look solemn, not because they were afraid, but because they admired him. Division Commander Zheng's combat ability was far better than these young people. This group of young people had to admit this fact. If they had a complete reconnaissance and a complete map. These young soldiers didn't think they were any worse than Division Commander Zheng, but the battle had developed so quickly that they didn't have a map or reconnaissance. All the developments of the battle depended on the commander's calculations based on the ever-changing situation. Division Commander Zheng's experience showed an extraordinary advantage.
After Division Commander Zheng ordered the cannons to fiercely attack the canyon yesterday, everyone realized the effect of Division Commander Zheng's experience. Some simple fortifications at the entrance of the canyon had been destroyed, and a large number of Americans had been killed or seriously injured by the cannons.
Seeing that Wu Chaoyang was still crying, Division Commander Zheng calmly ordered, "Wu Chaoyang, stand up!"
Qi Rui and the others were stunned. Not only was Wu Chaoyang's right shoulder and head injured, but he was also shot in his right leg. If he hadn't insisted on attending the final summary meeting, they wouldn't have let him move so casually with such an injury. After hearing the order, Wu Chaoyang wiped his tears. He held the table with his left hand and forced himself to stand up. This toughness made Qi Rui and the others, who were not familiar with Wu Chaoyang, somewhat admire him.
After Wu Chaoyang stood firm, Division Commander Zheng continued to ask, "Wu Chaoyang, do you feel any pain from your wound?"
Wu Chaoyang raised his head and said loudly, "Yes!"
Division Commander Zheng calmly walked to Wu Chaoyang's side, patted his shoulder, and said, "If you can feel pain, it means you're still alive. You were able to survive that kind of fierce battle. I'm very happy to know that you were able to survive that kind of battle. "
After saying that, Division Commander Zheng turned to look at the group of young soldiers. "Comrades, I'm very happy that you've all survived the battle."
For some unknown reason, Qi Rui's heart trembled when he heard this. He only felt that his eyes were hot and his tears were about to gush out. After hearing this, Wu Chaoyang couldn't help but sob again. Then, Wu Chaoyang forced himself to stand up straight and said while choking with sobs, "Division Commander, my wrong judgment led to the sacrifice of many … many comrades. I request the army to dismiss me and investigate me."
"Everyone, sit down and talk." Division Commander Zheng didn't immediately reply to Wu Chaoyang's request. Instead, he gave the order to everyone first.
When the other comrades saw that Wu Chaoyang was still standing straight, they were too embarrassed to sit down. Division Commander Wu grabbed Wu Chaoyang's arm and pressed him down. Although it was painful, Wu Chaoyang gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound. However, his tears continued to flow down uncontrollably.
After everyone sat down, Division Commander Zheng pulled up the backboard and casually drew a simple terrain with chalk on it. After he finished drawing, he drew two arrows and two circles on the terrain map.
Pointing to the big circle, Division Commander Zheng said to everyone, "This is the American escape team." After that, he pointed to the small circle. "This is the American vanguard who escaped after being cut off by the cavalry battalion. I went to look at the terrain and asked a lot of comrades. Everyone said the same thing. There were three to four hundred Americans in between the cavalry battalion and the Americans who rushed out later. The primary goal of the cavalry battalion was not the three to four hundred Americans at the front, but the more than one thousand Americans at the back. Commander Wu, let me ask you a question. Can you grow wings and fly to the gap that the Americans rushed out from? "
Looking at the terrain map, the officers of the motorized infantry regiment understood the problem. The team of American soldiers that Wu Chaoyang was worried about was actually the vanguard of the Americans when they retreated. They had already entered the valley before Wu Chaoyang's cavalry battalion rushed out, so Wu Chaoyang didn't notice.
When Wu Chaoyang first dispersed the Americans in the front, which was divided into two groups, and at the same time, launched a fierce attack on the Americans at the back, there were not enough troops to make any defensive measures in that direction.
To the group of young soldiers who thought of this variable, Division Commander Zheng's next judgment was somewhat comforting. After explaining the situation that Wu Chaoyang's troops did not expect, Division Commander Zheng said solemnly, "This is war. If everyone has the most comprehensive understanding of war and grasps all the situations, it is possible to make the best judgment. However, there is no omniscient and omnipotent person in war. When everyone makes a choice, they have to bear the risk. "
"I know I was wrong …" Wu Chaoyang said loudly.
"You only know you were wrong, but from what you've said, you actually don't know where you were wrong." Division Commander Zheng's expression became even more serious. His tone was so heavy that it made Qi Rui feel a strong sense of pressure.
"Wu Chaoyang, the biggest mistake that I see in you is that you think you can avoid all mistakes. You think you can actually choose the best way to achieve the greatest results with the lowest cost. I'm afraid you still think you can make sure that there are no casualties in the troops. If there is anything wrong, this is all your mistakes! " Division Commander Zheng's voice was so solemn that no one could say another word after he finished speaking. The regimental headquarters instantly fell into complete silence. Everyone held their breaths in concentration, and for a moment, there was even a feeling that there was no one left.
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