Chapter 466: Chapter 466
However, from the ’real-time map’ perspective of the Blue Star players, the Volunteer Army’s forces are quietly moving, and are unknowingly about to completely encircle the United States Federation troops at Changjin Lake.
The target of the 60th Division of the 20th Army is to cut off the route from Gutuli to Changjin Lake for reinforcements.
The target of the 58th Division of the 20th Army is the headquarters of the 1st Marine Division at Xinxing Village.
The target of the 59th Division of the 20th Army is to cut off the communication between the main force of the 1st Marine Division at Riutang Village and the headquarters at Xinxing Village.
The target of the 79th Division of the 27th Army is to attack the main force of the 1st Marine Division at Riutang Village.
The 81st Division on the east side is to block the reinforcements of the 31st Regiment of the 7th Division of the United States.
All United States Federation troops in the entire Changjin Lake area are quietly surrounded by two to three times the number of Volunteer Army troops, ready to attack.
Originally a whole, the 1st Marine Division of the United States Federation is divided into several independent battlefields.
Li Ran looked outside, pointing to the distant mountains and said:
"I feel like there are enemies there."
"Don’t you guys feel it?"
The surrounding United States Federation soldiers were taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter.
The old United States Federation soldier, who always played tricks, laughed while patting Li Ran on the shoulder, pulled him up, and walked to the window together, pointing at the distant mountains, said:
"Oh~ brother, are you saying people could be hiding in there?"
The continuous mountains stood silently on the earth, their ridgelines covered with snow, looking particularly stern.
The United States Federation veteran raised his hand, tapped the glass, making a crisp sound:
"Minus 30°, even mechanical armor would be frozen damaged."
"Are you saying there are enemies bearing the -30° cold, hiding in those snowdrifts, waiting to ambush us?"
"If such people exist, they must be supermen, right?"
The United States Federation veteran turned around, jokingly said:
"We are at war with a group of supermen; we should surrender quickly!"
After saying that, the United States Federation veteran nonchalantly returned to the card table.
Meanwhile, some tired soldiers got up to stretch their bodies, and they all walked to the window.
After all, what if the new recruit really saw something?
But as some soldiers walked to the window, looking at the dead silent snowy mountains and the whistling wind outside.
They could not help but shake their heads.
How could there be an ambush?
Almost got scared by this new recruit.
Going onto the battlefield makes everyone nervous, and what this new recruit is doing makes it hard not to think about it.
Are shattered by the dead silent snow mountains and the howling wind.
It’s minus 30° outside.
They can’t even withstand it in their tents, how could anyone be lying in ambush outside?
They would probably all freeze to death.
Li Ran shrugged helplessly, and the Blue Star spectators in the live stream were powerless to complain.
The snow began to fall again, and the large snowflakes hitting the window made crackling sounds.
An inexplicable chill came over, causing many to huddle.
Some United States Federation soldiers, who couldn’t take it anymore, crawled into their sleeping bags preparing to sleep.
It’s not just Li Ran’s live stream at Riutang Village .
In other live streams from different areas of Changjin Lake, such as the 1st Marine Division headquarters at Xinxing Village, the 31st Regiment of the United States Federation at Gutuli area, and so on.
All the United States Federation soldiers unanimously think the ’new recruits (Blue Star streamers)’ are too nervous.
How could anyone possibly come over?
The straight-line distance from the Yalu River to here at Changjin Lake is over 120 kilometers.
Are the more than 1,000 aircraft bombing flights from the Yalu River every day just for show?
Wouldn’t they have discovered if the Volunteer Army really came over?
You’re saying that the more than 1,000 aircraft flights patrolling and bombing every day haven’t discovered any enemies.
Even their 1st Marine Division Commander Smith personally flew over several times without finding any trace of the enemy.
Then the enemy suddenly appears here at Changjin Lake?
That 120 kilometers is only the straight-line distance; if marching through the mountains, it would be even further.
They have no supplies, no logistics, not even any traces of marching.
Could they have flown over?
Seeing all the United States Federation soldiers acting , the Blue Star streamers naturally wouldn’t give further reminders since they are all here to experience the plot.
But as they delved deeper into the map analysis, they also noticed something was amiss.
At present, the gap in troop strength between both sides simply doesn’t meet the requirements for an encirclement and annihilation.
The United States has nearly 30,000 fully mechanized troops at Changjin Lake, while the Volunteer Army, considered the main force from the rear, has nearly 100,000 troops.
100,000 infantry encircling and annihilating 30,000 mechanized armored troops.
If this were on a plain, it would surely be a one-sided massacre by the mechanized troops.
However, although the Volunteer Army can use environmental and weather factors to close the gap, it’s still challenging for 100,000 to encircle and annihilate 30,000 mechanized armored troops. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
The only explanation is that both sides currently... have made intelligence errors.
The United States believes that only a small force of the Volunteer Army is participating in the fight.
Furthermore, continuous aerial reconnaissance has not detected any sign of the enemy, completely unaware that the Changjin Lake area has already been surrounded by the Volunteer Army.
And the Volunteer Army’s attack on the main force of Marine Division 1 at Riutang Village has led Blue Star players to believe that both sides lack sufficient intelligence.
Because Marine Division 1 at Riutang Village has nearly 9,000 men.
Whereas the attacking 27th Army 29th Division, by calculating the area, roughly consists of 11,000 to 12,000 men.
This is almost close to a 1:1 ratio.
Nearly 12,000 infantrymen encircling and annihilating nearly 9,000 mechanized armored troops.
Such a situation would not occur if intelligence were adequate.
Coupled with the United States’ bombers cutting off supply lines, the Volunteer Army can scarcely obtain any intelligence from the front.
All intelligence gathering can only rely on scouts.
So Blue Star players estimate that this situation is likely what led to the current intelligence misjudgment on both sides.
As the ’real-time map’ shows the Volunteer Army steadily approaching.
Blue Star streamers scattered in various places, listening to the snoring sounds around them, found it impossible to sleep.
Because, judging by this scenario, it’s likely that the Volunteer Army will launch an attack tonight.
Outside, the wind and snow were howling, and the temperature had dropped to its lowest at minus 36°, with Li Ran lying in bed, staring at the snow blowing past the window.
An inexplicable chill ran through him.
Because it felt as though the unwitting United States troops had become the prey.
The sleeping soldiers around were entirely unaware that their doomsday was approaching....
Li Ran closed his eyes, his consciousness returning to the livestream room.
Chatting with viewers, he checked the situations in other areas of Changjin Lake, including Riutang Village, Xangyuri, and Xinxing Village, where the United States 31st Regiment was located.
Battle had already broken out in Xinxing Village.
The United States soldiers in the livestream were in a panic, watched by many Blue Star viewers.
The hastily acting United States 31st Regiment had already seen two companies entirely wiped out, while the rest of the troops were retreating to the rear.
The sound of an artillery shell ripped through the night, waking Li Ran from his doze, his consciousness returning from the livestream to the game.
A massive explosion erupted in the camp, the tents shaking violently.
Another shell landed in the camp.
Everyone was suddenly alert.
"Damn it! How can this be!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!!"
The whole camp was in a chaotic uproar, the sounds mingling with the howl of the wind and snow, unable to carry far.
A shell landed directly on the neighboring tent.
The voices that had been shouting a moment before suddenly ceased.
The boss, who by day was swaggering around saying it was impossible for anyone to come, now lay on the ground in terror as the heat wave from the neighboring explosion tore at their tent:
During the day he had been boasting no one would attack, but when the real shell hit, he crumbled instantly.
No one wants to die, yet no one could save him.
Moreover, it was merely an unfounded shock.
The shell killed all the United States soldiers in the adjacent tent, but they, waiting for the heat wave to pass, weren’t too harmed, only badly frightened.
Li Ran had been prepared, so he quickly grabbed his gun and charged out after getting up.
Ready to find a safe place to observe the combat situation.
And when the terrified old soldier got up, his trousers were already wet, but no one noticed, as everyone was rushing outside with weapons in hand.
On the distant ridge, countless flames lit up.
There were gun muzzle flames, and there were shell flames.
These flames seemed like countless eyes staring at them, from all directions, everywhere.
On this stormy night, nearly 100,000 Volunteer Army soldiers were launching attacks on the United States Marine Division 1 troops at various locations in the Changjin Lake area.