Chapter 5, The Debate at Panmunjom (Part 1)

"General Smith, Commanding Officer of the United States Marine Corps 1st Division"

The young Chinese commander, gazing into the eyes of General Smith, finally revealed his name: "Lei Zhen!"

General Smith, who received a notification from his superiors, arrived early at Panmunjom. This veteran, already sixty years old with a touch of silver at the tips of his hair, stood tall like a spear, yet did not enter the conference room where representatives from various countries had debated for a full two years. Instead, he quietly stood in a higher position, gazing with a calm and profound look at the foreign land beneath his feet

It is evident that the Chinese military has made meticulous preparations for this meeting. At the very least, they provided this young division commander with a brand new, crisply ironed military uniform, and even placed a pen in the pocket of his jacket. Coupled with this young Chinese commander, he is no less impressive than any movie star, with his deliberately chiseled facial features and his healthy, wheat-colored skin, exuding an indescribable allure. Smith would bet anyone that if a few photographs of this young Chinese soldier were taken and published in American newspapers, the American public's perception of Chinese soldiers as mere farmers would undergo a dramatic transformation.

On December 7, 1950, when the 1st Marine Division was retreating across the board, a unit that was elusive and had a maximum strength of only one company unexpectedly launched a forceful assault on the Water Gate Bridge, which was defended by a company of Marines, and successfully blew up the Water Gate Bridge for the third time.

Brigadier Smith stood quietly, facing the cold winds blowing in from Siberia, gazing at the land that had borne so much blood and smoke, until the dark sky enveloped the entire earth. It was then that he heard a rustling sound of footsteps behind him. Brigadier Smith turned abruptly, and under the guidance of two junior officers acting as translators, two Chinese soldiers approached him.

General Smith truly wanted to see which commander, after the 1st Marine Division had already withdrawn from Zhenxingli and other Chinese forces had ceased their pursuit due to supply issues, still dared to lead a division in relentless pursuit of him, even penetrating deep into the area controlled by the United Nations forces. When the 1st Marine Division was just hours away from reuniting with friendly forces in the 'safe zone', they launched a brilliant surprise attack, almost at their own doorstep, completely annihilating this weary remnant of troops that had endured too many battles.

By that time, these three commanders who had once fought fiercely on the battlefield, risking their lives repeatedly, were no longer friends, but at the very least... they were no longer enemies

After the arduous expedition and deep penetration into enemy territory, this commander resembled a sorcerer who could summon clouds and disperse them at will. He led his entire reorganized division, miraculously evading seventeen assaults from the joint forces, and ultimately, amidst the futile gun salutes of the United Nations troops, successfully withdrew to the areas controlled by the Chinese army

General Smith's gaze fell directly upon one of the Chinese soldiers. He stood a full 190 centimeters tall, which is quite an astonishing height in Eastern countries. Although the sky had completely darkened, and with only the sparse stars above and the dim crescent moon to illuminate the scene, General Smith could barely make out the contours of the soldier. Yet, observing his stature, which stood as straight as a javelin, capable of bearing any weight, and sensing the heavy aura of pressure that naturally emanated from his every movement, General Smith understood without the need for translation or conversation that the opponent he had long wished to see in person had finally appeared before him.

After two years of arduous negotiations, representatives from various countries finally signed the armistice agreement for the Korean War at Panmunjom, delineating the "38th Parallel" and agreeing that the ceasefire would officially take effect twelve hours later.

This truly requires an excessively adventurous spirit, along with highly precise logical reasoning and intelligence analysis capabilities. It also demands nerves more resilient than steel and a commanding charisma that can only be described as that of a spiritual leader

This Chinese commander, capable of leading a division, is truly quite young. Judging by his appearance, he is likely around thirty-four or thirty-five years old. Yet his eyes... General Smith could hardly imagine how much a man must endure through life and death, how many trials and tribulations he must face, to possess such keen insight, which is simultaneously veiled with a hint of restraint and imbued with a glimmer of worldly wisdom. It is precisely these eyes that endow this young Chinese commander with a paradoxical and elusive charm.

On July 27, 1953, at 10:00 in the morning, please remember this historic moment

In response to Major General Smith's request, the Chinese military finally made a reply: On December 7, 1953, at 10:00 PM, which was the official time for the ceasefire agreement between both parties, Major General Smith and the two commanders he requested to meet with held a meeting at Panmunjom, a place destined to be recorded in history.

Every time he thinks of this, Colonel Smith cannot help but feel a surge of apprehension in his heart

When the 1st Marine Division received the report of an attack, it immediately dispatched an advance unit to support the Water Gate Bridge, attempting to secure their vital lifeline for retreat. However, the advance unit encountered successive sniping by Chinese soldiers employing highly precise marksmanship. Before a battalion could reach the Water Gate Bridge, all officers above the rank of sergeant were killed by sniper fire, forcing them to withdraw back to the division headquarters

Upon reaching this point, the commander once again displayed his audacious side. Under the cover of night, he gathered elite troops organized by company, traversed mountains and valleys to take a shortcut, and successfully positioned himself ahead of the Marine Corps' 1st Division. He launched an absolutely unexpected special assault operation against the 1st Division, annihilating the guard company of the division's command post with overwhelming force, nearly capturing Smith's division headquarters directly.

This Chinese commander, who can only be described as audacious, executed a brilliant maneuver just before the United Nations forces encircled them. While everyone expected him to withdraw his troops as quickly as possible to escape the predicament, this commander seemed to be far from finished. He launched a classic ambush that could undoubtedly be included in the examples of warfare taught at West Point, successfully inflicting heavy losses on a British tank regiment pursuing them.

As representatives from various countries sat at the negotiation table, engaged in continuous discussions, persistent friction, and ongoing probing, the U.S. military also conveyed the request of Major General Smith of the 1st Marine Division to the Chinese military... He wished to meet a commander he had never encountered before during the breakout battle at Jiyu.

Faced with such a small unit that was causing relentless headaches, General Smith made a resolute decision and directly requested the air force to airdrop eight sets of M2 track components. Successfully, a steel bridge capable of supporting fifty tons was reestablished on a cliff.

The young Chinese commander, after listening to the translation, also extended his right hand. The two equally strong hands, both having endured the darkest chapters of modern warfare, firmly clasped together in this place called Panmunjom

If possible, I would like to meet the special forces commander who blew up the Watergate Bridge four times. I truly want to see what kind of person is capable of destroying the Watergate Bridge once, and under the circumstances where we have already deployed troops for defense, still manage to blow it up a second, third, and fourth time, targeting the vital artery we must pass through during our retreat

If that were truly the case, who could have imagined that the 1st Marine Division successfully broke through the encirclement of the 26th and 27th Armies of the Chinese military, leveraging air force support to open a path through layers of six divisions' ambushes, yet faltered merely because of a unit whose number of members did not exceed that of an elite force of more than one company?

When this Chinese soldier finally stood before General Smith, who had participated in two world wars and had experienced the most brutal bloodshed against the Chinese army on the Korean battlefield, the seasoned General Smith, who could truly be said to have seen countless people, was once again astonished

It is fortunate that such a result did not occur; otherwise, it would have been rather ironic for the 1st Marine Division, for Smith himself, and for the United States.

General Smith has experienced two world wars, and he has truly never seen a commander who could be so aggressive on the battlefield, completely unaware of when to advance or retreat, and even less aware of the dangers to life. It is indeed a manifestation of the military nature of attacking, attacking, and attacking to the utmost limit.

The two translators clearly sensed the intense sense of oppression emanating from this Chinese soldier. They stood on either side of him, guiding him as they walked towards Commander Smith. Even they did not notice that, as American soldiers with a sense of superiority, they dared not walk boldly in front of this Chinese soldier.

It was on this land that the American soldiers, for the first time, did not achieve a military victory, but instead signed a ceasefire agreement at the negotiation table; it was on this land that thousands of children from the 1st Marine Division forever closed their eyes; it was on this land that the once invincible American soldiers faced an incorrect enemy at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Setting aside the rights and wrongs of history, political factors, and the positions of nations and ethnicities, if we consider this solely from the perspective of human nature, the duration of this war has been excessively long, and the costs incurred have been exceedingly high

The Water Gate Bridge is located six kilometers south of Shuili Ancient Town. It is a load-bearing bridge that spans a cliff several dozen meters high. It is an essential lifeline that must be crossed during the retreat of the 1st Marine Division, one that cannot be bypassed or ignored.

Brigadier Smith asked himself, even if he retained his current military command experience and qualities, and were to be ten years younger, allowing the adventurous and romantic traits akin to a Western cowboy within him to reach their fullest expression, he would still absolutely not dare to command a division on the battlefield to undertake such an attack that was simply reckless, yet somehow managed to turn decay into the miraculous.

If it were not for the erroneous estimation by the Chinese military of the industrial capabilities of the U.S. military, they would not have known that, under the complete destruction of the Watergate Bridge, the U.S. military continuously air-dropped eight M2-type vehicle tread components to the Marine Corps' 1st Division, enabling the engineers to successfully rebuild a steel bridge on the broken bank that could support a weight of fifty tons and allow any type of armored vehicle to pass; if it were not for the logistical supply issues faced by the Chinese military, which caused their offensive to slow down in the later stages, and if it were not for the absolute superiority of the air power providing cover, the Marine Corps' 1st Division would have already been completely annihilated on the Korean battlefield. The engineers successfully rebuilt a steel bridge on the broken bank that could support a weight of fifty tons and allow any type of armored vehicle to pass; if it were not for the logistical supply issues faced by the Chinese military, which caused their offensive to slow down in the later stages, and if it were not for the absolute superiority of the air power providing cover, the Marine Corps' 1st Division would have already been completely annihilated on the Korean battlefield

General Smith had been engaged with Chinese soldiers on the Korean battlefield for several years and had gained some understanding of their etiquette. He extended his right hand directly towards the Chinese soldier in front of him

The Chinese troops first destroyed the Humen Bridge on December 1, 1950. At that time, the 1st Marine Division had not dispatched forces to defend the bridge, and the Chinese army only needed to send a small contingent to easily take control. On December 4, the 1st Marine Division had already decided to retreat across the Humen Bridge and dispatched troops to repair it. After sending a platoon to garrison the bridge, approximately a company of Chinese troops annihilated the defending forces on the bridge, once again blowing up the Humen Bridge. On December 4, the 1st Marine Division had already decided to retreat across the Humen Bridge and dispatched troops to repair it. After sending a platoon to garrison the bridge, approximately a company of Chinese troops annihilated the defending forces on the bridge, once again blowing up the Humen Bridge

On December 8th, the advance troops of the 1st Marine Division finally occupied the Watergate Bridge, where they witnessed the tragic scene of the company commander stationed there being completely annihilated. It was because the Watergate Bridge had been blown up for the third time that the 1st Marine Division was forced to halt and turn to confront the advancing Chinese troops. Meanwhile, their engineering troops were back at the original position, rebuilding a steel bridge. ... Right under the noses of the main forces of the 1st Marine Division, in such an impossible situation, that elusive small elite unit actually ...! It was because the Watergate Bridge had been blown up for the third time that the 1st Marine Division was forced to halt and turn to confront the advancing Chinese troops. Meanwhile, their engineering troops were back at the original position, rebuilding a steel bridge. ... Right under the noses of the main forces of the 1st Marine Division, in such an impossible situation, that elusive small elite unit actually ...! ... blew up the Watergate Bridge for the fourth time!