Chapter 21

The Battle of Cheonju Mountain (2)

"Get out! Get out!"

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je shouted before the two-and-a-half-ton truck had even stopped. The soldiers poured out. Safety regulations? It was fine to set those aside for now.

Downtown Pocheon had already become hell. White smoke from the smoke grenades fired by hundreds of tanks mixed with black smoke from the fires, making it impossible to distinguish even the outlines of the surrounding buildings.

Every time an artillery shell landed somewhere, the ground shook. It had shaken so much that everyone had grown accustomed to it.

"Move! Move!"

"Yes!"

"Uh, where are we going? The summit?"

"We're heading near the mountaintop! There's a cliff behind us, and we'll have a view of the forest road below!"

Kim Hong-je had a map of Cheonju Mountain in his head, which he had hastily memorized.

In mountain warfare, whoever waits at the summit has an overwhelming advantage. It is difficult for people to fight while climbing a mountain. Even if a mountain looks low enough to have its summit in plain sight, the moment you actually set foot on it, your stamina drains rapidly.

"Good! We're moving!"

"Run!"

The soldiers began climbing Cheonju Mountain. After climbing for quite some time, Lee Jin-gu spoke between gasps.

"At this rate, I feel like we're going to end up climbing every mountain in South Korea..."

"Tell me about it."

Bong-tae gave a bitter smile as well. Ever since the war began, it had been nothing but mountains. Mount Myeongji, the hills of Pungam-ri, and now Mount Geumju and Cheonju Mountain. Kim Hong-je, who was running at the front, spoke.

"Mountains are good places."

"Sir?"

"For infantry, that is. Neither tanks nor armored vehicles can climb mountains."

Upon reaching the area near the summit of Cheonju Mountain, Kim Hong-je lay prone beside a large rock and examined the terrain. He spent a long time studying the ridgeline, the forest road, and the mountain trails that still bore traces of hikers who had been coming and going until just two days ago.

Bong-tae also looked around Cheonju Mountain. And he could understand why Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil had said this mountain was important.

From the summit, not only southern downtown Pocheon but also every road leading into the city was visible. Most importantly, they could also observe the direction of the Seventh Corps' temporary command post from here.

If they lost this summit, a single radio transmission from an enemy scout could bring an immediate bombardment down on the Seventh Corps command post.

Kim Hong-je beckoned Bong-tae over.

"Second Platoon Leader. Quickly."

"Yes, Staff Sergeant."

Kim Hong-je took out a map and pointed to the widest route leading to the summit of Cheonju Mountain.

"We have to defend this place."

Troops attacking a mountain ultimately have no choice but to use the paths. They could ignore the paths and scramble straight up, but fighting in that state would be nearly impossible.

This was especially true for forces numbering dozens or hundreds of men. Forest roads, hiking trails, ridge paths—in the end, they would be funneled toward routes that people had already been using.

Of those routes, Kim Hong-je singled out just one where he expected the enemy to approach.

A forest road running directly through the center of Cheonju Mountain. It was wide enough for vehicles to pass, making it convenient for troops to move, and it stood out immediately. From the enemy's perspective, it was the most obvious route of advance to choose first.

"No matter what, we defend this position and this position alone. By any means necessary."

Whether a corps commander or someone like Kim Hong-je, who commanded only a few dozen soldiers, there was one thing a commander must never do.

Fail to make one clear decision and instead give the people receiving orders several possible solutions at once.

'This is good, but doing that wouldn't be bad either.'

'This is one way, and that's another.'

It might sound like the words of a flexible and reasonable leader, but for the person receiving the orders, it was the most infuriating kind of response a commander could give.

Ultimately, it created a situation where the subordinate bore the responsibility. And in wartime, that responsibility meant one's own life.

But Kim Hong-je was not the sort of person to give such ambiguous answers. Bong-tae asked him in a tense voice.

"What if our position is exposed and we get hit by artillery shells?"

"Then run up to the very top of the summit. Defending near the summit is Plan B."

"Yes. Understood."

"Set up the Claymores. We don't have time."

"Yes! Understood!"

Bong-tae slung his military pack over his shoulders and started running down toward the forest road. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je shouted after him.

"Do you even know how to set them up?"

"No! I'll just stick them in the ground somehow!"

"Make sure they're well hidden! And think about the backblast!"

"Yes! Lee Jin-gu! Nam Gi-baek! Hwang Gi-tae! Follow me!"

"We knew you'd call us, so we're already behind you! Lieutenant Kim!"

Bong-tae sprinted along the forest road. He planted Claymores at every slight bend in the road. He chose positions where the enemy would have difficulty seeing straight ahead and places where troops would inevitably bunch together, even if only briefly.

After connecting wires to the Claymores, Bong-tae shouted at the soldiers who had followed him.

"Take the wires and run uphill! If they get tangled, we're dead!"

Lee Jin-gu took the wires from Bong-tae and ran up the mountain.

"Our military service is already tangled enough!"

"That bastard... How can he still crack jokes in a situation like this...?"

Bong-tae covered the Claymores he had installed with nearby branches and bushes to conceal them. Of the fifteen Claymores that had filled his military pack, he planted about ten near the forest road.

He planted another two of the remaining Claymores below their defensive position, in case the enemy avoided the forest road and came straight up the steep mountainside instead.

Bong-tae climbed back up toward their position, panting. Before he even had time to wipe the sweat from his face, he was connecting the wires to the detonators when Kang Min-jun suddenly poked his head out from behind Bong-tae's shoulder.

"Um, Platoon Leader?"

"Ah! Fuck! You scared me! What!"

"Um... Would you like to use this?"

Kang Min-jun took a marker out of his pocket. Bong-tae looked back and forth between the marker and Kang Min-jun's handsome face.

"A marker? What am I supposed to do with that?"

"You might get confused about which firing device is connected to which Claymore."

Bong-tae paused for a moment. Because they had installed everything in such a hurry, wires were stretching out in every direction.

Right now, he remembered which firing device was connected to which Claymore, but once the battle began and everything descended into chaos, he realized it would be easy to get confused.

"...You're right, aren't you?"

"I thought if we wrote numbers on the firing devices like this, we wouldn't get confused later."

"...That's a pretty good idea. Do you remember where we planted them?"

"Yes. The bend in the forest road over there is number one."

Kang Min-jun moved his finger slightly to the side.

"Below that is number two, beside the pine tree is number three, behind the rock is number four, and the entrance to the steep slope is number five."

"...You've got a good memory, huh?"

"I'm, I'm good at memorizing things..."

"Good."

Bong-tae uncapped the marker and began writing large numbers on the sides of the firing devices. Kang Min-jun stood beside him, double-checking the numbers and their corresponding locations.

"Never thought a marker would be this important on a battlefield."

"M-me neither."

"But why are you carrying a marker?"

"It's just... I'm the type who carries anything I think might come in handy..."

"You're a funny guy."

Bong-tae and Kang Min-jun looked at each other and smiled faintly. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je called out to the battalion members in a low, rapid voice.

"Everyone! To your positions!"

Four K15 light machine guns, twelve Claymores, two grenades per soldier, and fifty infantrymen armed with K2C1 rifles. That was the entirety of the 33rd Battalion's fighting strength defending Cheonju Mountain.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je nodded to himself. It could hardly be called sufficient, but for a hastily assembled defensive position, it wasn't bad.

The soldiers took up positions one by one near natural cover, such as rocks and fallen trees. There wasn't even time to dig trenches now. They had no choice but to make the most of the existing terrain.

"Phew..."

"Fuck... Fuck..."

The tense breathing of soldiers could be heard from all around.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Pew! Pew!

Gunfire rang out in the distance. The soldiers all turned their heads in that direction. The sounds were coming from the forest along the ridge connected to the Cheonju Mountain range. It wasn't the sound of tanks fighting tanks, but of foot soldiers fighting one another.

The soldiers' faces hardened like stone. The headquarters company soldiers in particular had experienced combat firsthand yesterday, so they knew all too well the horrifying cracking sound of bullets flying past their ears.

A position they absolutely had to defend.

And now, fifty men of the 33rd Battalion lay there clutching their rifles.

"Fuck, I'm nervous as hell."

Bong-tae was just as nervous. He roughly wiped his sweat-soaked hands against his combat uniform. His mouth was completely dry. He also needed to piss.

Vroooooom! Vroooooom!

Screeeech!

"They're here."

From the foot of the mountain on the opposite side came the sound of numerous vehicles braking sharply. Judging by the engine noise, there were at least five.

If all those vehicles were troop transports, it meant that close to a hundred enemy soldiers had begun climbing this mountain.

"Huff... Huff..."

The air at the summit of Cheonju Mountain grew heavy. There was still a long time before sunset.

No. Considering that the armored forces in downtown Pocheon were still fighting without retreating, there was a high possibility that the battle would continue even after nightfall.

It was a fight that would only end when one side or the other broke.

A short while later.

Faint shouts began drifting up on the wind. From farther down the mountain came an accent that sounded similar to Korean yet somehow different. Short, harsh speech. It was unmistakably the language of North Korean soldiers.

"Hold your fire until they're as close as possible."

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's quiet words were passed from soldier to soldier until all fifty men had received them.

"Fire when they get close."

"Don't fire until the order comes."

"Hold fire for now."

"Hold your fire."

With no radios available, word of mouth was ultimately the most effective means of communication. Kim Hong-je continued staring down the mountainside.

There was no point in shooting now. The distance was too great. There were also many obstacles in the forest, reducing shooting accuracy to less than half.

Closer. Until they reached a distance where they could be sure of hitting them.

And until they reached the positions where the Claymores Bong-tae had planted would be most effective. Then they would unleash all their firepower at once.

The voices farther down the mountain grew louder and louder. Now they could even hear combat boots stepping on branches.

Rustle. Rustle.

Nearly a hundred North Korean soldiers were slowly crawling up Cheonju Mountain.

'I can see them.'

Bong-tae spotted North Korean soldiers wearing dull-colored combat uniforms. They passed the location where Claymore number one had been installed and stepped onto the forest road that the battalion members were overlooking.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je pulled his rifle up from beneath his stomach.

Click.

"First Platoon, start with the closest targets. Second Platoon, start with the farthest."

"First Platoon, near enemies. Second Platoon, distant enemies."

"First Platoon, short range. Second Platoon, long range."

Once again, Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's brief orders were quickly relayed. Bong-tae switched his rifle's selector from safe to automatic.

Click.

"Huff... Huff..."

"I can do this. I can do this. I can do this."

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je held his breath and shouted sharply.

"Fire!"

Ratatat! Ratatatat! Rat-tat!

The Battle of Cheonju Mountain had begun.

Without the slightest hesitation, Bong-tae pulled the trigger. Hundreds of bullets rained down from the mountain onto the North Korean soldiers lined up along the forest road.

"Aaaaaagh!"

"Ambush!"

"Above us! They're up there!"

Bang! Bang!

The North Korean soldiers flattened themselves against the forest road and returned fire toward Bong-tae's position. Kang Min-jun, who was beside Bong-tae, shouted loudly.

"Platoon Leader! Number three!"

"Uh, huh? Right!"

Bong-tae momentarily set down the rifle he had been firing and grabbed the detonators lined up beside him.

'Number three. He said number three, right?'

He found the large number '3' written on one of the detonators. Bong-tae immediately pulled the switch.

BOOOOOOM!

An explosion far louder than anything a bullet or grenade could produce erupted below. Hundreds of steel balls scattered in every direction as black smoke from the blast billowed above the forest road.

An entire squad of North Korean soldiers who had been firing near the pine tree was blown to pieces, leaving their bodies unrecognizable.

"They're coming near numbers seven and eight, too! More than twenty of them!"

"Okay!"

"Now!"

"Detonate!"

BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!

Two Claymores exploded in succession. The massive shockwaves shook Cheonju Mountain.

"That bastard... What the hell?"

"I thought he was completely useless, but he's actually pretty good. That bastard."

The members of Second Platoon began seeing Kang Min-jun in a new light as he fought with more enthusiasm and intelligence than anyone else at that moment.

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