Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

After the fight, everyone returned to the room together.

Old Chen looked at everyone in the brigade headquarters with envy on his face.

"Hey, Lao Zeng, your leadership team is making me jealous. If I had known earlier, I would have applied for this position."

"Haha. Don't just be jealous. It made my family very upset at the time." Deng Xie said.

"You should know that when our brigade was reorganized, there was a blatant black household, but he just saw that Chang Kaisheng in Nanjing was going to fall for Zeng Jiwen's tricks. Hahaha~" said Deputy Political Commissar Liu Ming.

According to the organization at that time, the entire Red Army had too many people and many military and political officers would be idle after the reorganization. Compared with the original time and space, thanks to Zeng Jiwen's efforts, many outstanding talents were saved by Zeng Jiwen.

Then Zeng Jiwen thought of a way and gave the deputy commander a chief officer of the current organization. The deputy commander was reluctant at first. After all, these people were the lifeblood of each unit, and the three division commanders would not let them go.

As a result, Zeng Jiwen went to persuade the leaders one by one. He was unwilling to do so and slept at their doorstep in the middle of the night, which scared them. Finally, they had no choice but to agree. At the same time, he was so angry about the poaching that he reported it to his family.

When my family and husband found out about it, they thought it was a good idea and thought we could give it a try. Coincidentally, they all served as deputy positions in various units due to reorganization, so they were recalled to the headquarters to form such a brigade.

Then, when Chang Kaisheng, who was far away in Nanjing, learned that the military and political leaders of this black household brigade were almost all Whampoa military academy members, he unexpectedly gave in and took the initiative to upgrade it to a Type A brigade with three regiments and equipped the entire brigade with complete weapons and equipment. What he was thinking was obvious to everyone.

However, Chang Kaisheng did not expect that this was the method Zeng Jiwen came up with to increase the establishment. Mr. Li teased him, saying that it was like his heart was drawn to the bright moon, but the bright moon only shines on the ditch.

Speaking of this, Zeng Jiwen himself laughed.

"Lao Zeng, we live in the same dormitory. Why didn't you think of me back then?" Lao Chen showed a sad expression.

Hearing this, several people around him burst into laughter. Old Chen was completely confused by their laughter. Finally, Wu Lin stood up and said:

"Senior, you don't know this, but your name was actually on the list, and it was the first one. But the deputy commander saw it and crossed you out."

"Zeng Jiwen alone is not a pushover, and with you, senior, the two of you acting as assistant conductor together, he said he couldn't sleep ~ Hahaha."

Upon hearing this, Old Chen's face was immediately filled with grievance, and he shouted: "Slander, this is slander, who is like Zeng Jiwen? He is not an easy person to deal with. I obey orders very well."

"Do you believe what you said?" Wang Zhuo smiled with a look of disbelief.

"..."

"Hahahaha~"

After joking around, everyone started talking about business and told Lao Chen in detail the entire process of the ambush on the Shangen Brigade.

At the same time, summarizing the combat experience, they unanimously came to the astonishing conclusion that the Japanese army was not easy to fight. In the early stage, unless they relied on terrain or other advantages to prevent the Japanese army's heavy firepower advantage from being brought into play, they could only temporarily avoid the sharp edge and consume the Japanese army's vitality through guerrilla warfare.

At the same time, everyone had a premonition that Niangzi Pass would fall in the next few days. Since the Yamane Battalion was annihilated, the Japanese Xiyang Detachment in the rear had been rapidly deployed to the front lines at Niangzi Pass. If Niangzi Pass fell, the Japanese and the 5th Division to the north would advance directly into Taiyuan. Given the current state of the Nationalist forces, it was difficult to say whether they could hold the position. The Eighth Route Army, on the other hand, would be scattered across the vast mountainous countryside of Shanxi, engaging in a fierce battle with the Japanese.

At the same time, relying on the entire Taihang Mountain area, the Taihang Mountain Revolutionary Base will be established. This is the current task of the headquarters for the 386th and 389th Brigades. For a long time to come, the two brigades will cooperate in combat, establish a good base, and smash the Japanese army's mopping-up plan.

After spending some time at the brigade headquarters, Lao Chen returned to the headquarters excitedly, carrying the weapons and equipment. After all, the supplies submitted to the headquarters could only be supplied to the 386th Brigade for the time being. The other troops were either staying at home or not nearby and could not be transported there. Once this batch of weapons and equipment arrived, it would greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the 386th Brigade.

In an official residence somewhere in Jinling, someone is holding a meeting.

"Tell me, this time the Eighth Route Army ambushed a complete Japanese battalion at Niangzi Pass. How should the National Government reward them?" He sat in the first seat and asked the people below.

At this point, everyone had their own agenda. If they refused to reward him, they were still part of the Nationalist government's military establishment. Ignoring him would negatively impact the government's prestige among the people. Furthermore, the protagonist this time was Zeng Jiwen, a man everyone remembered fondly. Partly because of his time during the Northern Expedition, and partly because of his role as a Civil Engineering Clan leader, known as the "Little Chang Kai-sheng." He'd personally fought the tiger to capture Zeng Jiwen, only to have him outmaneuvered by three divisions at Xiangjiang. No one wanted to mention him.

At this time, Director He, who saw that everyone was silent, spoke.

"How about this: Zeng Jiwen, Zhou Shi, and all other military commanders be awarded the Blue Sky and White Sun Medal, as well as the Fourth Class Cloud Banner Medal, the Fourth Class Precious Tripod Medal, and a Commendation Order from the National Government."

When he finished listening, he frowned slightly.

"So, in addition, a reward of 5 silver dollars will be given to all officers and soldiers of the 389th Brigade, 1 silver dollars to Zeng Jiwen, and 5000 silver dollars to the other Whampoa students. Zeng Jiwen will also be promoted to the rank of Major General and Lieutenant General, and the others will be promoted to Major General. All officers and soldiers will be promoted to the first rank."

After he finished speaking, everyone wanted to object, but they were helpless. They could more or less guess what the old man was thinking, and it showed that he had not given up on Zeng Jiwen yet.

After saying that, he left the meeting room.

At this time, in order to prevent the Japanese counterattack and open up a battlefield behind enemy lines, Zeng Jiwen led the 389th Brigade to withdraw from the Niangziguan battlefield and headed to the Taihang Mountains between Xiyang and Heshun areas to open up an anti-Japanese base behind enemy lines according to the orders of the headquarters and the Northern Bureau.

10 month 30 day.

Zeng Jiwen and his troops settled near Sandu Township, between Xiyang and Heshun. This location, situated at the strategic juncture between Xiyang and Heshun, allowed for easy access between the two counties. Furthermore, its proximity to the Taihang Mountains allowed for a quick retreat to the mountainous region in the event of a large-scale Japanese attack.

Looking at the map, Niangzi Pass had fallen, and the Japanese army had already advanced directly into Taiyuan. The Battle of Taiyuan was about to begin, and the Japanese army had no time to take care of the rear. At this time, the Japanese army had not yet completely occupied the surrounding areas. The troops could continue to advance eastward along the Taihang Mountains. To the east, they could go out of Lincheng and threaten Shijiazhuang and Xingtai. To the north, they could threaten Yangquan. To the south, they could reach Changzhi. To the west, they could threaten Taiyuan. It was a top priority.

Now that winter is approaching, the troops can carry out guerrilla warfare in the Yangquan area to the north and develop bases behind enemy lines. At the same time, they can send troops to take root in this vast mountainous area and become a powerful support point for the surrounding battlefields behind enemy lines.

Therefore, after discussing with everyone in the brigade headquarters, Zeng Jiwen decided to send the 781st Regiment with Political Commissar Zhou Shi, Deputy Brigade Commander Huang Hanjia, and Deputy Chief of Staff Zhu Guosheng to Zhaobi Township, Qingcheng Town, and Gaoluo Town in the east, and to station three battalions in each area to open up an anti-Japanese base.

At the same time, Chief of Staff Wang Zhuo, Deputy Brigade Commander Wu Lin, and Deputy Political Commissar Deng Xie led the 783rd Regiment to the mountainous areas of Hengling Town and Mafang Township opposite Sandu Township. He and Deputy Political Commissar Liu Ming, Cai Xu and the 782nd Regiment moved north to the mountainous areas of Dazhai Town in the east of Xiyang and stationed there, always maintaining a threat to the Japanese army in Xiyang.

After the division of labor was finalized, Zeng Jiwen decided to deploy the brigade's direct subordinates to the vicinity of Sandu Township. According to current estimates, the Japanese army would not completely capture the Xiyang and Heshun areas until the spring of next year at the earliest. The entire brigade could then disperse and develop, aiming to deliver a decisive blow to the Japanese offensive in the spring and summer of next year.

At the same time, rent and interest reduction activities were carried out in the nearby rural areas to mobilize the masses to join the Eighth Route Army.

After several people discussed it, the entire brigade formulated a policy for the winter, which was to conduct guerrilla warfare against small groups of enemies, killing as many Japanese troops as possible, while establishing guerrilla forces in nearby villages and actively training anti-Japanese armed forces.

At the same time, it was decided to expand the troops and to add another regiment this winter to fight against the Japanese army.