Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

"After a series of battles, the situation in Shandong stabilized, and our forces began to penetrate into western Shandong, southern Shandong, central Shandong, Jiaodong and other places, and successfully established several anti-Japanese bases.

At the beginning of the previous year, the Ludi Column was established, led by Division Commander Xu, Political Commissar Zhu, and others. Guerrillas from various regions were gradually incorporated into the Ludi Column, forming a relatively complete military system.

At this point, his tone suddenly paused, his expression becoming more serious: "But a problem also arises - the localist sentiment in the Ludi Column is very serious."

Hearing this, many people in the conference room frowned.

"How serious is it?" Commander Xu asked first, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Chen Shukang nodded slowly and continued:

"At that time, the backbone of the Ludi Column mainly came from local guerrillas, although these troops nominally belonged to the Eighth Route Army.

However, since it was initially led by local cadres, the military-political system was relatively loose, resulting in a strong degree of local independence.

"In addition, because the Ludi Column initially needed to unite all anti-Japanese forces, including some local armed forces in the original white areas and some local forces, the internal composition of the column was extremely complex.

When implementing the family policy, some local cadres began to resist, and even disagreed with the family on certain issues."

"Especially after the main force of the 115th Division moved south to Shandong, the column leadership tried to implement the policies of your military region, Lao Zeng, in the base area.

However, local officials, out of self-interest, did not fully implement the policy, and even secretly reached a tacit understanding with certain local forces to pursue their own agenda.

The conference room fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Zhou Xi frowned and said, "If the problem was discovered at the time, why didn't you rectify it in time?"

Chen Shukang smiled bitterly: "It's not that it hasn't been rectified, but it's difficult to rectify.

It was only after the establishment of the Central Plains Bureau last year that we were able to fully grasp the actual situation of the Ludi Column.

But by that time, the Ludi Military Region had already taken shape, and local forces were deeply entrenched, so many things could affect the entire region."

“You should still remember that when we reorganized the Ludi Military Region last year, we discovered that the command of many troops was no longer entirely in the hands of the Eighth Route Army, but was instead influenced by local cadres behind the scenes.

Especially in terms of policy implementation and military deployment, the Ludi Military Region often acted independently, deviating from the instructions from home."

He paused and continued, “This situation made my family and Secretary Liu realize that rectification must be carried out as soon as possible.

Therefore, it was decided to form a Soviet-equipped division with troops from the former 115th Division to strengthen the Eighth Route Army's control and at the same time to carry out a large-scale cleanup within the Ludi Military Region.

"But in order to avoid the intensification of internal conflicts, this process was deliberately slowed down to prevent large-scale political struggles from affecting combat effectiveness."

Zhou Xi nodded and said thoughtfully, "So that's why you've temporarily postponed further reinforcements to the Ludi Military Region?"

"Yes."

Chen Shukang sighed,

“Until the current problems are completely resolved, we will not invest too many resources in the Ludi Military Region to avoid greater internal friction.

The Battle of North China is about to begin, and the Ludi Military Region is part of the war zone. Things there are also very urgent, so I came here this time.

The division commander and the secretary are currently busy with the Ludi issue."

After finishing speaking, Chen Shukang looked at Zeng Jiwen and said seriously:

"The problem in Ludi this time must be resolved as soon as possible. If it continues to develop like this, our situation in Ludi will be very bad.

Especially if we inflict heavy damage on the Japanese this time, the Japanese troops in North China will definitely shrink their defenses and retreat to the big cities. If we don’t deal with the situation in Shandong, it will become difficult to control them later.”

The conference room fell silent again.

Zeng Jiwen tapped the table lightly with his fingers, staring at the map, and said thoughtfully:

"So, you want me to send people and troops to Ludi?"

Chen Shukang nodded: "

Well, this is also the initial idea of ​​the division commander and the secretary. Let me come here this time to inform you first.

You are in southern Hebei, close to western Shandong, so it is easy for large troops to pass through and get supplies.

At the same time, only the troops and personnel from your military region can suppress those who are disloyal.

"

Everyone in the conference room was silent.

The problems on the battlefield have not yet been resolved, and internal politics and military rectification are now facing us. The problems of the Ludi Military Region also need to be resolved.

Zeng Jiwen stood up, walked to the sand table, and his eyes fell on the map of the Lu area.

His fingers gently tapped a few key points, his brows furrowed. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said:

"The situation in Ludi really can't be delayed any longer. If the battle takes too long, I'm afraid the command problems of the troops will become even more serious."

He turned around and looked at Chen Shukang: "What is the current military strength of the Ludi Military Region?"

Chen Shukang thought for a moment and replied, "The total strength of the Ludi Military Region is currently approximately 18, of which approximately 8 are under our absolute control.

Although the remaining 10 troops were nominally affiliated with the Ludi Military Region, their composition was more complex, with a considerable number of them being reorganized from local guerrilla forces.

Zeng Jiwen frowned slightly. "That means nearly half of the troops might have problems?"

"Theoretically, it won't be completely out of control, but command and dispatch on the battlefield may not be that smooth."

Chen Shukang shook his head and continued,

"If they are willing to cooperate, we can effectively command them, but if they compromise on the execution of orders or even pretend to obey but actually disobey, it will be a big problem.

Moreover, this situation has occurred more than once~"

Political Commissar Rong pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you have a specific plan for this rectification?"

"The current plan is to proceed cautiously."

Chen Shukang sighed.

"Secretary Liu is currently in Shandong, attempting to gradually weaken the influence of localism and strengthen the military region's control through political rectification, cadre adjustments, and military reorganization.

But this will take time and it won’t happen overnight.”

"What about the military?" Zeng Jiwen asked.

"Militarily, we have already dispatched a Soviet-equipped division. This is the most elite force we can directly control at the moment."

Chen Shukang continued,

"But this is not enough. Although the Ludi Military Region has a considerable force, its equipment is relatively backward, especially the lack of heavy weapons. If the Japanese army changes its target and launches a large-scale sweep of Ludi, it is still unknown whether they can exert sufficient combat effectiveness."

Hearing this, everyone's faces became solemn.

"What if I let Wu Lin lead the Ji'nan troops there?"

Zeng Jiwen suddenly said.

Chen Shukang was a little surprised to hear this.

"You're actually willing to let Lao Wu go?"

Wang Zhuo, who was standing by, smiled when he heard this.

"North China is back on track after this war. Han Jia might not be able to leave, so Wu Lin going to Lu is a good choice.

When you're done, tell Secretary Liu and the others about it."

After listening to Wang Zhuo's words, Chen Shukang thought for a moment:

It’s not impossible!

"