Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Wang Qiuyun's eyes lit up as she looked at the map.

Wei Hongjun also nodded.

Pointing at the map, he said, "As long as we act quickly, we can directly take over Yangquan Town and Xiaquan Town. The Zheng family is a wealthy family in Sheng County, and due to policy, it is difficult for us to take action against them. But now that the Zheng family has surrendered to the Japanese and become traitors, we need sufficient reason to deal with them. Since they are known as the richest family in Sheng County and own half of the land in Xiaquan Town, their wealth must be abundant. Moreover, we can take this opportunity to confiscate their land and increase the influence of our Eighth Route Army in Xiaquan Town. It will definitely be of great benefit to our future development in Sheng County."

Wei Hongjun was really envious.

Yangquan Town was where the Japanese army was stationed, and Xiaquan Town was a wealthy commercial town in Sheng County. This was mainly because many caravans from Chahar heading south passed through Xiaquan Town. So, although Xiaquan Town was not as wealthy as those wealthy towns, it was one of the most affluent areas in the impoverished Sheng County.

If we eliminate the Zheng family, the richest family here, we can give the guerrilla army a lot of good things.

Of course, more importantly, it must be fast.

Once the news of the Japanese defeat spread, the remnants of the National Army in Beishuigou Town would not let go of Yangquan Town and Xiaquan Town.

"Old Wang, you haven't recovered yet, so you'll be in charge of the aftermath here. The Chief of Staff and I will lead the new recruits, guards, and logistics team to Yangquan Town and Xiaquan Town to defeat them."

Soldiers are valuable and quick.

This matter cannot be delayed.

Never throw away the meat that is already in your mouth.

Wang Qiuyun looked at Zhang Dahu and understood that Wei Hongjun brought Zhang Dahu with him because Zhang Dahu was from the 29th Army.

If any conflict arises with the remnants of the 29th Army, Zhang Dahu can mediate.

"Okay, I'm waiting for your good news."

Wei Hongjun immediately called for his troops.

With the guerrilla army's new recruits, guards, and logistics teams, which were the teams that suffered the least losses in this war. The main force was the guards, the new recruits cooperated in combat, and the logistics team was responsible for carrying things.

Wei Hongjun really admires the people of this era.

Because of the hardships of life, people of this era were truly hardworking and persevering. These peasants, not long ago, were just ordinary farmers or hunters, but after joining the guerrilla army, they had no problem fighting continuously. Their strength was their sheer drive and their fierce determination.

The road from Zhangjiagou Village to Yangquan Town was several dozen miles long. I rested for a while in the middle and then ran straight to Yangquan Town. I ran for so long without any complaints.

"Political Commissar, the security team ran away."

"Ran."

"Yes. As soon as our men opened fire, the security forces from Yangquan and Xiaquan towns fled."

"Take your men and chase them, shouting. If they run away, you can, but leave the guns and bullets behind. As long as you leave the guns and bullets, I don't care if they run away. But if anyone runs away with guns and bullets, you chase them."

"Yes."

The security team originally had more than a hundred people.

After receiving some weapons from the Japanese, the Baoan Corps expanded to over 200 men. However, like the guerrillas, these new recruits were peasants who had just picked up weapons and had never fired a gun. The original main force of the Baoan Corps had joined the Japanese in the attack on the guerrillas, and the new recruits were now guarding the garrison. Upon seeing the guerrillas approach, the Baoan Corps members immediately fled.

Wei Hongjun had no interest in them.

Only interested in the weapons and ammunition on them.

"Chief of Staff, take your men into Yangquan Town and move the Japanese warehouse. Especially weapons and ammunition, don't leave any behind. If there are other things, then exchange them for some mules and horses. As for the rest, don't do anything. Now is not the time for us to develop in Yangquan Town."

"Yes."

"I'll take people to Xiaquan Town and meet up here in four hours."

"it is good."

The security team is even more vulnerable than imagined.

The troops poured into Xiaquan Town with basically no fighting.

"Political Commissar, the Zheng family has also run away."

"Never mind him. Are there any good things in the Zheng family warehouse?"

"Yes, a lot."

Zheng Qillang was very excited.

As deputy captain of the logistics team, Zheng Qilang was responsible for the guerrilla army's logistics. Even more excited than when he'd been counting the battle results, Zheng Qilang said, "Instructor, this Zheng family is incredibly wealthy. We dug up 25 gold bars and 1,200 silver dollars from their backyard. We also found over 600 bags of flour and a large amount of other food in the warehouse."

"How does he have so much flour?"

"The Zheng family has a flour shop in Xiaquan Town, and I heard that the Zheng family also sells flour to the caravans outside the Great Wall. In addition to selling this flour in Sheng County, they also sell it outside the Great Wall. I heard that every caravan going outside the Great Wall would send out dozens of mules at a time. And this is only what we found in the Zheng family warehouse. Our people have already gone to the Zheng family's flour shop, and there should be hundreds of bags of flour. The Zheng family also has a lot of cloth, and we are currently counting it."

real rich.

Not to mention gold and silver dollars, there are also flour, cloth and other good things.

"Have you found any evidence of land in the Zheng family?"

"We've searched everywhere, but we can't find it. They must have taken it away."

"What a rich old man."

Wei Hongjun was funny.

The Zheng family fled in a panic, not even having time to pack up their small yellow croaker and silver coins. Unexpectedly, they took all the land certificates they had in Xiaquan Town. It turned out that they valued land more than money.

"Political Commissar, I found a good thing in the Zheng family."

"There's something else? What is it?"

"Thirty-three brand-new Jin-made Type 65 rifles."

"Thirty-three?"

"Yes."

"The local tycoon is indeed rich. He hoards land and guns."

Wei Hongjun was not surprised at all.

During the Republic of China era, China was not only plagued by warlords, but more importantly, bandits. Shanxi, under Yan Xishan's rule, was considered a relatively stable province in China. Yan Xishan's other abilities were average, but his farming skills were among the best among the warlords.

But even in Shanxi, there is no shortage of bandits.

The local tycoons, who usually had money and liked to hoard land, often bought guns for self-defense to guard against bandits. The Zheng family, a major landowner in Sheng County, not only had their sons form a defense group, but also equipped their own servants with weapons.

Therefore, it was very normal for local rich people to have guns in their hands in the Republic of China.

When the Eighth Route Army crossed the Yellow River and entered Shanxi, they initially recruited many of their weapons from these local wealthy people, including many enlightened landlords who donated the guns they had hidden in their homes to the Eighth Route Army.

"Commissar, I'm not finished yet."

"Why, there's more?"

"They also have a Type 65 light machine gun made in Shanxi. In addition to rifles and light machine guns, they also have a large amount of ammunition."

"Do all the local rich have light machine guns?"

Wei Hongjun was funny.

The Zheng family is indeed a wealthy family, and they even stockpile light machine guns.

Zheng Qilang said, "Political Commissar, you've just arrived, so you might not be very clear. In addition to some local bandits in Sheng County, there are also some bandits from the north. When facing these bandits, we just need to pull out the light machine gun to deter them."

"it is good."

Wei Hongjun estimated the time and said, "Immediately count how many wealthy families in Quan Town have become traitors, and then send people to warn them. Ask them to hand over all their weapons and make them donate money to support the anti-Japanese war."

"Yes."

"After we're done, we'll evacuate."

Chapter 023 Big Harvest

1937 10 Month 19 Day.

A war that caused a sensation in Sheng County and was even recorded in the history of the Anti-Japanese War in Northeast Shanxi and Chahar ended.

Although it was only a small-scale battle, the combined forces on both sides numbered only about 500 men. Furthermore, of these 300 men, whether recruits from the guerrilla army or the security corps, they were largely mere entrants. The actual participants on both sides totaled less than . Yet, even this small battle has become a notable figure in the history of the Anti-Japanese War in Northeast Shanxi and Chahar. This battle officially established the Shengxian Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Army, formed by the Eighth Route Army, in Shengxian County and even marked the beginning of the Eighth Route Army's establishment of a base behind enemy lines in Northeast Shanxi.

The seizure was astonishing.

The subsequent raids on Yangquan and Xiaquan towns, in particular, allowed the Shengxian guerrillas to seize an astonishing amount of supplies. Wei Hongjun, upon returning with these supplies, employed a full sixty-six mules. Not only sixty-six mules, but every soldier accompanying Wei Hongjun also carried supplies on their backs. Fortunately, they had plundered a considerable amount of money from the local wealthy. Otherwise, with a mule costing over a dozen silver dollars, sometimes even nearly thirty, the guerrillas would have struggled to acquire so many mules.

Except for a part of these mules that were obtained from wealthy landlords, the rest were bought with money.

"Old Wei, are you guys going to attack the local tyrants?"

Wang Qiuyun looked at the mule carts passing by and her face was full of smiles.

This is how much supplies there are.

"This time I'm really going after the rich. Apart from anything else, do you know how much gold bars I got back this time?"

"And gold bars?"

Wang Qiuyun was overjoyed.

Since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the French currency has been depreciating continuously. Even the price of the US dollar, which had always been relatively strong, has been falling. Only the price of gold has remained very stable. In fact, with the outbreak of war, the price of gold has actually risen.

Therefore, many forces currently recognize the purchasing power of gold.

The Eighth Route Army also needed to deal with other factions and purchase essential supplies from them. These included weapons, ammunition, medicine, and various machinery and equipment—all of which were crucial to the Eighth Route Army. Even the paper the Eighth Route Army needed had to be purchased from other sources. At this time, gold bars were the most useful. They were easy to carry, had strong purchasing power, and were universally accepted. Unfortunately, they were difficult to obtain.

Gold bars are in short supply in the central government.

Wang Qiuyun didn't expect that gold bars could be obtained in a remote Sheng County.

Wei Hongjun said excitedly, "I weighed the gold bars made by these local tycoons. Most of them weigh around three taels, and a few are around ten taels. I brought back a total of 37 gold bars this time. 25 of them were from the Zheng family alone. We miscalculated the Zheng family's financial resources. They're not only a wealthy family in Sheng County, but they're also wealthy even in small and medium-sized cities. They own several stores in Xiaquan Town alone, and most of the food and clothing in Xiaquan Town is controlled by the Zheng family. I heard they also have various stores in the county town."

"Three taels of gold bars? Roughly how much is that in silver dollars?"

"A gold bar of about three taels would be worth around one hundred silver dollars."

"Then we're going to be rich."

"Yes, we've made a fortune, but we can't touch these gold bars. After a while, once we've established contact with the division headquarters, I plan to hand them over. The division headquarters is much bigger and in greater need than we are, so they need these gold bars even more than we do."

Wei Hongjun discussed with Wang Qiuyun in a low voice.

Wei Hongjun wasn't just concerned with the anti-Japanese war in Shengxian County, nor was he solely concerned with the Shengxian guerrilla army, nor was he solely concerned with immediate development. Because the anti-Japanese war was a nationwide undertaking, no matter how much the small Shengxian Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Army developed, its impact couldn't be significant. If Wei Hongjun's focus was solely on the Shengxian Guerrilla Army, its role would be limited and its development would be minimal. Compared to the Shengxian Guerrilla Army, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, led by Marshal Nie, was the overarching force. Their successful development would benefit the entire war of resistance.

Besides, Sheng County is just a county with a total population of less than 200,000. No matter how much the Sheng County guerrilla army develops in Sheng County, its scale of development is limited.

In order to withstand the pressure from the Japanese army in the future, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region must develop significantly. The stronger the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region is, the more help it will provide to the Shengxian guerrilla army in the future when something happens.

Even the future success of the Shengxian guerrilla army in northeastern Shanxi depended on the support of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region. Historically, the development of the northeastern Shanxi base area involved both the 120th and 115th Divisions, but it was primarily the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region's responsibility. Without the support of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, Shengxian County alone would have been unable to cultivate its own military, political, and local development cadres.