Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Therefore, when conditions permit, Wei Hongjun will definitely support the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region. And from a personal perspective, Wei Hongjun is from the 115th Division, where he has many old leaders and comrades.

Wang Qiuyun said with some distress: "Give it all? How about we hand over half and keep the other half?"

"Don't worry, Lao Wang, we're not short of money. Besides the gold bars, we got almost two thousand silver dollars this time, which should be enough for us to use for a while. Look at this mule train. The mules in the front are carrying weapons and ammunition, while the mules in the back are carrying food, cloth, and quite a bit of medicine. We've also brought back items from the Zheng family's shops in Xiaquan Town."

"That's good."

Only then did Wang Qiuyun feel relieved.

Wei Hongjun changed the subject and said, "Old Wang, we seized a large number of weapons and ammunition in this battle, and increased our influence. We should use this opportunity to vigorously develop our armed forces. My idea is to concentrate the Type 38 rifle, the Type 65 rifle made in Jin, and the better Type 38 rifles and Type 65 rifles to develop the main force. The old weapons, including some old sleeves, will be provided to the local forces. Next, we will establish county brigades, district squads and village militias to complete the construction of the main force and local forces. My idea is to first establish the District Squad of the Third District of Sheng County, where Zhangjiagou Village is located. One or two people will be selected from the veterans we brought with us to serve as district squad leaders to help them improve their combat effectiveness."

"can."

Wang Qiuyun nodded.

In the current Eighth Route Army, the political commissar has great power.

Especially since the two of them had lost contact with the main force, and the Shengxian underground party lacked high-ranking cadres, Wei Hongjun was definitely the one who could make the final decision in Shengxian.

Wang Qiuyun was only concerned with fighting, and was not too worried about base construction and local troop construction.

Furthermore, only after the coordinated development of the main and local forces is complete can the main force be continuously replenished with troops. Wang Qiuyun, who fought in the Central Soviet Area, has a very clear understanding of this point.

"Then let's go back and see how to reorganize the troops."

"Before discussing the reorganization of the troops, let's first do a post-war review. Although we won this battle, many problems also occurred. The Japanese army is different from the troops we have fought before, and we must be cautious."

"it is good."

Sheng County Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Army Conference.

After this battle, the Shengxian Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Army became a real army.

Sitting in the middle were the guerrilla army commander Wang Qiuyun, political commissar Wei Hongjun, deputy commander Li Shiping, and chief of staff Zhang Dahu. These four people truly represented the saying, "When the tiger is away, the monkey is king."

"Criticism and self-criticism, and conducting a post-battle review after every battle are all fine traditions of our army. Today we will conduct a post-battle review."

Chapter 024 Summary after the war

"Commander, what is a post-battle summary? How should a post-battle summary be conducted?"

Zhang Dahu was a little confused.

He didn't know if this post-battle summary was a commendation meeting or something else. After all, the battle was a victory, so there should be commendations. But looking at Wang Qiuyun, Wei Hongjun, and some of the Eighth Route Army veterans, it didn't seem like a commendation meeting.

Wang Qiuyun explained: "After each battle, we discuss the problems that arose during the war. We identify the problems and propose solutions. If someone makes mistakes on the battlefield, we point them out and let them learn from them.

Don't make this kind of mistake on the battlefield again. As the commander, let me say this first. I believe that Team One Captain Gao Wei is complacent and arrogant. When pursuing the Japanese, he encountered wounded soldiers and didn't employ good tactics. Instead, he charged and attacked relentlessly, resulting in casualties for Team One.

"Commander, I admit my mistake. I was too impulsive at the time and thought they were just wounded Japanese soldiers and could be dealt with immediately."

Gao Wei stood up and admitted his mistake.

Wei Hongjun began, "This problem isn't just Comrade Gao Wei's. Many of us in the army have it. I've heard many soldiers say before that the Japanese are nothing. I think this kind of thinking is very serious and must be taken seriously. The Japanese army is very strong, and their defeat this time wasn't a problem of combat effectiveness. It's because the Japanese had never seen our kind of tactics before and couldn't find a way to counter them. Once the Japanese are familiar with our style of fighting, they will definitely come up with a set of targeted tactics. You should have seen the Japanese marksmanship this time, but because we didn't engage in direct combat, our soldiers haven't seen the true power of their grenade launchers and heavy machine guns. Not to mention our guerrilla army composed of new recruits, even our regular Eighth Route Army troops would suffer heavy losses if they went head-to-head with the Japanese. I hope that all the commanders present here understand that the Japanese army is very powerful. A little bit of complacency will result in heavy casualties in our army."

"The political commissar is right. Everyone must have a basic understanding. Don't think that winning one or two battles is a big deal."

Since the guerrilla army was established, it has never fought a real tough battle.

Many officers and soldiers were unaware of the strength of the Japanese army. This kind of thinking was dangerous and could easily lead to losses in future battles. Therefore, Wei Hongjun used Gao Wei's case to serve as a warning to everyone.

"Having spoken of Comrade Gao Wei, let me now turn to myself. I also made some mistakes when harassing the Japanese troops stationed in Zhangjiagou Village. Now that I think about it, I was a bit conservative in my harassment of the Japanese troops in Zhangjiagou Village. The Japanese were unfamiliar with our tactics, and for a while they were even frightened. I should have been more decisive and stepped up my harassment of the Japanese troops. I reflect on this."

Zhang Dahu was very surprised when he saw Wang Qiuyun's self-criticism.

Zhang Dahu hadn't expected this to be the meaning of the post-battle review. Wang Qiuyun, the unit's chief military officer, was actually conducting a self-criticism. Zhang Dahu had been in the military for many years, and he had never seen a chief military officer conduct a self-criticism in front of his men. How could he lead his troops in this situation? Would the chief military officer still maintain his authority?

But looking at the expressions of those veterans, they are used to it.

"Then I'll also do a self-reflection. When the Japanese army was retreating, I led the special forces team and only thought about sneaking up on them, killing as many as possible and slowing down their advance. I forgot to coordinate with the pursuing troops. If I had been able to closely coordinate with the pursuing troops, our team wouldn't have suffered so many casualties. From now on, our commanders and fighters must pay attention to coordination between units, instead of just focusing on my own side like I did."

Wang Qiuyun conducted self-criticism, and Wei Hongjun followed suit.

Wei Hongjun was indeed wrong in this regard.

If Wei Hongjun had left some troops behind to cooperate with Gao Wei's team, there wouldn't have been so many casualties in Team 1. The increase in casualties in Team 1 was not only Gao Wei's fault, but also Wei Hongjun's.

"Commander, Political Commissar, I think there are many issues that need to be reviewed during our blocking efforts this time."

The captain of the special forces team, Kong De, spoke.

"We have many ways to harass the Japanese army on their march. One of the best ways is to use mines. Burying mines can not only reduce casualties in our troops, but also inflict casualties on the Japanese army and slow down their march."

"Laying mines?"

"Yes. We did the same when we were in the Soviet area. If there are no mines, we can use grenades to lay mines. This is very useful in blocking."

Wang Qiuyun wrote down Kong De's words.

Then he said, "It's not just on the march. We can bury mines in the village to prevent the Japanese from easily living in the village. Burying mines is a good method. We haven't used it before. It's my responsibility as the commander."

"Laying mines is a technical job. We need to learn how to avoid being discovered by the Japanese and how to inflict large-scale casualties on them. Also, we don't have any specialized mines right now, so it looks like we'll need to manufacture them in the future. However, developing mine warfare is something we'll definitely need in the future. Captain Kong put it well, let's continue."

As the political chief, Wei Hongjun must cooperate well with Wang Qiuyun, the military chief.

Summarize the problems that arise at the political level.

"Commander, we previously harassed the Japanese camp by relying on sniper rifles. This time, we captured a grenade launcher, which has a range of 700 to 800 meters. We can ambush them about 500 to 600 meters away and harass them with the grenade launcher. Firing and running is more effective than sniper rifles."

"That's a good idea. Chief of Staff, we should also train the grenade launcher team to develop tactics in this area."

"Yes."

After the meeting, Zhang Dahu was also very serious.

Zhang Dahu hadn't expected these grassroots commanders to have so many different ideas. While they were all discussing tactical matters, and even small-scale combat, bringing these ideas together actually led to the gradual improvement of the unit's tactical style.

Zhang Dahu was really surprised.

The Eighth Route Army is indeed a very special force.

During a post-war review, a wide range of thirteen issues were raised. After the review, the discussion turned to the expansion of the guerrilla army. Compared to the post-war review, the discussion on the expansion of the guerrilla army was even more enthusiastic.

"I'll say a few words, too."

Everyone expressed their views on the development of the guerrilla army.

Zhang Dahu put down his pen and also indicated that he wanted to speak. Wei Hongjun, as the conference host, signaled Zhang Dahu that he could speak. Zhang Dahu said, "I think the previous guerrilla army structure was very good. Our guerrilla army should have a fist force, a force with strong combat effectiveness. When faced with any tough battle, the force can be mobilized. An army must have such a force that can fight tough battles."

"What the Chief of Staff said makes sense."

Wang Qiuyun also wrote down everyone's words in a notebook.

He nodded in agreement with Zhang Dahu's opinion. Many of the current guerrilla forces were inexperienced. Even among the main Eighth Route Army units they had brought with them, the highest-ranking officers from the Red Army era were Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun, who were only battalion-level officers. Those below them, while many were veterans, were only at the lowest levels of the Red Army. They had no experience in building a base or developing an army.

We can only explore and develop at the same time.

In comparison, Zhang Dahu graduated from a regular military academy and served as a staff officer at a division headquarters. In this respect, Zhang Dahu is more experienced than other members of the guerrilla army.

"Comrade Dahu, how many people do you think would be appropriate for our special forces?"

“Around 150 people is ideal.”

Zhang Dahu gradually adapted to the life in the guerrilla army and became more and more like a qualified chief of staff. He began to actively provide advice to the guerrilla army.

"Also, I think light machine guns are no longer suitable for the firepower team. They should be transferred to the combat units below. The firepower team can just keep the grenade launcher and heavy machine gun. The special forces team should be equipped with two light machine guns. This will greatly increase the strength of the special forces team. With proper training, they can go head-to-head with the Japanese squad."

"what about others?"

"Teams One and Two will be expanded to a company. The recruit corps, guard corps, and logistics corps will all be expanded to company size. The guerrilla army currently possesses over 500 rifles, as well as pistols and machine guns. Expanding to 600 to 700 men is no problem."

"The Chief of Staff is saying that we should retain the original structure and simply expand a few teams from platoon level to company level?"

"Yes. Our guerrilla army has just been formed. If we frequently change the original organizational structure, it will easily confuse our members. It is better to continue with the original structure, so that cadre adjustments will be much easier."

Chapter 025 Expansion

Wang Qiuyun looked at Wei Hongjun and Li Shiping.

Wei Hongjun nodded slightly.

Zhang Dahu's point made sense. The guerrilla army had just restructured, and another adjustment would be disorienting. Li Shiping remained silent. Although he held the title of deputy commander of the guerrilla army, his duties lay outside the military. His primary responsibility was to restore the Sheng County Party organization and recruit local members. He also maintained ties with various factions in Sheng County and conducted united front work.

He rarely speaks on military issues.

Not to mention that the issue now being discussed is the expansion of the troops, so Li Shiping would be even less likely to speak.

Wang Qiuyun looked at everyone and said, "I agree with the Chief of Staff. What do you think?"

As a result of the final meeting, the guerrilla army continued to maintain its current structure.

The team leaders will not be adjusted either.

The original platoon was expanded to a company. The special forces unit was even expanded from a reinforced platoon to a reinforced company, totaling 150 men. This large-scale expansion was possible because the guerrilla army had no shortage of weapons.

Before this battle, the guerrillas possessed over 150 rifles. After defeating a Japanese squadron, they captured over 20 rifles of various types. Attacking Yangquan and Xiaquan Towns, they seized over 100 Type 50 rifles from the Japanese garrison in Yangquan Town. Furthermore, defeating the remaining Baoan Corps troops led to the seizure of over Type rifles made in Shanxi. Later, in Yangquan and Xiaquan Towns, they dealt with wealthy individuals who had become traitors, seizing over rifles from them.

Because these traitors had just defected to the Japanese and hadn't had time to commit any evil, everyone except the Zheng family only gave them a warning. They confiscated their weapons and took some money from them, but didn't take any harsh action against them.

But these guns are enough for the troops.

The guerrilla army now has more than 500 guns. In addition, the guerrilla army still has many battlefield damaged guns, many of which are still usable after repair.

That's why we can expand so boldly.

"Expanding the army is a good thing, but its combat effectiveness is a big problem. Our guerrilla army already lacks veterans, and many are new recruits. How to quickly build combat effectiveness among them is a big problem."

Zhang Dahu, as chief of staff, raised the question.

Wang Qiuyun smiled bitterly and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. We're seriously short on grassroots cadres, and even veterans. But this is our reality, and it can't be changed. After the troop expansion is complete, we can only intensify training to get our new recruits acclimated to war as quickly as possible."

The Shengxian guerrilla army's expansion speed seems to be very fast, but compared with the expansion speed of the Eighth Route Army in history, it is just normal.

For example, a certain Eighth Route Army leader led a 200-man troop into southern Hebei, and within six months, his troop had grown to over men. This ability to expand the army was common in the Eighth Route Army. While expansion is easy, the biggest problem is the decline in combat effectiveness after expansion.

The military expansion is too fast, the military cadres cannot keep up, and there is a serious shortage of veterans.

The lack of military cadres and veterans directly affected combat effectiveness. More seriously, the troops' political education was lagging behind, and after the Eighth Route Army's large-scale expansion, mutiny and desertion were also rampant.

The Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, including its branches in various military regions, trained over 100,000 military and political cadres during the War of Resistance. Other cadre schools also trained hundreds of thousands of military and political cadres for the Eighth Route Army during the war. However, the Eighth Route and New Fourth Armies continued to face a cadre shortage, a problem that persisted until liberation. This was a fundamental issue: the Eighth Route Army's inadequate foundation and China's poor education system, a reality that no one could change.

The problems that Sheng County is currently facing will be encountered by the Eighth Route Army in the future.

Wang Qiuyun was also helpless.

"Commander, you're right. Comrade Dahu, this is the situation we're in now. There's no way to change it anytime soon. Not only can it not be changed, but this problem will only get worse. The only solution is learning. We, the leaders of the army, must learn, and so must our officers and soldiers. Learn cultural knowledge and military knowledge. Commander, Chief of Staff, you all need to get busy. Give lectures to our officers and soldiers."

Although Wei Hongjun has the memory of the next eighty or ninety years, this is the historical reality and cannot be changed by Wei Hongjun alone.