Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

The Japanese 83rd Independent Battalion failed to break through Qianmen Gorge after six hours of fighting. On the contrary, after six hours of fighting, the 83rd Independent Battalion suffered more than 300 casualties, reaching more than 340, and finally withdrew from the battle.

The Japanese Army's 16th Independent Mixed Brigade suffered a heavy blow at the very beginning of its mopping-up operation.

The 35th Regiment made a good start in the counter-mopping-up operation. It even completely washed away the shame of five months ago and fought a brilliant battle.

It took only two battalions of 1000 men to hold off an independent Japanese battalion for six hours. Ultimately, the Japanese suffered heavy casualties and chose to withdraw.

Chapter 294 Calm down

After the 83rd Independent Battalion of the th Independent Mixed Brigade suffered a head-on blow and retreated, the North China Front Army also fully launched its sweep across Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei.

The 35th and 219th Regiments of the 220th Division once again swept through the base area of ​​the First Division.

This time, their target was once again Yi County and Laiyuan.

Because these two places are the bases of the First Division, just like Sheng County is the base of the Eighth Column. This time, the 35th Division ignored everything and headed straight for Yi County and Laiyuan.

Of course, the largest number of Japanese troops were concentrated in the Yanbei area.

37师团和41师团的四个联队，还有26师团的12联队、13联队，总共六个联队。

Their target this time was not only the Second Division, but also the newly established Fifth Division and the Yanbei troops of the 120th Division. It should be said that the Japanese army had a big appetite and was ready to break through the Eighth Route Army's Yanbei base, then attack Wutai, and finally enter Fuping.

Fuping, the headquarters of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, was their target.

Then the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade once again swept the Xuanzhuohuai base.

"Have you read the telegram from the Pingbei Detachment?"

"Looked."

"Now that I think about it, it wasn't just the Pingbei detachment that misunderstood Song Zhiyuan; it was the two of us who misunderstood Song Zhiyuan as well.

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun also talked about Song Zhiyuan.

After the last anti-mopping-up operation, the column harshly criticized the Pingbei Detachment. Although the 34th Regiment was most affected, with the command system practically completely changed, the 35th Regiment also received its share of criticism.

Because the 35th Regiment lost more than half of its Changping base. During the anti-mopping-up operation, the 35th Regiment only fought small battles, always avoiding the Japanese army, or even completely avoiding the Japanese army. Although the main forces of other bases also avoided the main Japanese forces, the other bases still fought the battles they had to fight.

Only the 35th Regiment fought very little against the Japanese during the entire anti-mopping-up campaign.

I am also often ridiculed.

Even Wei Hongjun had many complaints.

Song Zhiyuan was a battle-hardened general. From a Northeast Army general to an Eighth Route Army general, he had performed very well since arriving at the Eighth Column. The troops he commanded were also very effective. But why did he fail after arriving at the 35th Regiment?

Unexpectedly, Song Zhiyuan not only did not have any bananas, but they became more and more ripe.

Knowing the 35th Regiment was different from the other units, he adopted a gradual approach. By gradually transforming the 35th Regiment, he not only united the Jidong cadres within the 35th Regiment but also subtly expanded his influence within the regiment. While the current 35th Regiment was still primarily composed of Jidong cadres, Song Zhiyuan had clearly established a firm foothold and enjoyed the support of the 35th Regiment's cadres. Wei Hongjun even felt that he had some issues with the Jidong troops.

At the beginning of the reorganization, there were too many concerns and hesitations. They did not dare to reorganize the troops boldly and were too concerned about the cadres in Jidong. As a result, after the reorganization of the troops, there were a large number of military cadres who had never fought in a war.

After the 34th Regiment suffered a defeat, I overreacted.

This mentality also affected the attitudes of other cadres in the 8th Column, including Xiao Yongshi, commander of the Pingbei Detachment. Because Wei Hongjun had too many concerns, Xiao Yongshi was unable to work freely in the Pingbei Detachment and the Changwanshan base.

Wei Hongjun has been reviewing his work in his heart.

On the issue of the Jidong troops, he was still influenced by history and was too cautious.

In comparison, Song Zhiyuan is very smart.

The 35th Regiment was gradually acclimated, and its officers were gradually acclimated to the battlefield. After all, both the 35th and 34th Regiments had undergone training within the column, and many of the lower-level commanders had learned infantry tactics. However, they had never fought in a battle, so they couldn't immediately apply what they had learned on the battlefield.

The commander of the 34th Regiment, Gui Jiu, did have problems with fighting. As a result, the large-scale operation was caught by the Japanese army and suddenly suffered a defeat, which made the cadres of the 34th Regiment hate it and forget many of the things they learned.

Song Zhiyuan of the 35th Regiment, however, gradually acclimated these officers to the battlefield. As a result, these officers gradually applied what they had learned. With each battle, their understanding deepened, and their command abilities grew. Song Zhiyuan observed some unqualified military commanders and sent them to the column for training. This method enhanced the capabilities of the 35th Regiment's grassroots commanders.

Therefore, the combat effectiveness of the 35th Regiment has been improving without much turmoil.

"Ah."

Wang Qiuyun also nodded.

Of the three units currently in the Pingbei Detachment, Wang Qiuyun had the highest hopes for the 34th Regiment. During this recent restructuring, the column had sent many elite troops and officers to the 34th Regiment, and the cadres were carefully selected. Then there was the Pingbei Guerrilla Detachment, because its commander, Cai Debao, was truly formidable.

Within a few months, several guerrilla battalions were established in Wanping.

But unexpectedly, the 35th Regiment emerged as a sudden force.

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were both very happy because the improvement of the 35th Regiment's combat effectiveness was also improving the strength of the th Column.

"What do you think of the raid on the Xuanzhuhuai base?"

"What can I do? I'm thinking we should teach the Mongolian troops a lesson, otherwise they'll keep raiding our base.

"Do you have an idea?"

Compared with the Japanese army's four independent mixed brigades' sweep of the Eighth Column's base in June and July, and the large number of troops dispatched to strongholds along the railways and highways, this time the Japanese army's sweep was much worse.

Only two mixed brigades were dispatched.

The 6th Independent Mixed Brigade swept the Changping and Wanping bases, while the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade swept the Xuanzhuohuai base. The 2nd and 15th Independent Mixed Brigades had not yet recovered their strength and mainly served as blockade forces.

In fact, Wei Hongjun didn’t understand.

While Tada Shun was gathering his main forces to sweep the Hebei-Central Military Region, he was also organizing his troops to sweep the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Beiyue District.

The North China Front Army doesn’t have so many troops.

Divide the troops to sweep?

This does not give the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops an opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Wang Qiuyun nodded and said, "The Chairman once said, 'It's better to cut off one finger than to injure ten.' Over the past two years of our battles with the Japanese, I've increasingly felt the accuracy of this statement. Attacking the Japanese forces is of little use; they can quickly replenish their forces and regain their combat effectiveness. However, once we completely wipe out a battalion or a squadron, even if they can replenish their forces, it will be difficult for them to regain their combat effectiveness. It will take time. Look at the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade. They only lost two independent battalions, and yet they still haven't recovered their combat effectiveness. The same is true for the 15th Independent Mixed Brigade."

Therefore, this time I hope to annihilate one or two independent battalions of the Japanese 9th Independent Mixed Brigade. This will severely damage the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade and prevent them from recovering their combat effectiveness in a short period of time."

“That’s the right idea.”

Wei Hongjun nodded.

The principle Wang Qiuyun spoke of applies not only to the Nationalist Army but also to the Japanese Army. Only by completely annihilating a unit can it recover its combat effectiveness in a short period of time. If you completely annihilate a battalion, unless they directly merge with other battalions, even if they replenish their forces with new soldiers, their combat effectiveness will not be restored in a short period of time.

After the Hundred Regiments Campaign, the average height of Japanese recruits in 1941 was 1938 meters, a decrease of centimeters compared to the average height of meters in .

Because a large number of dolls began to flood the army.

After the outbreak of the full-scale war of resistance, the Japanese army always had the upper hand in every hand-to-hand combat. This was because the Japanese soldiers were taller and, due to their good diet, were in better physical condition than the Chinese soldiers. Therefore, the Eighth Route Army's hand-to-hand combat training was basically two-on-one or three-on-one tactics.

However, by around 1943, Chinese soldiers had already gained the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat, as the Japanese soldiers were completely different from those in the full-scale war of resistance.

And even if we add new recruits, there are still so many officers?

Even if the Japanese army had enough new recruits, it didn't have enough officers to fill the gaps. Previously, officers in the Japanese army were either graduates of the Army University or the Army Academy. However, the number of officers killed and wounded on the battlefield was too high, and graduates from the military academies simply couldn't fill the gaps.

Consequently, the Japanese army, forced to abandon the mandatory military academy graduation requirement, had historically offered "officer short-term training courses" starting in 1941, lasting only six months. Later, the invading Japanese army also established training corps, selecting combat-experienced soldiers from various units for on-site training and serving as "cadre reserve students." After 6, these so-called "cadre reserve students" comprised 1943% to % of the officers in newly formed divisions, independent guard units, and field replacement units. It's easy to imagine the significant decline in the officer corps' capabilities during this period.

Now, if the Eighth Route Army kills one more Japanese officer, the shortage of Japanese officers will accelerate. If the Eighth Route Army kills one more Japanese soldier, the decline in the quality of the Japanese soldiers will accelerate.

Wei Hongjun supported Wang Qiuyun's idea, but still said with some concern: "Although the 16th and 18th Regiments have recovered a lot, it should still be difficult to annihilate one or two Japanese battalions.

"Don't be afraid, we in the Eighth Column are not without troops.

Wang Qiuyun smiled and said, "I plan to send the 25th Regiment over to cooperate with the 16th and 18th Regiments to counter the mopping-up operation.

"can."

Wei Hongjun thought for a moment and said, "Old Wang, my idea is to assign the 25th Regiment directly to the Chanan Detachment. The Mongolian Army currently has the 16nd Independent Mixed Brigade and the 18th Independent Mixed Brigade deployed near Zhangjiakou. This means that these two mixed brigades will periodically raid the Xuanzhuhuai base. We only have the 25th and th Regiments, and our manpower is still somewhat weak. Assigning the th Regiment to the Chanan Detachment will give us three main force regiments in the Xuanzhuhuai base. With the support of local forces, we'll be more confident in facing the two independent mixed brigades of the Japanese army."

"Makes sense."

Wang Qiuyun nodded.

To counter the 16th Column, the Mongolian garrison deployed two independent mixed brigades and regiments. The 18th Column naturally needed more troops to protect the Xuanzhuhuai base. Wang Qiuyun looked at the map and said, "In this case, the 25th Regiment will be deployed in Huailai, the th Regiment in Xuanhua, and the th Regiment in Zhuolu. Furthermore, with these three main regiments, we can help develop local forces."

"Are you going there in person this time?"

"The 25th Regiment has not yet been assigned to the Chanan Detachment. If the 25th Regiment is sent there, the leadership issues will also be complicated. I will personally lead the 25th Regiment and go there to cooperate with the Chanan Detachment to fight a good battle."

"Are only 25 regiments enough? Do you want to take the st Guard Regiment? The nd Guard Regiment? The rd Guard Regiment?"

"unnecessary."

Wang Qiuyun shook her head.

He said, "Sheng County is the foundation of our Eighth Column. Many of our Eighth Column's logistics units are located here. No matter what happens in the Fifth District or Wanping, Sheng County will be in danger. We need troops to protect it.

"Okay. I'm more worried about Songjiazhuang, so I'm going to check it out.

Chapter 295 Lure the enemy deeper

Wang Qiuyun led his troops quietly northward.

What was the Eighth Route Army's greatest strength? Or what was the Red Army's greatest strength?

Of course it’s a covert march.

Hiding during the day and moving out at night, and stealth marching, have been the Red Army's greatest strengths since its inception. During the Central Red Army's counter-encirclement and suppression campaigns, they even quietly passed between two enemy units without being detected.

This requires a high degree of discipline. During such a march, any slight violation of discipline by any unit would be detected by the enemy. The Red Army and the Eighth Route Army relied on iron discipline.

This is what happened to Wang Qiuyun this time.

The 25th Regiment set out from Beilingzhuang and chose to hide during the day and move at night.

It was December now, and it was dark before 12 p.m. It wasn't until around or a.m. that it was fully light. Of course, there was another important reason for the concealed march.

That is, this is the base of the Eighth Route Army.

The Eighth Route Army is familiar with this place and has a popular support base here.

Soon Wang Qiuyun and Zhang Zihua, the leaders of the Cha'nan Detachment, met.

"Commander, do you mean that this time we should concentrate our forces to annihilate one or two of his battalions?

"Correct."

Wang Qiuyun nodded.

Pointing at the map, he said, "The 36th Independent Mixed Brigade is sweeping our base. They're currently attacking in three directions. The 37th and 38th Independent Battalions form one, the 39th and 40th Independent Battalions form another, and the th Independent Battalion and the garrisons at several surrounding strongholds form the third. We're going to look for one of these."

"However, the distance between the three routes is not far, only about three or four hours away. Even if we encircle one of them, if we can't take it down in a short time, it will be easily surrounded by the Japanese. Although the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 2 will not participate in the mopping-up operation, they will send troops if needed."

Zhang Zihua still wants to choose a safer option.

Such an annihilation war can indeed weaken the opponent's strength.