Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

"Old leader, is the 35th Army really attacking Baotou?"

Wang Qiuyun was quite surprised.

After all, Baotou was home to the First Cavalry Brigade, a force of about 5,000 men. Taking the initiative to attack a city garrisoned by a brigade was a rare occurrence in the history of the War of Resistance.

Although Wang Qiuyun knew that Fu Zuoyi's troops were very powerful.

But this head-on siege still shocked Wang Qiuyun.

"Yes. The Daqingshan Detachment of the 120th Division reported that Fu Zuoyi's troops had almost all come out. In addition to their main force, the local armed forces that Fu Zuoyi reorganized in the Suiyuan area were also dispatched. Now the 35th Army and the Japanese army are repeatedly fighting for positions in Baotou. Some units of the 35th Army even broke into the city of Baotou, and the fighting was very fierce. However, it would take more than one or two days to capture Baotou. It is estimated that the two sides will fight in Baotou for several days. So they first asked the Daqingshan Detachment for cooperation, and also asked us for cooperation through the Second War Zone and Chongqing.

"Old leader, why do we always have to cooperate with them? When we were fighting, they didn't cooperate with us either.

Wang Qiuyun was very dissatisfied.

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were both from western Fujian. Many of the officers and soldiers of the New Fourth Army headquarters, which was ambushed by the Nationalist army during the Southern Anhui Incident, were members of the Central Red Army's remaining troops in the south after the Long March.

It can be said that they are from the same lineage as Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun.

But this great revenge has not yet been avenged. First, the 8th Column was asked to cooperate with Zhongtiaoshan, and now it was asked to cooperate with Suiyuan. Wang Qiuyun was very dissatisfied.

Why did the Nationalist troops not cooperate when the Japanese army swept through the Eighth Route Army base? But when the Nationalist army was fighting, it needed the cooperation of the Eighth Route Army.

Luo Renfa said, "The commander was worried that you might be playing tricks, so he sent a telegram to the First Division asking me to come here. The 35th Army is different from other Nationalist troops. Since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, it has been cooperating closely with Yan'an and the 120th Division. Both Yan'an and the headquarters believe that when help is needed, it must be provided."

"That was when we were cooperating. I also heard that the 35th Army has basically severed cooperation with us.

Wang Qiuyun still refused to accept the result.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, there were more than a few Nationalist troops that cooperated well with the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army. At the time, they worked together tacitly and achieved good results. However, starting in 1939, relations between the two armies deteriorated rapidly.

By the time of the "Southern Anhui Incident", the two sides had actually completely torn their relations apart.

It was only due to the intervention of major powers such as Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union that they avoided a complete fallout.

The same is true for the 35th Army.

Previously, there was indeed a tacit cooperation between the 35th Army and the Eighth Route Army. Even many political workers within the 35th Army were directly sent from Yan'an. However, as the relationship between the two factions deteriorated and the "Southern Anhui Incident" broke out, those who were sent from Yan'an had already left the th Army.

The two sides haven't had much cooperation in recent times.

Wei Hongjun said from the side, "Old Wang, calm down. Think about it carefully. From a military perspective, we have to help. The enemy we and the 35th Army in Suiyuan are facing is the Mongolian Army. If the 35th Army can really capture Baotou and annihilate the Japanese st Cavalry Brigade, it will be able to severely damage the Mongolian Army. This will be very beneficial to our future development in Chahar."

Wang Qiuyun was very angry and couldn't get over the hurdle in her heart.

Wei Hongjun and Wang Qiuyun had worked together for many years and understood Wang Qiuyun's temper. The more you tried to reason with her, the less likely she would listen. So Wei Hongjun got down to business.

Wang Qiuyun snorted coldly.

He said: "Even without them, we are not afraid of the Mongolian troops."

But his tone softened.

Wang Qiuyun was a military general.

Consider issues mostly from a military perspective.

Luo Renfa saw Wang Qiuyun's attitude change and said with a smile, "Yes. We and the 35th Army are inextricably linked. Cooperation is beneficial to everyone. The harder the 35th Army fights the Japanese in Suiyuan, the better it will be for us. To support the 35th Army, the Daqingshan Detachment of the 120th Division has already joined the battle and dispatched three regiments to cut off the transportation lines around Baotou. Our Jin-Cha-Ji First and Fifth Divisions have dispatched five regiments to destroy the Tongpai Road and tie down the Japanese troops around Datong. What you need to do is to leave the 26th Regiment of the 13th Division in Jining in Jining. Give the 35th Army enough time to capture Baotou."

The Eighth Route Army’s attitude was completely different.

In the Battle of Zhongtiaoshan, the Eighth Route Army only dispatched a few new regiments to cut off the Japanese army's transportation lines under Chongqing's orders. However, when the 35th Army attacked Baotou, the Eighth Route Army quickly dispatched eight regiments. Furthermore, they requested the Eighth Column to send troops.

Seeing that Wang Qiuyun was still a little angry, Wei Hongjun immediately assured him, "Old leader, don't worry. We will definitely keep the 13th Regiment in Jining and prevent it from affecting the Baotou Campaign.

Chapter 366 Send Troops

Why do many people say that Japan has no strategy?

It is because Japan attaches too much importance to tactics and only considers immediate interests when dealing with problems.

That's the case now.

The Japanese army was very capable in tactics. They were even more meticulous in their tactics, not letting go of even the slightest oversight. However, in terms of larger strategies, the Japanese army often made mistakes.

Of course, there is also a problem that the situation forced the Japanese army to make a choice.

The Japanese government has begun planning to invade Southeast Asia. To do so, it must go to war with Britain and the United States. However, going to war with Britain and the United States is no small matter, and Japan must devote all its strength.

Therefore, the Japanese government formulated a grand strategy of "swift resolution of the Chinese Incident" in an effort to withdraw from the Chinese battlefield. To implement this grand strategy, Japan analyzed the Chinese situation and ultimately formulated a military strategy designed to force the Chongqing government to surrender as quickly as possible. The key elements of this strategy were: "Pressure on China must not be relaxed until the autumn of 1941, and preparations must be made for a final, active campaign in the summer and autumn to resolve the Chinese Incident."

In fact, it is to concentrate military forces and focus on attacking the Central Army, the direct troops of Chongqing.

The Japanese government carefully analyzed China. Although Chongqing was the central government, it was under the control of numerous warlords. Chongqing relied on the central army to suppress these forces. If the central army suffered a significant blow, Chongqing would be unable to suppress the warlords. This included the Guangxi clique, which had always coveted Chiang Kai-shek's position.

In order to suppress these warlord forces, Chongqing must maintain a strong central army.

Therefore, the Japanese government, the Imperial Headquarters, and the China Expeditionary Force all believed that as long as they focused on attacking the Central Army, Chongqing would definitely not accept it. They had no choice but to sit down and negotiate with Japan.

This was Japan's overall strategic goal for the Chinese battlefield in 1941.

In this strategic report, the Japanese Imperial Headquarters also analyzed the situation within the Japanese-occupied territories, stating that North China was the worst region for security. Within North China, security was most severe in Shanxi and Hebei, while Henan and Shandong were unstable. The Imperial Headquarters determined that the Mengjiang region was currently the most stable, followed by the Liaonan Triangle, and then the Wuhan area, with North China being the least secure.

In North China, Henan and Shandong are slightly better, Hebei and Shanxi are the worst hit, and Suiyuan and Chahar are also areas of poor security. It should be said that the Eighth Route Army is undoubtedly the cause of such poor security.

It is precisely because of the existence of the Eighth Route Army that the security situation in the areas occupied by the Japanese army is poor.

However, although the Japanese army had clearly analyzed this situation, under the Japanese government's overall strategy, they still ignored the increasingly powerful Eighth Route Army and instead targeted the Central Army of the Chongqing faction.

The Zhongtiao Mountains were the only area in North China where the Central Army was present. Consequently, the North China Front Army launched the Zhongtiao Mountains Campaign, ignoring the actual situation in North China. Although Sugiyama Gen, Tada Shun, and Okamura Neiji, who had only been in office for six months, all believed that the Eighth Route Army was the biggest problem for public security in North China, the Japanese headquarters disagreed.

It can be said that Japan's grand strategy completely ignored the real situation in North China. This is the problem with Japan's strategy.

As a result, the actual situation was very bad.

Zhongtiao Mountain concentrated too many troops from the North China Front Army. As a result, North China, including Shanxi, Hebei, Suiyuan, and Chahar, was severely short of troops. Even Shandong was affected. The 21st Division was originally responsible for northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui, and southwestern Shandong. Its transfer to Shanxi left that region short of troops.

Being beaten passively everywhere.

The first to attack was the 8th Column, which occupied Huailai, killed the Major General of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade, Hitomi Yoichi, and annihilated about 3,000 Japanese and puppet troops. They then gradually encroached, concentrating the troops stationed in Mongolia into several counties around Zhangjiakou.

The next to take action was the 35th Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

This was the most powerful unit in the Nationalist army in North China. Fu Zuoyi mobilized nearly 35 troops to attack the Japanese 35st Cavalry Brigade in Baotou. After the 8th Army was deployed, the Eighth Route Army immediately joined the th Army in the battle in Suiyuan. The First and Third Divisions, as well as the Daqingshan Detachment, alone deployed eight regiments.

All units of the Eighth Route Army were moving, and the Eighth Column also received orders from the military region.

Zhangbei County, Chabei Detachment Headquarters.

The predecessor of the Chabei Detachment was the local village association armed forces organized by the Han brothers in Xiejiabao. Later, this armed force was reorganized by the Eighth Route Army and became the 8th Column Guerrilla Detachment, with Feng Mulin as commander and political commissar.

The troops crossed the Pingsui Road and finally arrived in Chongli County.

After the 8th Column acquired the 10th Battalion, it added a company to the Yugeiji Detachment. This unit was later reorganized into the Chabei Detachment. Initially, the Chabei Detachment's overall development was relatively slow. This was primarily due to the prolonged Japanese occupation of these areas, coupled with the existence of various pseudo-local governments under the puppet Mongolian government. To put it bluntly, the combination of a strict traitorous government and traitorous armed forces made local reactionary forces too powerful.

Therefore, there were actually not many Japanese garrison troops in Zhangbei County, Chongli County, and Guyuan County.

Some county towns actually only had one squadron of devils.

The rest are traitorous armed forces.

Fortunately, this area was vast and fertile. Although the traitors were powerful, their strength grew weaker the lower they went. Feng Mulin, an expert in guerrilla warfare, developed his forces in the vast countryside. Although the pace of development was slow, he still managed to develop a main force of 2000 men.

In addition to the independent battalion and cavalry battalion, there are five infantry battalions.

Because they were fighting guerrilla warfare, the size of a battalion in the Chabei Detachment was limited to about 300 men. A battalion of 300 men was just right for guerrilla warfare.

Because it was a guerrilla war, the Chabei Detachment had a relatively large number of local troops. Normally, the local troops would cooperate with the Chabei Detachment in guerrilla warfare. During the Hundred Regiments Campaign, the Chabei Detachment's strength increased significantly.

This was mainly because the Chabei Detachment, with the support of the Chadong Detachment, had successively captured Chongli, Zhangbei, and Guyuan counties. Although the population of these three counties was not large, they still had nearly 300,000 people.

More importantly, the people here worship the strong. Many people are dissatisfied with the Japanese army, but without a leader, everyone is obedient. But once someone takes the lead, there will be many excellent recruits here.

There are even some tribes here where the entire tribe supports the anti-Japanese war.

As a result, the Chabei Detachment occupied three county towns. They had money, people, and guns.

The size of the troops also expanded rapidly.

In the past six months, more than five thousand people have signed up to join the army.

Together with the original 2000-man main force and 3000-man local troops, the total number of the Chabei Detachment exceeded . The column also gave the Chabei Detachment three regiment numbers.

The Fifth Independent Regiment, the Sixth Independent Regiment, and the Seventh Independent Regiment.

However, in addition to the 5th, 6th, and 7th Independent Regiments, the Chabei Detachment also had a cavalry regiment expanded from a cavalry battalion. Currently, the leaders of each regiment were present at the Chabei Detachment headquarters. Feng Mulin convened a meeting of the Chabei Detachment.

"Everyone has seen it. The column wants our Chabei detachment to attack Shangyi County directly, and it would be best if we could occupy Shangyi County and threaten Jining.

"Commander, I think it's impossible to capture Shangyi County in such a short time."

Huang Yanjun of the 6th Independent Regiment spoke up to express his views.

Huang Yanjun was a member of the 8th Column who had originally accompanied Feng Mulin to the Red Army. He was a veteran of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Red Army and later the 15th Red Army Corps. He had fought guerrilla warfare alongside Feng Mulin in Shaanxi and was considered an old comrade.

"Commander, we can't compare to the other main forces of the column. Even though the main column regiments don't have infantry guns, they do have a lot of mortars and Zheng-style shells. But our Chabei Detachment's weapons and equipment are far inferior to theirs. Furthermore, our Chabei Detachment has a lot of new recruits, so we can fight against the puppet troops. Attacking the city is absolutely not an option."

Huang Yanjun expressed his views.

Feng Mulin nodded.

Of the 8th Column's five detachments, the Chabei detachment was the most distant from the column and the slowest to develop. It was fine for ambushes, but not for sieges. The fact that they had been able to capture several counties in Chabei was due to the Japanese army's reduction of forces and the assistance of the Chadong detachment.

"Commander, I agree with Captain Huang's opinion. With our Chabei Detachment's current strength, a strong attack on the county town would result in heavy casualties. We don't even have many heavy machine guns, so what can we use to attack the county town? However, I heard that in Shangyi County, the Japanese army massacred civilians here in the early years. Moreover, the Japanese army and the puppet government have been very brutal in Shangyi County in recent years, and various resistances have been rising one after another. I think this is a good opportunity for our Chabei Detachment. Let's ignite the anti-Japanese flames in Shangyi County. As long as we turn the rural areas of Shangyi County into our anti-Japanese base, then Shangyi County will fall without a fight."

Zhao Junyou of the 7th Independent Regiment was the company commander of the 3rd Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Squadron.

Feng Mulin agreed with Zhao Junyou's words and said, "Okay. This time, when we enter Shangyi County, we will disperse our troops and first occupy the various towns and villages in Shangyi County, destroying the grassroots puppet regimes of the Japanese and puppet troops in these areas. The Fifth Regiment will stay in Chongli, and the Sixth, Seventh, and Cavalry Regiments will follow me into Shangyi County."

The 35th Column supported the th Army's battle in Baotou.

The 26th Regiment of the 13th Division in Jining was to be retained. The only way to retain this unit was to threaten the safety of Jining. To threaten Jining, the th Column ordered the Chaxi Detachment and the Chabei Detachment to attack.

The Chaxi Detachment attacked Xinghe County, and the Chabei Detachment attacked Shangyi County.

Xinghe and Shangyi counties had been deserted by anti-Japanese forces for many years. Coupled with the North China Front Army's constant shortage of manpower, there weren't many Japanese troops there. The entire county consisted of only one reinforced infantry squadron. The rest were the local puppet government and traitorous forces.

The Japanese here mainly served as advisors, monitoring the local puppet government and traitorous armed forces.

But when the Chaxi and Chabei detachments entered here, the situation was completely different. Although the strength of the Chaxi and Chabei detachments was not as strong as that of the Chanan, Chadong, and Pingbei detachments.

But they were also the main force fighting against the Japanese and puppet troops for many years.

This time, the Chaxi Detachment sent out three infantry regiments, and the Chabei Detachment sent out two infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment, which immediately changed the situation here. Whether it was Feng Mulin or Gao Wei, both of them were veterans of the Red Army.

Mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare are their specialties.

More importantly, both of them understood that the countryside should surround the city.