Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Wei Hongjun didn't hesitate and said directly, "Comrade Lin Dafeng, although you also studied military science, I have a more important task for you. However, I still need to ask for your opinion first."

"Commander, please give the order."

"We've fought a lot of battles in the past two months and captured a lot of weapons. But many of them are damaged. The commander and I have carefully examined them. Some of the damage is not that serious and should be usable after repair. But we don't have such talents here. Since you have been a gun tester at the Taiyuan Arsenal, you should be very familiar with various firearms. I want you to set up a weapons repair factory. When the conditions are right, we can develop it into an arsenal to produce weapons and ammunition for our troops. What do you think?"

"Commander, I accept the order."

Lin Dafeng sighed.

Originally, Lin Dafeng came to Sheng County this time hoping to fight the Japanese with all his might. He had no idea that Sheng County was in such a state, and he still had to work in the arsenal. Lin Dafeng suddenly asked, "Chief, how many people are there in the repair factory now?"

"You are the only one. From now on, you will have to work. Anyone you like can come to me and apply. This repair shop is more important than anything else."

"It turns out I'm a lone commander."

Lin Dafeng scratched his head.

However, Lin Dafeng was not discouraged. He had originally come to Sheng County to organize a guerrilla force from scratch, but the current situation was much better than he had imagined.

"As for Comrade Yu Ping? Old Wang, where do you think is appropriate?"

"Of course it's the county brigade."

"That's what I thought too."

The two men looked at each other and smiled.

This was the tacit understanding between the two men, who had worked together for many years. Wei Hongjun turned to Yu Ping and said, "Comrade Yu Ping, on behalf of the guerrilla army headquarters, I now appoint you as the deputy captain and political commissar of the county brigade."

"Chief, what is the county brigade?"

"Not long ago, in the fourth district of Sheng County, many rural villages, led by Songjiazhuang, incorporated their village defense teams into our guerrilla army. However, the guerrilla army is currently too large, so they are given the name of a county brigade. Don't underestimate them because they are a county brigade; they are currently the size of a battalion. They are not short of guns. Although it is not possible to have one gun for every man, the county brigade currently has around 200 guns. However, we really cannot spare any cadres right now, so the commander is also serving as the captain of the county brigade. However, the commander is usually so busy that he has no time to manage the county brigade. Therefore, the county brigade has always been somewhat unrestrained. But this is a force of more than 300 people with more than 200 guns. How can we let it be unrestrained like this? It's a good thing that you are here. Go to the county brigade and reorganize it. Try to transform this unit into a combat-ready unit as soon as possible."

"Yes."

Yu Ping was very surprised.

Although I knew the guerrilla army was currently strong, I hadn't expected an average county brigade to have over 200 guns and over 300 men. This was truly the size of a battalion. Furthermore, as deputy captain and political commissar, I was effectively the head of the county brigade.

But I also know that there are many difficulties involved.

Yu Ping had worked in the countryside and even served as a Party representative for a peasant self-defense force. Therefore, he understood better than anyone the complexities of rural kinship. Since the county brigade was composed of several village defense teams, its members were inevitably all from the same village. This type of team was, in fact, the most difficult to lead.

"Don't rush when you get there. First, understand the county brigade's situation clearly and sort out its various relationships. Then, slowly work your way through it. After you arrive, you must carefully observe this unit. The first step is to make them understand the policies of the Eighth Route Army and familiarize themselves with its discipline. Ultimately, they will become a unit that obeys its orders and abides by its discipline. During this process, you must carefully observe the activists within the unit and recruit them into the Party. Let Party members play a positive and exemplary role, improve the troops' morale, and strengthen their combat effectiveness. I'll give your county brigade two months to sort out its situation. Then, report the brigade's organization, the appointment of commanders at all levels, and the list of Party members you plan to recruit."

"Yes."

Although there were only two of them, Wei Hongjun was already very happy.

Sometimes, a single talented individual can replace a whole team. That's why talent is so rare. We'll have to wait and see what these two individuals are capable of. But just from their resumes, it's clear they're both highly capable.

Wei Hongjun asked greedily, "When you came, did the Provincial Party Committee say that they would send some local cadres to Sheng County?"

"That's unclear. We just took orders from the military department."

"I was too greedy. After you receive the order, you can start working. Comrade Lin Dafeng, our future arsenal director, you can start selecting the future arsenal employees from now on. Comrade Yu Ping, I will take you to the county brigade headquarters later."

Chapter 052 Troop Development

After finishing these things, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun met in the evening.

There are some things that two people must discuss.

"Old Wang, you heard what Lin Dafeng and Yu Ping just said. They said that on November 11th, Deputy Division Commander Nie established the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region in the Wutai Mountain area. This means that our 7th Division split up, and Deputy Division Commander Nie led part of the 115th Division to form the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region."

"That's how it should be."

Wang Qiuyun nodded slightly. But Wang Qiuyun quickly said, "But this is good news. This is very good news. We finally have news from the main force, and finally news from our superiors."

Unlike Wei Hongjun who knew history, Wang Qiuyun was actually feeling very nervous and even a little scared during this period.

After all, it was the first time we were away from the main force and established a base in an unfamiliar place. Even news from the main force was difficult to obtain.

Just like a fish out of water, it always feels like something is missing.

He even sometimes wondered what the future held for the army. Was there any hope for establishing a base in Sheng County? Fortunately, Wei Hongjun remained relatively calm, and having been engaged in combat for some time, he was able to maintain stability. However, if contact with the main force continued for an extended period, Wang Qiuyun's condition would undoubtedly deteriorate.

So, upon hearing that Marshal Nie had established the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, Wang Qiuyun was happier than anyone else. Although she hadn't been able to contact him yet, she already had a clue.

"The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region encompasses Shanxi, Chahar, and Hebei. Our Sheng County is located at the junction of northeastern Shanxi, northwestern Hebei, and Chahar, and is administratively under Chahar. It must also belong to the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region. It seems we are still in the old unit, still under the leadership of the old commander."

"Correct."

Wang Qiuyun said with lingering fear, "When I first heard that Deputy Division Commander Nie was establishing the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, I was quite happy. But then I started to worry that we were too far away from the division headquarters and would no longer be under the jurisdiction of our old unit. Later, I thought about it and realized that we were still under the jurisdiction of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region."

The two people are from western Fujian.

I joined the Fujian Red Guards, which later evolved into a local unit and was eventually incorporated into the First Corps, where I remained throughout the Central Red Army. When the Eighth Route Army was reorganized, I was assigned to the 115th Division. To be honest, I have a soft spot for it. If I were assigned to another unit, I wouldn't resist orders, but I would still feel a sense of reluctance.

Now that I am still in my old unit, I am of course in a good mood.

"Old Wang, tell me about Deputy Division Commander Nie. He's changing his tune now. Where will Commander Nie set up his command structure?"

"Fuping."

Wang Qiuyun pointed to Fuping on the map with certainty.

"How to say?"

"Fuping is strategically located in southeastern Shanxi. To the north, Lingqiu, Laiyuan, and Yixian are all important towns on the Peking-Shanxi highway, and they are very close to both Peking and Baoding. To the east of Fuping is the area between Baoding and Shijiazhuang, which has a large population and is home to the Pinghan Railway. To the south of Fuping are Shijiazhuang and Jingxing, also the location of the Zhengtai Railway. To the west of Fuping, past Wutai, is the Tongpu Railway. The headquarters of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region is located here, allowing it to control the highway from Hebei into Shanxi to the north, threaten the Pinghan Railway to the east, threaten the Zhengtai Railway to the south, and threaten the Tongpu Road to the west. In the entire southeastern Shanxi region, there is no better place than Fuping. Moreover, Fuping is located in a deep mountainous area, surrounded by mountains, making it unsuitable for the rapid deployment of the Japanese mechanized army, which is beneficial to the safety of the headquarters."

"Old Wang, a man should be looked at with new eyes after three days of absence."

Wei Hongjun was very surprised.

I didn't expect Wang Qiuyun to have such a vision and such a strategic height now. Before, Wang Qiuyun was just a grassroots commander of the Eighth Route Army, but in just over two months, Wang Qiuyun was able to see all these aspects.

Wang Qiuyun chuckled.

Then he said, "In the past two months since I came to Sheng County, I've been unable to sleep almost every night, worried about ruining the current good situation of the anti-Japanese war in Sheng County and the lives of so many people under my command. Every day, I think about the future of our anti-Japanese war in Sheng County in front of the map, and I also study the anti-Japanese situation around Sheng County."

Pressure can make a person grow rapidly, but it can also crush a person.

It is obvious that Wang Qiuyun is someone who can withstand pressure.

Withstanding the pressure, Wang Qiuyun grew rapidly, and began to think more deeply. Especially now that he had heard the news from his superiors, the last burden in his heart was finally put down. Wang Qiuyun said with some pride, "Old Wei, what do you think?"

"Pretty much what I thought."

Wei Hongjun nodded and said, "The four most important railways for our Eighth Route Army in the future war of resistance in Shanxi are the Pingsui Railway in the north, the Pinghan Railway in the east, the Zhengtai Railway in the south, and the Tongpu Railway in the west. In modern military operations, railways are the main arteries. Not only the mobilization of troops, but also the mobilization of logistical supplies must be carried out by railways. In the future, the Japanese army will inevitably firmly control these four railways, and our Eighth Route Army will definitely revolve around these four railways when fighting behind enemy lines. This is why I say that our Sheng County will have great development. Because our Sheng County is far away from these four railways, it will not be valued by the Japanese army in the short term. However, our Sheng County is not far away from some important cities around the four railways. Once the Japanese army and our Eighth Route Army forces fight in these important places, the Eighth Route Army troops will continue to disrupt the Japanese army's logistics. At that time, the Japanese army will definitely consider new logistical routes. At that time, the importance of Sheng County will be reflected."

"Old Wei, I think you can be the division political commissar."

Wang Qiuyun looked at the map in admiration.

Wei Hongjun said it very clearly.

The Pingsui Railway connected Beijing to Zhangjiakou, and then extended to Datong, an important city in Shanxi, and Guisui, an important city in Suiyuan. A railway connected Beijing with Chahar, Suiyuan, and Datong in northern Shanxi.

The Pinghan Railway, needless to say, runs from Beijing to Wuhan. The Zhengtai Railway connects Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, and Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province. This will become the most important railway line between Hebei and Shanxi. Then there's the Tongpu Railway, which directly connects Datong and Taiyuan, two of Shanxi's most important cities.

The four railways form a square.

The Japanese later controlled Hebei and Shanxi, relying heavily on these four railways, while the Eighth Route Army also developed bases behind enemy lines around these four railways.

"You mean, let me lead the group leader?"

"I didn't say that."

"Hahaha."

After receiving the news from the division headquarters, both of them felt much more relaxed.

After laughing, Wei Hongjun said seriously, "Old Wang, we must contact division headquarters as soon as possible. Our guerrilla army will soon have over 1500 people, and after a while, we may have 2000. We can't continue to call it a guerrilla army. We must ask the military region to give us a designation to make it legitimate."

Independent development is independent development, but it must be supported by the military region.

Fighting against Japan is not a one-man show.

If the guerrilla army wants to develop, it must rely on the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and get their support.

Wang Qiuyun nodded.

But he quickly frowned and said, "We only know about the establishment of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region. The fact that the command center is in Fuping is just our guess. We can't just go there blindly to look for it."

"Through the local party organization. Pass the message through them, either to the regimental commander or Commander Nie."

"That's all."

After finishing the discussion about the liaison with the division headquarters, Wei Hongjun whispered, "Old Wang, there's something I think needs our attention. We currently have too few Party members in our army, and it's going to affect the army."

"What can you do?"

"My idea is to expand the number of party members in the military as quickly as possible. Of course, we can't rush to recruit everyone. My suggestion is to first select officers and soldiers with good performance and let them become active members. And for some cadres in important positions, this time can be shortened. They can be made probationary members, so that some problems can be solved first."

"Okay. You're the political commissar, so you're responsible for this."

"We're both far from the main force right now, so these matters still need to be discussed between the two of us. My main concerns right now are our Chief of Staff Zhang Dahu, Independent Team Captain Li Wanfu, Special Forces Deputy Captain Zhang Shan, and Rent and Interest Reduction Working Group Captain Yang Yonghui. Their positions are too important, and if they weren't Party members, I wouldn't be sure."

"Are they willing?"

"There's nothing wrong with Li Wanfu and Zhang Shan. Principal Yang Yonghui, this can't be forced; we need to convince him step by step."

An intellectual like him must figure it out on his own. As for Zhang Dahu..."

"Leave Zhang Dahu's affairs to me."

Wang Qiushi took on too much responsibility.

He said, "Zhang Dahu once lost his goal and confidence because his army was always losing battles. Now, after following us and winning battles, his confidence has returned. Let him see that our Eighth Route Army is different from the troops he has served in before. Only our Eighth Route Army can lead everyone to victory. Naturally, he will choose our Eighth Route Army."

"I'll be in charge of Li Wanfu and Zhang Shan. We'll split up and make sure they become our probationary members as quickly as possible."

"it is good."

"Then I'm more concerned about Zhang Qiuping, who is currently in charge of the Women's Rescue Association, and Zhang Chao, who is currently establishing the five district government agencies. I will be completely relieved only when these people are absorbed into our party."

"Just take charge."

Both of them are very busy and sometimes they don’t have time to discuss issues like this for several days.

So let’s exchange opinions on some issues as soon as possible.

Just as the two were discussing the issue, Li Shiping walked in. Wiping his sweat, he said, "You're all here, making it so hard for me to find you."

"what happened?"

"Feng Anmin sent someone over. He wants to discuss the ownership of the county with us."