Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

After the independent detachment was established, some were happy and some were worried.

The most unexpected thing was the appointment of the battalion commander of the first battalion of the independent detachment.

When the order was announced, Li Wanfu himself was shocked.

He had only been in the guerrilla army for a little over a month, less than two months. Later, he was quickly recruited into the Party by Wei Hongjun and became a probationary member. Although Ji Wanfu was very willing to join the Eighth Route Army and agreed with the Party and the Eighth Route Army's stance, and Ji Wanfu was still very confident in his abilities, he still believed that he had only just joined the Eighth Route Army and that the Eighth Route Army would need to assess him for a while. This was normal in any unit.

However, this time, his appointment as the commander of the first battalion still had a huge impact.

This is an extraordinary feeling.

Although the independent detachment was short of cadres, that didn't mean there weren't any qualified candidates for the position of commander of the First Battalion. However, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun chose Li Wanfu as the commander, clearly demonstrating to everyone that the Eighth Route Army didn't discriminate against anyone. Cadres wouldn't be selected based on arbitrary connections like affiliation or collateral affiliation.

It makes many people feel relieved.

The most depressed one was Gao Wei.

Gao Wei was appointed deputy battalion commander of the second battalion and concurrently commander of the first company.

Based on Gao Wei's qualifications and his relationships with Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun, he should have been the commander of the first or second battalion. But now he was only a deputy battalion commander, which made Gao Wei very depressed.

But there was nothing he could do.

Because he still has a punishment on him now.

The reorganization work is very complicated.

However, Wei Hongjun had many other tasks to attend to besides reorganization. He was recruiting personnel from all over the place; the army was in dire need of cadres. First, Li Shiping was retained in the independent detachment as director of its political department. Then, Wei Hongjun recruited Zhang Chao to serve as instructor of the special forces company.

it's not finished yet.

Wei Hongjun once again came to the Shengxian County Committee of the Communist Party of China.

"Secretary Duan, are you busy?

"Commissar Wei, hurry up. You've laid a great foundation, and a lot of work has already been done. We just need to continue with our original tasks. The biggest task over the next two days is to establish the district government agencies for Districts 3, 4, and 5, and fully implement rent and interest reductions in Yangquan and Xiaquan Towns."

With the development of Sheng County's work, the affiliation of Sheng County has become increasingly clear.

The independent detachment was affiliated with the First Division of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, but also with the independent division. The local government of Sheng County was under the leadership of the Pingxi Prefectural Committee, as Sheng County was geographically and administratively part of Pingxi. The local cadres who arrived in Sheng County along with Director Luo Renfa were of all ranks.

The Pingxi Prefectural Committee has already made a plan for Sheng County.

Duan Chengwei is the newly appointed secretary of the Sheng County Party Committee, responsible for local affairs in Sheng County.

"Secretary Duan, Principal Yang Yonghui, what do you think?"

"He is a very upright intellectual and very knowledgeable."

Duan Chengwei answered cautiously.

Although he was the head of the Sheng County local party committee, the Sheng County base was captured by an independent detachment after all.

"Principal Yang is very well-known in Sheng County. Many people from our First Battalion of the Independent Detachment joined the army because of him. There are a large number of school teachers and students here, all of whom are important training targets for the army. He has also played a significant role in promoting rent and interest reduction.

"I discovered this. When we established the five district government agencies, we found that many people preferred Principal Yang to take the position.

"In fact, I think Principal Yang serving as the district chief is not the best arrangement."

"Oh?

Duan Chengwei was very surprised.

They had originally come to Sheng County to establish an anti-Japanese base. Unexpectedly, the anti-Japanese situation in Sheng County was so favorable that they didn't need to take the risk of establishing a base. Duan Chengwei was very cautious after arriving, fearing a conflict with the independent detachment.

By then, my superiors will definitely have a bad impression of me, thinking that I am trying to seize power as soon as I get here.

Therefore, Duan Chengwei adopted a policy of prioritizing some existing local institutions and leaders, allowing the cadres who followed him to cooperate with their work. Regarding the establishment of a district government, the county committee had essentially decided to appoint Yang Yonghui as the mayor of District Five.

"Principal Yang is a scholar and has been involved in education for many years. There would be no problem for him to handle education, propaganda, or even united front work, as these are his strengths. However, he is not good at the actual nitty-gritty affairs of the party. The district chief has too much to do and too much to organize, and they are all seemingly trivial matters. I don't think Principal Yang is suitable. He would be better off being transferred to the county party committee, either responsible for propaganda or united front work, which would be better than being district chief."

I will take Political Commissar Wei's opinions into consideration.

"Secretary Duan, these are just my personal opinions. I don't intend to interfere in the affairs of your county committee.

Wei Hongjun immediately explained.

The relationship between the military and local authorities is quite sensitive. While the independent detachment holds high hopes, it currently remains part of the military system. Unless a military sub-district is established one day and then concurrently assumes local responsibilities, Wei Hongjun should not interfere in local affairs.

Duan Chengwei shook his head and said, "We've only been here a few days. Political Commissar Wei, you are familiar with Sheng County. We should listen to your opinions."

"This is serious. You've been working in local affairs for years, so you're more familiar with it than we are. By the way, Secretary Duan, I came here today to discuss something with you."

"Political Commissar Wei, go ahead."

"Minister Lei Jiabin of your county committee is in the military field, right?

"Yes. Originally, our group was to come to Sheng County to open up a new guerrilla zone, and Minister Lei was responsible for organizing the guerrillas. After the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was established, the region selected cadres for training and then sent them to various locations. We were also selected from the military region and trained in Lingqiu. Because Sheng County and Xining County are geographically classified as Pingxi, our trainers were from the Pingxi Prefectural Committee. Political Commissar Wei, what do you mean?"

"Ha ha.

Wei Hongjun smiled embarrassedly.

Then he said, "Secretary Duan, I've read Minister Lei's information. He's a five-year Party member. During the Red Army era, he served as squad leader, platoon leader, company commander, and company instructor, and he participated in the Long March with the Central Red Army. Look at the current situation in Sheng County. We don't need Minister Lei to form a guerrilla force. So, how about you give Minister Lei to us? Our army is in need of this kind of cadre who is both military and politically competent."

Wei Hongjun came here this time to snatch people away.

In other bases, the army sent cadres to help establish the bases. However, in Sheng County, Wei Hongjun was keeping a close eye on the local cadres. Because most of these local cadres, except those from the underground party, were from the army.

Take Lei Jiabin, for example. He was a veteran of the Long March. He had served as a company commander, a company instructor, and even as an officer at the division headquarters.

A real old Red Army soldier.

"Political Commissar Wei, you...really...we're just about to appoint Comrade Lei Jiabin as Organization Minister...you...

"Secretary Duan, there are so many students in Sheng County, you can train them all. It's not impossible for you to also serve as the Organization Minister. You don't know that our army is currently seriously short of cadres. This time, when we set up an independent detachment, our commander, political commissar, and chief of staff will all be transferred to serve as battalion commanders and political instructors. We are really short of cadres. Outstanding military and political cadres like Minister Lei are what our army needs most. So, I will transfer a few students from the army to your local government. What do you think?"

"Political Commissar Wei, I... okay.

Duan Chengwei finally nodded helplessly.

Then he grabbed Wei Hongjun's hand and said earnestly, "Commissar Wei, this is truly the last time. First, you left Comrade Ji Shiping in the independent detachment, then transferred Comrade Zhang Chao to the special forces company, and now you want to take Minister Lei away. We really can't afford this. We are also short of cadres in our area."

“This won’t happen again.

Chapter 060: Eight-way Siege

The independent detachment had just completed its reorganization when something big happened.

Independent detachment headquarters.

All the officers above the company level of the independent detachment were present, including the main local cadres of Sheng County. Zhang Dahu introduced in the front: "According to the intelligence from the division headquarters, the Japanese have withdrawn more than 20,000 Japanese and puppet troops from eight locations in order to destroy our newly established Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region."

"The Japanese and puppet troops were drawn from strongholds along the Pingsui, Tongpu, Zhengtai, and Pinghan railways. The Japanese troops emerging from the Zhengtai, Pinghan, and Tongpu railways were naturally dealt with by troops from other military sub-districts within the military region; they had nothing to do with us. What mattered to us were the Japanese troops emerging from the Pingsui Railway. The intelligence provided to us by the divisional headquarters indicated that approximately 4000 Japanese and puppet troops were deployed from Huailai, Xining, and Yingxian along the Pingsui Railway.

“A lot of people are nervous.

4000 people, this scale is too large. If so many Japanese and puppet troops really poured into Sheng County, the independent detachment would be no match. Especially some of them had just started to serve as company-level cadres, and they had only been in the army for a few months.

When I suddenly heard that there were more than 4000 enemies, I took a deep breath.

Of course, there are also some newborn cows who are not afraid of tigers.

For example, Zhang Shan from the special forces company is Xin Yudong.

"Specifically, Huailai dispatched a battalion of Japanese troops, Xining County dispatched a battalion of Japanese troops and 500 puppet troops, and Yingxian also dispatched a battalion and a regiment of Japanese puppet troops. According to intelligence, the Japanese troops in Huailai were mainly aimed at dealing with the guerrillas in the Pingbei area. Our party has formed many guerrillas in the Pingbei area in the past few months. Although they are not large in scale, they still threaten the Pingsui Road and annoy the Japanese army. Therefore, the Japanese troops in Huailai are mainly aimed at increasing their control over the Pingbei area.

It has nothing to do with us.

Following Zhang Dahu's introduction, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

This would reduce the size of a Japanese battalion, which had 1100 men.

"As for the Japanese troops dispatched from Ying County, their target is Hunyuan and other areas in Yanbei. Division headquarters has already sent us a message that the independent division will be responsible for repelling the Japanese troops in the direction of Datong and Ying County, and it has nothing to do with us. In other words, the only thing we have to do with is a battalion of Japanese troops and 500 puppet troops dispatched from Xining County."

One battalion plus 500 puppet soldiers totaled about 1600 people, which was not a small number, but still within an acceptable range.

Although the independent detachment was no match for them in a head-on fight, Sheng County was a place with high mountains and dense forests, and there were many places for guerrilla warfare and ambushes. So everyone finally put their minds at ease.

"Don't underestimate this unit! It's a battalion of the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade, part of the Chahar Expeditionary Corps. The 1st Independent Mixed Brigade achieved great fame in the Ping-Sui Road Campaign, the Xinkou Campaign, and the capture of Taiyuan. They've been nearly unstoppable in Chahar and Shanxi over the past few months, demonstrating exceptional combat effectiveness.

Their main forces are currently in the direction of Taiyuan, and Xining County can only dispatch one battalion. However, their equipment is very good. Not only does their Tian team have light and heavy machine guns, but they even carry four infantry cannons.

Seeing that some people had relaxed, Wei Hongjun wanted to make them nervous again.

That was a whole group of devils.

But it cannot be treated casually.

Wang Qiuyun echoed Wei Hongjun, saying, "Don't underestimate those 500 puppet troops. These puppet troops following the st Independent Mixed Brigade are not the ragtag bunch from Sheng County. According to our intelligence, these puppet troops are the puppet Manchukuo troops that entered Shanxi following the July Incident. Although they are puppet troops, a large number of their commanding officers are Japanese, and their weapons and equipment are excellent. They are even better than those of many warlord troops in our country. Everyone should be prepared for a tough battle."

"Commander, Political Commissar, there are not many roads for the Japanese army to come to our Sheng County from Xining County. This road is the fastest and has the best road conditions. Other roads are not suitable for large-scale marches. Should we think of some solutions here? If so many troops are allowed to pour into Sheng County, things will be difficult in the future." Zhang Shan, the company commander of the special forces company, spoke.

Wang Qiuyun was very satisfied with Zhang Shan's reaction.

It doesn’t matter if you have little experience, as long as you are willing to learn and know how to think, that’s the best.

Zhang Shan was highly regarded by Wang Qiuyun because of his innate physical qualities, making him a natural fit for military service. After a period of military training and participation in combat, his military prowess improved rapidly. Furthermore, Zhang Shan was known for his intellectual prowess and enjoyed studying various tactics. Although he was still somewhat immature at times, he was constantly improving.

So Wang Qiuyun encouraged commanders like Zhang Shan to think more about the problem.

“What do you think?

"Commander, the last time we fought Aso's squadron, the political commissar and I fought a 'sparrow war' that made the Japanese army dizzy. We had very few casualties, but we caused heavy casualties to the Japanese and puppet troops. It's a hundred kilometers from Xining County to Sheng County. It's such a long place with so many mountains in the middle. We spread out the troops and fought a 'sparrow war' with them." Commander, I'm not bragging. The soldiers of our special forces company are all sharpshooters. Spread out our special forces company, and I guarantee that the Japanese army will know what it means to be trapped at every step on this road. If we don't kill a hundred or eighty of those devils, our special forces company will have no face to come back.

Wang Qiuyun nodded.

Although what Zhang Shan said was a bit immature, it was already pretty good.

Know how to take advantage of mountains and forests.

"Commander, the Japanese army has dispatched approximately 1600 troops this time, intending to eliminate Sheng County in one fell swoop. If we only harass them along the way, even if we inflict a heavy blow on them, we will at most slow down their advance. Their main force will still be able to enter Sheng County."

First Battalion Commander Li Wanfu spoke.

Since Li Wanfu took over as the commander of the first battalion, he has worked harder than before.

Because he was really touched.

During regular training, he led by example, and then worked closely with his political commissar, Kong De. Both were veterans, having seen many battles. Kong De learned from Li Wanfu the methods of regular army warfare, specifically how to deploy troops for positional warfare. Li Wanfu, on the other hand, learned from Kong De how to conduct guerrilla and mobile warfare.

We gained a lot from each other.

In addition, the First Battalion had many students, who were most receptive to the Eighth Route Army's ideas. It should be said that since Kong De and Li Wanfu partnered up, from the independent team to the current First Battalion, Kong De has developed many seedlings of candidate party members in the army.

The original team was deeply influenced by their former captain, Gao Wei. Their overall fighting style was fierce and valiant. Now, mixed with some students, both sides were influenced by each other.

As a result, the combat effectiveness of the first battalion has been increasing rapidly during this period.