Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Pessimism is spreading across China.

Especially those literati who like "sadness in the breeze" lament that China is going to die every day. If you describe China today, there are really all kinds of monsters and demons. But for the Eighth Route Army, now is a good opportunity to develop behind enemy lines. The Japanese army advanced too fast on the front line, so that the Japanese army was seriously short of manpower. Therefore, Japan has been expanding its army and forming one special corps after another to send to the Chinese battlefield. But even so, the Japanese army is still short of manpower. Especially in their own occupied areas, the manpower is even more seriously lacking. This is the best opportunity for the Eighth Route Army to develop. Therefore, the Eighth Route Army has no time to be sad about autumn like those literati.

As a first-class model base in history, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region has entered a new climax in its development.

After the Pingxi Detachment was established, it set out from Laiyuan just after the New Year, left Zijing Pass and marched northeast along the Great Wall, passed Bancheng in Laishui County and Yesanpo in Zhuo County and entered Zhaitangchuan in Wanping County. The headquarters was located in the Nie Family Courtyard in Xizaitang Village.

The Pingxi base area was established.

The Pingxi region already had a large number of underground Communist Party members active. Following the July 7 Incident, they formed numerous guerrilla units there. The 29th Army expanded by 100,000 troops, but this increased number of troops led to a somewhat uneven distribution of forces, significantly reducing its overall combat effectiveness. Shortly after the July 7 Incident, the 29th Army was defeated, and many units were dispersed during the retreat. Just as Wu Qinghe's troops were driven into Shengxian, many other units suffered the same fate.

Wu Qinghe was quite capable, so he led his troops in a continuous retreat, preventing them from being completely dispersed. However, many other units were completely dispersed during the retreat. As a result, a large amount of weapons and ammunition was left behind in the Pingxi area, mainly in the Wanping and Fangshan areas.

The underground party in Pingxi immediately organized the people and hid the weapons. They then used these weapons to form guerrillas. However, these guerrillas had little training, and the underground party organization lacked qualified military cadres. So, despite the formation of many guerrillas and their ample weapons, they were unable to defeat even some of the police forces of the North China puppet government. Therefore, the underground party organization in Wanping County requested support from the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region. Once the Pingxi detachment entered the Wanping area, the situation was completely different.

Don't think that just because these places are close to Beijing, the Japanese influence is strong.

In reality, the Japanese army was severely short of manpower. Therefore, the only people maintaining order in Pingxi were local traitors. While the guerrillas had weapons, they lacked formal training and were therefore unable to defeat these puppet troops. However, the situation was completely different after the Pingxi Detachment entered Pingxi.

Although the Pingxi Detachment was small in number, it was a regular unit of the Independent Division. The troops it had taken with it were the Third Regiment, the main force of the Independent Division under Yang Quanwu's command. While it might not have been enough to defeat the Japanese, it was a piece of cake to defeat the puppet troops and landlord forces. They easily swept through the puppet troops in several counties in the Pingxi region.

Support was given to local organizations to build local government in Pingxi. In order to unify the leadership of the Anti-Japanese War in Pingxi, the Pingxi Local Working Committee was established.

The number of people in the Pingxi detachment also increased rapidly.

When the Pingxi Detachment set out from the First Division, it took with it the Third Regiment of the Independent Division, which numbered less than 2,000 men. However, within a short time of entering the Pingxi area, the force expanded to over 3,500 men.

The Eighth Route Army expanded at such a fast speed.

At the same time, the independent division that remained in the Yanbei area became active again.

During the Eighth Route Army's siege, the First Division suffered significant casualties. When the Pingxi Detachment left, they not only took the main Third Regiment with them, but also nearly half of the Political Department's troops. In particular, the students recruited after the Independent Division's establishment were taken with them. However, Yang Quanwu, the commander of the Independent Division, was one of the most skilled troop-pullers in the entire Eighth Route Army. Within a short period of time, the division's strength had been restored to nearly 10,000. With the exception of Hunyuan, the original base areas were largely completely restored.

Still not satisfied, the independent division began to send its main forces into Yi County.

Compared with the northeastern Shanxi region, the Pingjin area has a larger population.

The Independent Division chose to enter Yi County because it was home to several powerful anti-Japanese forces, each numbering several thousand men. While their combat effectiveness was relatively poor, and they were a motley crowd, the Independent Division favored these types of forces.

Because they were reorganized and then sent for training to improve their combat effectiveness.

This is the fastest way to expand your army.

As a subordinate unit of the independent division, the independent detachment has also entered the fast lane of development during this period. With a certain amount of time, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun also began to train the troops.

Provide more training for grassroots commanders and fighters.

Of course, their skills weren't as high as those of the teachers at the Anti-Japanese University. But they were both experienced commanders and fighters, so they shouldn't have any trouble training some company and platoon leaders. The independent detachment had grown so rapidly that the main force alone was already numbering around 2500 men.

As a result, many soldiers, barely a dozen days or half a month into their service, became squad leaders or even platoon leaders after fighting in a single battle. The most outrageous case was Zhang Shan, who had only been in the army for four months and was already deputy battalion commander and company commander of a special forces battalion.

There was no time for training before.

I have time during this period.

Recruits from the First and Second Battalions, the Guard Company, the Logistics Company, the Firepower Company, company and platoon commanders, and even the lowest-ranking squad leaders who remained at the command center all attended the class. Wang Qiuyun, Wei Hongjun, and Zhang Dahu all took turns teaching them. They were taught not only in the classroom but also on the training grounds.

It mainly talks about the simplest squad and platoon level tactics.

The effect is still very good.

Although these people couldn't yet be considered qualified grassroots commanders and fighters, they had already learned the most basic things. These things still needed to be tested on the battlefield. But after about a month of training, the troops were beginning to take on a more established role.

In addition to lecturing grassroots military cadres, Wei Hongjun primarily trained political cadres. Since the establishment of the Shengxian Anti-Japanese Base Area, the army had been busy fighting, expanding its military, and reducing rent and interest, which had actually slowed down the training of political cadres.

The current situation in the army is that there are too many troops and too few Party members. It's impossible to achieve the Red Army era, where there were Party branches in companies, groups in platoons, and Party members in squads. Therefore, Wei Hongjun's main focus is on identifying active members in the army and preparing to increase the number of Party members. "During this period, many people still request to join the army."

However, the independent detachment already had sufficient manpower and could not be expanded further. Therefore, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun discussed and assigned the new recruits to the local forces. The Sheng County Party Committee had already established district governments for seven districts: Districts 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11. Their control was very strong.

Although the district governments of District 2 and District 6 were established, they are still under construction.

Each district team was required to have a size of 30 to 50 people, and each village had about 20 militiamen. In order to support the construction of local forces, the independent detachment handed over some old sleeves to the local forces.

In addition to the troops at the command center undergoing training, the Second Battalion in District Three, the First Battalion in District Eight and District Nine, and the County Brigade in District Five are all using this time period for intensive training.

As for the advance brigade outside, it has already developed a 300-man force in Takata Town and a self-defense force of about 300 people.

For Gaotian Town, which has a population of less than 3000, such a large-scale military expansion is still a huge burden, because almost all the young and middle-aged men in Gaotian Town have joined the army.

Fortunately, the landlords of all sizes in Gaotian Town had stockpiled a lot of grain, so everything was fine.

In addition to the Advance Brigade, the Special Operations Battalion has also been developing very well recently. Wu Qinghe is a skilled fighter, while Lei Jiabin is a strategic and capable leader. The two work together very well.

Each time, the two of them would draw three platoons of troops from different companies, and then deploy them as a crack force to kill traitors in order to raise supplies, weapons, and ammunition.

The Chahar region had a small population, with towns and villages holding only a few thousand people. The Special Forces Battalion targeted traitors in these small towns and villages. Chahar had been under Japanese influence since the Rehe and Great Wall Wars. Consequently, many traitors defected to the Japanese upon their arrival. Unfortunately, the Japanese forces in Chahar were underrepresented and unable to effectively manage these traitors. The Special Forces Battalion used this method to replenish their logistics, weapons, and ammunition, while also training their troops.

The local party committee did not miss this opportunity either.

They were withdrawing troops to develop northward. In areas like Zhangjiawan, the local Party committee had already taken over most of the area. The influence of the special forces battalion's killing of traitors was still significant, and the landlords throughout Xuanhua and Zhuolu were in a state of panic.

The landlords, frightened, began to increase their purchases of arms and requested more help from the Japanese army. The Japanese army defeated the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, the 29th Army, and the Central Army in the Chahar region, obtaining a large amount of weapons.

However, the Japanese army had its own unified weapons and ammunition, so these weapons and ammunition were piled up in their own warehouses.

Now these traitors want to arm themselves, and the Japanese army does not object.

As a result, a large number of weapons have flowed into the hands of traitors. The entire Chahar region is currently flooded with weapons of all kinds. The Special Forces Battalion has already taken advantage of this opportunity to complete the task of forming a new company of recruits ahead of schedule. The cavalry company has also begun to be formed.

"The division headquarters responded that the local party organization and guerrillas in Xining County were placed under our full command."

Chapter 080 Pistol Brigade

"Great."

Wang Qiuyun put down the pen in her hand and was very happy.

The Xining County issue was now before Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun. Since they were to shoulder the banner of the anti-Japanese war in southern Chahar, Xining County had to be included in the independent detachment's scope. Furthermore, the current strength of Xining County was still the original independent division's remaining strength.

The independent detachment has the right to command them.

"I've been studying the situation in Xining County recently. Since we trapped the Japanese troops, Xining County currently has very few troops. Now if Xining County wants to replenish its troops, it can only send troops from Datong. However, although the Nationalist troops in the Second War Zone suffered heavy casualties, they are still numerous, and the Japanese cannot take them lightly. Look over here, our Eighth Route Army's 129th Division has established a base in this area, and the 120th Division has opened up a base in northwest Shanxi. These are the main forces of the Eighth Route Army, and our independent detachment is just a small-scale operation. Datong has not had time to deal with us yet. This opportunity is very good, and our independent detachment must seize it."

"Yes. Xining County is not far from Datong. Once the situation stabilizes and the Japanese army withdraws its troops, they will inevitably sweep up the anti-Japanese forces in Xining County. We must take advantage of this period of time."

The future of the Xining Anti-Japanese Base will definitely be very difficult.

But you still have to persevere.

Because developing a base here can threaten the Pingsui Road and Tongpu Road at the same time.

"Old Wei, my idea is that all forces in Xining County must unite. I'm not talking about cooperation, but becoming a force."

"Do you want all the guerrillas led by our party in Xining County to join Gao Wei's advance brigade?

"Correct."

Wang Qiuyun nodded and said, "The Advance Battalion is currently capable, but only capable. Facing a small Japanese squadron, we'd have to retreat. The only way is to gather all our armed forces in Xining County together and select the best from among them. This way, the Advance Battalion will have a strong force. We've fought many battles with the Japanese during this period, and every unit must have its own strong force. Only in this way can we fight hard battles at critical moments."

“But it’s not easy.

Wei Hongjun sighed.

"Currently, our party's main strength in Xining County is on the west bank, and the guerrillas are all from the west bank. If you want them to leave their hometown and go to the east bank to fight, their thoughts will definitely be unstable.

There was no other way. If the troops were scattered like this, they would be defeated one by one by the Japanese sooner or later. The Japanese only needed to send a small team, plus some puppet troops, to easily defeat the guerrillas.

"Ah."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Old Wang, that's it. In the name of the independent detachment, we ask the sub-district to support the Xining County Anti-Japanese National Salvation Association to lead all local party organizations in Xining County, and the Advance Brigade to lead all anti-Japanese armed forces in Xining County. As long as the sub-district supports us, then let Huang Hao coordinate with the current local party organizations in Xining County. My idea is to let the local party organizations on the west bank leave a small force to continue the local anti-Japanese resistance, and all other large forces will cross the river and accept the reorganization and leadership of the Advance Brigade. At the same time, the local party organizations on the west bank should send people over to assist the Anti-Japanese National Salvation Association in building a base on the east bank."

"That's right. We must concentrate our forces. Although Xining County is adjacent to Datong and relatively close to the Pingsui Road, the area is mountainous and very suitable for guerrilla warfare."

"Yes. As long as we hold on in Xining County, even if we only have a single soldier, we can tie down many Japanese troops and greatly reduce the pressure on the surrounding Eighth Route Army bases.

Ever since the Independent Division's leadership had given the Independent Detachment the hope of developing a base in southern Chahar, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun could no longer limit their considerations to Sheng County. They had to consider the overall situation.

"I will write a letter immediately, have it signed by both you and me, and then send it to the division headquarters."

"it is good."

"There's one more thing. Gao Wei and his men sent us thirty box guns. Together with the ones we have now, we now have about seventy. The Special Forces Battalion has been frequently attacking traitors recently, and they must have seized quite a few box guns. There are a large number of weapons scattered among the people of Chahar, including a large number of box guns. I want the Special Forces Battalion to support the detachment with twenty or thirty box guns. This way, we can create a pistol battalion of about a hundred people. Such a force will be extremely powerful in night battles and close combat."

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun have been planning the pistol brigade's affairs.

During night battles, when sneaking in quietly and attacking the enemy at close range, the box gun is very useful. Using the box gun at short range is similar to using a light machine gun, causing huge damage to the enemy.

Of course, this does not mean that the pistol brigade only carries pistols.

In war, long guns are still necessary. However, in special times, pistols can play a role that other firearms cannot.

"Ok.

Wang Qiuyun nodded in agreement with Wei Hongjun's idea.

But Wang Qiuyun asked, "Who do you want to form this pistol unit?"

"How about Sun Jiahe?"

"He's Wu Qinghe's favorite general. I heard he's been with Wu Qinghe for almost ten years."

After incorporating Wu Qinghe's troops, Wei Hongjun gained a deeper understanding of them. He also compiled a file on the officers in Wu Qinghe's unit. This was a necessary procedure.

Even if Wei Hongjun didn't do it, Han Weiguo would do the same if he came.

Wu Qinghe's troops were part of Feng Zhian's 37th Division, considered an elite unit within the 29th Army. After his unit was dispersed in eastern Hebei, he led two battalions in a retreat. Sun Jiahe was the commander of one of those battalions. Sun Jiahe wasn't particularly old, only years old.

But he has rich combat experience and is a general that Wu Qinghe relies on very much.

If Zhang Shan had not brought the special forces company into the special forces battalion, he would not have been the company commander of the first company.

"When it comes to using box guns and broadswords, the Northwest Army is quite unique. Sun Jiahe also participated in the night raid at Xifengkou and made great contributions. Military cadres like him should be put to good use. The Special Service Battalion also needs a company commander. Let Wu Qinghe and Lei Jiabin choose another one."

"We two are asking the special forces battalion for box guns and their cadres. Don't you think that's too shameless?"

"Haha."

The two men laughed.

But this is a common occurrence in the Eighth Route Army.

For example, when the Pingxi Detachment went to establish a base in the Pingxi area, they directly took the Independent Division's 3rd Regiment with them. Many people within the Independent Division were dissatisfied. After all, the 3rd Regiment was the Independent Division's main force, with four Red Army companies. It was a main force that the Independent Regiment had developed over the months after crossing the Yellow River.

However, it was removed from the independent division and became the Pingxi Detachment.

When Political Commissar Deng Guo arrived at the Independent Regiment, he was practically alone, bringing with him some newly recruited students. But when he left, he was taking with him a major regiment of the Independent Division. How could the officers of the Independent Division possibly be satisfied?