Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

"Judging from the gunshots, there should be no less than 200 people."

“How many of us were intercepted by them?”

"About a squad."

Mura Xianji thought for a moment, then said with determination, “The troops must speed up.

Put those people from the Self-Defense Corps behind.

"Yes.

Mura Kenji is really anxious now.

If they failed to escape from the Sixteenth Regiment and the Fifth Battalion in this wooded area, they might be completely annihilated. This was something that Cun Xianji could not accept. Therefore, he had to escape from them as quickly as possible, break out of Gongshan Fort, and head towards the open Sangshan Fort.

It would be much better if we went to Thornhill Castle.

So he simply abandoned the besieged Japanese army and even prepared to abandon the Self-Defense Corps. As long as he could get his troops out of this hellhole as soon as possible, it would be fine. Unfortunately, no one is stupid.

For the past ten days or so, the Self-Defense Corps has been used as cannon fodder by the Japanese army.

The Japanese army used the Self-Defense Corps to explore the firepower of the 16th Regiment, and then used artillery to open the way, and finally the Japanese army charged. In this way, it caused heavy casualties in the 16th Regiment and effectively reduced the casualties of the Japanese army.

The self-defense group was already full of resentment.

Now that the Japanese had placed the Self-Defense Corps in the rear, how could they possibly not have any strength? As a result, as soon as Zhang Zihua and his men took action, they all surrendered en masse. Less than an hour into the Japanese retreat and pursuit by the 16th Regiment, the number of Self-Defense Corps members who had surrendered voluntarily reached 500.

"The Japanese are running for their lives."

After an hour of chase and escape, Wang Qiuyun immediately realized that the Japanese army was running for their lives.

Wang Qiuyun was overjoyed and said, "Something big must have happened behind their backs. Otherwise, the Japanese army wouldn't be so reckless. Comrade Zihua."

"arrive."

"I don't want the main force of the Japanese army, and I can't keep the main force of the Japanese army. But I want the Japanese infantry artillery. The Japanese army brought a total of eight infantry artillery pieces when they swept the Sanggong area this time. I need you to keep their infantry artillery pieces."

"Yes."

Why is it that among the sixteen-character formula for guerrilla warfare, the most important one is "When the enemy retreats, I pursue."

This is because it is easiest to defeat the enemy when the troops are retreating. Unless the enemy is retreating intentionally to give you a surprise attack, otherwise, in a real retreat, they will not care about these things.

This is the situation of the Japanese army now.

The retreat speed was not as fast as that of the 16th Regiment taking the mountain road.

The Sixteenth Regiment cut into his flesh one by one.

When the Japanese thought that the 16th Regiment was going to bleed them, Zhang Zihua gathered the 16th Regiment, the 5th Battalion, and the Huailai County Brigade and suddenly launched a fierce attack on the Japanese flank, intending to cut the Japanese army in half.

But Zhang Zihua has only one goal.

That was the Japanese infantry artillery.

By this time, Kenkichi Mura was in a difficult position. His troops quickly retreated, ignoring the 16th Regiment's repeated attacks. By this point, even if the Japanese were elite, reorganizing would have been impossible.

Mura Kenji now has only one thought.

That is to evacuate here as soon as possible.

Chapter 135 Total Victory

From the time the Second Independent Mixed Brigade left the city until the Japanese completely evacuated the Sanggong area, it took only half a month. The anti-mopping-up and anti-three-way siege in the Sanggong area achieved great success.

All aspects participated in this anti-sweep operation.

Even the Fourth Column's attack on the Pingbei area inadvertently provided great help.

The 1600th Regiment, the th Battalion, and the Huailai County Battalion faced nearly Japanese and puppet troops, ultimately annihilating over . Of these, over surrendered, and over were scattered and never found. Furthermore, among the Japanese troops annihilated, to were wounded soldiers, logistics personnel, and medical personnel, among other specialized personnel. Over rifles, both long and short, were seized, all of them excellent weapons, ranging from Japanese Type rifles to Jin-made rifles.

Thirty-three light and heavy machine guns were seized.

As well as eight Type 92 infantry guns, eight mortars, and twenty-three grenade launchers.

The seizure was astonishing.

There were also food, clothing, and plenty of goodies. Wang Qiuyun and the Sun family met them, and after hearing about the battle between them, Wang Qiuyun was overjoyed. Sun Jiahe and this man possessed the demeanor of a great general. Even in such a critical situation, they were able to remain calm and concealed for a week. This composure alone impressed Wang Qiuyun.

Then comes Xiahou Wen.

Wang Qiuyun had originally thought Xiahou Wen was an expert in political work, but she hadn't expected him to be a skilled fighter as well. He had actually taken Kangzhuang in one fell swoop, and brought back a staggering amount of supplies.

"Old Wang, I think the Sixteenth Regiment could add a battalion."

A small post-war meeting.

Wei Hongjun also came to Sangshanbao as the political commissar.

"It should. The main force of the First Division has around 2500 men. The Sixteenth Regiment we've formed is also our main force. It should have three battalions under it. Ideally, it could be developed into the same size as the Third Division, with around 3000 men. This time, nearly a thousand self-defense corps surrendered. Let's see if they're willing to join our Eighth Route Army. Also, after this battle, many of the surrounding village associations should be willing to accept our reorganization, and young people from all over Huailai will definitely be willing to join us. It's time to expand the army."

Wang Qiuyun nodded.

After crushing the enemy's raid this time, Wang Qiuyun's ambition also increased greatly.

The 8th Column is fully capable of independently establishing an anti-Japanese base in southern Chahar, and even in Chahar. The 16th Regiment, as the 8th Column's vanguard, should be sufficiently powerful. This battle will undoubtedly make the 8th Column famous throughout the Chahar region. Young men from Chahar will undoubtedly flock to it.

"Comrade Zihua, have you heard how high the commander's expectations are for the 16th Regiment?"

"Commander, Political Commissar. I will make the Sixteenth Regiment a formidable main force in the military region."

Zhang Zihua patted his chest and promised.

Wei Hongjun thought for a while and said, "We have captured a lot of spoils this time. In addition to adding a battalion to the 16th Regiment, the anti-Japanese guerrillas created by Comrade Xiahou Wen in Huailai also need to be given a number, and that force must be built well. Moreover, this time the First and Second Detachments also helped in the anti-mopping-up operation, and they also need to be allocated some weapons, ammunition, and logistical supplies. Then the column should keep some, should we support the division headquarters with some guns, ammunition, and logistical supplies?"?

"Old Wei, you're worrying about nothing. How could our division commander suffer any loss? Look at how much money he made by capturing Hunyuan and Pingbei counties in one fell swoop this time."

Wang Qiuyun shook her head.

He said dissatisfiedly, "Besides, the division commander's conquest of Hunyuan and Dingbei was also due to the contributions of our 17th Regiment. The division commander should give us something instead."

"You."

Wei Hongjun smiled and said, "Think about it, why did we achieve such brilliant results this time? The biggest unexpected factor was that the Fourth Column suddenly sent troops to Pingbei and captured cities in the Pingbei area. It was because of the appearance of the Fourth Column that the enemy's deployment on the Pingsui Road was completely disrupted, giving us more opportunities. Otherwise, we would not have achieved such brilliant results. After this battle, I believe that with the strength of our Eighth Column, we are no longer afraid of the Japanese Army's Independent Mixed Second Brigade. As long as we don't face them head-on, we can completely defeat their mopping-up operations. But don't forget, the Mongolian Corps also has a 26th Division. If the 26th Division comes from Datong next time, plus the Independent Mixed Second Brigade, our counter-mopping-up operations will be very difficult. However, as long as the strength of the First Division is strong, we will be able to attract the troops from Datong."

"I'm not a child, I don't understand this."

Wang Qiuyun spread her arms and shoulders.

Then he said, "Then what do you think is the appropriate amount of supplies we should send to the division headquarters?"

"My idea is to send a thousand Jin-made rifles to the division headquarters, along with two infantry guns and twenty light and heavy machine guns. This will be enough for the division headquarters to form another main force regiment."

"What about us?"

Wang Qiuyun said, "I also want to form another regiment under the Eighth Column."

"We have enough weapons."

"But what about the people? You know the population of Cha'nan is small. If we recruit too harshly, it will affect local life. Our Eighth Column already has enough troops. We have more weapons than people right now. If we want to expand the army, where do you think we should focus on?"

"Old Wang, you've been fighting all this time, while I've been carefully considering this matter alone. We really shouldn't recruit too many soldiers in Cha'nan, as this will affect the normal development of the region. However, there is a place where we can get soldiers, and it's a very good source. If we act now, we can at least bring in two to three thousand soldiers to the army."

"where?"

Wang Qiuyun was very interested.

Sheng County has a decent population within the Chahar region, but it only has a population of approximately 200,000. A main force of 4,000 to 5,000 is already quite impressive. If it expands to 10,000, it would be a bad thing for Sheng County. Besides Sheng County, many other counties in the Chahar region have populations of only around 100,000. Furthermore, the region's land is poor and grain production is limited, making blind military expansion unacceptable. Why did both the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region and the Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu Military Region expand towards Hebei and Henan? It's because Hebei and Henan have larger populations.

The total population of Shanxi is only about 11 million, while the population of Hebei and Henan is nearly 30 million.

A large population means more manpower.

Wei Hongjun pointed to the map.

Wang Qiuyun frowned and said, "Mentougou? The population there is indeed much larger than our Sheng County, but it is the headquarters of the Pingxi Prefectural Committee. Even if there were someone there, they would have taken action long ago. How could they possibly have gotten to us?"

Wei Hongjun smiled.

Then he said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Mentougou has a source of troops, and a very good one at that. The Pingxi Detachment and the Pingxi Prefectural Committee didn't take action before because there were many Japanese troops there. More importantly, the Pingxi Detachment has been fighting since it arrived in Wanping. The Japanese army would not allow a single unit to remain around Peking. So they didn't have the strength to capture these troops at the time. But we have the conditions now. The troops in Mentougou that were originally encircling the Pingxi Detachment are now pursuing the Fourth Column, leaving the Japanese troops in Mentougou empty."

"Old Wei, explain it more clearly. I still don't understand."

Wang Qiuyun still didn't understand.

Mentougou was previously the headquarters of the Pingxi Detachment and the Pingxi Prefectural Committee. They were indeed constantly under siege by the Japanese army, but the Pingxi Detachment and the Pingxi Prefectural Committee were not incompetent and had already taken over everything they could in Mentougou.

How could there be any more troops left for the Eighth Column to collect?

"Do you know what Mentougou is rich in?"

"what?"

"Coal. Mentougou has many coal mines. Although they're not as famous as Jingjing Coal Mine, there are indeed many coal mines. I sent someone to inquire about it, and they found that there are several large coal mines in Mentougou, and even more small coal mines.

Since the Japanese occupied Mentougou, they've increased their plundering of its coal. Consequently, the number of coal miners has increased dramatically. The largest coal mine in Mentougou is owned by the British, but we can also take the miners away. Miners are the most oppressed, and if given the opportunity, they will surely unleash tremendous fighting power. Furthermore, our troops are entering Mentougou to help the Pingxi Prefectural Committee eliminate the Japanese troops there. Shouldn't the Pingxi Prefectural Committee give us some gifts in return? Mentougou has a population of 200,000, so capturing two or three thousand men is easy."

The Fourth Column attacked Pingbei to support the great uprising in eastern Hebei, which had an impact in all aspects.

There were no telling how many Japanese troops were following them.

The Japanese troops in Mentougou were also taken away by them. The Japanese troops pursued the Fourth Column, leaving the place where they were originally stationed empty, giving Wei Hongjun an opportunity.

"Mentougou, Mentougou."

Wang Qiuyun looked at the map and asked, "How many Japanese troops are there in Mentougou?"

"Not many. Previously, the Japanese and puppet troops encircled the Pingxi Detachment and the Pingxi Prefectural Committee, and they had a battalion of Japanese soldiers here. Now there's less than a squadron, probably only two squads. I mean to send the 4th and 7th Battalions into Mentougou to wipe out this group of Japanese troops. Then, destroy the Japanese coal mines there, arm the miners, and bring back the equipment from the mines. A lot of that equipment is useful."

"Okay. Old Wei, you always make me feel at ease leaving my family in your care. Let's dispatch the Fourth and Seventh Battalions, with the Fourth Battalion Commander Song Zhiyuan in charge."

"I'll go there myself. I'll discuss with the Pingxi Prefectural Committee and see if we can recruit some students into our Eighth Column to strengthen the various units. Even our column headquarters is currently short of talented writers and can't even keep a proper roster of the troops."

Chapter 136 Weapon Replacement

After the meeting, Wang Qiuyun remained in Sangshan Fort. He still had to command his troops to expand the base. The Second Independent Mixed Brigade had been severely damaged and was forced to retreat to some county towns.

This also applies to those independent garrison battalions.

This leaves the Eighth Column with huge room for development.

Currently, along the Ping-Sui Road, except for the county seat, there are no Japanese troops in the general towns and villages, only traitorous organizations. What Wang Qiuyun needs to do now is to wipe out these traitorous puppet governments.

In the past, we fought against the local tyrants and raised military rations.

Now, the goal was to fight traitors, raise military rations, and also increase weapons and ammunition for the troops. Compared to seizing weapons and ammunition from the Japanese, it was much easier to seize guns from traitors. So Wang Qiuyun liked to fight traitors.

The entire Chahar region launched a vigorous campaign to fight against traitors.