Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

This time, a fully-organized unit like the Tenth Battalion has arrived, so of course they need to provide good support to the First Detachment. By handing over the two companies as a whole to the First Detachment, the First Detachment can form two main companies.

The support for the first team is very great.

There's also the guerrilla detachment, formerly the Han brothers' defense corps. While they have more men and better weapons, they're still just a defense corps. Sending them a full company would quickly fill the cadre gap. It would also increase the proportion of Party members and veterans within the corps.

"The Chief of Staff of the Tenth Squadron, Chen Zhonghe, will stay at the headquarters. Let him be the head of the column's operations department."

The Tenth Brigade has a truly strong cadre reserve.

Chen Zhonghe was a rising star during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. He joined the Red Army during the Long March and attended a private school for only two years.

But he was brave and studious, and within two years he became a company commander in the Red Army.

After the reorganization of the Eighth Route Army, he participated in the Pingxingguan victory as a platoon leader.

His platoon achieved significant success, earning him a promotion to company commander. Later, he was assigned to the Third Division, where he continued to fight bravely, making his company one of the most powerful and resilient companies in the division. Soon after, Chen Zhonghe was promoted to staff officer at the Third Division's Training and Operations Department, then returned to the Tenth Squadron, where he served successively as Chief of the Operations Section and Chief of Staff.

Such a rapid promotion was extremely rare. In District Three, there were many officials with far more experience than him, but none of them rose as fast as he did. Because every promotion Chen Zhonghe received was based on solid achievements, no one questioned it.

Wang Qiuyun was the happiest.

With Chen Zhonghe and Zhong Yun, who had been transferred from the Pingxi Detachment, the 8th Column's Operations Department was able to operate. He no longer needed the commander and Xiao Yongshi, the deputy commander, and even had to personally lead the formulation of combat plans.

"Old Wang, in addition to the 16th, 18th, and 19th Regiments, the First Detachment, and the Guerrilla Detachment, I think our Eighth Column should also form two new regiments. Not large regiments like the main force, but two small regiments with only six to eight companies. They'll be called the New First and New Second Regiments. The New First Regiment will be composed of the anti-Japanese guerrillas formed by Xia Houwen, and the New Second Regiment will be composed of the Fifth Battalion and the Third Battalion of the Tenth Detachment. This way, we can open up the Chahar base area, and the 19th Regiment can also cooperate with the First Division in the battle. Our column will also have the Guard Battalion, the New Second Regiment, and the artillery unit."

"A new first and second regiment, four to six companies, that's a reinforced battalion."

"right.

"Yes. For the New 1st and New 2nd Regiments, we can eliminate the battalion-level units and have the regimental headquarters directly lead the companies. Especially for Xia Houwen, it would be a waste of his abilities to keep him in the 16th Regiment as the political director. It would be better to have him return to the New 1st Regiment as its commander and political commissar. We should develop the New Regiment well and the local base well. If he is capable, he can be expanded towards Yanqing and Chicheng in the future."

The rise of the Eighth Column fueled Wang Qiuyun's ambitions. He even began to consider expanding into the Pingbei region and establishing a base there.

Furthermore, during this counter-mopping-up operation, Xiahou Wen led the local village association in capturing Kangzhuang Railway Station in one fell swoop, earning Wang Qiuyun great admiration. He was a capable and capable cadre. Rather than remaining in the 16th Regiment as the political director, he should be assigned to Ruiyun Temple to establish a base in Huailai, Yanqing, Chicheng, and even Changping.

Wei Hongjun looked at the map and nodded.

He said, "Xia Houwen is indeed good. However, the New 1st Regiment has a weak foundation. We should select some graduates from the Military Region Cadre School and assign them to them. Now is actually a good opportunity. The Japanese troops on the Pingsui Road are seriously insufficient and their control over these areas is very poor. The New 1st Regiment can definitely send cadres here to open up a base here."

"Leave this to Xia Houwen. Nineteenth Regiment, who do you think is more suitable to be the regimental commander, Song Zhiyuan, commander of the Fourth Battalion, or Cao Lei, commander of the Seventh Battalion?"

"Cao Lei."

"How to say?"

"Song Zhiyuan is a Party member, but Cao Lei is not. What do you think about transferring Chu Qingzhong, the commander of the Second Battalion of the Tenth Brigade, to command the Seventh Battalion?"

"it is good."

Although Wang Qiuyun wasn't a political cadre, she understood Wei Hongjun's intentions. Cao Lei wasn't a Party member, nor was he very enthusiastic about joining. Although he joined the Eighth Route Army, it was a choice he made out of necessity. In contrast, Song Zhiyuan took the initiative to join the Eighth Route Army and actively joined the Party. He had already become a Party member two months prior.

Speaking of trust, Wei Hongjun certainly trusts Song Zhiyuan more.

Therefore, letting Cao Lei be the regimental commander was to show that the Eighth Route Army was not bound by party affiliation. At the same time, it was also to transfer him away from his Seventh Battalion so that the Eighth Route Army could carry out a complete overhaul of his troops.

This was a decision made by Wei Hongjun based on the history of the Eighth Route Army.

When the Eighth Route Army incorporated troops in the early days, they were worried that it would affect the morale of the troops or the image of the Eighth Route Army. Therefore, after the troops were incorporated, apart from sending some political cadres, they still retained the original leadership structure of the troops.

There was no problem at first.

However, many serious consequences subsequently emerged. When faced with difficult circumstances, these troops experienced significant desertions. Furthermore, because the existing leadership structure remained unchanged, these individuals were able to take many people with them when they defected.

Compared to the old Eighth Route Army, even if you defected, you couldn't take the troops with you because the Eighth Route Army was not a private army.

Wei Hongjun was also prepared for a rainy day.

Although Cao Lei didn't seem like he would defect, given the current situation of the Seventh Battalion, if Cao Lei chose to defect, he could take away most of the troops because the Eighth Column had not yet completed the transformation of this unit.

Therefore, Wei Hongjun decided to let Chu Qingzhong, the battalion commander of the second battalion of the tenth team, go to the seventh battalion to serve as the battalion commander.

Chu Qingzhong, a Red Guard who joined the revolution at the age of thirteen, was also a veteran of the Long March. When the Tenth Battalion was established in the Third Division, he served as company commander and later as commander of the Second Battalion. He was a seasoned veteran of the Red Army. Wei Hongjun's goal was to have Chu Qingzhong and Zhang Chao collaborate to completely transform the Seventh Battalion into an Eighth Route Army unit.

"Where's the New Second Regiment?"

"How is the Fifth Battalion Commander Chen Zuning?"

"Chen Zuning, sure. The Fifth and Fourth Battalions both originated from recruit camps, so fundamentally, the Fifth Battalion is no match for the Fourth. But this time, I led the Fifth Battalion into battle, and I discovered that their combat effectiveness is truly impressive, and their fighting spirit is also strong. Chen Zuning has a knack for training soldiers. Combined with the Third Battalion of the Tenth Squadron, the new Second Regiment will soon be able to form combat effectiveness."

Chapter 143: Jidong Uprising

The vigorous reorganization of the Eighth Column began.

The predecessor of the 8th Column, the Independent Detachment, was actually at the regimental level. Therefore, the battalions under it all had designations, such as the 1st Battalion, the 2nd Battalion, and so on up to the 7th Battalion. However, with the establishment of the 8th Column, the situation was completely different.

Compared with the independent detachment, the 8th Column is actually of a higher level.

The current 8th Column is almost equivalent to a brigade-level unit, so the basic troops are beginning to become regiments.

Therefore, battalions no longer need to have designations. Each regiment has several battalions under its command, and the regiments themselves can assign designations. For example, a regiment's first, second, or third battalions. This is because within military regions and divisions, it's no longer the battalions that are commanded, but the regiments that are commanded.

There are three main regiments, two newly formed regiments, the First Detachment, the Guerrilla Detachment, and the Guard Regiment and Artillery Team on the column side. The main forces of the Eighth Column have a total of 11,700 people.

There is no shortage of troops.

Although the 17th Regiment was left in the 1st Column, it was given to the 10th Battalion of 1,000 men. After the victory in this anti-mopping-up campaign, the village associations and young men in various counties of Chahar enthusiastically signed up to join the army.

In Xuanfu, Zhuolu and Huailai alone, more than two hundred thousand people signed up to join the army.

There were also more than 2,000 miners and young and middle-aged people brought back from Mentougou.

It can be said that the Eighth Column had no shortage of manpower for expansion. What it lacked was cadre. Although many cadres were brought in from the Pingxi base area and the Tenth Brigade was established from the Third Division, cadre shortages remained severe.

However, even if there are some shortcomings, the adaptation speed is still very fast.

The Eighth Column has become a force to be reckoned with.

The Second Independent Mixed Brigade, including its garrison battalion, had been crippled by the Eighth Column. The Japanese troops along the Pingsui Road were now holed up in key cities, daring not to venture out. Not to mention the traitors, who were crying out for help.

The Eighth Column is now reorganizing and expanding its territory.

The area now controlled by the Eighth Column stretches from Xining County in the west to Xuanhua, Zhuolu, Huailai, Shengxian, and a small portion of Yanqing, Laishui, and Zhuoxian. The population within the controlled area has exceeded 500,000.

It is even larger than the territory of several other military sub-districts in the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region.

Just as the 8th Column was developing in this way, the Jidong Uprising that shocked the whole country broke out.

After the July 7 Incident, numerous anti-Japanese uprisings broke out across the country. The Chinese Communist Party also led numerous armed uprisings and formed anti-Japanese armed forces. However, none of these uprisings could compare to the Yidong Uprising.

Where is Jidong?

Northeast Hebei, situated along the Great Wall, bordering the Bohai Sea to the south and controlling Beijing to the west, has always been a strategically important area, serving as the chokepoint between Northeast China and North China. It is close to the political and economic centers of North China, including Peking, Tianjin, and Tangshan, and also to Northeast China, where Japan had operated for decades.

Everything is going well here.

The area was vast, the population was large, the resources were abundant, and the deep mountains and dense forests provided a suitable location for relocation. It was an ideal battlefield, both offensive and defensive. The underground Party had long been developing and promoting anti-Japanese activities here, and the foundation was already very strong. It was a fortunate opportunity for the Fourth Column to launch an attack on Pingbei, turning the entire region upside down.

As a result, all the surrounding troops were attracted to the Fourth Column, giving them a great opportunity. Luan County was the first to start the uprising, forming the Yidong Anti-Japanese United Army and then began to capture cities. Thus began the grand Jidong Uprising.

The uprising quickly spread across eastern Hebei, spreading like wildfire. Underground Party members and local patriots successively organized anti-Japanese armed forces in Qian'an, Zunhua, Luanxian, Changli, and Lulong. Within five days, the number of insurgents grew from a little over 300 to over 5000. The entire region of eastern Hebei erupted in excitement. Workers, peasants, and people from all walks of life emerged from their homes, armed with hammers, axes, red-tasseled spears, and various other firearms found among the people, to join the ranks of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces. For a time, anti-Japanese armed uprisings across eastern Hebei surged like a raging fire. The various units of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces established as many as 48 corps (not including some scattered units), far exceeding the original establishment of six corps.

It can be said that the scale of the Jidong uprising was much larger than the underground party organization had initially predicted, even dozens of times the original scale. No one could have imagined that the anti-Japanese sentiment in Jidong would be so intense.

All it takes is a tiny flame. 〈1 Once a flame is lit, the entire eastern Hebei region will be ablaze.

The counties in eastern Hebei are densely populated, and the total population of the region is around five million. As a result, the number of people who participated in the Jidong riot exceeded 100,000 in a short period of time.

It not only caused a sensation in eastern Hebei, but also in the entire Chinese land.

Even the vigorous anti-Japanese armed forces that emerged in central and southern Hebei were not as strong as the current situation in eastern Hebei. Almost all classes in eastern Hebei participated in this great uprising.

In early July, the Fourth Column passed through Pingbei and arrived at the site of the Jidong uprising, where it joined forces with the Jidong Anti-Japanese United Army. The arrival of the Fourth Column pushed the momentum of the Jidong uprising to another peak.

After all, the Fourth Column possessed a regular army of around 5000 men, completely different from the troops currently involved in the Jidong uprising. Their combat effectiveness was immense. With the support of the Fourth Column, the Jidong uprising gained even greater momentum, sweeping across over twenty counties in Jidong in a short period of time.

After the Fourth Column arrived in Jidong, it helped the Jidong troops capture cities and territories while also helping them train military cadres. It also sent military and political cadres to integrate these troops and improve their combat effectiveness.

"Master."

"How's the recent reorganization of the Eighth Column going? I've looked at the organization plan you submitted. Are there any difficulties?"

"Commander, you're asking this even though you already know the answer. Of course we're short of cadres. Whether it's military cadres, political cadres, or cadres for local construction, we're short of them all."

The vigorous Jidong Uprising directly affected the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region.

After all, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, Ji refers to Hebei. The Jidong uprising attracted Japanese and puppet troops from Hebei, which was of course a good thing for the other bases in Jin-Cha-Ji. Because there were fewer Japanese and puppet troops to mop up their forces, their pressure was greatly reduced.

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun also received a call from the First Division Headquarters and came to Lingqiu. Yang Quanwu heard Wei Hongjun's words and scolded him with a smile: "Don't talk to me anymore. No matter how much you complain, it's useless. I don't have any cadres here. But there is something I want to inform you. The Jin-Cha-Ji Branch has decided to temporarily establish the Cha'nan Special Committee based on the current development of the Eighth Column, including Zhangjiakou, Wanquan, Xuanhua, Shengxian, Xining, Huailai, Huaian, Zhuolu, Longguan, Chicheng, and Dingbei. You will serve as the secretary of the Cha'nan Special Committee. After you go back, you must form the Cha'nan Special Committee as soon as possible and then report the list to the Jin-Cha-Ji Branch. The Jin-Cha-Ji Branch, the Military Region and I have high hopes for you in the establishment of the Cha'nan Anti-Japanese Base Area. You, the Eighth Column, must not let us down."

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

Overjoyed.

After the Anti-Japanese War, many troops developed independently behind enemy lines, including local Party committees. To strengthen the leadership structure, the Eighth Route Army gradually implemented unified leadership, meaning unified leadership of the Party, government, and military.

Although Wang Qiuyun was the commander of the 8th Column, Wei Hongjun, the political commissar, was more valuable at that time.

Wei Hongjun was not only the political commissar of the 8th Column, but also a member of the First Sub-district Party Committee, and now he was to serve as secretary of the Chahar-Nan Special Committee. The Jin-Cha-Ji Sub-bureau was a branch under the Northern Bureau, later renamed the Northern Bureau, and then the Jin-Cha-Yi Sub-bureau. To put it bluntly, the Jin-Cha-Ji Sub-bureau's primary responsibility was to oversee the affairs of the Jin-Cha-Ji base area. Of course, Wei Hongjun understood that the Jin-Cha-Ji Sub-bureau temporarily established the Chahar-Nan Special Committee and appointed Wei Hongjun as secretary. This was primarily due to concerns about potential conflict between the 8th Column and the Pingxi Prefectural Committee. This was because the base area currently under development by the 8th Column was administratively subordinate to the Pingxi Prefectural Committee.

The establishment of the Chahar South Special Committee was actually a temporary local department, hence the name. After the establishment of the Chahar South Special Committee, the Eighth Column and the Pingxi Prefectural Committee were completely separated. The Chahar South Special Committee could directly report to the Jin-Cha-Ji Branch Bureau.

"Okay, let me get down to business. After the Jidong Uprising, the anti-Japanese situation in Jidong is currently very intense. The main force of the Fourth Column has also arrived in Jidong. The two have joined forces to promote the revolutionary situation in Jidong. However, although the anti-Japanese situation in Jidong is very good, there are also many problems. The Japanese army will not allow Jidong, an important channel between North China and Northeast China, to have our base behind enemy lines. Therefore, the Japanese army in North China and the Japanese and puppet troops in Northeast China and Rehe are gathering to encircle and suppress the Jidong resistance forces. The military district has issued an order to our first division, requiring us to do our best to help the Jidong troops. But our first division is far away from Jidong, and it is impossible for us to provide direct support. The only thing we can do is to attack Wei and save Zhao."

Yang Quanwu spread out the map.

Then he said, "My 17th Regiment is still in training, and the 20th Regiment has just been established. So I plan to have the 1st and 3rd Regiments attack from Yi County. One of them will capture Mancheng County, and the other will capture Laishui and Zhuozhou. Leave the Japanese troops in Beiping and Baoding here. Next is the task of your 8th Column. I require you to boldly move north and attack some important strongholds on the Pingsui Road, draw away the Japanese troops in Beiping and Rehe, and relieve the pressure on eastern Hebei."

"Commander, where should we attack?"

Wang Qiuyun asked.

Yang Quanwu said unhappily, "Why, do you want me to be the commander of your Eighth Column?"

"No."

"I don't care what you do. But you must make a noise. The Second Independent Mixed Brigade and the Garrison Battalion on the Pingsui Road are currently understaffed. If a key stronghold on the Pingsui Road is attacked, they will have no choice but to seek help from Peking and Rehe. By then, we will surely be able to attract the Japanese troops in Peking and Rehe. Can you do it?"

"Make sure to complete the mission."

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun accepted the order.

Yang Quanwu nodded and said, "I believe in you. The fourth class of the Anti-Japanese University will graduate soon. Once the divisions are divided, I will give you two or three people from the Eighth Column."

"Thank you, Master."

Chapter 144 Encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao