Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

“In fact, there are already a lot fewer prisoners in Xiahuayuan.

Because the labor was all strenuous, they weren't given enough to eat, and when they were sick, they weren't given medical care. So every day, people died of starvation, disease, or being beaten. According to our statistics, no fewer than two thousand prisoners died in Xiahuayuan during that year and a half.

"Damn it."

Wei Hongjun sighed.

In the eyes of the Japanese, these miners were not human. They didn't care whether they lived or died. In just a short period of time, nearly 2000 miners had died in Xiahuayuan. No wonder Xiahuayuan was filled with mass graves throughout history.

It was because the Japanese didn't treat the miners as human beings. They only wanted coal, only wanted China's resources, and didn't care about anything else.

"Who are currently leading these troops?"

"There was no absolute leader, only a few prominent leaders. Among the miners who came from the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, three individuals stood out. One was Cao Mo, a battalion commander from the 33rd Army. He held great prestige within the army. While many officers from the army were captured, he commanded the highest prestige, with many officers and soldiers from the 33rd and 35th Armies obeying his orders. Another was Li Guangrong, a company commander from the 34th Army. Almost all officers and soldiers from the 34th Army followed his orders. Many of the captured officers from the 34th Army held higher ranks than him, but none had as much influence as him. Another, not an officer but a corporal, was Gao Huaiyuan. He worked in military mobilization for our Party within the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. Although he had a low level of education, he was a keen learner and was well-liked by the soldiers in his former unit. After his capture, his work became even more remarkable. He held a strong appeal not only among the soldiers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, but also among the Central Army, the th Army, the Shaanxi Army, and even among the captured husbands."

“Tell me about these people.

After all, the underground party's strength here is limited.

Furthermore, these prisoners were all former soldiers. Organizing them presented both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was obvious: they were all former soldiers and had received training. Although there were many of them, organizing and giving orders was much easier.

But there are also disadvantages.

These people all came from the Nationalist Army. It was not easy to get them to obey the orders of the Eighth Route Army and accept the Eighth Route Army from the bottom of their hearts. Therefore, it was necessary to find out the situation within them as soon as possible.

Wei Hongjun learned about the situation of these prisoners through Li Chaofeng.

After about half an hour, many people began to arrive. In total, more than 30 people arrived. Li Chaofeng immediately introduced them to Wei Hongjun. They were all leaders of various units, either big bosses or small bosses.

"Comrade Li Chaofeng has just introduced me, so let me introduce myself again. I am Wei Hongjun, the political commissar of the 8th Column of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region of the Eighth Route Army. It was our 8th Column Independent Regiment that captured Xiahuayuan. I want to tell you that you are saved and are no longer prisoners of the Japanese army."

"it is good."

"Great."

Tears welled up.

Tears welled up in the eyes of all those here. Ever since being captured, they'd been living a life unlike any other. They didn't know when death would strike. People died here every day.

They also want to resist.

But I can't resist.

Unarmed, coupled with years of lack of proper food and heavy labor, they were unable to resist. Furthermore, Xiahuayuan was too close to Zhangjiakou, Xuanhua, Zhuolu, and Huailai. Even if you succeeded in the Xiahuayuan uprising, you couldn't escape. While the troops entering Xiahuayuan weren't the Nationalist troops they had hoped for, the Eighth Route Army could have been just as well. After all, they were all Chinese troops.

Wei Hongjun did not let these people continue to be happy, but said in a deep voice: "But we are not out of danger. Because the Japanese army may come back at any time, we must evacuate Xiahuayuan as soon as possible.

Chapter 217: Reorganizing Prisoners of War

"Political Commissar Wei, what is the current situation? How did your independent regiment break into Xiahuayuan? What is the current deployment of the Japanese troops in the surrounding area?"

Thirty-seven-year-old Cao Mo spoke.

A battalion commander from the 33rd Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. Wei Hongjun also learned about Cao Ken through Li Chaofeng's introduction. He was a graduate of the Northern Military Academy, still serving as a battalion commander fifteen or sixteen years after graduation. Among his batch of graduates, promotions were relatively slow. Some officers from his cohort were promoted quickly, some even becoming brigade commanders.

But he had a high prestige in the prisoner-of-war camp.

The officers and soldiers of the 33rd and 35th Armies of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, and even some of the 34th and 61st Armies, all obeyed his orders. It's clear that his failure to rise wasn't due to a lack of ability. If he hadn't been capable, he wouldn't have held such high prestige in the prisoner-of-war camp.

This time too.

While others were celebrating, he was the calmest.

These prisoners of war working here had no idea what was happening outside unless they had access to channels. Therefore, Cao Mo was truly unaware of the current situation. He was even unfamiliar with the Eighth Route Army's Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region's 8th Column.

But he knew where the Lower Garden was.

Cao Mo was already surprised that the Eighth Route Army was able to break into Xiahuayuan.

However, Cao knew that it was easy to capture Xiahuayuan, but it was very difficult to evacuate from Xiahuayuan because if he wanted to evacuate, he had to evacuate from Xuanhua, Zhuolu, and Huailai.

"The 11th Regiment of our th Column is currently attacking Xuanhua County, and the th Regiment is attacking Huailai County. Therefore, all the mobile forces that the Mongolian Army can mobilize have been transferred to these two places, giving our independent regiment the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Xiahuayuan. There are currently no Japanese mobile forces around us, so we are temporarily safe. However, we have received news that the th Regiment of the th Division of the Japanese Army stationed in Suiyuan and the rd Mongolian Cavalry Division have been ordered to arrive. In addition, the th Independent Mixed Brigade stationed in Taiyuan and the th Independent Mixed Brigade stationed in Gubeikou have also received orders to reinforce here."

Everyone here is from a military background.

Wei Hongjun did not hide anything and told them the current situation directly. He even spread out a military map and told them the current situation.

Cao looked at the map and said, "Commissar Wei, the Japanese army only gives us about three to five days. Even if we are blocked along the way, we won't have more than a week."

"Correct."

Wei Hongjun likes Cao Mo very much.

This person is very calm.

For a soldier, maintaining composure is a highly desirable quality. Cao possesses this quality. Not only does he maintain composure himself, but he also manages to keep others calm. While Cao's ability to command troops is unknown, he has demonstrated the qualities of a qualified commander.

"Where should people retreat to be considered safe?"

"Sheng County. Sheng County is the most stable base of our Eighth Column."

"Too far."

Cao shook his head and said, "Commissar Wei, I'm not complaining. All of us here are in poor health. It's not easy to walk to Sheng County. If we walk on the main road in broad daylight, so many people will be easily bombed by Japanese bombers. If we are caught by Japanese planes on this nearly 300-mile journey, few will survive."

Besides, the weather is so cold now. If we don’t pay attention, many people will probably freeze to death on the road.”

"Captain Cao, you can't accomplish anything great if you're hesitant."

Wang Bao, a representative of the Shaanxi Army, was disdainful of this.

Then he said, "Commissar Wei, marching three hundred miles in freezing weather is certainly not easy. Many of us may die on the march. But compared to being here, half-dead, not knowing when we will die, it is better to die outside. Even if we die on the march, we, the Shaanxi Army, are willing to do so. You tell us how we should proceed, and we will follow your instructions."

Wei Hongjun smiled.

This is another person who is rough but also meticulous.

He seemed rough, but he and Cao Mo played the good cop and the bad cop, defeating Wei Hongjun. Sure enough, to survive in such a harsh environment and become a leader, no one was simple.

However, Wei Hongjun is not afraid of their intelligence or ability.

Because they will all be cadres of the Eighth Route Army and the Eighth Column in the future. The more capable they are, the better it will be for the future of the Eighth Column and the Eighth Route Army.

"Everyone, we have to move more than just people. Our Eighth Column has captured Xiahuayuan this time, and we also have to move the machinery, equipment, and logistical supplies here.

After hearing Wei Hongjun's words, Cao, Wang Bao and several others all looked happy.

It was already a very difficult task to safely evacuate the four or five thousand prisoners of war, two or three thousand captured people, laborers, other workers and their families. The Eighth Route Army actually wanted to dismantle the machines here and take them away?

It was Cao Mo who spoke again.

Said: "Political Commissar Wei, this is unrealistic."

"I said Sheng County is the safest place, but that doesn't mean we must evacuate to Sheng County."

Wei Hongjun drew several circles on the map.

He said, "This is our Eighth Column's base. As long as we retreat to this location, we will be safe for a short time. Those who are in poor health can rest here first. Those who are in better health can continue to go south. The final destination is Sheng County. As for the machinery and equipment in Xiahuayuan, they must be transported away. Because our Eighth Route Army needs our own hospitals and factories, especially military factories. The machinery and equipment here can be used. As for the machinery and equipment that is too large to be taken away, they must be blown up. We cannot leave the Japanese with an intact mine."

Seeing the circle drawn by Wei Hongjun, Cao Mo and the others felt relieved.

Because although these bases were not too close, the closest one was only about fifty miles away. If it was just this distance, then many things would be much easier to deal with. And I had a higher opinion of the Eighth Route Army in my heart.

After all, the Eighth Route Army had developed its base right under the nose of Zhangjiakou.

When they were captured, there were no Eighth Route Army units in the area. Yet, only a year had passed, and the Eighth Route Army had grown so rapidly. Just now, the Eighth Column mentioned the 18th and th Regiments, which means there were already regiments in the area.

Cao Mo was not familiar with the Eighth Route Army because he had been in Shanxi for many years.

But now I really admire the Eighth Route Army.

Cao couldn't help but ask, "Commissar Wei, where is the nearest Jin army unit to us?"

"Suiyuan. General Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army is in Suiyuan. As for the other troops, they are all in southern Shanxi and have even crossed the river. In any case, there are no Nationalist troops in Chahar, northeastern Shanxi, southeastern Shanxi, and even the Yanbei area. Now, in Chahar, northeastern Shanxi, southeastern Shanxi, Yanbei, western Hebei, central Hebei, and eastern Hebei, basically only our Eighth Route Army is active."

Wei Hongjun told these people directly.

Don’t think about the national army.

There were no Nationalist troops in this area. Even outside the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, the Eighth Route Army dominated territory. Having explained the situation, Wei Hongjun bluntly stated, "Since the Eighth Route Army has rescued you, we will naturally bring you to safety. However, as military veterans, you all understand that the most frightening thing about retreat is disorganization. Without organization, a retreat will ultimately result in a complete defeat."

"Commissar Wei, we understand what you mean. We will obey the orders of the Eighth Route Army."

"Yes. We all know that only a thorough plan can lead to a safe evacuation.

"Political Commissar Wei, we all understand this."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

He said: "This time, many people need to be evacuated. Together with other workers here and their families, the total number of people to be evacuated reaches about 11000. My plan is to divide the evacuating troops into four teams. The local workers and their families are relatively large in number, and there are also many elderly, weak, women and children, forming the first team. They are slow, and it is not easy for the organization to let them leave first. The captured civilians and prisoners of war who are not in good health will form the second team and go in the second batch. The remaining people in good physical condition will form the third team and go last. There is also a team called the escort team, which cooperates with my Eighth Route Army troops to protect the safety of each team.

Chapter 218 Reorganizing Prisoners of War 2

"Everyone, the situation is urgent and we don't have much time to discuss.

So I gave the order directly. If there is anything else, we can discuss it again after we return to a safe place. Comrade Li Chaoyang."

"arrive."

“You are familiar with the local workers and can reassure them along the way.

You will be the captain of the First Corps. You must organize it well. The First Corps has many elderly, weak, women, and children. You must stock up on necessary supplies and be prepared for any emergencies. I will send someone to assist you.

There are many factories in Xiahuayuan, so there are also many workers.

Therefore, the underground party organization in Xiahuayuan mainly engaged in labor movement. People like Li Chaoyang were workers themselves.

They are very familiar with the workers here.

Wei Hongjun chose Li Chaoyang to appease the workers and their families.

"Yes."

"Brother Cao Mo, many people in the Second Corps are weak and need a lot of care. You are the eldest brother, everyone knows you, and I hope you will shoulder this responsibility.

Wei Hongjun admires Cao Mo very much.

However, it was precisely because they admired Cao Mo and knew that he was very capable that they wanted to separate him from the main force of prisoners of war. What if Cao Ken led the main force to evacuate, but was unwilling to accept reorganization and join the Eighth Route Army after arriving at the base?

It will be a big trouble then.

So it was necessary to separate the main force of his prisoners of war.

Cao Mo frowned at first.

But he nodded quickly.

Wei Hongjun, observing Cao Mo's choice, held him in even higher regard. Cao Mo was not only capable, but also considered the overall situation. The most important thing at this stage was evacuation—how to do it safely. Everything else would have to wait.