Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Therefore, the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia primarily supported the Nationalist government. While they supported the Nationalist government, they were also very hostile to the Chinese Communist Party. But after all, they were all Chinese, and they supported cooperation between the KMT and the CCP. Only through cooperation could the KMT and the CCP jointly resist Japan and defeat the powerful Japanese imperialism. Now that Wang Jingwei had surrendered to Japan and the situation was dire, how could the KMT and the CCP still engage in internal strife? How could they resist Japan?

Of course they are worried.

They hope to see the KMT and the CCP cooperate in the fight against Japan and ultimately defeat the Japanese, rather than see internal discord among themselves. Therefore, the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia are currently worried. This isn't limited to the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia; overseas Chinese around the world are deeply concerned about this.

Therefore, many people hope that overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia can go to China to see what is happening.

Therefore, Zhuang Xiyan was also in Singapore at this time.

The main discussion was whether we should really send people to the country to take a look.

Zhuang Xiyan had been worried about the anti-Japanese war situation in China recently. But today, he was extremely excited. At 54 years old, he ran to Chen Jiageng like a child.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen, good news, good news."

Seeing Zhuang Xiyan so excited, Chen Jiageng immediately stepped forward and asked, "What happened?

"The Eighth Route Army, the Eighth Route Army killed two Japanese brigade commanders, major generals, in Chahar.

"Really?"

Chen Jiageng was very surprised.

Even though the war lasted for two years after the July 7 Incident.

However, it was still extremely rare for Chinese troops to kill Japanese generals on the battlefield. Battles like the Battle of Shanghai and the Battle of Wuhan were massive engagements, with combined forces exceeding one million on both sides. Yet, even in battles of this magnitude, no active generals were killed. These were generally posthumously awarded the rank of general, having only held the rank of colonel when alive.

However, the Eighth Route Army was able to kill two Japanese major generals, and they were not posthumous, but two active brigade commanders of major generals.

"Yes. Domestic newspapers have already started reporting extensively. We have learned through domestic channels that it is not a false alarm, but that two Japanese major generals were actually killed."

"Okay, great."

"And this unit already killed a Japanese brigade commander, a major general, last year. Look at the news that just came in, saying that the two commanders of the Japanese 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade were both killed by this Eighth Route Army unit."

"so amazing."

Chen Jiageng nodded repeatedly and said, "We should go to China to have a look.

We have been here all this time, unable to see the true situation in China. Our understanding of the Eighth Route Army is only based on the Nationalist government's one-sided account.

If possible, I hope to visit Yan'an as well as Chongqing this time."

"Yes. They say the CCP is a communist and shares wives, making them look like scoundrels. But we don't know the real situation. It would be a good idea to go to Yan'an and take a look."

"Then let's not dawdle. Gather everyone together as soon as possible to elect representatives."

"it is good."

Chapter 265 Postwar Recovery

The counter-mopping-up operation is over.

What was left behind was a mess.

The army suffered heavy casualties, local cadres in the base area also suffered heavy casualties, and the people in the base area suffered even more.

This Japanese sweep was the largest and longest of its kind since the Eighth Route Army crossed the Yellow River. It was an unprecedented catastrophe for the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area. After the counter-sweep ended, the Eighth Column continued to collect statistics.

The data previously provided to the military region was only preliminary statistics, and it mainly focused on the situation of individual units. In fact, in addition to the casualties of the main force and local troops, there were also a large number of casualties among the militia and civilians in the base area.

The number of casualties and prisoners among militiamen and civilians in the base area also exceeded 10,000.

The situation is very bad.

What is needed now is an accurate picture.

There was also a lot to do. Starting with casualties, the situation with weapons and ammunition, the availability of food in the base area, and even the damage to civilians' homes all needed to be tallied. This time, so many Japanese and puppet troops entered the base area. While not quite at the level of the later "Three Alls Policy," they did burn, kill, and loot. The destruction of homes in the base area was severe.

We must have accurate statistics before we can proceed to the next step, which is very complicated.

The damage to the Xuanzhuohuai base was particularly severe.

The 16th and 18th Regiments, as well as the various units under them, had suffered almost half their casualties. How to restore the combat effectiveness of the troops was also a major problem facing the th Column.

"What's the situation with the Japanese army?"

"On the Mongolian side, the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade suffered few casualties.

Only the 44th and 45th Independent Battalions suffered heavy losses, while the other units suffered only minor casualties. After the death of Abe Nobuhide, troops from the 1300nd Independent Mixed Brigade, including the th and th Regiments, along with the New st and Cavalry Regiments, joined the battle, inflicting heavy damage on the units they were mopping up. During this mopping-up operation, the nd Independent Mixed Brigade left behind over bodies. The nd, rd, and th Independent Battalions, which had participated in the operation, were nearly completely wiped out.

In fact, the Eighth Route Army often underestimated the casualties of the Japanese army.

Because unless the Japanese were too late on the battlefield, they would not only take away the wounded, but also their bodies. Therefore, when counting the casualties of the Japanese army, the Eighth Route Army often had some errors.

When conducting external propaganda, more Japanese casualties could be reported.

However, internal data is often underestimated because it is impossible to accurately determine Japanese casualties. For example, the 1500th Column's statistics on the casualties of the 1600nd Independent Mixed Brigade were around to .

However, the actual casualties of the Japanese Army's 2000nd Independent Mixed Brigade were over 1300, with over 0 Japanese soldiers killed on the battlefield alone.

The Japanese army swept in and they had the upper hand.

So they were able to take away a lot of the sick and wounded.

"That is to say, among the troops stationed in Mongolia, the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade still maintains a certain level of combat effectiveness, while the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade has basically lost its combat effectiveness."

"Yes."

Chen Zhonghe nodded.

"Several independent infantry battalions within the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade suffered heavy casualties, with three of them nearly completely wiped out by us. They won't be able to recover their combat effectiveness anytime soon. Therefore, the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade won't be able to fight anytime soon. However, the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade ended its mopping-up operation due to insufficient logistics and the retreat of other units. Half of their troops didn't suffer any significant casualties."

"Damn it."

Wang Qiuyun couldn't help but curse.

The main force of the Eighth Column had essentially lost its combat effectiveness and needed time to recover. However, the Japanese 9th Independent Mixed Brigade still had sufficient combat effectiveness. If they rested for a while, replenished their weapons, ammunition, and logistical supplies, and then launched another sweep, the situation in the base would become even more difficult.

"Continue to talk about the situation of other troops."

"The 26th Regiment of the 11th Division of the Mongolian Army was severely damaged by the 19st Division and our 12th Regiment in the Yanbei area. Their colonel commander was killed and will be unable to fight in the short term. As for the 26th Regiment, according to the information we have, the casualties in this mopping-up operation should not be heavy. However, the th Division is mainly stationed in the Yanbei and Suiyuan areas, and should not pose a threat to our base in the short term."

Chen Zhonghe continued to introduce the surrounding troops.

"The 77th and 78th Independent Mixed Brigades stationed in Peking. The 79th and th Independent Battalions of the th Independent Mixed Brigade were completely annihilated by us, including their Major General Commander, Shinichiro Nagumo, who was killed, and the th Independent Battalion, which was severely damaged. Judging from the current situation, the th Independent Mixed Brigade will be unable to fight for a short time. The th Independent Mixed Brigade suffered relatively few casualties during its sweep of the First Division's Jixi base area. Furthermore, since it didn't penetrate deep into the base area, it didn't suffer many attacks during its retreat.

"The 35th Division penetrated deep into the source, constantly engaging the st Regiment and the Special Forces Regiment, suffering heavy casualties. During their retreat, they were frequently attacked by troops from the st Division. They were originally planning to return to Peking, but because they suffered numerous attacks along the way, they ultimately entered Baoding for rest and recuperation. They should be in Baoding for some time to come."

"Then there's the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade. Almost all the troops involved in this mopping-up operation have left our base. Only the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade didn't return to Gubeikou, but remained in Changping.

Judging from the current situation, the 35th Independent Mixed Brigade will likely remain stationed in Changping and will not return to Gubeikou. Although the 35th Regiment has engaged the th Independent Mixed Brigade several times in Changping, the results have been minimal. The th Independent Mixed Brigade has suffered relatively few casualties. It seems the th Regiment will be battling the th Independent Mixed Brigade for control of the base area in Changping.

The situation around the 8th Column's base was marked out.

This is the current situation of the Japanese forces surrounding the 8th Column. Currently, the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade stationed in Changping and the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade stationed in Zhangjiakou both retain a certain level of combat effectiveness. What they lack now is rest, to recover their exhausted bodies and spirits, and to replenish the weapons, ammunition, and logistical supplies consumed during this mop-up operation.

If they can finish replenishing and resting, they may be able to carry out another sweep at any time.

“至于我八纵目前的情况，16团和18团短期之内必须要修整。日军这一次扫荡主要战场就在宣怀根据地，16团和18团伤亡最严重。34团和35团的情况也不乐观，还有19团，25团、警备1团、警备3团伤亡都大。目前我八纵还保持一定战斗力的是察西支队、察东支队、察北支队，还有就是警备2团。”

“I’m worried that the Japanese army will raid the Ninggao Town base next.

Wei Hongjun pointed to the map.

Chen Zhonghe said, "Commander, Political Commissar, if the Japanese army's next target for a sweep is the Ninggao Town base, our column will be unable to provide support. The Ninggao Town base is located between Datong and Zhangjiakou. The Japanese army can dispatch troops from the 26th Independent Mixed Brigade and the th Division at any time."

"That's what I'm worried about."

Wei Hongjun frowned.

"The Ninggao Town base is strategically located. It connects Datong, Zhangjiakou, and Suiyuan, and can cut off the Pingsui Road at any time. It's a thorn in the side of the Japanese army, but the Xuanzhuhuai base posed too great a threat to Zhangjiakou, so the Japanese army's mopping-up targets have always been on the Xuanzhuhuai base. Now that the Xuanzhuhuai base has been almost completely destroyed by them, their next target is likely to be the Ninggao Town detachment."

Wang Qiuyun has been looking at the map.

After a while, he said, "Our Eighth Column is in a very passive situation right now. The Japanese army has many bases they can choose to raid. They could raid the Ninggao Town base, or possibly the Xuanzhuohuai base. However, no matter which base they raid, we currently have few options. It seems that this time we still have to target the Chadong and Chabei detachments."

Wei Hongjun also looked at the Chadong and Chabei detachments.

The Japanese army was weak here, so the development of the Chadong and Chabei detachments was still very good. The victory of the anti-mopping-up operation in the Xuanzhuohuai base this time was also due to the support of the Chadong detachment.

The New 1st Regiment made great contributions in killing Abe Nobuhide.

The only unit in the 20th Column that still had sufficient combat capability was the Chadong Detachment, which had successively eliminated more than Japanese bunkers, annihilated a large number of Japanese and puppet troops, and seized a large number of weapons, ammunition, and logistical supplies.

47 light machine guns alone were captured.

Wei Hongjun nodded and said, "To prevent the Japanese army from sweeping our base in a short period of time, we can only let the Chadong and Chabei detachments make some noise."

After discussing the current situation of the 8th Column and the surrounding enemy situation, we began to discuss the issue of restoring the 8th Column's strength.

Everything else is based on strength.

Strength is everything.

This time, the First Division and the Eighth Column were able to survive against 100,000 Japanese and puppet troops because they had sufficient strength.

But now the Eighth Column was seriously injured and its vitality was greatly damaged. It could not withstand another sweep by the Japanese army.

Not to mention the scale of the previous one, even if there were only two independent mixed brigades sweeping the Eighth Column's base, the Eighth Column would not be able to withstand it. Fortunately, the North China Front Army suffered heavy casualties during this sweep and could not organize a large-scale sweep in a short period of time.

"How are our wounded?"

"Political Commissar, there are currently many wounded in various bases. According to our current statistics, our 8th Column's main force and local forces currently have more than 10,000 lightly wounded and seriously injured. Fortunately, among the wounded in the army, about 8,000 are lightly wounded. Of these lightly wounded, about 6,000 will be able to return to the army within two months, and there are also about 1,000 wounded who may be left disabled and unable to stay in the army. Moreover, our base is currently in great shortage of medicines. If we are not careful, some of the lightly wounded may become seriously injured. We still have more than 2,000 seriously wounded in our army. If we do not provide timely assistance, more than half of them may lose their lives. In addition to these wounded in the army, there are also many wounded among the local militia and the people in the base who also need rescue and treatment. This group of people also number 5,000 to 6,000.

Li Shiping was in a very heavy mood.

There are too many wounded.

It was a truly enormous number. The 8th Column's own hospital simply couldn't handle the sheer volume of wounded. Not only were many of the troops injured, but so were many of the local militia and civilians. The hospitals in the base area simply didn't have the staff or medicine to handle the sheer volume. Therefore, some of the less seriously injured were placed in the homes of local residents, where they could recuperate for a period of time.

Wei Hongjun did some calculations in his mind.

If more than 5,000 wounded soldiers could return to the army within two months, it would greatly supplement the current shortage of troops in the Eighth Column. However, what gave Wei Hongjun a headache was the seriously injured soldiers and those who were left with disabilities.

Judging from the current situation of the base’s hospitals and the availability of medicines, half of these seriously injured soldiers may lose their lives.

"Teacher Li, do you think we can open a chicken farm in the mountains for our logistics unit? Those of us with disabilities who can't fight can be transferred to the chicken farm in the mountains to work. This will expand the unit's logistics and also provide accommodation for these disabled soldiers.

The bases of the Eighth Column were all relatively poor.

To put it bluntly, it is poverty.

So the best way is to be self-sufficient. You can grow your own food and raise your own chickens. You can raise them in the mountains, not only providing eggs for the troops but also providing shelter for disabled soldiers.

Otherwise, how can we accommodate so many disabled soldiers?

"I'll discuss it with others after I get back and come up with a plan."