Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

There are less than a hundred people following him.

He also discovered that the Eighth Route Army had intensified its offensive, deploying more and more troops. Looking at the entire battlefield, Toranosuke Kosei saw that the auxiliary troops in the middle had completely collapsed under the attack of the 26th Regiment in less than an hour.

After dealing with those auxiliary arms, the 25th Regiment cooperated with the 16th and 18th Regiments to begin annihilating the Japanese troops in the encirclement.

Toranosuke Ogose really couldn't accept such an outcome.

How could this be?

He was about to follow in the footsteps of Tsuchioka Kanji, Nanyun Shinichiro, and Abe Nobuhide. But Kosei Toranosuke was proud and could not allow himself to be killed by the Eighth Route Army.

So he took the pistol from his waist.

"boom"

Chapter 298 Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west

December 1939, 12, was the tenth day since the Japanese Army's 14th Independent Mixed Brigade swept through Changping.

The 8th Column won another great victory.

The Eighth Column killed Major General Toranosuke Kosei, commander of the 1600th Independent Mixed Brigade. This was the fourth major general commander killed by the Eighth Column, and it once again shocked North China. In this battle, the Eighth Column gathered men, ambushed Japanese troops, and won a complete victory.

1474 Japanese soldiers were killed and over 180 captured. However, over 130 of them were wounded, many seriously injured. Although they were captured, they could not survive in such cold weather. While the Eighth Route Army treated prisoners well, they did not abuse them. They also treated the wounded, but whether they survived was their own business.

A great victory.

The seizure was even more astonishing.

The 9th Independent Mixed Brigade's heavy troops, communications corps, and logistics and medical corps were all destroyed. Four field guns alone were captured, along with both infantry guns and flat-fire guns. A large quantity of ammunition and shells was also captured.

Wei Hongjun also received the telegram.

At this time, Wei Hongjun arrived at Songjiazhuang and deployed defenses there.

Songjiazhuang was, after all, the location of the 19th Column's logistics headquarters, school, and other departments. Not only the th Column's headquarters, but also many local government agencies were located here. After the th Regiment was transferred to the th District, the defense of Dingbei County was also handed over to the th District.

Wei Hongjun always feels worried.

He was afraid that if the Fifth District could not withstand the Japanese attack, Sheng County would also be in danger, so he brought the Third Security Regiment to Songjiazhuang.

Of course, Wei Hongjun also wanted to see what the situation was like in Songjiazhuang.

Wei Hongjun put down the telegram and said to Li Shiping, Chu He, and Han Weiguo with a smile: "Our commander is truly a formidable general. With this one move, he wiped out over 1600 Japanese troops and killed the Japanese brigade commander, a major general."

"Yes. Our Eighth Column has set a good example for the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops in their counter-mopping-up operation.

Chu He nodded repeatedly.

Chu He was originally a member of the Ji-Re Border Special Committee and had directly participated in leading the Jidong Uprising. His seniority and rank were higher than those of Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun.

The reason he stayed in the 8th Column at that time was because the 8th Column was going to reorganize the Jidong troops. As a cadre from Jidong, he was familiar with the Jidong troops and wanted to serve as a bridge between the 8th Column and the Jidong troops.

But now Chu He was increasingly fond of the Eighth Column. The Eighth Column had Wang Qiuyun, a formidable general, and Wei Hongjun, a political cadre registered with both Yan'an and the Eighth Route Army headquarters. The two had been partners since the Red Army days, and their coordination was flawless.

Wei Hongjun rarely interfered with Wang Qiuyun's command.

Wang Qiuyun also respected Wei Hongjun's work. Wei Hongjun possessed unique insights and approaches to strategic direction, military political development, base area construction, and Party affairs. Many of these were original, and no one knew whether the final outcome would be positive. However, Wang Qiuyun had almost unconditional trust in Wei Hongjun and supported his work.

Although Wei Hongjun held a higher position within the Party than Wang Qiuyun, had the final say in the army, and was the top leader in the base area, if Wang Qiuyun, the commander of the 8th Column, had not cooperated with Wei Hongjun, it would have been difficult for many of Wei Hongjun's ideas to be promoted in the army. However, with Wang Qiuyun's support, many of Wei Hongjun's ideas were able to be promoted within the army and the base area, ultimately achieving very good results.

The current Eighth Column is possible only because of the tacit cooperation between the two.

Chu He knew that with the current performance of the 8th Column, it was only a matter of time before it was upgraded to a military sub-district.

"By the way, how's the 'merit commendation campaign' going with the Chadong Detachment?"

"Political Commissar, your approach is brilliant. The officers and soldiers of the Chadong Detachment, upon hearing the column's call for meritorious service in defending the country and serving the people, have all been very enthusiastic. The militia at the Longyanchi base have devised no fewer than a hundred methods of dealing with the bunkers alone.

Some people took the approach of tying bombs to dogs and putting them in bunkers.

Someone came up with the idea of ​​using something like a catapult to drop gasoline on the bunker and then set it on fire to force the Japanese and puppet troops out. The local troops and militia from the Chadong Detachment really used all kinds of tactics to break through the Japanese bunker.

Chu He was very happy.

In fact, when Wei Hongjun first proposed the "merit recognition campaign," he was opposed to it because he believed it would vulgarize the revolution. However, he didn't expect it to be so effective after being implemented in the Chadong Detachment.

It immediately mobilized the enthusiasm of the military and civilians in the entire base area.

Especially for the current Japanese and puppet army bunkers, there are all kinds of strange methods. And many of them have successful experience.

The Japanese and puppet troops were in great trouble because the local troops and militia of the Chadong Detachment would use any means to destroy the bunkers.

"This method does have a chance of success under certain conditions. However, it can only be used once or twice and is unlikely to be widely adopted.

However, we must support this kind of enthusiasm. As long as the method they come up with can really break through the fort, then they should be commended.

Wei Hongjun nodded.

We support the creative wisdom of the vast majority of militia members.

As long as the method can be adapted to local conditions and the Japanese bunkers are removed, it is a good idea. However, this method can occasionally be used under specific conditions, but it cannot be promoted in the vast area of ​​North China.

But even if it cannot be promoted, this enthusiasm needs to be affirmed.

In fact, it is not just about removing the tuning fork.

Anyone who can think of a way to kill more enemies is great.

However, Chu He said: "In fact, someone in the 26th Regiment proposed an idea that has great potential for implementation.

"any solution?"

"It's about modifying our mortars or flat-fire cannons. Modify the shells and add something pungent like chili powder. This way, when the shells explode, it will have a huge impact on the Japanese and puppet troops in the bunkers, and it might even force them to abandon the bunkers."

“It’s a very imaginative idea.”

Wei Hongjun nodded.

This method was very useful because the Eighth Route Army had used it historically, and it was very effective. The Japanese army thought it was a biological warfare operation. However, the Eighth Route Army lacked mortars, so many units could not use this method.

But the Eight Verticals can.

The 8th Column has no shortage of mortars. Although there are not many mortar shells, if they are concentrated on breaking through bunkers, they will still be very powerful.

"There's another idea. The Japanese army's flat-fire artillery shells were too weak. After the Japanese reinforced the bunkers, the ability of the flat-fire artillery to remove them was greatly reduced. But compared to flat-fire artillery, mortar shells are more powerful.

But mortars are difficult to aim and it is difficult to hit the target.

As far as the current situation is concerned, the best way to attack a bunker is to attack its gun embrasures. However, mortars struggle to hit targets, making flat-fire cannons ideal for this purpose. Therefore, some people are considering whether mortars can be modified to resemble flat-fire cannons, capable of flat-fire. If mortars can be fired like flat-fire cannons during the removal of the bunkers, then clearing the Japanese bunkers would not be too difficult.

Wei Hongjun nodded repeatedly, very happy.

"This idea is even better. If we can make the mortar usable during normal combat, and use it like a flat-fire cannon when removing Japanese bunkers, our offensive capabilities will be greatly enhanced. I'll discuss this with the Arsenal and see if there's any solution."

These ideas were all thought up during and after the Hundred Regiments Campaign because there were too many Japanese bunkers.

If the Eighth Column could have developed weapons of this performance earlier, it would have been much easier to remove the bunkers.

During the Hundred Regiments Campaign, the Eighth Route Army suffered heavy casualties and expended a significant amount of ammunition. This was primarily due to the troops' struggle to remove the bunkers, but they lacked a clear strategy. Consequently, countless lives were lost and countless ammunition wasted. After the Hundred Regiments Campaign, as the Japanese launched a sweep, the Eighth Route Army's main forces suffered heavy casualties and a shortage of manpower, leading to a decline in combat effectiveness. Furthermore, the troops were severely short of ammunition, with the average main force possessing only two or three rounds of ammunition. Many local troops, having completely unleashed the Hundred Regiments Campaign, ultimately used up years' worth of stored ammunition. Facing the Japanese sweep, they were powerless.

If the main force had not suffered so many casualties and its ammunition consumption had not been so severe during the Hundred Regiments Campaign, then the mopping-up operation against the Japanese army would not have been so difficult.

"Da Da Da

"Political Commissar, it's bad. The Third District Squad has discovered Japanese troops on the road between Districts 3 and 4. They are harassing the Japanese on the road, but the Japanese are moving very fast.

"How many Japanese troops?"

"The district squad reports no fewer than a thousand Japanese soldiers. They're not sure of the exact number.

“How come there are so many Japanese troops?”

Wei Hongjun was shocked.

Wei Hongjun immediately looked at the map. Between Districts 3 and 4, that meant the Japanese troops had entered Sheng County from Dingbei County. However, he hadn't heard that the base area in District 5 had been completely penetrated by the Japanese.

Local troops such as the Dingbei County Brigade did not report that the Japanese army entered Sheng County from Dingbei County.

How did the Japanese army evade the detection of the local troops in the base area and penetrate into Sheng County? However, Wei Hongjun no longer had time to consider these 1,000 devils, which was the strength of a Japanese field battalion.

So many Japanese troops went straight into Sheng County and had already entered the third and fourth districts.

It’s not far from Songjiazhuang.

If they were allowed to break into Songjiazhuang, the Eighth Column and the local government's logistics agencies would be in jeopardy. So Wei Hongjun stood up and said, "Teacher Li, immediately organize the logistics agencies of Songjiazhuang, the factories, schools, and the local residents to prepare for evacuation. I'll only give you one hour to grab the most important items and evacuate quickly. Director Han, cooperate with Teacher Li. The county brigade will follow you."

"Commissar, where should we retreat?"

"County town. But you must watch out for the planes in the sky."

"Comrade Chu He, organize your forces immediately. First, send a telegram to Beiling Village and have the First Security Regiment depart immediately to assist us. Also, send someone to notify all the district teams in Sheng County to prepare for battle."

"Yes."

"I led the Third Guard Regiment to resist the Japanese army."

Chapter 299: Feint to the East and Attack in the West 2

Wei Hongjun had no time to think about anything else.

He now had only one idea, which was to stop the Japanese attack.

Wei Hongjun arrived at the door and saw the commander of the Third Security Regiment Guo Changyi, the political commissar Li Chaoyang, and the captain of the Shengxian County Brigade Shi Mangui.

As Wei Hongjun walked, he said, "Mangui, you lead the county brigade to protect the transfer of the logistics agency. When the time comes, obey the orders of Deputy Commander Li and Director Han.

"Yes. Commissar, where should we move to?"

"county seat."

“Political Commissar, is there any problem with retreating to the county town?

Shi Mangui frowned and objected to Wei Hongjun's idea.

Wei Hongjun stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

Although Shi Mangui is now only the captain of the county brigade, his relationship with Wei Hongjun is unique. Shi Mangui is a veteran who participated in the Long March with Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun. When Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun arrived in Sheng County with more than 30 people, Shi Mangui also came with them. Shi Mangui was still a Red Guard, only 16 years old during the Long March, and followed the troops all the way to northern Shaanxi. When the Eighth Route Army was reorganized, Shi Mangui was only 19 years old.

Of the more than 30 people who followed Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun to Sheng County, only 19 are still alive.

Shi Mangui also went from being an ordinary soldier to becoming the captain of the Shengxian County Brigade. After all, Shi Mangui is a veteran who has gone through the Long March. Although he is very young, this is not a problem in the Eighth Route Army. In the process of the development of the Eighth Column, such veterans are very valuable. So he soon served as a squad leader, platoon leader, and company commander of the troops. He was injured during the siege of the 25th Route. After returning to the team after recovering from his injury, he did not go to the main force, but came to form a local force and began to serve as the captain and political commissar of the Shengxian County Brigade.

In fact, Wei Hongjun hadn't seen Shi Mangui for some time. Since the 19th Regiment was transferred to the Fifth District, the county brigade had been stationed in Songjiazhuang to protect its safety.

Shi Mangui said, "Political Commissar, we know nothing about the Japanese army's situation right now. What if another Japanese unit enters our base? From here to the county seat, we have to cross a stretch of flat land. Our logistics agencies, factories, schools, and the local people here total nearly 4,000 people, so the evacuation speed will definitely be very slow. If we encounter a Japanese attack in District 2 or District 1, or are hit by Japanese bombers, the consequences will be disastrous.

Wei Hongjun was stunned.