Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Between the 12st Division and the th Military Division, you know what to choose just by thinking about it.

Does this mean that after arriving at the 8th Column, I will continue to be the captain of the teaching brigade?

Wei Hongjun waved his hand and said, "Listen to me. Currently, there are no vacancies for officers of your rank in the units under my Eighth Column. The column has no position for you at the moment. So after discussion, the column decided to let you form a regiment on your own."

"I'm going to form a group myself?"

Tang Fan was stunned.

He was about to flip the table and get angry, but he immediately calmed down.

"Yes. The column is currently recruiting soldiers at the base, and they've taken in about 2000 new recruits. The column's intention is that after you assume the leadership of the training brigade, you'll train this group of grassroots commanders. When the training brigade completes, you'll take away a squadron of about 200 people from the training brigade, and from these new recruits, a thousand people, to form a new regiment. At that time, you'll be the commander of this unit. So, while you'll be the commander of the training brigade, you'll also be the commander of the new recruit regiment, responsible for the training of this new unit."

Wei Hongjun thought for a long time about how to use Tang Fan.

The Eighth Route Army is currently developing rapidly, and the demand for grassroots commanders is extremely high. As the army transitions from guerrilla warfare to large-scale troop operations, the requirements for grassroots commanders will be even higher. This is why Yang Quanwu attaches so much importance to the training of grassroots commanders.

Wei Hongjun had the same idea.

The Eighth Column must continuously and extensively train grassroots commanders. Even short-term training should be provided to grassroots commanders whenever there is time. Only in this way can the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Column not decline.

However, Wei Hongjun felt that Yang Quanwu's approach to Tang Fan was somewhat inappropriate.

Tang Fan was very capable and indeed well-suited to training grassroots commanders. But his heart wasn't in it anymore. Forcing him to focus on training grassroots commanders ended up like this. While everyone says they should obey orders, every human being has their own thoughts and can't be a completely obedient machine. This was Tang Fan's case; he could no longer focus on training grassroots commanders.

Yang Quanwu pressured Tang Fan to train grassroots commanders, but Tang Fan refused to follow Yang Quanwu's ideas. Yang Quanwu was furious at Tang Fan's disobedience and wanted to get rid of him. Tang Fan held a deep grudge against Yang Quanwu, believing that Yang Quanwu was suppressing him because he was not from the Central Red Army.

The two of them almost fell out.

In fact, Yang Quanwu kept Tang Fan and placed him in the army, which gave the First Division an extra strong general. Tang Fan himself was largely responsible for this, but Yang Quanwu also had many problems in uniting the cadres.

Wei Hongjun recruited him because he was a skilled general. He was an expert at governing, commanding troops, and leading them in battle. And since he was so determined to fight on the battlefield, he must be the one leading troops. However, using him solely on the battlefield would be a waste of his talent. Why did Yang Quanwu, despite being clearly furious, continue to tolerate Tang Fan for so long? It was because Tang Fan was capable enough, and Yang Quanwu hoped he would change his mind. As long as Tang Fan changed his mind and honestly served as the captain of his training brigade, Yang Quanwu would definitely continue to use Tang Fan.

Tang Fan's outstanding abilities made it imperative for Wei Hongjun to utilize them effectively. Before leading his troops to the front lines, he still had to contribute to the column. The first class of the training corps, formed after Xu Luomin became Chief of Staff, had graduated and each member had returned home and been assigned to various units.

Now recruiting the second batch of teaching brigade.

Originally, they had planned to recruit 500 men from the squad and platoon leaders who had performed exceptionally well in the anti-mopping-up operation, as well as some veteran soldiers. However, the 8th Column was upgraded to a military sub-district, and two outstanding generals, Zheng Weishan and Tang Fan, were transferred to it. Therefore, Wei Hongjun and Wang Qiuyun discussed and decided to increase the size of the training brigade to 1,000 men. These 1,000 men came from various units, including the main force and local forces. Wei Hongjun intended for them to become qualified company and platoon-level commanders after training in the training brigade.

Zheng Weishan was in charge of the Cha'nan Cadre School and the teaching brigade, so it was impossible for him to directly take on the following positions. Coincidentally, Tang Fan came to the Eighth Column and was appointed as the captain of the teaching brigade.

However, Wei Hongjun was worried that Tang Fan had a problem and wasn't working diligently in the training brigade, so he made him a promise. He promised to form a regiment, and the cadres would be drawn from this batch of training brigade personnel. This meant that Tang Fan was told that the cadres for the new units he would form would be drawn from this batch of training brigade personnel. This was to see if he would continue to diligently train the cadres of this batch.

Tang Fan did not agree immediately.

He guessed Wei Hongjun's intention.

Wei Hongjun was using this as bait to force him into becoming the captain of the training brigade. But Wei Hongjun's proposal was very tempting. Tang Fan didn't really care whether it was a new recruit regiment or not. Even if it was, Tang Fan was confident he could turn it into a main force.

"Commissar, how long will this training brigade take?"

"Three months, I hope. This group of people are already veterans and squad and platoon-level officers, and they're just undergoing a short period of training. If they pass within three months, this batch of students from the training brigade will graduate. Once they graduate, the column will give you a squadron from the training brigade, plus a thousand new recruits, to form this regiment. You will serve as the regimental commander and also as the political commissar.

When the new recruit regiment is first formed, it will be a small regiment. There will be no battalion-level divisions, only a regimental headquarters, which will directly manage six companies. The cadets in the training brigade were all trained by us. The column will not be involved in the cadre deployment of the new recruit regiment. Furthermore, the small regiment organization of the new recruit regiment is just the beginning. If you can expand the force, you can apply to the column for an increase in organization.

"Commissar, when will I take office?"

After hearing Wei Hongjun's words, Tang Fan lost his initial complacency and resigned attitude. Instead, he suddenly became energetic.

Although Wei Hongjun was a direct subordinate of Yang Quanwu, Tang Fan now found him more and more pleasing to the eye. He even felt an urge to go and see the students of the teaching brigade. Many of these students would become his future subordinates.

"The trainees of the teaching brigade will be able to assemble within a week."

Wei Hongjun was very happy to see Tang Fan accept the task.

Tang Fan was an expert at training grassroots commanders and was very famous in the Anti-Japanese University. Otherwise, Yang Quanwu would not have chosen Tang Fan to be in charge of the training and teaching team when he had so many outstanding cadres.

This is truly a very well-rounded cadre.

Wei Hongjun's recruitment of new soldiers was an attempt to test a new method of expanding the army. The 8th Column's previous model for expanding its forces involved recruiting troops from the militia, through district squads, county battalions, and finally the main force, with recruitment occurring at each level. Training of new recruits was primarily the responsibility of the militia and district squads.

But this time Wei Hongjun wanted to try to directly form a new army.

It’s the same as training new soldiers in later generations.

Some commanders were drawn from the main force to directly train this force.

Tang Fan happened to be here, so he was given full responsibility. If this model was successful, as the territory under his control expanded, he could raise a large number of new recruits. After a few months of training, they would directly supplement the main force.

"Then I'll start preparing now."

"Don't rush. The work of the teaching brigade is under the charge of Comrade Zheng Weishan, Deputy Commander of the Eighth Column. Let's go meet Comrade Zheng Weishan together."

In the next three months, Tang Fan will work under Zheng Weishan.

Wei Hongjun and Tang Fan arrived at the Chanan Cadre School and found Zheng Weishan personally teaching a military class. Wei Hongjun didn't interrupt him and sat in the back with Tang Fan, listening to the class. Wei Hongjun nodded frequently as Zheng Weishan lectured.

Zheng Weishan’s teaching level is really good.

As expected, he studied at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and also taught at the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military and Political Cadre School.

The infantry tactics were explained very well, in simple terms. Some lecturers try to make infantry tactics sound grandiose, leaving the audience confused. But Zheng Weishan was different, explaining many tactics in a way that was easy to understand.

It is very suitable for learning by grassroots commanders with low cultural level like the Eighth Route Army.

The Eighth Column currently recruits cadres through three channels: one is cadres assigned by the military region, generally graduates of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military and Political Cadre School and the Second Branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University; another is graduates of the Chahar-South Cadre School; and the last is grassroots commanders who receive short-term training in the teaching brigade model.

Compared with the teaching brigade, the shortest academic period at Chanan Cadre School is half a year.

Generally speaking, if you want to move up to the battalion level, you have to go to the Chanan Cadre School. After the class was over, Wei Hongjun took Tang Fan there. Before Wei Hongjun could say anything, Tang Fan stood at attention and saluted Zheng Weishan, saying, "Commander."

"How did you come?"

"You two know each other?"

"Political Commissar, when I was the political commissar of the 30th Division of the 88th Army of the Fourth Front Army, Comrade Tang Fan was in our 88th Division.

Wei Hongjun didn't expect that the two of them had such a connection.

But knowing each other would be even better. Therefore, Wei Hongjun said, "That way there will be no problem. Let me introduce you. Comrade Tang Fan will be serving as the captain and political commissar of the column's teaching brigade.

Zheng Weishan felt much better when he saw Tang Fan.

Jin-Cha-Ji was a stranger to him, as were the cadres there. After arriving at the Eighth Column, he became even more unfamiliar with its cadres. Everyone had been polite to each other these days.

But this kind of politeness is not a good thing in the military.

Many military cadres were on life-or-death ties. So when they argued, they cursed at each other, not being polite. Zheng Weishan understood that the Eighth Column cadres' politeness to him simply meant they didn't fully consider him a member of the Eighth Column.

Seeing the cadres he once knew, and the fact that they would be working together, Zheng Weishan was in a much better mood. So he extended his hand and said, "Comrade Tang Fan, I'm busy with work. You have to take care of the work of the teaching brigade in the future."

"Don't worry, Commander. I will definitely do a good job in teaching the brigade."

Wei Hongjun was even more satisfied when he saw Tang Fan's expression.

As long as Tang Fan can properly train a group of teaching teams and build a main force regiment, then Wei Hongjun doesn't care about the rest. Don't you just want to fight? The Eighth Column has plenty of battles for you to fight. So Wei Hongjun said: "Comrade Tang Fan, then you should start preparing now and meet some cadres from the teaching team. I will let Xiao Qin take you there.

"Yes."

Tang Kai saluted the two men and left.

Zheng Weishan looked at Tang Fan's back and frowned, saying, "Political Commissar, when I was in the military region, I heard that the First Division was going to send Tang Fan back to the military region.

Chapter 321 Purchase of Weapons and Ammunition

"Yes. But I asked Division 1 for Comrade Tang Fan."

"Political Commissar, why did you let him be the captain of the teaching brigade?"

Zheng Weishan has been the head of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region Teaching Corps this year and is aware of some news from other military sub-districts.

Especially in Jin-Cha-Ji, there were only a few cadres from the Fourth Front Army.

In a region populated entirely by Central Red Army veterans, the presence of several from the Fourth Front Army stood out. Furthermore, the First Division was the backbone of the region, and Yang Quanwu was its most influential figure. Any disturbance in the First Division was known to everyone. When Yang Quanwu was dissatisfied with Tang Fan and wanted to dismiss him, Zheng Weishan had heard about it at the military district.

He had even heard of the conflicts between them.

However, Wei Hongjun actually appointed Tang Fan as the captain of the teaching brigade.

Zheng Weishan and Tang Fan are more familiar with each other.

When he was the divisional political commissar, Tang Fan served under him as the regimental political commissar. Tang Fan had a rather quick temper. When he was in the First Division, he didn't obey Yang Quanwu's orders as the head of his teaching brigade. How could he obey orders when he was in the Eighth Column?

He doubted this.

Wei Hongjun should have understood this point as he integrated so many cadres from different systems into the Eighth Column.

Wei Hongjun smiled slightly and said, "I promised him that after he trains this batch of training brigade students, he can take away a squadron of students from this training brigade. Then the column will give him 1000 new recruits and let him form a new regiment. As for the quality of the new regiment, it depends on how he trains this batch of training brigade students and how he trains the new recruits."

Zheng Weishan was stunned.

But he soon started laughing too.

Zheng Weishan and Wei Hongjun were about the same age, and both were Red Guards. If it weren't for the chaotic times, they would have been nothing more than freshmen fresh out of college.

But now both of them are veterans who have fought on the battlefield for more than ten years.

Zheng Weishan has been in Jinchayi for so many years, and it is rare for him to laugh from the bottom of his heart.

He suddenly found the cadre Wei Hongjun very interesting.

Everyone in Jin-Cha-Ji knew that Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were rising stars. Even with the 8th Column's elevation to a sub-district, they had already overshadowed many veteran Red Army soldiers and cadres in Jin-Cha-Ji. Many of those individuals had once been Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun's direct superiors, but now fell behind them.

The legendary stories of the Eighth Column were widely circulated, and Zheng Weishan was also well-known in the military region. However, Zheng Weishan had never come into contact with these two people before.

After joining the 8th Column, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were both busy, so they only had brief interactions with Zheng Weishan. Zheng Weishan, eager to quickly integrate into the 8th Column, quickly immersed himself in his work. He wanted the 8th Column's cadres to recognize his abilities and gain their acceptance. Therefore, even after arriving at the 8th Column, everyone was still unfamiliar with each other.

But after just a few brief words with Wei Hongjun today, Zheng Weishan's opinion of him has already risen significantly. A cadre like Tang Fan is like a donkey. He won't move when led, and will retreat when beaten. Therefore, when dealing with such a cadre, one must understand his temper.

It was obvious that Wei Hongjun had grasped Tang Fan's desire to lead troops to the front lines and asked him to be the captain of the teaching brigade and work hard to train the new recruits. Didn't Yang Quanwu understand this?

No, how could a smart person like Yang Quanwu not understand?

It's just that the First Division and the Eighth Column have different histories and development strategies. The First Division was a base established by Yang Quanwu and his independent regiment, and its personnel were all personally promoted by Yang Quanwu. With his own team of 1,000 troops within the First Division, he had a comprehensive understanding of its development. He needed cadres who obeyed orders and understood his intentions. Therefore, while Yang Quanwu greatly admired Tang Fan's abilities, he also had no shortage of a cadre like him. The First Division had the confidence to send a capable general like Tang Fan back. Since Tang Fan disobeyed orders, Yang Quanwu would not keep him in the First Division. He couldn't allow a cadre who disobeyed orders to corrupt others and affect the development of the First Division. He needed unity from top to bottom within the First Division.

Yang Quanwu used this method to make the troops in the first division as powerful as his own arms.

But the Eight Verticals won’t work.

The 8th Column was inherently inferior to the 1st Division; it lacked the cadre base of the 1st Division. It all developed gradually. Therefore, for the 8th Column, and for Wei Hongjun, any cadre who could be employed by the 8th Column was welcome, regardless of any flaws or shortcomings.

Yang Quanwu had no time to think about how to keep Tang Fan, but Wei Hongjun had to think of ways to retain these cadres and how to enable them to give full play to their abilities.

It's like a big company interviewing someone directly from a pool of 985 university graduates. Other university graduates submit resumes, but they won't even look at them and won't even be given an interview. They simply don't have the time to interview so many people, and they have plenty of options to choose from. But small companies are different; they can't afford to look down on others.

"Comrade Zheng Weishan, we should have found an opportunity to have a good chat a long time ago. But because we were too busy with work, we never had the chance. On behalf of the Eighth Column, I apologize to you.

"Commissar, what are you talking about?"