Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

"Plan out your ideas and have a meeting with Deputy Commander Li and Director Gao in a couple of days."

Chapter 392 Pearl Harbor

After the anti-mopping-up campaign ended, the 8th Column was still very busy overall.

One reason was the large number of wounded soldiers in need of medical assistance. The entire 8th Column suffered nearly 10,000 wounded during this counter-mopping-up operation. Besides the Chabei and Chaxi detachments, the Chadong, Pingbei, and Chanan detachments also suffered significant numbers of wounded. Treating so many wounded soldiers was no easy task.

Especially the seriously injured.

If we are not careful, these seriously injured soldiers will find it difficult to survive this winter.

Then came the integration of the troops, especially the Chabei Detachment, which saw the biggest changes.

In order to appease Feng Mulin, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun both talked to Feng Mulin alone.

Wang Qiuyun mainly affirmed Feng Mulin's choice from a military perspective.

From accompanying the attack on Jining to ambushing the retreating Japanese troops, it was a very outstanding move both strategically and tactically, which affirmed Feng Mulin's military command.

But it also pointed out the problems of the Chabei Detachment.

This ambush was almost perfect in every aspect, but there were heavy casualties in the final ambush. This was because the Chabei Detachment lacked experience in siege warfare and therefore lacked the ability to attack.

In order to improve the Chabei Detachment's offensive capabilities, Wang Qiuyun told Feng Mulin that the column wanted Cao Cui to go to the Chabei Detachment to train the troops.

Wei Hongjun primarily listened to Feng Mulin's comments on the construction of the Chabei base and the political development of the Chabei detachment. Like Wang Qiuyun, he praised the Chabei detachment's achievements, particularly Feng Mulin's. Especially since the Chabei detachment had been operating independently in recent years, establishing and developing the base in the Chabei region was extremely challenging. Therefore, Wei Hongjun praised the contributions of Feng Mulin and the Chabei detachment.

However, he also pointed out some problems that had arisen in the Chabei Detachment and the development of the Chabei Base Area. He then stated that in order to strengthen the political construction of the Chabei Detachment, the column sent Zhang Chao to serve as deputy political commissar.

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were worried Feng Mulin might be overthinking things. The current 8th Column's cadre, aside from former Nationalist officers, mostly came from the Central Red Army. Feng Mulin was a member of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Red Army, and had been independently developing in Chahar for years. The column also had to consider Feng Mulin's ideas.

So after talking to Feng Mulin separately, Cao and Zhang Chao were called back. Then, Wang Qiuyun, Wei Hongjun, Xu Luomin, Zheng Weishan, Han Weiguo, and other column leaders held a joint meeting with Feng Mulin, Cao Cui, and Zhang Chao.

During the meeting, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun reaffirmed Feng Mulin's contribution to the construction and development of the Chabei Detachment and asked Feng Mulin to quickly improve the combat effectiveness of the Chabei Detachment and strengthen the construction of the Chabei base.

In order to strengthen the construction of the Chabei base, Feng Mulin was appointed as the secretary of the Zhangchonggu County Party Committee, further enhancing Feng Mulin's status in the Chabei Detachment and the Chabei base.

Then, the entire column began to reform its organization in preparation for the upcoming battles. This was primarily to adapt to future large-scale mobile warfare and offensive operations. While most Eighth Route Army units were still engaged in guerrilla warfare, the 8th Column had already begun preparing for large-scale mobile warfare.

Of course, this has something to do with the large area of ​​Chahar region and the small number of enemies.

In particular, the Trade Department and the Logistics Department began to be reorganized.

The Eighth Column was busy, and so were the other bases in Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei.

For example, in the first division where the Japanese army focused its efforts on this time, the base was severely damaged and the troops suffered heavy casualties. The base must be rebuilt, and the troops also need to be rebuilt.

During this large-scale raid, there were many casualties in Division 1.

Not only did they need to help the people in the base area rebuild their homes and resume their lives, but the troops in the first division also needed to be refitted. Some main forces that had suffered heavy casualties would be incorporated into some local troops to restore their combat effectiveness.

As the most powerful military sub-district in the Jin-Cha-Ji region, the First Division also shoulders the heaviest tasks and must maintain a certain size at all times.

Apart from Division 1, Division 3 suffered the next highest casualties.

The Third Division was very active during the Hundred Regiments Campaign. As a result, it became the target of a major Japanese raid this time, with a brigade of Japanese soldiers raiding the Third Division's base. However, the Third Division fought well.

Of course, there were also heavy casualties.

So now all the military sub-districts are licking their wounds and recuperating quietly.

But at this time something big happened.

An event big enough to change the course of World War II.

That was the Pearl Harbor incident.

On the morning of December 1941, 12, Japanese Navy aircraft carriers and midget submarines suddenly attacked the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet's base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, as well as U.S. Army and Navy airfields on Oahu. The Pacific War broke out.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the troops' southward advance into Southeast Asia occurred almost simultaneously.

On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese forces in Taiwan began bombing Hong Kong. The 38th Division in Guangdong, spearheading the 21st Army, entered Hong Kong, while the main force of the 21st Army remained in Guangdong.

On the morning of the 7th, the Japanese 15th Army, stationed in Indochina, launched an offensive against Thailand and Burma. Their primary target was Burma, both to expel the British troops there and secure Burma. Their second goal was to sever Burma's ties with China.

In addition to these two routes, the Japanese army launched the Philippine Campaign and the Malaya Campaign successively.

On December 12, the Japanese launched the Philippine Campaign. Japanese Army and Navy air forces launched surprise attacks on U.S. airfields and the Cavite (Luzon) naval base, destroying half of the U.S. heavy bombers and over a third of their fighters on land, paving the way for the landing operations. Once the Japanese secured air superiority, the army began landing in the Philippines.

On the same day, the Japanese launched the Malayan Campaign. The Japanese had actually begun deploying for the campaign long before Pearl Harbor. On December 1941, 12, the 4th Army (comprising the 25th and 5th Divisions, as well as the Imperial Guards Division, totaling 18 men) departed from Sanya Port on Hainan Island, China, and sailed towards the Malay Peninsula under the protection of the Southern Expeditionary Fleet (11 ships) and the Army's 46rd Air Group (3 aircraft). On the 450th, the advance guard landed in Songkhla and Pattani, Thailand, and Kota Bharu, Malaya. They quickly seized the local airfields and the Isthmus of Kra, then divided into three groups and advanced southward.

In other words, within two days from December 12th to 7th, Japan, Britain and the United States were at full-scale war.

Message transmission is still very fast.

日军12月7日凌晨偷袭珍珠港，消息传到国民政府，传到蒋介石耳朵当中是第二天12月8日凌晨。到了12月8日白天的时候，国民政府这边的主要官员都得到了消息。

Of course, the major newspapers and institutions below also quickly got the news.

On the afternoon of December 12th, the United States declared war on Japan. The Nationalist government followed suit the next day, December 8th. Chiang Kai-shek, in his declaration of war, angrily declared, "I could tolerate you attacking me, but how dare you attack me too? This is intolerable, and a declaration of war is necessary." By this time, the nation had heard of the all-out war between Japan, Britain, and the United States.

Telegraphs and telephones are good things.

What happens thousands of miles away can be quickly spread around the world through telegraph.

The news also reached Jinchayi. After receiving this news, many generals of Jinchayi finally understood why the previous mopping-up operation of the North China Front Army suddenly ended without any warning.

At that time, the entire Jin-Cha-Ji system was incomprehensible.

Now everyone understands the reason.

The Japanese army launched the Battle of Hong Kong, the Battle of Burma, the Battle of the Philippines, and the Battle of Malaya, mobilizing nearly 40 ground troops. In China, excluding the Northeast, the Japanese army in the interior of the country numbered around .

Now, nearly 400,000 troops were mobilized to fight in Southeast Asia. Even though the Japanese army transferred some troops from the mainland, many troops were also transferred from the Chinese battlefield. Except for a small number of troops drawn from the Kwantung Army, the main force was drawn from the battlefield in the interior.

Even with only 200,000 men, the North China Front, which was in a very passive position in North China, immediately dispatched two divisions southward. Moreover, these were troops withdrawn in preparation for the Pacific War.

Now the Pacific War has officially broken out.

As the Japanese army occupied more and more territory, they needed more and more troops in the Pacific battlefield. At that time, the Japanese army would need to continue to withdraw troops from the Chinese battlefield to the south.

This is a done deal.

The outbreak of the Pacific War profoundly impacted China's war of resistance. The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was preparing to hold a meeting to review its previous campaigns and its tasks for the new year. However, the Japanese army and the United States and Britain went to war.

The leaders of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region and its subordinate military sub-districts were all present at the meeting. Even the leaders of the Ji-Central Military Region and its five subordinate military sub-districts were present at the meeting.

It can be said that there are many generals.

According to historical records, this meeting included future marshals and more than a dozen future generals. As for future lieutenant generals and major generals, there were even more.

Everyone in the meeting room was smiling happily.

It's impossible not to be happy.

With the outbreak of war between Japan and Britain and the United States, the Japanese army had no choice but to continue withdrawing troops southward. The North China Front Army was already undermanned, and now its manpower was becoming increasingly insufficient. In fact, the North China Front Army's lack of mobile manpower has been clearly felt in recent years. During the past year, the Japanese army's mopping-up operations have seen a decrease in the number of troops participating, while the puppet army's manpower has increased.

Moreover, there are fewer and fewer veterans and more and more new recruits, and the combat effectiveness has been declining.

If more main divisions were transferred south, then Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei would really not be afraid of the North China Front Army.

So now everyone is very happy and the meeting atmosphere is very good.

Chapter 393 Alarm Bell

The outbreak of the Pearl Harbor incident made the Jin-Cha-Ji region more optimistic about the situation in 1942.

It should be said that it is quite optimistic.

Although everyone at the meeting first mentioned that the war of resistance was a protracted war and that there were still many difficulties, this was not the main point they wanted to make. These words were just polite remarks, and what they really wanted to say next was what they wanted to say.

Everyone agrees that the situation next year will be much better than this year.

The North China Front Army's peak was in 1939, when the Japanese and puppet troops were able to mobilize 1939 troops to sweep the northern Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region. Since then, the northern Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region has grown increasingly powerful, while the North China Front Army's combat effectiveness has steadily declined. Not only were the mopping-up forces no longer as numerous as in , but their combat effectiveness was also far less than it had been then. Even then, they couldn't capture Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei.

Moreover, in 1942, if the North China Front Army had lost a few more divisions, its strength would have been seriously insufficient. The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, including the Central Hebei Military Region and the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Advance Army, had a base area population of 2500 million and 30 troops under its command. If local troops were also included, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region now had a true strength of 50.

I'm really not afraid of the North China Front Army.

After all, the North China Front Army not only had to deal with Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei, but also had to deal with the 120th Division, the 129th Division, the Shandong Eighth Route Army, and those Kuomintang troops in North China.

So much so that during the meeting, everyone was even considering whether the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region could launch a strategic offensive in 1942. Some cadres even expressed optimism that they could defeat the North China Front Army in one year and win the War of Resistance in two years.

Even Coach Nie is very optimistic.

It was believed that the situation in North China in 1942 would be very favorable for the Eighth Route Army, and the pressure on Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei would be greatly reduced.

The atmosphere of the meeting was relaxed and cheerful. Everyone agreed that the North China Front Army, currently short on manpower, would be forced to retreat to major cities and along transportation routes. They also believed that with the North China Front Army's current strength in Hebei and Shanxi, it would be difficult to launch a large-scale sweep of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area.

This is a very optimistic assessment.

But Wei Hongjun was not happy. Although the Japanese army had withdrawn troops from the Chinese battlefield due to the outbreak of the Pacific War, in order to maintain the Chinese battlefield, the Japanese army would continue to expand those independent mixed brigades.

Moreover, in 1942, the Japanese army not only did not shrink, but became even more crazy.

So Wei Hongjun said, "Commander, I have something to say."

"Oh, Xiao Wei, what do you want to say? Come on, stand up and talk."

Commander Nie saw that Wei Hongjun wanted to speak and immediately nodded.

Coach Nie is very proud now.

Because of the current Nie Shuai, his career can be said to have reached a peak.

When the 1937th Division was divided up at the end of 115, Marshal Nie was assigned the fewest men. Besides the independent regiment and the cavalry battalion, only a few cadres and students remained, totaling less than people.

The main force of the 115th Division followed the main force south.

The initial stage of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was very difficult.

But now the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region has become the largest base among the Eighth Route Army bases.

Not to mention the Hebei-Central Military Region and the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Advance Army, the Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue District, developed by the 115th Division alone, encompassed nearly 1500 counties and had a population exceeding 130 million. If the Hebei-Central Military Region and the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Advance Army were included, the Jin-Cha-Ji base area encompassed approximately 2500 counties and a population of million.

This is not the end.

As the Japanese mop-up operations concluded and the troops retreated, they were extremely vulnerable. The North China Front Army, aware of their situation, retreated to major cities and transportation routes, ceding significant territory. Eighth, the Route Army was a unit that would flourish with a little sunshine.

As a result, the various units of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Eighth Route Army launched attacks one after another and began to expand the base area.

The local governments of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Eighth Route Army were even more happy.

Because of the rapid expansion, new local governments were established in various towns and villages. It can be said that after the failure of this mopping-up operation, the North China Front Army lost a lot of territory in Shanxi and Hebei.

Not to mention the troops.

The Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue District has reached its peak strength. Historically, after the Hundred Regiments Campaign, the various Jin-Cha-Ji units were frequently raided by the Japanese army, resulting in heavy casualties. Many main units were unable to recover their strength.