Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

In addition, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun, who rose to prominence later, were cadres from the same division and also from western Fujian.

Therefore, many people criticized Yang Quanwu for only paying attention to cadres in western Fujian.

But Yang Quanwu didn't care about the criticism at all. He continued to do what he did, not believing he had done anything wrong. He also didn't shy away from the criticism.

"We, the First and Third Divisions, would like to borrow 1000 rounds of artillery shells from your Eighth Column. We mainly want to borrow mortar shells, flat-fire artillery shells, and infantry artillery shells. Of course, if you have extra canister shells, it would be best to give us some as well."

Only Yang Quanwu dared to speak so bluntly.

If it were someone else, Wang Qiuyun would have wanted to throw the table.

They just asked the Eighth Column for 1000 rounds of artillery shells without any real purpose. And they weren't Zhengzhou cannonballs, but rounds for infantry guns, flat-fire guns, and mortars. Even though the Eighth Column had become wealthy, they couldn't just go after the rich like that.

In other words, the person opposite is Yang Quanwu.

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun's current status is inseparable from Yang Quanwu's long-term support. So, for the sake of her old leader's face, Wang Qiuyun did not turn against him.

Yang Quanwu certainly understood that this request was a bit excessive.

But there was nothing he could do.

So he continued, “The situation in western Hebei is becoming increasingly serious.

The Japanese army deployed more and more strongholds along the transportation routes in western Hebei, and the number of Japanese troops stationed there also increased. Each stronghold contained numerous bunker clusters, significantly outnumbering the number of Japanese troops stationed there. This time, the Japanese army was determined to completely eliminate the Hebei-Central Military Region. Once the Japanese army had completed its recruitment and prepared for a mop-up operation, it would undoubtedly be a large-scale operation. While the Hebei-Central Military Region was not weak, the region was, after all, vast and open, making counter-mopping-up operations fraught with difficulties. If the Hebei-Central Military Region was left to its own devices, it would be difficult to succeed.

If we don't have this idea, we won't judge the Japanese army's plan. We will just think that they are blocking the Jin-Cha-Ji Beiyue area.

But after making a judgment, looking at the current actions of the Japanese army, we can see what the Japanese army is trying to do. The North China Front Army is obviously short of troops, but it still deployed heavy troops along the transportation lines to cut off the connection between the Yizhong Military Region and the Jinchaji Beiyue Region.

Once the Japanese army completely cuts off communication between the two sides, that will be the time for them to launch a large-scale sweep of the Hebei-Central Military Region.

"The military district has decided that once the Japanese army begins to sweep through the Jizhong Military District, the First and Third Districts will organize troops to break the Japanese blockade and completely disrupt their plans. However, the Japanese army has built a large number of bunkers and other fortifications between the Jizhong Military District and the First and Third Districts. It is not easy to break through these fortifications. It just so happens that the tactical effect of the bayonets on your artillery is very effective this time. They can even bring down the city walls, not to mention the bunkers. We have also prepared a number of mortars that can be used in conjunction with the infantry artillery. The number of Japanese and puppet troops in those strongholds is too large, and we must catch them off guard as soon as possible.

If it takes longer, we may not be able to capture their stronghold.

Therefore, in this operation, Divisions 1 and 3 must use artillery.

"But the First and Third Divisions are short of artillery shells, not only for infantry artillery but also for mortars. "Now, in the entire Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, only your Eighth Column has enough infantry artillery shells and mortar shells."

"Hey, Lao Yang, you are Lolilozin."

Huang Yong watched Yang Quanwu explain from the side and was very dissatisfied.

It's really lorizine.

He was not polite at all and said directly: "We can still take advantage of you two. The North China Front Army is making a desperate attempt to sweep the Central Base Area. If it succeeds, then the North China Front Army will temporarily gain the upper hand over us, the Jin-Cha-Yi Army. However, if the North China Front Army fails in its sweep of the Hebei-Central Military Region, or even suffers a heavy blow from us, then the entire anti-Japanese situation in North China will undergo a major change.

Don't you two talk about a strategic counterattack every day? As long as we break the Japanese and puppet troops' large-scale sweep this time, the opportunity for a strategic counterattack will come. I'll lend you a thousand artillery shells. When we capture Baoding and Shijiazhuang, I'll return you two 1,000 shells. Hurry up, there's no time for dawdling now."

Huang Yong spoke nonchalantly.

Huang Yong has a hot temper.

In his early years, during the Agrarian Revolution, while serving as the regimental commander of the First Red Division, Huang Yong clashed bitterly with then-Political Commissar Deng Guo. After the Eighth Route Army was reorganized, Deng Guo, who continued to serve as deputy regimental commander and director of the political department, became increasingly contentious, ultimately prompting Marshal Nie to personally intervene and resolve the situation. Later, while commanding the Third Division, Huang Yong fell out with former Commander Chen Manyuan, publicly mocking him for his incompetence in warfare. Later, while stationed in Northeast China, despite his prowess in combat, Huang Yong frequently disobeyed orders. On one occasion, Marshal Lin Biao couldn't locate Huang Yong. Even after the liberation of Guangdong, Huang Yong secretly traveled to Hong Kong for three days. When questioned, he confidently claimed he had gone there to scout the enemy. It was precisely because of Huang Yong's personality that Deng Guo was chosen over Huang Yong during the Korean War.

As a general who came out of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Huang Yong has more experience than Yang Quanwu.

A good student from Shuangyi University.

When Huang Yong was the regimental commander of the First Red Division, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were just platoon-level officers. When Huang Yong became the commander of the Second Red Division, they became company-level officers. Huang Yong didn't even take Yang Quanwu seriously, so how could he possibly pay attention to Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun, two juniors?

Yang Quanwu shook his head.

They all say he's a tough guy and can't tolerate others. But compared to Huang Yong, his personality is much better. Huang Yong isn't asking Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun for anything now; instead, he's giving them direct orders.

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were also helpless.

With these two big men coming in person, how could Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun object? Both were veteran leaders, and it would be hard to offend either. So, Wei Hongjun said, "Two veteran leaders, please specify the specific numbers based on your artillery configuration. Specifically, how many mortar shells, flat-fire artillery shells, and infantry artillery shells are needed. That way, we can prepare the shells for you according to your requirements. As for grenade launcher shells, we can provide you with 1000 rounds."

Although Wei Hongjun felt distressed, he did not resist much.

Again.

Only if the Eighth Route Army and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region are doing well will the Eighth Column be even better. Furthermore, the rapid advancement of Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun has already drawn envy from many, making them easy targets for criticism. The Eighth Column won't be able to use all the artillery shells they captured this time for a short period. Distributing them to other military sub-districts would also be beneficial for Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun.

Yang Quanwu didn't say anything, and Huang Yong immediately laughed and said, "That's more like it. Don't worry, you two, we'll definitely give you more shells after we capture Baoding."

"Old leader, we take this seriously."

"How could I possibly lie to you? Once we defeat this Japanese raid, our Eighth Route Army will have an absolute advantage in Hebei. Not to mention Baoding, we might even be able to capture Shijiazhuang.

Chapter 412 Central Directive

The Eighth Route Army took only two hours to capture Xuanhua. In total, the battle lasted less than five hours, completely annihilating more than 1300 Japanese and puppet troops.

This incident caused a sensation in the entire North China Front Army.

At first, Okamura Neiji thought the Mongolian Army was lying about military intelligence. The Eighth Route Army was growing stronger, something Okamura Neiji had long known. Ever since Okamura Neiji took over as commander of the North China Front Army, he had always considered the Eighth Route Army his primary opponent. So much so that when the headquarters asked him to launch the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign, he even opposed it. In his view, the Eighth Route Army's threat in North China far outstripped that of the Nationalist Army. If the Japanese wanted to stabilize the situation in North China, they had to deal with the Eighth Route Army, not the Nationalist Army.

Therefore, in the New Year plan formulated by Ningji Okamura during this period, most of the North China Front Army's strength would be focused on wiping out the Eighth Route Army.

Even though Okamura Neiji believed the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness was rapidly improving, he didn't believe it was strong enough to capture a city. The Eighth Route Army was capable of guerrilla warfare and ambushes. Could they even attack a city? Not to mention taking Xuanhua in less than two hours. While the Japanese and puppet troops in Xuanhua were few in number, they still numbered over 1000.

How could the Eighth Route Army easily capture a county town like this? Therefore, after receiving the telegram from the Mongolian Army, Ningji Gangcun could not understand it at all.

So, Okamura Ningji questioned the Mongolian Army, asking whether this battle report was accurate. Did the Mongolian Army deliberately exaggerate the combat effectiveness of the 8th Column to threaten the North China Front Command and ask the North China Front Command to send troops to support the Mongolian Army?

But the troops stationed in Mongolia responded confidently, stating that within two hours of the Eighth Route Army's attack on the city, there was no more gunfire in Xuanhua. It was undeniable that the Eighth Route Army had captured Xuanhua in two hours.

After receiving the definite reply, Ningji Okamura was stunned for a long time.

He had been wondering how the Eighth Route Army captured Xuanhua?

Of course, Okamura Neiji was shocked, the North China Front Army was shocked, and the Eighth Route Army was shocked as well. Yan'an was shocked, and the Eighth Route Army headquarters was also shocked.

It was because the Eighth Column captured Xuanhua too cleanly and efficiently.

If the leaders of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei had not witnessed the battle on the spot, Yan'an, the Eighth Route Army Headquarters and Ningji Okamura would have questioned the outcome of the battle.

It can be said that no one expected that the Eighth Route Army would be able to capture Xuanhua, which had more than 1,300 Japanese and puppet troops, in just two hours.

"Great, that's great." Looking at the Xuanhua battle report, the Chairman, the Commander-in-Chief and others were very happy.

Now that the Party was preparing for a rectification movement, the Chairman needed just such a resounding victory. Ever since Wang Ming's return, he had consistently opposed the Chairman's proposal for independent mountain guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. He advocated for everything to be done for the sake of the anti-Japanese war and complete obedience to the First Anti-Japanese United Front. This essentially meant complete obedience to the Kuomintang's orders.

After Wang Ming returned to China, he began to reorganize the central leadership structure, especially the Secretariat, which was responsible for the daily work of the Central Committee. Wang Ming, Chen Yun, and Kang Sheng were added as secretaries of the Central Secretariat.

Now, those who studied in the Soviet Union became the majority in the Central Secretariat.

Instead, the chairman became a minority.

Wang Ming's series of actions resulted in ideological chaos within the party.

Some key Party leaders were very supportive of Wang Ming, who claimed to be a representative of the Communist International. In reality, their support wasn't for Wang Ming, but for the Communist International behind him. Of course, their support for the Communist International was also support for the Soviet Union, which backed it. For Chinese Communists, the Communist International was an unavoidable entity, and the Soviet Union was even more of a figure they looked up to and admired.

Even some high-ranking officers of the Eighth Route Army supported Wang Ming's views. Under this erroneous thinking, many veteran Red Army soldiers and cadres defected to the Nationalist Army at the beginning of the Eighth Route Army's reorganization. Because they all supported Wang Ming's proposal, they believed that since they were already united in the anti-Japanese war, there was no need to suffer in the Eighth Route Army. As officers of the Eighth Route Army, many of them lived in poverty. In comparison, they could eat and drink well in the Nationalist Army.

This brought great obstacles to the early development of the Eighth Route Army.

Although the Zunyi Conference resolved the issue of the military line, in order to unite all forces, the issue of the political line was not resolved. After arriving in Yan'an, Chairman Mao always wanted to resolve the issue of the political line in order to emphasize independence.

However, there are too many senior leaders in the party who studied in the Soviet Union, and too many leaders who blindly worship the Soviet Union.

Until this problem is resolved, the Chinese Communist Party will remain constrained by the Communist International and unable to develop independently. After Wang Ming arrived at the Yangtze River Bureau, he even turned it into a second Central Committee. He even competed with the Yan'an broadcasting station for propaganda. He wrote articles and published them directly under the Chairman's name. Even the Chairman wrote "On Protracted War," but the Yangtze River Bureau refused to publish it, keeping it under wraps. Therefore, the Chairman began preparing for an internal Party rectification movement. At this time, the Chairman particularly needed the achievements of the Eighth Route Army.

The Eighth Route Army, one of the two major armed forces currently under the Party's leadership, essentially follows the orders and strategies and tactics of Yan'an, which are essentially the independent mountain guerrilla warfare proposed by Chairman Mao.

The New Fourth Army Headquarters obeyed more orders from the Yangtze River Bureau, which were actually orders from Wang Ming, who served as the secretary of the Yangtze River Bureau.

The "Southern Anhui Incident" that occurred the previous year resulted in heavy casualties for the New Fourth Army. This arguably proved Wang Ming's proposal a failure. The newly formed New Fourth Army headquarters was under orders from Yan'an. Even so, when Chairman Mao sought to address the political line issues of the early Central Soviet Area, he was directly vetoed by the central leadership. Of the five secretaries of the Secretariat, all four, excluding the Chairman, opposed it.

Because the political line issue not only involves their positions in the Central Soviet Area, but also involves relations with the Soviet Union and the Communist International. If the political line issue is resolved, many cadres will have to re-examine their own history.

Many people hesitate in this regard.

Leaders of the Soviet period, including Wu Hao, all had a rather ambiguous attitude towards this matter.

The chairman is also under a lot of pressure.

At this time, the Jin-Cha-Ji troops captured Xuanhua in two hours and reported their next battle plan. That was to capture Huaian and Wangquan and completely encircle Zhangjiakou. This immediately gave the Chairman peace of mind.

Because this shows that the independent and self-reliant guerrilla warfare in the mountains behind enemy lines that Chairman Mao has always advocated is successful. Practice is proving that Chairman Mao's views on surrounding the cities from the countryside, combining guerrilla warfare with mobile warfare, and moving the War of Resistance from strategic stalemate to strategic counterattack are correct.

Only with confidence could the Chairman promote the rectification movement within the Party.

"Old Mao, look at the tactics they used. They pushed the infantry artillery to within four or five hundred meters of the city wall, setting up artillery positions directly under the enemy's noses. Wei Hongjun even gave this tactic a name: 'Bayonets on the Cannon.' But judging by the results, it was very successful. By utilizing the infantry artillery's ability to fire both indirect and direct fire, the close-range infantry artillery's hit rate was greatly improved. This made up for the shortcomings of our army's artillerymen's inadequate training and low hit rates."

"Yes, very clever. I often say that the creativity of the people is endless. The creativity of our commanders on the front lines is also endless. They learn about war in the midst of war, perfect our army's strategies and tactics, and become qualified commanders."

"Comrade Rong Zhen said in his report that they were ready to break the Japanese blockade and try using this tactic.

The commander-in-chief was also very happy.

Pointing to Hebei, he said, "The North China Front Army is sweeping our base in North China this time. If the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region can successfully complete the counter-sweep and deal a heavy blow to the Japanese army, then the entire anti-Japanese situation in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region will change and will turn in our favor. In the future, it will no longer be the frequent sweeps by the Japanese army, but the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops can slowly erode the Japanese-occupied areas and expand our base. Comrade Rong Zhen even said that when the time is right, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops will prepare to take Baoding. Cut off the Pinghan Road in the middle and cut off the connection between the North China Front Army and the Central China Front Army.

The report from Jin-Cha-Ji is so inspiring.

If what was reported in the Jin-Cha-Ji report could be accomplished, then Jin-Cha-Ji would be able to take the lead in launching a strategic counterattack.

"Call Comrade Rong Zhen back. The enemy is still stronger than us in the current anti-Japanese war. Our troops need to remain calm and not advance rashly. Unless you are absolutely certain, do not rashly attack a large city like Baoding."

"I think so too. I'm worried that the Eighth Column's successive sieges will make troops from other military regions think the Japanese army is nothing special and start blindly attacking."

"This point must be emphasized. We can attack cities, but we cannot attack them blindly. At this stage, we are still in a strategic stalemate and have not yet reached the stage of a complete strategic counterattack. Our Central Committee and our troops must understand this." The Chairman had witnessed this situation during the Red Army period.

At the time, the Left was taking risks, demanding that the Red Army attack major cities. The attacks on Changsha, Nanchang, and even Ganzhou cost countless outstanding Red Army soldiers their lives. Chairman Mao worried that if the Eighth Route Army advanced rashly, similar events would occur.

The Chairman judged that it would take another one or two years for China's war of resistance to enter the stage of strategic counterattack.

However, the Chairman preferred the report below by Wei Hongjun.

Wei Hongjun recorded everything that happened after the troops entered Xuanhua, and also reported his own actions, which would serve as a reference for the central government in formulating future urban policies.

"This report is particularly well-written. When we attack a city, we don't just occupy it; we manage it. Look at our troops; they're real bumpkins entering the city, and the whole place is in chaos. Without a detailed plan for taking over and managing the city, it would be a complete mess."

"We have been fighting in the mountains for many years and only know how to do rural work. We are not familiar with urban issues. There is no choice but to take it slow. Comrade Rong Zhen asked what is Yan'an's opinion on the 8th Column forming a mobile corps?"

The formation of a mobile corps by the Eighth Column is not just the business of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region.

Even the Eighth Route Army Headquarters could not decide.

Because the central government is currently promoting the "streamlining of the military and administration" policy, which limits the number of large military regiments, many of which will be reduced to small regiments. At this time, forming a mobile corps for large-scale battles is contrary to the central government's spirit.

So Marshal Nie sent another telegram asking for the Central Committee's opinion.

The Chairman thought for a moment and said, "I agree. Comrade Rong Zhen said that we should start the strategic counter-offensive from Chahar. Then let's see how Chahar launched the strategic counter-offensive.

Chapter 413: The First Brigade of Jin-Cha-Ji