Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Frequent raids and the Kuomintang blockade caused a shortage of supplies in the Eighth Route Army base.

In 1941, North China was hit by a drought, which resulted in extremely difficult conditions for the Eighth Route Army bases. The most direct impact was food shortages. In 1941, the Eighth Route Army units still had food reserves, thanks to the early implementation of the Great Production Campaign. However, after 1942, food reserves in many bases began to run low.

Unless, like the Eighth Column, they strictly implemented the Great Production Movement and stockpiled large amounts of grain. Such bases had ample food reserves after entering 1942. While not as much as before, they were not truly short of food, leaving the troops hungry. They could still barely get by.

But overall, the Eighth Route Army in North China began to suffer from food shortages.

To overcome this predicament, Yan'an decided to implement a "streamlining of the military" policy for the Eighth Route Army. However, this current streamlining of the military primarily began with logistics agencies. By merging some institutions and sending staff down to the grassroots level, the pressure on the government was alleviated. Historically, after the May 1st mopping-up campaign, the troops of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region also began implementing this "streamlining of the military."

Including the merger of local departments and military agencies.

For example, the county head or county party secretary could concurrently serve as the political commissar of the county brigade, or directly serve as the captain of the county brigade. The same goes for the district party secretaries and heads, who could directly serve as the captain and political commissar of the district squad. This way, many cadres could be sent down to the grassroots level.

This is streamlining the organization, which falls under the category of "streamlining administration."

Then there is the question of the military.

Reducing the main force actually means downsizing the main force.

The main thing is that the big group becomes a small group.

The Eighth Route Army's large regiments were always over 2000 men, with the typical number being around 2500. Some of the largest regiments even had over 3000 men. Even the Fifth Regiment of the Jin-Cha-Ji Fourth Division had nearly 5000 men when it was first reorganized. Later, after reorganization, it had around 4000 men.

Such a large group can be very powerful if used well.

The Japanese reinforced squadrons, numbering around 300 men, rarely dared to enter the heart of the base area. Once they encountered such a large group, they were essentially incapable of retreating. A large Eighth Route Army regiment, unless it had recently been formed, was more than enough to defeat a single reinforced Japanese squadron. Such a large regiment, combined with other local troops, could even ambush an independent Japanese battalion of 500 to 600 men.

Unfortunately, such a large group also carries a heavy burden.

To put it bluntly, many bases can no longer support such a large group.

Therefore, the current decision in Yan'an was to divide the Eighth Route Army into large, medium, and small regiments. The large regiment consisted of 12 infantry companies, plus the regimental headquarters and other units, totaling 2000 men. The medium regiment consisted of 8 companies, with a strength of approximately 1500 men. The small regiment was even smaller, not even at the battalion level. The regimental headquarters directly commanded 4 to 6 companies, with a strength of approximately 600 to 1000 men.

Each military region strictly limits the number of large regiments.

Historically, there were only a few large regiments left in the entire Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, and the rest were all small regiments.

But this time Yan'an made an exception.

Chairman Mao personally approved the formation of a mobile corps by the 11th and 12th Military Sub-districts of the Jin-Cha-Ji Army, also known as the th Column. The requirements for this mobile corps were that it should be a brigade-level unit, with three to four regiments under its command and a strength of approximately men.

The requirements for this mobile corps are that it can stop a Japanese regiment in frontal combat and will not be defeated by a Japanese regiment, and it can annihilate a Japanese battalion in ambush.

Of course, the meaning of Yan'an is also simple.

This unit was left to the Eighth Column to support on its own; Yan'an, the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region would not provide support. If the Eighth Column could afford such a mobile corps, it could continue to form one. However, if it could not, then it would have to follow policy and disband it.

After Yan'an approved it, the Eighth Route Army Headquarters also approved it, and finally it came to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region.

Commander Nie also agreed.

"The CPC personally approved the formation of a mobile corps for our column, a brigade-level corps with about 10,000 personnel. The military district also gave us a number, and included it in the military district's number sequence. The military district gave our unit the number "Jin-Cha-Ji First Brigade."

Wei Hongjun read out the military district order.

Currently, the brigade-level designation of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region is only available in the Hebei-Central Military Region, and that is the Security Brigade.

However, the number of the security brigade is because these troops were reorganized from the Hebei militia. Therefore, the First Security Brigade and the Second Security Brigade were both early Hebei militia troops that defected to the Eighth Route Army, so they were given such special numbers.

Afterwards, the Ji-Zhong Military Region also reorganized the 3rd and 4th Security Brigade, which were upgraded from local forces of the Ji-Zhong Military Region.

Although it was called a brigade-level unit, its combat effectiveness was not very strong in the Hebei-Central Military Region. However, this brigade-level unit of the 8th Column was a mobile corps, formed for large-scale battles. Therefore, the Jin-Cha-Ji Army directly gave it the designation of the First Brigade.

Later it became the First Brigade of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Region.

Commander Nie gave the First Brigade the designation because he thought that any future mobile corps formed within the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region would be assigned this designation. Commander Nie hoped that the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region would have the Second, Third, and Fourth Brigades.

Wei Hongjun was also very happy.

Unexpectedly, Yan'an actually agreed to the Eighth Column's request.

"Let's discuss it and see how to arrange it."

Wang Qiuyun said directly: "With the capture of Xuanhua, the bases of our Cha Nan Detachment, Cha Dong Detachment, and Cha Bei Detachment have been connected. There are no enemies in any other direction around the Cha Nan Detachment except Huaian and Zhangjiakou. Therefore, I think it is no longer necessary for the Cha Nan Detachment to retain so many troops. Especially since the Cha Nan Detachment has several of the most powerful regiments in our column, it is a complete waste for these troops to stay here. Therefore, my opinion is to form the Jin Cha Ji 16st Brigade based on the 18th, 25th, and th Regiments. These three regiments have always been capable of attacking and fighting in our column, and it is very appropriate to use them to form a mobile corps."

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun have discussed the issue of the mobile corps privately many times.

Since we are going to form a mobile corps, we must use the most powerful troops. The 16th, 18th, and 25th Regiments of the Chanan Detachment are the most powerful.

With the capture of Xuanhua, the historical mission of the Chanan Detachment has been completed.

After all, the Xuanzhuohuai base, the three counties of Xuanhua, Zhuolu and Huailai were all taken.

The Chanan Detachment had to leave behind so many troops.

"I agree with the commander's idea. The 16th, 18th, and 25th Regiments have fought together for many years and are very familiar with each other. There will be no problems in future cooperation.

Chapter 414: The Mongolian Army Withdraws

On February 1942, 2, Xuanhua was captured in just 14 days.

The First Brigade of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region was officially established in Xuanhua.

What is a large-scale troop operation? From now on, the First Brigade of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Army will act as a single entity, seizing opportunities and engaging in large-scale battles. This will no longer be the guerrilla warfare of the past, where troops would be dispersed when fighting the Japanese.

Then disperse and fight guerrilla warfare.

From now on, the First Brigade of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region would no longer fight in this way. Instead, it would adopt mobile warfare, finding opportunities during troop maneuvers and engaging in large-scale annihilation battles. It aimed to capture and annihilate even a battalion-sized Japanese force.

Zhang Zihua, deputy commander of the 8th Column, served as the brigade commander and political commissar of the 1st Brigade of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, Zhang Dahu served as the deputy brigade commander and chief of staff of the 1st Brigade, and Lei Jiabin served as the deputy political commissar and director of the political department of the 1st Brigade.

The First Brigade of the Jin-Cha-Ji Army consisted of three infantry regiments: the 16th, 18th, and 25th. In addition to the three infantry regiments, the First Brigade also had a brigade headquarters, its own independent guard unit, communications unit, medical unit, and heavy vehicle unit, as well as a cavalry regiment and an artillery regiment.

The cavalry regiment of the First Brigade of the Jin-Cha-Ji Army was drawn from the cavalry regiment of the Chadong Detachment. The artillery regiment was formed based on the artillery units of the Chanan Detachment. To support the First Brigade's artillery regiment, the column allocated some artillerymen from its own artillery units to form the First Brigade's artillery regiment.

The entire brigade consists of 14000 people.

The strength of the troops is not much different from that of the various divisions of the Eighth Route Army when they crossed the Yellow River to the east.

At the same time, the 8th Column officially cancelled the Cha'nan Detachment.

The 8th Column Headquarters and the Cha'nan Detachment Headquarters were merged, with the Column Headquarters relocated from Shengxian to Zhuolu. The Cha'nan Detachment Headquarters was split into two parts: one incorporated into the 1st Brigade Headquarters, and the other into the Column Headquarters.

Wu Qinghe, former deputy commander of the Cha'nan Detachment, served as deputy chief of staff of the 8th Column.

Not only was the Chanan Detachment abolished, but Wei Hongjun, acting as secretary of the Chanan Special Committee, convened a meeting to merge the Chanan Special Committee with the Xuanhua, Zhuolu, Huailai, and Shengxian County Committees. From then on, the Chanan Special Committee was directly responsible for Xuanhua, Zhuolu, Huailai, and Shengxian counties.

These measures are all in response to the central government's order to "streamline the bureaucracy."

After the formation of the Jin-Cha-Ji First Brigade, their first task was to attack Huaian. Of course, not only the Jin-Cha-Ji First Brigade, but also the Chaxi Detachment and the Chabei Detachment participated.

Wang Qiuyun and Xu Luomin made very detailed plans for this battle.

Just like they had taken Xuanhua, they were going to take Huaian in one fell swoop. Then, they would continue their efforts and take Wanquan. In this way, Zhangjiakou would truly become a solitary city in Chahar.

The 8th Column can then launch the Zhangjiakou Campaign.

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, I have some very bad news."

"what happened again?"

"The Eighth Route Army's Eighth Column is gathering troops outside Huaian City. The exact number of troops is unknown, but it is no less than 20,000. However, judging by their appearance, it is estimated that the next step will be to attack Huaian."

"idiot."

After receiving the report from the Chief of Staff of the Mongolian Army, Toyojiro Inamura, the Commander of the Mongolian Army, Shigetaro Amagami, could not help but cover his head.

The job of commander of the Mongolian army is really not a job for a human being.

Since assuming command of the Mongolian Army, Shigetaro Amakasu hasn't had a single peaceful day. Any news about the war is always bad news. Either a unit is annihilated by the Eighth Route Army, or a stronghold is captured. Over the past year, the Eighth Route Army has captured countless counties, and now they've even reached Zhangjiakou. But none of this has anything to do with Shigetaro Amakasu.

Because when he arrived in Zhangjiakou and served as the commander of the Mongolian Army, the situation of the Mongolian Army was so bad. The Mongolian Army did not give Shigetaro Amakasu any chance to display his abilities.

The Mongolian garrison is said to have a strength of more than 30,000 troops, but in fact the total number of troops stationed in Mongolia is less than 20,000.

The 26th Division sat helplessly in Datong, watching the Eighth Route Army troops saunter eastward. The cavalry group, initially arrogant, was ultimately annihilated in a single battle by Fu Zuoyi in Baotou. As for the 120nd Independent Mixed Brigade, had it not been holed up in the city, it would have been completely annihilated. The th Independent Mixed Brigade remained entrenched in Baotou. There, they dared neither provoke Fu Zuoyi's Shanxi-Suiyuan Army nor even attempt to raid the th Division's Daqingshan Detachment.

The current situation of the Mongolian Army was that it had been beaten to a pulp by the Eighth Route Army and Fu Zuoyi's forces, becoming the most humiliated of the Japanese invaders. Now, the commander of the Mongolian Army, a Lieutenant General, was trapped in Zhangjiakou. The combined Japanese forces in Zhangjiakou, Huaian, and Wanquan only had about 1500 men under his command. Because they were trapped by the Eighth Route Army, they couldn't even get new recruits.

Although 1500 Japanese expatriates were armed, they were unable to fight.

He has such a small number of people under his command, yet it is organized as an army.

It's so funny that it makes people laugh if they tell others about it.

Let’s look at the North China Front Army.

Every time he asked for help, Ningji Okamura told him to hold on to Zhangjiakou, saying that the North China Front Army would soon send reinforcements. However, after a year of saying this, Gan Shigetaro never saw any reinforcements.

No reinforcements were seen. During the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign last year, troops stationed in Mongolia were repeatedly withdrawn to fight. The 9th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 4th Cavalry Brigade were subsequently transferred, but only the half-depleted 9th Independent Mixed Brigade has returned. The 4th Cavalry Brigade is still in southern Shanxi.

Is there still reinforcements like this?

Amakasu Shigetaro was very suspicious.

Okamura Neiji was a renowned figure in the Japanese military. He had previously performed remarkably well in the Central China Front Army, appearing to be a capable fighter until the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain. However, his attempts to raid the Jin-Cha-Yi base area were repeatedly met with setbacks. Amakasu Shigetaro had also given up hope for reinforcements from the North China Front Army.

Now the Eighth Route Army is pressing forward step by step, leaving us no chance to survive.

He was a little desperate.

Watching the Eighth Route Army moving towards Zhangjiakou step by step, he even felt that he might not be able to return to Japan.

"Inamura-kun, what should we do now?"

Gan Jutaro also reached his current position step by step, and can be said to be a veteran.

But this year has been really tiring.

As the commander of the Mongolian Army, he suffered a huge blow and was now feeling a bit desperate because he could not see a future for the Mongolian Army.

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, I suggest that Huaian and Wanquan's troops withdraw to Zhangjiakou.

"You mean you don't want Huai'an and Wanquan anymore?"

Amakasu Shigetaro was very angry.

Although Xuanhua, Huaian, and Wanquan are all counties, they are actually part of Zhangjiakou. Because they are so close to Zhangjiakou, they are the gateway to Zhangjiakou. If they are all lost, the Eighth Route Army can come to the outskirts of Zhangjiakou at any time.

It should be said that the Eighth Route Army troops could come and go as they pleased.

"Commander, the Eighth Route Army can capture Xuanhua in two hours. Do you think the troops in Huaian and Wanquan can hold it? Our troops are not enough. If we let the troops continue to stay in Huaian and Wanquan, we will not be able to save Huaian and Wanquan, and these people will be annihilated by the Eighth Route Army.

Shigetaro Amakasu felt that he was wronged, and Toyojiro Inamura felt even more wronged.

Over the past six months, Amakasu Shigetaro has become increasingly passive, neglecting his usual duties. He's simply left everything to his chief of staff. Now that the Eighth Route Army has reached Huaian, Amakasu Shigetaro still has no energy at all.

Shigetaro Amakasu could not see the future of the Mongolian Army, and Toyojiro Inamura also could not see any hope for the Mongolian Army.