Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Regardless, this was a fully armed force. And Wang Qiuyun had made it clear that these troops were well-trained, even undergoing live-fire training. Many of them had excellent marksmanship.

It’s just that they have never fought against the regular Japanese and puppet troops.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

Yao Zhe has plenty of ways to send them to the battlefield and give them battlefield experience.

"Commander Yao, this is Comrade Shi Mangui, the commander and political commissar of the 7th Independent Regiment of the 8th Column. He will be in charge of the troops of the 8th Column this time."

"Comrade Shi Mangui, I will need your support in the future."

"Commander Yao, you are too polite. The commander and political commissar told me that this time when we go to Suizhong, we must actively cooperate with the brother troops."

Yao Zhe couldn't help but look up to Shi Mangui when he heard him speak.

This kid can talk.

But there is something hidden in his words, which is not easy to deal with. However, Yao Zhe did not care about these things, as long as the Eighth Column troops cooperated with him to capture Guisui.

"Commander Yao, please don't think the 7th Independent Regiment designation sounds like a miscellaneous unit from our 8th Column. The 7th Independent Regiment participated in ambushes against Japanese battalions, and two of the regiments suffered heavy casualties—over half of them, I should say. The former commander of the 7th Independent Regiment died, and many battalion and company-level officers also suffered casualties. So, we merged the two regiments that suffered heavy casualties to form the new 7th Independent Regiment. Half of the cadres in the 7th Independent Regiment came from guerrilla warfare, establishing bases in the Chahar region. The other half came from the Jin-Cha-Yi First Division Training Battalion and the 8th Column Training Battalion."

Wei Hongjun introduced the 7th Independent Regiment to Yao Zhe.

Tell Yao Zhe that the Eighth Column did not intend to use some weak combat troops to fool the Saibei Military Sub-district. On the contrary, the 7th Independent Regiment sent by the Eighth Column this time is an elite unit that has fought in major battles.

Yao Zhe nodded in understanding.

Since preparing to cooperate with the 8th Column, Yao Zhe has been familiar with its troops, especially the Chaxi and Chabei detachments, because he will mainly cooperate with them.

The 7th Independent Regiment was indeed not a ragtag unit.

Whether cadres or soldiers, they all have rich combat experience.

After the Eighth Column appointed Cao Mo as deputy commander of the Chabei Detachment, Cao Ken started large-scale training in the Chabei Detachment to improve the troops' ability to engage in tough battles.

"Commander Yao, when we carry out large-scale bandit suppression in our base area, we must stabilize the Japanese and puppet troops and Fu Zuoyi's forces. And the most important thing to stabilize them is Fu Zuoyi's forces. As long as we stabilize Fu Zuoyi's forces, the Japanese and puppet troops will not dare to make any major moves in the short term and affect our plans."

Since they were going to cooperate, Wei Hongjun started to discuss how to cooperate.

Yao Zhe frowned and said, "We used to cooperate very well with Fu Zuoyi's troops. At that time, Fu Zuoyi's troops fought the Japanese and puppet troops head-on, while we ambushed the Japanese and puppet troops' logistics. The two sides cooperated tacitly. Unfortunately, our relationship with Fu Zuoyi's troops has cooled in the past two years. Cooperation has become less and less. Instead, we have become wary of each other. Some of Fu Zuoyi's newly expanded troops have even begun to attack our base. Besides, we used to have our own people in Fu Zuoyi's troops, but now they have all left. This matter is difficult to handle.

"Commander Yao, how about we host a banquet for Fu Zuoyi?"

"what do you mean?"

"Fu Zuoyi is, after all, the nominal supreme commander of Suiyuan, so it wouldn't be unusual for us to host him. Furthermore, I've heard that he's done a great job developing water conservancy projects in Wuyuan. With such a talented general, it shouldn't be a problem for us to meet him and learn from him.

Yao Zhe didn't understand what Wei Hongjun meant for a moment.

Wei Hongjun smiled and said, "Our base area newspapers should give extensive coverage to famous anti-Japanese generals like Fu Zuoyi. During his time in Suiyuan, the government was stable and the people were harmonious. During the years his troops withdrew to Wuyuan, he developed water conservancy projects there, benefiting the people. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, he won so many victories in Suiyuan, all of which deserve our praise. Compare him to Tu Xishan, the difference is truly like heaven and earth. Fu Zuoyi should not only be in charge of Suiyuan, but also of Shanxi."

Yao Zhe was stunned.

But he quickly understood what Wei Hongjun meant.

Wei Hongjun is trying to use a counter-espionage tactic.

The Nationalist government in Chongqing and Yan Xishan were at odds, with constant clashes between the two sides. At one point, the Central Plains War even broke out. Fu Zuoyi, a general from the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, naturally had a difficult relationship with Chongqing. Unless, as Shang Zhen had done, he fell out with Yan Xishan and defected to Chiang Kai-shek.

Was there any conflict between Yan Xishan and Fu Zuoyi?

There are also contradictions.

Yan Xishan ruled Shanxi for decades, treating it like his own backyard, forbidding anyone from interfering. Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing wasn't a good enough choice, nor were his generals. Since the Xinhai Revolution, Yan Xishan had driven out countless influential figures in Shanxi.

If you are obedient, Yan Xishan will use you. But if your power increases and affects Yan Xishan's control over Shanxi, he will do everything he can to drive you away. Shang Zhen, for example, had no choice but to leave Shanxi.

Fu Zuoyi is currently in such a situation.

Being in charge of Suiyuan, he was already a powerful lord. However, Fu Zuoyi still needed Yan Xishan's logistics and could not completely get rid of Yan Xishan. But it is impossible to say that Yan Xishan did not care about Fu Zuoyi. Otherwise, Yan Xishan would not have tried his best to control the organization of Fu Zuoyi's troops and prevent him from expanding the army at will. Now that Fu Zuoyi is in Suiyuan, he has developed a large number of troops. With 50,000 to 60,000 troops in his hands, and Fu Zuoyi's good fighting skills, he has made great achievements in Suiyuan. The other Shanxi-Suiyuan troops combined did not have the brilliant results of Fu Zuoyi's troops.

How could Yan Xishan not be afraid of such a capable and prestigious general?

Fu Zuoyi was also dissatisfied with Yan Xishan.

Not to mention that Yan Xishan had been suppressing Fu Zuoyi for many years. Even when Yan Xishan executed Li Fuying, Fu Zuoyi disagreed because Li Fuying was fighting under Fu Zuoyi at the time.

Yan Xishan's execution of him may have been intended as a warning to others.

If the Eighth Route Army increased its contact with Fu Zuoyi at this time, or even spoke highly of him, even if Chongqing and Yan Xishan knew that this was intentional, they would not have failed to react.

Fu Zuoyi would have only two options at that time.

One is to go to Yan Xishan to explain, and the other is to directly declare war on the Eighth Route Army.

Although Fu Zuoyi was a warlord and had his own agenda, he still had a sense of patriotism and a sense of purpose. Even in Suiyuan, where the war of resistance was raging, he would not disregard the overall situation and engage in a violent conflict with the Eighth Route Army.

Besides, Fu Zuoyi’s main forces are all in the Wuyuan area, unless they bypass Baotou.

Otherwise, it would not be so easy for the main force to fight against the Eighth Route Army. At most, some of his troops would have friction with the Eighth Route Army.

"That's fine. I'll report this to the higher-ups. We're not high enough to invite Fu Zuoyi. Only if General He and his team invite him will it be legitimate."

In the past, General He and Fu Zuoyi had talked about the issue of anti-Japanese war many times.

After Yao Zhe figured it out, he immediately nodded.

As long as the Eighth Route Army and Fu Zuoyi got closer, the Japanese and puppet troops would never dare to take action. They wanted to see what Fu Zuoyi would do next. This was because Fu Zuoyi's forces were the strongest in Suiyuan.

By the time Fu Zuoyi realized he had been tricked, a lot of time had passed.

In addition, he also needed to explain to Chongqing and Yan Xishan that the Saibei Military Sub-district would have enough time to sweep out the bandits and train the troops. Besides, no matter what Fu Zuoyi did about this matter, he would have no right to speak.

Both Chongqing and Yan Xishan were worried that there might be something fishy going on between Fu Zuoyi and the Eighth Route Army.

Even if a war broke out, they might not fully trust Fu Zuoyi. Who knows if your war is just a show? While the 8th Column and the Saibei Military Sub-district were discussing the next step in their cooperation, Chiang Kai-shek had already begun deploying the autumn offensive in Chongqing.

"Chairman, there are no problems with the plans for the other theaters of war. However, the timing for this Northern Henan Campaign is inappropriate. Previously, the North China Front Army launched a large-scale sweep against the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi, Chahar, and Hebei, and the 36th Division in Northern Henan also deployed its main forces to participate in the sweep. At that time, we had a high chance of success in launching the Northern Henan Campaign. Now that the North China Front Army's sweep of the Eighth Route Army base has concluded, and the 36th Division has returned to Xinxiang, launching the Northern Henan Campaign at this time is disadvantageous to us."

He Yingqin gritted his teeth and expressed his views to Chiang Kai-shek.

Chiang Kai-shek's expression was very serious.

During this period, Chiang Kai-shek frequently sent telegrams to the US government to express his dissatisfaction with Stilwell. In Chongqing, the gap between Chiang Kai-shek and Stilwell was already very deep.

Chiang Kai-shek specifically sought out Stilwell for a conversation, but Stilwell made no secret of his views. He proposed that the US government allocate 1000 rifles and million rounds of ammunition, including some artillery, to the Eighth Route Army from the weapons and ammunition it was providing to China.

How could Chiang Kai-shek agree?

Had a big fight with Stilwell.

Stilwell's intentions were clear. The United States supported the Nationalist army in the hope that Chiang Kai-shek's troops would actively resist the Japanese and relieve pressure from the United States. However, despite receiving so many good things, Chiang Kai-shek's troops showed no intention of actively attacking.

If the Japanese come, fight them. If you can't defeat them, retreat. When the Japanese army runs out of logistics to evacuate, come back again.

The same is true for support supplies.

Starting in Chongqing, each general received a small share, leaving little in the hands of the troops. The American-supplied supplies eventually ended up on the black market. Stilwell resented this. His primary concern was the logistics of the troops. He had no faith in the Nationalist army's logistics officers, who would not relinquish control unless they embezzled a significant portion of the proceeds.

In reality, Stilwell didn't care much about whether the Nationalist soldiers had enough to eat or how the Chongqing government headed by Chiang Kai-shek fared. He came to China with only one purpose: to supervise Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist army in their fight against the Japanese. The better China fought the war, the less pressure the United States would face in the Pacific.

But Chiang Kai-shek disappointed Stilwell.

Chiang Kai-shek's current attitude is to wait, not to fight.

What is passive resistance to Japan?

This is passive resistance to the Japanese. With millions of troops at their disposal and a steady flow of American-aided supplies, Chongqing used these weapons, ammunition, and supplies to continuously train its troops, yet refused to allow them to proactively attack the Japanese.

Waiting for Britain and the United States to defeat the Japanese army and waiting for the victory of the War of Resistance.

This was unacceptable to Stilwell.

What the United States wanted was for China's war of resistance to relieve their pressure, rather than for Chiang Kai-shek to rely on American weapons, ammunition and supplies to train his own troops and not fight the Japanese. In contrast, the Eighth Route Army in North China was becoming more and more active.

The attacks on the Japanese army became more and more severe.

That's why Stilwell focused his attention on the Eighth Route Army. A while ago, he chatted with CCP representative Wu Hao and felt a different side of the CCP. Of course, Stilwell also wanted to put pressure on Chiang Kai-shek.

Without pressure, Chiang Kai-shek's troops procrastinated and had no intention of taking the initiative to attack.

In the end, the two people parted on bad terms.

Chiang Kai-shek's strong opposition temporarily stopped Stilwell's idea, but Chiang Kai-shek knew that if he did not do something, Stilwell would definitely bring up the issue again.

So Chiang Kai-shek formulated a plan for the autumn offensive of 1942.

Including the Battle of Northern Henan, which He Yingqin is now opposing.

Chiang Kai-shek snorted coldly, "The North China Front Army's raid on the Eighth Route Army base has left them completely exposed, being chased and beaten by a bunch of ragtag Eighth Route Army soldiers. Now the North China Front Army is being beaten like dogs by the Eighth Route Army. What? We can't even give a drowning dog a good beating? Are we going to watch North China become the Eighth Route Army's?"

Chapter 477 National Army Autumn Offensive

"But.

He Yingqin still wanted to persuade Chiang Kai-shek.

The Japanese army is currently short of manpower, and this is not just the case in the North China Front, but also in other areas. Therefore, if the Nationalist army really wants to launch an autumn offensive, there are actually many theaters of war that can be fought.

Why should we keep focusing on North China in the autumn?

There was only one unit, the 36th Division, in northern Henan, but transportation was well developed. Xinxiang was right on the Pinghan Road, making it very easy for the Japanese army to mobilize troops.

"Just do as I say. We must take advantage of the fact that the North China Front Army has not yet replenished its forces and has not yet recovered its strength, and strike hard at its downfall. The troops will march into northern Henan, and then into southern Hebei. North China must not fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army."

The Eighth Route Army brought endless humiliation to Chiang Kai-shek.

Chiang Kai-shek could no longer remain calm whenever the Eighth Route Army was mentioned, especially when Stilwell spoke in a contemptuous tone, which he could not accept.

When Stilwell satirized Chiang Kai-shek, he always cited the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Eighth Route Army as an example.

The Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Eighth Route Army had become a nightmare for Chiang Kai-shek.

Therefore, he had to make a big splash in North China during this autumn offensive. Chiang Kai-shek analyzed the previous battles between the North China Front Army and the Shanxi-Chahar-West Route Army, and was shocked by the North China Front Army's poor combat effectiveness.

Has the Japanese army become so weak?

Chiang Kai-shek believed the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness had greatly improved. However, he concluded that the Eighth Route Army's ability to crush the Japanese and puppet troops so utterly defeated them was due to the Japanese army's own declining combat effectiveness. With the North China Front Army already in such a state, Chiang Kai-shek certainly didn't want to miss such a good opportunity.

Chiang Kai-shek calculated the military strength at his disposal.

It would be easy to defeat a Japanese army with a three-command division whose combat effectiveness had seriously declined and whose manpower was seriously insufficient. That was why he insisted on the battle in northern Henan.

Since Chiang Kai-shek insisted so much, He Yingqin did not continue to object.

In 1942, under the personal leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, the vigorous autumn offensive began.

Chiang Kai-shek mobilized more than 110 million people.