Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Except for those fanatical militarists, the other Japanese officers all understood that Japan's surrender was only a matter of time, so no one dared to go out and hang around.

Marshal Nie continued, "In the past few days, the puppet troops in North China have announced a change of flag. They have all carried the blue sky and white sun flag of Chongqing. They all say they are appointed by the National Government to form the Advance Army or the Vanguard Army, and they all have their own numbers. Pang Bingxun announced in Shimen that he would serve as the commander-in-chief of the National Government's Hebei Vanguard Army. As a result, the puppet troops in Hebei have expressed their acceptance of Pang Bingxun's orders. Pang Bingxun's Hebei Vanguard Army currently has seven armies in Hebei, 17 divisions, and more than 31 troops. Sun Lianzhong, as the commander-in-chief of the Wing Inspection War Zone, led the Second Army into Hebei. Along the way, he reorganized the puppet troops, puppet guards, and puppet police, and appointed so-called major general commanders of various sizes. There are now countless commanders in Hebei. One or two thousand people call him commander, and two or three hundred people also call him commander. Some puppet police chiefs, with a group of rabble and some bandits, dare to call themselves the commander of the Advance Army.

As Nie Shuai said this, he laughed out loud.

As Japan neared defeat, all sorts of demons and monsters began to emerge. Some small-time bandits from the Anti-Japanese War took advantage of the current chaos to expand their bandit groups and eventually become anti-Japanese guerrilla commanders.

The Nationalist government is not picky about anything.

Anyone willing to obey the Nationalist government's orders and join the Communist Party was recruited, no matter how bad the situation. In Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi alone, the Nationalist government appointed over a hundred guerrilla commanders. In other words, the Nationalist government had appointed over a hundred generals in just a few days.

Wei Hongjun suddenly remembered a unit, so he immediately asked, "Where is Wu Shimin's 98th Army?"

After the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, only one Nationalist unit on Zhongtiao Mountain managed to break through the encirclement in an organized manner, without crossing the river. That unit was Wu Shimin's 98th Army, which later withdrew to the base of the 129th Division.

Because our party and the Shaanxi Army have had a deep relationship in history.

When Feng Yuxiang established the Nationalist Army and accepted the leadership of the Southern Nationalist Government, both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party sent a large number of young cadres to the Nationalist Army. Yang Hucheng's unit, the Third Division of the Third Army of the Nationalist Army, established a camp school within the unit. This school was essentially an officer training corps. The instructors in this unit were largely cadres sent by the Communist Party.

Therefore, among the officers of the Shaanxi Army, there were a large number of underground party members and many generals who were close to Yan'an.

Therefore, after Wu Shimin retreated to the base of the 129th Division, the two sides cooperated well in recent years. This is also why Chiang Kai-shek reprimanded Wu Shimin several times.

Wu Shimin's 98th Army, combined with scattered Nationalist troops from the Zhongtiao Mountains and western Henan, formed the 42nd Army Group. The troops are currently stationed in southern Shanxi, under the command of Hu Zongnan.

"We have a good relationship with Wu Shimin. Could it be that...

"His troops have been cooperating with the 129th Division. We in the Jin-Cha-Yi region don't have the specifics. Let's not talk about Wu Shimin. I'll continue with our situation. Fu Zuoyi gathered and reorganized the puppet troops, puppet police, and bandits of all sizes in northwestern Shanxi and Suiyuan. He also placed the Chongqing troops in the Jin-Sui region under his command, bringing his total strength to over 12. Chiang Kai-shek appointed Fu Zuoyi as commander-in-chief of the 35th War Zone, giving him full responsibility for northern Shaanxi, Suiyuan, Chahar, northern Shanxi, and Rehe. However, not long ago, Fu Zuoyi demanded that the Suimeng Military Region withdraw from Baotou and hand it over to Fu Zuoyi's troops. After the Suimeng Military Region refused, Fu Zuoyi suddenly dispatched troops to catch the Suimeng Military Region off guard, and within a day and a half, Baotou was captured by Fu Zuoyi. After Fu Zuoyi captured Baotou, he dispatched his own th Army to the Guisui area, demanding that the Suimeng Military Region cede Guisui. Consequently, a military conflict broke out between the two sides in Wuchuan.

"The results of it?"

Wei Hongjun was shocked.

It seems that the strength of the Eighth Route Army in this time and space awakened Chiang Kai-shek.

He no longer cared about his direct and collateral factions, and was determined to defeat the Eighth Route Army in North China. That's why he gave Fu Zuoyi such a high position, allowing him to rise to prominence. Historically, Chiang Kai-shek didn't grant Fu Zuoyi such extensive power until the full-scale outbreak of the Liberation War.

To put it bluntly, Fu Zuoyi was a warlord.

Now that Chiang Kai-shek had established the Twelve War Zones and assigned Suiyuan, Northern Shanxi, and Chahar to Fu Zuoyi, he naturally had to work hard, as these territories were his own.

"The Suimeng Military Region assembled four infantry regiments and four cavalry regiments totaling more than 9000 troops to participate in the battle. However, they were defeated by the 35-man 101st Division of Fu Zuoyi's 6000th Army. Three infantry regiments were directly dispersed, and the other troops had no choice but to retreat to Guisui. After Fu Zuoyi sent troops, the Jinsui Military Region launched the Northern Shanxi Campaign in two directions. Comrade Zhang Zhongxun led the 358th Brigade, the st and nd Independent Brigades, and local troops from three regiments of the Jinsui Military Region, totaling about people, to support the Suimeng Military Region. On the way, they engaged in a firefight with Fu Zuoyi's Temporary Third Army. In the end, they were defeated by the Temporary Third Army, and the Jinsui troops suffered heavy casualties, so they had no choice but to retreat to Guisui.

"Damn it."

Warlords really can't be trusted.

Everyone was fine before.

Chiang Kai-shek and Yan Xishan took turns rebuking him, but he had not turned against the Eighth Route Army during the Anti-Japanese War. But now that he saw the Anti-Japanese War was about to be won, and with Chiang Kai-shek providing enough leverage, he immediately took action.

More importantly, Fu Zuoyi's direct troops were highly combat-capable. With sufficient leverage, Fu Zuoyi's troops were like a tiger unleashed from its cage. In the past two years, the main forces of the Japanese and puppet troops were not stationed in the Jinsui Military Region, so the troops there hadn't fought any major battles.

The troops in the Jinsui Military Region all came from guerrilla warfare.

Now they were suddenly faced with a fierce battle with Fu Zuoyi's troops, and were completely unfit to cope with the tens of thousands of Fu Zuoyi's troops.

The result was that the Jinsui Military Region suffered a series of defeats.

"Fu Zuoyi pursued the enemy to Guisui. Comrade Zhang Zhongxun served as the commander-in-chief of the defense of Guisui. He led the 358th Brigade, the st Independent Brigade, and the nd Independent Brigade, together with the troops of the Suimeng Military Region and the surrounding Jinsui local troops to defend Guisui. The two sides fought in Guisui for almost nine days, and the Jinsui troops were unable to take it. Comrade Zhang Zhongxun has sent us a telegram indicating that he is ready to lead his troops to evacuate Guisui.

Wei Hongjun looked at the map.

Fu Zuoyi's troops developed too quickly.

Starting from the Wuyuan area, they were able to capture Guisui in less than twenty days.

"Is the combat effectiveness of Fu Zuoyi's troops really that strong?"

Wei Hongjun didn't understand.

Even though Fu Zuoyi's troops were powerful, his direct troops only had 30,000 to 40,000 men. The other troops were not directly under Fu Zuoyi's command, so their combat effectiveness would certainly not be as strong.

The 358th Brigade, the st Independent Brigade, and the nd Independent Brigade, led by Zhang Zhongxun, were all main brigades of the Jinsui Military Region. Together with the troops of the Suimeng Military Region, Zhang Zhongxun had a considerable number of troops at his disposal.

How did we lose Guisui?

"Didn't we send reinforcements?"

"We did. But we couldn't break through the defenses of the Temporary Third Army. Instead, we were ambushed by the Third Cavalry Division of the Fourth Cavalry Army. Our retreat was nearly cut off."

Marshal Nie was in a very awkward position, or rather, embarrassed, when he arrived.

The Guisui defense was a truly disastrous battle. The combined forces of the Jin-Cha-Ji and Jin-Sui Military Regions were considerable, yet the outcome was unexpectedly disastrous.

Chapter 619: Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army

"Commander, why are you calling me over here?"

Wei Hongjun was actually quite confused.

Fu Zuoyi fought his way out of Wuyuan, and the current situation in Suiyuan was not good, even affecting Jin-Cha-Ji. This was understandable to Wei Hongjun.

But why would I be asked to come back at this time?

Marshal Nie should quickly select generals from Shanxi, Chahar, and Hebei to organize the troops to defend Jining and Chahar. Or he could discuss with the Central Committee about transferring military cadres from there. The Eighth Route Army still has quite a few generals.

If that doesn't work, we can even apply to the Central Committee to have General Xu come over to take charge. Just like General Chen was paired with General Su, we can let General Xu take charge of the military affairs of Jin-Cha-Ji, while General Nie is responsible for the overall affairs of Jin-Cha-Ji.

Instead of asking himself, a political cadre, to come over.

Wei Hongjun originally had many ideas about the future development of Northeast China.

Wei Hongjun had his own ideas on how to carry out land reform in Northeast China, how to develop education in Northeast China, how to manage prisoners in Northeast China, and how to deploy industry in Northeast China. Wei Hongjun actually had only a superficial understanding of industry, at most knowing the general directions that everyone knew, but that was all.

So Wei Hongjun’s idea was to train well in the Northeast.

Get more exposure to the industrial situation of this era, combine some of the things you know, and quickly learn about industry. However, before he could put these ideas into practice, he was called back by Marshal Nie.

Wei Hongjun knew that once he returned to Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei this time, it would be difficult for him to return to the Northeast.

"The Nationalist Army is now sending large numbers of troops into North China, and those puppet armies in North China have even changed their banners and become Nationalist forces. Furthermore, the Jinsui Army's performance in the northern Shanxi campaign was disastrous, not only with Comrade Zhang Zhongxun's side suffering heavy casualties. The troops under General He's personal command also suffered significant setbacks in the battles at Yulin and Dengbaoshan. Not only did they fail to capture Yulin, but Hu Zongnan also began sending troops into southwestern and northwestern Shanxi. General He was under immense pressure. The recent northern Shanxi campaign showed that the Jinsui Eighth Route Army troops were clearly unsuitable for large-scale, large-scale combat. Now the pressure is on us in Jin-Cha-Ji. After all, Fu Zuoyi coveted Chahar more than Suiyuan. To prepare for the upcoming situation in North China and for future larger-scale, large-scale combat, the Jin-Cha-Ji Central Committee held a meeting and decided to establish a field army in Jin-Cha-Ji. The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region established the Jin-Cha-Yi Field Army Headquarters, with me as Commander, Comrade Luo Qirong as Political Commissar, Comrade Yang Quanwu as Deputy Commander, Comrade Li Tianhao as Deputy Political Commissar, Comrade Pan Zili as Director of the Political Department, and Comrade Tang Jie as Chief of Staff."

The Eighth Route Army's dominance meant that the situation between the KMT and the CPC had deteriorated significantly even before the war was over. The KMT troops no longer cared whether the war was over or not, as the Japanese surrender was only a matter of time.

Chiang Kai-shek now does not take the Japanese army seriously at all.

Instead, Chiang Kai-shek took advantage of the fact that many of the Nationalist generals were graduates of Japanese military academies, and with the connections provided by many traitors, he began to send people to contact many Japanese generals. His requirements for those Japanese generals were simple.

It was imperative to prevent the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army from expanding their territory. Important cities and transportation lines must be preserved and then handed over intact to the Nationalist Army.

Of course, there were many fanatical militarists within the Japanese army who refused to accept Japan's surrender. Historically, many fanatical militarists committed suicide when Japan surrendered. However, many Japanese generals had already begun looking for a way out. They were not fools and would definitely prioritize their own interests, each wanting to avoid being tried after Japan's surrender.

So many people quietly began to negotiate with the people sent by Chiang Kai-shek.

Therefore, the national army is now unscrupulous and has begun to mobilize troops on a large scale.

He had already begun competing for territory with the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army. Previously, he had concealed any friction with them, fearing public opinion would accuse him of sabotaging the anti-Japanese war. But now Chiang Kai-shek paid no attention to public opinion. For someone like Chiang Kai-shek, who had achieved power through the barrel of a gun, he believed only in the power of the fist and paid no heed to the so-called public opinion. Just like after the Southern Anhui Incident, Chiang Kai-shek actually paid no attention to domestic public opinion.

No matter how much the penmen criticized Chiang Kai-shek, it was useless. He chose to back down because the great powers of Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union were dissatisfied with his actions. Chiang Kai-shek gave in because he was afraid of Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union, not because he was afraid of domestic public opinion.

The same is true now.

Chiang Kai-shek cared nothing for domestic public opinion. As long as he could conquer the country, everything else was nonsense. Therefore, the Nationalist troops were now brazenly attacking the Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army bases.

Fu Zuoyi's side moved the fastest and most violently.

About twenty days.

Starting from Wuyuan, they captured the territories of Suiyuan while defeating the Eighth Route Army troops in Shanxi and Suiyuan. They had already reached the point of threatening Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei.

In order to cope with this situation, the various military regions of the Eighth Route Army began to rapidly establish field army units.

Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei is no exception.

In the previous battle in northern Shanxi, Marshal Nie suffered a heavy blow.

He personally organized two brigades, but they were unable to break through the defenses of Fu Zuoyi's temporary Third Army. They were also forced back by Fu Zuoyi's Third Cavalry Division, nearly cutting off their retreat. Once the retreat was cut off, the consequences would be extremely serious.

Fu Zuoyi's troops were so "brutal" that Marshal Nie didn't dare to show any sign of betrayal.

The Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army was established as the First Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army, the Second Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army, the Third Jin-Cha-Yi Field Army, and the Fourth Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army. Comrade Yang Quanwu served as Commander of the First Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army, Comrade Wang Zhi served as Political Commissar of the First Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army, Comrade Geng Biao served as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, and Comrade Li Zhimin served as Deputy Political Commissar and Director of the Political Department. The First Field Army was formed with troops from the Hebei-Central Military Region and the Hebei-Shandong Military Region. Comrade Guo Tianmin served as Commander of the Second Jin-Cha-Yi Field Army, Comrade Liu Daosheng served as Political Commissar, and Comrade Wang Zonghuai served as Deputy Political Commissar and Director of the Political Department. The Second Field Army was formed with troops from the Yanbei Military Region. Comrade Bao Shen served as Commander of the Fourth Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army, Comrade Li Fangqi served as Political Commissar, and Comrade Zhang Caifang served as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff. The Fourth Field Army was formed with troops currently in Yidong.

Having said that, Wei Hongjun began to understand what Marshal Nie meant.

Marshal Nie called him back in such a hurry because he wanted him to form the Third Field Army of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei.

As expected, Marshal Nie said, "After discussion, the Central Bureau of the Jin-Cha-Ji region has decided to merge the Ji-Re-Cha Military Region and the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region into the Ji-Re-Cha Military Region. You will serve as the Commander and Political Commissar of the Ji-Re-Cha Military Region, Comrade Zhang Zihua as the Deputy Commander, Comrade Zhao Lu as the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, and Comrade Zhu Liangcai as the Deputy Political Commissar and Director of the Political Department of the Ji-Re-Cha Military Region. The troops of the former Ji-Re-Cha Military Region and the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region will be formed into the Jin-Cha-Ji Third Field Army."

Marshal Nie looked at his beloved general and felt a little worried.

After all, Wei Hongjun had been doing political work for years, so suddenly asking him to shoulder both military and political responsibilities wasn't without risk. But Marshal Nie had no other options. Marshal Nie didn't have anyone available at the moment.

It was because Fu Zuoyi moved too quickly, leaving no chance for anyone to react. Although Marshal Nie knew Fu Zuoyi was very powerful, he had never imagined him to be so powerful.

After the merger of the Ji-Re-Cha Military Region and the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region, the subordinate units and cadres were mostly from the original Eighth Column. Marshal Nie needed someone who could lead troops directly into battle without any adjustment. This was because Marshal Nie and the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region did not have time to adjust the newly formed Third Field Army.

So the most suitable ones are Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun.

However, Wang Qiuyun was already a cadre of the Northeast Bureau, so Marshal Nie could not transfer him back. Fortunately, Wei Hongjun was only seconded there at the time, so Marshal Nie directly brought Wei Hongjun back through the Central Committee.

Wei Hongjun is familiar with the troops and does not need any adjustment, so the Third Field Army can be formed as soon as possible.

The Third Field Army currently has no shortage of troops; what it lacks is someone who can integrate and lead these forces. Wei Hongjun is a perfect fit.

Marshal Nie looked at the rather startled Wei Hongjun and said, "Comrade Wei Hongjun will serve as Commander and Political Commissar of the Third Field Army of the Shanxi-Chahar-Islamic ...

Wei Hongjun became very serious.

Because this time, Coach Nie really pushed himself to the forefront.

The rapid formation of the Jin-Cha-Ji field army was due to the influence of the Northeastern Bureau and the pressure from the Nationalist troops. In particular, Fu Zuoyi emerged from Suixi and quickly captured Gui and Sui, threatening the security of Jin-Cha-Ji in Chahar.

Of course, a more direct answer is that Fu Zuoyi threatened Zhangjiakou.

That's why Marshal Nie wanted to stop Fu Zuoyi.

In fact, if time permitted, Marshal Nie might have sent Yang Quanwu north to take charge of this matter. However, Fu Zuoyi's progress was so rapid that Marshal Nie had no time to make arrangements. Furthermore, the current problem wasn't just Fu Zuoyi. From Hebei, Sun Lianzhong's troops, Pang Bingxun's troops, the Central Army troops, and other Nationalist troops were constantly arriving. The number of Nationalist troops in Hebei alone had already reached nearly 20. Yang Quanwu was also unable to spare the time.

So Marshal Nie chose Wei Hongjun, who was familiar with the troops of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region and the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region.

In order to increase Wei Hongjun's leadership, Marshal Nie made him both commander and political commissar. Even Zhu Liangcai and Zhao Lu served as Wei Hongjun's deputies.

It is trust, but also pressure.

If he holds on, Wei Hongjun's status will rise sharply again. Previously in Zhangjiakou, Zhu Liangcai served as Wei Hongjun's deputy, but there was no real subordinate relationship between them. But this time was different.

Whether it was the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region or the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Third Field Army, Zhu Liangcai and Zhao Lu were clearly Wei Hongjun's deputies.