Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Wei Hongjun was very happy that Ma Hongyuan had this awareness.

"Old Ma, have you thought about the future?"

"Commander, what do you mean?"

"Although it may not sound right, the cavalry's demise is inevitable. You're a veteran with many years of experience on the battlefield. You should understand that with the development of artillery, tanks, and aircraft, as well as the widespread use of powerful firearms like light and heavy machine guns and submachine guns by infantry, cavalry is becoming increasingly less effective. Over time, cavalry will gradually be phased out. You're an outstanding cavalry commander, but your career in cavalry has reached its limit."

Ma Hongyuan looked unhappy.

It’s not because I’m angry, but because what Wei Hongjun said is right.

Since the outbreak of the Liberation War, the PLA and the Nationalist Army have been fighting in large groups, and the role of cavalry has declined a lot. Compared with the Anti-Japanese War, the firepower of both sides in the Liberation War was more powerful.

Especially the American-equipped troops.

An army of tens of thousands of troops is equipped with thousands of submachine guns and thousands of light and heavy machine guns.

Cavalry units are completely useless against such troops.

Furthermore, the mobility that the cavalry prided itself on was no match for the large-scale, motorized rapid-fire forces. These rapid-fire forces, using hundreds of trucks, could easily enable thousands of troops to march hundreds of miles in a single day, and they could also engage in continuous combat.

Wei Hongjun looked at Ma Hongyuan and said, "Old Ma, after the reorganization of the cavalry column, the cavalry units have been dispersed. Your position as commander of the cavalry column also needs to be adjusted. I am currently considering three options. You can choose one. The first is to go to the Inner Mongolia Military Region or the Suiyuan Military Region as deputy commander.

Ma Hongyuan is currently only a military-level cadre.

However, if he were to serve as deputy commander in the Inner Mongolia Military Region or the Suiyuan Military Region, his rank would likely be quasi-corps level. Deputy commanders of second-level military regions are generally deputy corps level, but seniority, combat achievements, and other factors are also considered. Ma Hongyuan joined the Eighth Route Army during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, putting him at a significant disadvantage in terms of seniority. It was thanks to the Eighth Column's illustrious military achievements that he was able to reach his current position. Generally speaking, reaching the rank of corps-level cadre is quite remarkable.

Ma Hongyuan is not the only one in this situation.

Many cadres came from the 8th Column, such as Lei Jiabin, who is currently the commander of the Chahar Provincial Military District, Huang Hao, who is the commander of the Rehe Provincial Military District, and Wu Qinghe, who is the commander of the Inner Mongolia Provincial Military District.

Although they were all commanders and political commissars of second-level military regions, their qualifications meant they could not possibly be rated at the corps level. At best, they were at the deputy corps level. There was a chance they could even be rated at the quasi-corps level.

Wei Hongjun gave Ma Hongyuan a very good way out.

But Ma Hongyuan didn't say anything.

Wei Hongjun continued, "You will be transferred to the military region as deputy chief of staff."

The location is also good.

In the future, the classification can be either army level or quasi-corps level.

"The third one, go to the front line."

"front?"

Ma Hongyuan immediately became alert.

Ma Hongyuan was only in his forties, and had fought on the battlefield for many years. He wouldn't want to be deputy commander of a second-tier military region, or even deputy chief of staff of the North China Military Region. He preferred fighting.

Wei Hongjun said, "Commander Yang Quanwu needs a commander with rich experience in bandit suppression. After the troops conquer the southern provinces, they will need to leave behind troops to help the local areas eliminate the stragglers of the Nationalist Army and the bandits that are everywhere. You are not only experienced in the battlefield, but also in bandit suppression."

But if you go to your old leader, you can only be a military-level cadre at most.

But there is no such good opportunity.

"Commander, I'll go."

Whether he is a military-level cadre or moving up, Ma Hongyuan doesn't really care now.

Because no matter which one of them is a senior military officer.

Being able to reach such a high position was something Ma Hongyuan never dared to imagine when he joined the Eighth Route Army. Therefore, he is very satisfied with his current position.

"Have you decided?"

"Yes."

"it is good."

Wei Hongjun said, "Old Ma, you are a general who likes to use your brain. There are many differences in various aspects between the areas south of the Yangtze River and the areas north of the Yangtze River. The bandits in Chahar and Mongolia also have very different combat methods from those in the south. You can't just apply your experience in suppressing bandits in the north to suppressing bandits in the south. When you arrive in the south, you must first understand the enemy and the local bandit situation. Only then can you suppress the bandits."

"Commander, I understand."

Ma Hongyuan nodded.

Ma Hongyuan is indeed very smart.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have reached his current position. Wei Hongjun wondered if Ma Hongyuan would regret his decision today. If he stayed in the North China Military Region, he might have had little to do most of the time. But it would have solved the rank issue. With the rank system established after the founding of the People's Republic of China, a quasi-corps level would have been sufficient. But if he went to the front lines, his future prospects were uncertain. He might achieve better results, but he might also end up at the army level.

After solving Ma Hongyuan's problem, Wei Hongjun looked at Ma Changgeng and Zhao Ziyu.

Besides Commander Ma Hongyuan, the other person who faced difficulty in arranging the cavalry column was their political commissar, Zhao Ziyu. Zhao Ziyu was of Mongolian descent, and his original name was Bilige Batur. The easiest option for Zhao Ziyu was to send him to Inner Mongolia.

Given Zhao Ziyu's qualifications and status, going to Inner Mongolia was the simplest and most straightforward option. Furthermore, Zhao Ziyu was familiar with the region and could handle the job with ease. However, this was definitely not the best option for Zhao Ziyu's future. This was due to his complex history and relationships. He had studied in both the Soviet Union and Outer Mongolia, and had also worked in Outer Mongolia. For a time, he lost his organizational ties in China, and only after a telegram from the Communist International reestablished them. His ethnic Mongolian identity meant he had no problems in normal circumstances. However, staying in Inner Mongolia could easily lead to unpleasant consequences.

Once the political climate changes, it will be easy to be accused of a crime.

Wei Hongjun first met Zhao Ziyu in 1939.

Zhao Ziyu arrived in Jin-Cha-Ji and served as the head of the reconnaissance section of the military region. He later organized a training course in Jin-Cha-Ji to cultivate reconnaissance and demolition personnel. This was because Zhao Ziyu had studied in the Soviet Union.

At that time, the Eighth Column was also in urgent need of cadres in this area.

Wei Hongjun also met Zhao Ziyu. Later, Zhao Ziyu also taught reconnaissance and demolition classes at the 8th Column's Cha'nan Cadre School, training reconnaissance and demolition cadres for the 8th Column. After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhao Ziyu served as the political commissar of the cavalry brigade and began working with Ma Hongyuan.

He is also an old subordinate of Wei Hongjun.

Of course, Wei Hongjun also has to consider his future.

"The North China Bureau and the Military Region have decided to establish an infrastructure engineering unit in preparation for the upcoming major construction project. However, I want not only a unit that can endure hardships, but also a professional infrastructure construction team. Both of you are educated people, one graduated from Beiyang University, and the other returned from studying in the Soviet Union. I want you two to serve as commander and political commissar.

Ma Changgeng and Zhao Ziyu were quite surprised.

Before this, they had never thought that Wei Hongjun would arrange them to go to the infrastructure engineering corps.

But both of them have high education background.

I understood what Wei Hongjun meant.

Wei Hongjun wanted to develop the infrastructure engineering team in a professional direction. Of course, this is easier said than done.

"The infrastructure engineering corps will have a very difficult job ahead. They may be needed at any time to carry out construction in the most difficult places. Therefore, I would like to seek your opinions.

"Commander, I obey your orders."

"Accept the organization's appointment."

Both of them nodded.

In fact, the two people currently don’t have much idea about the infrastructure engineering forces.

But Wei Hongjun asked for their opinions, so it was impossible for them to refuse the appointment.

"Okay, it's settled."

Chapter 750 The Establishment of the Central China Bureau

The North China Military Region's restructuring was a grand undertaking, and of course, the decisions made at the military region meetings ultimately needed to be reviewed and approved by the Central Military Commission. After all, the adjustments to the public security forces within the North China Military Region, as well as the establishment of the Air Force, Air Defense Force, and Engineering Corps under the North China Military Region, were all new, regular branches of the military.

North China is a sensitive region. Not only is the central government currently based in Yi County, but once the capital of New China is located in Peking, the current Pingjin Weicheng District will be responsible for protecting the capital.

This time, the North China Military Region established the First and Second Security Divisions, as well as the First and Second Public Security Divisions, all of which were deployed in Beijing. These troops were to protect the future security of the central government.

The military in North China is so sensitive.

Therefore, although the First and Second Security Divisions were only division-level units, because they were stationed in Beijing, the military region had to obtain approval from the Military Commission after appointing the division commanders and political commissars of these units.

However, Wei Hongjun had considered all these things.

Therefore, Wei Hongjun chose Wu Lie, who was the commander of the Central Guard Regiment, as the commander of the First Security Division stationed directly in Beijing.

This restructuring was not easy. First, the troops needed to be regularized, which required specialized knowledge. For example, organizing a professional engineering corps was no easy feat. Furthermore, the North China Army Engineering School was also needed, which required specialized personnel.

For the sake of Wang Yaonan, they not only plundered the Japanese engineers detained in China, but also had to find a way from the National Army.

Because compared to the People's Liberation Army, these units are full of professional engineers. The engineers in these units are all officers who have received formal engineering training. Not only that, Wei Hongjun also sent a telegram to the visiting Soviet delegation through the Central Committee.

We hope to get some professional engineers back from among the German prisoners.

It's not just these professional engineers.

The North China Bureau also needs to select some people from various universities to participate in the establishment of the North China Army Engineering School.

This is a professional thing.

Then there are the political aspects.

Wei Hongjun needed to reassure the Central Committee and the Military Commission. He presided over the work of the North China Military Region and did not pack all of his own cadres into the troops in the Peiping-Tianjin area. This should not be done too excessively.

While Wei Hongjun was busy with these things, on November 1947, 11, the Fourth Field Army and the Fifth Field Army launched the Battle of Crossing the Yangtze River.

The national army was also prepared.

Especially the Tang Enbo Group.

Among the Tang Enbo group guarding the Yangtze River this time, there were about 24 newly formed troops equipped with American and semi-American weapons. These were all troops that Chiang Kai-shek had built over the past few months using American military supplies.

In order to prevent the People's Liberation Army from crossing the river, Chiang Kai-shek launched his own propaganda weapon and carried out very powerful propaganda.

Chiang Kai-shek's propaganda has two directions.

One reason was that both the Nationalist government and the United States were members of the free world. As the leader of the free world, the United States would certainly not stand by and watch the Nationalist government perish. After the PLA and US military clashed in Qingdao, Chiang Kai-shek's administration had been promoting the idea that the US military would send troops to attack the PLA. This was considered a morale-boosting measure.

Originally, when the PLA clashed with the US military in Qingdao, Chiang Kai-shek was very excited and kept requesting US military support, but the US response was cold.

But Chiang Kai-shek didn't care.

This propaganda is still propaganda.

Another purpose was to show off the strength of the Nationalist army. Especially after the United States increased its aid, a large amount of military supplies produced during World War II entered China. Using this military material, nearly 40 Nationalist troops in the area south of the Yangtze River were equipped with American and semi-American weapons.

Along the Yangtze River alone, 24 American-equipped and semi-American-equipped troops were deployed.

Tang Enbo patted his chest and guaranteed that the Yangtze River defense line was impregnable.

Of course, despite Tang Enbo's assurances, he was actually completely unsure. Chiang Kai-shek had dispatched too many elite troops north of the Yangtze River in order to engage the PLA in a decisive battle. The elite troops originally stationed on the Yangtze River defense line were also transferred north of the Yangtze River. However, these elite troops were utterly annihilated in the area north of the Yangtze River.

Compared with the elite troops that have been annihilated, the troops south of the Yangtze River are just a mob.

Although the weapons and equipment have been greatly improved after the replacement.

But their fighting capacity was still not as good as those of the elite national army. Although Tang Enbo was becoming increasingly weak, he was still a veteran who had fought on the battlefield for half his life and could feel the situation of his troops.

And too hurried.

Tang Enbo hadn't anticipated that the PLA had already begun preparations for the Yangtze River crossing before the battle north of the Yangtze River was over. By the time Tang Enbo and other KMT generals discovered this, it was already too late. Consequently, the Yangtze River defenses had to be focused on, leaving many loopholes.