Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

The Central Committee and the Military Commission approved the proposal of the Ministry of Fuel Industry to establish a petroleum engineering corps.

As for the oil engineering corps, the Central Military Commission selected the 8th Division of the 3rd Army of the 2nd Corps, currently stationed in Gansu, and had them reorganized into the 1st Oil Engineering Division. At the same time, the Central Military Commission appointed Yu Qiuli, formerly Chairman of the Qinghai Military and Political Committee, as Minister of the Fuel Industry, with full responsibility for establishing the Yumen Right Oil Base.

Yumen is about to establish the China Petroleum Center.

The Ministry of Fuel Industry's grand plan, centered around Yumen, aimed to increase oil production, cultivate technical personnel, and strengthen the oil workforce. Both the Central Committee and the State Council approved the plan. Precisely because it was a major initiative crucial to China's oil development, the central government decided to assign Shou Qiuli to Qinghai, specifically responsible for the construction of the Yumen oil base.

Wei Hongjun sent all available oil talent to the Yumen Oilfield. He then mobilized faculty and students from universities in Beijing and Tianjin, hoping they would support Yumen's development. He established the Northwest Petroleum Institute in the Yumen Oilfield.

Wei Hongjun attaches great importance to oil.

Because oil, like coal, is a basic energy source. In the future, humankind's food, clothing, housing, and transportation will all depend on oil. For a long time before the founding of New China, the problem of clothing was a major issue.

The biggest reason is that to feed such a large population, we absolutely cannot allow too much arable land to be used for other crops. However, to solve the clothing problem, we must also occupy arable land. This contradiction is not easy to resolve. The only solution is to develop chemical fibers on a large scale.

Unfortunately, New China's petrochemical industry was too backward, or perhaps it was due to a lack of oil. It was impossible to develop a chemical fiber industry from oil. If China's oil industry had developed, it would have been possible to develop a petrochemical industry.

It would be easy to solve China's clothing problem without having to seize arable land.

Therefore, Wei Hongjun attached great importance to the oil industry. If possible, Wei Hongjun really wanted to lead his own team to Daqing to produce oil. However, Wei Hongjun knew that this could not be rushed. The oil industry was different from the coal industry. Even if Wei Hongjun knew a few important oil fields, what would it matter? Where in China were there oil workers and oil technicians, not to mention the machinery and equipment needed for oil industry development? So Wei Hongjun's idea was simple: first, let's take a few years to train a group of oil workers and oil technicians. Then, he would consider the rubber industry.

Wei Hongjun contacted the Central South Bureau and the Southwest Bureau.

I hope the Central South and Southwest Bureaus will prioritize the rubber industry and quickly begin trial plantings in Guangxi and Yunnan. The local central bureaus are so powerful these days that Wei Hongjun, representing the State Council, can only offer advice and consult with them, rather than issuing direct orders. While Wei Hongjun was busy, Marshals Xu and Nie were also discussing the formation of American- and Soviet-equipped units.

Soon they held a meeting.

Few people.

This is understandable, however. The Chairman is currently preoccupied with preparations for his visit to the Soviet Union, and the other CMC Vice Chairmen are all occupied. Therefore, Marshal Nie is effectively in charge of the CMC's current work. Of the 22 CMC members, only six are currently in Beijing: Marshals Xu, Luo, Wei Hongjun, Sa Zhenbing, Zhang Zhenzhong, and Long Yun. The other 16 have been stationed in remote areas.

Among these people, Sa Zhenbing, Zhang Zhizhong and Long Yun were all non-party members.

They couldn't really participate in the actual decision-making of the Military Commission. As a result, Marshal Nie presided over the meeting, and only Chief of General Staff Xu Shuai, Director of the General Logistics Department Zhao Lu, Deputy Director and Acting Director of the General Political Department Fu Zhong, and Military Commission member Wei Hongjun were present.

"The last Politburo meeting decided to form four armies equipped with Soviet weapons and three armies equipped with foreign weapons. Comrade Xiang Qian and I have discussed this. Currently, our country's American equipment is mainly in the Third and Fourth Field Armies. This is because the Third and Fourth Field Armies have annihilated the most American-equipped troops. Therefore, we have discussed and decided to form American-equipped units with the three armies of the Fourth Front Army. The other field armies will also provide some American equipment to support this reorganization.

What Marshal Nie discussed this time was the formation of Soviet-equipped troops and American-equipped troops.

To organize American-equipped units, one must concentrate American equipment. Currently, the Third and Fourth Field Armies possess large quantities of American-equipped units. While other field armies possess American equipment, they are not as numerous as the Fourth Field Army. After all, the Fourth Field Army annihilated approximately 30 American-equipped and semi-American-equipped troops in Northeast China. Later, after the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign, the Fourth Field Army again annihilated over American-equipped troops.

Therefore, Marshal Nie and Marshal Xu decided to form an American-equipped force with the Fourth Field Army as the core.

"Vice Chairman, General Xu, the Fourth Field Army has a lot of work to do right now. The 16th Corps is preparing to liberate Hainan, the 13th Corps is in Guangxi, and the 15th Corps is in Hunan, all working to eliminate bandits. The number of bandits in Hunan and Guangxi is staggering, and their task is heavy. It's not easy to withdraw troops from the Fourth Field Army at this time."

Fu Zhong spoke.

The CMC currently has only three headquarters: the General Staff Headquarters, the General Political Department, and the General Logistics Department. The General Cadre Management Department has not yet been established. Luo Shuai is currently the head of the General Political Department of the CMC, but because his main job is at the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Fu Zhongyi is serving as deputy head, acting as head.

"This isn't a one-time transfer of troops," Marshal Xu said. "Comrade Rong Zhen and I are suggesting we first form an army with American equipment. After all, we've never formed such a multi-service, American-equipped unit before, so we need to explore many aspects. Forming three armies at once isn't appropriate."

Whether it is the Soviet-equipped troops or the American-equipped troops, there are many differences between them and the People's Liberation Army.

The so-called Soviet-equipped troops and American-equipped troops do not mean that you can complete the task by simply replacing them with Soviet-style weapons or American-style weapons.

True Soviet- and American-equipped forces are multi-service arms. The Chinese People's Liberation Army is the pinnacle of light infantry, but to compete with the US military, it still needs the cooperation of other arms. Artillery, air defense, engineers, and armored forces must work together.

However, the PLA is not yet familiar with this type of multi-service coordinated combat. Many of its most decorated generals are familiar with the PLA's current tactics, but are still unfamiliar with this type of multi-service combined operations. This requires learning as we build our forces.

Both Marshal Nie and Marshal Xu were very cautious in this regard. Marshal Xu, in particular, personally led the troops in battle. He was also very capable in training troops. He supported the gradual formalization of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the development of multiple branches. However, he also understood that with more branches, coordination would become difficult.

The two men discussed the decision to first form a truly American-equipped unit. They would train multiple branches and review the results. They would then form two armies, ultimately three armies, each equipped with American equipment. "This meeting was to determine which army to select."

The Fourth Field Army currently has many army-level units. Just look at its organization.

When the Fifth Field Army was formed in North China, its designations began with the 18th Corps, while the corps-level units began with the 65th Army. There were more than a dozen corps-level units without units in between. But now, most of those corps-level units have units.

Those were expanded later.

It's just not as good as the army-level designations originally granted by the Military Commission. Therefore, this time, when they're pulling an army from the Fourth Field Army to form a US-equipped unit, they're definitely selecting from the Fourth Field Army's original 12 armies. "General Xu, the Fourth Field Army still has the most detailed information on their situation. Should we hand this selection over to the Fourth Field Army Headquarters? Have them submit the list?"

Wei Hongjun spoke.

Marshal Xu looked at Marshal Nie.

Although Marshal Xu is the Chief of the General Staff, he doesn't say much when it comes to issues of interest.

Marshal Nie nodded.

He said, "That makes sense. Let the Fourth Field Army choose. Have them submit their list as soon as possible."

Marshal Xu saw that Marshal Nie had made a decision, so he continued, "Then we'll organize the Soviet-equipped units. The Central Committee has approved the formation of four Soviet-equipped armies, but we're planning to organize two of them first. We'll have Soviet advisors to help us, and it'll be easier than organizing American-equipped units. I've discussed with Nie about transferring three armies from the Fifth Field Army and one from the Second Field Army. If there are enough Soviet weapons by then, we'll transfer another army from the Third Field Army. The first two armies will be from the Fifth Field Army."

After saying this, Marshal Xu looked at Wei Hongjun.

Wei Hongjun understood what Marshal Xu meant.

Marshal Nie could have made the final decision regarding the Fifth Field Army. But it was clear that Marshal Nie didn't make the final decision. He wanted to hear Wei Hongjun's opinion. Wei Hongjun thought for a moment and said, "The 20th and 22nd Corps are both in Fujian. Although Fujian shoulders the heavy responsibility of liberating Taiwan, the Fujian Military Region's 40 troops are still too many. I propose that the 71st Army be transferred from the Fujian military region."

Wei Hongjun was not polite either.

Wei Hongjun understood that preparing Soviet- and American-equipped troops now was for the Korean War a year or two later. They needed to mobilize sufficient elite troops. The 71st Army was Wei Hongjun's most elite unit, formerly the Eighth Column of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Field Army, a top-tier main force within the Fifth Field Army.

"The 71st Army can."

Marshal Nie nodded.

Marshal Nie was very familiar with the 71st Army. The 71th Division of the 211st Army was the 19st Brigade of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region. It was a unit that made great contributions in the battle to eliminate Fu Zuoyi. Most of the generals under Wei Hongjun were from the 70st Brigade. Wei Hongjun continued, "The 68th Army of the 69th Corps has been reorganized into the public security force of the South China Branch. The remaining 16th and 18th Armies will participate in the bandit suppression work in Guangdong while cooperating with the 1th Corps in the liberation of Hainan. The 21th Corps is suppressing bandits in Jiangxi, but the 74st Corps currently has little to do in Henan. I propose to transfer the th Army of the st Corps."

The 74th Army was originally the rearmost unit under Yang Quanwu's command.

However, due to their outstanding performance in the Qingdao conflict, they became famous throughout China. Of course, it was also because of the Qingdao conflict that the 21st Corps was unable to catch up with the Battle of Crossing the Yangtze River. Finally, they moved south from Shandong and stopped in Henan to participate in the bandit suppression work in Henan. Henan was the old territory of the Second Field Army.

Although the 21st Corps is currently stationed in Henan, it has little say in the region. The Party, government, and military leaders are all former Central Plains Bureau cadres.

"Row."

The issue of the Fifth Field Army can basically be settled now that Marshal Nie and Wei Hongjun have made a decision.

All that remained was for Marshal Nie to personally communicate with Yang Quanwu and his men on the front lines. After all, Yang Quanwu was the acting commander and political commissar of the Fifth Field Army, so he had to be briefed on this matter. "That's settled. Once the Fourth Field Army has reached a decision, the Military Commission will officially begin organizing the Soviet- and American-equipped units."

The Military Commission communicated with the Fourth Field Army, and the Fourth Field Army's report came very quickly.

The Fourth Field Army decided to draw on the 41st Army stationed in Hubei to join the American-equipped troops organized by the Military Commission. The 41st Army was formerly the Sixth Column of the Northeast Field Army, which was actually the First Column of the Northeast Field Army in history and later became the 38th Army of the "Long Live Army."

However, in this time and space, the Northeast Anti-Japanese Base Area was established by the Jin-Cha-Ji Army. Although Shandong troops entered the Northeast in large numbers, they arrived much later. By the time Shandong troops and cadres entered the Northeast, the majority of the Northeast's territory and location had already been controlled by Jin-Cha-Ji.

The previous number was occupied by the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops.

Even in terms of military achievements, they are not as glorious as those in history. However, although they are not as glorious as those in history, it does not diminish their brilliance in the slightest. The 41st Army fought against Zheng Dongguo's American-equipped troops in Siping and fought very well. Currently, most of the Fourth Field Army's troops are employed, and Hubei is relatively stable. Therefore, the Fourth Field Army chose to send the 41st Army north to form an American-equipped unit.

Moreover, the Fourth Field Army did not drag its feet in receiving the American weapons requested by the Military Commission.

Give what you want.

The Fourth Field Army had annihilated so many American-equipped units, and therefore possessed a sufficient supply of American equipment. The Fourth Field Army captured over 3100 bazookas alone, more than half of which are still usable. Especially after the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign, the newly formed Nationalist Army units, known as American-equipped, were annihilated by the People's Liberation Army with overwhelming force. Much of the American equipment in their possession passed intact into the hands of the PLA.

However, these rocket launchers are basically scattered among various troops.

This time, when forming American-equipped units, the Military Commission required the centralization of these rocket launchers. Each newly formed American-equipped corps was to be equipped with 400 to 60 rocket launchers. Under any other circumstances, the Fourth Field Army would never have agreed. However, this time, the Fourth Field Army offered no objection and actively ordered all units to hand over their rocket launchers.

Because the Fourth Field Army had already understood that the Military Commission wanted to concentrate American weapons and equipment to form three armies equipped with American weapons. Not only would the Fourth Field Army be required to provide American weapons and equipment, but the Third Field Army would also have to provide some. This would only benefit the Fourth Field Army.

After all, the three American-equipped armies formed were still subordinate to the Fourth Field Army.

Yang Quanwu also agreed with Marshal Nie and Wei Hongjun's opinion, agreeing to transfer the 71st and 74th Armies to form a Soviet-equipped unit. However, Yang Quanwu told Marshal Nie that the next Soviet-equipped unit spot would go to the 18th Army of the 65th Corps. The 18th Corps was currently busy stabilizing the situation in Jiangxi.

However, the situation in Jiangxi would stabilize in a short while. Equipping the troops with Soviet-era weapons would greatly enhance their combat effectiveness. Yang Quanwu naturally also wanted to deploy his own 65th Army. After coordinating with the Fourth and Fifth Field Armies, the Military Commission submitted the list.

The Central Committee agreed to the Military Commission’s plan.

不过中央认为20兵团当中71军要北上，73军改为皖南军区，整个20兵团就剩下了72军。一个兵团就只有一个军，怎么都说不过去。所以中央要求军委调整20兵团。

Wei Hongjun suggested that the 20th and 22nd Corps be abolished.

The remaining troops will all be incorporated into the Fujian Military Region. At that time, the Fujian Military Region will have four armies under its jurisdiction: the 72nd Army, the 77th Army, the 78th Army, and the 79th Army, as well as several public security divisions and independent divisions.

Zhang Zihua was appointed Commander of the Fujian Military Region, with Zhu Liangcai as Political Commissar. The 22nd Corps, along with Commander Zheng Weishan, was transferred north to oversee the formation of the Soviet-equipped forces. Zhang Zihua was a prominent figure in the Southeast Bureau, and upon the transfer of Yang Quanwu and his colleagues to the Central Committee, he was the most suitable candidate to succeed him as Secretary of the Southeast Bureau.

Zheng Weishan was an outstanding general.

Allow him to adapt to Soviet weaponry and multi-service combat in advance. This wasn't just for Zheng Weishan, but for many other outstanding generals. Allow them to adapt to modern multi-service combat in advance. Only when they experience it firsthand will they stop mistaking the US military for the British-equipped Nationalist troops. Their early adaptation will ensure even more impressive performances in Korea.

The Military Commission finally adopted Wei Hongjun's suggestion.

The Central Military Commission is currently gradually dismantling the corps system. This is a good opportunity to dismantle the 20th and 22nd Corps. This is a good thing for the Central Military Commission.

At the same time, the Military Commission appointed Zheng Weishan as the fourth deputy commander of the North China Military Region, with full responsibility for the establishment of Soviet-equipped troops. While the Military Commission was busy with this matter, the Chairman had already made preparations for his visit to the Soviet Union.

Before leaving, the Chairman convened a series of Politburo meetings and Central People's Government meetings. It was finally decided that during the Chairman's visit to the Soviet Union, Comrade Xiu Yang would act as Chairman of the Central People's Government, Comrade Ren Peiguo would act as Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Commander-in-Chief would act as Chairman of the British Committee of the People's Revolutionary Army, and Comrade Wu Hao would act as Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

During this visit to the Soviet Union, Xu Xiangqian accompanied the Chairman as the Chief of the General Staff.

The main purpose is to complete the work that Marshal Ye's visit to the Soviet Union left unfinished. After all, the previous visit was by Comrade Wu Hao, so it couldn't compare to Chairman Mao's visit. This time, Chairman Mao's visit to the Soviet Union will also bring about greater progress in military cooperation. Chairman Mao has recently conducted numerous simulations on the East Asian situation.

The more he deduced, the more worried the Chairman became.

Although Chairman Mao believed that the Soviet Union would not abandon its stance if problems arose on the Korean Peninsula for the sake of the greater good, he nevertheless had never pinned his hopes on outsiders, having led the revolution and fought battles all the way to this day. Therefore, he felt a strong sense of urgency.

The Chairman needed greater military cooperation with the Soviet Union to rapidly enhance the strength of the Chinese military. Therefore, the Chairman's visit to the Soviet Union this time was intended to sign a clear military cooperation agreement. The Soviets would help China rapidly build its naval, air, and air defense forces, as well as provide greater Soviet military equipment support.

Xu Xiangqian serves as the Chief of the General Staff for this very purpose.

After Xu Xiangqian accompanied Chairman Mao on his visit to the Soviet Union, the General Staff needed someone to take charge. Therefore, the Central Committee decided to transfer some cadres to strengthen the General Staff. The Central Committee could not favor one cadre over another, and each field army would be assigned one person. The final five chosen were Yang Quanwu, Zhang Zhongzui, Huang Kecheng, Zhang Aiping, and Yang Yong.

Yang Quanwu was appointed First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Huang Kecheng Second Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Zhang Zhongxun Third Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Zhang Aiping Fourth Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and Yang Yong Fifth Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Following Yang Quanwu's promotion to the Central Committee, Wang Zhi became First Secretary of the Southeast Branch, Zhang Zihua Second Secretary, Zhu Liangcai Third Secretary, and Liu Shude Fourth Secretary.

On June 1948, 6, Chairman Mao set out from Beijing and began his visit to the Soviet Union.

Chapter 774 Weapon Development

The Military Commission will draw cadres from the various field armies to strengthen its departments. This is inevitable.

Because the local central bureaus, regional regions, and major military commands are currently so powerful, the CMC's control over them is extremely limited. Currently, the CMC's various departments are sparsely staffed; even a prominent department like the General Staff Headquarters currently consists of only two offices. The CMC's role with respect to the various military commands is more about coordination than leadership. If troops are to be transferred from a major military command, the CMC cannot issue direct orders; rather, it must coordinate with the commands within the command.

This situation is very abnormal.

However, the civil war has not yet concluded, and the war against heavy-handed bandits is still raging across the country. The central government is aware of the strength of the local governments, but in order to ensure the smooth implementation of bandit suppression and land reform, it has not yet begun to rein in power. At this stage, the local central government still needs to have sufficient resources to lead these wars.

But the central government has already begun preparing for the future.

Therefore, prominent figures from various field armies were transferred to Beijing. Yang Quanwu, needless to say, was the acting commander and political commissar of the Fifth Field Army. Huang Kecheng was the head of the logistics department of the Fourth Field Army, secretary of the Yubei Provincial Party Committee, and political commissar of the Hubei Military Region. Zhang Zhong was the deputy commander of the First Field Army and deputy commander of the Qianbei Military Region. Zhang Aiping currently served as the commander and political commissar of the East China Military Region Navy. Yang Yong currently served as the commander of the Zezhou Military Region and chairman of the Guizhou People's Government.

Among these five people, Yang Quanwu arrived in Beijing the fastest.

Because he was the first deputy chief of the general staff, he had to return to Beijing as soon as possible to take charge of the work of the general staff. He was also the easiest person to put down his work.

Yang Quanwu and Wang Zhi had been partners since the end of the Anti-Japanese War, and Wang Zhi easily took over Yang Quanwu's work. After Yang Quanwu arrived in Beijing, Wei Hongjun asked Zhao Lu to go meet Yang Quanwu. "It's really not easy for the two of us to meet."