Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

At the same time as the Northern Bureau meeting was being held, a piece of information that shocked Zhou Weihan came from the New Eighth Army stationed in Chaocheng.

At that time, Zhou Weihan was inspecting the southwestern Shandong Military Division. Tan Lin urgently sent a telegram to Zhou Weihan and rushed back to Pu County.

Although the content in the telegram was relatively vague, Zhou Weihan also guessed from the few words that the situation might deteriorate rapidly.

Zhou Weihan looked around at the people present and considered whether to disclose this information first. He had no doubts about the authenticity of the information.

The few people were chatting happily, but when Luo Benzhong saw Zhou Weihan's expression was different, he immediately asked: "Commander, what happened?"

"It's hard to say, but it is certain that some people are unwilling to live in peace. I need to go back immediately. On the one hand, the troops must conduct training, and on the other hand, they must strengthen their vigilance, especially in the direction of Shangqiu and Huxi!" Zhou Weihan said.

"Little devils? Where did they get this strength? Let's just burn incense if we don't take the initiative to cause trouble for them!" Li Yunlong said.

When Zhou Weihan walked out, Li Yunlong waved to others to stay and followed him out alone.

"Is there anything else?" Zhou Weihan looked at Li Yunlong's expression and thought he had something else in mind.

"There is something!" Li Yunlong knew that Zhou Weihan was in a hurry to go back, so he did not hesitate: "It is about the appointment of the chief of staff of the military division. The leadership team of the military division unanimously decided to recommend Comrade Zhang Dabiao as the chief of staff of the military division. Please ask the higher-level organizations to consider it!"

"Comrade Zhang Dabiao is the deputy chief of staff, and Comrade Xin Tiebing is also the deputy chief of staff. Have you done your internal work well?" Zhou Weihan glanced at Li Yunlong, who was trying to pretend to be serious.

Li Yunlong chuckled: "Both comrades came from the position of regiment leader, but when it comes to ability and qualifications, Zhang Dabiao is better. Political Commissar Luo has already done a good job in the ideological work of the comrades!"

It is said that the decision was made unanimously by the leadership team of the military division, but in fact it was not decided by Li Yunlong and Luo Benzhong. The director of the Political Department could only follow the trend.

Having said that, after Li Yunlong went to Yanzhou to study, Zhang Dabiao was transferred from the front line back to the military division headquarters. He has been assisting Luo Benzhong in handling specific work as deputy chief of staff. Although he does not have the title of chief of staff, he is the driving staff officer. Long rights.

Xin Tiebing is specifically responsible for the work in Jinxiang, Shanxian and Yucheng areas on the front line, and the two deputy chiefs of staff also have their own division of labor.

Zhou Weihan knew the personnel arrangements of the Southwestern Shandong Military Division very well, and Tan Lin, the military cadre of the military region, had never interfered too much, especially in the Southwestern Shandong Military Division.

In the final analysis, because the upcoming actions of the Southwest Shandong Military Division were relatively large, Tan Lin considered that it would be better for a comrade who was familiar with the local situation to serve as the chief of staff, so the position of chief of staff remained undecided, waiting for Zhou Weihan to come back to make a decision.

Zhou Weihan had no opinion on who should serve as chief of staff: "Your military division team will make a report!"

"Yes, I understand, *** member, walk slowly, I will treat you well next time!" Li Yunlong said.

Pu County, Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region Headquarters, Zhou Weihan hurried back in a jeep that night.

In addition to several senior officials present, Wang Dingnan, chief of the Attachment Section of the New Eighth Army, was also waiting for Zhou Weihan's arrival.

Wang Dingnan was responsible for the united front work within the New Eighth Army. With Tan Lin's strong support, he achieved considerable results. Even Gao Shuxun acquiesced to the existence of this relationship.

Gao Shuxun was nominally the director of the Luxi Administrative Office appointed by the National Government, but the scope of the New Eighth Army's activities was limited to Chaocheng. Under normal circumstances, local food tax revenue could provide daily supplies for more than 8000 members of the New Eighth Army.

However, the Eighth Route Army base area was affected by the disaster, and Chaocheng, where the New Eighth Army was located, was not spared. In addition, local officials mishandled disaster prevention measures, and the situation was even worse than in the Hebei, Shandong, and Henan base areas.

Fortunately, Tan Lin tightened his belt and extended a helping hand at the critical moment and supported the New Eighth Army with a batch of food. This prevented the officers and soldiers of the New Eighth Army from starving to death.

The relationship between the two parties has been greatly eased, and Wang Dingnan's united front work has been carried out more smoothly since then.

Zhou Weihan initially thought that Wang Dingnan had obtained the information secretly, but unexpectedly it was Gao Shuxun who instructed Wang Dingnan to come back and report quickly.

"The person who came here is from the military commander. When he arrived at Chaocheng yesterday, Commander Gao immediately informed me after hearing the news!" Wang Dingnanhui reported.

Zhou Weihan figured it out on the way back, and punched away to avoid hundreds of punches. It happened that the fifth column was being prepared, so it might as well be used to test the strength of the troops.

"Gao Shuxun still has some conscience. It's not in vain that Political Commissar Tan slapped him in the face and pretended to be fat. He supported a batch of food through his teeth!" Zhou Weihan teased: "But the united front work has been very effective. Dingnan Comrades, you have worked hard!"

"We can only carry out our work because of the support of our superiors!" Wang Dingnan said hurriedly.

Chief of Staff Zhao Bingzhang and Director of the Political Department Li Fengnian had not yet figured out Zhou Weihan's temperament, so they did not dare to answer the question for a while. Tan Lin rolled his eyes: "Looking at you, are you sure?"

"Everything in this world is not created out of thin air. People are born, food is grown, and guns are manufactured. Now that we have insufficient production capacity, what should we do?" Zhou Weihan looked around at everyone.

"The main force must be reorganized, the local armed forces must be promoted to the main force, the militia must be promoted to the local armed forces, those wielding swords must become gun-carriers, and those who are semi-off-the-job must be transformed into those who are part-time. Where will the food come from, and where will the weapons and equipment come from? Come?"

"It can only be captured by fighting against the enemy. The Japanese and puppet troops may not be able to meet the demand. Just include the stubborn troops and snatch it from their hands!"

Zhou Weihan's words were too straightforward and the atmosphere at the scene became cold again. Fortunately, Tan Lin had already gotten used to it.

I saw Tan Lin saying: "Preparations in all aspects must be accelerated. Although the national army has not set a specific time now, we are already one step behind!"

"It just so happens that the Northern Bureau is holding a meeting now. Let's inform the superiors first!" Zhou Weihan said. The Northern Bureau's decision-making and deployment will not be conveyed for a while, but Zhou Weihan is ready to make arrangements first.

"I asked someone to draft a telegram. The 279th and 29th regiments of the Tainan Military Region will immediately come to the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region. The military region is directly under the cavalry regiment. The 41st Regiment of the Southwest Shandong Military Region will rush to the Tainan Military Region!"

"The third regiment of the new fifth brigade of the Zhangbei Military Division, the Jinan Jigan Regiment will immediately assemble and standby to go south, and the Sidong Jigan Regiment will continue to be stationed in Sidong!"

Zhou Weihan had already made a plan in his mind as to which troops to deploy. The more than 1000 horses in the cavalry regiment were better fed than humans. The rations of one horse were enough to feed three soldiers. Staying in the Hebei, Shandong and Yu base areas would be a burden.

"These two orders are sent to the headquarters together with the intelligence from the New Eighth Army. Please ask your superiors to make a decision quickly!" Zhou Weihan said. Regarding the arrangements for troop deployment, the superiors had already agreed, but because the meeting was not over, it was not communicated to Zhou Weihan.

For a time, there were frequent telegram exchanges between several base areas of the Eighth Route Army. The headquarters quickly agreed to Zhou Weihan's two orders. At the same time, the 129th Division Headquarters sent a telegram to the Jinan Military Region to quickly send people to the Zhangbei area to take over the defense area.

That night, the headquarters was brightly lit, the radio station was set up in front of his eyes, and Zhou Weihan was making arrangements in an orderly manner.

Zhao Bingzhang held a telegram in his hand and reported: "The Tainan Military Region called back. The 279th Regiment and the 29th Regiment will set off early tomorrow morning. The first division basic regiment will take over the 279th Regiment's defense area, and the guard troops on Yamawang Mountain will take over the 29th Regiment's defense area!"

Zhou Weihan nodded when he heard this, and Zhao Bingzhang was very surprised. Logically speaking, Zhou Weihan was no longer a member of the Tainan Military Region, but the telegrams still had a reporting tone.

What surprised him even more was that although the Eighth Route Army was extremely efficient in uploading and distributing information, its troop deployment was too rapid.

"Call back to the Tainan Military Region. We must do a good job in deployment, and the frontline troops should strengthen their vigilance and be prepared to respond to emergencies at any time!" Zhou Weihan said.

The military commander who went to contact the New Eighth Route Army only stated that Shangfeng asked the New Eighth Route Army headquarters to be ready to attack the Eighth Route Army base area at any time. As for when to attack, and which troops will participate, he did not say too much.

However, Zhou Weihan thought with his buttocks and knew that the 24th Group Army in the Changzhi area was very likely to participate, as well as the national army troops in the Jianghuai area and the Lusu Theater.

The areas where troops from both sides are garrisoned are clearly visible and cannot be deceived. It is not known whether the Shanxi-Sui Army in western Shanxi will be involved.

It stands to reason that troops from the Tainan Military Region should not be deployed at this time, but there is also the Kongjie Independent Regiment stationed in Tunliu on the Tainan front line. The 129th Division is directly under the 22nd Regiment stationed in the northwest of Lu. The number of troops facing the front line is not small, and more What's more, there are brother troops from Taiyue and Taibei who can support them at any time.

Early the next morning, the headquarters received a telegram stating that the deputy chief of staff had returned to the Cong Taihang base area. Even though he was traveling by car, he did not arrive until midnight the next day.

Zhou Weihan rested during the day these two days and worked night shift at night, just in time for the deputy chief of staff to return.

As soon as they saw the chief of staff with bloodshot eyes, the two of them entered the room together regardless of greetings.

"When I came back, I ran into the troops who were on guard. Yes, you responded quickly!" said the deputy chief of staff.

"Everything is being mobilized, but although we are trying our best to hide our whereabouts, there is no guarantee that the movements in Tainan and Zhangbei will be noticed by the enemy!" Zhou Weihan said.

"If the enemy knows our reaction, it would be a good thing to retreat. After all, it is better not to take action under the current circumstances!"

The deputy chief of staff and Zhou Weihan had completely opposite ideas. One advocated peace and the other advocated war. Zhou Weihan didn't say much. He just asked the deputy chief of staff to rest first and hold a meeting early tomorrow morning in a hurry.

It was dawn in a blink of an eye. Although he was on duty, he could not sleep. Zhou Weihan was shaken awake in a daze, but it was Tan Lin who brought breakfast.

Zhou Weihan finished a bowl of noodles in seven mouths, and all the participants arrived. As early as receiving the telegram from the Deputy Chief of General Staff to return, Zhou Weihan had already calculated the time to notify everyone to come to the meeting.

In addition to the leadership team of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region and the leading cadres of several military divisions, there were also personnel from the Western Shandong Military Region present. The meeting location was not Heze but Pu County, where the headquarters of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region was located.

The Deputy Chief of General Staff sat on the main seat, and the leading cadres of the two military regions sat on both sides. During this period, the Deputy Chief of General Staff conveyed the spirit of the Northern Bureau meeting in an orderly manner, and then mentioned the changes in the Japanese puppet troops and the stubborn troops.

The most important one is about personnel appointments. In order to better implement development arrangements in the future, Yanzhou and the Northern Bureau ordered the Hebei, Shandong and Henan base areas to establish the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Branch to coordinate all matters.

The Deputy Chief of General Staff serves as the secretary of the branch, and Tan Lin, Zhou Weihan, Yang Yong, and Xiao Hua serve as committee members of the branch. The Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region abolishes the secondary military region structure and directly governs seven military divisions, namely Zhinan, Northern Henan, Southwest Shandong, and Northwest Shandong, Taixi, Yunxi, Huxi.

The Deputy Chief of General Staff continues to serve as Communist Party member and political commissar, Xiao Hua serves as Director of the Political Department, Tan Lin serves as Deputy Director of the Political Department, Zhou Weihan serves as First Deputy Communist Party member and Chief of Staff, and Yang Yong serves as Deputy Communist Party member.

In terms of local government, the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Administrative Office and the Shandong-Western Administrative Office were merged and were still called the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Administrative Office, with Tan Lin as director and Xiao Hua as deputy director.

Whether it is the local government or the personnel of the two original military regions, all personnel will be merged, and some personnel will be selected to supplement the soon-to-be-formed Hebei, Shandong and Yu column.

After nearly a year of contact between the two military regions, they are basically familiar with each other. The Northern Bureau and the Eighth Route Army Headquarters abolished the secondary military region organization. The main reason is that the original Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region was just a grassroots team, and the deputy chief of staff mainly played the role of a grass-roots team. coordination effect.

Now it is necessary to strengthen the leading organs of the major military regions, centralize power in the first-level military regions, and at the same time give sufficient autonomy to the lower-level military regions.

Zhou Weihan didn't have any objections. Anyway, in his opinion, the headquarters was basically fair and impartial in personnel appointments. His future development focus would be on the field troops, while Yang Yong would prefer local military regions.

As for Tan Lin and Xiao Hua, their appointments to the military region and local areas happened to be staggered. Zhou Weihan could see that the comrades in the Western Shandong Military Region were still a little unconvinced. However, the Southwest Shandong Military Region had a geographical advantage. Therefore, Zhou Weihan also invisibly seized the fifth column.

According to the orders of the Eighth Route Army headquarters, Zhou Weihan served as the Communist Party member and political commissar of the fifth column. As for other candidates, they need to be discussed and decided by the military region before being reported to the headquarters for decision.

"Tell me, how are the preparations for forming the fifth column of troops? Are there any difficulties? This is the first priority at the moment!" said the deputy chief of staff.

Zhou Wei Hanxin said, "You old man is still facing me. It seems that the dried dates from Yanzhou have not been brought back in vain."

Of course, this was also a joke made by Zhou Weihan. The Deputy Chief of General Staff was always fair and would not show any favoritism to Zhou Weihan.

"According to the personnel establishment, the fifth column has four brigades, as well as the guard regiment, artillery regiment, cavalry regiment and other directly affiliated troops."

Although Zhou Weihan didn't mention it before, the personnel appointments of the five vertical columns were already obvious. Wu Qin, who was going south, would occupy one, Ding Wei, who was on the way, would occupy one, and his top confidant Jing Dagang would occupy one. The Southwestern Shandong Military Division, where the center of gravity was located, would naturally not be able to escape.

"Otherwise, it's okay to say that there are only three regiments in the Zhinan Military Division. If too many troops are deployed, it will inevitably lead to an empty defense force in the defense zone!" Zhou Weihan said.

The deputy chief of staff nodded after hearing this, and then looked at the leaders of Lu Xi. Yang Yong and Xiao Hua looked at each other. Should they directly transfer three regiments to form a brigade to supplement the fifth column, or should they transfer one regiment to supplement the direct troops? The Southern Army Division serves as a garrison, so the two of them can still figure out this account. (End of chapter)