Songhu: Never Give Up

After the battle of Fujinshan, the main force of the Japanese Second Army continued to advance westward, and a few days later the 16th Division captured Shangcheng;

The 2nd Army did not focus on fighting a positional battle with the Japanese, and took the initiative to give up the mall. The main force continued to block the Japanese at various key points.

After the Japanese 2nd Army reached the line of Shangcheng and Guangshan, it continued to split into two routes. The 10th and 3rd Divisions in the north continued to advance westward from Guangshan and Huangchuan, attacking Luoshan and Xinyang, trying to cut off the Pinghan Road and go south to Wuhan.

The Japanese troops in the south were the 13th and 16th Divisions, which turned south from Shangcheng and attacked Shawo and Xiaojieling.

Starting from September 9, the 27th Division, together with the 16th Division, moved south along the highway between Shangcheng and Macheng;

Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Army and Song Xilian's 71st Army set up layers of defense in Xiaojieling and other places, coordinated closely, and used the dangerous mountain terrain to block the Japanese and inflict heavy casualties on them.

The 16th and 13th Divisions were blocked again at Xiaojieling, and it was their old enemy, the 71st Army, at Fujin Mountain that blocked their way.
The third detachment of the guerrilla column was guarding the mountainous area on the right wing of Xiaojieling. The first and second detachments did not retreat but advanced deep into the rear of the Japanese to launch guerrilla warfare.

The main forces of the Japanese, the 3rd, 10th, 13th and 16th Divisions, moved westward and southward respectively. The vast areas of the northern and eastern foothills of the Dabie Mountains were occupied by only a few Japanese defensive points, and the mountainous areas and rural areas became vacuum zones.
The scattered Northwestern Army and Central Army also continued to fight, and many of them began to occupy the mountains and become bandits.

Now it's OK, they all choose to fight the devils, but as time goes by, their living space is constantly compressed, and finally they all become real bandits. In order to solve the supply problem, it is common for them to harm the people;

There was an additional guerrilla column in this time and space. When dividing the troops, Yue Qianli instructed Zhu Chi and Gao Zhisong that they must be strong against these scattered soldiers and recruit them all.

Those who refused to be incorporated would be exterminated, no mercy. In order not to attract the attention of the Japanese, they tried to avoid the county town and various key points in their activities. Their main goal was to make a fortune in silence.

While the Japanese 13th and 16th Divisions were attacking Xiaojieling, the st and nd Detachments of the Guerrilla Column began to suppress bandits and gather up the defeated soldiers in the rear of the Japanese. If any Japanese dared to go to the countryside, they would be eliminated together.
At first, the various tribes were somewhat resistant, thinking that the regular army's suppression of bandits was not doing its job properly. But when they gathered a large number of defeated soldiers, they shut up. These were all veterans of many battles, the favorites of the guerrilla column.

The battalions, battalions, and companies seemed to have returned to the happy days of collecting the defeated soldiers in the Songhu rear area. Although the number was not large, it was enough to satisfy the appetite of each unit.

The teams of various units were constantly expanding, not only filling the gaps in the original manpower, but also increasing it. Some battalions even increased to 3 people, which made Wu Qiujian laugh with joy.

Captain Lin Zhongfei came over and encouraged him:
"Captain, there is a group of bandits entrenched on Lion Ridge. They have raised the banner of anti-Japanese resistance and recruited many defeated soldiers. There are thousands of people and guns. I heard that the leader is still the remnant of the Red Bandits. Do you want me to lead a large group to destroy them?"

When Wu Qiujian heard that they were the remnants of the Red Bandits, he immediately became cautious. As graduates of the third term of Whampoa Military Academy, who among them had not experienced the test of the Great Revolution?

In the past, he would have led his troops to wipe them out without hesitation, which would have been a great achievement;
But it’s no use now. At his level, he has already seen through some things. Judging from what Lao Yue did in the guerrilla column and some private words from the top leaders, Lao Yue is probably a white-skinned person with a red heart.

For this reason, he also hinted to the detachment leader Zhu Chi privately, but the reply he got was that he didn't care whether he was red or white, he would fight the Japanese with Ding Laoyue;

He was also reminded not to spread the matter. We were all brothers, so if we were united we could stay together, and if we were not, we could separate. He could also choose to go to the 88th Division and become the commander of the 523rd Regiment, or even the commander of the 262nd Brigade.

After repeated consideration, Wu Qiujian decided to stay and was demoted to battalion commander. This was an option for him.

While in school, he chose to stay in the National Army, firmly believing that the Three Principles of the People were the right choice for China;

After the river digging incident, his faith collapsed, but Lao Yue's actions gave him hope to continue his faith in serving the country and the people, so he would rather be demoted and stay.

Now facing the remnants of the Red Army, he naturally cannot act rashly. He must first verify whether they are really the remnants of the Red Army fighting the Japanese, and then ask Lao Yue for instructions. This is also the moment when he makes his position clear to Lao Yue.

The gate of the Black Cloud Village in Shiziling was closed, and the only Maxim heavy machine gun was set up.
The village chief Qian Tianlu was convening several leaders to discuss matters. Different from the bandit armed forces in other mountain villages, Heiyun Village implemented militarized management.
In order to conceal their identities, they were organized into battalions, squadrons and squads. The banner raised by Heiyun Village was the Lion Hill Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army. Qian Tianlu appointed himself as the commander, and he was in charge of three battalions, each with more than 3 people.

Before we even met the Japs, the Nationalist Army came. Captain Mao Zixin said nonchalantly:
"What's there to be afraid of? They're just a bunch of white dogs. We've fought them before. They still owe countless blood debts to the folks in Macheng. It's a good opportunity to settle old and new debts together."

Everyone agreed, and the Volunteer Army's political commissar quickly spoke out to stop them:
"Comrades, now is the period of united resistance against the enemy. We are united in facing the enemy. The main force of our Fourth Front Army has been reorganized into the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army.
Those of us who stayed behind and continued to fight guerrilla warfare should also respond to the call and stop fighting a civil war."

Another captain said worriedly:
"Political Commissar, having said that, these white dogs have now surrounded the mountain stronghold. If we don't resist, they will wipe us out.
Li Mazi of Qingfeng Village was wiped out by them. We had tried to recruit them several times before but failed, and in the end, Bai Gouzi got the upper hand.

I heard that Li Mazi fled from the back mountain with a few of his trusted followers, and the rest became their captives."

This is also the reason why the commander called everyone to a meeting. Political Commissar Zhong Wenzheng thought for a while and said:
"Comrades, this is indeed a very difficult matter. If it weren't for the national crisis, they would just come and fight.

My opinion is to show our anti-Japanese stance and attitude. If they insist on fighting, we can only abandon the mountain stronghold and go to the former base of our Fourth Front Army. We have a very good mass base in Jinzhai and Macheng. Now the main force of the National Army has been driven away by the devils, and the main forces of both sides are fighting a decisive battle. It is a good opportunity to advance behind enemy lines and grow stronger. There is no need to fight them to the death. "

When the political commissar finished speaking, everyone else looked at Qian Tianlu. He was the commander, and everyone had to obey him in military matters.

Qian Tianlu had a very long career. He had participated in the Huangma Uprising and served as the commander of the main Red Army. If he had not been seriously injured during the breakout, the leaders would have been reluctant to keep him.

He was not in a hurry to express his opinion, but thought for a while and said:

"The Nationalist Army fought bravely against the Japanese invaders in the Dabie Mountains and suffered heavy losses. It is only a matter of time before they withdraw from the Dabie Mountains.

We must persist in the struggle. My opinion is that we should find out their bottom line first. We should be tough when necessary and not compromise blindly.

We must fight against the Nationalist Army, but we must also unite with them. The purpose of the fight is also to unite with them, so we can cooperate to fight against Japan."

After listening to this, Political Commissar Zhong expressed his agreement. Seeing that the two chief officers had reached a consensus, the others also expressed their agreement.

At the foot of Lion Ridge, at the headquarters of the 1st Battalion of the st Detachment, Wu Qiujian had already received instructions from the column headquarters, which also asked them to find out the enemy's bottom line first;

If they are the guerrillas left behind by the Red Army, then we should not recruit them for the time being. We don't need these few guns to cause trouble. We should keep our distance and fight our own enemies. There must be no accidental discharge of guns.

After reading Lao Yue's reply, Wu Qiujian revealed a meaningful smile, thinking to himself that it was indeed true, and it was hidden well enough.

At this moment, Captain Lin Zhongfei came in and reported to him:
"Captain, someone from Black Cloud Village has arrived. They want to talk to you."

Wu Qiujian smiled and said:

"I didn't expect that there are such bold people in Black Cloud Village. Don't they know that officials and bandits have always been irreconcilable?"

Lin Zhongfei looked at Wu Qiujian in confusion, not understanding his confusing words. Wu Qiujian nodded casually and said:
"Then please come over. I also want to meet them."

Half an hour later, Wu Qiujian met the person who came. He was the political commissar of the Heiyun Village Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army. His external identity was military advisor, which was in line with the organizational structure of the bandits.

After both sides announced their names to each other, they sat down as host and guest. Wu Qiujian deliberately announced the number of the guerrilla column to see the other party's reaction, and then he heard Zhong Wenzheng say:

"It turned out to be the iron army of the famous anti-Japanese commander Commander Yue. I have long admired him. Although Zhong has lived in the countryside for a long time, he is familiar with Commander Yue's name.
It’s just that Commander Yue has always held high the banner of the War of Resistance, and we in Heiyun Village are also anti-Japanese volunteers. Is there some misunderstanding that your troops surrounded Lion Mountain?"

Wu Qiujian put on the arrogance of a Central Army soldier and said carelessly:
"There is no misunderstanding. Brothers, following Commander Yue's order, have recruited the scattered armed forces in the enemy's war zone and led them to fight the devils together.

Some of these miscellaneous armed forces are bandits, some are vagrants, and when they have nothing to eat, they will cause trouble to the village, so we must recruit them all, and you are naturally included."

Zhong Wenzheng understood that the guerrilla column wanted to strengthen itself by suppressing bandits. It was the same idea as his, but they did not have such strong strength.

He knew the fighting power of the guerrilla column, and he didn't want to be incorporated, so he could only say:
"Captain Wu, my unit is also a volunteer army that truly fights the Japanese invaders. We have never done any harm to the village. You can go and find out about this.

Since we are all fighting the Japanese, we should seek common ground while reserving differences and unite to fight against Japan. If necessary, our Volunteer Army is willing to accept your dispatch, but we hope to maintain a certain degree of independence. "

Wu Qiujian sneered in his heart. It was indeed the trick of the Northwest Eighth Route Army. He pretended to think about it for a while and then said:
"That's not impossible. The anti-Japanese armed forces in Dabie Mountain must be united as one and led by the guerrilla column.

From now on, you will be the independent battalion of my 1st Battalion. When the Japanese invade, you must obey orders. "

This plan was acceptable to Heiyun Village. It was just a title after all. The main Red Army had been reorganized into the Eighth Route Army under the banner of the National Government. They could also accept fighting the Japanese under the name of the guerrilla column.
The most important thing is to maintain independence. He immediately said that he would discuss it with the commander after returning, as he could not make the decision on his own.

Wu Qiujian gave them two days to make a decision. This plan was naturally thought up by Lao Yue and was the best solution.

(End of this chapter)