Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 239 This business is very challenging!
The time came one month later.

After the main force of the Japanese puppet army withdrew, the troops and civilians returned to the Jinzhong base.

Jinzhong base area.

Xujia Village.

Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, Xing Zhiguo, Li Wenying, and the company commanders of each battalion and others sat together to summarize and discuss this anti-mopping-up operation.

Li Wenying, the political commissar of the independent regiment, said: "Our anti-mopping-up operation this time was undoubtedly very successful."

"Not only did we move the villagers to a safe area in advance, but we also saved their lives."

"On the first day of the Japanese counter-mopping-up operation, we broke out from the front and escaped the Japanese encirclement, saving most of the combat supplies and the lives of our officers and soldiers. Looking back at any of our army's breakout operations, none of them were as successful as this counter-mopping-up and anti-encirclement operation."

"However, the real test was not over yet. During the period when the Red Army was in Jinggangshan, it experienced five anti-encirclement and suppression campaigns."

"We must also be mentally and operationally prepared for at least five counter-encirclement and suppression campaigns by the Japanese army."

"The war of resistance is never a matter of one day or one night, but a long-term battle with the enemy."

"..."

"I believe that victory will ultimately belong to the Chinese people!"

clap clap-

Li Wenying is worthy of being the only full-time political commissar present. Her summary words can't help but boost people's confidence.

In the face of the Japanese and puppet army's raids, the best way is to either hide in the mountains with the villagers and fight guerrilla warfare against the Japanese and puppet army, commonly known as "fortifying the walls and clearing the fields."

Either they protect the civilians and help them break out separately. Either way, the losses will be relatively large.

Like the May 500th mopping-up operation in the original drama, Li Yunlong's independent regiment had a total strength of more than people before the mopping-up. After breaking out in a dispersed manner, the entire regiment was reduced by two-thirds, leaving only more than people, which was a heavy loss.

In comparison, this time the troops were concentrated together to break out, resulting in much smaller casualties and material losses.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the troops are strong enough. If they are too weak and adopt the tactic of concentrated breakout, they will be providing food to the Japanese and puppet troops.

"The biggest problem facing us now is to solve the problem of food and housing for our fellow villagers."

Kong Jie nodded and said.

Although the anti-mopping-up operation was successful, the combat effectiveness of the Jinzhong Military Region was still insufficient.

The Japanese and puppet troops entered the base, destroyed most of the crops, burned almost all the houses, and poisoned some areas where houses were concentrated, releasing plague and poison gas. Fortunately, Boss Lin gave us a special medicine, which prevented major losses.

"How long can the food in the hands of the villagers last?"

Li Yunlong looked at Kong Jie and asked.

"At most, they only had half a month's worth of food. Many villagers came back and burst into tears when they saw all the corn stalks had been chopped off."

"Last year, the Nationalist Army, the Central Army, and the Japanese puppet army came to the village with all kinds of cattle and horses to collect grain. The villagers had no food in their hands and were waiting for this year's grain to save their lives. Unexpectedly..."

Kong Jie's eyes were red, and he had just wiped away a tear. He hated to see his fellow villagers suffer the most.

A battalion commander responsible for covering the civilians' retreat and relocation said, "Because there was no food, the people started eating corn as soon as it came out in June. They barely got by. But now all the corn stalks have been cut down, and there's not even any corn left. If there's no food, within two months, the people of Jinzhong Military Region will starve to death on a large scale."

Ding Wei asked, "What is the attitude of the villagers towards our Eighth Route Army?"

Having just returned from southeastern Shanxi, several regiment commanders have not had time to understand the situation.

The battalion commander said: "The attitude of most villagers is quite good, but a small number of them are planning to leave the Jinzhong base and go to other places to escape the famine."

The so-called fleeing from famine refers to encountering a famine or disaster year and being unable to make a living, so people leave their homes and flee to a foreign land to seek food.

Li Yunlong nodded and quickly understood the situation.

Even if the Eighth Route Army had not come, the villagers would still have a hard life. When the corn was ripe, the Japanese and puppet troops would start going to the countryside to collect grain.

The Japanese high-ranking officials gave orders to the Japanese puppet troops below, requiring them to collect a certain number of troops, otherwise they would be beaten to death.

They said they were collecting grain, but in fact they were just robbing it.

Anyone who dares to resist will be stabbed to death with a bayonet.

Xing Zhiguo said, "If the villagers want to escape famine elsewhere, we in the Eighth Route Army won't stop them, but I'm afraid the Japanese puppet army won't agree."

"The Japanese puppet army doesn't agree?" a battalion commander asked in surprise. "Don't the enemy just want the people to leave us?"

Zhao Gang pulled out a telegram: "I received reliable intelligence this morning that the Japanese puppet army plans to build reinforced concrete strongholds, bunkers, and artillery towers around our base area, intending to blockade us."

Ding Wei and Kong Jie took the telegram and read it, and they couldn't help but get furious.

"Damn the Japs!" ×2
The Japanese now realized that they would not be able to destroy the Eighth Route Army in the Jinzhong Military Region with just a Type A division.

Unless another fully-staffed Type A division and two puppet army divisions are sent over, there will be a chance to destroy the Eighth Route Army in the Jinzhong Military Region.

but.

The North China Front Army Headquarters would certainly not agree, because the Eighth Route Army in the Jinzhong Military Region had only one brigade of troops, only a few thousand people.

The Japanese dispatched two Type A divisions and four puppet army divisions. Isn't this just using cannons to kill mosquitoes? Isn't it a complete waste?
Now that the war has broken out, how can the Japanese have so many Type A divisions and excess combat supplies to deal with the Eighth Route Army of the Jinzhong Military Region?
Ultimately, in the grand scheme of Eastern strategy, the Second War Zone in China was but a small pawn. And the Jinzhong region was an even smaller pawn in the Second War Zone's military situational map. The three regiments of Ding, Li, and Kong were not officially listed on the Nationalist Government's Military Commission's organizational chart, lacking even a designation.

Theoretically speaking, the three regiments of the Jinzhong Military Region were armed forces outside the combat sequence of the National Army.

This time, the Japanese army dispatched a Type A division and two puppet army divisions for a mopping-up operation, mainly because Li Yunlong was too capable of causing trouble, and the Japanese felt that Li Yunlong posed a great threat to them.

In the eyes of the Japanese, they don’t need to mobilize troops and combat supplies. They just need to build strongholds, artillery towers and bunkers. They can be trapped to death. Why should they attack and consume combat supplies and the elite soldiers of the Type A division?

"The Japs are determined not to leave anyone alive!"

"If you ask me, we should just fight the Japs and puppet troops. With our current equipment level, it won't be difficult to kill tens of thousands of Japs and puppet troops!"

"If there's no food, we can just rob it. We're close to Zhengtai Road and Tongpu Road, so why should we worry about running out of food?"

"There's no way out, how can you rob?"

"Then open up a new path. There are no paths in this world, but when more people walk on it, paths will appear."

"..."

The telegram was passed to every officer, and everyone was talking at once.

This telegram was naturally sent by Boss Lin to Li Yunlong. With the current intelligence capabilities of the Jinzhong Military Region, it was impossible to obtain such top-secret information.

The Jinzhong Military Region was short of food and had wanted to rely on support from other brother military regions, but it didn't expect that the Japanese puppet army had blocked even this road.

"Let's adjourn."

After the discussion yielded no results, Li Yunlong nodded with a relaxed expression. "After the troops return to their bases, they should first do a good job of educating the villagers and mobilize the militia and engineers to help them build houses to avoid causing chaos."

"I have a way to solve the food problem for the folks in the Jinzhong Military Region."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this, because Captain Li had a wealthy family behind him.

Ding Wei and Kong Jie also thought of this. Boss Lin has connections and perhaps has a way to solve this problem.

"Old Li, I feel relieved after hearing what you said." Kong Jie wiped away his tears. "First of all, I want to thank you on behalf of the folks in the independent regiment's defense zone."

After the meeting, he personally drafted a telegram and gave it to Xiao Zhang to send out.

As the head of the Jinzhong Military Region, Li Yunlong naturally had to appear relaxed in front of everyone.

But after everyone left, Li Yunlong's expression became serious.

"Based on the consumption of one kilogram of rations per person per day, 15 kilograms of food are needed every day, not including the food needed by several main regiments."

"The civilian population alone requires more than 2200 tons of grain every month. This year's harvest is over, and there's still more than half a year until next summer's wheat harvest. Add to that the troops' needs, and the Jinzhong Military Region's food shortage is at least 2 tons."

"It's not easy to earn enough food to feed 16 people for half a year."

"Recapturing a county town requires 200 tons of grain, while recapturing a key military town only requires 400 tons of grain."

"But if we can get this deal done, I can have the locals plant some sweet potatoes in the second half of the year, and borrow some from other military regions. I think we can get through this difficult time..."

"However, this business is not easy to do."

"The Blade Commando has been out on reconnaissance for a week. It's time for them to return."

Li Yunlong's eyes were shrewd as he calculated carefully.

"If we succeed in this deal and earn a lot of grain, the common people will have nothing to do."

"Why not just make everyone a soldier? Organize all those who are of appropriate age and directly form the main force if they are suitable."

"There should be no problem recruiting 15 main force soldiers from a population of 1."

"If each battalion has 1500 people, we can form 10 battalions. If each battalion has 750 people, we can form 20 battalions."

"Weapons and equipment are a problem, and the troops' combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced, but can a living person be killed by holding their urine?"

"Young and strong people who are not in the main force will join the militia, district squads, and county brigades to mobilize all the people to become soldiers."

"Build a few wineries and tobacco factories, let women work in the factories, and revitalize the economy."

"Whether it's soldiers joining the main force, militia, or women working in factories, they can all be given food, but the more you work, the more you get, the less you work, the less you get, and if you don't work, you get nothing."

"We also need to build a school so that children can learn cultural knowledge. I suffered from my lack of education in the past. This area can be handed over to the young scholar Zhao Gang."

"After the Japanese complete the blockade, a few months later, the Japanese puppet army will think they have trapped our Jinzhong Military Region to death."

"And at this time, my newly formed troops have also completed their training."

"When the time comes, I'll definitely be able to give the devils and the puppet army a big surprise, hehe..."

"However, the most important thing now is to be able to obtain food, a large amount of food, through this next business deal."

"If we can't get food, everything else is just empty talk."

“But this business is very challenging…”

(End of this chapter)