Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

The 26th Division and the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade suffered such a devastating blow, and recovery was far from easy. Even less than half of the new recruits they had applied for had arrived. Initially, neither Wang Qiuyun nor Wei Hongjun wanted to make any major moves, preferring to focus on expanding their base.

But now that the Mongolian Army wants to increase its troops, it is also a good idea to increase the attack on the Japanese army and increase the strength of the Eighth Column before the Mongolian Army recovers.

"Lao Wang, where are you going to attack? Although we are taking the initiative, we still need to be extremely cautious.

"I know."

Wang Qiuyun nodded.

He spread out the map and said, "Old Wei, my idea is to take this place."

"Down in the garden?"

"Correct."

"How to do it?"

Wei Hongjun knew why Wang Qiuyun wanted to take over the garden.

This was the largest coal mining base in the Zhangjiakou area. Precisely because of the coal mines here, after the Japanese occupied Chahar, they built a steel mill in Xuanhua. The coal used was sourced from Xiahuayuan. Surrounding the Xiahuayuan coal mines were numerous factories and workers. Zhangjiakou, Xuanhua, and Xiahuayuan were the areas with the largest number of workers in all of Chahar. The Xiahuayuan area employed 7,000 to 8,000 workers of all kinds, perhaps even tens of thousands. It's fair to say that coal mining was the Eighth Route Army's favorite activity during the War of Resistance.

One is to cut off the Japanese coal supply, another is to obtain a lot of machinery and equipment from the coal mines, and the last is to rescue a large number of miners. Miners in this era are the best source of soldiers.

They suffered the greatest oppression from the Japanese, and countless miners died in the mining area. Therefore, every time the Eighth Route Army captured a mine, many of the rescued miners would join the Eighth Route Army.

Wang Qiuyun was attracted by the miners in Xiahuayuan.

There are still few people in the Cha'nan area.

There aren't as many young and middle-aged people as one might imagine. If the army wants to expand its military, rescuing miners is a very good way to do it.

"Found in the east and attack in the west."

Chapter 209: Lower Garden Warfare Preparation

"Commander, do you approve this?"

Laiyuan.

The headquarters of the first division was placed here.

Originally, the First Division's headquarters was in Lingqiu, but later, a large number of First Division troops poured into western Hebei. They were stationed in Yixian, Laishui, Zhuozhou, Dingxing, and even around Baoding. Western Hebei was much better off than Shanxi.

There are many people, a good economy and abundant resources.

And there are many students.

The population controlled by the First Division in several counties in western Hebei was greater than the population controlled by the First Division in Shanxi. These counties in western Hebei often had populations of 200,000 to 300,000 people. They were excellent locations for developing a base.

In order to command the troops of the First Division in western Hebei nearby, the headquarters was placed at the most important transportation route between western Hebei and Shanxi.

When the Japanese and puppet troops swept through the First Division, Laiyuan was a place they would definitely occupy because Laiyuan connected to western Hebei and Shanxi.

"Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun are becoming more and more daring."

Yang Quanwu looked at the map and said slowly.

Although the 8th Column had always been independently developed, it was still under the command of the First Division. If the 8th Column only engaged in small battles, or even mobilized one or two regiments, it did not need to report to the First Division or the Military Region and obtain their approval. However, if it wanted to mobilize a large force, especially a major battle, it must obtain the approval of the Military Region and the First Division.

So Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun immediately submitted an action report to the First Division.

"Commander, from a military perspective, their choice is not wrong, or at least very feasible. Right now, the Mongolian garrison is extremely weak. If the Eighth Column moves, the entire Chahar region may undergo major changes. It will be difficult for the Mongolian garrison to resist the Eighth Column. At that time, the Japanese army may have to transfer troops from Pingbei and Jidong, which is a good thing for the Ji-Re-Liaoning advance. There is also the possibility that the Japanese army will transfer troops from Datong, which will reduce the pressure in the Yanbei region. It will be a good thing for our First Division, the 358th Brigade, and even the 129th Division."

Huang Fa, the Chief of Staff of the First Division, spoke.

Like Yang Quanwu, Huang Fa was a warrior from western Fujian. It's fair to say that many of the current cadres in the First Division are from western Fujian, including Luo Renfa, the director of the Political Department. Yang Quanwu was later criticized, one of the accusations being that he favored cadres from western Fujian, engaging in "factionalism." However, the cadres Yang Quanwu favored were all capable fighters. Yang Quanwu himself was a daring warrior, known as the "Zhao Zilong of the Army." Therefore, he favored only those with real talent.

Yang Quanwu likes to use cadres from western Fujian, but he will not reuse cadres from western Fujian who are incompetent.

That's what Huangfa is like.

Not only was Huang Fa highly valued by Yang Quanwu, but even Commander Nie of the Jin-Cha-Ji region held him in high esteem. Although Huang Fa was a rough man, born into a rough background, he was truly a very capable military cadre. He was not only able to fight tough battles, but also to fight smart ones. Historically, Abe Nobuhide, the Lieutenant General and Commander of the Second Independent Mixed Brigade of the First Division, who caused a sensation throughout North China, was commanded by Huang Fa on the front lines. If it weren't for the incident in which Huang Fa shot and killed his wife, he would have at least been a founding Lieutenant General after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"But such a large-scale military operation?"

Yang Quanwu was still a little hesitant.

If the Eighth Column really mobilized three large regiments to fight, this would not be an ordinary military operation. However, Huang Fa's argument was indeed very good from a military perspective. Therefore, Yang Quanwu hesitated for a moment, but finally made the decision: "Call back and approve the Eighth Column's application. I will go to Commander Nie in person."

"Commander, what about Division One?"

"Well, you go to Dingbei County. Since it was the Eighth Column that caused this, let the Eighth Column lend us the 19th Regiment. You go to Dingbei and Hunyuan, take a regiment with you, and command the 20th and 21st Regiments stationed nearby, as well as local troops. As long as the Datong troops make any movement, attack the Yanbei area, and you can also attack East Datong. You have four main regiments with tens of thousands of people in your hands, and you can wipe out the Japanese and puppet troops in the Yanbei area. If there is a chance to attack the Datong mining area, destroy the Datong mining area and rescue the miners there. If there is no chance, then forget it. Remember, don't act on impulse. Use the least casualties to achieve the greatest results."

"Yes."

"The 16th and 18th Regiments, please report all the troops that can participate in the battle.

Wang Qiuyun summoned the main troops of the 16th and 18th Regiments.

There needs to be big action.

The column must fully understand the situation of the 16th and 18th Regiments.

Although the 16th and 18th Regiments had reported their situations before, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun still wanted to get more accurate data.

Wang Qiuyun first looked at Zhang Zihua, the commander of the 16th Regiment, who was also the deputy commander of the th Column and commander of the th Regiment.

Zhang Zihua coughed and said, "The 3400th Regiment currently has four main battalions, each with four companies of men. In addition to the main battalions, the th Regiment is equipped with a special forces battalion, a guard battalion, an artillery battalion, and logistical support troops and staff, for a total of men.

"anything else?"

The 16th Regiment was the first base area officially established by the 8th Column, apart from Shengxian County. To the Xining County Anti-Japanese Base Area, the 8th Column only sent Gao Wei, a reinforced platoon, and some local cadres. However, to the Huailai Base Area, the 8th Column sent two main battalions.

One was the 1st Battalion, the main force of the 8th Column at that time, and the other was the 3rd Battalion reorganized from the Shengxian County Brigade.

Moreover, the Eighth Column had fought several battles with the Japanese army over the past year, all within Huailai County. Therefore, the Eighth Column provided the greatest support to the Sixteenth Regiment.

"The Sixteenth Regiment has a new recruit battalion."

"continue."

"The Huailai County Brigade has two battalions."

"Can they all fight?"

"Yes. Although it's a new recruit battalion and a county brigade, there are still many commanders and veterans."

Zhang Zihua replied.

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun nodded.

This was the true strength of the 16th Regiment. Not only did it receive significant support from the Column, but it also boasted a robust cadre reserve. When the 16th Regiment's First Battalion was formed, it had the largest number of scholars, the largest number of Party members, and the largest number of military cadres. Later, the annexation of cadres sent to Huailai by the Pingxi Detachment significantly strengthened the 16th Regiment's cadre reserve. Although cadres like Zhang Dahu and Xiahou Wen joined the New 1st Regiment in establishing the Longyanchi base,

However, the cadre reserve of the 16th Regiment is still among the best in the 8th Column.

It is not surprising that the 16th Regiment has 5,000 main forces.

Wei Hongjun continued to ask, "Where are your district squad and militia?"

"Our district squad leaders are all company- and platoon-level cadres in the army, and the militia leaders are all veteran squad leaders who have fought in combat. To form the district squads and militia teams in Huailai County, the 16th Regiment drew a platoon from each battalion."

"how many people?"

"We have six district squads and 118 village militia teams in Huailai. However, among these militia teams, there are only about 20 combat-capable militia units. The other militia units are mainly used to assist the main force in evacuating civilians or transporting supplies. Our district squads are organized at the company level, and the militia units participating in the battle are organized at the platoon level."

"it is good."

The 16th Regiment was the first in the 8th Column to propose developing and strengthening local forces.

Later, it received support from Wei Hongjun. In this regard, the 16th Regiment did a really good job. The 16th Regiment sent some of its capable grassroots commanders to local troops, allowing them to fully utilize their talents and build local troops.

While the main force was resting, the district squads and militia units kept fighting with the traitorous troops, in order to improve their own combat effectiveness and to seize weapons, ammunition, and logistical supplies.

Although they are all local troops, the local troops under the 16th Regiment are particularly strong.

"Where's the Eighteenth Regiment?"

"Commander and Political Commissar, the 3600th Regiment currently has four infantry battalions, one cavalry battalion, one artillery battalion, and one guard battalion under its command. Including the headquarters and logistics personnel, the total number of personnel is ."

Wu Qinghe, commander of the 18th Regiment, reported.

The 18th and 16th Regiments were the two most outstanding regiments of the 8th Column. This was because when these two units were formed, they had the two fist battalions of the 8th Column at that time: the First Battalion and the Special Forces Battalion.

The 18th Regiment grew out of the Special Service Battalion and was later incorporated into the 1st Battalion of the 10th Brigade of the 3rd Division. The Special Service Battalion was the backbone of the 8th Column, while the 1st Battalion of the 10th Brigade was the main force of the 3rd Division. Furthermore, the 18th Regiment had long been developing its base in Xuanhua, giving it considerable strength.

Before the 16th Regiment was formed, the 18th Regiment had already developed its troops under various names.

Moreover, the 18th Regiment also has a cavalry battalion.

"anything else?"

"The 18th Regiment also formed two guerrilla armies, as well as the Xuanhua County Brigade and the Zhuolu County Brigade.

"What organization?"

"Battalion-level organization."

The 16th and 18th Regiments knew that they were going to fight a war, so they started to show off their strengths.

Look at the Eighteenth Regiment.

Because the 18th Regiment was the main force regiment established by the military region, having a few more people was fine, but having too many was not. The 1st Division and the 8th Column both had large regiments, each of which consisted of around 3,000 men.

In other military divisions, 2,000 men would be considered a large regiment, but in Division 1, 3,000 men would be considered a large regiment, while 2,000 men would be considered an ordinary main force regiment.

However, both the 16th and 18th Regiments were very strong. After all, the 8th Column had won a series of great victories, forcing the Mongolian garrison to increase its strength. Therefore, the 16th and 18th Regiments had developed very well.

But what to do if the staffing is insufficient?

We can only think carefully about how to form some troops.

The Sixteenth Regiment directly added a so-called new recruit battalion, and then vigorously developed local forces. The Eighteenth Regiment formed a guerrilla army, using the name of the guerrilla army to support the extra troops.

Chapter 210: Lower Garden Warfare 2

"Where are the weapons and equipment?"

"The main battalion has no shortage of guns, and the other organized troops can also meet 80% of their needs.

"How many light and heavy machine guns are there?"

"The 187th Regiment has 36 light and heavy machine guns, including 151 heavy machine guns and light machine guns.

"The 201th Regiment has 29 light and heavy machine guns, including 172 heavy machine guns and light machine guns.

"Are there enough bullets?"

"enough."