Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

But Wei Hongjun had seen this kind of thing too many times. It had been almost ten years since he joined the army, and he had witnessed countless tragic events. Therefore, he quickly calmed down. He said, "Cao Mo's situation warrants a proper record. His parents and brothers died at the hands of the Japanese, and although one of his uncles defected to the Japanese, as long as Cao had no contact with his uncle, he wouldn't be considered a traitor. Furthermore, if his uncle truly had a connection to him, he wouldn't have allowed him to dig coal in Xiahuayuan for so long. All of this can be detailed in the records."

"it is good."

Wei Hongjun continued, "Director Han, everyone's files must be carefully organized and accurate, so they can withstand investigation by the organization and the test of history. Also, for anyone, even the slightest ambiguity must be clarified. If those comrades cannot explain historical issues clearly, then the work must be adjusted. Some comrades may not understand, but the Political Department cannot compromise. This is not only for the safety of our Eighth Column, but also for the historical responsibility of our comrades, and even more so, for their future."

"it is good."

Wei Hongjun is not making a fuss.

The Eighth Route Army and the Japanese were mortal enemies. Even the Eighth Route Army and the Nationalist Army were currently only collaborators on the surface. The exchange of intelligence personnel between the two sides was commonplace.

For the safety of the army and the base, anti-espionage work must be given high priority.

It's also a matter of responsibility for the political well-being of our comrades. By investigating their entire 18 generations now, their files can be completed. So, if there are any issues with their backgrounds or other aspects, as long as they don't do anything harmful to the revolution, Wei Hongjun can still protect them. However, if they keep things secret now and fail to explain historical issues clearly, the files will be unclear, which will only lead to greater problems in the future. If historical issues are uncovered in the future, that would be a truly serious matter. At that point, even if Wei Hongjun wanted to protect them, he wouldn't be able to do so.

So at this time, historical archives must be detailed.

"Recently, many students have joined our Eighth Column, and we must thoroughly investigate their files. Some students may not understand or even resist our investigation, but the investigation cannot be stopped. Of course, our Political Department's methods cannot be too crude. We shouldn't resort to the old purges, accusing people of crimes before any investigation. This will discourage those students. If something happens, you, as the Director of the Political Department, must step in to appease them."

Student problems can be big or small.

Historically, using students to enter base areas and deploying intelligence agents among them was a common practice. Therefore, student files must be thoroughly investigated. However, students are also prone to excitement and may react drastically.

This requires the Eighth Column's Political Department to strike a balance between being able to investigate their information and also being able to make it acceptable to the students.

"I will hold a special meeting to emphasize discipline."

"How is Cao Mo himself?"

"I can't tell. His biggest hobby is training soldiers.

Since the formation of the First Guard Regiment and his temporary leadership, he's been completely absorbed in training. From the information we've obtained, he was quite adept at training troops during his time in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. However, his personality was dull and he didn't know how to bribe his superiors, so his promotion was slow. From information we've heard from other sources, his reputation is generally positive. He's a relatively pure soldier.

"What about political leanings?"

"There's no overt political leaning. Because Yan Xishan ruled Shanxi for many years, our Party's influence and publicity here are limited. Therefore, many officers within the Jinsui Army aren't familiar with us. They don't have much affection for us, but they don't have much resentment either."

"I see."

After Wei Hongjun learned about Cao's situation from the side, he went to the First Security Regiment to meet Cao in person.

The division of labor among the Eighth Column is quite clear.

As the political commissar of the 8th Column and secretary of the Chanan Prefectural Committee, Wei Hongjun was the top leader of both the base area and the army. Therefore, Wei Hongjun was responsible for the overall situation, coordinating military and local affairs. Within the army, he was in charge of its political work.

Wang Qiuyun was the commander of the 8th Column.

Every day, he considered military training and the upcoming anti-mopping-up plan. It was Wei Hongjun's job to talk to the cadres below and understand their mental states. When Wei Hongjun arrived at the First Security Regiment, he could already feel the overwhelming atmosphere of combat readiness.

The thick smell of gunpowder.

Wei Hongjun was quite surprised. After all, the First Security Regiment had only just been established, and although it was primarily composed of troops from the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the 29th Army, the fact that the regiment was in such a state so short a time after its establishment still surprised Wei Hongjun.

Just by looking at the status of these trained soldiers, Wei Hongjun had a high opinion of Cao Ken.

This is a military cadre who can train troops and fight.

"What are Comrade Cao Mo's daily habits like?"

The person who came to pick up Wei Hongjun in the 1st Security Regiment was Gao Huaiyuan, the political commissar of the 1st Security Regiment.

Gao Huaiyuan was exhausted.

You can tell at a glance that he had participated in training before.

"He doesn't have any bad habits. He had a good reputation when he was in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. He didn't take unpaid wages or smoke opium, but like many veteran officers, he did beat and scold soldiers. I've already discussed this with him, and I hope he can change this habit."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

Officers in the old army all had this problem.

Beating and scolding soldiers was common.

But the Eighth Route Army would not allow this. One of the important issues in the new-style military reorganization movement initiated by Wei Hongjun was the beating and scolding of soldiers in the old army.

Therefore, Cao’s problem cannot be ignored.

"Let Comrade Cao Mo participate in the new military reorganization of other units of our army so that he can hear firsthand the opinions of the vast majority of soldiers. You must help Comrade Cao Ken and make him understand that in our Eighth Route Army, officers and soldiers are equal.

There is only a different division of labor in revolutionary work, there is no superior or inferior, and soldiers cannot be beaten or scolded at will.

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun continued to ask: "What is the ideological situation of the First Security Regiment? What do the officers and soldiers think about joining the Eighth Route Army?

"Most people had little resistance to joining the Eighth Route Army to fight against Japan. Many had suffered greatly under the Japanese army, so they were very determined to fight against the Japanese. However, they were not very comfortable with many of the Eighth Route Army's disciplines. This will take time."

"You have to work hard. You should go to the company more often, talk more with the grassroots officers and soldiers, and understand their ideas. As a political cadre, you must not be high and mighty, just shouting slogans and talking about big principles. A qualified political cadre must know how to go to the grassroots and listen to the voices of the grassroots officers and soldiers. Feel their thoughts and understand their ideas firsthand. Only by getting along with them will they trust you and be willing to listen to what you say. Only at this time can they truly listen to the policies of our Eighth Route Army when we publicize them. Have you read all the documents on the new military reorganization?"

“Yes, I’m still learning.”

"Your First Security Regiment's situation is rather special, so the previous documents from the Eighth Column may not necessarily be suitable for you. But you can learn from them and apply them to your First Security Regiment."

"Yes."

Wei Hongjun followed Gao Huaiyuan for a while and saw Cao Mo, the commander of the First Security Regiment.

Cao Mo was very serious.

He explained things to the people below and demonstrated many actions personally.

"Let's see first."

Chapter 240 Cao Mo 2

Wei Hongjun didn't go over until Cao finished his training.

Cao saw Wei Hongjun and greeted him. This was the second time the two had met, apart from their previous encounter in Xiahuayuan.

"political commissar."

"Comrade Cao Mo, the tactics you described are of a very high level. Since I joined the army, I have fought against many units of the Nationalist Army. But to be honest, the tactics of many units are average. Many of the things you just mentioned, I have not seen in other units of the Nationalist Army."

This is not Wei Hongjun complimenting Cao Mo.

Rather, many of the things Cao just talked about were very fresh and very practical tactics. Although many of them were offensive and defensive tactics, not the mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare tactics commonly used by the Eighth Route Army, they were still very valuable.

After all, both mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare have the word "war" at the end; to put it bluntly, they still involve fighting. Simply engaging in mobile warfare or guerrilla warfare without the "war" at the end is not a qualified form of mobile warfare or guerrilla warfare.

Whenever there is a war, offensive and defensive tactics are involved.

"What we learn in school is all the same. The content in the classroom hasn't changed in over a decade. In battle, we just muddle through as best we can, so naturally, our tactical skills haven't improved much. Many officers who graduated from regular military academies aren't as good at fighting as those who didn't attend military academy."

Cao Mo's criticism was very rude.

After finishing his complaints, he felt it was not enough and continued, "During the Battle of Nankou, I fought with the Central Army, the 29th Army, and the Shaanxi Army. Although we attended different military academies, our levels were similar. Especially in digging trenches and building defensive lines, they were no different from the Beiyang Army thirty years ago. There has been no progress in thirty years. The defensive lines built had no depth and were lined up in a row. The defense was truly only width without depth. With such a defensive position, if the Japanese broke through even a little, the entire line would collapse. The Japanese army had only one trick: attack from the front and break through from the flanks. But with such a simple trick, we fell for it every time. The trenches were useless. Not to mention Japanese aircraft and infantry artillery, even the Japanese mortars and Zheng bomb tubes had no place to hide. Whether it was the top or the bottom of the National Army, the tactical level was almost the same. There has been no progress in these years."

"During the Eastern Expedition, I thought your Jinsui Army was pretty good at digging trenches."

"It's just to fool the laymen."

Cao Mo didn't give Wei Hongjun any face at all.

To put it bluntly, Wei Hongjun is an amateur.

Everyone says Cao Mo doesn't like to talk. Unexpectedly, during this one-on-one conversation, he's incredibly talkative. Perhaps Cao's sharp tongue is a thorn in the side of the army. No wonder his promotion in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was so slow.

Cao Mo said directly: "The trenches dug by our Shanxi-Suiyuan Army can only stop the Red Army without heavy weapons. No, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army did not stop the Red Army troops back then, which means that those trenches could not even stop the Red Army without heavy weapons. Otherwise, Commander Yan would not have allowed the Central Army to enter Shanxi. As for fighting the Japanese, the simple trenches could not stop the Japanese army at all. After I was captured, I was first imprisoned in Datong and then transferred to Xiahuayuan. During this process, I occasionally had the opportunity to see the Japanese fortifications. Every time I had such an opportunity, I would observe very carefully. Their trenches were dug very cleverly, and the defense line they built could fully demonstrate the performance of the weapons in their hands. They had a squadron guarding a hilltop, dug trenches, and built defenses. It was more difficult to take it down than to take down a hilltop guarded by a regiment of the National Army."

"Can you draw it for me to see?"

"Commissar, look."

Both of them led troops to fight.

Wei Hongjun quickly understood what Cao Mo had drawn on the ground. Looking at the defensive map, Wei Hongjun recalled the Battle of Guanjia Nao, where the Eighth Route Army laid siege to a 500-man Japanese force and was unable to defeat it.

After the battle, many senior generals of the Eighth Route Army were amazed at the Japanese trenches and defense lines.

Because it's just so outstanding.

Later, many generals said that they learned a lot from the Japanese defensive fortifications at Guanjianao.

Wei Hongjun grew fond of Cao Mo. He was an officer who loved to study and ponder tactics. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, high-ranking Nationalist officers discussed it in prisoner-of-war camps and even believed that the Nationalist army had made no progress in strategy and tactics since the Northern Expedition.

This shows the rigidity of the national army's strategy and tactics.

In reality, the armies of the Nationalist and Communist parties share a common origin: the Northern Expedition. In terms of fundamentals, the officers on both sides were comparable, perhaps even holding the advantage. However, the Communist Party's strategies and tactics evolved rapidly, with a constant stream of exceptional strategies and tactics. This was due to the fact that the Communists were not bound by fixed tactics, but rather loved to learn and think outside the box.

Cao was just such a cadre. A graduate of a military training school, he had fought in wars, had no fixed ideas, and was willing to learn from others' strengths.

Military cadres like Cao Mo must remain with the Eighth Route Army, and the Eighth Column must remain. Therefore, Wei Hongjun said, "Comrade Cao Mo, I know about your family situation. The column has reported to the military district, requesting that someone be sent to search for your family. The military district has confirmed that they have contacted the 129th Division and are planning to use their connections to locate your family."

"Thank you, commissar."

Speaking of family, Cao Mo's face darkened.

He quickly said, "Political Commissar, when will our First Guard Regiment be able to go to the battlefield? I'm not bragging, our First Guard Regiment can fight right now and will be no worse than other troops.

"You're too anxious."

"No, Commissar. We all have a deep-seated hatred for the Japanese. On the battlefield, the officers and soldiers of the First Guard Regiment will never retreat."

"Comrade Cao Mo, resisting the Japanese is not a matter of anger, nor can it be resolved in a day or two."

Wei Hongjun understood Cao's urgency.

But this mentality is wrong.

Especially since Cao Mo is not an ordinary grassroots officer, but has the potential to become a senior general in the Eighth Route Army. Officers at this level cannot have such a mentality. Therefore, Wei Hongjun said: "The battle between us and the Japanese will be a long and protracted war. The Japanese soldiers are better trained and better equipped than us, and we must admit this. Our advantage is our vast land and large population. What we need to do is to mobilize our people and let everyone participate in the most extensive war of resistance against Japan. As long as our people across the country can actively participate in the war of resistance, the final victory will be ours.

"Political Commissar, fighting is a soldier's job, and defending the country is also a soldier's job."

Cao Mo did not quite agree with Wei Hongjun's statement.

Wei Hongjun smiled and said, "Comrade Cao Mo, where does the army come from?"

"this."

"The war of resistance would not have been successful without the support and participation of the people. Only with the great support and participation of the people can we win. It is said that soldiers eat food, and many people join the army just for a bite to eat. But as the war progressed, the country's finances were insufficient, and insufficient military funds made it impossible to succeed in recruiting soldiers as before. Because the government lacked money, the treatment of soldiers would decline. After this, how to get more people to actively join the army is not a simple matter. The Kuomintang army has begun to suffer from a serious shortage of manpower, and some places have begun to conscript men to meet the shortage of manpower. Why did this happen? It is because the Kuomintang army did not mobilize the majority of people to participate in the War of Resistance Against Japan, and there were not so many people willing to join the army voluntarily. That is why the Kuomintang army's manpower is so exhausted.

But think about it, can these captured men fight well? If you were captured and sent to the battlefield, would you fight well?

Although Chiang Kai-shek declared at Mount Lushan that "all people, regardless of age, have the duty to defend the country and resist the Japanese," his Nationalist government did not truly mobilize the people to participate in the anti-Japanese war throughout the entire anti-Japanese war.

Wei Hongjun continued, "I'm not bragging. When Comrade Wang Qiuyun and I first arrived in Sheng County, there were only more than 150 of us. Our company had just fought against the Japanese army, and only about people were left in the company. But now our main force of the Eighth Column has nearly people, and the local forces have more than . What did we rely on to develop so many troops? In fact, it was the support of the people. The people in our base area actively participated in the War of Resistance. Our base area has a population of nearly million. As long as we have the support of these people, our troops will be able to obtain a steady supply of food and a steady supply of soldiers. Even if our Eighth Route Army is poor and cannot pay these soldiers, the people in the base area still support us and are still actively joining the army to fight the devils. If our Eighth Route Army thinks that fighting is the business of soldiers as you said, and does not mobilize the masses, then how can we have so many troops in the Eighth Route Army now?"

"Comrade Cao, it's unrealistic to just focus on how to fight and expect to defeat the Japanese army with one or two victories. The Battle of Shanghai, the Battle of Wuhan, the Battle of Xuzhou, and the Battle of Xinkou were all large-scale battles, but are they over? We must be prepared for a protracted war of resistance. The strategies and tactics of a protracted war of resistance vary greatly. The Column's training team will be giving a lecture in the evening about the CCP's theory of protracted war. You can come and listen.