Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Although Xuanhua is a wealthy county town in Chahar, it is still just a county town after all. It cannot be compared with those big cities.

As problems arose in Xuanhua, we should accumulate experience and summarize them. This would help us gain experience for future urban management and control. With sufficient experience, we would be able to avoid such chaos when conquering and taking over a large city like Zhangjiakou.

So Wei Hongjun wrote all of this down in a notebook.

Stupid birds fly first.

Wei Hongjun wasn't born knowing everything and being able to handle everything. He didn't consider himself superior to the elites of his generation. When problems arose, he sought to identify their root causes, address them, and then summarize his experience. Therefore, Wei Hongjun prioritized summarizing his experience. Only by doing so could he keep pace with the revolution and improve his problem-solving skills.

"Oh, this military coat you're wearing looks great."

"Political Commissar, look at these leather shoes. The Japanese's leather shoes look great on them.

In order to resolve these chaotic situations and unify the troops' thinking, Wei Hongjun convened a column meeting in Xuanhua. He saw many people wearing Japanese military coats and leather shoes that were polished to a shine.

Everyone was talking about how many good things they got after entering the city.

Some showed off their leather shoes, some boasted about finding a nice house, and some boasted about capturing Japanese military vehicles and bringing them to their own units as their own private cars.

When they saw Wei Hongjun, they even showed off to him.

"Snapped"

Chapter 407 Rectification

"Look at yourselves. Why not take off your Eighth Route Army uniforms and go to the Japanese? They might give you several sets of uniforms a year. Tell me, do you look like an Eighth Route Army cadre?

It’s just nonsense.”

Wei Hongjun suddenly got angry, and the cadres who were originally in high spirits became as frightened as cicadas.

The whispers were gone.

Sitting upright, he looked at Wei Hongjun. Wei Hongjun said angrily, "I don't object to you wearing Japanese military coats. After all, Japanese military coats are indeed better than ours. They are warm, light and comfortable. But look at what you have been doing these days? Wearing military coats and leather shoes, eating out every day, going to the opera, going out by car, and looking for a good house to live in. What's the matter? Now you don't want to continue to make contributions to the revolution, don't want to be Eighth Route Army cadres, and are ready to become local landlords?"

"I see that since you entered the city, you've even forgotten the Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention of our Eighth Route Army. We've only just conquered the tiny city of Xuanhua, and victory in the War of Resistance and the revolution is still a long way off. And you've already forgotten the War of Resistance and the revolution. With your attitude, how can we continue to fight the Japanese and carry out the revolution in the future? Have our Party and our Eighth Route Army's traditions of hard work and plain living been lost so quickly?"

Wei Hongjun criticized these leaders.

Everyone accepted the criticism silently.

Everyone had received years of Party education and had emerged from the bloody storms. They were also very clear about the Party's policies. It was just that they were experiencing a "poor-for-rich-quick" experience, like country bumpkins moving to the city, temporarily dazzled by the glamorous world.

Wei Hongjun's blunt criticism has awakened many people.

Of course, there are also some who dare not say anything under the high pressure of Wei Hongjun.

"Comrades, if our Party and our army want to achieve victory in the revolution, they must not abandon the style of living in hardship and simplicity.

Not only now, but even after the revolution is victorious, hardship and simplicity will remain the unfading character of our Party and our army. We revolutionize not for our own advancement or wealth, not for our own enjoyment, but to strengthen our country, achieve national independence, and improve the lives of our people. Therefore, we must remember this: even after the revolution is victorious, we must be among the first to endure hardship. This is the true character of us Communists.

"In order to rectify the current chaotic situation, I issue the following orders on behalf of the column."

The column temporarily established a patrol team, with Comrade Wei Hongjun as the team leader and Comrade Hong Man as the deputy team leader. The column's teaching brigade and students from the Chanan Cadre School were temporarily reorganized into the column's patrol team.

"The patrol team has only one purpose, and that is to monitor and investigate troop discipline, primarily to monitor whether our troops are implementing the Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention. On behalf of the patrol team, I am now temporarily issuing a few regulations."

"Rule 1: Our officers and soldiers must pay attention to their appearance when going out. Their clothes must be buttoned properly and their uniforms must be worn appropriately. Anyone who goes out with their uniforms improperly worn or baggy will be publicly criticized. If you do not wish to wear your uniform, you may register and wear casual clothes.

"Rule 2: If you go out with several people, you are not allowed to put your arms around others' shoulders. Maintain a military appearance."

"Third rule: When you go out in military uniform, you represent the image of our army.

When you're out there, you must abide by the "Three Disciplines and Eight Points for Attention." Some time ago, some people ate and ate for free, some paid insufficiently for things they bought, and even worse, they looted supplies belonging to Japanese expatriates. There were even street fights with civilians. This is smearing our Party and our army, and it's causing our Eighth Route Army to lose public support. If our officers and soldiers act like this, how will the local people view our Party and our Eighth Route Army? What's the difference between you and the Japanese and puppet troops of the past?

If such behavior is discovered, there will be no upper limit on the punishment, depending on the circumstances. Officers and soldiers who seriously violate the 'Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention' will be expelled or executed if necessary, with no mercy."

"Article 4: When the patrol team is working, no one is allowed to obstruct their work. If you feel the patrol team is doing something wrong, you can report it to the Political Department and file a complaint with them afterwards. However, this is after the patrol team has finished its work. Anyone who dares to obstruct the patrol team's work in public will be punished, regardless of who they are."

The Eighth Route Army currently has no concept of patrol teams.

This is mainly because the patrol team easily reminds people of "military police".

Whenever the word "military police" is mentioned, it is not a popular word for the Communist Party of China and the Eighth Route Army.

But Wei Hongjun had no choice.

The situation in the army must be strictly controlled.

If the situation remains the same when they reach Zhangjiakou, it will be the same as in history. Therefore, before the Eighth Route Army captures a large city, Wei Hongjun must change this situation.

Of course, it is also for experimentation.

Let’s see whether the patrol team model can promote military discipline.

“In addition to the picketing issue, I would like to announce a few more rules that must be followed.

"First: From now on, when entering the city, if there are Japanese expatriates, Japanese trading companies, and any industries related to Japan, the troops are not allowed to deal with them privately, and officers and soldiers are not allowed to loot. Look at what has happened in Xuanhua in the past few days. We, the dignified Eighth Route Army, actually joined some ruffians to loot the belongings of Japanese expatriates and Japanese trading companies. Later, there were even fights with civilians. In the past few days, Japanese expatriates have been beaten to death, and Japanese women have been raped. This is simply nonsense. We are the Eighth Route Army, not bandits. Regarding the property issues of Japanese expatriates and Japanese trading companies and how to deal with these Japanese expatriates, the Party Central Committee and the Eighth Route Army Headquarters will have policies. Before that, anyone who dares to loot supplies will be shot."

"Secondly, the Political Department will determine who is a traitor and who is not within the city, and the final confirmation will be made by the Political Department. The Column will not allow subordinates to arbitrarily label someone a traitor and seize their property, or loot their property. We in the Eighth Route Army have a clear policy on handling traitors. We cannot arbitrarily accuse someone of a traitor and seize their property. Before the Political Department confirms, anyone who loots in the name of being a traitor will be arrested and shot."

"Third: After entering the city, the column will make unified arrangements for where the troops will be stationed. Troops will not be allowed to find locations privately, and military cadres will not be allowed to occupy houses at will and use them as their own residences. I heard that some of our cadres, after entering the city, first do is find a good house and want to bring their wives and children over. So, do you want to settle down in Xuanhua? Do you want me to approve your discharge so that you can go home and live with your wives and children? If the troops need to assemble urgently, can we cadres rush over? In the future, when the troops enter the city, where the troops and cadres will live will also need to be arranged in a unified manner."

"Fourth: After entering the city, all supplies seized must first be submitted to the Logistics Department for registration. This includes everything from weapons and ammunition to clothing and hats.

When the column is under unified command, the column logistics department is required to register.

If it's a detachment command, then the detachment's logistics department will register it. If it's a regiment, then the regiment's logistics department will register it. Only after the logistics department registers it can the supplies be collected. "Captured goods belong to the public; this is the iron rule of the Eighth Route Army."

Wei Hongjun recorded everything that happened in Xuanhua during these few days.

Plans were put forward according to different situations.

Wei Hongjun knew this wasn't a big deal. Xuanhua was just a small county, only more affluent than other counties due to its proximity to Zhangjiakou. Yet, even so, so many problems arose.

What about moving to a big city in the future?

There will be more problems by then.

But Wei Hongjun was not afraid.

Problems can be solved one by one. This time, we will record the problems in Xuanhua, find solutions, and then compile a booklet. Everyone will be required to study it before the troops attack the city.

"After today's meeting, the column will distribute pamphlets to each of your regiments. They will detail everything I said. After you return, each regiment will hold a meeting overnight. Starting tomorrow, I don't want to see anything I said on the streets. If such things happen again tomorrow, they will be handled according to the new regulations.

"Meeting dismissed."

After everyone went back, Wang Qiuyun stretched his neck and said, "Old Wei, thank goodness you're here. These things give me a headache, but I don't know how to deal with them."

"That's not my job."

Wei Hongjun smiled.

Wang Qiuyun is an exceptional military commander who has grown rapidly in recent years. One of the things that Wei Hongjun, the political commissar, has to do is to ensure that Wang Qiuyun isn't distracted by these issues and can fully utilize his military talents.

"Lao Wang, after we take Huaian, we will start working on how to take Zhangjiakou.

Zhangjiakou is the highlight.

If Zhangjiakou could be captured, the anti-Japanese situation in Suiyuan, Chahar, northeastern Shanxi, and even Rehe would undergo tremendous changes.

"Yes. If there are no major changes, we will definitely take Zhangjiakou within six months.

Wei Hongjun turned to Li Shiping and said, "The Logistics Department must increase their workload in the future. The seized items must be registered and documented as quickly as possible. We cannot allow such looting as this to happen again."

"Yes."

"Director Han, the same is true for the Political Department. Xuanhua was in turmoil for a few days, and some people suffered unjustly and were accused of treason. After investigating, if they are wrong, we must apologize to them. We will also see how much financial losses they have suffered, and the Column will compensate them for a portion.

"Ok."

Chapter 408 Japanese Technicians

After Wei Hongjun's reorganization, the situation in Xuanhua gradually stabilized.

Hong Man led the patrol team to patrol the city daily, enforcing discipline in the troops. Hong Man had served for a long time as a military officer and judge in Feng Yuxiang's Northwest Army, and he was also very adept at handling the Eighth Route Army. Of course, after receiving Wei Hongjun's reprimand, the various units also began to strictly enforce discipline in their own units. If a unit's officers and soldiers were caught by the patrol team, it would be a disgrace to the unit. As a result, the previous practice of many officers and soldiers parading around the city completely disappeared.

Moreover, the political cadres of each unit were holding various meetings.

Criticize what happened before.

Han Weiguo wasted no time in identifying the traitors and comforting those affected by the previous chaos. This was no simple task. The results of the Political Department's identification of the traitors would directly affect their treatment.

The impact is not just now.

It would affect the next forty years. Although Han Weiguo couldn't think that far ahead, he knew that his identification report would have a significant impact. Once confirmed as a traitor, their family would be a Han-female family, and it would be difficult to recover. Therefore, Han Weiguo was extremely cautious. Aside from those who were obviously hardcore traitors, even the most ambiguous cases would be subject to extensive investigation.

Then there is file management.

The chaos was so severe that some institutions' files were missing. Those people took everything home, leaving nothing behind. During this siege, Wei Hongjun prioritized the Japanese and puppet army's warehouses, as they contained supplies needed by the Eighth Route Army. Wei Hongjun and the column leaders neglected many other areas, leading to this incident.

The Japanese puppet army and the puppet police have a vast array of archives. These are crucial for understanding Xuanhua and the surrounding area. Even decades or even centuries later, these archives will become crucial documents for understanding local history.

Wei Hongjun's work focus began to shift to taking over the Xuanhua Factory.

He discussed the takeover of Xuanhua Iron and Steel Plant with Li Shiping, who was in charge of the logistics of the troops, Lin Dafeng, who was in charge of the construction of the 8th Column Arsenal, Sui Shier, the chief engineer of the 8th Column Arsenal and the principal of Chanan Industrial School.

"How is the Xuanhua Iron and Steel Plant doing? Can production resume as soon as possible?"

"Resuming production won't be a big problem."

Lin Dafeng spoke.

Lin Dafeng was originally a gun tester at the Taiyuan Arsenal. Because he had worked there for many years, after arriving at the 8th Column, he was put in charge of setting up a weapons repair factory. This factory later became the column's arsenal.

The main task of the current column arsenal, besides repairing damaged weapons, is to produce bullets and grenades. Moreover, the production of bullets is not much worse than that of the military district arsenal.

Starting completely from scratch.

Lin Dafeng's contributions during this process were significant. Although he wasn't as famous as the generals on the front lines, his contributions to the Eighth Column were no less than theirs. During this process, Lin Dafeng gradually became one of the rare industrial cadres in the column.

Xuanhua Iron and Steel Plant was a top priority, so Wei Hongjun ultimately decided to assign Lin Dafeng the responsibility of taking over the plant and resuming production. Lin Dafeng continued, "I've already reunited the original technicians and workers. Now that we have the iron ore and coal mines, resuming production shouldn't be a problem. But it's not without its challenges."

"Go ahead."

"The Xuanhua Iron and Steel Plant was built by the Japanese, so there are many Japanese technicians there. It can be said that all the core technical personnel are Japanese. The chief engineer of the steel plant is Japanese. I have talked to some technical personnel, many of whom participated in the construction of the Xuanhua Iron and Steel Plant and its subsequent steel production. Therefore, the steel plant is currently fully equipped, and they said that resuming production should be no problem. However, the Xuanhua Iron and Steel Plant built by the Japanese originally had a complete plan. In addition to the first phase, a lot of equipment was shipped in for the second phase of construction. However, the Japanese army suffered a heavy defeat in Chahar last year, and many places in Chahar were under our control. Iron ore and coal could not be transported in, so not only did their steel plant stop production, but the original construction plan was also shelved. They said that they could resume production, but they were not very familiar with the expansion of the steel plant and could not guarantee it.

Wei Hongjun nodded.

This is the right thing to do.

The Xuanhua Steel Plant was unlike any other Chinese steel plant. While many Japanese steel plants in China were built by Japanese expansions of existing plants, the Xuanhua Steel Plant was built entirely from scratch by the Japanese.

So it is certain that there are a large number of Japanese engineers there.

Seeing that Wei Hongjun didn't interrupt, Lin Dafeng simply nodded. He thought for a moment and said, "Political Commissar, my idea is, can we keep the Japanese engineers here? Xuanhua has excellent conditions. We have iron ore, coal, and even power plants. We should take advantage of this opportunity, just as the Japanese originally intended, to expand the steel mill and increase steel production. Right now, our Eighth Route Army still has a huge demand for steel. We could definitely build a steel mill in Xuanhua with an annual output of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of tons."

"You want to keep Japanese technicians?"