Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

But the powerful 129th Division is no longer afraid of the thousands of Japanese and puppet troops.

The 129th Division has not only restored its original base, but also expanded its base to the Zhongtiao Mountain area and northern Henan. Especially in the Zhongtiao Mountain area, the 129th Division has developed vigorously and controlled nearly 15 counties in the Zhongtiao Mountain area.

The 129th Division, with Yuncheng as its center, took advantage of the insufficient manpower of the Japanese and puppet troops to occupy nearly two-thirds of the territory in the Zhongtiao Mountain area.

Moreover, the 129th Division still had the spare capacity to form four regiments of troops, namely the left and right detachments advancing south, and entered the northern Henan region to start building a base. This shows how well the 129th Division is developing now.

Then came the 120th Division.

The leaders of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region in Zhangjiakou are paying close attention to the affairs of the Jin-Sui Military Region of the 120th Division.

"Commander, good news."

"how's it going?"

"Guisui City has been captured. The Chasui Military Region and the Saibei Military Sub-district worked together to capture Guisui. Now the entire Suidong and Suizhong areas are under our control. We are currently surrounding Baotou from the east and west with Fu Zuoyi's forces."

Zhao Lu, commander of the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region, brought good news to Marshal Nie and other military region leaders.

There are still quite a few puppet troops in Guisui.

However, the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region had artillery, and the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region and the Saibei Detachment had been surrounding Guisui for some time. The puppet troops in Guisui City had no intention of resisting the Japanese army to the end.

Many of them were previously members of the Jin army.

Although they were traitors, who says being a traitor is bad? Many of them had connections with high-ranking officials in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. Even if they had been traitors, they could still remain friends and colleagues due to their past relationships. Furthermore, after becoming traitors, they did not fight against Fu Zuoyi's troops. They mainly fought against the Daqingshan Detachment.

So facing the artillery fire of the Eighth Route Army, the puppet army troops in Guisui City quickly chose to surrender.

Some of the puppet troops even received new letters of appointment from Yan Xishan, telling the Eighth Route Army that they were not traitors but heroic troops lurking behind enemy lines. Isn't that ridiculous?

But this kind of thing is too common.

The Eighth Route Army didn't care. They just wanted to take Guisui.

These puppet troops who had been appointed by Yan Xishan quickly evacuated Guisui and went to join Fu Zuoyi.

"it is good."

Marshal Nie and other military district leaders were very happy.

Guisui was the capital of Suiyuan and its most important city. Guisui's location was also advantageous, smack dab in the middle of Suiyuan. To the southeast of Guisui lay Datong, where the Japanese and puppet troops were heavily concentrated. To the right of Guisui lay Jining, and to the left of Guisui lay Baotou.

And more importantly, after taking Guisui, the connection between the Japanese and puppet troops in Datong and Baotou can be completely cut off.

After taking Jining, the railway from Datong to Baotou was already cut off. Now after taking Guisui, all other roads were also cut off.

The Japanese and puppet troops in Baotou have become isolated.

Surrounded by the Eighth Route Army and Fu Zuoyi's troops.

Marshal Nie said happily: "Comrade Lü Zhengchao's work in the Jinsui Military Region has been completely transformed.

"Yes. After taking Guisui, the Jinsui Military Region connected the Southwest Jin base area, the Northwest Jin base area, and the Suiyuan base area into one.

Cheng Zhihua was also very happy about the situation of his old partner.

Lü Zhengchao arrived in the Jinsui Military Region from the familiar Jizhong Military Region, facing immense pressure. Because of the intense pressure in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, the main forces of the Jinsui Military Region's 120th Division were being transferred one after another. The 120th Division's main force was the most powerful in the entire Jinsui Military Region. However, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region had also transferred both the 358th and 359th Brigades.

It directly affected the combat effectiveness of the Jinsui Military Region.

Fortunately, Lü Zhengchao led ten regiments from the Jizhong Military Region into the Jinsui Military Region, replenishing a large number of troops. At the same time, the Saibei Military Sub-district, which received weapons and ammunition support from the Eighth Column, also saw a significant increase in strength.

This time, Guisui was captured, which immediately stabilized the situation in the Jinsui Military Region.

"Comrade Zhao Lu, after taking Guisui, what is your next development plan for the Chasui Military Region?"

Marshal Nie asked Zhao Lu, commander of the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region, for his opinion.

Zhao Lu smiled and said, "In fact, the foundation of the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region was laid by the Eighth Column back then. Comrade Wei Hongjun focused on two tasks in Chahar: one was to promote rent and interest reductions, and the other was to suppress bandits. After I came to the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region, I studied the situation there. I think Comrade Wei Hongjun's priorities are very good. The next step for the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region is to completely sever the relationship between Datong and Suiyuan. The other is to continue to reduce rent and interest and suppress bandits. As long as these measures can be implemented, the Chahar-Suiyuan base will become the strongest rear base for our Eighth Route Army."

Why did Nie Shuai choose Zhao Lu?

That's why.

Many within the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region secretly laughed at Zhao Lu for having lost his territory. During the division of the second-tier military regions, Zhao Lu lost his bid for the Third Division Commander, Huang Yong, and the Fourth Division was annexed by the Third Division. He then left the Fourth Division in disgrace, only to pick up territory from the Eighth Column. Despite his experience in the Nanchang Uprising, he had to pick up other people's territory to become a second-tier military region commander.

But Zhao Lu didn't take this ridicule seriously.

If someone else became the commander and political commissar of the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region, they might have done many things to show that they were different from the Eighth Column. But Zhao Lu was different. After he became the commander and political commissar of the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region, he did not make any major changes to the region.

The same is true in policy.

This time when Nie Shuai asked, Zhao Lu's answer was just as simple.

It’s best not to make any trouble.

In Zhao Lu's view, the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region is now very complete in all aspects. For the current Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region, how to digest the current base is the most important issue.

Zhao Lu believed that the rent and interest reductions and bandit suppression campaigns implemented by Wei Hongjun were most suitable for the current situation in the Chahar-Suiyuan Military Region. There was no need to change Wei Hongjun's previous policies just to show off his power.

Marshal Nie nodded.

This is why he is satisfied with Zhao Lu.

Marshal Nie's greatest pride in the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was the fact that he had a cadre of both military and politically competent officials. Regardless of their temperaments, these officials understood the importance of prioritizing the overall interests. This was the primary reason the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region had grown to its current size.

"Speaking of rent and interest reductions, I've also carefully studied the work being done in Chahar. Comrade Wei Hongjun conducted thorough investigations of Mongolian tribes, Han Chinese communities, and mixed Mongolian-Han areas. He then came up with different rent and interest reduction plans. However, before they could be fully implemented, he went to the Yirecha Military Region. Overall, his plans were quite comprehensive."

Luo Qirong spoke.

He really admires Wei Hongjun.

He arrived in Zhangjiakou and began working. He had to reorganize many of the 8th Column's previous policies. After all, when the 8th Column controlled Zhangjiakou, many of its policies were solely formulated by the 8th Column. Now, the military region needed to re-formulate some of its policies.

But the 8th Column had experience after all, so after Luo Qirong arrived in Zhangjiakou, he learned about many of the 8th Column's policies.

So I admire Wei Hongjun even more.

“We have entered Zhangjiakou and started to have big cities.

But for us, the countryside remains the most important. "Encircling the cities from the countryside" remains our strategy. Therefore, we cannot slacken our efforts to reduce rent and interest rates. While we suppress bandits, we must continue to push forward with rent and interest reductions."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Luo Qirong continued, "Commander, what is the response to the report from the Ji-Re-Cha Military Region?"

The Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region was to establish a special forces brigade and a cavalry brigade. At the same time, the cadres brought over from Fuxin were to be detained and their files transferred to the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region.

This must be approved by the military region.

The Eighth Route Army was no longer the first to establish a base. Back then, if one acted quickly, they could easily capture the cadres they wanted. Even if many units were dispersed, other units could take them in. Communications were poor, and many events would take a long time for higher-ups to learn about them.

But it's different now.

Of course, Wei Hongjun needed the support of the military region to detain so many cadres.

Marshal Nie nodded and said, "This is good news. The Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region has only been established for a short time, and they've already accomplished something so grand. They've even managed to extend their influence into Fuxin. Regarding the cadre issues, as long as they can grasp the policies, transferring to the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region won't be a problem. Let them discuss it with the Hebei-Central Military Region, the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Military Region, and the Hebei-Shandong Military Region. As long as there are no problems with their original units, the military regions won't interfere."

This special way of return for the "special workers" in Fuxin Coal Mine has indeed brought them many benefits.

Especially in terms of review, it will be much simpler.

Because they didn't simply escape back, but annihilated thousands of Fuxin policemen, as well as the Japanese punitive force that followed them, and killed a Japanese major general. That's why Marshal Nie thought there was no problem.

"Commander, there's one more thing. Most of the military region's arsenals are now located in the rural areas surrounding Xuanhua, and the 8th Column's former arsenals were also relocated around Xuanhua. Should we merge them and manage them under a unified management?"

"This should be managed centrally. Our previous experience shows that unified management leads to higher production efficiency. The Jin-Cha-Yi troops now require several times more ammunition than before, requiring our arsenal to produce even more. Inform Comrade Wang Qiuyun and Comrade Wei Hongjun of this. Have them send someone to transfer the arsenal and other factories they own to the Ministry of Military Industry."

Since the unified management of the military district arsenal and the Hebei-Central Military District arsenal, the production volume of the arsenals has increased significantly.

The military factories of the Eighth Column have always developed independently.

After the capture of Xuanhua, these arsenals were relocated to the surrounding countryside, providing the Eighth Column with a large amount of ammunition. But now that the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region has moved to Zhangjiakou, many departments of the military region and the Eighth Column will need to be merged.

Many of the logistics agencies and units previously under the Eighth Column will also be merged with the military region.

Wei Hongjun does not reject this merger.

Because with this merger, the cadres of the 8th Column began to enter the military district headquarters. This is a good thing for the future of the cadres of the 8th Column and also a good thing for the 8th Column.

Chapter 516 Corruption

After the establishment of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region, the military region headquarters moved to Rehe. Therefore, Wei Hongjun has been busy with base construction work recently.

Wang Qiuyun, Xu Luomin, and others led their troops in daily battles against the Japanese and puppet forces in Rehe. While no major battles occurred during this period, smaller engagements continued. Cao Changchen had begun dispatching more troops to Rehe and eastern Hebei, particularly after the 71st Division chose to station in Rehe. This had a significant impact on Rehe. The Kwantung Army began consciously organizing more puppet Manchukuo troops, and some police forces from Northeast China also began to be deployed to Rehe.

They want to build a Rehe where the military, police, secret police and special agents are in control.

In a short period of time, the number of Japanese and puppet troops in Rehe, including puppet police, reached more than 50,000. It seemed that the strength of the Japanese and puppet troops in Rehe had greatly increased.

But the Eighth Route Army was not at all inferior in Rehe.

Wang Qiuyun and his men were tasked with trapping the Japanese and puppet troops who had entered the city, preventing them from leaving. The Japanese and puppet troops were short of food in Rehe and had no choice but to request support from the Northeast. However, getting food from the Northeast into Rehe was far from easy. Rehe was entirely mountainous, allowing the Japanese to quickly transport food via railways and highways. However, the sheer number of mountains also presented the Eighth Route Army with numerous ways to ambush these logistics convoys.

Not only Wang Qiuyun was concerned about this, but Cheng Shihua in Chengde was also concerned about this grain.

It should be said that in the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region and the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Military Region, there were troops waiting for these logistics transport teams on the roads between Northeast China and Rehe every day.

In a word, you can make a fortune by lying on the enemy's transportation lines.

The Japanese and puppet troops also sent people to protect the railways and highways leading from the Northeast to Rehe.

But the effect can only be described as average.

The Eighth Route Army was incredibly experienced in this area. Backed by the mountains of Rehe, the Eighth Route Army dispersed its forces, effectively outmaneuvering them. This severely impacted the Northeast's food security for Rehe.

With food unable to enter, the Japanese and puppet troops had no choice but to come out to seize it. The Japanese and puppet troops wanted to seize food, while the Eighth Route Army wanted to "counter-seize food." Consequently, conflicts and battles between the two sides continued. Small-scale battles occurred almost daily.

Of course, it is only a small-scale battle compared to before.

In fact, there were many battles at the regimental level.

The Ji-Re-Cha region was a regiment, while the Japanese side was a reinforced squadron, or perhaps an infantry battalion. One side was trying to seize food, while the other was trying to prevent it. The Ji-Re-Cha military region and the Yi-Re-Liao military region had deployed a large number of troops in Rehe at this time.

The combined forces of the regular armies of both sides outnumbered the Japanese and puppet troops. Adding local forces and militia, the "anti-grain grabbing campaign" was in full swing. The Japanese and puppet troops in Rehe were now struggling to seize grain, let alone sweep away the Eighth Route Army.

So now there is a war in Rehe every moment.

However, Wei Hongjun no longer participated in the command of these battles at this time.

Because Wei Hongjun was now the acting political commissar of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region and the secretary of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Border Region District Committee, he began to focus more on building the base area, especially in Rehe, where he implemented rent and interest reductions.

The Japanese puppet army implemented the "group tribe" system in Rehe, primarily in the central and southern parts of the city. However, they didn't actually implement it in northern Rehe. This was because Eighth Route Army troops were active in southern Rehe, but northern Rehe hadn't had any activity there for many years. Therefore, the Japanese puppet army didn't implement the "group tribe" system there. After the "group tribe" system was dismantled, the rural areas were largely devoid of landlords, and there was virtually no resistance to rent and interest reductions.

However, the northern part of Rehe has not experienced the smashing of group tribes, so implementing rent and interest reduction is more difficult than in the southern part of Rehe.