Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

In addition to Wang Qiuyun's Second Column, the expanded units also included Li Tianyou's Fourth Column of the Northeast Field Army. The Fourth Column was comprised entirely of units from the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region, including the 1st Independent Division, the 2nd Independent Division, and the Cavalry Division, formerly under the Western Manchuria Military Region. Furthermore, a brigade within Yang Dezhi's First Column was fully incorporated from troops from the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region.

There was also a brigade that was actually a unit sent to Yan'an by Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei.

Nearly half of the current North Manchuria Military Region's local forces were expanded from the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region. This is how Xiao Yongshi led his troops into North Manchuria and subsequently expanded the military there. The local forces of the East Manchuria Military Region also originated from the Northeast Detachment, the first unit of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region sent to the Northeast. The Northeast Detachment's earliest unit in the East Manchuria Military Region was the Independent 3rd Division. Later, the Independent 3rd Division was expanded, resulting in three divisions of local forces in the East Manchuria Military Region.

It wasn't just the military; the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region dispatched over 3000 local cadres to Northeast China. Many of these were sent during the earliest stages of the development of the Northeast base area. After entering Northeast China, they participated in the development of the base area. Later, with the establishment of the Northeast Bureau and the Northeast Military Region, each of them became an important grassroots cadre in the liberated areas.

Came to the unfamiliar Northeast.

It is human nature that cadres who are familiar with each other tend to stick together.

The Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region sent the most cadres, so they were the most powerful force in North Manchuria, East Manchuria, and West Manchuria.

It can be said that the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region has a very special status in the Northeast base area.

Although Wei Hongjun, who temporarily served as deputy secretary of the Northeast Bureau, has left the Northeast, the Northeast still has a representative in the form of Wang Qiuyun, the former commander of the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Military Region. Neither the Northeast Bureau nor the Northeast Military Region can ignore this powerful faction.

After all, he was the greatest contributor to the development of the Northeast base.

Therefore, Wang Qiuyun held the posts of Deputy Commander of the Northeast Military Region and Deputy Commander of the Northeast Field Army, although he had never worked in either the Northeast Military Region Headquarters or the Northeast Field Army Headquarters for a single day.

Deng Guo’s situation is similar to Wang Qiuyun’s.

The entire South Manchuria Military Region was now staffed by cadres and troops from the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Military Region. Deng Guo currently commanded three columns of the field army, a field brigade transferred from eastern Hebei that was not incorporated into the field army, and local troops within the South Manchuria Military Region. This totaled 20 troops.

Responsible for the military and political work of the entire South Manchuria region.

Therefore, Deng Guo is currently the deputy secretary of the Northeast Bureau, as well as the deputy commander of the Northeast Military Region and the deputy commander of the Northeast Field Army.

The situations of Deng Guo and Wang Qiuyun are similar to those of Li Fangqi in history.

Li Fangqi led the Jidong troops into Northeast China, expanding their army by 100,000 men and becoming the most powerful force in the region. Consequently, after the Northeast People's Autonomous Army was established, Li Fangqi was appointed deputy commander. This arrangement was made possible by the Northeast Bureau's support from then-Secretary Peng Zhen and primarily due to his command of 100,000 troops.

Unfortunately, the Jidong troops soon disappointed everyone.

The 100,000-man army was quickly defeated by the Nationalist army. Not only did a large number of troops disperse, but many also defected to the Nationalist army. In the end, less than 30,000 troops were left. As a result, Li Fangqi's status in the Northeast plummeted.

This is the change in strength.

If Li Fangqi's Jidong troops had not collapsed and maintained a force of 100,000, and had performed better in the Northeast battlefield, Li Fangqi would have had no problem getting promoted to general.

But Wang Qiuyun and Deng Guo did not have such problems.

Because the troops under their command are very stable and have strong combat effectiveness. They are currently the backbone of the Northeast Field Army. Of course, some people who serve as deputy commanders in the Northeast Military Region, such as Cheng Zhihua, do not hold positions in the field army headquarters.

Liu Yalou said: "Commander, we should fight some battles.

After we withstood Du Yuming's attack in Siping, the situation is now increasingly favorable to us. After Du Yuming failed to break through the Siping defense line, he expanded to the east and west, hoping to bypass Siping.

Liu Yalou spread out the map.

Pointing, he said, "Du Yuming's plan is to enter Tongliao from Rehe, and finally bypass Siping to attack our Changchun. Another route is to attack Tonghua and Hailong (Meihekou). They can attack Liaoyuan to the west and Panshi to the north. Originally, Rehe was the most dangerous, because if they broke through from Chifeng and Tongliao, it would directly threaten our Changchun. But now that the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Third Field Army has entered Rehe and is about to take action in Rehe, Rehe can be temporarily stabilized. Looking at the battle plan submitted by the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Third Field Army to the Central Committee, it is to annihilate two divisions at once. Once the two divisions of the Nationalist Army are truly annihilated, Rehe will no longer be in any danger. Our Northeast Military Region currently has the strongest manpower and the best weapons and equipment. We should fight some battles to boost morale. I think we should make some efforts in the Tonghua area.

"Ah."

Marshal Lin nodded.

Looking at the map, he said, "We should attack Du Yuming. Otherwise, he can do whatever he wants. Hailong is the 60th Division of the 184th Army, and Tonghua is the New Fifth Army. We can attack from both the north and south.

Deng Guo should concentrate his forces to attack Tonghua, ideally annihilating the New Fifth Army there. As for Hailong? Hasn't Wang Qiuyun been asking for battle? Let him go. Keep the North Manchuria Corps organized, and have Wang Qiuyun lead it in the attack on Hailong."

Wang Qiuyun led his troops to form the North Manchuria Corps, and within two months, they completely wiped out the 100,000-strong Northeast Advancing Army.

Then he immediately led his troops south.

He had been asking Marshal Lin for a fight. But Marshal Lin had not moved this army, just to give Du Ming a surprise attack.

After hearing Marshal Lin's arrangement, Marshal Luo said, "If we retain the North Manchuria Corps, shouldn't we also give those local troops of the North Manchuria Corps an organization?"

“The establishment should be increased.”

Marshal Lin nodded.

Liu Yalou, standing nearby, said, "Commander, Political Commissar, each of our military regions currently has a significant number of local troops. The South Manchuria Military Region also has two field brigades transferred from Jidong, as well as three independent divisions. The East Manchuria Military Region also currently has three independent divisions, and the North Manchuria Corps has a full ten independent brigades following the Second Column southward."

Coach Lin thought about it.

He said to Marshal Luo, "Now the bandit suppression work in each military region has basically been completed. I don't think the military regions need so many local troops. Local security can be handed over to the local public security forces. We will establish the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth columns. The Tenth Column will be formed with the ten brigades of the North Manchuria Military Region, the Eleventh Column will be formed with the three divisions of the East Manchuria Military Region, and the Twelfth Column will be formed with the two field brigades and three independent divisions of the South Manchuria Military Region. The Tenth and Eleventh Columns will be incorporated into the North Manchuria Corps, and the Twelfth Column will continue to be under Deng Guo's command. What do you think?"

"I agree."

Luo Shuai nodded.

If this were the case, the Northeastern Army would be divided into three strategic corps: the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh columns, led by Marshal Lin himself, totaling about 25 men.

Then there was the North Manchuria Corps led by Wang Qiuyun, comprising the Second, Tenth, and Eleventh columns, totaling around 15 men. Deng Guo led the South Manchuria Corps, comprising the Third, Eighth, Ninth, and Twelfth columns, totaling over 20 men.

Of course, the Northeast Field Army established so many columns, but there were differences between each column.

Some columns are large and powerful, serving as the main force of the field army. For example, Wang Qiuyun's Second Column currently boasts 70,000 men, making it the largest column in Northeast China. However, some columns lack combat effectiveness and can only play supporting roles. Of course, this isn't guaranteed. Some columns can rise from a minor force to a major force, depending on their future development.

Just like Ding Sheng in history, his troops were all local troops, but he managed to build a main force.

"Commander, what are the cadre arrangements for these three columns?"

"I propose that Comrade Xiao Yongshi be appointed Commander of the Tenth Column, and Comrade Chu He be appointed Political Commissar. Comrade Wu Xiuquan be appointed Commander of the Eleventh Column, and Comrade Mo Wan be appointed Political Commissar. I think Comrade Wu Xiuquan could also serve as Deputy Commander of the North Manchuria Corps. The Commander of the Twelfth Column will still be nominated by Comrade Deng Guo, and Comrade Li Zhongquan will be appointed Political Commissar.

After saying this, Luo Shuai looked at Lin Shuai.

In fact, the situation of these three columns is very obvious.

They all had their own units. For example, the 10th Column, representing the North Manchuria local forces that followed the Second Column southward, was part of the North Manchuria local forces. Half of these local forces were detached from the Second Column. Xiao Yongshi and Chu He served as commanders and political commissars of the two military sub-districts under the North Manchuria Military Region, respectively. Furthermore, these two military sub-districts had the strongest local forces, as the Second Column had sent the most cadres there.

Now the ten brigades from the North Manchuria Military Region have been reorganized into the Tenth Column.

The only option is to let Xiao Yongshi and Chu He serve as commander and political commissar.

As for the reorganization of the local forces of the East Manchuria Military Region into the 11th Column, Wu Xiuquan, the commander of the East Manchuria Military Region, was naturally appointed commander. However, Wu Xiuquan was one of the first cadres dispatched by the Central Committee, a member of the original Northeast Bureau, and Chief of Staff of the Northeast Military Region. His extensive experience and significant contributions meant that he was also appointed Deputy Commander of the North Manchuria Corps.

The 12th Column was a unit completely built by the Jireliao Military Region.

Therefore, the political commissar directly selected Li Zhongquan, a cadre from the Yireliao Military Region. However, regarding the appointment of the commander of the 12th Column, Marshal Luo believed that Deng Guo should be responsible for it himself, because the commander would be the one to fight.

The Yireliao Military Region currently had many capable military officers. However, the officers who could take over as column commanders were mostly from Shandong. Therefore, General Luo passed this question to Deng Guo, allowing him to make his own choice.

Marshal Lin nodded.

The composition of the Northeastern troops was inherently complex. The largest number of troops came from the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region and Shandong. However, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei troops were the first to enter the Northeast, so they had a deep foundation there. This was something the Shandong troops could not compare to.

Luo Shuai is from Shandong, but he is very clear about the current situation in Northeast China.

Luo Shuai respected the factions that had been formed in the past and did not say that he was from Shandong and wanted to suppress the Jin-Cha-Yi troops.

"That's settled. Have the North Manchuria Corps and the South Manchuria Corps begin their preparations. Yalou, have the troops on the Siping front also prepare. As soon as the North Manchuria Corps and the South Manchuria Corps move, we will move too."

"Yes."

Chapter 686 Collapse

Wei Hongjun led the Third Jin-Cha-Ji Field Army to Rehe. Nearly half of the troops were still on the march, but due to the unstable situation in Rehe, Wei Hongjun decided to fight. Only by striking hard against the Nationalist forces in Rehe could they abandon their plan to advance from Chifeng into Tongliao and ultimately attack Changchun.

The first target chosen was the 52nd Army.

Because the 52nd Army was the closest and most arrogant unit in Rehe. The 13th Army, as Tang Enbo's direct troops, had a high status in the National Army. However, after entering Rehe, the 13th Army became much more cautious. They did not completely despise them just because Rehe was full of local troops.

Only the 52nd Army did not take the Rehe troops seriously at all.

According to the original plan, Zheng Weishan led the 25st and 1944th Brigades on a secret march to Weichang County. Rehe was opened up by the Eighth Route Army in 1945, and by the beginning of , it had completely controlled Rehe.

First, rent and interest reduction were implemented in Rehe, and later a vigorous taxi reform movement was launched.

It can be said to be one of the most stable bases of the Eighth Route Army.

Although the Nationalist troops advanced rapidly, they had no stronghold in Rehe. There were not even a few large landowners in Rehe.

Because Rehe had been under Japanese control for so long, many landlords were traitors and had long been cleared out. The landlords who remained basically supported the Eighth Route Army.

Even if some landlords defected to the National Army, they did not have an advantage in Rehe.

The People's Liberation Army troops are like fish in water here.

The troops secretly arrived near Weichang County and suddenly surrounded the 62nd Division. The 62nd Division had no reaction to this and was directly blocked by Zheng Weishan. The 62nd Division was of course anxious and immediately sent a telegram to the 52nd Army, requesting reinforcements.

The 52nd Army ordered the 25th Division to rescue.

Not long after the 25th Division set out, it was blocked by troops sent by Zhang Zihua. The troops sent by Zhang Zihua resisted at every turn, providing cover for the troops, and slowing down the 25th Division's march.

"Li Gongyan, your 73rd Regiment will move back from the west and block the retreat route of this Communist bandit group."

"Yes."

"Dong Kuiwu, your 74th Regiment will move back from the east to prevent this group of Communist bandits from escaping to Chifeng.

"Yes."

"75th Regiment, follow me in the frontal attack."

Li Zhengyi, commander of the 25th Division, was in high spirits.

The 25th Division is known as the "Thousand Mile Horse Division" because it can run very fast. Since the 25th Division landed in Qinhuangdao at the end of last year, it has fought many battles with the PLA troops.

During this process, we were surrounded twice.

Once, at Shanhaiguan, the 25th Division attempted to bypass the area behind Shanhaiguan but was ambushed by troops sent by Deng Guo. The 3000th Division suffered heavy casualties, reaching nearly men. However, they managed to break out of the ambush of tens of thousands of men, bringing shame to Zhang Caifang, who was leading the encirclement and annihilation campaign. Later, Deng Guo organized a field army column in South Manchuria. Despite Zhang Caifang's extensive experience, he was denied the opportunity to command the column and instead served in logistics within the South Manchuria Military Region. This was related to the war. Zhang Caifang had been transferred from the Shandong Military Region to the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Military Region, and Deng Guo and Zhang Caifang had had little prior contact. Zhang Caifang was transferred to serve as deputy commander of the Hebei-Rehe-Liaoning Military Region, so he commanded this battle. However, the outcome was disastrous, leading Deng Guo to disapprove of Zhang Caifang's command.

The second time was in Rehe, where the 25th Division was ambushed by Bao Shen with 25 men. Bao Shen used many tricks to find such a good opportunity to ambush the 25th Division. As a result, the 2th Division was very brave this time, and combined with the 14nd Division to support them, they defeated the th Column and almost collapsed the army.

Having escaped death twice, anyone else would have been extremely cautious. After all, there must have been a reason for the two ambushes by the PLA. It was because the 25th Division advanced alone and recklessly on several occasions that the PLA seized the opportunity to ambush them.

But Li Zhengyi is different.

Instead of being cautious, he was very proud.

The 25th Division successfully broke through two ambushes by tens of thousands of PLA troops. This feat earned Li Zhengyi high praise, not only from Du Yuming but also from Chiang Kai-shek. However, Li Zhengyi became increasingly arrogant and disregarded the PLA troops.

Li Zhengyi is now in a state of great inflated mentality.

Moreover, the reason why Li Zhengyi was so arrogant was because he discovered that the People's Liberation Army was blocking him.

It was obvious that the troops in front were not regular PLA troops, but a mixed bag of troops.

Just look at the clothes and you'll know. Although the PLA troops are still very poor, they are still guaranteed regular military uniforms. The PLA regular troops all have uniform uniforms. But in the troops mentioned above, although there are regular PLA troops, there are more troops wearing "messy" clothes, with all kinds of clothes. The Kuomintang and the PLA have been fighting frequently since the end of the Anti-Japanese War, and they are also clear about the PLA's situation. These troops without complete uniforms are obviously local troops in Rehe.

Li Zhengyi wanted to completely wipe out the troops that were blocking him.

The 25th Division's marching speed was astonishing. Li Zhengyi had his two regiments surround the enemy from the east and west. After the meeting, Li Zhengyi told Deputy Division Commander Duan Peide, "Tell the army commander that all the Communist troops in Rehe are on my side. Have the 2nd Division capture Chifeng as soon as possible. After we annihilate the Communist troops here, we will also rush to Chifeng."

"Commander, aren't we going to reinforce the 62nd Division? I heard the situation there is very bad. The Communist troops from Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei are said to be quite powerful and have just dealt a heavy blow to Fu Zuoyi's troops. We are less than 62 miles away from the 62nd Division and can easily reach the battlefield in one go. If we don't hurry, the 62nd Division may not be able to hold out.