Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Commander Nie felt helpless as he watched Yang Quanwu praising him.

Yang Quanwu continued, "Commander, I'm not praising the Independent Detachment. It's just that the Independent Detachment has become the most important anti-Japanese force in southern Chahar. The future development of the southern Chahar base area cannot be done without the Independent Detachment. On the contrary, the Pingxi Detachment currently has a heavy workload in Changping, Wanping, and Fangshan alone. Now they're preparing to send their main forces to Pingbei and Jidong. How can they have the troops to take care of southern Chahar as well? Since the Pingxi Detachment can't take care of southern Chahar as well, wouldn't it be better to hand over the task of developing the southern Chahar base area to the Independent Detachment? For the sake of the overall situation, wouldn't it be better for southern Chahar's anti-Japanese resistance if the forces in Huailai were unified under the leadership of the Independent Detachment?"

Commander Nie kept looking at the map.

Commander Nie had already considered all of what Yang Quanwu mentioned. Commander Nie also placed the heavy responsibility of developing the Chahar base area on the Independent Detachment. Otherwise, how could Commander Nie have allowed such a special unit like the Independent Detachment to exist?

Seeing Commander Nie's intention, Yang Quanwu continued, "Commander, think about it. As long as the independent detachment develops smoothly in Xining, Xuanhua, Zhuolu, and Huailai, it will not only be able to tie down the more than 120 troops stationed in Mongolia in Chahar, but it will also be able to threaten the Pingsui Road and cooperate with the th Division in Suiyuan. Perhaps we can carve out a new world in the vast Chahar, Suiyuan, and Mongolia regions. By then, not only our division will benefit, but also Pingxi, Pingbei, and Jidong."

"You mean, this matter is over?"

"Yes. Did we make any mistakes this time? Did the independent detachment make any mistakes? If the Pingxi detachment insists on holding the independent detachment accountable for its mistakes, then I will order them to withdraw from Huailai and let the Pingxi detachment establish its own base in Huailai.

Yang Quanwu spoke unconvinced.

Commander Nie smiled.

How could the independent detachment be withdrawn in this situation? The situation in Huailai was currently very good. If the independent detachment were withdrawn, wouldn't that be a complete failure? Although there was some suspicion of acting first and then reporting, there was nothing to hold against the independent division or detachment.

Did the independent detachment do anything excessive?

not at all.

In fact, it was just a temporary command organization.

This was very common during the Red Army era. Because communication between the Red Army and the Central Committee and Provincial Committee was so poor, in order to unify leadership, military and local leaders would often hold joint meetings to establish a special committee. This was how they unified leadership of a particular area.

It is just a temporary command organization and there is no breakthrough in policy.

"Yang Quanwu, Wang Qiuyun, and Wei Hongjun are your soldiers. Do you really have confidence that these two can break the deadlock in Cha'nan?"

"Commander, I guarantee them both a victory. Under the current circumstances, the independent detachment is the most suitable candidate to establish a base in southern Chahar."

As long as they are given policy support, they will be able to carve out a niche in Chahar."

"You're always so protective."

Commander Nie shook his head.

Many cadres were willing to follow Yang Quanwu because he was very protective of his subordinates. He was very particular about protecting his subordinates. In the Eighth Route Army, Yang Quanwu was a master at recruiting troops.

One of the main reasons is that Yang Quanwu would never push the blame onto his subordinates. On the contrary, he is very responsible and will do his utmost to protect his subordinates when he needs to.

Not only did he protect veteran subordinates like Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun, but he also protected many bandit groups reorganized during the Eighth Route Army era, as long as they didn't commit principled errors. This continued not only during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, but also during the Liberation War and the founding of the People's Republic of China. As long as it was within his power, he would not easily allow his subordinates to suffer injustice.

It is precisely because of his character that many people are willing to follow Yang Quanwu.

"Commander Nie, talent is hard to come by. Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun, with a force of about thirty men, have developed the current independent detachment in just six or seven months. We should all cherish such capable cadres and give them opportunities to display their talents."

“Talent is hard to come by, talent is hard to come by.”

Commander Nie nodded.

What Yang Quanwu said today really touched Commander Nie's heart.

Yes.

What does the Eighth Route Army lack most now?

They were military and political cadres. It was rare for someone like Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun to establish such a large base in such a short period of time in the Eighth Route Army.

"But the area they are managing is getting larger and larger. Once they truly establish a base in southern Chahar, the current designation of Independent Detachment will be somewhat inappropriate. Independent Detachment is just a temporary designation given to them."

"Commander, how about giving them the designation of the 8th Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Column?"

"The Eighth Column?"

Commander Nie was shocked by Yang Quanwu's generosity.

But in his heart, he had a higher opinion of Yang Quanwu.

This is truly ambitious.

When the independent regiment was formed, Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were only company-level cadres. Yet, Yang Quanwu had the audacity to designate them both as the Eighth Column. This audacity was precisely why Commander Nie liked Yang Quanwu.

If it weren't for this kind of courage, there wouldn't be so many people willing to work under Yang Quanwu.

Commander Nie said seriously, "Once we give them the column designation, they can then have the regimental designation."

"Commander, talented individuals should be given priority. Don't be limited by their qualifications or rank. I believe the independent detachment is now fully capable of commanding the designations of three main regiments. They have the strength and scale to do so."

"Do you know how many people will be jealous if you give a number like this?"

"Commander, let's talk about the Fifth and Sixth columns assigned by the military district. How many people are there in them? The military district has also given them column numbers. And it's not like headquarters needs to give them column numbers. These are the column numbers assigned by the military district, and I don't think there's any problem with that."

The Eighth Route Army's unit numbers are very complicated.

For example, the column designations given by Yan'an and the headquarters were generally assigned to troops to carry out certain strategic missions, such as establishing a new, important base. At this time, the headquarters would assign a column designation to a particular unit.

Compared to this column designation, the column designations given by military regions are more common and less prestigious. However, within military regions, any column designation is at least a brigade-level unit. Troops can be subordinate to regimental-level units.

"Can that be the same?"

"Commander, I understand. Those military district column designations we gave out before were like paying a fortune to attract more civilian anti-Japanese forces to join our Eighth Route Army. But they only have so many men and so little territory. How can they compare to the current independent detachment? The independent detachment now has nine infantry battalions under its command. What's the point of giving them a column designation?"

Chapter 116 The Eighth Column

"Commander, Wang Qiuyun (Wei Hongjun) reports.

"Good boy."

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun received orders from the division headquarters, so they came to Lingqiu on horseback.

Yang Quanwu was very happy to see Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun.

The last time we met was over six months ago, right after the Battle of Pingxingguan. I never expected that almost seven months later, we'd be meeting again under these circumstances. The Independent Regiment has experienced rapid growth since crossing the Yellow River.

It can be said that they all got promoted.

It's not uncommon for company-level cadres to rise to the regimental level, but they're extremely rare. The two individuals before him, however, were rising incredibly quickly. But Yang Quanwu had no fears at all.

Only happy.

Because Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were soldiers he brought up himself.

So, looking at Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun with admiration, he smiled and said, "You two boys have really made our Red 1st Division proud, our Independent Division proud, and me, Yang Quanwu, proud."

"It's all thanks to the teachers' good teaching methods."

"Don't flatter me."

Yang Quanwu waved his hand and asked the two people to sit down.

Then he asked, "Who came up with the idea of ​​keeping the troops in the Sanggong area this time and appointing Zhang Zihua as the deputy commander of the independent detachment? Wei Hongjun, was it you?"

"Reporting to the commander, this is just a temporary expedient."

"Commander, I agree."

Yang Quanwu smiled and said, "Sit down, sit down. This isn't a report. I immediately thought it was your idea. You've led Wang Qiuyun astray."

"Division Commander, I really didn't mean to do this. After I took the Third Battalion to the Sanggong area, I found that the work there was not going well. The main reason was that there was no military protection, so the working group could only win over the local village association as a protective force for the base. Although this village association was established to guard against bandits, except for some that were similar to the peasant self-defense force, others were more like landlord armed forces. They initially agreed to accept the reorganization because they were afraid of the reputation of the Eighth Route Army. But after seeing that the Pingxi Detachment had no spare energy to manage them, they began to prepare for rebellion. There are many behind it. The influence of various forces included Chiang Kai-shek, Yan Xishan, and Japanese spies. When we arrived, Dong Baji had already begun negotiations with the Japanese army and had even reached a cooperation agreement. If we had been a little late, they would have uprooted the local National Salvation Association and claimed credit for it with the Japanese. Our party has no roots in the Chahar region, and without the protection of the army, it would have been extremely difficult to carry out our work. However, if I had stayed behind, I couldn't let our independent detachment obey others. So I came up with a plan to form a temporary command structure acceptable to all three parties.

Although Wei Hongjun had some other ideas, he certainly couldn't say them directly.

Yang Quanwu nodded.

Seeing that Wei Hongjun wanted to explain something, Yang Quanwu waved his hand and said, "You don't have to explain to me. I understand your little thoughts."

"Commander, what did the military district say?"

"What, are you scared?"

"No. I'm just worried about the future of Huailai's anti-Japanese war. The anti-Japanese situation in Huailai is very good now. As long as we can crush the Japanese encirclement and suppression once more, the Huailai base will be completely stable. It would be a pity if we were unable to integrate the forces of the Huailai base because of our internal problems."

These are Wei Hongjun's real words.

In the next year, Yan'an and the Eighth Route Army headquarters would establish the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Advance Army, with a force of nearly 8,000 men, including over 5,000 in the main force. Their purpose was to establish bases in Pingxi, Pingbei, and Jidong.

But the effect is very bad.

In the end it failed.

The Advance Army was disbanded and merged into a division.

This was due to the frequent raids by the Japanese army in Peking and some internal problems. Because the Hebei-Rehe-Chahar Advance Army did not develop smoothly, the Eighth Route Army did not develop very well in Chahar throughout the War of Resistance.

Wei Hongjun believes that the current situation is very good for the Eighth Route Army.

The Japanese forces along the Ping-Sui Road were not as numerous as imagined. Now was a good opportunity for the Eighth Route Army to advance into Chahar and establish a base there. If this good opportunity in 1938 was wasted, it would be much more difficult to establish a base in Chahar in 1939.

"I have some good news for you two. I personally went to talk to the commander, and he decided to reorganize the independent detachment into the Eighth Column of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region to support you in developing the Chahar-Hebei base area."

"The Eighth Column?"

Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun were both shocked.

How can it be?

Of course, the two were more worried about whether they would have to leave the command of the First Division if the Eighth Column was established. After all, the current unit number of the First Division was the First Detachment.

For example, the number of the First Detachment of the First Division is actually a brigade-level unit in the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region.

Yang Quanwu, though young, had far more experience than Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun. Furthermore, since crossing the Yellow River, Yang Quanwu had made significant contributions. Especially since the establishment of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, the First Division's contributions were even greater.

Among the troops of the entire Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, the troops of the First Division accounted for more than half.

Currently, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region was frequently engaged in battles with the Japanese. Battles of varying sizes were fought almost daily, with the First Division responsible for the majority of these battles. Furthermore, the First Division accounted for the majority of the victories since the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region's establishment. In its fight against mopping-up operations, the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region relied most heavily on the First Division.

Although these two people have made some achievements and contributions, how could they suddenly become the Eighth Column?

Yang Quanwu saw the expressions of the two men and jokingly asked, "Commander Wang, Political Commissar Wei, are you happy to be on equal footing with me?"

"Commander, you are really embarrassing us."

How could the two of them dare to think so.

Seeing the two men at a loss, Yang Quanwu laughed and said, "Your Eighth Column still obeys the orders of the First Division Commander, that is, me. Your Eighth Column is subordinate to my First Division."

When Wang Qiuyun and Wei Hongjun heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief.

With the level of two people, they are not qualified to separate from the division and set up their own business.

After the teasing ended, Yang Quanwu said seriously, "After your independent detachment is reorganized into the Eighth Column, the military district will assign you two main regiments, the 16th and 17th Regiments. Beyond these two main regiments, it's up to you to decide how many troops you want to expand. The numbers and structure of your expanded units don't need to be submitted to the military district for review, but they must be reported to the First Division. I need to be aware of the strength of your Eighth Column at all times so I can formulate combat plans. Do you understand?"

"Yes.

"As for the appointment of cadres for the 16th and 17th Regiments, the Military Region and the First Division will not interfere. Once you have made your appointments, please report to the First Division.