Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

Chapter 163 Kong Jie: My Heart Hurts

Ding Wei left the independent column headquarters without looking back. Li Yunlong wanted to keep him for one night, but he didn't even give him the chance to have a long chat.

"Ding Wei, isn't it just that I want two people from him? Why is he so stingy? Besides, it's not like I won't give them the equipment."

Looking at Ding Wei's back, Li Yunlong couldn't help but sigh. As expected, Ding Wei was different from Kong Jie. If it were Kong Jie, he could probably trick him into changing two battalion commanders with just one Type 92 infantry gun.

Ding Wei did not spend the night in Li Yunlong's independent column, but went directly to Kong Jie's independent regiment. He set out in the afternoon and arrived late at night. As soon as he arrived at the gate of the independent regiment, he saw Kong Jie sitting on the steps in front of the command department in the middle of the night, smoking with his head down, and looking very worried.

"Old Kong, you're amazing! You got the news right after I got back? Your intelligence level is even better than T-Tech's. I heard you've made a fortune recently, so why are you so worried? Are you worried about how to use all the extra equipment? Do you want to give me some?"

When Kong Jie heard Ding Wei's voice, he raised his eyelids. After seeing that it was Ding Wei, he was stunned at first, then immediately stood up and greeted him, giving him a big hug.

"Ding Wei, didn't you go to study? Why are you back so soon?"

"I graduated early and was running errands for the leader to deliver something to Li Yunlong. Why are you just standing there in a daze? What happened to the independent regiment?"

Hearing the name Li Yunlong, Kong Jie immediately reacted with some stress: "Don't mention that guy to me, it makes me so angry!"

Ding Wei tilted his head, his eyes filled with doubt as he asked, "I heard that Li Yunlong gave you a lot of weapons and ammunition, over a thousand rifles, more than twenty light and heavy machine guns, and an infantry cannon..."

The more Ding Wei said this, the angrier Kong Jie became: "Don't mention it, Li Yunlong, that guy is not one to suffer any loss!"

The more Kong Jie thought about it, the angrier he became. "That fellow Li Yunlong reported the list of supplies seized by our independent regiment in front of the brigade commander. The brigade commander knows everything that the independent regiment has!"

"I'm Kong Jie, not Li Yunlong. I'm the beloved pet of the brigade commander and the division commander. If I secretly hide the seized items, the brigade commander and the division commander will at most scold me!"

"The Type 92 infantry gun you mentioned was taken away by the brigade commander's men before I even had time to warm it up. Also, 70% of the rifles, light and heavy machine guns were taken!"

"At first I thought Shen Quan had let something slip. I pondered it over and over again, and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed wrong. Li Yunlong must have done it on purpose!"

After Kong Jie finished speaking, he sank down on the chair again in a depressed tone. After hearing this, Ding Wei asked his guard to take out a bottle of wine from his belongings and said, "Don't be upset. We old comrades haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's drink together. See, I brought this back specially!"

"Drink! You delivered something to Li Yunlong, but he didn't let you stay overnight? My place is no match for Li Yunlong's independent column. That guy is a local tycoon now. He has canned beef from the Japanese, Sakura cigarettes, and Fenjiu. They're all top-notch stuff!"

Ding Wei poured Kong Jie a glass and said, "I wanted to stay with him for a day, but that guy Li Yunlong wanted to exchange a Type 92 infantry gun and 20 rounds of ammunition for my position as battalion commander. I was afraid I couldn't hold back, so I ran away!"

"hiss!"

After hearing this, Kong Jie took another sip of his wine. It would have been fine if Ding Wei hadn't mentioned this matter. Once he did, Kong Jie felt that he had been at a loss. How much supplies did he get in exchange for giving Shen Quan, Xizi and others to Li Yunlong? When it came to Ding Wei, how could a battalion commander be exchanged for a Type 92 infantry gun and 20 rounds of ammunition?

"Drink slowly, drink slowly!"

Ding Wei tried to dissuade him, and after seeing Kong Jie slow down, he continued, "Fortunately, I walked fast. This guy was chasing me, shouting, 'The battalion commander is not good enough, so two company commanders will do...'"

Kong Jie had just poured a glass of wine, and after hearing Ding Wei's words, Kong Jie swallowed another bowl of bitter wine. Two company commanders could be exchanged for a Type 92 infantry gun. At that time, Wang Gensheng, Xizi, and Shen Quan only exchanged a heavy machine gun, four Type 99 light rifles, a radio and a mortar.

Now Shen Quan is the battalion commander under Li Yunlong, Wang Gensheng is the company commander of the grenadiers company, and Xizi is the company commander of the sharpshooters company. These three people together are worth at least three infantry guns...

"Lao Kong, Lao Kong, don't do this. Drink slowly, drink slowly!"

"Ding Wei, if you still regard me, Kong Jie, as an old comrade, don't mention Li Yunlong!"

"Okay, let's not talk about it. This guy is really a bit arrogant. He wants to exchange me for a Type 92 infantry gun..."

Kong Jie felt heartbroken, but he couldn't say it out loud. If he told Ding Wei about this, Ding Wei would definitely laugh at him for the rest of his life. He could only continue chatting with Ding Wei and find an opportunity to change the topic.

After Ding Wei left, Li Yunlong immediately met fifteen outstanding graduates from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University.

Zhao Gang also received the news at this time and returned to the command center, where he met his younger classmates.

Li Yunlong looked at the group of graduates from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University in front of him. They were all the political workers that Li Yunlong urgently needed. The reason why our army has strong combat effectiveness and invincible will is that this group of political workers has made an indelible contribution.

Just like the independent column, Li Yunlong was in charge of fighting, but Zhao Gang was responsible for a lot of work. In addition to logistics, he also had to hold small meetings with the soldiers of each company every day to study ideology and strengthen their spiritual development. If Li Yunlong were to handle this ideological work, he would be groping in the dark.

The reason why these soldiers were able to unwaveringly complete the tasks assigned by Li Yunlong, and even fought to the last man, was largely due to Zhao Gang's credit. Li Yunlong also saw that the wrinkles on Zhao Gang's face continued to increase, and his hair began to gradually become thinner.

There is no other way. Zhao Gang is the only one in the entire independent column who can handle political work well. Previously, the independent column had less than 2,000 people, and Zhao Gang could still manage it. Recently, it has begun to expand, and it may reach 10,000 people in the future. Zhao Gang alone is not enough.

These fifteen people can be said to be a timely help.

"Senior Zhao!"

"Hello, senior!"

After seeing Zhao Gang, the fifteen students' faces no longer had the seriousness and tension they had before. After all, they had heard a lot about Li Yunlong before they came, such as the fact that Li Yunlong had angered several political commissars and drove them away, so they had been very serious since they entered the door.

"Everyone, relax. Coming here feels like coming home. On behalf of the Independent Column, I welcome you all! Lao Li, please say a few words!"

Looking at the group of graduates in front of him, who were about as young as Zhao had been when he first arrived, Li Yunlong walked forward, shook hands with each of them, and said, "Welcome, welcome. I, Li Yunlong, am a rough man and not very good at preaching. From now on, I'll leave the ideological work to you!"

"I, Li Yunlong, won't say anything big. I'll just say this: from now on, I'll be responsible for the fighting, and you'll be responsible for the thinking. Let's unite and work together to drive the Japanese out of China!"

"it is good!"

The fifteen people immediately applauded. What they feared most was encountering those autocratic generals who wanted to control everything. Judging from Li Yunlong's speech and the way he interacted with Zhao Gang, Li Yunlong would not interfere too much in this regard.

Li Yunlong now has a clear understanding of his own position. He lets people who are good at things handle what he is not good at. For example, when Zhao Gang is doing ideological work, Li Yunlong never interferes, but occasionally listens.

Although Zhao Gang would oppose military matters, as long as Li Yunlong made a decision, Zhao Gang would fully support it.

Only in this way can the team develop in the long run.

Chapter 164 Li Da's ability is actually Li Yunlong's...

Only after Zhao Gang and the fifteen cadres left did Li Yunlong pick up the newspaper left by Ding Wei.

This was the first time Li Yunlong saw several photos in the newspaper. They were photos of Li Yunlong standing alone on the top of the city wall, looking into the distance. In the distance, he could see Japanese soldiers moving around.

The second photo was taken on the battlefield. It can be roughly judged that it was taken from the position of the independent regiment. A group of Japanese soldiers were attacking, but the ground was littered with Japanese corpses. The words "Ping'an County" could also be seen on the city gate.

The third photo shows Li Yunlong standing on a pile of corpses, checking the results of the battle. You can see that the corpses under Li Yunlong's feet are all the corpses of the Japanese, and there are soldiers carrying the corpses of the Japanese.

The last photo is of Li Yunlong and the brigade commander smoking on the city wall. The four photos occupy two pages.

The title is "The Dawn of Victory, Li Yunlong of the Eighth Route Army Independent Column counterattacks Ping'an County and completely wipes out the Japanese 13th Regiment"

The author also had a good literary style when writing the news. The article first introduced the situation of the 13th Regiment of the Japanese Army, then introduced Ping'an County, and finally described the course and results of the battle in detail.

There is no exaggeration, and the narrative style is very straightforward, without any fictional or sensational elements. For Li Yunlong, who has been exposed to various shock parties and various exaggerated propaganda, false news, and gimmick news propaganda in later generations, this newspaper is a bit bland.

But Li Yunlong didn't know that this newspaper was selling like hotcakes all over the country.

After the headquarters decided to expand the publicity of this victory, they immediately asked someone to draft a press release and finally decided to report this victory in a calm narrative style, without exaggeration, sensationalism, and based on facts.

It was like promoting an ordinary little thing, as if retaking a county town, or just like buying a newspaper from a roadside newsboy on the way to work in the morning.

However, it is this kind of newspaper that hides huge power. Now, the various newspapers under the mountain city can exaggerate the news of annihilating 100 enemies into a great victory that changes the situation of the war. The people have become somewhat immune and tired of all kinds of news bragging about the results of the war.

The headquarters spent half a month preparing for this newspaper. After developing the photos, they sent them to all parts of the country and promoted them at the same time, with both pictures and reports. This newspaper was sold out almost on the day it was released, and they had to reprint it for two consecutive days before the sale was completed.

Many people cut out Li Yunlong's photo from the newspaper and collected it. Li Yunlong, who was in Ping'an County, was not aware of the huge sensation it caused, but he could feel it soon.

In addition to this newspaper, Ding Wei also brought over a newspaper published by the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. After reading the content of the newspaper, Li Yunlong couldn't help but laugh. It was exactly what he had imagined.

The content of the newspaper was similar to what our army had reported, but the headline was very eye-catching: "The Greatest Achievement Since the Beginning of the Second War Zone: The Recovery of Ping'an County!"

Li Yunlong is still in the photo, but in the report, Li Yunlong's independent column was directly under the command of Commander Yan of the Second Command, and successfully recovered Ping'an County.

The battle process was not written in detail. It mainly wrote about how after the battle, Yang Xingru, deputy commander of the Second War Zone, visited Li Yunlong and the Independent Column to express his condolences, as well as various commendations, handshakes, etc.

"This Yan Laoxi is not good at fighting, but he is a master at gaining military merits. However, the battle in Zhongtiao Mountain is about to start. I will let you have fun for a few days. Then I will see how you can laugh!"

Although the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army did not participate in the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, with the disastrous defeat in Zhongtiao Mountain, the Japanese completely occupied the southern Shanxi region. Commander-in-Chief Yan, the commander of the Second War Zone, was almost completely driven out of Shanxi Province. The commander of the Second War Zone was basically in name only.

Regarding the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, Li Yunlong had been considering whether to participate in the war, but he finally concluded that the defeat in Zhongtiao Mountain had been confirmed long before the war began and could not be changed.

Many people in later generations only know that the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain was one of the greatest humiliations of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. 180,000 Nationalist troops faced 100,000 Japanese devils. More than 40,000 Nationalist soldiers were killed and more than 40,000 were captured, while only more than 3,000 Japanese devils died.

In fact, before the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, there had been fighting in Zhongtiao Mountain. The defense of Zhongtiao Mountain had lasted for two years. However, it was not the National Army that was fighting, but the Shaanxi Army. As a result, the Shaanxi Army, which was familiar with the terrain, was transferred from Zhongtiao Mountain to Henan Province by the master of micro-manipulation when the Japanese were conducting a winter sweep at the end of last year.

The Japanese and the Shaanxi Army had fought in Zhongtiao Mountain for about two years and were very familiar with the terrain. The Kuomintang troops that replaced the Shaanxi Army were completely in the dark. Not only were they unfamiliar with the terrain, but some of the troops took advantage of the fact that Zhongtiao Mountain was close to the Yellow River and began to resell various supplies. The trading partners were not only Li Yunlong, but also the Japanese.

When the war broke out, the Japanese, because they were familiar with the terrain, directly attacked many Kuomintang headquarters and completed a decapitation operation, leaving the various troops in Zhongtiao Mountain leaderless and fighting on their own.

Moreover, even if Li Yunlong wanted to fight, it would not be easy. Not to mention that the thousands of people under Li Yunlong were not even cannon fodder in a major battle.

According to the agreement signed in 39 between the Eighth Route Army and the Nationalist Army, both sides clearly stipulated that the Lintun Highway, Changzhi, and Ci County were the boundaries, with the southern area being the Nationalist Army's area of ​​activity and the northern area being the Eighth Route Army's area of ​​activity. Neither side was allowed to cross this line, otherwise they would be directly shot at. (Note 1)

So even if Li Yunlong wanted to go to support, the headquarters would not agree. After all, in addition to this agreement, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was also keeping an eye on it. The activity areas of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and the Eighth Route Army were divided by the Fenli Highway between Fenyang and Lishui. The area to the north was the Eighth Route Army's activity area, and the area to the south was the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's activity area. If Li Yunlong dared to move, someone would find an opportunity to take action.

After Commander Yan failed in his attempt to annex 100,000 new troops, he had been looking for opportunities and excuses. Li Yunlong must not give Commander Yan this excuse, otherwise it might turn into a Shanxi version of the Wannan Incident. After all, this group of people were timid when fighting the Japanese, but they would strike hard against him.

"Old Li, the people from the Ninth Column have arrived!"

After Li Yunlong finished reading the newspaper, Xing Zhiguo led the two into the headquarters: "Old Li, this is the former commander of the Ninth Column, Che Youguo, and this is the former commander of the Ninth Column, Liu Changxi!"

"No need for introductions, we're all old acquaintances, Lao Che, Lao Liu. I didn't expect the commanders of the Ninth Column would be you two!"

After Li Yunlong put down the newspaper, he immediately went forward and gave each of them a bear hug. Then he looked at his old comrades carefully and said, "It's been seven or eight years since we last met, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, we haven't seen each other since we met in Huining. When we met again, you became our commander, hahahaha!"

"That's right. I was the regimental commander when we crossed the grasslands back then. You two almost became battalion commanders in my regiment. You came at the perfect time. I'm not familiar with the Ninth Column's situation. Please tell me the details. The troops are about to be reorganized, so I need to understand your situation!"

"it is good!"

After Che Youguo and Liu Changxi sat down, they began to introduce the situation of the Ninth Column to Li Yunlong. The situation was worse than Li Yunlong had imagined. The entire Ninth Column originally had two regiments and more than 2,000 people. However, after a raid by the Japanese, only less than 1,000 people were left in the two regiments.

In terms of weapons and equipment, almost all heavy weapons have been lost, and there is an urgent need for ammunition supplies, medicines, and food.

"I've already understood the basic situation. Lao Che, Lao Liu, don't worry, I'll take care of the problem!"

When he said this, Li Yunlong thought for a moment and said, "Is there a person named Li Chishui in your area?"

"Li Chishui?"

"Yes, his nickname is Li Dabenshi. Is there such a person?"

"There's this person, do you know him?"

"Is it coming this time?"

"No, this time the main force has arrived in full force. He is the captain of the county brigade and did not come with them."

"Tell him to come to the headquarters when he returns!"

"know?"

"Well, there was a soldier under my command, and I taught him how to shoot. He didn't have a name back then. When the news of the four crossings of the Chishui River came in, I asked the regiment's clerk to give him the name Li Chishui. He looks like me, and I quite like him. Back then, the Fourth Front Army transferred some men to the Western Route Army, and his company was also transferred there. As a result... I originally thought he had died, but I heard news about him recently. He's not dead, and I didn't expect he'd made his way to your place." (Note 2)

"So he's one of your soldiers. I was so familiar with this guy's style of behavior. It turns out he was trained by you, Li Yunlong. No wonder he's so lawless!"

"Hahaha……"

Note 1: After the Jinxi Incident, in order to prevent our army from expanding southward, the agreement was forced to be signed by force, otherwise the Jin Province would have been in chaos.