The Japanese puppet troops and plainclothes troops who were ambushing near Hougou were easily dealt with by the Fourth Regiment.
After cleaning up the plainclothes team, Wang Yigong was not in a hurry to take the next step. Instead, he hid the team and waited for the guard company to join together.
Not long after, the guard company arrived at the back ditch, with all the captured weapons and equipment carried on their shoulders. Several guerrilla fighters acting as guides each held a large bundle of puppet army uniforms.
"Commander, all 124 puppet soldiers were killed, and no one survived!" Hui, the commander of the guard company of the fourth regiment, reported.
Wang Yigong nodded after hearing this.
The comrades of the guerrillas who followed the battle were dumbfounded. Zhao Wenjiang, the director of the Military and Transportation Department of the local district committee, could not help but be secretly surprised.
Although Zhou Weihan's independent detachment usually does not regard the puppet troops as human beings, this does not mean that the combat effectiveness of the puppet troops is low.
The main opponents of the Eighth Route Army guerrillas are the puppet troops who go to the countryside to raid and collect grain. The fact that they can survive in the enemy's territory despite the lack of weapons and equipment shows that the combat effectiveness of this guerrilla force is not weak.
Although Zhao Wenjiang is not in a combat unit, he is still an old revolutionary. He knows very well that ordinary main forces do not have such weapons and combat effectiveness.
Thinking about the previous record of the fourth regiment at Changzhi Airport, Zhao Wenjiang couldn't help but feel a little hot.
At this time, Wang Yigong had already called two guerrilla fighters to greet the fellow villagers he had contacted before.
Moon offset.
In the back ditch, more than 300 soldiers from the Fourth Regiment and the guerrillas plus more than 20 fellow villagers were transporting the corpses on carts.
It was summer and the weather was sweltering. In just two or three days, the bodies of the soldiers who were thrown into the ditch had already started to stink.
In order to avoid being infected, everyone present had to cover their mouths and noses with towels.
Looking at Wang Yigong who was taking action personally, Zhao Wenjiang stepped forward and said: "Commander Wang, you can't enter Lici County, and the road is not safe. I think it's better to choose a place nearby for the comrades to bury themselves in peace. The guerrillas have been here for a long time."
If you are active in this area, you will have someone to take care of you when the time comes!"
Wang Yigong also discovered this problem. He had thought the problem was too simple before, so he nodded and asked if there was a suitable address.
"The hilltop where the guerrillas are located is good. It's inaccessible and the little devils can't find it!"
It took everyone one night and three bad lucks to transport the bodies of the soldiers away.
The sky is dark and bright.
A new tomb has been added to the top of the unknown mountain. There are no inscriptions, no offerings, and even no grave bags. Only the moist yellow color exposed on the surface highlights the unusualness of this place.
Perhaps when the people who handled it died or passed away, their heroic deeds would be forgotten by the world.
A gathering place for guerrillas.
In order to thank the guerrillas for their help, the weapons and equipment directly captured by Wang Yigong were donated to the guerrillas.
A total of 102 rifles, two light machine guns, a dozen short guns, and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition.
It was an unexpected surprise for the guerrilla fighters. Many soldiers were eyeing the two light machine guns, which were rare items among the guerrillas.
You must know that most guerrilla fighters don't even have guns. They fight with the enemy with broadswords and spears.
"Captain Wang, I won't say much more to thank you. Do you, the fourth regiment, want new recruits?"
As soon as Zhao Wenjiang finished speaking, the guerrilla soldiers immediately put down their equipment and surrounded him one by one.
"Go, stop standing around here!" Zhao Wenjiang drove the guerrilla fighters away, and then said: "Commander Wang, I am the Minister of Military Transportation, and I am usually responsible for transporting troops to the main force. Your fourth regiment will not be sacrificed.
Young soldier, if necessary, I can discuss with the district committee to recruit a group of new soldiers in Changzhi and Pingshun to supplement your fourth regiment!"
Wang Yigong was very moved after hearing this. The fourth regiment is now at its weakest. Although new regiments of independent detachments are being formed, it will take one month of training time to replenish each regiment, plus one point for each of the four regiments.
The fourth regiment could at most return to its pre-war strength of 1,600 men.
As for the eight hundred captured puppet soldiers, Gao Zhiheng was enthusiastic about reforming them, but Wang Yigong looked down on the weaklings of the puppet soldiers.
Cixian County has always been the territory of the National Army. The Fourth Regiment has not been in Cixian for a long time and the mass base is still shallow. It is certainly a good thing to have an additional group of recruits.
After thinking about everything, Wang Yigong happily agreed.
Seeing that Wang Yigong agreed, Zhao Wenjiang continued: "The main activities of my district committee are in the eastern suburbs of Changzhi, most of Pingshun. It was originally suppressed by the national army, but now it is destroyed by the little devils everywhere. It has no border with the base area and no support from the main force.
The current situation is very difficult!”
"I would like to ask, does your main force have any intention to develop towards Pingshun?"
The district committee where Zhao Wenjiang is located belongs to the Changzhi Prefecture of Taihang Administrative Region. It is an administrative agency at the same level as the Tainan Prefecture where the independent detachment is located, but they do not have jurisdiction over each other.
Compared with the Tainan Prefecture, which has an independent detachment as a support and dares to blatantly build grassroots political power in the prefecture, the local comrades in the Changzhi Prefecture have been operating underground, and their work has not improved.
Wang Yigong did not immediately respond. Each regiment of the independent detachment currently has its own defense area, and the one bordering Pingshun is the fourth regiment.
According to Zhou Weihan's deployment, the main strength of the Fourth Regiment is concentrated in the east and south. However, the Fourth Regiment's organizational structure is incomplete and there is no way to develop smoothly to the west in a short time.
Even if the Fourth Regiment resumes its pre-war formation, it will be attacked on three sides and the strength of the Fourth Regiment alone may not be able to cope with it.
In addition, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party reached an agreement to divide the scope of activities with Linfen, Tuenliu, and Pingshun as the dividing lines. Pingshun was a very sensitive place.
"I have no way to make the decision on this. I need to report it to the head of the detachment!" Wang Yigong said truthfully.
Zhao Wenjiang was not discouraged, but said: "I also need to discuss with the comrades of the district committee and report to the superior prefectural committee!"
The words are divided into two parts.
Zhou Weihan was also very busy at Yamawang Mountain.
Artillery battalion commander Chen Feng and cavalry battalion commander Zhu Dashan found Zhou Weihan.
These two battalions are the only two units among the independent detachments whose strength has not decreased but increased after the war.
The artillery battalion had six more Type 38 field guns. Although the artillery of the two Japanese infantry artillery squadrons was blown up in the Battle of Zhanghe.
However, after the war, the parts were disassembled and four Type 92 infantry guns were reassembled.
The artillery battalion had more artillery but not enough manpower, so Chen Feng found Zhou Weihan personally.
"No one, the artillery companies of each regiment cannot allocate manpower to the artillery battalion. I handed over the artillery battalion to you from the beginning, and you have been fully responsible for it!" Zhou Weihan rejected Chen Feng's request to allocate manpower from each regiment.
"Then I'll go to the head office to recruit people myself!" Chen Feng, who followed Zhou Weihan when he was in the New Second Regiment, said unceremoniously.
"That's okay, as long as you don't recruit people within the detachment, the rest depends on your ability. If you have the ability, you can go to the 386 Brigade or the artillery regiment at the headquarters to recruit people. They always have more people and fewer artillery!" Zhou Weihan teased.
"I don't have as much dignity as you!"
In the end, Zhou Weihan agreed to coordinate with the 386th Brigade and the Headquarters Artillery Regiment, and Chen Feng left with satisfaction.