The troops on both sides were on high alert, and any slight disturbance could lead to a sudden change in the situation, but the commanders of the two troops looked completely unconcerned.
"In the final analysis, our Eighth Route Army is the people's armed force. This is not just a propaganda slogan just to win the hearts and minds of the people. The common people are not fools. They naturally have a strong balance in their hearts!"
"You should clearly see the peripheral fortifications. We mobilized nearly 20,000 people and completed the construction in less than two days. This is enough to explain some problems!"
"I've told people before that although you got a batch of grain from three villages, you all bought it with money. This is already better than many troops!" Zhou Weihan said.
He Cuizhi did not speak, but waved to the back, and the adjutant who had been observing the situation trotted over.
"Release all the young people in the three villages, and give each person a piece of ocean!"
"Let them all relax and don't get startled at the slightest sign of trouble. What are you doing standing there with your guns raised? Do you want to kill me?" He Cuizhi looked back. The officers and soldiers under his command looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Seemingly, I couldn't help but say a few more words.
"Yes, military seat!"
After giving instructions to his adjutant, He Cuizhi turned to Zhou Weihan and said, "I will release you immediately. Now we can talk!"
"Of course, what do you want to talk about?" Zhou Weihan asked knowingly.
The two armies were facing each other, but the two chief officers could sit together calmly. Could it be that they were just chatting to relieve their boredom? Both of them knew that the real stage was coming next, but whoever spoke first meant that the other party would take the initiative.
"I treat the officers and soldiers under my command as brothers. This is an old tradition of the Northwest Army, passed down from Chief Feng. Some people say this is a patriarchal system, but because of this, the military discipline of our Northwest Army is quite strict!"
"I have been in the army for more than 20 years. When I was young, I worked hard for high-ranking officials and good salaries. At my current age, I suddenly understand. Sometimes I wonder what I want to do in life."
"Ordinary people want to have enough food and clothing, while those with a little wealth want to increase their family property and save it for future generations. To put it bluntly, what we Chinese want is a bloodline inheritance!"
"But the Japanese are coming, and there are no eggs left behind. The inheritance of China is at stake, not to mention the inheritance of small families? Chief Han was determined to resist at first. After all, the household keepers were the elders from his hometown, but the Japanese
It’s so powerful, to be honest, we are all scared, afraid that all our troops will be destroyed, and also afraid of death, but Chiang Kai-shek has withdrawn the promised heavy artillery regiment again!”
At first Zhou Weihan thought He Cuizhi was playing the emotional card, but his voice gradually became hoarse and deeper, and veins popped up on his face, revealing the scars buried in his heart.
"Chief Han is dead, but his troops cannot be dispersed. What we thought at the time was that if someone has a gun, he has capital. Even the Central Army can't do anything to us. Fortunately, Chief Sun is shouldering the responsibility!"
He Cuizhi said with a trace of sarcasm on his face: "Old Chiang Kai-shek has two serious enemies. One is your Eighth Route Army, and the other is local ragtags like us!"
"There are three armies, the 12th Army, the 55th Army, and the 56th Army. The 55th Army was bought by Chiang Kai-shek, and the 56th Army was split up. In the end, the 3rd Army had no name, and the only organic unit under its command was the 12th Army!"
“Not only that, when we were holding on to Zhengzhou, Tang Enbo openly ordered the troops to seize the supplies sent to the front line and confiscate some weapons of the officers and soldiers who had retired from the front line. Even under such circumstances, we still took Zhengzhou back!
"
Zhou Weihan understood that he was full of grievances and resentment, so he listened to He Cuizhi's ramble for a long time: "Has part of the 56th Army been reorganized into the new Fourth Division? That is Wu Huawen's army."
"Yes, Wu Huawen was the commander of the Pistol Brigade at the time. After being reorganized into the new Fourth Division, he has been fighting guerrillas in Shandong. Now he has joined the Japanese, but it is not surprising!"
"My department has no grudges against your Eighth Route Army before this, right? During the Red Army period, we were in the south or northwest, and we never fought against each other. When the Japanese came, our army has been at the forefront, but we have some differences with your Eighth Route Army.
friendship!"
"Your Eighth Route Army has done a great job in the united front work. Commander Sun has been keeping in touch with you. I said so much, but I don't want to be a friend. I originally wanted to lead the troops back to Shandong, but I didn't expect you to respond so quickly.
!”
"The cavalry under your command have been chasing us all night, just like a swarm of flies. They can't be beaten and driven away. It's really disgusting!"
He Cuizhi was upset when he mentioned this matter. He didn't care about Zhou Weihan's thoughts and just wanted to express his feelings: "I guess your Eighth Route Army doesn't have many troops in the Huxi area. If it weren't for that cavalry, you still want to block me.
?”
"But the winner is a prince and the loser is a thief. If you are trapped for two or three days, you will be hungry and you won't be able to walk. It doesn't matter if I hand over the military power. Your Eighth Route Army will not kill me. There are still tens of thousands of people in these three villages."
The troops, I need to be responsible for my brothers!"
"After six years of fighting against the Japs, there aren't many old brothers left, but almost all of them are officers and have a small fortune. The rest are mostly soldiers who have been in the army for less than two years. About two-thirds are from Henan, and the rest are from Henan.
More than the lower third are new recruits who have been in the army for less than a year, including those from Jincheng, Anhui, and those from eastern Henan and northern Anhui!"
"I know the current situation. If we want the 12th Army to retain its organizational structure and gain a certain degree of autonomy as an independent station, it is impossible. I can do the work of those old brothers and let them leave the army and become rich men. What is left behind
The grassroots officers and soldiers can accept the adaptation of your Eighth Route Army!"
"Is this okay?" He Cuizhi asked, perhaps worried that Zhou Weihan could not give a clear reply on his own, so he added: "You can contact the people above. In short, what I just said is my utmost sincerity!
"
If Zhou Weihan had chosen to negotiate with the Eighth Route Army before his troops arrived, it could be regarded as a battlefield uprising, and he might be able to receive treatment similar to that of the New Eighth Army, retaining the complete unit structure and then reorganizing it step by step. However, the current situation is already unfavorable to him.
It's more of a surrender on the battlefield.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! He Cuizhi knew that Chiang Kai-shek was organizing personnel negotiations, but for some reason there was no movement. He also knew that he had no way out now. Once the two sides chose to negotiate, the 12th Army
Even if the Eighth Route Army was not wiped out, Chiang Kai-shek would not easily let go of the 12th Army.
Zhou Weihan had already made a general estimate of He Cuizhi's thoughts before he came, so he had already brewed some ideas in his mind, and immediately said: "Since I can come, it means that I am qualified to make a decision, and I will agree with the decision I make."
!”
He Cuizhi was a little surprised by Zhou Weihan's confidence, and even suspected that Zhou Weihan was deceiving him: "Really?"
"Of course it's true, otherwise I wouldn't come!"
"As far as I know, your 12th Army has three divisions, most of the officers and soldiers of the 20th Division, and the 65th and 66th Regiments of the 22nd Division were captured by our army. There are approximately more than 7,000 people!"
"The officers and soldiers with you now are mainly the 481st, 482nd, 485th Regiment of the 81st Division and the 64th Regiment of the 22nd Division and the Supplementary Regiment. Together, there are tens of thousands of people. In addition, the 486th Regiment stationed at Laowangji has surrendered to our army under your order. These people
According to what you said, most of them are new soldiers, but what about the officers and soldiers who were captured in Dayangji? The majority of the officers and soldiers of the 20th Division and the 22nd Division are veterans from Shandong!"
"These veterans have been fighting in the north and south for many years, and there should be quite a few of them over thirty-five years old. How should they be dealt with in the future?" Zhou Weihan said sincerely.
He Cuizhi also knew that Zhou Weihan was sincere, otherwise he could have just waved his hand and tried his best to agree but then settle the matter later.
"What do you think?"
"You originally wanted to cross Jinpu Road eastward and enter Shandong. The situation there is far less clear than in the Hebei, Shandong and Henan areas. There are Japanese troops, our Eighth Route Army, and local stubborn people who obey the orders of the National Government. So even if you lead these ten thousand people to Shandong successfully,
, and you may not be able to please him!"
"So it is better to stay in Hebei, Shandong and Henan. Southwest Shandong and northwest Shandong also belong to Shandong. Today I am negotiating with you, so I will be responsible to the end. As long as I am here, you will be able to live in peace for a day!"
The sources of soldiers of the 81st Division are the most complicated and they do not have a deep sense of identity with the 12th Army, so they only need to deal with the middle and high-level officers. On the contrary, the 20th Division and the 22nd Division have too deep imprints on their officers and soldiers, and the proportion of officers and soldiers from Shandong is quite large.
It's not easy to solve, but Zhou Weihan also has a way, as long as He Cuizhi is willing to cooperate.
"My idea is very simple. The people who follow you in Zhouzhuang, Duanzhuang, and Majiatun will surrender based on the battlefield. If they lay down their weapons and retain their personal property, it stands to reason that they can slowly transform without disrupting the organizational structure. But we
The Eighth Route Army has strict military disciplines. Smoking, gambling, and beating or insulting soldiers are not allowed!"
"If we follow the discipline of our Eighth Route Army, I'm afraid there will inevitably be conflicts in the future, so it's better to avoid it in advance. If you and I have gone through double screening and are willing to stay in the army, you can enter the Anti-Japanese University to study!"
"We can distribute land to those who have separated from the army, but as I said before, it is best to stay in Hebei, Shandong and Henan. If these people go to enemy-occupied areas and surrender to the enemy, you, an old officer, will lose face!
"
He Cuizhi nodded when he heard this. It was these old brothers who had a headache for him. Fortunately, these people all had a little money. According to the arrangement of the Eighth Route Army, it would not be difficult for them to live a wealthy life in the future.
"Ordinary soldiers who are over 35 years old and have no special skills will be resettled as retired soldiers. The local government will also allocate land. Those who have difficulties in life can be given special care. Marrying a local wife and having a child is better than anything else!"
"Dayang gathers the captured officers and soldiers, and the officers undergo labor reform. Those who pass the reform can study at the Anti-Japanese University and then be transferred to the army to serve in the army. Ordinary soldiers will be discharged when they should be discharged!"
"Our Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region has currently established multiple local garrison regiments, but the personnel establishment is not yet full. The ordinary soldiers who remain in the army can be dispersed and reorganized. In the future, they will also develop in eastern Henan and northern Anhui. The soldiers who enlisted from these places have not yet been
You can’t go back to your hometown!”
"Of course, some of these heinous elements need to be shot!"
"This is my sincerity!" Zhou Weihan finally said.
"Is Li Xianzhou still alive? Where are the others?" He Cuizhi asked.
When he heard Zhou Weihan talk about the situation of other people, the injured were transported to the rear for treatment, and the dead were buried on the spot, He Cuizhi couldn't help but feel a little sad: "Chen Youxin is a capable person. You haven't found his body so far. He probably ran away."
Well, if Li Xianzhou had listened to him, the situation would not be like this!"
"I'll go back and explain to the brothers, and I'll give you an answer before dark!" He Cuizhi shook hands with Zhou Weihan and turned to leave.
In fact, before it got dark at all, the tens of thousands of people in the 12th Army had no possibility of resistance. Many grassroots soldiers lay on the ground hungry and did not want to move.
After Zhou Weihan came back, he briefly explained the process, and then asked people to prepare food. He estimated that the 12th Army would not be ready for long.
Deng Keming on the side said: "If we release our military power over a glass of wine, one Communist can be worth one hundred thousand soldiers!"
Li Yunlong, who was standing next to him, grinned and said with disdain: "You, Old Deng, are a big boss but you are so polite and flattering, so you are not embarrassed!"
Deng Keming said sarcastically: "Hey, you, Lao Li, do think so, but do you have that level?"
The fighting subsided, and everyone's tense strings rarely relaxed. That is, two hours later, at around 4 o'clock in the afternoon on the 26th, He Cuizhi once again sent his adjutant to contact him, saying that he could immediately reach an agreement with his troops.
.
As the sun set, the afterglow shone on the earth looking a little desolate and lonely. Every officer and soldier of the 12th Army placed their weapons on their own positions, and then walked in groups towards the Eighth Route Army positions.
The two sides put aside their grievances at this moment, or as He Cuizhi said, there was not much grievance at all. Who would be willing to die if he could live? It was not about surrendering to the Japanese.
Behind the Eighth Route Army position, the fellow villagers who originally supported the front line gradually withdrew, leaving a large open space. The soldiers enthusiastically led away the brothers from the National Army in batches.
The white rice porridge is bubbling hot, and there are big soft steamed buns on the basket. It is undoubtedly the greatest happiness to have a hot meal for the rest of my life.
"Don't tell me, it's quite quiet when tens of thousands of people are together!" Deng Keming said in surprise.
"Nonsense, I made you hungry for two days, and you do the same!" Li Yunlong's pretentious look was a bit annoying.
The two of them didn't have much intersection at first, but as the Southwestern Shandong Military Division moved closer to the west of Huxi, they had more intersections and became acquaintances.
He Cuizhi stood next to Zhou Weihan and said in a deep voice: "I only recognize you in the Eighth Route Army. I have entrusted these brothers to you. If my cooperation is needed, I will do my best to cooperate. I hope you can fulfill your promise!"
"Of course, don't worry about this," Zhou Weihan said: "You don't want to just be a rich man, how can that be a good thing? The democratic government of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Border Region needs people like you to make suggestions and contribute!
"
"When the time comes, it would be great to serve as a councilor in a democratic government and give full play to your remaining energy!"
Zhou Weihan understood that although He Cuizhi said he was relaxed, how could he adapt to it after the person who once held power stepped down? It would be better to take the initiative to give him a position.