In six days from March 21 to 26, 1943, the nearly 50,000-strong military group of the 28th Army led by Li Xianzhou collapsed.
Except for Deputy Commander-in-Chief Chen Youxin, whose whereabouts are still unknown, a group of officers from the group army headquarters were captured alive, and the guard regiment and artillery regiment all surrendered.
The remaining 12,000 men of the 21st Division of the 92nd Army and the temporarily reorganized 56th Division were trapped north of the Yellow River and took the initiative to seek peace from the Eighth Route Army.
The 12th Army's 20th Division, 22nd Division, and 81st Division totaled 11 regiments and multiple directly affiliated teams with nearly 25,000 people, of whom nearly 20,000 either surrendered or were captured.
As the vanguard force approaching the Shandong region, the 142nd Division Liu Chunlin's troops are entrenched in southern Shandong and have joined forces with local stubborn Liu Guitang and Shen Xianwu's troops in the southern Shandong area. They are currently in a confrontation with the Eighth Route Army of the Shandong Military Region.
In addition, only the temporary 30th Division that stayed in the Huaibei area survived the war, and its personnel structure was intact.
There is no fighting north of the Longhai Line, but the fighting south of the Longhai Line has not subsided. There are faint signs of rekindling the war. Wang Zhonglian's troops of the Second Advance Army belonging to the Sulu-Henan-Anhui Border Region crossed Jinpu Road and marched westward into the Huaibei area.
The Hebei-Shandong-Henan Column is now split into four parts. The 13th Brigade of Jingdagang is located in the old Kaocheng area, the 14th Wuqin Brigade is located north of the Yellow River and works with the local troops of the military region to suppress the 92nd Army, and the 9th Regiment of Dingwei's 15th Brigade is stationed in Dayangji to guard the prisoners.
, the 8th Regiment went south to Laowangji and joined forces led by the 16th Brigade Chief of Staff Xin Tiebing. The brigade headquarters and the 7th Regiment occupied Yucheng County two days ago, and the main force of the 16th Brigade was led by Li Yunlong to garrison Dangshan.
Zhou Weihan had some headaches. The main force of the column was too scattered. As a field force, it could only assume the tasks of guarding places and guarding prisoners.
"Has your superior called back?" Zhou Weihan asked.
"No, I'm probably waiting here!" Zhao Bingzhang pointed at the location of Subei on the map with his finger: "Maybe the results will be sent here soon!"
Although the friction between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party was a localized battle, it spread over a wide area in North China, which can be roughly divided into Tainan, Hebei, Shandong and Yu, Shandong, and Huaibei.
At that time, the Fourth Division of the New Fourth Army in the Huaibei base area was under attack from Wang Zhonglian's and Han Deqin's troops, while the New Fourth Army's Subei Military Region to the east was in the stage of counter-mopping up the Japanese and puppet troops, and was unable to divide its troops to support the situation.
Precarious.
At this time, the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Column launched a powerful offensive against the 28th Group Army. The situation in the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Army took a turn for the worse. In order to save the officers and soldiers of the 28th Group, Chiang Kai-shek sent an urgent call on the 23rd to reinforce Wang Zhonglian's troops who were participating in the siege of the Fourth Division of the New Fourth Army.
Whether the distant water can quench the near thirst depends on who does it. Zhou Weihan obviously did it in one step and successfully used the situation in Hebei, Shandong and Henan to mobilize Wang Zhonglian's troops, thus resolving the crisis of the Fourth Division of the New Fourth Army.
On the other hand, Wang Zhonglian's troops were blocked by Japanese railway lines from Sihong to Yongcheng. They broke through numerous blockades along the way and arrived in the Yongcheng area on the 26th. By this time, contact with the headquarters of the 28th Group Army had been lost.
Wang Zhonglian's ministry had no choice but to ask Tang Enbo, the commander-in-chief of the Sulu-Henan-Anhui Border Region, for instructions on the next step. Tang Enbo called back to station troops in Huaibei and wait and see how the situation would develop.
Zhou Weihan rubbed his chin, thinking about how to deploy the next step, and then said: "I still mean that. Since the superiors did not give an explicit order, it means tacit approval. We need to give full play to the initiative of the main hexagram. First, the main force of the column needs to be freed up.
Only in this way can targeted deployment be made!”
"The strength of the 15th Brigade is too scattered. Can the local armed forces in Dangshan, Fengxian, Shanxian, and Jinxiang be sent to Dayangji to take on the task of guarding the prisoners? At the same time, the Lao Wangji national army should be concentrated in Dayangji!" Zhou Weihan said
Then he looked at Luo Benzhong and Deng Keming.
Shanxian and Jinxiang are the junction areas of the Southwest Shandong Military Division and the Huxi Military Division, while Dangshan and Fengxian are all located in Huxi, so two people are naturally needed to come forward.
Deng Keming didn't say anything and agreed very readily: "I'll tell the political commissar of Guohua, even if it doesn't matter, he will definitely agree!"
Although Luo Benzhong served in the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Column, he still had quite a reputation in the local area and expressed the need to communicate with the local government.
"Well, these four local armed forces will be personally commanded by Comrade Zhu Guoming, deputy director of the Political Department, and Comrade Cheng Qiwu will be notified to deliver a batch of grain to Dayangji as soon as possible!" Zhou Weihan clapped his hands and settled the matter.
.
"What do you think, during this gap period, how should our column be deployed? To advance eastward or southward?" Everyone was stunned by Zhou Weihan's bold idea. They had just stopped for a day and were preparing for a big move?
"Is this? Let the troops take a rest? Time is too tight!" Zhao Bingzhang suggested.
"Of course I know that time is too tight. Jing Dagang's 13th Brigade has been playing a role in suppressing the Japanese and puppet troops, but it has not yet been put to use. I think we can let the 13th Brigade arrive from the old Kaocheng area via Caoxian County to Laowangji.
Get ready to go south!"
"At the same time, after Comrade Zhu Guoming led the local armed forces of Ding Wei's 15th Brigade to Dayangji, the 15th Brigade left one regiment to garrison in Yucheng County, and the rest joined the 13th Brigade to test the reaction of the national army, and then adapt accordingly!"
Zhou Weihan only tried briefly and did not reveal all his intentions.
As Zhou Weihan said, the Hebei, Shandong and Henan columns now have only two options to go, apart from wasting time where they are. One is to go east to Shandong, and the other is to go south to Huaibei.
The journey eastward to Shandong is too long, and the Kuomintang and the Communist Party may have already started negotiations by the time they arrive, or the Eighth Route Army of the Shandong Military Region may resolve the issue with the Kuomintang army, but the second possibility is unlikely.
Going south and occupying Huaibei can echo the New Fourth Army troops east of Longhai Road. At the same time, it can also extend the radiation range of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan base areas to the south, thereby reducing the pressure on the base areas themselves, especially in terms of food and grass.
Regarding these two plans, Zhou Weihan once discussed them at a meeting of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Branch. At that time, it was unanimously agreed that the east and then the south should be first, but the focus was on the south. Since the situation is changing, from now on it is easier to go south.
Furthermore, advancing into Shandong is a waste of time, while going south is to reap benefits for the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base. Of course, as long as the headquarters gives the order, Zhou Weihan will lead his troops eastward into Shandong without saying a word.
Regarding future development strategies, Zhou Weihan decided to report to the military region for instructions. However, the frontline actions could not be slow, and the troops were mobilized according to the deployment.
Because it was related to the Shandong Military Region, the telegram requesting instructions from the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Column first passed through the Military Region and then quickly reached the Eighth Route Army Headquarters. This was something Zhou Weihan did not expect.
At the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, after the boss read Zhou Weihan's telegram, he said directly: "Look, he is the only one with many ideas. Not only has he mobilized the national army, he has even made arrangements for us!"
Chief of Staff Teng on the side said with a smile: "Boss, just tell me whether this knife is easy to use, and how much trouble we will save!"
"If you ask me, Zhou Weihan has the deepest understanding of the attitude of the Military Commission. He knew before the headquarters that the Nationalist Government was organizing personnel negotiations. However, instead of slowing down the actions of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu column, the Nationalist Army was swept away by the autumn wind like fallen leaves!"
At first, the Eighth Route Army headquarters did not understand what Yanzhou meant, but in the past few days, the boss and others also came to their senses. The overall situation was favorable to the Eighth Route Army, so the Yanzhou side was trying its best to delay time so that the frontline troops could
Get more chips.
"What do you think? This matter needs to be responded to as soon as possible!" the boss asked.
"Both hands must be grasped, both hands must be strong!" Political Commissar Deng said. The 129th Division headquarters transferred three regiments from the Taibei Military Region. Commander Liu personally came to Shexian County to take command, but Political Commissar Deng stayed at the headquarters.
"The Shandong Military Region is adopting a policy of differentiation. The key targets are Liu Guitang, Shen Xianwu and other local stubborns who colluded with the Japanese and puppet troops and harmed the people. As long as these local stubborns are eliminated, the 142nd Division of the 92nd Army that has newly entered Shandong will have no foundation!"
"In addition, I read what Comrade Zuo Quan meant in the telegram. The 92nd Army can be fought for. Since it is so large that the 92nd Army can enter Shandong, our army's united front work will be easier to carry out in the future!"
"Therefore, the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Column only needs to send one main brigade to assist the Shandong Military Region, and the rest can be concentrated along the Longhai Railway, waiting for opportunities to go south, as Zhou Weihan envisioned!"
Political Commissar Deng's idea was very bold, and even contradicted the idea put forward by the Yanzhou headquarters to prevent the Central Army from entering Shandong. However, the situation is always changing.
"It would be best if we could win over the 92nd Army. It turns out that Hou Jingru has a close relationship with our army!" said Luo Ruiqing, Director of the Political Department at the side.
The boss did not reply immediately, but was obviously thinking deeply. Two regimes with diametrically opposed class positions could never coexist. If the Eighth Route Army wanted to expand its influence in Shandong and achieve unified leadership, it would have to eliminate the influence of the National Army.
force.
The Central Army is the benchmark for the national army. Assuming that the 28th Army successfully enters Shandong, then after establishing a foothold, Li Xianzhou will definitely summon the Shandong local national army to besiege our base area.
The boss said: "There is only the 92nd Army left at the moment. Although we cannot completely win it over, with Hou Jingru in command, it is not a bad idea to maintain friendly ties with our army, and Chiang Kai-shek has achieved his goal. After all, in this way, the Central Committee
The army did enter Shandong as planned, the difference lies in the strength of the troops!"
"Call back to the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region..."
On the other end, it was already the afternoon of the 27th when Zhou Weihan received the reply. During this period, the Deputy Chief of General Staff, on behalf of the Hebei, Luyu and Yu Military Region, contacted the Shandong Military Region, represented by Political Commissar Luo, to communicate in advance.
"The main force of the first brigade will prepare its own dry food?"
Speaking of food, Zhou Weihan began to have a headache again. Although he was a member of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Column and could concentrate on directing the battle, the food reserves in the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area could not be consumed in vain.
The results of dismantling the 28th Group Army are remarkable, but the 30,000 officers and soldiers of more than 10 countries and the 4,000 Japanese puppet prisoners do not need to eat. At least 70,000 to 80,000 kilograms of food are consumed every day.
There are also several thousand people from Yu Xuezhong of the Northeast Army who have just arrived in Juye. According to the agreement, the Eighth Route Army along the way should supply the Northeast Army with food and grass.
Unfortunately, the negotiations between the two parties have not yet begun. The pressure on the Hebei-Shandong-Yu base area is so great that Tan Lin secretly complains, and Zhou Weihan feels that it is necessary to reduce some pressure.
"Alas!" Zhou Weihan sighed again, and then said: "Who is the right person to send?"
Although I am asking everyone for their thoughts, the 16th Brigade is the most convenient to dispatch at the moment. On the one hand, the 16th Brigade is following the headquarters in Dangshan, which is the closest to Shandong. On the other hand, among the four brigade commanders, Li Yunlong has the most seniority and can be regarded as being on the same side as Hong.
I have some contacts with the army, so it will be easier to deal with after I go there.
Li Yunlong did not want to fight a big battle, so he naturally took the initiative to ask Ying to lead his troops into Shandong, and Zhou Weihan followed suit and agreed.
"Since the headquarters has ordered to support the brother troops in Shandong, don't delay and act quickly!"
"Prepare a day of dry food tonight, and set out on a truck early tomorrow morning. Please ask comrades from the local governments along the way to replenish the rest of the food!" Zhou Weihan said and looked at Deng Keming: "The column has its own food supply, but it is transported from Dingtao.
It’s too far to come here, no matter how much you eat, you will definitely make up for it in the future!”
The Huxi base area was not wealthy to begin with, and Zhou Weihan was a little embarrassed by the repeated troubles.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Deng Keming was also a little distressed, but fortunately, Zhou Weihan asked the Fourth Teaching Brigade to give priority to a batch of captured weapons and equipment.
Li Yunlong turned around and went out to convey the order, but suddenly stopped and said: "Is it possible that my 16th brigade will not be able to come back after leaving? What if we are left in Shandong then? Don't help yourself when the time comes.
Get in!"
After Li Yunlong's reminder, everyone thought that there might be such a possibility. Zhou Weihan's heart skipped a beat, and then he pretended to be dissatisfied: "It's better to leave, so as not to worry about you!"
At the 16th Brigade Headquarters in Yucheng, Ding Wei received a telegram from Zhou Weihan, asking him to send someone to talk to the Japanese and puppet troops in Shangqiu before evacuating, and exchange the captured Japanese and puppet troops for some food supplies.
"Hey, brigade commander, you still had the foresight to send someone to contact the Japs after occupying Yucheng!" said the staff officer at the brigade headquarters.
"What kind of foresight? Everyone says that I, Ding Wei, have always been good at doing business. I learned this from the Communists, leaving those Japanese and puppet soldiers to make a living in our place? How beautiful they are!" Ding Wei said.
What Zhou Weihan received was only a report on paper, but Ding Wei faced the pressure of food and grass. At first, he relied on the food seized from the national army to survive for a few days, but in the end he was left with nothing.
The captured Japanese and puppet soldiers were all veterans. Ding Wei saw that there was no point in keeping them, so he simply let the political cadres educate them for a few days while he contacted the Japanese and puppet soldiers in Shangqiu.
That night, I received another telegram from Li Yunlong. Li Yunlong showed off in the telegram that he was going to fight in Shandong with his troops. You, Old Ding, should take good care of your home.
Ding Wei sneered at this, but others in the brigade were a little puzzled.
"Do you know what it means to take a small loss and take advantage of a big advantage? We Communist Party members have always been equal to a bowl of water. Even if we have to let any army suffer a loss, we will definitely find an opportunity to make up for it afterwards!"
"Our column is a field force. After this battle, are we going to stay idle in the base area? Let me tell you, why did the headquarters let local armed forces take over our 15th brigade? Although the *** officer did not say it clearly, there must be others behind it.
Big move!”
"Before, our 15th Brigade suffered a loss in replacing weapons and equipment, but when we were eating meat, we were still behind. If we can't keep it all, we will go to the south of Longhai Road to develop!"
During the formation of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Column, except for a few main regiments that were all equipped with Japanese-style rifles, the rifle models used by the other regiments were not unified. In particular, the second regiment of the 13th Brigade was adapted from the Su Weapon Regiment.
In order to reduce the pressure on ammunition supply, Zhou Weihan decided to equip all members of a brigade with Type 81 rifles independently developed by the Eighth Route Army. The final selection fell on the 15th Brigade.
As Ding Wei said, Zhou Weihan would naturally make compensation. The Type 81 rifle used 79-caliber bullets, and there were a large number of puppet troops south of the Longhai Line who also used 79-caliber bullets.
From the perspective of ammunition supply, once the Eighth Route Army opens base areas in eastern Henan, northern Anhui and other places, the 15th Brigade will be the first choice.
