April 30, 1943, was the day when an enlarged meeting of the party, government and army was held in the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area. More than 500 people attended the meeting. Even Xiao Hua, director of the political department of the military region in western Shandong, rushed back to attend the meeting.
This meeting is of great significance. It is not only a summary of the work of the past six months, but also the prelude to production and construction in the next six months.
Zhou Weihan did have a few days of leisure after returning to the military region, but he also participated in conferences and meetings. Originally, the stalls in the base area were small, and many major cadres made decisions on many matters after consultation, but now he cannot do what he did before.
Every decision is related to the future of the base area.
Today's Hebei-Shandong-Henan Base Area extends to the Zhangwei River in the north, the Ping-Han Railway in the west, the Jin-Pu Railway in the east, and the Long-Hai Railway in the south. With the capital Heze as the center, it has jurisdiction over seven special districts and military divisions.
The Southwest Shandong Prefecture has jurisdiction over Dingtao, Chengwu, Caoxian, Shanxian, Yucheng, Jinxiang, the Huxi Prefecture has jurisdiction over Fengxian, Yutai, Pei County and parts of Dangshan, and the Northern Henan Prefecture has jurisdiction over Puyang, Junxian and Huaxian.
, Dongming and some areas of Kaocheng, Fengqiu and Yanjin, and Huang, Qingfeng, Nanle, Guancheng and Guanxian counties under the jurisdiction of Zhinan District.
The Northwest Shandong Prefecture governs Shouzhang, Yanggu, Fanxian, Shenxian, Dong'a and parts of Tangyi. The Yunxi Prefecture governs Yuncheng, Juye, Jiaxiang and parts of Dongping and Wenshang. The Taixi Prefecture governs Ping
Yin, Feicheng and parts of Ningyang, Changqing and Eping
Including the capital Heze and the directly-affiliated district Zhencheng, there are a total of 40 counties with a population of nearly 20 million and a total area of more than 60,000 square kilometers. Most of them have been fully occupied by the Eighth Route Army, and a few have only occupied part of the area, but are being integrated.
among.
At the beginning of the meeting, the deputy chief of general staff made a speech first and introduced Zhao Gang's appointment in public. Later, Zhang Guohua, the top leader of Huxi District, and Xiao Hua, deputy director of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Administrative Office, spoke successively to report on the situation.
Except for the southern part of Dangshan, which is south of the Longhai Line, the rest of the counties in Huxi District have been integrated. This was just because the timing was right. The Japanese army in the northern Jiangsu area was in the stage of large-scale mopping up. At the same time, the 13th and 15th brigades of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan columns were advancing.
Close to northern Anhui, it effectively contained the Japanese troops in Shangqiu and Xuzhou.
The counties within the Western Shandong District have also been integrated, but there are too many areas bordering the Japanese army and are currently continuing to expand.
Later, Tan Lin and Xiao Hua reported on the spring plowing situation in the base area. Although Tan Lin was the director of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Administration and Xiao Hua was the deputy director of the administration, due to the large area of the base area, the two were actually responsible for the original area.
Next, the meeting entered into the main theme, domestic production and construction, external base areas continued to be opened, and political power was consolidated. The work was clearly divided at the meeting.
The local government is responsible for the construction of highways and fortifications along the way. Each county constructs the construction in sections according to the design drawings. The broad masses of the people are mobilized to participate in the construction through work-for-relief methods, with Tan Lin and Xiao Hua in charge.
In fact, the most difficult time has passed. Since the base is located in a plain area, when the gravel road was laid, the army was responsible for blasting, but they could not find a suitable mountain. A lot of effort was wasted on this, and even the gravel was made by ordinary people.
A little bit broken.
The deputy chief of general staff is in charge of the base industry and arsenal production, and is responsible for allocating various raw material resources.
Zhou Weihan was mainly responsible for the construction of four military fortresses, which were located in Anren Town south of Dingtao, Dahuang Ji west of Heze, in the Luling Mountain area, Old City north of Zhencheng, and Longlan Ji east of Heze.
These four military fortresses were designed based on the current situation and existing terrain. The north side of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area has broad strategic depth. At the same time, north of the Zhangwei River is the South Hebei Military Region. Only the Japanese troops in the Liaocheng area need to take more precautions.
But there was also the Eighth Route Army of Western Shandong Province to deal with it.
To the west of Heze lies the Luling Mountains, which act as a natural barrier. To the west, there are two military divisions, namely Zhinan and Henan, guarding the area, so there is no risk of safety.
Although the old Yellow River course serves as a barrier in the south area, it is difficult to withstand the enemy's heavy troop group. In the east area, although the Liangshan Army Division is stationed in Juye, the strategic depth is too narrow and close to the Japanese railway line, making it a close encounter with the Japanese stronghold of Jining.
.
The defense system of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area has been continuously improved. From the initial base area with ditches and fortifications and the establishment of a defense line on the old Yellow River route, to now it has absorbed the advantages of the Japanese army's cage policy, thus forming a vast rural area with highway lines as a chain.
It is a fortress with a trench on top and a tunnel defense system on the bottom.
As deputy director of the Political Department, Zhao Gang is in charge of the ideological work of the army and is also responsible for summarizing and distributing information from all parties.
The overall planning time is half a year, but there are small progress arrangements every month, and we strive to complete the construction of roads and various fortifications before the summer harvest in June.
The task of opening up base areas to the outside world should be completed before June in western Shandong, a stable political power should be formed in northern Anhui, and a certain amount of armed forces should be formed in eastern Henan.
After the conference, each department had to hold a small meeting to refine the specific arrangements. Tan Lin called Zhao Gang away and prepared to hand over the work of the Political Department.
Zhou Weihan's job was actually the most worry-free, because he didn't understand the specific construction process of the military fortress, but he had specialized technical personnel in charge, and he just had the title of minister of the engineering department.
He also knew that he was a layman, so he was not prepared to intervene in the specific work and was only responsible for the coordination work.
"** member, *** member!"
Zhou Weihan was just about to go out to take a breath, but was stopped by Xin Tiebing, the chief of staff of the 16th Brigade. He suddenly felt a headache. Li Yunlong sent telegrams again and again. First, he asked when he would return to the army, and secondly, he wanted to stay in the 16th Brigade in Hebei, Shandong and Henan.
Transfer the rest.
Zhou Weihan himself didn't know when the 16th Brigade would be restored, but one thing he was sure of was that the remainder of the 16th Brigade would definitely not be transferred to Shandong.
"What's going on? Tell me from outside!" Zhou Weihan pretended to be confused while Xin Tiebing followed him all the way to the courtyard.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Comrade **, how long do we need to hold on? At least give us a specific deadline. I have no other intention. The other main forces have combat missions, and we are the only ones left."
These two thousand people guard the Jaap railway line every day, as if they are guarding the gate and courtyard for the Jaap!" Xin Tiebing said.
Zhou Weihan handed Xin Tiebing a cigarette and even lit it for him himself. This made Xin Tiebing a little flattered, but he didn't know that this cigarette was not that easy to smoke.
Sure enough, Zhou Weihan said: "It is my intention to let your troops stick to the Longhai line, and even transfer the first regiment directly under the general area to set up defenses!"
When Xin Tiebing heard this, he immediately swallowed the words that came to his mouth. He came here this time just to see the 13th Brigade and the 15th Brigade in the south boldly opening up base areas, and he felt as if grass had grown in his heart.
"You are also the chief of staff of the brigade now. Take a long-term view. Your department has a very important task. No matter how peaceful you are now, you will definitely be indispensable in the future!"
"As long as your troops hold on to the Longhai Line for one day, it is equivalent to cutting off a supply line of the 35th Division. The Longhai Line cannot be passed, and the transportation volume of the Pinghan Line can only be increased. But can the Pinghan Line be passed?
The little devil has a beautiful idea!"
The Pinghan-Hankou Railway was the area where the Eighth Route Army was most active. The Eighth Route Army troops along the route often obtained supplies through this railway line, even to the point where local Japanese troops were required to pay tolls. In the eyes of the Japanese army, this was the hardest-hit area.
Therefore, the 35th Division and the Japanese and puppet troops in Kaifeng and other places were having a hard time. Zhou Weihan estimated that the combat readiness warehouse of the 35th Division was large, but it was obviously unable to supply the huge Japanese and puppet forces for a long time.
These Japanese and puppet troops also need to conduct live-fire training on weekdays.
The most important thing is that a large area of eastern Henan and part of northern Anhui under the jurisdiction of the 35th Division are yellow flood areas. Grain production has never been high. Originally, it mainly relied on grain supply in the Hebei, Shandong and Henan regions, but later the grain production areas
If it is lost, it can only be supplied externally.
Zhou Weihan said at the beginning that as long as we stick to the Longhai Line, the Japanese and puppet forces will be weakened every day. Now it is being verified step by step.
The national strategy is a game of chess. Yanzhou is playing chess, the Eighth Route Army headquarters is playing chess, and the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area is also playing chess, but at different levels.
The general policy of the Eighth Route Army is to develop northward and obtain military assistance from the United States, but it will inevitably have to fight with the Japanese army in North China and even the Northeast. What cannot be ignored is that the strength of the Japanese army is still not small, so it needs to consume a wave of Japanese army strength first, and then
Then make great strides to develop further north.
Zhou Weihan used the 35th Division as bait to mobilize Japanese and puppet troops from other areas. The defense system built in the Hebei, Shandong and Yu base areas was prepared for the enemy.
The patience of the Japanese army is only temporary, or it is not to the point where the Japanese army cannot bear it, or the Japanese army has not yet freed up its hands, but the two sides will definitely have a life-and-death battle in the Hebei, Shandong and Henan areas.
At present, all the measures taken by the Hebei, Shandong and Yu base areas are to strengthen their strength. The purpose of outward expansion is to obtain soldiers, food, weapons and equipment, and strategic depth. The same is true for internal integration.
"Comrade ***, I understand. After I go back, I will do a good job in the ideological work of my comrades, and always prepare the army for the next big battle!" Xin Tiebing said excitedly.
"That's right. You must first take the lead. Don't complain all day long. This will affect the overall atmosphere of the army. You now have the equivalent of two regiments of troops. This is a rare opportunity for you.
Opportunity, you may not be able to cause trouble with the brigade commander in the future!" Zhou Weihan drew a big cake and coaxed Xin Tiebing away.
The next day, Zhou Weihan called together the people in the engineering department. These people were of all ages. Some had returned from studying abroad, some were top students majoring in architecture at domestic universities, and some were experienced veterans.
long.
"Comrades, although I am the Minister of Engineering, I only have a name. Engineer Liang is the real person in charge. You are all talents recruited from all over the country. Those who can come here are all skilled!"
"Our Eighth Route Army has no experience in this area before, so I have to trouble you all. There is an old saying in China that when everyone adds fuel, the flames will rise, so we must unite as one. No matter if there are problems in life or work in the future,
You can come to me and Gong Liang!"
"I will not directly intervene in the specific construction, but I want to make a few requirements. First, the construction must be carried out in accordance with the design drawings. The use of materials must not be reduced. The quality of the project must be guaranteed. The military region will give priority to our engineering department. At the same time, we must
Pay attention to construction safety and minimize casualties!”
"Secondly, during the construction period, we need to temporarily cut off contact with the outside world, so we cannot contact family and friends. Thirdly, we must do everything possible to speed up the construction progress!"
A military fortress is no different from an ordinary fortress. It is not small in terms of construction procedures or volume. Although it is simple and rough in appearance, according to Liang Gong's calculations, from the underground foundation to the pouring of the main body and the final capping, at least one
month time.
During this period, after each step of concrete pouring is completed, a certain amount of time is required for curing. In order to ensure the overall quality, some steps must be retained.
In fact, Zhou Weihan is quite relieved about the overall construction process. The person in charge, Liang Gong, is a well-known construction expert in China. The only thing that needs to be considered is that the construction drawings and internal structures cannot be leaked, so the workers can only be selected from the army. The local
Ordinary people are only responsible for material transportation.
Even so, the peripheral bunkers and bunkers serving as firepower points are planned to be built secretly by military personnel after the entire military fortress is completed to ensure that the firepower deployment is not leaked.
In comparison, the construction of roads in base areas and fortifications along the way is much simpler. All it takes is transporting the materials to the right place, technicians informing them of the concrete standards, and ordinary people can do the job.
After the collective meeting was held, the entire Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area was operating at full capacity like a machine. Each department performed its duties and had its own division of labor. It fully mobilized the manpower and material resources in the base area to seize time and progress.
Wen Hao has been following Zhao Gang, and he was greatly shocked. At that time, the Red Army did not have such mobilization power in the Soviet area, let alone such an extraordinary industrial foundation.
"I heard that the work-for-relief method is used now, but you have so much food?" Wen Yu asked in confusion.
Although Zhao Gang had just arrived, he also understood some things: "A small part of the food was obtained from other base areas, and the rest was borrowed by Comrade Tan Lin from the local gentry!" Zhao Gang said.
"Humph, borrow? Go to someone's house to borrow a gun barrel?" Wen Hao scoffed after hearing this.
"I think you have been with the National Army for a long time and your thinking has changed. The local governments in each county just held a small meeting and proposed a plan to exchange old grain for new grain. These gentry agreed to take the remaining grain first
come out!"
"You think you were forced to change with the barrel of a gun, but in fact, with the credibility of the local government and our party, and the people's trust, they will naturally support it!" Zhao Gang obviously understands his mission and is always thinking about doing it for Wen Qiang.
Ideological work.
Wen Yu was speechless for a long time after hearing this. He had used similar methods before, and even said similar words to people around him, but the memory was so long ago that he had forgotten it.