Speaking of this, Ye Chao hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Political Commissar, although the area around Nanyi Lake is the defense area of the Second Guerrilla Zone, our underground organizations cannot openly operate, but it is an important link between the military headquarters and the southern Jiangsu troops. transportation lines, so our secret underground organization has always been active."
"Would you like to ask them to check to see if these guys are from the Third War Zone or are wearing the Japanese and Puppet brand? Even if we want revenge afterwards, don't we have to find the real owner? Without considerable backstage support, this The gangsters won’t dare to touch us easily.”
"Political Commissar, although these guys like to make extra money, they also have the habit of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Even if our situation is unfavorable, even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. The Nanyi Lake area is close to our southern Jiangsu Army. These If the local gangsters don't have the backing to back them up, they won't dare to provoke us."
"These people are afraid of the hard, but they are also the masters of the wall. Although most people are blind to money, but for them, they have the same distrust of the Third War Zone. They will not easily They don’t dare to provoke us, so I feel that there is something fishy about the attacks on these five regiments.”
Ye Chao analyzed it in detail, because he knew that although the political commissar was young, he was extremely thoughtful and not easy to fool. Moreover, the attack itself was very strange. These miscellaneous armed forces and local snakes on the edge of Nanyi Lake , although he has not personally come into contact with it, he is not unfamiliar with it either.
Nanyi Lake is an important channel for the Southern Anhui Military Headquarters to communicate with the Southern Jiangsu Army. The military headquarters has always been focused on controlling the distribution of various forces here. These miscellaneous armed forces were recruited by the Third War Zone and the Second Guerrilla Zone for various reasons. , focusing their main energy on protecting themselves from being swallowed up by the regular army and other troops, and how to make money in disguise by taking advantage of the geographical advantage of Nanyi Lake close to southern Jiangsu.
Moreover, in order to compete for territory and sphere of influence, especially the benefits brought by smuggling in enemy-occupied areas, these miscellaneous armed forces compete with each other quite fiercely. If these people with power and family fortune here do not have a strong background to support them, I would not easily provoke such a strong opponent as the New Fourth Army.
But Ye Chao couldn't explain what was strange at the moment. After all, the situation at that time could not be explained clearly in a few words on the telegram. Ye Chao could not tell the enemy group that attacked the fifth regiment just by relying on a few words on the telegram. Which one among the many forces by the lake?
After Ye Chao finished speaking, Yang Zhen nodded, but in the end he shook his head. However, Yang Zhen did not say the reason why he shook his head. When Ye Chao guessed the reason for his shaking his head, Yang Zhen whispered He said, "Since you guarantee that Zhang Tao will never have any problems, I believe you. As for other matters, I will discuss them with the Army Commander after we arrive in Jiangbei."
At this point, Yang Zhen suddenly changed the topic: "Ye Chao, do you have any ideas about changing your development situation? Although you are slightly less capable than Li Zhigao in some aspects, you are more flexible. He is very skilled in staff work, and there is a need for talents like you in the Northeast."
Yang Zhen's words made Ye Chao stunned. Instead of answering Yang Zhen, he asked instead: "Political Commissar, do you really want to go back after we arrive in Jiangbei? Political Commissar, can you tell the Central Committee and stay in the New Fourth Army?" Although you are young, your pragmatic work style is exactly what the New Fourth Army lacks."
"Political Commissar, after the Wannan troops withdrew to Jiangbei, it can be said that the New Fourth Army will basically be active in Jiangbei. How can we do this when there is the sea to the east, the Japanese army in Shandong to the north, the Guangxi troops in the fifth theater to the west, and the large number of various miscellaneous armed forces in the south, as well as Nanjing The Japanese Central China Front Army had to develop at any time and face the attack of new troops transferred from Chongqing and the Japanese and puppet troops. It was an arduous task to establish its own guerrilla base area."
"At this time, we need a leader like you. Although you are nominally a political commissar, I can see that your military command ability is even better than that of a military commander, and your flexibility is even better. The most important thing is Your vision and vision are much broader, and your thoughts are much more delicate. At this time when the New Fourth Army is developing greatly, leaders like you are needed."
Regarding Ye Chao's words, Yang Zhen shook his head and said: "Just talk to me about these words. Don't tell others. There are some things that you don't understand. I won't say them, and I can't say them. But you just need to understand one thing. Commander Xiyi's abilities are not inferior to mine. As long as he is fully trusted and allowed to perform his duties, the New Fourth Army will be under his command. Although there will be certain setbacks, The prospects for development are still broad.”
"In addition to Commander Xiyi, there are also the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the Northern Jiangsu Headquarters. No matter their seniority in the party or military ability, they are not inferior to me. With their assistance and cooperation, I believe whether I stay or not has nothing to do with the overall situation. , and the first secretary of the Central Plains Bureau is far better than me in political vision. With him at the helm, the New Fourth Army will not be able to develop for too long. "
"I have asked the central government for instructions. After the military headquarters and the southern Anhui troops arrived in northern Jiangsu, the Central Plains Bureau and the Southeast Bureau merged to form a new East China Bureau, and established the East China Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army General Headquarters to unified command the Eighth Route Army moving south from Shandong Province. and the New Fourth Army, as well as coordinating local work."
“The Secretary of the Central Plains Bureau will serve as the new East China Bureau Secretary, the Deputy Secretary of the Southeast Bureau will serve as the Deputy Secretary of the East China Bureau, the Army Commander and the Commander-in-Chief of Northern Jiangsu will serve as the chief and deputy commander-in-chief of the General Headquarters respectively, and will uniformly command the military struggle work. Regular combat experience, combined with the rich guerrilla warfare experience of the commander-in-chief of northern Jiangsu, led the New Fourth Army and the Eighth Route Army southward in the anti-Japanese struggle."
Speaking of this, Yang Zhen looked at the jungles of Chikeng Mountain and remained silent for a long time before saying: "As for me, after all, I am just a passerby here. The problem of the southern Anhui army has been solved. It's time for me to leave. My battlefield is no longer there." Here, instead, it is thousands of miles away in the Northeast. There are a lot of talents here. As long as the relationship is smoothed out, there is nothing to worry about. Besides, I am a military cadre myself, so political work is not what I am good at."
"I just want to ask for your opinion now. I want you, Xiao Li, and me to go to the Northeast to work. If you agree, I will go to the Army Commander after crossing the river and tell you that the Northeast is currently on the eve of great development and needs Cadres like you and Xiao Li will have a vast world when you get there."
Regarding Yang Zhen's invitation, Ye Chao hesitated for a moment and finally nodded: "Political Commissar, since you like me, I don't have anything to say. As long as the military headquarters releases people, then I will go to the Northeast with you. As long as I can resist Japan, I will obey orders, but I can't make the final decision on Xiao Li, so you still have to ask her for her thoughts."
Seeing Ye Chao's nod, Yang Zhen smiled with satisfaction and said: "I'll go talk to Xiao Li. You don't have to worry. But there is one thing I want to make clear first. After you arrive in the Northeast, you have to learn first. The current resistance The Alliance is not here, we have our own aviation force, our own heavy artillery force, and our own armored force, and the way of fighting there is not simple guerrilla warfare, but large corps fighting."
"When fighting the Japanese army in the Northeast, you will need aircraft from the sky, heavy artillery from the ground, and tanks. This is not the model of Xiaomi plus rifles here. Now the Anti-Japanese Alliance is forming several new brigades of armored troops and a large number of aviation units, and among the aviation units It also includes fighter units, bomber units and ground attack aircraft units."
"The combat mode there, whether it is for you or others, will be a brand-new mode that has never been encountered before. The new ground-to-air firepower coordinated combat is even for me. It’s a brand new subject, you can’t do it without learning.”
"You participated in anti-mopping operations when you were in southern Anhui, and you also saw what the Japanese army's firepower deployment is. However, the Japanese combat mode you saw and came into contact with in southern Anhui was just a low-intensity operation for mopping up, not For real large-scale corps operations, the Japanese army's combat firepower equipment was also adjusted for different combat objectives."
"Both the firepower and the allocation of troops are incomparable to our army's operations in the Northeast. In last summer's operations, the Japanese army dispatched nearly a thousand combat aircraft, hundreds of tanks, and a large number of heavy artillery units. Its unit firepower configuration , the highest density once reached more than ten artillery pieces with a caliber of 75 mm or more per kilometer."
"If you add infantry artillery and mortars, the number will only be greater. The density of bombs dropped per square kilometer can reach up to more than a hundred rounds. In a day and night, the enemy and we consume more than 100,000 artillery shells. This firepower intensity is not yours, or even Most of our troops have not been exposed to it."
"How can we persevere and ultimately defeat the Japanese army under such a powerful firepower configuration? This requires us to continuously enhance our own strength and at the same time continue to learn. Only by our continuous progress can we Defeat an opponent stronger than us."
"Our weapons are being updated, but whether our brains can be updated simultaneously and catch up with the changes in the situation depends on our own efforts. With the improvement of weapons and equipment, whether the combat effectiveness can also be improved and whether we can have the same qualitative improvement. Change is a battle without gunpowder that tests us. If the armed equipment has improved, but our way of thinking is still stuck on rifles and grenades, then what is the use of those advanced weapons?"
"Those of us who have gone through the arduous Long March of 25,000 miles, the three-year guerrilla war in the south, and defeated opponents more powerful than us on the battlefield, can we defeat us again in this battle without gunpowder? Our opponent is the final test for us.”
Yang Zhen's words made Ye Chao nodded slightly and said: "Political Commissar, don't worry, I will definitely obey the organization's arrangements. In the past, let alone tanks and artillery, even the most basic rifles and ammunition were insufficient. Now we have our own The armored force, the heavy artillery force, and even its own aviation force are both an opportunity and a challenge for us."
"Political Commissar, you are right. We must learn from those issues that we do not understand. Our army has never been afraid of any opponent on the battlefield. No matter how powerful they are, we have never been timid. I also believe that our army will overcome all difficulties and obstacles on another battlefield without smoke of gunpowder."