Hearing Yang Zhen's proposal to take the land route to Harbin by car, Wang Guangyu hurriedly shook his head and said: "No. 1, the Northeast Bureau and the Military Region have orders. Even if you are operating in the base area, you must be accompanied by at least one company of troops. You How can that be possible with a security platoon next to you? Otherwise, I will assign troops to escort you, or your special plane is still at Qiqihar Airport and I will see if you take the flight back."
"No. 1, although there are no Japanese and puppet forces in the Nenjiang Military Region, there are still some Japanese and puppet troops who were scattered in the military region after the end of the operation last summer and have now become bandits. And due to the original The number of Japanese and puppet troops in Qiqihar is relatively large, and there are also many remnants of the Japanese and puppet troops who have become bandits.
"In last summer's battle, Qiqihar was one of the last areas our army recovered. Due to the delay in the battle, and our army's main target being the Japanese 51st Division, the westward-moving troops themselves were insufficient in strength. A large encirclement could not be formed in advance. Although most of the puppet Manchukuo troops were disarmed, a considerable number of puppet Manchukuo soldiers and police were still dispersed on the spot."
"In addition to a small number of puppet Manchukuo soldiers, most of the former puppet Manchukuo military police who became bandits were the puppet Manchukuo police and military police who had too much blood debt and were worried about our army's revenge. They fled before our army captured Qiqihar. , special agents and other armed forces, as well as a small number of Japanese troops."
"In addition, the terrain within the jurisdiction of the entire Nenjiang Military Region is very complex. In addition to the Daxinganling Mountains in the west and the forest areas in the north, there are large areas of dense meadows and swamps that are as tall as a person. There are many places in the territory. Not to mention hiding dozens of people, even hundreds of people would be difficult to detect."
"Most of these people are from locals. Even a considerable number of them were bandits who used to operate in this area before joining the Japanese and puppet troops. They are quite familiar with the geography and people's conditions. When our army attacks, they may go to the meadows. Either he buries himself deep in the mountains and old forests and is hard to find, or he hides his weapons and suddenly becomes a common man again."
"The entire Longjiang Province of the former puppet Manchuria is a newly recovered area for our army. There was almost no foundation before. Most of the local governments have just been established. In addition, the Japanese and puppet newspapers have spread a lot of rumors and slander against us for a long time. The people here We don’t know yet.”
"These people used to rely on the power of the Japanese army to run rampant, and they still have a certain degree of power among the people. In addition, their retaliatory methods against the people who assisted us in our work were too cruel, which made the people have deep concerns about assisting us and stayed away from us."
“During the Spring Festival this year, in the Eighth District, entire families of people who assisted us were killed. Even the nursing children were thrown into pots and boiled alive. Women were even humiliated before being killed. happened, and its cruel retaliation methods made the people afraid to help us."
"Nowadays, local work in the entire Nenjiang River has been unable to open up the situation because of rampant banditry. Staff sent by the military region and local government are not only unable to carry out their work, but many of them have been brutally killed or disappeared inexplicably. County, basically every county has this situation."
“The wealthy county where banditry was most serious was once captured by bandits. Dozens of staff members of the county party committee and county government were shot dead. The entire county was looted. Dozens of women were robbed. A large amount of food and supplies were robbed. Two female cadres were robbed. After being raped, he was even had his chest disembowelled and hung on a tree on an iron hook for public display."
"When the troops were suppressing bandits, due to the weak base of the local masses, they did not report the information they could not get. Even more, when we were suppressing bandits, they not only did not cooperate with our work, but some even informed the bandits. Many times, we As soon as our troops are dispatched, the bandits know about it first."
"Without the support of the common people, the anti-bandit forces lacked reliable sources of intelligence. Under such circumstances, our army's anti-bandit operations have always been passive. Although the Ministry of Social Affairs deployed some troops and with the cooperation of some troops in the military region, We organized several large-scale crackdowns and eliminated some bandits, but they were far from being completely eliminated, and a considerable number of bandits were even broken into pieces, which made it even more difficult for us to crack down."
"Our logistics transportation team and supply lines have been ambushed several times. Of course, these people's guerrilla tactics are a bit too clumsy. In addition, the chief of staff has already been prepared. Troops are sent to escort every transportation, and the supplies are not No substantial losses were suffered, but in the long run, it will greatly affect the energy of the troops."
"So, I suggest that you still take a plane. Your plane is still parked at Qiqihar Airport and can take off at any time. On the 1st, your safety is a vital issue for us. All cadres in the entire army, We definitely don’t want the last accident to happen again.”
Regarding Yang Zhen's serious injury in the last attack, the Central Committee, the Northeast Bureau and the Military Region attached great importance to it. They repeatedly emphasized that even if Yang Zhen was operating in the base area, the number of guards around him must not be less than one company. Banditry in the new area is so serious. Under the rampant situation, Wang Guangyu, who dared not let Yang Zhen return by car even if he sent an escort, persuaded Yang Zhen to change his plan and return to Harbin by plane.
Wang Guangyu originally thought that he might not be able to persuade Yang Zhen even with his sincere words, but he did not expect that after hearing his opinion, Yang Zhen hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. He was not afraid that he would be attacked again, but He was worried that if the situation happened last time, it would affect the next work. What's more, he was really not used to having a lot of guards around him when traveling.
Yang Zhen accepted Wang Guangyu's opinion, but the rampant banditry in Nenjiang made him frown deeply. After thinking about it for a while, Yang Zhen said: "Your aspect is the top priority for the military region's next operation. The supply line The security of our country and the secret mobilization of troops during wartime are extremely critical. These stragglers of the Japanese and puppet troops must be cleaned up as soon as possible, and they cannot affect the development of our next combat plan."
"Not only is the safety of the supply line here related to the success or failure of the next battle, your Nenjiang Military Region is also our army's future petroleum industry base, our livestock base and an important future grain production area. In the spring of next year, we will launch a large-scale In the oil exploration battle, if these Japanese and puppet troops are not completely wiped out, how can I rest assured that industrial development and agricultural construction require a stable environment."
"And if you don't wipe out these bandits, how will our local cadres work? They worry about their own safety every day. Can these cadres be able to concentrate on their work? Moreover, even the local cadres' own safety cannot be guaranteed. That Ordinary people can still believe that we can protect them. If the bandits cannot be eradicated, there will be no way to establish local government."
"Without the support of the local government, your Nenjiang Military Region is like a rootless duckweed. The recruitment and food collection work cannot be carried out effectively. Without the supplement of food and soldiers, you will be trapped to death. You can't Let the military region allocate food to you from the old base area. No matter how determined you are, the banditry here will be completely eliminated in a short time."
"Among the people I brought from the central government this time, there is one who is very good at suppressing bandits. I specially asked him from the central government based on the current situation in Northeast China. This time I will keep him as deputy commander of the Nenjiang Military Region, specifically responsible for To clear out the Japanese and puppet troops in the Nenjiang area, I will also ask the Ministry of Social Affairs to dispatch capable personnel to do their best to cooperate with you."
"I will allocate the first cavalry brigade of the military region to you. On terrain like the Nenjiang River, the cavalry plays a greater role. Also, I tell you that the political department of the military region must dare to cooperate with the local party committee and the government to send out the masses to fight a massive battle. In the people's war to suppress bandits, as long as the common people cooperate, these bandits will have no place to hide."
Having said this, Yang Zhen waved his hand on his neck, making a killing gesture and said: "For these guys who are burdened with blood debts, they have boundless generosity and endless harm. For these political bandits who are different from ordinary bandits, we must Treat them differently and never be too lenient. Don't be afraid of mass killings. You must know that these political bandits are far more harmful than those who rob families and rob their homes."
"In dealing with these political bandits, you must maintain a certain degree of control. You must not involve a large number of innocent people, and you must rather be in vain. Under the combination of political and military methods, the means must be tough and you must catch those who deserve it. , kill those who deserve to be killed, don't be merciful, otherwise we should also learn from the little devils, drag those guys with conclusive evidence, who have committed all kinds of evil, to various counties and kill a lot of them, and hang their heads in public to deter those who are still thinking of taking chances. people."
"When necessary, you can contact the aviation units stationed in your military region and ask them to send aircraft to assist you in suppressing bandits. Although the aircraft cannot come down to capture prisoners, it has an inherent advantage in reconnaissance of the enemy. Before I leave, I will Give them special orders."
"I have only one request for allocating so many troops to you, and that is that before our next battle is launched, all bandit armed forces in your Nenjiang Military Region, whether they are political bandits or general bandits, must be wiped out. Remember, what I want is a clean land."
Regarding Yang Zhen's request to clear out the bandits in the Nenjiang Military Region as soon as possible, Wang Guangyu thought for a while and nodded: "No. 1, I will try my best, but the Third Route Army has fought guerrillas north of Qiqihar before. I am relatively familiar with the situation here. Would you like to assign a group of cadres from the Third Route Army after the Western Expedition to me to serve as commanders of various military divisions?"
"These people have fought in this area before, and are familiar with the terrain and people's conditions. They even know the local Puppet Manchukuo military and police personnel very well. With the cooperation of their cadres who have fought in this area, and with the help of your deployment With the cadres and troops coming, I think there won’t be any big problems.”
Yang Zhen nodded and agreed to Wang Guangyu's request, which was basically nothing. After the Western Expedition, the Third Route Army had been active in the north of Longjiang for a long time. The cadres had no idea about the enemy situation and the people's situation there. They are all familiar with the terrain, and transferring cadres from the Third Route Army to work in the Nenjiang Military Region is indeed in line with the situation here.