Fan Zhuxian personally led Qi Zixiu's third battalion, plus more than 800 people from the political work team and the herald team, waiting for the enemy at the boundary card in the northwest of the party, relying on the canal. The Japanese army occupied the village of Linzhuang on the west side of the canal and launched an attack on the east side of the canal. The Japanese army was full of firepower, Fan Zhuxian was full of morale, and the two sides clanged, and the fight was so lively that it finally reached a draw.

The two sides fought until three o'clock in the afternoon, when a Japanese devil rode a horse to the village near Dayangzhuang to catch chickens, where did he know that there were Chinese detectives everywhere, and there were militia groups everywhere, and they had long been seen by the militia groups and quickly sued Fan Zhuxian. Fan Zhuxian immediately ordered seven or eight people from the political work team to catch this devil. Even if this devil is clever and fateful, when he saw many people running with guns, he was so frightened that he immediately fled for his life, and he didn't want the war horse, but he was still captured by our political work team.

The battle lasted until five o'clock in the afternoon, and the Japanese army saw that it would not take advantage of any further fighting, and besides, there were militia groups everywhere, and it was dark that it was the world of Chinese soldiers, so they quickly fled back to Linqing.

After two defeats, the Linqing Japanese invaders no longer dared to go out lightly, and they bribed Wu Lianjie, the head of the bandit department of Liu Guitang, the son of Wu Jiahaizi in the north of Tangyi, and appointed him as the first brigade of the Imperial Allied Army, supplying weapons and ammunition, so that they could contain the anti-Japanese troops in the sixth district.

While actively resisting the Japanese attack, Fan Zhuxian also stepped up the management of the counties to fill the gap after the Kuomintang county government fled. At the end of November, Guan Datong and 20 captains were ordered to be sent to Shouzhang County.

Shouzhang County, located in the southern part of present-day Yanggu County, was abolished by the State Council in 1964, and its administrative area was divided into Yanggu County in Shandong Province and Fan County in Henan Province. After Guan Datong's 20 people arrived in Shouzhang County, Qi Siyuan, the Kuomintang county magistrate at that time, was still in office, and when he heard that it was the waiters sent by Commissioner Fan, he couldn't say anything, so he had to deal with the arrangement of these waiters in the county No. 1 primary school in the northeast corner of the city.

At that time, there were frequent floods in this area, and the first elementary school at this time had collapsed after the flood, and there was only a two-story brick building and two small thatched huts. At this time, it is a harsh winter, the brick building is broken, the glass on the window is completely empty, the northeast wind blows, the house is like an ice cellar, especially when sleeping, the quilt is damp and cold, like a cold iron sheet.

Soon, anti-Japanese slogans written in lime water appeared on the deserted streets, leaflets on red and green paper and anti-Japanese mimeographed tabloids "Fellow Countrymen" were also printed, coupled with the rescue songs of the waiters, so that the anti-Japanese atmosphere of this ancient city was suddenly lively. The people of Shouzhang looked at this group of young soldiers with armed belts, but they all came with their bare hands.

For these young students who have just left school, how to go deep among the masses and how to organize and master the armed forces is indeed a new lesson. However, Guan Datong and the others analyzed and studied that if they could get the cooperation of the grassroots political power or if they could control the grassroots political power themselves, it would be much more convenient for them to carry out their work. However, the situation in Shouzhang County is very complicated:

At that time, although the old regime was still in Shouzhang City, due to the imminent Japanese invasion, the townships were already in turmoil. Under the banner of killing the rich and helping the poor, some people formed all kinds of green forests, robbed houses and houses, and kidnapped tickets everywhere. If you don't call me alive, I can't wait for death, so the panicked landlords and gentlemen organized militia groups to fight against the bandits. There are two sides of the fight, and the most unlucky is the common people, who are caught between the two forces and suffer a lot.

In the face of these two armed groups with opposite interests, the task of the waiter was how to lead them all to the track of uniting against the enemy and jointly resisting Japan, but according to the situation at that time, this kind of task could not be explained explicitly, and could only be done secretly.

Guan Datong divided the personnel into two groups, one group was to go to the militia to do work in the people's groups, and the other group was to go to the green forest to do work secretly, and the work in the green forest should be kept absolutely secret, so as not to be said to be an official and a bandit. But in fact, with these powers of the waiters, it is very difficult to do work on the militia or the green forest, that is, as the jargon goes, it is unreasonable to show that when you meet soldiers. The goal of the green forest is to attack the city and rob the village, loot the people's wealth to eat and drink, the waiters went, and the green forest talked about their set of big truths, and they looked down on these young waiters at all. The goal of the vigilante group is to protect the village and protect its property to the best of its ability. As soon as they saw the waiters going, some of them were polite and perfunctory, and some simply put the waiters aside, regardless of whether they asked, and gave them a cold reception. Once these militia groups become bigger, they are even more reluctant to let the waiters approach their group members, and try to get rid of these waiters.

Despite encountering many difficulties, the young waiters continued to sum up their experience and felt more and more the importance of mastering the county government, especially the importance of mastering the barrel of a gun.

The opportunity finally came, on January 4, 1938, it was rumored everywhere in the county that the Japanese army had arrived at Shilipu, not far from the county seat, and the county suddenly bombed the camp, the rich gentry and officials fled one after another, and the waiters also retreated to a poor peasant house in the northeast of the city. After the matter calmed down a little, Guan Datong and the waiter went to the county to take a look, and the county magistrate Qi Siyuan took the excuse of his family members to inspect the south bank and never dared to come back.

In this way, there was a vacancy in the magistrate of Shouzhang.

After the waiters discussed, it was decided that Guan Datong and Jiang Weiyang would go to see Commissioner Fan and ask for instructions on the work of Shouzhang County. After a little consideration, Commissioner Fan appointed Guan Datong as the county magistrate of Shouzhang County in his name, and the original work of the Shouzhang Political Training Office was assigned by someone else from the Liaocheng Political Training Office.

The original management officer suddenly became the county magistrate, and the attitude of the upper-level people in Shouzhang County towards the waiters and these young people suddenly changed by 90 degrees, and even the status of the county political training office was significantly improved. When Guan Datong came to take office at this time, the gentlemen of Shouzhang County all went out of the city to greet him, and then they all came to the county government to "meet" and congratulate.

On the night of Guan Datong's arrival, he discussed with everyone the organization of the county government's leading group and governance work. It was decided to establish a county government that was anti-Japanese and clean. The preliminary plan is as follows: 1. Implement progressive tax on property; 2. Relief for disaster victims; 3. Abolish excesses and miscellaneous taxes; 4. Promote anti-Japanese education; 5. Organize training classes for anti-Japanese cadres; 6. Strengthen the discipline and rectification of the armed forces in the county; 7. Organize mass anti-Japanese groups. It is recommended that Sun Sibai immediately draft a report and announce the policy agenda.

Then everyone discussed the members of the county government, except for the chief of the first section (civil affairs), who had already hired an old person, the rest were promoted from the comrades of the political training department, and Sun Sibai was appointed as the secretary of the county government, Yue Shumei was the head of the second section (finance) of the county government, and the rest of the staff were served by waiters.

When Guan Datong took office, he brought a breath of fresh air to this old yamen, and the superiors and subordinates discussed things. The prefectural government first proposed a pay cut, and the veteran staff were a little alarmed, but they were relieved to see that the salaries of the county magistrate and section chief had been cut in half, much larger than theirs.

At this time, the attendants of the county political training office can take the letter of introduction issued by the new county government and generously go to the militia groups in Chengguan and Sixiang to serve as political instructors. At this time, the leaders of the militia understood the relationship between the county government and the political training office, and they all expressed a "warm welcome", at least on the surface, and the work was much better.

As soon as the work was carried out, the original political staff was not enough. The county government allocated funds to set up the "Shouzhang County Political Personnel Training Class", Guan Datong was also the principal, Lin Yiren was the class teacher, and Xu Fa was the director of academic affairs, and the courses mainly included: guerrilla tactics, political knowledge, united front, the future of the Sino-Japanese war, and imperialism. Comrade Zhao Fengsheng of the local party mobilized many local progressive youths to study in training classes, and provided a lot of reserve talents for the construction of the country.

The door of the Shouzhang County Government is open, and if the people come to put forward opinions and complaints, they will respond to their requests. However, for thousands of years, the idea that "the county yamen is open to the south, and there is no reason to come in without money" has penetrated the hearts of the people, and it is very rare for the real poor to come to complain, but it is some rich people who come to see the county magistrate.

Because Shouzhang County spans the Yellow River, it is divided into Hebei faction and Henan faction. There are four major conflicts in society, namely the conflict of faith, the conflict of love, the conflict of character, and the conflict of interests. They often quarrel with each other over the distribution of food, the dispatch of workers, the arrangement of officials, the distribution of guns, and the amount of good things in the county, and come to the county to say that each other is not the other, and compete for the greatest interests.

The big gentlemen of the Hebei faction include Jiang Ruiwu, Jiang Cimin, Jiang Yixuan (secretary of the Kuomintang county party department), Liu Qingxi (head of the Chengguan Security Regiment), and Cai Ruqing, Lei Dianting, and Wang Laoqi, the head of the militia regiment from the Henan faction. Both of them have their own armed forces, and both are trying to sway the county government and make the county government conform to their intentions. Because the Hebei faction is close to the water, it frequently comes to the county government to entangle, while the Henan faction keeps an eye on the county government, preventing the northern faction from sharing their power, and caught.

No, Liu Qingxi came to Guan Datong and said: "County Magistrate Guan, for a while, bandit activities have been rampant in the county seat, and I ask County Magistrate Guan to send our Chengguan Security Corps to suppress bandits." ”

Guan Datong knew that no bandits had come to make trouble in the past few days, and Liu Qingxi's so-called going to suppress the bandits was just coming to ask for a few dollars, so he had to say: "It's good to suppress the bandits, but where are the bandits, how many people are there, how many people are needed, and how much will it cost." ”

Liu Qingxi talked nonsense, then handed over a bill and said, "This is the cost we need, please take a look at the county magistrate." ”

Guan Datong took the bill and looked at it, it was guns and bullets, military clothing, and grain and grass, and in the end it cost 1,500 yuan.

Guan Datong frowned and said: "The county government is really poor, where can I get so much money." As far as I know, I haven't heard anything from the bandits these days! ”

As soon as Liu Qingxi heard that it was the county magistrate who questioned his plan to suppress bandits, he lowered his face at that time.

At this time, the head of the Henan faction, Wang Laoqi, came again, and when he heard about the matter of suppressing bandits, he immediately interjected and said: "County magistrate, give us the task of suppressing bandits, we can complete the great cause of suppressing bandits for 1,000 yuan." ”

As soon as Liu Qingxi heard Wang Laoqi's words, he became angry: "I said Captain Wang, what kind of trouble are you making." Our suppression of bandits is a matter near our city gate, what is your, you still sweep the snow in front of the door, and do your side of the matter before talking! ”

Of course, Wang Laoqi was not convinced, and said: "How do you say this, this bandit is running over and over, maybe from you to me again." What you can do for 1,500 yuan, I can do it for 1,000 yuan, doesn't this save the county government money? Which of your tendons hurts, I won't talk nonsense with you! ”

Liu Qingxi scolded: "You don't talk nonsense with me, I don't talk nonsense with you yet!" It's really a rotten egg of yours, and you can't make a chicken cake. ”

So, the two ** quarreled. Of course, none of the factions gave them the funds to suppress the bandits.

These two people didn't accomplish anything, of course, they were all angry, and they could only go back to complain to their fox friends and gentlemen.

Don't look at the things that are beneficial to the bandits, they are very enthusiastic, but they can prevaricate what they should need to do.

At that time, there were Kuomintang troops, troops from the six prefectures, and various government personnel passing through the territory of Shouzhang County, and they needed houses, grass, grain, tea, and other things. However, these squires felt that they could not get any benefit from the county, so they used these things to blackmail. Troops and civil servants came and went, and nothing was prepared.

Guan Datong urged them to handle it, and they complained: "It's not easy to do, the district office is poor!" Where is there money and food? "Otherwise, the county will allocate some money first, and we will handle it." "If the county doesn't give money, it's not easy to do anything."

These "uncles" who have not been served well have a mouth under their noses, so they talk nonsense everywhere, "This Shouzhang County can't do anything." "Ignoring the passing troops, deliberately making things difficult." "Guan Datong can't do it, he can't be the county magistrate."

In this regard, the county magistrate Guan was so angry that he stomped his feet and scolded: "These district offices and squires are too bastards, so they can't kill him." "But if they are angry, if they are really withdrawn, the time is not yet ripe, they hold some real power in the districts and townships, they are backed by the Kuomintang, they are armed and rich, and their strength is too strong.

The county wants to abolish some illegal and exorbitant taxes in the bazaar, which will be of great benefit to the vast number of peasants and small handicraftsmen, but now it seems that it has poked at the sore spot of these squires, and they have tried every possible means to resist these things, but they will not do it. When Guan Datong called them to ask them, they said: "County magistrate Guan, Qingshui can't raise fish, and the district office has just had such a little benefit, and these have been canceled, where do these fees come from!" "Take care of the county magistrate, don't worry about this little thing, if you take care of it again, there will be no one in our district office."

The county government felt that although it had mastered the county seal, it would not be able to suppress their arrogance without a gun, and it would not be possible to carry out our decrees.

At that time, there were two parts of the Shouzhang Chengguan armed forces, one was the county police force, with more than 100 people, and the other was the Chengguan security brigade, with 200 people. Nominally, both parts of the people are subordinate to the county government and under the command of the county government, but in fact they are not. Police Chief Chen Yixun was recommended by Wang Jinxiang, chief of staff of the Special Administration, and he thought that Wang Jinxiang was the backstage, so he did not take Shouzhang's county government seriously at all. And Liu Qingxi, the captain of the security brigade, is simply the minions of the local gentry, listening to the opinions of the gentlemen everywhere, and listening to the county government with one ear and one ear.

Guan Datong and his comrades believed that these two forces were not at all within the control of the county government, and that it was necessary to build up its own armed forces in order to ensure the implementation of the decrees.

But what about guns? The Shouzhang County Government originally had more than 100 guns used by the government police, but after the old county magistrate Qi Siyuan fled, these guns were taken away by Liu Qingxi of the Chengguan Security Team. When the county government proposed to them to return this part of the guns to the county government, Liu Qingxi, with the support of the landlord and gentlemen, denied it in every possible way, first saying: "The original guns are no longer recognizable." He also said, "We can send regiments to the county government and let the county magistrate call them at any time, so why do we need those guns?" ”

When negotiating with them, they grind hard and procrastinate, and they just don't hand over their guns.

Until the end of February, at the request of the Shouzhang County Government, the Liaocheng Political Training Office sent an armed force to Shouzhang County. The captain of this unit is Liao Yunshan, who came from the Red Army, and he is the 10th detachment mastered by ***. This trick is really good, as soon as Team Liao arrived, those gentlemen obediently sent their guns. The soldiers of the county special service brigade have guns, and the political training office of the prefecture has sent Jin Weiguo, the commander of the Red Army battalion, to serve as the captain, and Jiang Weiyang of the county political training office to serve as the political instructor.

At a time when the political construction of Shouzhang was in full swing, the three counties of Shen County, Chaocheng County, and Guancheng were also engaged in the same struggle for the anti-Japanese regime.