When he received the order from Xun Yimin, in the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army's Northern Front Group in Leling County, the telegram was ticking continuously, and several staff officers were constantly marking the latest situation of the enemy and us on the map.

After reading the telegram, Zeng Zhongsheng said to Cai Zhong: "The meaning of the division commander should be to temporarily give up the Jilu border and ensure Luxi." Judging from the current situation, the Japanese army is indeed a strong force, and it is not possible to fight hard, and it does not conform to the operational principles of our army. However, just like this, he withdrew from the Jilu border with the Sixth Brigade, how can he treat the cadres and villagers in the Jilu border! ”

Cai Zhong's feelings are not good, such a large base area on the border of Hebei and Shandong, if he loses it, he will lose it, and he can't accept it emotionally. However, this Hebei and Shandong border is a plain area, which is not comparable to the mountainous area of central and southern Shandong, and there is no foundation for holding on to danger. The scale of the Japanese army was so large, and it adopted the tactics of encircling on all sides and pushing directly on the plane. With the slightest delay, the Japanese encirclement will gradually shrink. In the end, if the main forces of our army are surrounded, the situation will be even more dangerous.

Without waiting for Cai Zhong to speak, Zeng Zhongsheng said again: "Lao Cai, should we send a telegram to the division commander, reiterate our battle plan, concentrate on teaching the main forces of the Sixth Regiment and the New Sixth Regiment, ambush the devils all the way, and strike at the arrogance of the devils, and then retreat to Luxi." ”

When Cai Zhong heard this, the ròu on his brow shook a few times, and he said firmly: "No! You can't disobey the orders of the division commander! Chief of Staff, I know that since the beginning of the northern front, we have not fought well, and you feel uncomfortable, and I feel uncomfortable. However, if you think about it, the division commander gave such an order, because he was afraid that we would fight hard with the devils and expose the position of the main force so that the devils could attack my main force. At that time, if you can't get out suddenly, the loss will be great, and it is not for the two of us to be responsible. Orders were quickly issued, the entire area along the Hebei and Shandong borders was transferred to guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, political power at all levels and local armed forces were transferred to underground activities, and the Sixth Brigade of the Jiao Brigade was moved to the Jinpu Road between the plains and Dexian County, preparing to carry out a confrontation attack with the Second Brigade and the Luxi Garrison Brigade. As long as the Sixth Brigade is taught to jump out of the Jilu border, the Japanese army will understand that the main force of our army has left the Jilu border, and the pressure on the new Sixth Brigade and the local political power and local armed forces remaining on the Jilu border will be appropriately reduced. When our army is fought everywhere, the devils will have to divide their troops again, and the battle situation will be stabilized. ”

Zeng Zhongsheng actually couldn't accept the temporary abandonment of Jilubian emotionally, and he knew in his heart that Liu Yimin's order was correct. If it weren't for the fact that he was persisting in the struggle behind enemy lines along the Jilu border, perhaps Liu Yimin would have ordered the New Sixth Brigade to be transferred together with the local political power and local armed forces along the Jilu border with the Sixth Brigade. Seeing Cai Zhong's words, Zeng Zhongsheng finally relented and began to issue an order, ordering Fu Zhuting, commander of the New Sixth Brigade, to command the New Sixth Brigade and the political authorities and local armed forces at all levels along the Jilu border to move behind enemy lines to guerrilla warfare and teach the Sixth Brigade to move covertly to the Jinpu Road between the plains and Dexian.

Of course, Zeng Zhongsheng is Zeng Zhongsheng after all, since Liu Yimin's order said that he would teach the Sixth Brigade and the Luxi troops led by Liu Jianli to attack Jinpu Road, that means that he could build a well machine on Jinpu Road to destroy the Japanese army. Zeng Zhongsheng judged that after our army broke through the Jinpu Road, the Japanese army, which was unwilling to fail in the encirclement, would inevitably chase after it, and at this time it was an excellent opportunity for our army to implement the knife drag plan and kill the devil and return to the horse gun.

Zeng Zhongsheng's idea was supported by Cai Zhong, and Cai Zhong's meaning was very clear, and he had to beat the Japanese pursuing troops so that they were afraid and did not dare to pursue the hinterland of Luxi. Therefore, Zeng and Cai jointly sent a telegram to Liu Yimin to expound the operational concept and ask for approval.

Liu Yimin had been staying by the map at this time, and he was attentively watching the changes in the enemy situation on the Jilu border. As soon as Zeng and Cai's telegrams arrived, Liu Yimin immediately saw that Zeng Zhongsheng might have thoughts about the withdrawal of the main force from the Jilu border.

Think about it, this is inevitable, how many people have worked hard and sacrificed to develop the Jilu border base area to the point where it is today. As soon as the Japanese army came, the main force withdrew, not only Zeng Zhongsheng couldn't figure it out, but I was afraid that the cadres and soldiers couldn't figure it out. However, if our army wants to maneuver with the enemy on the Jilu border, it is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg. You must know that the Jilu border is unobstructed, and it does not have the prerequisites for Peng Lao to command the Northwest Field Army and Hu Zongnan to fight a mushroom war in history. It seems that the Tao theory must be made clear.

Liu Yimin immediately sent a telegram back to Zeng Zhongsheng and Cai Zhong: "Zeng and Cai were transferred to the political commissars, members of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Bureau, and heads of brigades and detachments: agree with Zeng Cai's operational concept, and ask Zeng and Cai to directly order our army in Luxi to preset the battlefield in advance, concentrate the main forces of our army in Luxi, Hebei, and even southern Hebei to the greatest extent, and use the night to move troops and build positions, and resolutely eat up a part of the Japanese army's pursuit troops. It is necessary to make it clear to the comrades that the main force of our army temporarily withdrew from the Jilu border in order to avoid heavy losses. Mrs. Deposited Land, both people and land are lost: Saving people and losing land, both people and land are saved.

Under the current situation that the Japanese army will attack the Jilu border with heavy troops, seizing the opportunity that the enemy has not yet encircled our army and letting the main force jump out of the Jilu border is the only correct choice. In this way, the main force can be preserved to facilitate the re-fighting, and it can also make the Japanese army think that it will attack the Jilu border together, transfer the heavy army group away from the Jilu border, and reduce the losses in the base areas along the Jilu border. It can also further confuse the Japanese army into believing that it has completely controlled the Jilu border and eliminated the threat to law and order in the Pingjin area, so that the Japanese army can shift the direction of strategic offensive. In order to achieve this goal, our army launched an attack in several directions, prompting the Japanese army to divide its forces to rescue.

Luxi is different from the Hebei and Lu borders, the west is connected with the southern Hebei base area, the east can be supported by the Taixi and southwest Lu base areas, and the south can retreat into the mountainous areas of southern Hebei, the strategic depth is broad, suitable for the mobile operation of our army's large corps, and the Japanese army cannot and cannot encircle Luxi and southern Hebei at the same time. Moreover, Luxi is the consolidated base of our army, and the tunnels are vertical and horizontal, and a network has been formed. The enemy pursued to Luxi to deliver ammunition to our army. Not fighting on the side of Hebei and Shandong does not mean not fighting in western and southern Hebei. Zeng and Cai led the Sixth Brigade to jump out of the Jilu border to Luxi, that is, to retract the five fingers stretched out, clench their fists to beat people, and concentrate their forces together, and use the strength of the two main brigades of the Second Brigade and the Sixth Brigade to gather the Luxi Garrison Brigade, the Second Luxi Garrison Brigade, and even the new Second Brigade and our army in southern Hebei, so that they can choose the battlefield anytime and anywhere, fight with a high degree of mobility, concentrate firepower and troops, and fight devils all the way, and it is easy to fight quickly and quickly, and every battle will be won. This is a method of battle and valuable experience that our army has accumulated in the long-term struggle against the enemy, which has been proven by practice. Zeng and Cai, as senior generals and commanders of one side of our army, should be empty-minded and immobile at the moment of the great enemy, observe the strategic plans of the Japanese army, and resolutely carry out the orders of the division commander, instead of being emotional. In particular, Comrade Zeng Zhongsheng is one of the founding fathers of our army, and he should consider the issue from the strategic perspective of the whole Shandong, the whole north China, the whole Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army base areas, and the national war situation, and should seriously review and sum up the experiences and lessons of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base areas in the fight against encirclement and suppression, and use them to guide the current operations. Instead of a blind eye, standing on the side of Jilu and saying Jilu, standing on Luxi and saying Luxi. Comrade Zeng Zhongsheng, one of the main founders of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Base Area and the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Red Army, and chief of staff of our army in Shandong, should have a broader vision.

This point must be clearly conveyed to the cadres above the Jilu border and Luxi regiments to boost morale. Zeng and Cai don't have to worry about the main force withdrawing from the Jilu border, the Jilu border is ours, the Japanese army is only temporarily occupied, or it won't be long before the Japanese army will have to return the Jilu border to us. ”

After sending the telegram to Zeng Zhongsheng and Cai Zhong, Liu Yimin thought about it for a while, and then sent a telegram to Fu Zhuting, making detailed arrangements for how to transfer troops covertly, how to carry out mine warfare, how to carry out tunnel warfare, how to establish a two-faced regime, and how to disintegrate the puppet army. At the end of the telegram, Liu Yimin wrote: "Comrade Zhuting: In the next period of time, the situation on the Hebei-Shandong border will definitely deteriorate extremely, and the situation of our army will definitely be quite difficult. However, it is what we must do to persist in the Jilu border and carry out guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. We must sum up the experience of holding the Jilu border last time, quickly conceal the troops, local cadres, and armaments, and make plans to persist for a long time. In the end, Liu Yimin encouraged Fu Zhuting: "Comrade Zhuting: Send you a report at this time, I don't consciously recall the past when you were left to stick to Leshan on the Long March. At that time, the main force of our army went north in concealment, leaving you to set up the Leshan Garrison Command with the strength of three battalions, disguised the main force to stay in Leshan, and made a great contribution to the main force to attack Chengdu. The occupation of Chengdu enabled the Central Red Army to gain valuable rest and replenishment time in the western Sichuan Plain, and since then our army has recovered its vitality and is no longer afraid of Chiang Kai-shek's encirclement and interception. This incident was an important milestone in the history of our Red Army's warfare, and it was a turning point in our army's transformation from a weak and tired division that was exhausted to a restored structure and the size of its troops. The Chief, Deputy Chair Zhou, Mr. Zhu and the heads of the Central Committee all listened to my report and were amazed. The Red Army University and Kang Da are listed as classic combat examples for students to analyze and simulate. I hope that this time you will not be arrogant or rash, and lead the New Sixth Brigade and the soldiers and civilians of the Jilu border to create a glorious example of guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines in the plains. After receiving Liu Yimin's call, Zeng Zhongsheng smacked for a long time and said to Cai Zhong: "Lao Cai, I can be regarded as alive." Just thinking that he couldn't just withdraw from the Jilu border, just thinking about fighting a beautiful turnaround battle to avenge the passive revenge of the last northern front blockade war, he didn't think about considering the problem from the whole Shandong and the whole country. Although the teacher's words were a little heavier, I sincerely accepted them. ”

Cai Zhong's swarthy face also glowed: "Chief of Staff, it's right for you to think like this, it's worth it for me to accompany you to this criticism." Don't say anything, hurry up, and be passive if it's late. ”

One after another, orders were transmitted from the Eighth Route Army's Northern Front Headquarters, the Jilu Border Military Region, and the Jilu Border Administration to the counties and districts along the Jilu Border. The entire Jilu border took action and implemented strict fortification and clearing. The entire Jilu border launched the chūn season anti-sweeping dàng operation.