After dealing with Liu Mo's head and the Julu County Security Regiment, the Seventh Brigade, under the command of Li Deguang and Shi Ran, worked non-stop, directly entered and occupied Ren County, and completely annihilated the Zhang Jieqi bandits entrenched in Lu Village, Ren County, and the Li Daomen bandits who occupied the county seat of Ren County. Then he took advantage of the situation to capture Nanhe County and Pingxiang County, and began to establish local political power and local armed forces.

At the same time, the 4th, 5th, and 8th Brigades of the Jiao Brigade that remained in southern Hebei were all centered on Nangong and developed to Weixian, Guangzong, Qinghe, Jixian, Zaoqiang, Xinhe, Longping, Yaoshan, Qiuxian, Quzhou and other counties. So far, the instructor has occupied 13 counties in southern Hebei.

Seeing that the situation in southern Hebei was very good, Liu Yimin and Luo Ronghuan immediately sent a telegram to the chairman, demanding that the southern Hebei garrison brigade led by Chen Zaidao be driven back to the Taihang Mountain base area for training, and that the central authorities send additional cadres to southern Hebei. After that, Liu Yimin ordered a battalion to be drawn from the 4th, 5th, and 8th Brigades, and the new Seventh Regiment and a supplementary regiment from the Seventh Brigade, which were compiled with the security regiments of various counties that had been reorganized, and some underground party members from Tianjin and Zhinan, as well as some intellectuals brought from Tianjin, to take up political work in the troops. In this way, the armed forces of the southern Hebei base area were initially formed, with the Seventh Brigade as the main force and the county brigade, the district squad, and the militia as the three levels of local armed forces.

After discussions, Chen Dayong, Liu Yi, and Song Renqiang proposed that southern Hebei be divided into several military sub-divisions to facilitate the management of sub-divisions.

After considering this, Liu Yimin held that it was not appropriate to set up military divisions for the time being. This is because after the establishment of military divisions, it is inevitable to disperse the three main regiments of the Seventh Brigade, so that although the troops will be rapidly expanded, and one regiment can even develop into three or four regiments, the combat effectiveness will decline in the short term, and it will not be able to form a striking fist. For the time being, it is still necessary to adopt the method of combining the main force with the local troops, and when the county brigades can be upgraded to the main forces after they have grown and grown, they will expand the main forces and divide them into military divisions. If we are in a hurry to expand the troops and dilute the main force at the moment, it is very likely that a few regiments will not be able to defeat one brigade of the army, and that is not the style of a teacher. The most pressing task at the moment is to quickly establish and consolidate political power, dig tunnels and trenches, train militias, and form a fighting fortress in every county town and every village and town. In this way, in the event of a small group of enemy sweeps, the county brigade and district squad can destroy them with the cooperation of the militia. Even if they encounter a brigade-level devil sweep, local troops and militia can also rely on tunnels and mine formations to maneuver with the enemy, and wait until the main force arrives.

Under the guidance of Liu Yimin's thinking, Chen Dayong, Liu Yi, and Song Renqiang issued the "Instructions on Strengthening the Construction of Base Areas in Southern Hebei" in the name of the Southern Hebei Military Region, demanding that the main force cooperate with all counties, first, to quickly complete the work of organizing the county party committee and county government, and to quickly organize various mass anti-Japanese organizations. Second, the main force is required to concentrate for a period of time to help southern Hebei form county brigades, district squads, and militia joint defense organizations, train the militia on a large scale, and form and strengthen village-level political power in southern Hebei. Third, all counties are required to rely on the main force and the county brigade to unleash the masses freely, each district must have a work team, every village must have workers, each village must elect a village head, a militia captain, and a woman director, and mobilize the masses to dig tunnels and ditches in accordance with the instructions of the military region, so as to form a tunnel and transportation network that connects villages and villages.

For a time, the land of southern Hebei was in full swing, and becoming a militiaman, learning to shoot, throwing bombs, burying mines, digging tunnels, and digging trenches became the main work of young and middle-aged people. Even the women were organized, and under the leadership of the task force, they began to learn how to shoot, throw bombs, and lay mines, and in their free time they made military shoes and rations, and supported the troops and militia in their struggle against the Japanese invaders.

Considering the ammunition replenishment needs of the troops in southern Hebei, Liu Yimin finally agreed to Wu Zheng's request and established a small arsenal in Nangong, mainly producing mines and grenades, reloading bullets and artillery shells. Wu Zheng took advantage of the situation and asked some small enterprises from Tianjin to build factories in Nangong to start production, Liu Yimin thought about it and agreed to open some civilian goods production enterprises. This time it made the fiery Nangong even hotter.

On 14 January, on the day when Chiang Kai-shek went to Luoyang to convene a military conference, Liu Yimin, Luo Ronghuan, Cai Zhong, and Zeng Zhongsheng inspected the training headquarters.

Yuan Guoping has already set up the training headquarters, and the new corps of all brigades have been transferred to the training headquarters for unified management and stationed in all villages in Sucun District.

In accordance with Yuan Guoping's plan, the Formation and Training Headquarters set up an infantry section, an engineer section, a cavalry section, an artillery section, a communications section, and a baggage section to train various branches of the troops. However, all recruits must go through two months of training in the five major infantry techniques, and then train in separate disciplines. The instructors are all combat backbones drawn from the various units of the instructors, and the squad leaders of each recruit squad are veterans.

This batch of recruits is large in number and of good quality. All of them are recruits recruited by instructors in Shanxi, Tianjin, and eastern Hebei, and they are basically poor children and industrial workers, with innocent backgrounds, and the total number is as high as 30,000. Yuan Guoping organized them into 10 recruit regiments, and Liu Yimin went to the 10 recruit regiments to inspect the training situation, met with the cadres and instructors of each recruit regiment, and personally demonstrated to the recruits the queue training, physical training, and five major skill training subjects, and finally ate with the soldiers in the canteen of the first recruit regiment, and then returned to the training headquarters.

Liu Yimin was very satisfied with the progress of the work of the training headquarters, and asked Yuan Guoping to increase the intensity of training, especially to let the new soldiers first pass the physical, ideological, and literacy levels, and then the combat skills. After the first batch of recruits is trained, they should sum up their experiences and lessons in a timely manner and prepare to accept the second batch of recruits. In the future, the recruits of the main force will be sent out of the training headquarters, and no new corps will be set up in each unit. The military districts are only responsible for training recruits and militias for local troops. The first batch of recruits from various brigades was trained, and the second batch was later trained with recruits recruited in Shandong and Hebei. No matter how difficult it may be, recruits recruited by various units must be sent to the Recruit Formation and Training Headquarters for training, and only after passing the five major technical examinations and passing the actual combat test can the recruit training be completed and can he be assigned to the main forces. Resolutely put an end to untrained recruits on the battlefield.

Cai Zhong calculated that the combat backbone occupied by the recruit training had reached 2,000 people, which was a baby bump for all troops, so he asked Yuan Guoping what way to let the troops release.

Yuan Guoping glanced at Liu Yimin and Luo Ronghuan, and whispered to Cai Zhong: "It's very simple, I told those brigade commanders, if you come to a squad leader, you will supplement a trained recruit squad, and if you come a platoon leader, you will add a trained recruit platoon, and so on." As a result, all the units sent backbone cadres with strong ideology and tactics were afraid of suffering losses. ”

Cai Zhong laughed after hearing this, patted Yuan Guoping's shoulder and said, "Follow the good people to learn the good people, and follow the witches to learn to dance the gods." Unexpectedly, Yuan Guoping, a general in the Red Army who was known for his loyalty, also learned badly from the division commander and became cunning. ”

What he said made Luo Ronghuan and Zeng Zhongsheng smile slightly.

Liu Yimin ignored Cai Zhong and said to Luo Ronghuan: "The task of training recruits in the training headquarters is very heavy, and it is a bit reluctant to let them take on the task of teaching the team. I don't think it's as good as this, and after we get a foothold in the Yimeng Mountains, we will decentralize the teaching teams to the brigades, and each brigade will run its own teaching teams, which will be responsible for training and training classes and platoon commanders. The division headquarters should set up a branch of Kang Da Shandong to train cadres at the company, battalion, and regiment levels, as well as local cadres at and above the county level. Each brigade should also run its own cadre camp schools to train village heads, district heads, and staff at all levels. In this way, each base area can have its own cadre training and reserve base to meet the needs of the struggle. ”

After hearing this, Luo Ronghuan thought for a while and said: "This idea is very good, at least it can reduce the losses of some long-distance trekking through the blockade line and enemy-occupied areas." I also have an idea that we should set up a regular comprehensive university in Shandong to train all kinds of talents for the construction of base areas. If we win in the future, these talents will be even more precious bumps, and they are all the pillars of the construction of New China. ”

When Cai Zhong heard this, he continued: "The educational foundation of Shandong and southern Hebei should be good, and we should not only run universities, but also run middle schools and primary schools to form a complete education system. Although the environment is harsh, we cannot afford to deprive children of educational opportunities. I think that as long as our base areas can be stabilized, we will invite some well-known scholars and education experts to come to Shandong and North China to help us build our education system. ”

Zeng Zhongsheng saw that everyone had put forward good suggestions, so he said: "I think that the construction of our base areas should also be carried out by the courts and the police force, and the courts should adjudicate lawsuits and the police force to maintain normal social order. In the event of a battle, it can also be used as an auxiliary unit of our army. ”

Liu Yimin was very happy when he heard his comrades-in-arms say this, and he thought, these guys have been imperceptibly influenced by themselves, and their thinking is already a little ahead of their time. Like Cai Zhong, who would have thought that he would give suggestions for building an education system? It's good, it's really good!

Yuan Guoping didn't think like them, he began to count on his fingers: "Hebei and Shandong are densely populated and have sufficient soldiers, so I will train 30,000 recruits this time, and run four phases a year, that is, 120,000 people, and after three years, it will be 360,000 people." Among these 360,000 people, excluding the casualties in the war, at least 300,000 elite soldiers will be trained, plus the existing personnel of our instructor, that is, an elite division of 400,000. With such a force, plus our local troops, hehe, Xiao Yueben's words will be sad. ”

Liu Yimin looked at Yuan Guoping and said lightly: "What I want is not to make Xiao Yueben sad, but to eliminate them cleanly and completely." Your task is heavy, and you must ensure that the main force is replenished with a steady stream of high-quality soldiers. After one year of development, I will rename the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades of Shandong as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Divisions of Shandong, all of which will be three brigades and nine regiments, and will be a first-class main division with complete supporting facilities for engineering, artillery, cavalry, baggage, and communications, so as to form our powerful field corps and undertake strategic combat tasks in the base areas. In the future, the existing eight main brigades, cavalry brigades, and artillery brigades will all be upgraded to regular divisions of the three brigades and nine regiments. Through a large-scale war of annihilation, the balance of forces on the battlefield of resistance will be completely changed. At that time, the problem of soldiers will be solved by you. Brother comrade, you have to come on! ”

Hearing this, Yuan Guoping's eyes shook and he hurriedly saluted: "Please rest assured, I promise to complete the task!" ”

After returning to Nangong County, Liu Yimin and Luo Ronghuan, Cai Zhong, and Zeng Zhongsheng acted separately, Luo Ronghuan was dragged by Cai Zhong to inspect various training courses held by the Political Department, and Liu Yimin and Zeng Zhongsheng went to inspect the training of the air defense brigade.

When Li Yimo and Han Qianqian came to inspect the division commander, they gave a brief report on the training of the troops, and at the same time asked the division commander to transfer backbone troops to augment the air defense brigade, and at least to reach the formation of three regiments. Although there are not so many anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns for the time being, there will always be them, and the training will be caught first. Maybe the enemy plane will come at any time.

Liu Yimin did not directly answer Li Yimo and Han Qianjian, but inspected the training of the first air defense regiment, and after reading it, he felt that the morale of the troops had basically returned to normal, and told Yan Yaohui and [***] Feng to pay special attention to ideological work, so that the new soldiers should establish a belief in victory ideologically, not be afraid of a strong enemy, and dare to confront the plane.

When leaving the air defense brigade, Liu Yimin told Li Yimo and Han Qianjin that the units with strong combat effectiveness were all trained, and now that they have just begun to build the base areas in southern Hebei and Luxi, they must not only build but also defend them, so it is not appropriate to transfer too many backbone troops, as this will affect the combat effectiveness of the troops. After the training of this batch of recruits is completed, they can be given a regiment of recruits, and then the backbone troops of three battalions can be transferred for mixing.

As soon as Li Yimo heard this, he asked if he could draw the backbone troops of the three battalions in place now, so that they could be trained immediately.

Liu Yimin shook his head: "Let's wait for another battle, and after the battle, the troops will be dispatched." ”

Although Li Yimo was a little disappointed, he knew that the movements of the heavy army group in Tianjin were unknown, and the troops were likely to fight big battles and tough battles.

After leaving the air defense brigade, Liu Yimin went directly back to the division headquarters, found Qian Zhuangfei, and asked if there was the latest development of the army.

Qian Zhuangfei reported that the comrades who remained in Tianjin had sent a telegram saying that the army was still rushing to repair the railways and highways, and there was no major movement. It is said that the military headquarters has changed the code again, and it is not possible to decipher it for the time being, and now it is trying to find a way.

Qian Zhuangfei said this, Liu Yimin immediately realized that Shouyi in the temple was going to make a big move, otherwise he would not have taken such strict confidentiality measures. Not to mention the change of password, some of the comrades who remained in Tianjin had already taken part in the work of preparing for the construction of the Tianjin Municipal Axe, and they were of a considerable rank, and they could not even find out the truth of the devil's case, which shows that the army is carrying out a top-secret battle plan and must have a great attempt.

Liu Yimin asked Qian Zhuangfei to send a report to the comrades who remained in Tianjin, saying that they should pay more attention to the actions of the Japanese army at night on the main traffic roads on the outskirts of Tianjin, observe the speed of repairing the Tianjin airport, and report it immediately if they find that there is a formation of Japanese military planes stationed at the Tianjin airport. It is also necessary to ask the comrades in Qinhuangdao to pay attention to the movements of the combined fleet of the Chinese army and navy and observe the changes in the take-off and landing of its planes. If it is discovered that the combined fleet of the Chinese army has left Qinhuangdao, it should also be reported immediately.

After Qian Zhuang flew away, Liu Yimin stared at the map and looked at it again and again, and the more he looked, the more he felt that the old devil Shouyi in the temple must be taking secret actions, more than a dozen divisions and hundreds of thousands of troops, how could he be in Tianjin? Even if Terauchi Shouichi wants to nest the army in Tianjin, he can't do it, and the army base camp won't let him do that.

If Shouichi Terauchi found out the traces of the mentor, then there was nothing to say, and he would probably give up all his actions and give up all his strength to besiege it. But the current situation is that it is impossible for him to find out the position of the main force of the instructor. Although the troops were deployed in southern Hebei and Luxi, they were all in counties where the forces of the Yue army had not reached, and the bandits, Han annihilation, and spies had already been eliminated, and it was unlikely that the army could get information from them. As for whether it is possible for the army to decipher our army's code, Liu Yimin is very confident, because there is no record in history of the army deciphering our army's code, and since Comrade Chen Yun brought back the cipher machine from the Soviet Union, our army's ability to compile codes has been greatly enhanced. Historically, the army used radio tracking to bomb our army, relying on radio signal measurement, and Qian Zhuangfei had already taken precautions in this regard, and the division headquarters had not sent a large number of telegrams recently, so it was impossible for the army to discover the instructor through radio technology.

Besides, the army knew that although there was no main force in southern Hebei, the local armed forces were very active. It's just that they know that these places are vulnerable to armed forces, so they don't pay attention to them for the time being.

If the possibility of the army using troops against the instructor is ruled out, then the direction of the army's attack will return to the original Jinpu line, Pinghan line, and Tongpu line.

Now it is different from history, the North China Front not only received large-scale reinforcements from the mainland, even the combined fleet came, but also received the support of the Kwantung Army. If Shouichi Terauchi concentrates his forces on hitting in any direction, then the [***] team in this direction will not be able to afford it. If he goes all out to fight Xuzhou now, it is estimated that Li Zongren will not have a chance to fight the Battle of Taierzhuang, so that the time of the Battle of Wuhan will be advanced, which will affect the strategic retreat plan of the national political axe. If he concentrates all his efforts on attacking Shanxi, it is estimated that it will be difficult to hold Zhongtiao Mountain. The most terrifying thing is that he concentrated his forces on the Han Line to control the Longhai Road, in that case, the troops in the first theater of operations may collapse a few years ahead of schedule. It's best to let Terauchi Shou divide his troops, so that he attacks in three directions at the same time, although the attack power is still strong, but the average strength is not so terrible at three points.

Thinking about it, Liu Yimin felt that according to the surname of the old devil in the temple, he was afraid that he would do it in all three aspects this time, because its troops were too strong, and almost all of them were elite. However, Shouichi Terauchi is not a fool, he will not distribute his forces evenly, it is likely that he will concentrate his forces on one or two points, and another point or two will be used to divert the forces.

We must find out the intentions of the army as soon as possible, and if it is too late, I am afraid that we will suffer!

(To be continued)