The meaning of the name Tianjin is the ferry that the Son of Heaven passed, which comes from the Ming Dynasty Zhu Di who crossed the canal from Tianjin to the south to launch the Jingjing Campaign. In 1860, Tianjin became one of the five major ports. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the headquarters of Beiyang ministers Li Hongzhang and Yuan Shikai were in Tianjin, and Tianjin became the direct beneficiary of the Westernization Movement. In the thirties of the last century, Tianjin's industry and urban construction developed rapidly, and by 1937, Tianjin's trade volume had accounted for one-third of China's trade volume, and it was the largest financial, shipping, transportation and trade center in North China.

On the night of December 22, Liu Yimin led an army of 100,000 instructors to finally arrive in the Duliu area of Jinghai County after a long journey through day and night, across the Duliu Alkali River and Tianjin, only a few dozen miles away from the urban area of Tianjin.

At this point, the hearts of several leaders Luo Ronghuan, Cai Zhong, and Zeng Zhongsheng were completely let go. Because with the strength of the instructor, even if the army found out at this time, it would be too late to stop the instructor from seizing Tianjin.

Along the way, the task force disguised itself as an army to open the way, and 100,000 horses and horses quietly attacked the city of Tianjin. On the one hand, the instructor did a good job of camouflage, and on the other hand, the army was too arrogant and careless. The emptiness of the hinterland was astonishing, and in many counties there was only one squad stationed to defend it, and of course it was not bothered to check if any Chinese troops had secretly crossed the border.

The performance of the Yue army made Zeng Zhongsheng's eyes change when he looked at Liu Yimin, thinking that the division commander was simply too strategic, except for him, who would have expected that the strength of the Yue army on the North China Plain would be so weak. If it weren't for the occupation of Tianjin, I really wanted to make a big fuss on the North China Plain and smash the altars and jars of the army.

Zeng Zhongsheng naturally didn't know the direction of future history, he thought that the army was really like Liu Yimin said, ignoring his head, in order to keep attacking, the battle line was stretched, resulting in such an empty hinterland.

Liu Yimin came from the future, so he naturally knew that at this time, the Yue army did not have the time and energy to strengthen the defense of the occupied area, and they were bent on chasing and destroying the main force of [***] and capturing the big city. After they took Xuzhou and Wuhan, they found that they could not achieve the goal of nourishing the war by fighting and that the domestic economy was tight, so they would change their strategy of fighting against China, set up many garrison units, vigorously expand the puppet army, and strengthen the defense and rule of the occupied areas. At that time, the difficult days of the base areas will come.

In Duliu, Liu Yimin ordered Qian Zhuangfei and He Xinghua to turn on the radio station, contact the Central Committee and the General Headquarters, and report that the whole division had successfully arrived in the Duliu area of Jinghai, and that the army had not yet discovered our army's intentions. The central government was asked to contact the [***] Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and ask them to send someone to lead the way for the troops and prepare to meet the instructors for the attack and occupation of Tianjin.

After sending the telegram, Liu Yimin said to Luo Ronghuan: "Let's hold a meeting here, meet with the comrades at and above the company level, explain to the comrades the operational arrangements for the occupation of Tianjin, and ask the Political Department to refer to the relevant discipline during the occupation of Chengdu and Xi'an, formulate a mass discipline for the occupation and acceptance of Tianjin, and send it to all units for implementation." ”

After hearing this, Luo Ronghuan immediately asked Cai Zhong to draft and print the mass discipline, and asked Zeng Zhongsheng to prepare for combat deployment according to the instructions of the division commander.

On the morning of the 23rd, on the campus of Duliu Primary School, the instructor held a meeting of cadres above the company level. When Liu Yimin and Luo Ronghuan walked into the venue, the neatly arranged cadres applauded for a long time and welcomed their respected leaders.

Liu Yimin waved his hand to stop the applause, and then stood on a bench and said loudly: "Comrades, we have traveled day and night, climbed mountains and waded through rivers, and got into the belly of the North China Front Army, do you know what we are here for?" ”

The cadres did not say anything, even the brigade-level cadres who knew the combat mission of this trip did not speak, waiting for the division commander to speak himself.

Liu Yimin saw that the cadres did not speak, so he said: "Do you know where our Chinese business is most developed? Let me tell you, there are two cities in China that are commercial metropolises with international surnames, one is Shanghai in East China, and the other is Tianjin in North China. The name of Tianjin was given by Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, who crossed the canal from here, went south to launch the Battle of Jingjing, and finally won the world. Tianjin is the confluence and estuary of the five major tributaries of the Haihe River, the South Canal, the North Canal, the Ziya River, the Daqing River and the Yongding River, and is also the starting point of the Tianjin-Pudong Railway, and is also an important port for maritime trade between North China and foreign countries. You may not know that Tianjin accounts for one-third of China's total foreign trade in a year, including the northeast occupied by the Chinese army. Here, we can get not only all kinds of machine tools for the construction of our new arsenal, but also factories that can produce all kinds of civilian goods, and there are dozens of big banks alone, and there are countless gold bars, silver dollars, dollars, francs, pounds, and yuans. All the weapons, ammunition, and logistical supplies of the North China Front were transported here from the headquarters and distributed to various places. There are not only airplanes, ships, automobiles, armored vehicles, tanks, machine guns, and artillery, but also rice, white flour, military uniforms, and oil for the hundreds of thousands of troops of the North China Front. Let me say one more thing, everyone knows the Beiyang warlords, and Yuan Shikai, the originator of the Beiyang warlords, trained the Beiyang powerhouse at a small station in Tianjin. Everyone should know what we're going to do next, right? ”

The cadres were all excited, and everyone's eyes were round, and their faces were flushed, as if they could bite Tianjin with one mouth. Immediately, someone waved his arms and shouted the slogan: "Destroy the devils and seize Tianjin!" ”

Although Luo Ronghuan was serious, seeing Liu Yimin so agitated, he instigated the emotions of the cadres like a flame of oil, so he couldn't help but open his thick lips and laugh silently.

Liu Yimin waved his hand again, stopped the excited cries of the cadres, and continued: "This Tianjin city is much richer, more open, and more foreign than Chengdu and Xi'an that we occupied. The city is full of major roads, and the Haihe River passes through the middle of the city, and there are bridges on the river, and there are high-rise buildings made of reinforced concrete by the river. There are concessions built by several countries in the city, although this is the product of the invasion of us by the imperialist powers, but their buildings are indeed beautiful, there are European-style buildings, Russian-style buildings, etc., especially there is an Italian architectural area inside, Tianjin people call them small western-style buildings, different styles, beautiful and beautiful. When I say this, many comrades do not understand. Let me make an analogy, we often say that heaven is beautiful, and the buildings in the Italian concession area in Tianjin are as beautiful as the paradise that everyone dreams of. Moreover, Tianjin is not only beautiful in architecture, but also has many delicacies that we have never eaten or even heard of, such as Italian pizzas, French dishes, etc., do you want to see and try them? ”

The cadres responded violently: "I want to! ”

Liu Yimin's eyes swept over the faces of the extremely emotional cadres, and he said slowly: "However, I want to tell you that when we drive out the invaders and establish New China, this Tianjin city will be ours, so after the troops enter the city, they must strictly observe discipline and not destroy all kinds of buildings." Everyone is from the old Red Army, and I believe that you can do it. Next, let me tell you why I led you to fight Tianjin. First, Tianjin is the rear of the Chinese army in North China, and taking Tianjin will be tantamount to giving the army a blow to the head, dealing a great blow to the arrogance of the Chinese army, and greatly boosting the morale of the Chinese people. You may not know that a few days ago, the Chinese army had just occupied Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, and was about to occupy our Taiyuan again. Well, since they have the ability to capture our fortified and empty Nanjing and Taiyuan, then let's seize Tianjin, where the warehouses are full of arms and supplies, and see who laughs more. ”

After speaking, Liu Yimin's eyebrows raised slightly, and a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, which caused the cadres to laugh. Tang Xingying, Zhao Xiaoman, and Jingjing in the team were all full of smiles, and their eyes were full of smiles.

Liu Yimin waved his hand and said, "This second is to disrupt the enemy's strategic layout. At present, the army is invading North China and Central China on two fronts, north and south, forming two major battlefields. They are anxious to open up the connection between North China and Central China and realize the meeting. Therefore, the elite went all out, attacking Nanjing and Hangzhou, Taiyuan and Jinan, and also planning to capture Henan, defeat the Yangtze River, and attack Wuhan. I don't want him to do it! Isn't he highly mechanized and mobile? Okay, I'll mobilize them, let them follow my baton, run around, rescue back and forth, drag the fat horses to the skin, and drag the thin horses to death. Let his tanks and cars run out of gasoline, the soldiers wear out their feet, the elite become tired soldiers, and the tired soldiers become remnants. As long as we occupy Tianjin, we can threaten Beiping and the entire North China Plain at any time, and when the time comes, the Yue army that occupies Shanxi will have to come back to rescue, the Yue army that occupied Shandong will also have to come back to rescue, and even the Yue army that occupies Henan will have to come back to rescue. What else is it to blow about destroying China in three months, I see, I'm afraid the little devil has to think about it, where is it better to die. When we have taken a good bath, eaten well, slept well, and nourished all our strength in Tianjin, it is time for the rescue force to arrive. When the time comes, if any unlucky guy touches us, we will easily pinch him to death like an ant. Everyone said, isn't that the truth? ”

The cadres are now unable to give an answer, and many of them are listening to the analysis of the situation by their beloved division commanders, and even the senior cadres such as Cai Zhong, Zeng Zhongsheng, Gao Yuan, Liu Jianjian, and Li Qing are all worshipping.

Liu Yimin felt a little strange when he saw that the cadres were silent, and when he swept his eyes, he saw that Tang Xingying, Zhao Xiaoman, and Jingjing's pretty eyes were full of fascination. After sweeping it again, I saw that the cadres were all reverent, sighed in their hearts, and then said: "Third, Tianjin is the logistics supply base of the North China Front, if we take Tianjin and empty all the money, equipment, materials, munitions, and food in Tianjin, then the North China Front Army will be hungry." Our Eighth Route Army is poor, and it is said that this devil is rich, which is absolutely unfair. He said that he paid attention to bushido, and this bushido is actually the code of conduct of samurai. One of the most important is a fair duel. If we want to be fair, then we have to make them stand on the same starting line as us, let them be as poor as us, and in the end, we must make them poor who can't afford to wear pants, can't eat enough, and can't afford to fight. As you know, from the 18th Regiment to the Guard Division, the Seventh Army Corps, and then to today's instructors, we have never fought a battle without capture, and we have never fought a battle without oil and water. If you want to fight, you will fight a battle with large seizures and large incomes. As long as we occupy Tianjin, not only will the clothing and weapons of the whole army be replaced, and the soldiers will be able to eat high-quality rice and foreign noodles from their own country, but we will also have all the money, equipment, and materials we need to build a new base area. With these things, after we arrive in Shandong, we will be able to expand the army, open mines, set up factories and schools, and engage in reclamation and management, so as to turn Shandong into a powerful base like Shaanxi. Do you have confidence? ”

At this time, no one answered whether they were confident or not, but several brigade commanders jumped out directly, scrambling to shout, "We will be the main attack!" ”

Liu Yimin had to wave his hand and drive several brigade commanders back, and immediately asked Cai Zhong to read out the mass discipline for the occupation of Tianjin.

After receiving the report, he happily immediately asked He Zizhen to take a bottle of Moutai wine, and called Zhou Enlai, Zhang Wentian, Chen Yun, Ye Jianying and others, and discussed how to call the instructor back while drinking.

At this time, after occupying Nanjing, the army came to Taiyuan again, and it would soon occupy Taiyuan, which was the time when the arrogance and sharpness of the troops were sharp. If our army occupies Tianjin, it will not only be able to obtain the materials of the Yue army in Tianjin, but also directly threaten Beiping, which is simply a big bomb detonated in the heart of the Yue army.

According to Liu Yimin's original idea, the most ideal choice was to quietly occupy Tianjin, empty Tianjin, and then quietly evacuate and go directly south to Shandong to create a Shandong base area. But when it really came time to take Tianjin, [***]'s vision became more profound.

At this stage, due to the successive victories of the various units of the Eighth Route Army, the strength of the people's armed forces led by [***] has increased greatly, not to mention anything else, just Liu Yimin's measures to strictly order the establishment of a garrison regiment in each county when he was in Xi'an have now taken effect. After the main force of the Eighth Route Army advanced eastward, the central authorities transferred a large number of cadres from the remaining units of the three main divisions, the garrison division reorganized from the Red Fifth Army Corps, and the security division reorganized from the Red Ninth Army Corps to work in the county garrison regiments and train the troops. At present, the training of these units in the peaceful Shaanxi base area has been carried out in a clear and clear manner, and in due time, they can be pulled into the battlefield, mixed with the main force, and strengthened the strength of the main force.

Thinking about every miracle created since Liu Yimin joined the Red Army, [***] from the heart to the corners of his mouth is a smile, and now when he sees that the troops have arrived in Jinghai, Tianjin has become a peach that can be bitten off by the instructor, [***] It is natural to ponder the situation of the enemy and the countermeasures after occupying Tianjin.

(To be continued)