Chapter 619: Expansion of the Army (continued)

Seeing Liu Yimin's intoxicated look, Luo Ronghuan couldn't help but remind: "Commander, your plan is very grand and exciting. Not to mention the sequence of newly organized brigades and supplementary brigades, we cannot guarantee the firepower allocation of the eight main brigades alone. At present, only the three first-class main regiments of the 1st Brigade, the 2nd Brigade, and the 3rd Brigade can reach this level, and the number of other troops is quite large, but the firepower configuration will definitely not meet your requirements. If you do it according to your plan, if nothing else, the number of bazookas, Bayi automatic rifles, anti-aircraft guns, and anti-aircraft machine guns alone will not be enough. Isn't that a bit out of touch? Besides, with such a firepower configuration, it is a spill of ammunition, and as soon as the fire is fired, the logistical pressure will follow. Have you considered this question? ”

Zeng Zhongsheng was shocked by Liu Yimin's plan just now, and as soon as Luo Ronghuan said it, he also sobered up, and immediately said: "Division commander, if you can get the firepower configuration of the eight main brigades to the extent you said, you just have to rest in Jinan City, and I will command the troops to fight, all the way to Beiping City, and capture Shouyi in the temple alive." But have you ever thought about it, since our army went north to resist Japan, the seizures are indeed very large. According to your plan, a platoon of our army is equivalent to a squad of the Japanese army, a battalion is equivalent to a brigade of the Japanese army, and a regiment is equivalent to a wing of the Japanese army, but in terms of firepower, our army is far higher than the Japanese army from the beginning of the squad. In particular, the companies and battalions far exceeded the Japanese brigades and squadrons. The Japanese army only strengthened its technical arms at the division and regiment level, and you should strengthen them at the company level. In such a comparison, the firepower is naturally much stronger than that of the Japanese army. However, it is not easy for this kind of super-powerful firepower allocation to satisfy the three main brigades of the 1st Brigade, the 2nd Brigade, and the 3rd Brigade, and if all the eight main brigades are like this, it is indeed an excessive logistical burden and heavy transportation pressure. This point should be considered by the division commander. ”

Liu Yimin did not give a positive answer to Luo Ronghuan and Zeng Zhongsheng, and continued: "Third, the Tai'an Detachment, the Southeastern Lu Detachment, the Luxi Garrison Brigade, the Second Southwest Lu Garrison Brigade, the Southwest Lu Garrison Brigade, the Taixi Garrison Brigade, the Qinghe Garrison Brigade, and the Jiaodong Garrison Brigade have increased the number of mixed anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft machine gun battalions, the fire support battalion has been expanded into artillery regiments and heavy machine gun battalions, and the engineer company and baggage company have all been expanded into battalions, and the strength has been expanded to about 12,000 people per brigade. The detachment in northern Jiangsu has been behind enemy lines for a long time, and the unit will return to the base area for training at an appropriate time. The logistics detachment has been established for a short time, and what it needs is to strengthen training and bring it to the battlefield for actual combat training. Fourth, based on the Southwest Lu Independent Regiment, it was expanded into the Huxi Garrison Brigade; Based on the Lunan Independent Regiment, the Lunan Garrison Brigade was expanded; Based on the Second Independent Regiment of Lunan, the Taiyi Garrison Brigade was expanded; Based on the Fourth Regiment of Shandong, the Southeastern Shandong Garrison Brigade was expanded, and the Luzhong Garrison Brigade was expanded on the basis of the Luzhong Independent Regiment; On the basis of the independent regiment of the Hebei and Shandong borders, the Jinan Garrison Brigade was expanded; On the basis of the Second Independent Regiment of the Hebei and Shandong Border Areas, the Hebei and Shandong Border Garrison Brigade was expanded. Based on the infantry regiment of the artillery brigade, the Qingdao garrison brigade was expanded. The above-mentioned eight newly organized garrison brigades must complete the task of conscription within three months, and all the equipment made by the state should be put into training. ”

As for the troops directly under the division, Liu Yimin said: "Based on the first guard battalion, expand the new division guard regiment; Based on the second guard battalion, the guard regiment of the Shandong Anti-Japanese Democratic Government was expanded; Based on the three battalions of the guards, the Shandong Public Security Corps was formed. The Engineer Command was established, the Engineer Regiment was expanded into an Engineer Brigade, the Brigade Headquarters was also the Engineer Headquarters, and the Eighth Route Army Instructor Engineer Training Brigade was opened; Establish an armored force headquarters, set up an armored training brigade, concentrate all existing tanks, set up an armored regiment of instructors, command the first brigade, and restore the establishment of the second regiment; The Heavy Machine Gun Command was established, the Heavy Machine Gun Regiment was upgraded to a Machine Gun Brigade, the Brigade Headquarters was also the Heavy Machine Gun Command, and a machine gun training brigade was established; The establishment of a cavalry headquarters, a cavalry brigade headquarters and a headquarters, the establishment of a cavalry training brigade and a horse breeding factory; The division's baggage regiment was expanded into a baggage brigade; The Eighth Route Army Artillery School was established, which, like the first branch of the Anti-Japanese University, was directly under the management of the military region. ”

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, everyone present took a big breath of cold air, this plan is too crazy, if it is implemented, then the entire Shandong Eighth Route Army will have eight main brigades, eight new brigades, eight supplementary brigades, four brigade-level detachments, and 14 garrison brigades, plus artillery brigades, cavalry brigades, heavy machine gun brigades, engineer brigades, and baggage brigades, obediently, the division commander is going to expand the troops into 47 brigades, plus two guard regiments and a public security corps, isn't this already 500,000 troops? Oh my God

Liu Yimin also said: "Since there is a possibility of a big battle in front of us, the main force may enter the battle at any time, and there is not much time left for us. I propose that members of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Bureau and members of the Party Committee of the Shandong Military Region temporarily concentrate their efforts on expanding the army. As long as they have experience in military struggle, they will be sent to the newly organized brigades to serve as political commissars and direct the expansion and training of the troops. Comrades do not have to worry, our 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th brigades are all equipped with cadres below the regimental level according to the standard of one principal and two deputies, and each regiment can be expanded to three regiments at any time. Our army can be expanded anytime and anywhere. There is no problem at all in pulling up these new brigades. The Political Department will come up with a plan for the specific allocation of cadres in each military unit and study it at the meeting. To tell the truth, we have taken the line of elite troops, which has ensured combat effectiveness, but it has also affected the progress of cadres. Compared with other fraternal units, the battalion commanders and instructors of our main forces could have been regimental commanders a long time ago. As for weapons, you don't have to worry, since we went north, we have eliminated so many Japanese troops, and we have also occupied large supply bases of the Japanese army such as Tianjin, Qingdao, and Jinan. In addition to the weapons and ammunition at the disposal of the Logistics Command, each brigade and regiment has a certain amount of weapons in stock. There are many civilian armed forces in Shandong, and there are also many weapons, not to mention 100,000 guns, how many have we confiscated? You can collect a part of the idea. In addition, I also told my comrades that when we were in Xi'an, Zeng Zhao and I had been studying the development of semi-automatic rifles at the Shenyang Arsenal of the Northeast Army. With the help of an expert like Clement, the development will definitely succeed. We have already successfully developed the 1 August automatic rifle and the machine gun and rocket launcher used by the 1 August class, plus the semi-automatic rifle that is about to be successfully developed, and when the time comes, our 1st Brigade, 2nd Brigade, and 3rd Brigade will first be reequipped, and the 38 large cover, Type 92 heavy machine gun, and the light machine guns with crooked handles and crutches will be used to equip the newly reorganized troops. My goal is that we will not only outperform the Japanese in terms of combat will and tactical training, but also far surpass the Japanese in terms of weaponry. ”

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, there was silence in the venue.

Zhu Rui asked: "Division commander, can the Central Committee and the General Headquarters approve this army expansion plan?" ”

Liu Yimin nodded.

Zhu Rui immediately said: "I request to be the principal of the Eighth Route Army Artillery School and work hard for our army to train artillery talents. At the same time, considering that the Fourth Brigade is the main brigade, and the troops can fight well, they can redeploy political commissars. I am willing to concurrently serve as the political commissar of a newly organized brigade and guarantee the completion of the task of expanding the army. If necessary, the artillery school can move with the new formation of which I am the political commissar, so that it is convenient to take care of it. ”

Zeng Zhongsheng was even more anxious, and said directly: "Division commander, if you don't go to the first brigade after the meeting is over, the establishment of an armored regiment cannot be delayed, and battlefield practice has proved that the power of armored assault is indeed very great." Now that more tanks, more armored vehicles, and more cars have been captured, it is completely possible to concentrate all the tanks and armored vehicles of the whole division in accordance with the requirements of the Red Army's infantry training program, organize troops, and form a special assault force. The establishment of the armored regiment is a great leap in the history of our army's construction. This must be done as soon as possible. ”

Let the two of them say this, the expansion plan proposed by Liu Yimin is equivalent to being approved by everyone.

Luo Ronghuan pondered for a while and said: "Division commander, this expansion plan is a little bolder, but as long as the ammunition problem can be solved, it is still feasible." I think about it, the newly formed units will not be able to form combat effectiveness in the short term, and in this case, the strength of our army for combat operations in the short term will not increase but decrease. The withdrawal of all the newly organized, supplemental, and independent regiments of the eight main brigades is a good thing in the long run, and it is easy to reduce the combat effectiveness of the main force in the short term. I suggest that it be done in four steps: the first step: first replenish the combat losses of some time ago. For example, the Taixi Garrison Brigade, the Southwest Lu Garrison Brigade, the Second Luxi Garrison Brigade, and the Jilu Border Force all need to be replenished, including fighters, weapons and ammunition. Even a few main brigades, some of which fail to meet the requirements of the expansion plan, should be supplemented by selecting and transferring outstanding cadres and fighters from the newly organized regiments and supplementary regiments to ensure the combat effectiveness of the main forces. In addition, we must also get a good grasp of the existing garrison brigade and the Tai'an detachment and the southeastern Lunan detachment to equip artillery regiments; we now have no artillery, and the surplus field artillery and mountain artillery are all supporting our army in Shanxi, and it is difficult to say when there will be artillery in the future. But they can first enrich the artillery regiment and put it into training, and then capture the artillery and then rematch. It doesn't matter if it can't be captured, our army's artillery fire is already powerful enough, as long as there are enough shells, it can completely guarantee the needs of the operation. The second step is to get a good grasp of restoring and building up county brigades, district squadrons, and militia units in all counties so that they can form combat effectiveness. This is also the principle set by the division commander last time. Don't be in a hurry to do anything, and take a steady step. The third step is to build eight new brigades into an independent regiment or a part of the fighters of the training detachment on the basis of the new regiments and supplementary regiments of each brigade. In this way, the eight newly formed brigades will soon be able to complete the run-in and form combat effectiveness. After a few battles with the main force, the combat effectiveness will naturally come up. The fourth step is to carry out a large-scale military expansion. At present, we are assigning numbers and cadres to the newly expanded brigades, so that they can let go of the development of the armed forces. Isn't this how our army developed in Jizhong? Most of Shandong is our base area, and the conditions are much better than those in other places, and it is only a matter of time before we pull in troops. After the new units are organized and trained, they will be brought to the battlefield to receive actual combat training, and then they will be mixed with the main force, so that the combat effectiveness of the new units can also be raised. Instead of mixing with the main forces, fighting big battles, and fighting tough battles, the new troops will always be new troops. This point has also been emphasized by the division commander, and in the history of our army, there is a painful lesson in the history of the Xiangjiang fiasco. Please consider it from the division commander, and also ask the comrades to study it. ”

Luo Ronghuan's opinion Liu Yimin had originally considered it, but he judged that it was impossible for the Japanese army to take the initiative to launch a large-scale attack for a while and a half, and our army should have time to expand its army. Luo Ronghuan's remark shows that Liu Yimin's army expansion plan is a bit rushed, and in the short term, it is true that the number of troops used for combat will not increase but decrease.

Luo Ronghuan said that Wu Zheng and Yang Zhicheng first supported it, the reason was that they should also take the line of elite soldiers, and maintaining the strong combat effectiveness of the main force was the first priority. Without a strong main force, no matter how large the size of the troops, they will not be able to withstand the test of a major war. At the same time, and most importantly, improving the combat effectiveness of the main forces can make the limited logistical resources available to the best of their ability.

This time it was against the cow.

Seeing that Liu Yimin and Luo Ronghuan did not speak, Cai Zhong proposed a compromise method, that is, to integrate the existing detachments and garrison brigades into the main force, and all eight brigades were renamed the Eighth Route Army's First Column, and the column consisted of three brigades. Then, the garrison brigades in various localities will be expanded to undertake local garrison tasks.

Liu Yimin thought about it for a long time and felt that Luo Ronghuan's consideration was relatively stable, but it was necessary to expand the army, and only by expanding the size of the army could there be enough troops to defeat the Japanese attack. However, the current situation is very strange, the Japanese army may not launch a large-scale attack for the time being, or it may attack at any time. They have the advantage of sea transportation and may be smuggling troops. At this time, the new regiments and supplementary regiments of each brigade are being withdrawn to expand the troops and train new recruits, which is tantamount to diluting the main force. If the Japanese army launches a surprise attack, the newly formed troops will not be able to form a combat capacity, and it is very easy to suffer heavy casualties or even collapse.

Sighing, Liu Yimin said: "Just do what the political commissar said, and form a new first brigade with the new first regiment, the supplementary regiment of the first brigade, and the independent regiment of southwest Lu, and Cheng Cuilin is temporarily the brigade commander and political commissar; The new Second Brigade, the Second Teaching Brigade Supplementary Regiment, and the Lunan Independent First Regiment were organized into the New Second Brigade, and Zeng Chunjian was temporarily appointed as the brigade commander and political commissar; The New Third Regiment, the Supplementary Regiment of the Third Brigade, and the Qinghe Independent Regiment were organized into the New Third Brigade, and Chen Dazhong was temporarily appointed as the brigade commander and political commissar; The New Fourth Regiment, the Supplementary Regiment of the Fourth Brigade, and the First Independent Regiment of Luzhong were organized into the New Fourth Brigade, and Zhu Rui was temporarily appointed as the brigade commander and political commissar; The New Fifth Regiment, the Supplementary Regiment of the Fifth Brigade, and the Second Independent Regiment of Lunan were organized into the New Fifth Brigade, and Hu Xuerong was temporarily appointed as the brigade commander and political commissar; The New Sixth Regiment, the Supplementary Regiment of the Sixth Brigade, and the Second Independent Regiment of the Hebei-Lubian Border were organized into the New Sixth Brigade, and Fu Zhuting was temporarily appointed as the brigade commander and political commissar; The New Seventh Regiment, the Supplementary Regiment of the Seventh Brigade, and the Jiaolai Independent Regiment were organized into the New Seventh Brigade, and Liu Yi was temporarily appointed as the brigade commander and political commissar; The New Eighth Regiment, the Supplementary Regiment of the Eighth Brigade, and the Independent First Regiment of the Hebei-Lubian Border were organized into the New Eighth Brigade, and Zhao Jie temporarily served as the brigade commander and political commissar. All regiments under the jurisdiction of the newly formed brigades were numbered, and from the platoon of the new regiment to the new 24 th regiment, they quickly completed the organization of the troops, conducted running-in training, and ensured that they could be put into battle. Xu Guangda, commander of the training command, was reappointed commander and political commissar of the armored command; The engineer brigade, heavy machine gun brigade, and baggage brigade were promoted by the leaders of the original regiment; The training detachment was combined with the five Red Army battalions supported by various divisions and renamed the Luzhong Garrison Brigade, and Tang Liang, political commissar of the Southwest Lu Garrison Brigade, was transferred to the post of brigade commander and political commissar of the Jinan Garrison Brigade. The 2nd Independent Regiment of Luzhong, the 4th Regiment of the Southeast Lunan Detachment, and the 4th Regiment of the Tai'an Detachment were organized into the Jinan Garrison Brigade, and Zhu Liangcai, political commissar of the Luxi Garrison Brigade, temporarily served as the brigade commander and political commissar. As for the cadres who are missing from the main brigade and the newly formed brigade, the Political Department will put forward their opinions, and we will study them and report them to the Central Committee for approval. In principle, each brigade must be equipped with a brigade commander, political commissar, deputy brigade commander, deputy political commissar, chief of staff, director of the political department, and director of the logistics department, so as to set up a complete command structure. As for the various garrison brigades to be expanded, I would like to make a suggestion for everyone to consider that the main brigade should be responsible for the cadres of the newly established garrison brigade, and that the cadres of the cavalry brigade Bao Wen, the artillery brigade political commissar Wang Shanzhu, the logistics headquarters political commissar Zhou Huan, the deputy chief of staff of the Ludong Command Guo Huaruo, the chief of staff of the Luxi Second Garrison Brigade Zhang Weihan, the political commissar Zhang Linzhi, the political commissar of the Jiaodong Garrison Brigade Song Cheng, and the political commissar of the Qinghe Garrison Brigade Yao Zhongming should each bring a brigade cadre frame and be responsible for the expansion of the unit on a full-time basis. In this way, we can calmly fight and expand our army at the same time. How about you take a look? ”

Luo Ronghuan thought for a while and proposed: "Guo Huaruo and Zhou Huan have been in Shandong for a short time and have no influence. Bao Wen, political commissar of the cavalry brigade, and Wang Shanzhu, political commissar of the artillery brigade, also had this problem. Can we let Zhao Mingxin, political commissar of the 1st Independent Regiment of Hebei and Shandong, Di Yudong, political commissar of the 2nd Regiment, Song Zhuting, director of the Political Department of the Qinghe Garrison Brigade, Huo Shilian, director of the Political Department of the Jiaodong Garrison Brigade, Zhang Guangzhong, head of the 4th Regiment of Southeast Shandong, and Jing Xiaocun, secretary of the provincial party committee of the Communist Youth League, change the four of them and give full play to their influence in the base areas. In this way, our military expansion will be smoother. ”

When Liu Yimin heard this, he immediately understood that Luo Ronghuan was more thoughtful than him, and laughed: "That's it." Director Cai, tell you about the brigades, Song Cheng, Yao Zhongming, Zhao Mingxin, Di Yudong, Song Zhuting, Huo Shilian, Zhang Guangzhong, and Jing Xiaocun, these 10 comrades, shoulder the heavy task of pulling up 10 brigades for us, and they must support the work. You arrange, in addition to the cadre shelves, to draw a battalion of troops from each of them as a seed for their army expansion. Remember that you can't pump the whole battalion and the whole battalion, because that will damage the combat effectiveness of the troops, so you have to disperse the pumping. Let these 10 comrades come to Jinan, and the political commissar and I will have a good talk with them. ”

Cai Zhong said worriedly: "Division commander, you have said the plan, but the political commissars of each brigade have been drawn, and the eight newly formed brigades and the two garrison brigades of Jinan and Luzhong have only one brigade commander and political commissar, and the cadre gap is so big, what can I do?" ”

Liu Yimin smiled and said, "What are you afraid of?" Our cadres are sufficient, the heads of the main regiments and political commissars can be promoted, in terms of combat achievements and military merits, compared to those lieutenant generals and major generals who are the best ones, our regiment commanders are more proud, isn't there still a central government? As long as we need it, the chairman will send us cadres. ”

After repeated discussions, the army expansion plan was finally approved.