"Good!" Peng Zhen patted Zheng Huzi on the shoulder and said cordially: "Comrade Weiguo, after research, the Party Committee of the Northern Bureau has decided to appoint you to serve as the secretary of the Military Commission in the Central Hebei Region and to fully preside over the military struggle there. How's it going, is there any confidence? ”

Zheng Weiguo was stunned for a moment. It is easier for him to accept that southern Hebei, after all, western Hebei and southern Hebei are separated by a Pinghan railway. Jizhong, does that have anything to do with him? Besides, Lu Zhencao's People's Self-Defense Army, Meng Qingshan's Hebei Guerrilla Army, and Zhang Yinwu's Hebei People's Army are already divided into three parts of the world in Jizhong, so what is the matter with him inserting another pole into it?

"Uh, Secretary Peng, I'm not a party member yet!" Zheng Weiguo hesitated for a moment or chose to refuse, he has never been interested in the "good things" of pies falling from the sky. Taking advantage of small advantages often leads to big losses.

Peng Zhen waved her hand and smiled: "It's not a problem! Comrade Weiguo, in view of your performance, the organization has decided to let you join the party. Well, that's right, it's better to choose a day than to hit the day, how about today? I can also be cheeky to be your party introducer! ”

Zheng Weiguo hurriedly said: "Thank you very much Secretary Peng and the party organization for their trust in me. However, the secretary of the Central Hebei District Military Commission has a heavy responsibility, and Commander Lu and Commander Meng are more suitable than me. I still want to go back to Jixi. ”

Peng Zhen seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and said with a smile: "Comrade Weiguo, you are now the deputy commander-in-chief of the Jicha Theater and the secretary of the Central Hebei District Party Committee. Don't worry about things at work, both the KMT and the CCP will support you. ”

Zheng Weiguo glanced at him and didn't speak. Whether or not to support it is not something that can be decided by the official hat, otherwise there would be no word for overhead.

Seeing that he was reluctant to give in. Peng Zhen had no choice but to tell the truth: "Don't hide it, the current situation in Jizhong is not very stable, and the organization thinks that only you have this prestige." Comrade Weiguo, you can't live up to the organization's trust and test for you at this critical moment! ”

Zheng Weiguo said: "What kind of unstable method is it? Please also ask Secretary Peng to speak clearly! ”

Peng Zhen was a little embarrassed and said, "This...... Hehe, when you go, you'll understand. ”

Zheng Weiguo said with a smile: "If you don't want to tell the truth, then I can't take office in a daze." It is a small matter to lose my personal face, but if it affects the War of Resistance and destroys the situation behind enemy lines that it has fought so hard, it will be a big sin. ”

Peng Zhen couldn't cry or laugh. pointed at Zheng Weiguo and said, "You." You, I really don't know how to say hello, since the organization has accepted you, can it still trick you? Then he said to the guard, "Go and stand guard outside the door." No one is allowed to approach within 10 meters! ”

The guard shouted angrily, "Yes! With a click, the bullet was loaded. Then he went out to defend himself with great vigor and vigour.

Zheng Weiguo was taken aback. Qiang smiled: "Secretary Peng, don't need this!" ”

Peng Zhen lit a cigarette for herself and handed another one to Zheng Weiguo. He sighed and said, "You'll know when I'm done." ”

Zheng Weiguo waved his hand and said, "I don't smoke." ”

Peng Zhen said in surprise: "You came from the northeast, and you don't smoke?" ”

Zheng Weiguo smiled and did not speak. Not smoking, not drinking, this is a habit he developed in the special forces unit, which is conducive to maintaining health and full physical strength.

Peng Zhen carefully put the cigarette back into the box and said with a smile: "If you don't smoke, don't smoke, just save a good cigarette." He showed off the cigarette case, which was a Marlboro brand.

After a period of swallowing clouds and fog, Peng Zhen finally told the truth - there was a large-scale rebellion in Jizhong District, and there was even a danger of getting out of control!

Zheng Weiguo was taken aback and said, "I also went to Jizhong not long ago!" How did it come to this? ”

Peng Zhen sighed again and said in a low voice, "Do you know the Dao Sutuo?" ”

Zheng Weiguo's face changed slightly, nodded and said, "I've heard of it!" ”

The so-called Trotsky was the former Soviet leader Thotsky, who was Stalin's most powerful competitor and political enemy. It also had some influence in China, and after Chen Duxiu quit the party, he formed a Trotskyist organization. However, this force is very weak, and only some intellectuals who are not very sober are busy working in it.

However, on January 1, 1938, Kang Sheng, who had not long returned to China, suddenly published an article entitled "Eradicating the Trotskyist Bandits Who Detective Detectives of the Japanese Nation," in which he said out of nothing that Chen Duxiu had colluded with Japanese imperialism to receive Japanese subsidies, which had a very bad impact and consequences. To this day, many people still talk about this.

What is even more regrettable is that at that time, the central government did not stop Kang Sheng's unscrupulous acts, but instead issued a "decision on expanding the campaign to eradicate trotten bandits and traitors" to all the departments under its jurisdiction in February 1938, and officially launched the so-called "suppression" campaign.

Zheng Weiguo later saw this document in the 129th Division, and his first feeling was nonsense, but he was not an official party member and was not qualified to put his beak in it. In addition, the central government did not ask for this campaign to be carried out in the 97th Army, so he simply pretended not to know the way. It's hard to be confused.

Peng Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and reluctantly smiled: "It's good that you know the way, otherwise it will take me a lot of words." ”

Zheng Weiguo frowned, and couldn't help but say: "Secretary Peng, how can there be any Trotskyists in the party and the army now?" It's clearly Kang Sheng's persecution maniac, why didn't the central government stop it! ”

Peng Zhen was stunned for a moment and reprimanded: "You don't understand political things, don't talk nonsense!" ”

Zheng Weiguo said helplessly: "I'll just say that I'm not good at this, you still want me to go to Jizhong, don't you want to drive ducks to the shelves?" Secretary Peng, what's the matter, Jizhong Sutuo is very powerful? ”

Peng Zhen nodded with a heavy face. It's not a question of whether it's powerful or not, it's a question of whether you want to die.

Huang Ke, the former captain of the women's team of the 9th Division National Defense Drama Club, and Meng Qingshan, deputy commander of the Jizhong Military Region, were still terrified when they talked about "Su Tuo" later. In her memoirs, she recounts what she experienced when she was 18 years old.

At the beginning of the "suppression," he first studied and discussed and realized that "the 'Trotskyists' are more dangerous than the Japanese invaders." Then it's a matter of exposing each other and seeing who has "Trotskyist" rhetoric. The next step is to arrest those who have "Trotskyist" remarks, and to coerce confessions and believe them by means of hanging and beating them, not allowing them to sleep, and so on.

There is a Peking intellectual surnamed Wang in the National Defense Drama Society. Wear a pair of glasses with a high degree, write live newspaper dramas, write lyrics, and can play the violin and speak allegro. He loves to joke with people, whether it is a leader or an ordinary comrade. Everyone called him "the blind man". At the beginning of "Su Tuo", the drama club discussed it repeatedly, but if they couldn't find a "Trotskyist", they took him to make up the numbers. The only basis is that there is a sentence in the lyrics he wrote: "Big work, stupid work and smart work". What does "stupid" mean? It is to slander the Eighth Route Army!

A few days later, a public trial meeting was held, and at the same time, there was also a company fat secretary of the public trial. This secretary is not very popular, and he may have embezzled a few noodle bags. During the public trial, the moderator asked everyone to put forward their opinions. Someone said, "Let him be a groom". Some say: "Let him lose twice as much", others say: "cut off the head". At the critical moment, I don't know what he muttered, which annoyed everyone at once. When voting to behead. "Whoa" raised a lot of arms. One count. More than half, passed! Then it was carried to the embankment of the river to carry it out.

The "blind man" of the National Defense Drama Club was also taken to execution. At the beginning, the fat secretary also shouted: "I am wronged, I am wronged!" I don't take noodle bags, and my family of 8 has no pants to wear! Don fighting. I was barefoot and carried back more than 1,000 pieces of ocean from the whole company......" Later, when he saw that shouting was useless, and the warrior with a big knife came, he began to hold his breath and practice qigong with a red face. The people watching whispered, "It's over!" Finished! ”

With a wave of the big knife, two heads rolled down the embankment, and the glasses of the "blind man" fell to the grass in the distance, stained with blood......

Zheng Weiguo heard Peng Zhen talk about some of the situation, and said angrily: "They dare to mess around with things that matter to people's lives!" If you want me to say, you'd better not send me to Jizhong, otherwise whoever dares to kill people indiscriminately, I will kill whoever they want! ”

Peng Zhen didn't get angry when she heard this, and said with a wry smile: "You're right, you were originally organized by the opposition." Not to mention that you haven't joined the party yet, even your stunned temper is not worrying! ”

Zheng Weiguo said nonchalantly: "That's right, I don't want to go!" Although Jizhong is rich, it is the land of four wars, how can I have the stability of Jixi? Give me one year, and I will definitely be able to build western Hebei into the best base in North China. Secretary Peng, do you believe it or not? ”

Peng Zhen nodded and said, "I believe this, and my comrades also believe it, otherwise I wouldn't have sent you to Jizhong." ”

Zheng Weiguo was puzzled: "Even if you kill the wrong person, you can just correct it in time, why do you have to let me go?" Commander Lu and Commander Meng are all right! ”

Peng Zhen smiled bitterly: "I haven't finished my words yet!" ”

To say that the general suppression of rebellion does not have much impact, even if there is any bad impact, it will generally not affect the overall situation. But this time, it really stabbed Da Louzi.

As we all know, the Eighth Road in Jizhong is divided into two major units, one is called the People's Self-Defense Army, and it is mainly formed by the uprising troops of the 691st Regiment of the former Northeast Army Lu Zhencao. The other is called the Hebei Guerrilla Army, which was formed by Meng Qingshan, the head of the Red Army, and the local party organization in central Hebei.

At the beginning, Commander Lu led his troops to revolt, but Commander Meng sent people to respond, but because of their different origins and compositions, the two troops did not trust each other, and even suspected and rubbed against each other.

It's also easy to understand. Everyone didn't know each other before, or even was in a hostile camp, and suddenly they got together, and it was inevitable that there would be a lack of understanding between them, and trust always needed time to build slowly. In fact, in the struggle between blood and fire, it is easy for comrades-in-arms to solidify loyal revolutionary friendships. Throughout history, such examples are not uncommon.

Unfortunately, because of Sutuo, the rift between the two has widened rapidly, even to the point of life and death. At that time, those who were classified as "Trotskyists" were those who loved to give advice to the leaders and tell strange things; Second, they have the habits of warlords, guerrillas, and other problems; Third, they have opinions with each other and take the opportunity to vent their personal anger.

The first to bear the brunt were the cadres and fighters of the former Hebei guerrilla army. Most of these people are peasants in central Hebei, they have a low level of education, they are accustomed to being free and loose, and it is difficult to get rid of their problems after serving as soldiers for a while; in addition, they speak casually and love to talk indiscriminately; in the "suppression" movement in which everyone passes the test and exposes each other, it is very easy for you to "purge" a large number of "Trotskyists" when you say that I am and I say you. In addition, some people deliberately took the opportunity to muddy the waters, and the movement became more and more chaotic.

The more representative ones are Duan Shizeng, commander of the 2nd Division of the Hebei Guerrilla Army, Yang Wanlin, chief of staff and political director, and Cui Shukai, regiment commander, who were made into "Trotskyists." These three people were all veteran party members who participated in the "Gaoli Riot" led by the CCP in 1932, and their deaths had a very bad impact on the Jizhong War of Resistance.

The killings continued to expand, and it was not long before Hou Ping, director of the Political Department of the Hebei Guerrilla Army, Liu Kezhong, commander-in-chief of the 8th Route Army, and Zhang Jingming, deputy commander-in-chief of the 5th Route Army, were also killed.

Some cadres and fighters of the People's Self-Defense Army, who have been in the darkest cases, will not be spared. Li Xiaochu, director of the Political Department of the People's Self-Defense Army, who introduced Commander Lu to the party, was also designated as a "Trotskyist" and was subsequently escorted to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region for secret execution. His "Trotskyist" involved more than 200 people. At the same time, Xiong Dazheng, director of the supply department of the Jizhong Military Region, and others were killed. In short, the "suppression" has put everyone in danger.

In this atmosphere of terror, some military leaders began to think of ways to "save themselves" when they felt that a great calamity was imminent. For example, they defected to the Nationalist Government, for example, they declared independence and formed their own party, and some people even defected to the Japanese and became traitors.

Upon learning of the civil strife in Jizhong, the Japanese spies pounced on them as quickly as flies saw blood. They deliberately spread rumors and sow discord, causing the base areas to fall into even greater chaos.

Seeing that there was an opportunity, the old fox of Shouichi in the temple hurriedly dispatched troops to launch a siege on the Jizhong base area. Although affected by the Battle of Lanfeng, there were not many troops that could be mobilized, but they still defeated the central Hebei troops. Some troops lost confidence and surrendered directly to become puppet soldiers.

Blessings are incomparable, and disasters are not singular. At this time, Lu Zhonglin, the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Jicha Theater and chairman of Hebei Province, Zhang Yinwu, commander-in-chief of the Hebei People's Army, and Zhu Huaibing, the newly appointed commander of the 94th Army, also took the opportunity to seize territory in Jizhong. The originally peaceful Jizhong Plain suddenly fell into chaos......

Peng Zhen finished speaking, threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it a few times, saying: "Weiguo, I have said everything that should be said, and I have said what should not be said." Now it's your turn, go or not, give a happy word! (To be continued......)