At the beginning of the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), after half a year of "encroachment", the Japanese army basically occupied the quasi-security zone (guerrilla zone) in North China. At the same time, because Okamura Neji vigorously promoted the "China-Japan
The anti-Japanese line of "goodwill" caused the people in the vast guerrilla areas to fully defect to the Japanese and puppet government.
As a result, the two armies of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, operating on the vast battlefield behind enemy lines, were in trouble at the same time.
On the military side, Yue Weihan's 39th Group Army has established a solid base in the Taihang Mountains, and has also established a large number of military industrial enterprises and a large number of civilian enterprises in the base area. Therefore, it has not been greatly affected, even in the counties in southern Hebei.
The *** brigade, because it is backed by the Taihang base area, can still manage to support it.
However, Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Army and Yu Xuezhong's 3rd Army were unable to do so.
Previously, Sun Lianzhong and Yu Xuezhong controlled much larger areas than Yue Weihan, but unfortunately, the areas they controlled were either mountainous or remote areas, and there were no decent military industries or civilian enterprises. After the outer guerrilla zones were completely lost, the two
The situation faced by the large group army suddenly took a turn for the worse. There were two main difficulties. One was the inability to raise food and wages, and the other was the inability to provide ammunition!
The situation of the Eighth Route Army was even worse than that of the 2nd and 3rd Army Groups.
Although the situation of the 2nd and 3rd Group Armies was difficult, the base areas were at least one piece, which made it easier to assemble troops and provide greater space for strategic maneuvers. However, the base areas of the Eighth Route Army's major military regions were occupied by the Japanese in small pieces.
Being divided, it was very difficult to assemble troops and there was almost no room for strategic maneuvering!
Penetrating the base area with one shot is definitely not a legend for the Eighth Route Army!
At this point, the Japanese army carried out military operations against the base areas of the Kuomintang and the Communist Armed Forces, and the conditions for economic oppression were ripe!
In January of the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), Okamura Ningji comprehensively implemented the "cage" policy in North China. While implementing the "cage" policy, the Japanese army also sent small groups of troops to continuously attack the Japanese and Eighth Route Army.
Qingxiang harassment was launched in the hinterland of the base area, and Okamura Neiji was not so polite to the base areas of the Kuomintang and Communist armies.
Okamura Neiji treated the Chinese in the public security area in every possible way.
Regarding the Chinese people in the quasi-security zone (guerrilla zone), Okamura Neiji also tried every means to win over them.
But for the Chinese in non-security areas (base areas), Okamura Neiji raised his butcher knife high.
When the Japanese troops raided the base areas of the Kuomintang and the Communist armies, most of them adopted the inhumane "Three Lights" policy. This policy of differential treatment caused serious harm to the base areas of the Kuomintang and the Communist armies. Because the lives of the people in the base areas were not guaranteed, they began to be forced to
The move to Japanese-controlled areas in turn exacerbated the difficulties faced by the Kuomintang and Communist armies in the war behind enemy lines.
By June of the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), after half a year of brutal massacres and rural raids, the base areas behind enemy lines of the Kuomintang and the Communist armies suffered unprecedented heavy losses. Due to a lack of medicine, tens of thousands of soldiers suffered from serious injuries.
After minor injuries, they paid the price with their lives. Due to food shortages, thousands of soldiers and civilians starve to death every day!
Although the Kuomintang and Communist armies also organized many counter-mops, they had little effect.
Yue Weihan also thought about leaving the Tumen Fortress in the east to support the Eighth Route Army and Sun Lianzhong in their counter-mopping operations. However, Okamura Neiji was very cautious. The 5th, 10th, 18th and 20th divisions directly under the North China Front were always stationed near Shimen.
, No way, Yue Weihan's 39th Group Army simply does not have the conditions to take the initiative.
In July of the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), the situation worsened.
In the mountainous area of central Shandong, Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Army dropped sharply from more than 150,000 people at the beginning of the year to less than 50,000 people. It also suffered from a serious shortage of weapons and ammunition, heavy weapons were basically exhausted, machine guns basically became decorations, and the number of rifles was also seriously insufficient.
, two soldiers can only share one rifle, and there are less than five bullets!
In the Sulu Border Region, Yu Xuezhong's 3rd Army also dropped sharply from 100,000 at the beginning of the year to 30,000. In terms of weapons and ammunition, the 3rd Army was not much better than the 2nd Army. Due to the lack of guns and ammunition, Yu Xuezhong
They even imitated the Northwest Army and formed a large sword team to encourage officers and soldiers to kill the enemy with large swords.
As for the Eighth Route Army, the number of personnel was also severely reduced.
During the Hundred Wars, the main force of the Eighth Route Army once reached more than 250 regiments and more than 500,000 people!
However, by July of the 29th year of the Republic of China, the main force of the Eighth Route Army had dropped sharply to less than 200,000 people. At this time, the Eighth Route Army was in a more difficult situation than in history.
Because in history, Okamura Neji did not encounter Yue Weihan, his mortal enemy, and the Japanese army's attack network was not strongly challenged by rocket launchers. The building strength of the gun towers and strongholds was much lower than it is now. After the Eighth Route Army was broken into pieces,
You could also build a gun tower in the east and a stronghold in the west, and you could still get supplies at least, but you can't do that now. The Japanese army's gun towers are so strong now that the Eighth Route Army can only stare at them.
Shimen, North China Front Army Headquarters.
Tanabe Moritake excitedly said to Okamura Neiji: "Your Excellency, Commander, in the six months since the 'cage' policy was implemented, Tubal Road in North China, Sun Lianzhong in the central Shandong Mountains, and Yu Xue on the Sulu border
Zhongdu suffered unprecedented heavy losses, and the combat effectiveness of these three resistance forces has been greatly weakened, making them almost vulnerable!"
"Yes." Okamura Neji nodded happily, "It seems that the time is ripe for a big sweep."
Tanabe Moritake, Hirata Shogun and the senior staff of the headquarters suddenly became excited. They were finally going to launch a large-scale mopping up operation in the non-security areas. From the soft policy, to the cannibalization policy, to the cage policy, the North China Front Army
It lasted more than two years and spent a lot of manpower, material and financial resources, just for this day!?
Tanabe Moritake immediately asked: "Your Excellency, Commander, do you have any instructions for the next raid?"
Okamura Neiji gently nodded and said: "There is an old saying among Chinese people, which is to start with the easy and then the difficult. This raid by the imperial army should also be based on this principle. First, the Tuba Road base area that has been divided and surrounded by the imperial army should be wiped out.
Then we will sweep Sun Lianzhong in central Shandong and Yu Xuezhong on the Sulu border, and finally it’s Yue Weihan’s turn to base in the Taihang Mountains!”
"Hai." Tanabe Moritake suddenly lowered his head and said, "Your Excellency, Commander, is wise!"
Jingxing County, 39th Army Headquarters.
Yue Weihan, Liu Yi and a group of senior generals from the 39th Group Army were also gathered in front of the simulation sand table.
Ma Zhankui said to Yue Weihan solemnly: "General, Nanzo Yunzi has received news from Peiping that Okamura Neiji has mobilized the 24th, 26th, 28th, and 29th divisions, plus the puppet North China Autonomous Army.
The group army, with more than 300,000 soldiers, was divided into sixteen groups, and at the same time launched a large-scale mopping up operation against various base areas of the Eighth Route Army."
"His grandma's." Chi Chengfeng said extremely depressedly, "I'm afraid the Eighth Route is in danger."
"Yes." Cao Xinglong nodded and said worriedly, "Before being besieged by the Japs for more than half a year, the Eighth Route Army not only suffered a serious reduction in personnel, but also suffered a serious shortage of weapons and ammunition. Now with less than 200,000 exhausted troops, it has to face the enemy.
For the more than 300,000 Japanese and puppet coalition forces who have been preparing for a long time, the results can be imagined."
Liu Yi sighed and said: "Well, I am afraid that the Eighth Route Army's dozen base areas cannot be defended. The most urgent issue right now is to do everything possible to withdraw the troops as soon as possible. As long as the troops are still there, the base areas can be restored at any time.
, but if all the troops are exhausted, then everything will be over."
"It's easier said than done?" Gao Shuxun shook his head and said, "After two years of operation, the Japanese army in North China has built a complete and strong penetration network. The Eighth Route Army troops trapped in the base area by the Japanese army could not even turn around.
It is extremely difficult and it is absolutely impossible to break through the encirclement as an organized entity. There may be a glimmer of hope if we break it into pieces."
Yue Weihan couldn't help but nodded slightly when he heard this. Historically, the Eighth Route Army often did this during counter-mopping up operations.
"In my opinion, breaking it into pieces may not necessarily make us stand out." Lu Xiufeng said disapprovingly, "Now the people in North China are no longer in favor of us. If the Eighth Route Army really breaks it into pieces, it might be on the way to breakout.
If they are defeated one by one by the Japanese army, it is better to stick to the base and fight with the Japs. One fight is enough, but two fights will make a profit!"
"You donkey day, what kind of bad idea are you talking about?" Niu Dagen said angrily, "In today's Eighth Route Army, three people together can't even get a broken gun, less than five rounds of bullets, and less than two grenades. What can they use?
Are you going to fight the Japs to the death? Are we going to let the brothers from the Eighth Route Army use their bayonets to fight the Japs?"
"Then what do you think we should do?" Liu Fengsheng asked, "What can we do if we don't fight?"
"It's definitely not possible to fight head-on." Liu Yi shook his head and said, "However, it is indeed not easy to break through."
Yue Weihan sighed and said to Liu Yi: "Chief of Staff, please forward the information to the Eighth Route Army headquarters immediately."
After saying this, Yue Weihan said to Meng Bozhao, the chief of the logistics department: "Bozhao, please contact Chi Dianwen and ask the brothers from the Qinggang to use smuggling channels to urgently transport a batch of supplies to various bases of the Eighth Route Army. As many as possible."
Give us some ammunition, that's all we can do, alas..."
In July of the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), the Japanese army mobilized more than 300,000 troops, divided into 16 routes, and launched a large-scale mopping up operation against the Eighth Route Army's base areas in Shanxi, Chahar, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan. Fortunately, the Eighth Route Army
The headquarters received intelligence in advance and issued an emergency order to each base to "break it into pieces and break out separately."
In addition, the 39th Group Army urgently provided large quantities of weapons and ammunition to various departments of the Eighth Route Army through the underground communication lines of Chi Dianwen, the leader of the Youth Gang, which greatly supported the Eighth Route Army's breakout campaign.
By the end of the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), the main forces in more than a dozen base areas of the Eighth Route Army finally broke through the layers of Japanese attacks and entered the Taihang Mountains to join forces with the Eighth Route Army headquarters. However, during the breakout, the Eighth Route Army still suffered considerable losses.
The losses were severe. There were nearly 200,000 people before the breakout, but less than 150,000 people were left when they joined forces at Taihang Mountain.
However, everything has advantages and disadvantages. Although the Eighth Route Army has less than 150,000 troops left, its combat effectiveness has been greatly improved. The reason is very simple. It can survive brutal counter-mops and breakout battles.
Those who came down were basically ruthless people with outstanding physical fitness and excellent military skills.
At this time, the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness was catching up with the old Red Army that had just finished the Long March!
With a little training, these 150,000 people can immediately regain their combat effectiveness. If the 39th Group Army can support a batch of obsolete Japanese weapons and equipment, this Eighth Route Army will immediately become a howling wild wolf force. Its overall combat effectiveness is,
It will never be much weaker than the 500,000-strong army during the Hundred Battles.
Yan'an, Wayaobao.
Chairman Mao, Mr. Zhu and Duke Zhou can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
This half-year period was the most severe test for the Eighth Route Army on the battlefield behind enemy lines. However, the Eighth Route Army finally withstood the test. The 150,000 brave and capable Eighth Route Army successfully broke through the Japanese army's layers of attacks and successfully defeated the enemy.
Taihang Mountain, successfully joined forces with the Eighth Route Army headquarters led by Mr. Peng.
"Chairman, Boss." Duke Zhou said with emotion, "History will remember this unprecedented breakthrough. The historical merits of this breakthrough are even greater than the 25,000-mile Long March. The Long March saved many lives."
It’s just the Chinese revolution, but what this breakthrough saved was the entire Chinese nation!”
"Yes." Chairman Mao nodded heavily, "This is a great victory!"
Throughout the five thousand years of China, Chairman Mao is probably the only one who can regard "tragic defeat" as "victory". However, the reason why Chairman Mao was able to become a great man who surpassed all the heroes of his time was because he was able to learn from "failure".
"Find "victory" from "negative" and find the "positive" side from "negative"!
In Chairman Mao's view, after the breakout, although the Eighth Route Army's strength was greatly reduced, its combat effectiveness was not weakened too much. The anti-Japanese fire was tenaciously preserved. Once the international situation changes, this anti-Japanese fire will immediately
He can also go east out of the North China Plain and light up the prairie fire...
Mr. Zhu thought more realistically and said with concern: "Although the troops have successfully broken through, the difficulties are still not small. The main reason is the shortage of food and the serious shortage of weapons and ammunition. ***, can you see if you can give Yue Weihan a
A secret message asking him to find a way to support another batch of supplies, as well as weapons and ammunition?"
"I'm afraid this will not be easy." Zhou Gong said with concern, "Three of the five main divisions of the 39th Group Army have been re-equipped, and all the eliminated Japanese weapons and equipment have supported our army. Moreover, Yue Weihan's Taihang base is now
The family has a big business, the expenses are huge, and the food supply is also very tight."
Chairman Mao put the "Taihang" cigarette butt in his hand to the sole of his foot and extinguished it with force, and then said: "I think it's okay, boss, please send a secret message to Yue Weihan immediately, but the wording should be as tactful as possible. Yue Weihan's Taihang base has a great business.
We have a strong foundation, and if we just put in a little bit of wealth, it will be enough for Lao Peng and the others to persist for half a year."