In this way, in order to accumulate more strength for future sweeps, the county strongholds no longer casually went to the countryside to sweep, but shrank in their own strongholds every day to train the recruits who had just been replenished.

At the same time, in order to strengthen the number of the entire Shanxi garrison, the Taiyuan Command began to create a puppet army on a large scale, and each county town added a puppet army brigade. In order to get enough soldiers, the army began to set up a large number of checkpoints in its own occupied areas to capture strong men. In less than a month, almost all the strong men in every village in the enemy-occupied area were captured by the army, either helping the army build strongholds or carrying guns as puppet soldiers.

According to the reconnaissance statistics of the intelligence department of the Jinyi base area, in this month's time, the Yue army not only made up for the losses in the previous two battles, but more importantly, the Yue army recruited bandits from all over the country, arrested strong men, and pulled up a puppet army with more than 50,000 people.

However, there was no encirclement and suppression by the army. A lot of results have also been achieved in the base areas. More importantly, in order to temper the recruits' combat effectiveness and actual combat ability, all units have launched a large-scale campaign to suppress bandits in the entire base area, comprehensively eliminating the problem of banditry in the base areas and giving the people a safe home.

On this day, Commander Liu Hua, Political Commissar Guan Xiangying, Chief of Staff Li Qing, and three people were standing in front of the huge map of North China on the wall. Liu Hua turned his head to look at the door of the headquarters, and saw Comrade Xiao Ping, chairman of the base political axe, standing at the door.

"Comrade Xiao Ping, please come in" The three of them stopped what they were doing and came to the conference table of the headquarters and sat down.

"Guard, pour tea for Comrade Xiao Ping Comrade Xiao Ping, come to the headquarters, is there anything wrong?" Liu Hua shouted loudly at the guard at the door, and at the same time, cast a puzzled look at Xiao Ping.

"Yes, commanders, commissars, chiefs of staff, there is indeed a very important thing that needs the support of the comrades in the troops." Xiao Ping replied cautiously.

"Hehe, Comrade Xiao Ping, what does it not help or not, if it were not for the cooperation of your local comrades and ordinary people, our main force would be able to win the battle and eliminate so many devils, Comrade Xiao Ping, if you have anything to say, just say it." Liu Hua asked with a smile.

"Yes, Commander. Yes, as you know, at the beginning of the year, the devil's sweep caused huge economic losses to the base areas, and the most serious losses were the houses and food in the base areas. However, the food problem is not easy to solve. Our local government basically used all the grain reserves last year to keep the people from starving to death in this cold winter. But, but now," Xiao Ping didn't seem to know what to say.

"Comrade Xiao Ping, it's okay, keep talking." Liu Hua frowned when he heard this.

"Yes, commander, commissar, chief of staff, you all know that now the spring ploughing is coming, but if the little surplus grain in the hands of the common people is used as a grain seed, then they will lose their rations, and if they are used as rations, then we will have no seeds to sow. Then, in the autumn of this year, there will be no harvest in the entire base area, and I would like to borrow a batch of grain from the troops on behalf of the local political axe, and after the autumn harvest, our local political axe will definitely be returned. Comrade Xiao Ping said.

"Hehe, Comrade Xiao Ping, you are laughing, what to borrow or not. Don't forget, we are all members of the Eighth Route Army, and your local comrades have helped us so much in normal times, but now that there are difficulties in the local area, our troops will definitely try to help. Comrade Xiao Ping, you say, how much grain do you want? Liu Hua asked.

"Thank you, Commander, according to the statistics reported by the political axes from various places, the three military divisions need a total of 600,000 catties of grain." Xiao Ping replied cautiously.

"Oh my God! So much. Listening to Xiao Ping's data, the political commissar and chief of staff, who had been silent next to him, couldn't help but exclaim. Even Liu Hua couldn't help frowning.

"Commander, political commissar, chief of staff, if the troops are in difficulty, it is okay if they can lend us half of it, but in this case, the people in the base area will have to suffer again." Xiao Ping saw the expressions of the three leaders in front of him and hurriedly said.

"Comrade Xiao Ping, no problem, our troops will send this food. In this way, two days later, you will come to the headquarters with your troops to pull food. Liu Hua interrupted Xiao Ping's words and replied in the affirmative.

"Ahh Thank you, commander, thank you political commissar, thank you chief of staff, I, Xiao Ping, am here to thank you on behalf of all the people in the base area. Listening to the words of the commander in front of him, Xiao Ping replied with excitement on his face.

"Comrade Xiao Ping, we are all [***] members, it would be too polite to say these words. So it was decided, two days later, you brought someone to the headquarters to pull food. However, there is one thing you must keep in mind, and that is the secrecy of this matter. You must know that this batch of grain is also the last batch of grain in our base area. Therefore, this matter must be kept secret, otherwise, if the devil's spies know, they will definitely destroy it. Liu Hua admonished.

"Yes, Commander, I'll be careful." Xiao Ping was so convinced, and quickly nodded and replied.

Okay, do you have anything else, if not, you can go back first, I still have something to talk about with the commissar? Liu Hua nodded and asked.

"Commander, commissar, chief of staff, there are no problems." With that, he turned around and left the headquarters.

"Commander, are you going to use the food from the cave in the back mountain?" Seeing the back of Xiao Ping in the distance, the political commissar asked.

"Well, there is no way, we can't let the villagers not spring ploughing, if so, we will have tens of thousands of dollars to eat in the coming year!" Liu Hua nodded and replied.

"But, Commander, you said that this batch of grain can only be used when our base area is at stake, but is this time now?" The commissar continued to ask.

"By the way, political commissar, don't ask me patronically, it's my turn to ask you. I haven't seen the situation in the cave for more than half a year, can you tell me how much food we have stored so far, and how long can the rapid reaction brigade's military rations last? Liu Hua asked.

"Commander, it's like this, because you captured the combat supplies of a division of the Japanese army. Except for the food and supplies distributed to the three army divisions, the rest was left for the rapid reaction brigade, which, according to statistics, could hold out for at least a month. The commissar took a sip of water and continued.

"As for the cave in the mountain behind us: speaking of which, the commissar looked up at the surrounding situation. Finding that there was no one to see except for the three of them, he continued: "Commander, after nearly a year of hard work, we have hoarded a total of 1.1 million catties of grain in the back mountain. ”

"Well, since there are so many food reserves, then we don't have to be afraid. In this way, you asked the guard regiment to organize the fighters, and in the past two days, 600,000 catties were taken out from the back mountain and handed over to Comrade Xiao Ping. As for this shortfall of 600,000 catties, I will find a way to make up for it in the shortest possible time to ensure that we have reserves of at least 1 million catties in our base area. Liu Hua ordered decisively.

"Yes, Commander." The commissar replied.

"Commander, do you have any ideas again, otherwise where did you get hundreds of thousands of catties of grain at once, now in the whole of North China, except for the little devils, no one has so much food." The chief of staff next to him discovered Liu Hua's plan at a glance.

"Hehe, it's still the chief of staff who has good eyesight. I have a plan. Chief of Staff, Political Commissar, as you know, the three military subdivisions in our base areas are now developing rapidly, except for the first, second, and two military subdivisions in Shanxi, which have developed rapidly, and the Third Army subdivisions have barely made any development in the past few months, and they have shrunk in the mountains."

"Commander, this can't be blamed on Commander Wang Nanhu, it's really Hebei is the logistics base of the Yue Army, plus the North China headquarters close to the Yue Army, where the Yue Army has deployed a large number of troops, at least more than twice that of the Shanxi Yue Army, they can develop like this and gain a firm foothold in the mountainous area, which is already very good." The commissar said.

"Hehe, political commissar, I don't mean to blame Commander Wang, I have been studying the situation of the Hebei Army in the past few days, and I have found an important situation, that is, the reason why the Third Army Division of Wang Nanhu cannot develop." Liu Hua hurriedly explained.

"Well, Commander, tell me quickly, what is the reason?" Hearing Liu Hua's analysis of the battle situation, the two of them hurriedly asked.

"You look at the map, this is the base of Wang Nanhu, they are completely surrounded by the railway line of the Yue army, if the army is stationed on the railway line with a large number of troops, then our third army division will be completely isolated by the little devils. You're looking here. As he spoke, Liu Hua's finger pointed to the county seat of Baoding on the map.

"Commander, Baoding County?" The chief of staff asked suspiciously.

"Yes, it is Baoding, Baoding is on the railway line that the army must pass through to the south. That is to say, all the supplies transported by the army from Tianjin must pass through Baoding. More importantly, the army built a large material transfer station in Baoding, which stored all the materials from Tianjin to the south, in order to protect this important transit station, but also to protect the lifeline of the army, the army and Baoding stationed a brigade of the army, in addition to a large number of puppet troops, the total number of more than 10,000 people," Liu Hua said.

"Oh my god, so much. I understand what the commander meant, the base area of the three divisions is very close to Baoding, as long as the three divisions have any action, Baoding will immediately dispatch a large number of troops. Directly strangle the action plan of the Third Army Division in the cradle" The chief of staff's eyes lit up and understood Liu Hua's words.

"That's right, that is to say, what restricts the development of the Third Army Division now is the Baoding Army. Therefore, if the Third Army Division wants to get out of the mountains, it must pull out this nail. Liu Hua patted the table and said happily.

"Commander, not only is this the reason, but also the large amount of military supplies stored in Baoding! You know, there are dozens of wagons of military trains passing through this railway line every day? The chief of staff smiled and exposed Liu Hua's conspiracy.

"It's still the chief of staff who understands me, but this is also forced, you should know that although there is an arsenal in our base area, due to the lack of copper mines, the arsenal is basically in a state of shutdown now. With the exception of a few small shells, the bullets were almost entirely captured. If this continues, sooner or later our family will be emptied. If we can really capture the materials in Baoding, not only our readers, but also the entire Eighth Route Army will not worry about the problem of ammunition during this time. Liu Hua explained.

"But, Commander, Chief of Staff, as you just said, there are more than 10,000 defenders in Baoding, plus the defenders in the surrounding scattered stronghold counties, there may be 15,000 people in total, how can we take him?" The commissar was not too happy, but said worriedly.

"Well, it's really a problem, if we rely on the strength of our reading division alone, we really can't take Baoding, but if we add the troops of several regiments of the 129th Division operating in Baoding and Tianjin, we may be able to take him! No, it's not possible, it's 100 percent," Liu Hua said with certainty.

"Commander, since you are so sure, then come up with a battle plan, let's report to the headquarters, and ask the head of the headquarters to cooperate, and our reinforcements also need the nod of the headquarters." After listening to Liu Hua's words, the political commissar relieved his heart and said. Because in his eyes, as long as his commander affirms it, then he will not fail.

"Yes, political commissar, I will drive out the battle plan overnight today, and when the time comes, let the soldiers of the guard regiment directly hand it over to the head of the headquarters for them to review. Of course, you have to help with this plan at night," Liu Hua said with a smile as he looked at the two big brothers.

"No, Commander, this is your business, how did it get to our heads, aren't you catching strong men, resolutely not." Facing Liu Hua's smiling eyes, the two of them refused almost at the same time.

"Political commissar, chief of staff, you can't bully me alone," Liu Hua smiled and said with a wry smile. However, in the blink of an eye, the two political commissars and chiefs of staff had already left the headquarters with laughter, leaving behind Liu Hua with a bitter face.

In the evening, Liu Hua didn't know how much tea he drank, and after spending a night, a fairly complete battle plan was finally released, Liu Hua found an envelope and sealed the battle plan in person.

"Report to the commander, Guo Ziming, the commander of the first company of the guard regiment, was ordered to come and report." Just when Liu Hua hurriedly washed his face, a report came to mind at the door of the headquarters.

"Come in" Liu Hua returned to his seat.

"Report to the commander, Guo Ziming, the commander of the first company of the guard regiment, came to the headquarters to report on the order of the regiment commander and asked the commander for instructions." Guo Ziming, who walked into the headquarters, replied with a military salute in front of Liu Hua.

"Company Commander Guo, come, sit down, I called you here today because I have an important task entrusted to you, you should know, your company will cooperate with a baggage company to escort a batch of materials from here to the headquarters!" Liu Hua asked.

"Yes, commander, the regimental commander has already informed us yesterday that we will leave on time at nine o'clock this morning, and now the troops are ready to go."

"Okay, you did a very good job, you still have a task today, that is, to deliver this letter to the headquarters when escorting the supplies, and you must personally hand it over to General Peng or Chief of Staff Zuo at the headquarters." Liu Hua said, handing a letter from the drawer to Guo Ziming in front of him.

"Yes, Commander, I promise to complete the mission."

"Remember, you must protect this letter, and secondly, this letter can't fall into the hands of the army under any circumstances, except for you, you can't let anyone know about this letter, including anyone else at the headquarters." Liu Hua said solemnly.

"Yes, Commander, the Guards Regiment has sworn to complete the mission to the death."

"Well, it's okay, you go down and prepare!" Seeing Guo Ziming receiving the envelope into his arms, Liu Hua waved his hand and said.

"Yes," Company Commander Guo saluted Liu Hua again, turned around and left the headquarters.

In this way, at nine o'clock in the morning, the first company of the guard regiment and the first company of the baggage regiment escorted a large number of supplies out of Zhangjiazhuang and headed for the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army. After leaving the base area, everyone marched day and night, and after several days of marching, they finally met the soldiers of the headquarters guard regiment who came to greet them. Under the leadership of the comrades of the headquarters guard regiment, everyone successfully entered the general headquarters of the Eighth Route Army.

"General Peng, Chief of Staff, and the comrades of the Reading Division have arrived at the gate of the headquarters, and among them, the commander of the guard company Guo who led the team has asked to see you."

A staff officer hurriedly ran into the headquarters and said.

"Well, so soon, I thought it would take at least a day for them? I didn't expect it to come so soon. See, of course, the reader has sent us something, how can it be gone, isn't it? Chief of staff. Mr. Peng said jokingly.

"Yes, Mr. Peng is right, they are sending us good things, no good, so, bring that company commander in immediately." The chief of staff of Zuo Quan next to him also replied with a smile.

"Yes, Mr. Peng, Chief of Staff." After a while, a cadre with a shell gun on his back entered the headquarters under the leadership of the staff officer.

"Report to the chief, Guo Ziming, the commander of the first company of the Reading Division Guard Regiment, was ordered to escort the supplies to the headquarters, and asked the chief comrade to receive them." Guo Ziming saluted the two leaders in front of him with a solemn military salute, said loudly, and at the same time, took out a list of supplies from his pocket.

"Hehe, Company Commander Guo, you have worked hard, comrades have worked hard." Mr. Peng took the list with a smile. At the same time, his eyes unconsciously kept glancing at the list in his hand. However, when he saw the first line of text on the list, he was stunned.

(To be continued)