In fact, Yang Zhen's speed from Harbaling Station to the north was not fast, and he even rested for two days in the hinterland of Laoheiling. If the Eighth Wing had moved faster, Yang Zhen would have really been enclosed in the Old Black Ridge Mountain. At the very least, going north won't go so smoothly.

The reason why Yang Zhen was delayed for two whole days in the old Heiling Mountain was that when he was attacking the Harbaling Station, he found five wagons that had been dumped here for unknown reasons on a railway line that had not yet been built.

Within these five wagons, Yang Zhen's troops rescued nearly 4,000 hungry and cold laborers and prisoners of war. According to the traffic records found on the Harbaling station, the laborers and prisoners of war on the train were to be escorted to two separate places.

The laborers in the car were to be sent to the Jingpo Lake Hydropower Station construction site, while the prisoners of war were to be escorted to Hulin. As for what to do in Hulin, there is no record of the train traffic at the station. Except for Yang Zhen, no one present, including the prisoners themselves, knew what fate they would face.

From the mouths of the surviving workers, Yang Zhen can clearly know that there are more than ten labor trains on this labor train, and there are more than 10,000 laborers and prisoners of war on board. Except for the prisoners of war, who were to be transported to Hulin and Dongning, most of the laborers were coaxed by the Japanese army from Guannai, or even simply captured, and were ready to be transported to the construction site of the Jingpo Lake Hydropower Station.

These five trains have been left here for two whole days, if it weren't for Yang Zhen's department passing by, I'm afraid that most of these ** would have to die of starvation. As for why these five wagons were dumped here, no one can say clearly. Even the captured Manchurian railway policemen did not know that there were such a large number of laborers among the five wagons on this branch line, which was only two miles away from him.

Although the number of rescued laborers and prisoners of war was large, their bodies were extremely weak. Unable to abandon these laborers here, Yang Zhen had to take the risk of resting in the Old Black Ridge for two days to restore the bodies of these laborers and prisoners of war.

After the appearance of the laborer-turned-soldiers in the army, all the rescued laborers "volunteered" to join the army. For the laborers, since the desire to come to the Northeast to make a lot of money turned out to be just a bubble, and there was no way back home, there was no choice for them except to join Yang Zhen's troops. Although in order to recruit these laborers into the army, Yang Zhen and several people had a lot of headaches.

As for the prisoners of war, not to mention. These people suffered a lot in the prisoner of war camp, and at this time they were liberated, and it is estimated that no one is stupid enough to go back and let the little devils abuse them. Most of these prisoners of war were captured in the Battle of Wuhan last year, and they spent a lot of time in the Devil's Prisoner of War camp.

With the addition of this part of the prisoners of war and laborers, Yang Zhen's troops swelled up as quickly as a blow. It really has the strength of a compendium. Although the army has achieved leapfrog development, Yang Zhen did not have half of the joy, but fell into worry.

Yang Zhen knew that after leaving the secret camp of Lao Heidingzi, it was not suitable for him to expand the troops in large numbers until he found the next stable foothold where he could have enough time to reorganize the troops.

It's easy to say that the prisoners of war came from a background, they all fought in battles, and they don't know what their level is, but at least they can shoot and use the most basic tactics. At least on the battlefield, he will not run stupidly in the face of the Japanese firepower, wishful thinking that his two legs can outrun the Japanese shells.

However, prisoner-of-war laborers accounted for only a quarter of the number of rescued laborers, which means that there were no more than 1,000 people in the full fight. The rest have no military common sense at all, and even the vast majority of people who have not even touched a gun occupy the vast majority. In the situation that the devil is now chasing him like a mad dog, not only can he not play a role, but I am afraid that he will become a strict burden to himself.

The most important thing was that there was originally some surplus weapons and ammunition, but after accepting these more than 4,000 laborers, it became extremely nervous. In addition to supplementing the losses of that battle, all the weapons and ammunition seized from the mouth of the wife have been transported back to the old black top secret camp with the wounded. All the equipment that was particularly difficult to carry has been repatriated.

Although Yang Zhen distributed all the weapons captured from the defeat of the Puppet Manchurian Railway Police Escort Brigade and the later reinforcement battles, it was only enough to equip those who were born as prisoners of war. In other words, not counting support weapons such as light and heavy machine guns, there are now more than 2,000 gaps in the most basic rifles.

This is only the shortage of weapons, not including the shortage of winter clothing, food and other materials. Especially the food, plus the extra 4,000 people, Yang Zhen's department originally carried enough food to last for half a month, but they couldn't eat it for even three days.

However, if the more than 2,000 laborers were pushed out, not only would it have a great impact on the morale of the troops, but more importantly, they would be cut off from all means of life. Even if they were recaptured, the Japanese army did not slaughter them, but the only thing that awaited them was death after their labor was drained.

After rescuing these laborers, Yang Zhen convened several short meetings with everyone, including the commander-in-chief, but still did not find any solution. Not to mention Yang Zhen, who has also fought a few battles, even ordinary recruits know what it will be like to march and fight with more than 2,000 recruits who have not received any military training under the encirclement and interception of the Japanese army like mad dogs.

Seeing that he had to go, he had not yet formed a unified opinion, which made Yang Zhen a headache. In fact, everyone knows that as long as these people are well trained, it will be a great opportunity for expansion for the troops that have always lacked troops.

Those who can be arrested as laborers, although they cannot be said to be young and middle-aged, but at least they are young and strong. As long as there is a steady time to train, these people will be a powerful boost to the growth and development of the troops. But the current situation has silenced everyone, including the commander-in-chief.

Seeing that the enemy situation was becoming more and more strict, and if they didn't leave, they would really be trapped in this old black ridge that was being attacked on all sides, everyone discussed it for a long time, but they still couldn't come up with an idea of the best of both worlds. To bring it or not to bring it has become the most headache faced by Yang Zhen and everyone.

couldn't make up their minds, and the troops couldn't stay here for long, so everyone almost turned their eyes to the silent Yang Zhen. After a long time, the commander-in-chief spoke first: "Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yang, what do you think?" Will these laborers be absorbed into the army or will they be paid to be dismissed? ”

The commander-in-chief opened his mouth, and Li Yanping hesitated for a moment and said, "I think it's better to send money and dismiss." The shape we are facing now is not optimistic, absorbing so many people at once, not to mention that the combat effectiveness of the troops has declined very much, and supply is also a big problem. ”

"The Japanese puppet army is now chasing and intercepting us like mad dogs, and bringing so many people has too much impact on our march and operations. These people have no military training, and many of them don't even know how to use a gun. Once we encounter the Japanese puppet army, these people will even mess up our own troops. I think that except for those who were born as prisoners of war, the rest of the people should be paid and dismissed, and the expansion of the army does not come at this time. ”

After listening to Li Yanping's construction, Yang Zhen raised his head and looked at Guo Bingxun and Wang Guangyu. The two saw Yang Zhen set his eyes on themselves, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded slowly, expressing their approval of Li Yanping's construction.

To be honest, the north is vast and sparsely populated, and it is not easy to recruit these soldiers at once. As long as the environment allows, no one will refuse such a large number of soldiers. If the situation slows down a little, so many people will be replenished in the army at once, and Li Yanping will probably be able to sleep with a smile if he dreams of developing and strengthening the army.

But for the current form, marching and fighting with more than 2,000 recruits who have not even received the most basic military training is not called expansion, but baggage. These people may even end up dragging down the troops. can make Li Yanping, who is extremely principled, say the words of giving up, which shows that the shape is definitely not optimistic.

After listening to the thoughts of several people, Yang Zhen set his eyes on the commander-in-chief again. But seeing the commander-in-chief's gaze on him, he also shook his head slowly: "Dismiss them, for the little devils who are in urgent need of labor, even if they are re-arrested, they may not be killed." There is a high probability that they will be escorted back to where they are supposed to be. ”

"But if we take them with us without any military training, we will lose our greatest advantage, which is our ability to maneuver. At least for a short time. And if they are sent to the battlefield without any military training, what awaits them? You are a military commander, we will not talk about this truth, you should be clear. ”

"I don't think it would be appropriate for our forces to expand dramatically until we have achieved the next stable foothold, until we can buy at least a short break to recuperate and be able to train our recruits. What Yanping said is not wrong, it is better to be dismissed. ”

The commander-in-chief's voice fell, Yang Zhen did not answer immediately, he had never smoked, he suddenly asked for a cigarette from Li Yanping and lit it, and inhaled it fiercely.

Just when the whole cigarette was about to be smoked by Yang Zhen, Yang Zhen looked at the smoke rising from the faint sky, frowned and suddenly made a final decision: "Commander-in-chief, political commissar, chief of staff, these people cannot be dismissed, they must all be taken away." ”

Several people were stunned by Yang Zhen's decision. None of them thought that the final decision of this young, decisive, and highly military-educated general was this, which almost surprised everyone. They didn't understand the pros and cons of this, and why Yang Zhen made this decision when it was already obvious.

Looking at the people who were surprised and looked at him, Yang Zhen smiled bitterly: "These people cannot be dismissed, once they are dismissed, it will have a great impact on the morale of our army, and it will also be very detrimental to the future development of our troops." ”

"What is the purpose of the war of resistance that we propagandize to cadres and soldiers? Isn't it just to save our compatriots who are suffering at the hands of the Japanese invaders, but when our compatriots are really in trouble, we leave them behind for our own safety, is this reasonable? Are we just paying lip service? And we also need to consider the feelings of those who come from labor backgrounds in the army. ”

"We all know what the consequences are if they are dismissed. As the commander-in-chief said, the little devils who are in dire need of labor will not necessarily slaughter them right now. But this is just a guess on our part, and none of us knows if the devil will do it. ”

"The little devils have always treated the Chinese as bad people, and these laborers are almost at their fingertips, and they don't care. Who can guarantee that the little devils will poison their so-called key projects in order to ensure that they do not infiltrate our people. It's not once or twice that a devil has done this kind of thing. ”

"Even if you take 10,000 steps back, the devil will not kill them in order to ensure the need for labor. Send them to the Jingpo Lake Hydropower Station to continue to do hard labor, but since we have made laborers our main reinforcement in the future, this will have a fatal impact on us. Who can trust an army that, in a critical situation, leaves them on their own and flees? Who else will be in such an army? Are people terrible? ”

"Little devils will also make a fuss about this matter and undermine our prestige and influence. This is especially true in the light of the fact that we have decided to make labour the main target for future recruitment. So I think we have to take all these people. ”

"Besides, there are more than 2,000 people, when the strength of our troops is still very weak, it should not be a pity all at once. During the Red Army's Long March, many of the recruits did not have time to train, and they were training while marching. ”

"It doesn't matter if you don't have military training. We can carry out on them while the march is resting. These people are all from poor people, otherwise they would not have been arrested as laborers, as long as the body is restored, there should be no problem in marching and walking. ”

"Organize them into two new corps, and assign a group of deputy posts to serve as cadres at all levels. Our squad leaders are all company platoon commanders, and the fighters are trained according to the standards of squad leaders. A batch of them was enough to meet the needs of officers and squad leaders. ”

"As for training, in case of emergency, a qiē is simple. Under the condition that the combat effectiveness of the troops will not be affected, a batch of weapons and ammunition will be dispatched to teach them the use of weapons and the most basic tactical and discipline training when appropriate. As for the queue and other basic training, it will be temporarily canceled, and it will be made up after the isomorphic shì is allowed. ”

"The problem of weapons, no, everyone starts with two grenades. When the weapons are seized, they will be replenished. As for the battle, unless there is an extremely necessary situation for them to watch. In the event of casualties among our troops, these people can be reinforced. ”

Yang Zhen sighed and said, "I know that marching and fighting with more than 2,000 people who have not received any military training is a cruelty for them, and it is even more of a test for us. But it's still the same sentence, big Lang pans the sand, and what can't be found is real gold. I think that after the test of battle, the one who survives them will still become a qualified warrior after all. ”

"As for those who were born as prisoners of war, they were disrupted with the old troops and those prisoners of the puppet Manchu army who joined our army, and they were organized into three integrated regiments. Each regiment has three infantry battalions, a heavy machine gun company, a four-gun mortar company, and a communications company. The heavy machine guns and mortars we had on hand plus the dozen mortars of the Japanese mortar squadron that Dong Ping had brought back were enough to meet this establishment. ”

"As for our troops, I think they will first be reorganized into the 1st Independent Division of the Jidong Military Region of the Second Route Army. The division consisted of three infantry regiments and an artillery battalion consisting of the two mountain guns and surplus mortars. The division commander, political commissar, and chief of staff will be temporarily concurrently served by me, the political commissar, and Lao Guo. ”

"As for the three regiment commanders, I look at the first regiment commander, and the second regiment commander is Liu Changshun. As for the head of the third regiment? It was served by Du Kaishan, the commander of the third company. Lao Wang originally served as a division commander and political commissar in the Fifth Army, and then served as a deputy commander when he arrived in the Fourth Army. Both ability and experience are sufficient. ”

"And Liu Changshun and Du Kaishan, although they still lack a certain amount of experience, they are brave in combat and their heads are flexible enough, and they are also the best among all company commanders in several battles. As long as we mention it carefully, there should be no problem. ”

Speaking of this, Yang Zhen raised his head and looked at Li Yanping and Guo Bingxun and said, "Political commissar, you have to do your best to come up with candidates for political work cadres at all levels. Although these more than 1,000 prisoners of war are veterans with some experience, they are new recruits to our troops. Both we and they are strangers to each other. ”

"As soon as they were added to the troops, the ratio of new to old combat units reached almost a one-to-one ratio. This political work cadre must be effective. If all political work cadres at all levels are not fully equipped at once, the regimental political commissars, battalion instructors, and company instructors must be fully equipped. In particular, the political commissar of the regiment must choose a flexible head and resolutely do not want that kind of dead dogma. No, you can also serve as the political commissar of a regiment first. ”

"Lao Guo, the selection of military cadres for the battalion and company is up to you, and it must be configured in the shortest possible time. Battalion and company cadres, especially company platoon commanders, are the basis of the commander of the unit. As long as these people are well arranged, the troops will do their best to form combat effectiveness. ”

"Remember that each battalion company should have at least two deputies. The officers among the prisoners of war were selected and all arranged as deputies. Sue them for this is only temporary, as long as they are good, the chances are the same. As for the run-in between them, it can only be carried out in battle. Fortunately, these chief officers have been training together for a long time, and they are no strangers to each other, and they should soon get into the state. ”