was appointed,
The establishment of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area went through a difficult process. The situation we faced during the start-up period was very difficult.
After the fall of Taiyuan on November 8, 1937, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region fell into an even more chaotic state. The political institutions of each county have actually collapsed. In the northeastern Shanxi region, except for the two county governments of Wutai and Meng County, which are under the leadership of Song Shaowen and Hu Renkui respectively, they can still carry out some government affairs, all other county government personnel have fled. In this vast area, there is almost no administrative person in charge, the social order is extremely chaotic, stragglers and bandits take the opportunity to do evil, traitors are cheating and spreading rumors everywhere, and the people are in a panic. At that time, many people had little confidence in the future of the country and the nation, and their mood of pessimism and despair was quite serious. When we passed through towns, they were depressed; when we entered the county town, it was empty. Most of the people left in the towns are elderly people. Many counties and cities are shrouded in a dead atmosphere, presenting a desolate scene after the war, which is really sad.
At that time, it was late autumn and early winter, and snow had begun to fall in the Wutai Mountains. And many of our officers and soldiers do not yet have cotton-padded clothes, and wear straw sandals on their bare feet. The supply problem of the troops has made the comrades in charge of supply very worried. Without a certain source of supply, it is often possible to take care of today but not tomorrow.
In terms of transportation and material mobilization, it is even more difficult to raise funds. Because batch after batch of retreating Kuomintang troops took away a large number of pack mules and donkeys , and fled with their belongings and women on their backs. According to one day's statistics, the total number of pack mules requested by the defeated army from the HCW in Wutai County amounted to six to seven thousand. 五台The county magistrate lamented: "Even if you have great ability, there is nothing you can do." Wherever the retreating Kuomintang troops and Japanese invading troops passed by, they looted all the local supplies and caused great harm to the actions of our troops. Difficulties. In a war, there are inevitably casualties, and the injured soldiers had neither rear hospitals nor adequate medicine, and even cotton bandages were lacking. Many sick and wounded patients often do not receive timely treatment, thus prolonging their recovery time.
At that time, another difficulty we encountered was that our military strength was too thin. I know very well that in such a large area, there are only 3,000 troops left. In order to create a base area and deal a greater blow to the enemy, the most important thing is that we must have more armed forces. But where do these powers come from? There is no other way except actively mobilizing the masses. However, the mass armed forces cannot be trained into a force with strong combat effectiveness all at once. At the same time, the newly formed teams generally lacked weapons, and the weapons collected abandoned by the Kuomintang troops were mostly incomplete.
This was the difficult situation we faced at that time.
How to overcome difficulties, overcome difficulties, and complete the task of establishing an anti-Japanese base area? When I was appointed, my first consideration was to make every remaining comrade understand the significance of the Party Central Committee's decision-making, and to turn the Party Central Committee's intention to mobilize the masses to form a broad-based anti-Japanese national united front into the consciousness of every commander and soldier. action. Initially, we lived in a temple on Mount Wutai. Although the mountains were covered with thick snow and the comrades' hands and feet were cracked by frostbite, everyone still discussed this issue enthusiastically.
At that time, I told the comrades that all the comrades who remained should have a deep understanding of the necessity, possibility and arduousness of establishing base areas in the border areas of the three provinces of Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei. Only in this way can we have the confidence to win the struggle behind enemy lines. confidence.
On the issue of necessity. I tell my comrades that the strategic location of this region is very important. It is located between Pinghan, Pingsui, Zhengtai and Tongpu railways. If we successfully establish an anti-Japanese base area here, it will be like a sharp knife inserted into the enemy's heart, directly threatening the enemy's strategic points such as Peking, Tianjin, Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, and Zhangjiakou. The establishment of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area has great and far-reaching strategic significance.It can delay the enemy, deal a fatal blow, and become a thorn in the side of the enemy; it can attack and destroy traitor organizations, so that the crazy national scum cannot consolidate its rule. In addition, it also declares to the world that the Chinese nation cannot be insulted. It not only cooperates with the military and civilians across the country in fighting today to contain the Japanese invasion force, but will also become a powerful position at the forefront of counterattacking the enemy in the future.
I said that if the Eighth Route Army had not sent out to North China to hold back the Japanese invading troops, but had collapsed at the first touch like the Kuomintang army did, allowing the Japanese troops to drive straight into the country, the enemy could have easily marched into Wuhan from Peiping. It is very necessary to establish the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Anti-Japanese Base Area, and comrades understand this relatively easily.
The most difficult thing is to solve the problem of whether an anti-Japanese base area can be established. I told my comrades that the difficulties before us are huge, but as long as we resolutely implement the instructions of the Party Central Committee, mobilize the masses and organize the people to arm themselves, we can overcome all difficulties. In terms of specific actions, we must first carry out work in areas close to railways and highways, that is, develop along Pingsui Road in the north, Pinghan Road in the east, and Zhengtai Road in the south. In the newly recovered places such as Laiyuan, Yuxian, Fanzhi, Guangling, Lingqiu, Quyang, Wanxian, Tangxian and other places, we must actively promote anti-Japanese resistance and organize the masses, Be prepared to fight against the Japanese invasion force. Wherever we go, we must actively collect weapons and ammunition scattered among the people, and raise food and wages according to policies, so as to independently persist in the long-term war of resistance behind enemy lines. In terms of combat methods, we must be good at winning more small victories and accumulating small victories into big victories. We generally cannot fight head-on with the Japanese army.
After the Japanese army invades a place, we cannot attack it head-on, but we can disrupt it. It will always come out to move. We can ambush it and catch it by surprise. I also emphasized to my comrades that when creating a base area, we must not look at the problem solely from the topography. Although the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border area has continuous mountains and steep terrain, which is a condition for establishing a base area, this is not the decisive factor. The decisive factor is the people.
Therefore, in the first few cadre meetings held, I repeatedly stated that the possibility of establishing a base area lies in the support of the people. I tell my comrades that the establishment of anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region has more favorable conditions than when we established base areas during the Chinese Civil War. The nature of war has changed, and the social base is much broader than it was then. As long as they are not traitors, no one wants to be a slave to the subjugation of the country. If we hold high the banner of resistance against Japan, the people will enthusiastically gather under this banner. Of course, whether we can win broad support from the masses depends on what kind of policies we implement. The nature of war has changed, the social foundation has changed, and our policies must also undergo major changes. The first step is to implement policies such as the united front, rent and interest reduction, and reasonable burdens in various places, and the masses will surely be able to mobilize.
Therefore, if we only look at the problem in terms of military strength and equipment, we will not see a future. After many years of preparation, the enemy is coming with great force and has many guns and bullets. In this regard, it has an absolute advantage. We are isolated behind enemy lines, with few men and ammunition, and cannot compare with them. But from a comprehensive perspective, we are stronger than our enemies and will become stronger.
With this understanding, comrades have basically solved the problem of the possibility of establishing base areas.
The central government decided that I should stay in Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei. From the beginning, when it came to implementing policies, I paid attention to accepting the lessons of the "Left" mistakes during the civil war and trying to unite as widely as possible all those who were willing to resist Japan. As long as you agree with and support the resistance to Japan, we will be united and welcome you. Because we implemented the correct policies of the central government, no matter where we went, we were welcomed and supported by the people. During the Anti-Japanese War, when I lived in the mountainous area of Jixi, I often took only one guard with me. It was very safe to go from here to there.On the issue of establishing anti-Japanese base areas, the party was founded relatively early in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, peasant uprisings were held in many places, and the revolutionary fire has never been extinguished. These are also favorable conditions.
I have a sufficient estimate of the difficulties we will face in building a fortress of resistance behind enemy lines. After the fall of Taiyuan, when young comrades Huang Jing and Deng Tuo came to Wutai Mountain, I talked with them for a long time. I say, you are welcome to come, but you must be prepared to endure hardships and be prepared to carry out guerrilla warfare for a long time and arduously. Because we are surrounded by enemies, the extremely convenient transportation conditions in all directions will inevitably be taken advantage of by the enemies. We have disturbed the enemy's peace, and the enemy will never let us go. We must be prepared to persist in the struggle under difficult conditions. This is what I said about the difficulty of establishing anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region.
After receiving the order, repeated discussions and thinking at this stage in the Wutai Mountains gave me and my comrades the courage to fight and the confidence to win. Everyone was prepared for hard work, and even the new young comrades performed well. Comrade Deng Tuo, for example, told me that before they came to Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei, they had tasted more than ten kinds of wild vegetables, just to prepare themselves for hardship. It’s inspiring to see this spirit among young people. After being tempered by the war, most of them later took on responsible jobs and made valuable contributions to the anti-Japanese war.
Since I joined the revolution in the 1920s, I have spent most of my time working beside the Party Central Committee, and I have often received specific guidance and help from leading comrades such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. Now, I have led a group of comrades to stay behind the isolated enemy lines, and the base area I am responsible for opening up is so close to the heart of the enemy. I must think more, repeatedly understand the principles and policies of the Party Central Committee, and proceed with caution. When I was in Mount Wutai, I wrote this inscription: "Fight to the end to defend the motherland, and vow to live and die with the people of North China!" This was not only my encouragement to the comrades who persisted in the struggle behind enemy lines, but also my own determination.
