Chapter 25 2. The 120th division expanded more than three times in five months

In July 1937, after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang authorities reached an agreement to reorganize the main force of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army. On August 25, 1937, the Second Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the 27th and 28th Army of the Northwest Red Army, the 1st and 2nd Independent Divisions, the Chishui Guard Battalion, and the First Division of the Red Army Headquarters were reorganized into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army. In the 120th division, He Long served as the division commander, Xiao Ke served as the deputy division commander, Zhou Shidi served as the chief of staff, Guan Xiangying served as the director of the political training department, and Gan Siqi served as the deputy director.

The 120th Division governs the 358th and 359th brigades, the teaching regiment, the cavalry battalion, the engineer battalion, the artillery battalion, the supply battalion, and the secret service battalion. The division has a total of more than 14,000 people. In the 358th Brigade, Lu Dongsheng served as the brigade commander (not yet on duty, Zhang Zongxun served as the acting brigade commander and brigade commander), Li Jingquan served as the deputy brigade commander, and governed the 715th and 716th regiments. In the 359th Brigade, Chen Bojun served as the brigade commander, Wang Zhen served as the deputy brigade commander, and governed the 717th and 718th regiments.

On September 3, He Long led more than 8,200 people from the division, the 358th and 359th brigades (owed to the 718th regiment) and the teaching regiment, starting from Fuping County, Shaanxi Province, crossing the Yellow River east through Zhichuan Town, Hancheng County, and heading for Shanxi Province The anti-Japanese front line: Chen Bojun led the 718th Regiment of the 359th Brigade and the Divisional Special Service Battalion, Engineer Battalion, Artillery Battalion, and Supplies Battalion to stay in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Area, and was organized under the Rear Guard Office of the Eighth Route Army.

In late September, He Long led the division headquarters and the 358th Brigade to the Northwest of Shanxi; Wang Zhen led the 359th Brigade to Wutai and Pingshan to mobilize the masses and establish anti-Japanese bases. At the end of September, the 120th Division formed the Yanbei Detachment based on the 2nd Battalion of the 716th Regiment of the 358th Brigade, with Song Shilun as the leader of the detachment.The detachment went deep into the Japanese-occupied area north of Yanmen Pass and west of the Tongpu Railway (Datong-Fenglingdu) to carry out guerrilla warfare.The local work group was composed of more than 700 people from the teacher's political training department and the teaching group. Under the leadership of Guan Xiangying, they went to Lanxian, Kelan, Jingle, Xingxian, Wuzhai and other places to carry out local work.The 359th Brigade also formed a local working group to go to Pingshan and Jingxing areas to mobilize the masses, expand troops, and organize anti-Japanese armed forces.

After the main force of the 120th Division assembled in the Shenchi and Bajiaobao areas on September 28, the 358th Brigade launched the anti-Japanese guerrilla war in the north and south of Yanmenguan and the northern section of the Tongpu Railway, and cooperated with the KMT army on the frontal battlefield to defend Xinkou and Taiyuan. On January 1st, Guan Xiangying, the political committee member of the division, led the political, logistics agencies and teaching groups. A total of more than 700 people formed a local working group and went to Xingxian, Baode, Hequ, Pianguan, Shenchi, Ningwu, There are 14 counties including Jingle, Kelan and Linxian.

On October 6, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to He Long and Xiao Ke to point out: "It is estimated that after the enemy penetrates deep, the troops in the rear can only defend the main strongholds and try to maintain their lines of communication." Therefore, your current task is: "Carry out guerrilla campaigns. , to create anti-Japanese base areas." "The main thing is to breed guerrillas and volunteers" and "organize several guerrilla groups." ("Mao Zedong Military Collection", Volume 2, p. 74, Military Science Publishing House, Central Literature Publishing House, 1993 edition)

In November, the Shanxi Northwest Provisional Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China was established, with Ma Lin (later Zhao Lin) as the secretary, leading the anti-Japanese struggle in Northwest Shanxi and Daqingshan.Then, the CPC Shanxi Northwest Provisional Provincial Committee and the working group, with the support of the Sacrifice League and the War Action Federation, actively publicized the Ten Programs of Anti-Japanese and National Salvation, mobilized and armed the masses; organized workers, farmers, youth, women and other groups The Anti-Japanese National Salvation Congress established battlefield mobilization meetings at all levels; established county or prefectural committees such as Kelan, Jingle, Linxian, Xing (county), Lan (county), and Bao (Germany); absorbed stragglers, expanded the people's armed forces, and developed the main force .The guerrillas and self-defense forces organized in the counties of northwestern Shanxi alone grew to about 11,000 people.

After the fall of Taiyuan on November 8, the main force of the 120th Division launched throughout Northwest Shanxi and prepared to persist in guerrilla warfare for a long time under the situation that the regular war of the Kuomintang Army in North China had ended and the guerrilla warfare of the Eighth Route Army had entered the main position.The specific deployment is: Zhang Zongxun led a part of the 358th Brigade to advance to Taiyuan, Jiaocheng, and Gujiao Town; He Bingyan and Liao Hansheng detachments were active in Wucheng Town; Wang Zhen led the 359th Brigade to Nao County. Xinkou line; Yanbei Detachment marched to Huairen and Kouquan areas; Wang Zhaoxiang led the 6th Police Regiment to Pianguan and Youyu areas to carry out independent mountain guerrilla warfare, further mobilize the masses, expand the main force, and establish an anti-Japanese war democratic regime.In 68 counties in northwestern Shanxi, the War Action Federation has established action committees at the county, district, and village levels. In January 1938, the Shanxi Northwest Provisional Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China was officially changed to the Shanxi Northwest Provincial Committee, and the main leaders remained unchanged.

So far, a number of anti-Japanese democratic regimes such as Pianguan, You (Yu), Ping (Lu), Datong, Huai (Ren), Zuo (Yun), and Shuoxian have been established, marking the initial formation of anti-Japanese base areas in Northwest Shanxi. At the same time, five regiments were newly established: Xuebing regiment, head Liu Kaixi, political commissar Zeng Xianghuang; Xin (county) Nao (county) independent regiment, regiment leader Dun Xingyun, political commissar Peng Deda; Pingshan independent regiment, regiment leader Chen Zongyao; Nao County Independence Group, leader He Qingji, political commissar Chen Wenbin; Houma Independence Group, leader unknown.

In January 1938, the 120th Division was reorganized: the above-mentioned new troops were incorporated into the 120th Division, so that the two brigades and three regiments were expanded to each brigade with three regiments, and the Yanbei Detachment was expanded to five battalions.The Xingu Independent Regiment was reorganized into the 714th Regiment of the 358th Brigade, headed by Dun Xingyun and political commissar Peng Deda; the Pingshan Independent Regiment was reorganized into the new 718th Regiment of the 359th Brigade (the original 718th Regiment was changed to the Eighth Route Army’s rear guard station The 8th Regiment), headed by Chen Zongyao, and political commissar Luo Zhang; the Nao County Independent Regiment was reorganized into the 719th Regiment of the 359th Brigade, headed by He Qingji, and political commissar Chen Wenbin; the Houma Independent Regiment supplemented each regiment; The guerrillas were reorganized into the first independent detachment of the division, with Yang Jiarui as the leader and Dai Wenbin as the political commissar.So far, the whole division has grown from 8,227 people when it crossed the Yellow River east to fight against Japan, to 25,454 people, an increase of more than three times.

Among them, the 358th Brigade has 9,500 people, the 359th Brigade has 9,480 people, the Yanbei Detachment has 2,960 people, the Independent First Detachment has 1,626 people, the teaching regiment has 707 people, and the Xuebing Corps has 1,181 people.The division has a total of 4,451 rifles, 559 carbine guns, 652 shell guns, 102 pistols, 2 automatic rifles, 426 portable guns, 32 heavy machine guns, 236 light machine guns, 4 flower machine guns, and 15 mortars , 14,648 hand grenades, 172 sabers, 444 bayonets, 805 mules, and 134 horses. Around June, on the basis of some county guerrillas, five independent detachments were formed: the 2nd detachment, detachment leader Mao Shaoxian, political commissar Hu Quan; the 3rd detachment, detachment leader Zeng Laigu, political commissar Chen Yuanbo; the 4th detachment , Kang Qiansheng, the leader of the detachment; Sun Chunrong, the leader of the 5th detachment; Wang Baoshan, the leader of the 6th detachment, and Hu Yixin, the political commissar.So far, the 120th Division has grown to more than 29,000 people.