Chapter 127 Chapter 14 Jizhong May 1st anti-"sweeping": no one does not participate in the war, no land and no battle

Jizhong District is located in the middle of the four railways of Pinghan, Jinpu, Beining, and Deshi. It is the base area behind the enemy with more than 30 anti-Japanese regimes in Anguo, Renqiu, Hejian, and Xiongxian counties.The terrain is flat, and Ziya, Fuyang, Hutuo River, Zhulong and other rivers irrigate the territory. It is not only rich in products, but also has a large population. The feudal society will be fooled by Taoism, and the national self-esteem is strong.At that time, there were only a small number of armed forces led by Lu Zhengcao and the third column of the Eighth Route Army that had just been reorganized from guerrilla armed forces, and their combat effectiveness was relatively weak.For this reason, while the Central Military Commission decided to advance the 115th Division into Shandong, it also decided that the main force of the 120th Division would march into central Hebei.

On November 25, 1938, when He Long, the commander of the 120th Division, accepted the task face to face in Yan'an, Mao Zedong proposed that the 120th Division marched into Central Hebei to complete the three major tasks of consolidating Central Hebei, helping the 3rd Column, and developing itself. On December 20, under the leadership of He Long, Xiao Ke, and Guan Xiangying, the 120th Division set off in the heavy snow and began to march towards Jizhong. In January 1939, the 120th Division entered Jizhong and joined Lu Zhengcao, commander of the Jizhong Military Region, and Cheng Zihua, political commissar.Subsequently, the Jizhong Military and Political Committee was formed with He Long as the secretary to unify the leadership of various tasks in the Jizhong District; the Jizhong General Command was established, with He Long and Lu Zhengcao as the chief and deputy commanders, and Guan Xiangying as the political commissar.

Regarding the arrival of the 120th Division, Lu Zhengcao began to have concerns in his heart, thinking that he was an old soldier who joined the Eighth Route Army not long ago, a "little warlord" and weak, and worried that the relationship would not be good in the future.He Long saw through his thoughts, so he ate and lived with him, made friends with him, and encouraged him, saying: What are you afraid of!You say you are a "little warlord", then I am still a "big warlord".There is nothing to be afraid of if you let go of the past, resolutely follow the Communist Party in the future, and always pay attention to reforming yourself.With the help of He Long, Lu Zhengcao let go of his burden and cooperated actively. The two forged a deep fighting friendship since then.

Lv Zhengcao, courtesy name Bizhi, was born in January 1905 in a poor peasant family in Tangwangshanhou Village, Haicheng County, Liaoning Province. His ancestors were from Qinghe County, Hebei Province. In 1922, he joined the Northeast Army Guard Brigade of Zhang Xueliang of the Northeast Army. Because he was smart and able to read and write, he was selected by Zhang Xueliang and sent to the Northeast Lecture Hall for further study. In December 1925, Zhang Xueliang established the headquarters of the Third and Fourth Army Corps in Jinzhou. Lu Zhengcao was called by Zhang Xueliang to serve as a major adjutant.

At the beginning of 1928, Zhang Xueliang sent him to Shenyang to serve as an officer of the Tongze Club, a cultural and entertainment venue for senior military and political personnel.During this period, Lu Zhengcao began to accept the influence of the Communist Party.In the same year, the Huanggutun incident occurred, Zhang Zuolin was killed by the Japanese army, Zhang Xueliang took charge of the Northeast, and became the commander-in-chief of security in the three northeastern provinces. In the spring of the following year, Lu Zhengcao was sent to the 16th Brigade as the chief of staff of the lieutenant colonel. In March 1933, Zhang Xueliang, who was determined to regain Jehol and fight against Japan, personally appointed Lu Zhengcao as the head of the 647th regiment.On the second day after Lu Zhengcao rushed to the front line of Rehe, Chiang Kai-shek forced Zhang Xueliang to "go to the wild" and came out.Lu Zhengcao had to take the 647 regiment to move to Yi County, Hebei.In the spring of the following year, he moved to Beiping and served as city defense.

At this time, Lu Zhengcao started direct contact with Liu Lanbo and Sun Zhiyuan, members of the 53rd Military Industry Committee of the Northern Bureau of the Communist Party of China. He actively organized progressive activities in the country, supported young students in society, and strictly dealt with the provocations of the Japanese army in the Beiping City Defense Center. In October 1936, Zhang Xueliang transferred Lu Zhengcao to serve in the Zhang Mansion in Xi'an. On December 12, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng launched the world-shocking Xi'an Incident, detaining Chiang Kai-shek, electrifying the whole country, and calling for joint resistance against Japan.

In the midst of this important event, Lu Zhengcao served as the back office of Zhang's mansion, and contacted the representatives of the CCP who were invited to Xi'an to discuss major plans.After the Xi'an Incident was resolved peacefully, Zhang Xueliang sent Chiang Kai-shek to Nanjing, and Lu Zhengcao returned to Xushui, Hebei to take control of the troops.On the day Lu Zhengcao arrived at the Xushui regiment headquarters, Sun Zhiyuan came to inform him that he had been accepted as a member of the Chinese Communist Party by the Northern Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party. In October 1937, Lu Zhengcao led his troops to break away from the 53rd Army of the Kuomintang in Jizhong, and was appointed as the commander of the third column of the Eighth Route Army and the commander of the Jizhong Military Region, and established the Jizhong Plain Anti-Japanese Base.