After the "Lugou Bridge Incident", Japan launched an all-out war of aggression against China, the Kuomintang and the Communists quickly reached a cooperation agreement, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was reorganized into the National Revolutionary Army, of which the main force of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in the northwest was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army, referred to as the "Eighth Route Army".
On August 25, 1937, the Eighth Route Army was formally established, with jurisdiction over the 115th Division, 120th Division, 129th Division and the Headquarters Special Service Regiment, with a total strength of 46,000 troops. Among them, the three main divisions, the 115th Division, the 120th Division, and the 129th Division, were all organized as the fifth regiment of the Second Brigade, and the earliest six brigades of the Eighth Route Army were the 343rd Brigade, the 344th Brigade, the 358th Brigade, the 359th Brigade, the 385th Brigade, and the 386th Brigade. At the beginning of the eighth route army, the political commissar system was not implemented, and the deputy brigade commanders of each brigade were the second chief of each brigade.
The 343rd Brigade of the 115th Division was formed by the Red First Army, with the brigade commander Chen Guang, deputy brigade commander Zhou Jianping, and chief of staff Chen Shiyu. Zhou Jianping was born in Xuanwei, Yunnan, studied at the Yunnan Daowutang and Huangpu Military Academy, participated in the Xinhai Revolution, the Northern Expedition War, and the Nanchang Uprising, and was one of the founders of the Red Tenth Army. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Zhou Jianping served as the deputy brigade commander of the 343rd Brigade of the 115th Division, participated in the "Pingxingguan Victory", participated in the opening up of the anti-Japanese base area behind the enemy lines in Jin-Cha-Ji, and served as the commander of the Fourth Military Sub-district of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region.
The 344th Brigade of the 115th Division was formed by the Red 15th Army, with Xu Haidong as the brigade commander, Huang Kecheng, deputy brigade commander, and Lu Shaowu, chief of staff. Huang Kecheng was a native of Yongxing, Hunan, who participated in the Northern Expedition, the Shonan Uprising, the Long March, etc. during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and served as deputy brigade commander of the 344th Brigade, political commissar of the 344th Brigade, political commissar of the Second Column of the Eighth Route Army, commander and political commissar of the Jiluyu Military Region, political commissar of the Fourth Column of the Eighth Route Army, commander and political commissar of the Fifth Column of the Eighth Route Army, commander and political commissar of the Third Division of the New Fourth Army, commander and political commissar of the Third Division of the New Fourth Army during the Liberation War, and during the Liberation War, he served as commander of the West Manchurian Military Region, deputy commander of the Northeast Democratic United Army, and political commissar of the Dongye 2nd Corps. In 1955, he was awarded the rank of general.
The 358th Brigade of the 120th Division was reorganized from the Red Second Army and the Red Twenty-eighth Army, and the brigade commander was Lu Dongsheng (who did not arrive, Zhang Zongxun was the brigade commander), deputy brigade commander Li Jingquan, and chief of staff Yao Zhe. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Li Jingquan served as deputy brigade commander of the 358th Brigade, political commissar of the 358th Brigade, commander and political commissar of the Daqingshan Detachment, political commissar of the Third Military Subdistrict and 358th Brigade of the Northwest Jinbei Military Region, and political commissar of the Jinsui Field Army; during the Liberation War, he served as political commissar of the Jinsui Military Region; after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Li Jingquan was transferred to administrative work and did not confer a title.
The 359th Brigade of the 120th Division was composed of the Red Sixth Army, the Red Thirty-second Army, and the First Division of the Headquarters Special Service Regiment, with The Brigade Commander Being Chen Bojun, The Deputy Brigade Commander Wang Zhen, and the Chief of Staff Liu Ziqi. Wang Zhen was a native of Liuyang, Hunan, who joined the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in 1929, was one of the founders of the Xianggan Soviet District, participated in the Long March, served as deputy brigade commander, brigade commander and political commissar of the 359th Brigade during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, commander of the Yan'an Military Subdistrict, commander of the Southbound Detachment, and other positions during the Liberation War, deputy commander and chief of staff of the Central Plains Military Region, commander and political commissar of the Lüliang Military Region, commander and political commissar of the Second Column of the Northwest Field Army, commander and political commissar of the Second Army of the First Field Army, commander and political commissar of the First Corps, and other positions. He was awarded the rank of general in 1955.
The 385th Brigade of the 129th Division was formed by the Fourth Army of the Red Fourth Front, with the brigade commander Wang Hongkun, the deputy brigade commander Wang Weizhou, the chief of staff Geng Biao, and the director of the Political Training Office Su Jingcheng. Wang Weizhou, a native of Xuanhan, Sichuan, carried out revolutionary struggles in the eastern Sichuan region for a long time, participated in the founding of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet District, the Long March, etc., and served as deputy brigade commander, brigade commander and political commissar of the 385Th Brigade during the War of Resistance Against Japan, staying in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia. During the Liberation War, Wang Weizhou served as deputy commander of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia-Jinsui United Defense Army and deputy commander of the Northwest Military Region.
The 386th Brigade of the 129th Division was formed by the 31st Army of the Red Fourth Front, with the brigade commander Chen Geng, the deputy brigade commander Chen Zaidao, the chief of staff Li Jukui, and the director of the Political Training Office Wang Xinting. Chen Zaidao, a native of Macheng, Hubei Province, participated in the Jute Uprising and the Long March, and after the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he served as deputy brigade commander of the 386th Brigade, commander of the Eastward Column of the Eighth Route Army, commander of the Ji'nan Military Region, and during the Liberation War, he served as the commander of the Second Column of the Jinji-Hebei Luyu Field Army, the commander of the Second Column of the Central Plains Field Army, and the commander of the Henan Military Region, and was awarded the rank of general in 1955.