In the summer of 1940, Yu Keqin, the commander of the Seventh Regiment of the New Third Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, led a team into the village, and suddenly saw a very rare automobile and horse-drawn carriage in the countryside in the first courtyard. Commander Yu was skeptical, who exactly belonged to this unusual car, what was the identity of the owner, and why did he appear in this remote village? After some inquiry, a little-known historical story was uncovered......
1. The 7th Regiment of the New 3rd Brigade of the Eighth Route Army was transferred to the outer front
In June 1940, when the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was in full swing, the Seventh Regiment of the New Third Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, which was active in southwest Luxi, received instructions from the military region and transferred to the outer line to carry out operations under the leadership of the regiment commander Yu Keqin. At that time, the enemy situation in southwest Shandong was complicated, and the Japanese army and puppet army had frequent activities, which brought great suffering to the lives of the local people.
Regiment Commander Yu Keqin was an experienced military commander who was well aware of the importance of guerrilla warfare. After moving to the outer line, he immediately led his troops to the hinterland of the Northern Henan Plain and fought against the enemy in the areas of Puyang and Huaxian.
The officers and men of the Seventh Regiment carried forward the fine work style of the Eighth Route Army, which was not afraid of hardship and death, and adopted flexible and changeable tactics, sometimes ambushing and sometimes making surprise attacks, thus taking the Japanese puppet army by surprise. In the past few months, they have won many victories in this area, dealt a heavy blow to the enemy, and greatly boosted the local people's anti-Japanese fighting spirit.
However, the enemy was not resigned to defeat. They intensified their "sweeping" of the area in an attempt to drive the Seventh Regiment out of its base area. In the face of the enemy's frantic counterattack, Regiment Commander Yu responded calmly, and according to the changes in the enemy's situation, he adjusted his tactics in a timely manner, broke the whole into parts, and scattered small units to carry out guerrilla attacks among the enemy.
On one occasion, the 3rd Company of the 7th Regiment set up an ambush near a village, waiting for the car convoy of the puppet army to pass by. In order to deal with the Eighth Route Army, the puppet army often used cars to travel in order to be mobile and flexible. But this became precisely the opportunity for the Eighth Route Army to strike at them.
The officers and men of the third company were ambushed in the woods outside the village, and the first company waited for most of the day, and finally waited for a few puppet army cars. According to the plan they had laid out in advance, some of them created obstacles on the highway and forced the cars to stop, while others outflanked them from the side and launched a fierce attack on the puppet army.
The puppet army was unprepared and rushed into battle, and was soon defeated. The Eighth Route Army seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition, and also captured several puppet officers and soldiers. This battle made the prestige of the puppet army in the local area suddenly dispersed, and the common people all applauded.
In this way, Regiment Commander Yu Keqin led the Seventh Regiment to fight the enemy in the Northern Henan Plain and fought a period of guerrilla warfare. They are so light as swallows that they have no place to attack them.
Through the struggle during this period, the officers and men of the Seventh Regiment have become more and more experienced in combat and their combat effectiveness has become stronger and stronger. With their own practical actions, they contributed their own strength to the War of Resistance against Japan, and they were also fully prepared for the upcoming larger-scale battles.
On the day when the Seventh Regiment was transferred to the Northern Henan Plain, by chance, Commander Yu became acquainted with a patriotic democrat who had an important influence on the war of resistance, thus leaving a strong mark in the torrent of history. That's for later.
2. Encounter a mysterious horse-drawn carriage in the village
One day in the summer of 1940, Regiment Commander Yu Keqin led his troops to a small village in the east of Huaxian County. This village is located in the hinterland of the North Henan Plain, far from the city and traffic arteries, and is rarely visited by outsiders on weekdays. The soldiers of the Eighth Route Army were dusty, and when they walked into the village, they attracted the attention of many villagers.
Just when everyone was about to ask the villagers about the situation, the keen eyes of Head Yu were suddenly attracted by a courtyard. In this small remote village, there is an extremely rare carriage parked in a courtyard! You know, in that era of scarcity of materials, the automobile was almost a luxury for ordinary people, let alone in such a remote village.
When Commander Yu saw this scene, his heart suddenly became alarmed. He quickly analyzed in his mind: Who could be the owner of this carriage, why did it appear here, could it be some important person? For a moment, all kinds of speculations flashed through his mind.
As an experienced military commander, Commander Yu knew not to be taken lightly. He immediately made a decision, while sending people to guard outside the hospital, and personally led several guards into the courtyard to inspect.
After entering the courtyard, Head Yu carefully looked around and found that except for the conspicuous carriage, everything else seemed to be very ordinary. The furnishings in the courtyard are no different from those of ordinary farmhouses, and there is nothing suspicious. But Captain Yu did not let his guard down, he intuitively felt that there must be something strange in this.
At this moment, a guard walked quickly and whispered in the ear of Regiment Commander Yu: "Regiment Commander, there are people in the house." Hearing this, Head Yu frowned slightly, and then made a decision. "Let's go inside. ＂
With that, Head Yu took the lead and walked to the door. The moment the door was opened, several people in the room were obviously startled. When they saw several soldiers of the Eighth Route Army who were loaded with guns and ammunition breaking in, their expressions suddenly became nervous.
At the head was an old man dressed in a long robe with a white beard. Seeing this, he quickly stood up, but he didn't know what to do. However, a relatively young man next to him whispered something in the old man's ear, and the old man's expression softened slightly.
Captain Yu looked at the few people in the room and asked, "What are you doing, why are you here?" Hearing this, the old man replied, "We are here to take refuge, I don't know who the adults are...... ＂
At this moment, a guard behind Commander Yu suddenly whispered: "Commander, this old man, it seems that he has seen it somewhere!" Hearing this, Commander Yu turned his eyes to the guard and motioned for him to continue.
The guard carefully recalled for a moment, and suddenly slapped his thigh: "I remember! Isn't this old man Mr. Jia, a democrat in our base area?"
When Head Yu heard this, he was also stunned. He took a few steps forward and looked at the old man carefully, and then suddenly realized. It turned out that this old man turned out to be Mr. Jia Xinzhai, a patriotic democrat he had heard of!
When Jia Xinzhai saw that it was the Eighth Route Army, the tension in his heart also disappeared. He hurriedly bowed his hand and said: "It turned out to be the head of the Eighth Route Army, disrespectful and disrespectful! The contemptible Jia Xinzhai has admired his name for a long time, and it is really a blessing to see him today!"
Head Yu hurriedly returned the salute and said, "Mr. Jia is polite. I heard that Mr. has always supported the anti-Japanese resistance, and our comrades of the Eighth Route Army admire you very much!"
In this way, because of an unexpected carriage, Head Yu got acquainted with Jia Xinzhai, a patriotic democrat. This seemingly accidental encounter became the beginning of a legendary story.
3. Get acquainted with Jia Xinzhai, a patriotic democrat
When Commander Yu learned that the elegantly dressed old man in front of him was Jia Xinzhai, a patriotic democrat he had heard of, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration in his heart. In that war-torn era, there were not many people like Mr. Jia who insisted on resisting Japan and saving the country.
Jia Xinzhai was also overjoyed when he saw that it was the Eighth Route Army. He took Regiment Commander Yu's hand and said in a loud voice: "Regiment Commander Yu, your Eighth Route Army is the hope of all Chinese people! Although I am old, I have been doing my best to resist Japan. It's a blessing to see you today!"
Head Yu was moved by Mr. Jia's sincerity and hurriedly said, "Mr. Jia praised it falsely. Patriots like you, we in the Eighth Route Army should give our full support. I don't know where you're going, but what do you need our help with?"
When Jia Xinzhai heard this, he sighed and said: "Since the Japanese invaded China, I have been running around all over the country, hoping to arouse more people's anti-Japanese consciousness. But it was too dangerous to operate in enemy-occupied areas, and I was desperate, so I thought of coming here to avoid the limelight. ＂
Hearing this, Commander Yu pondered for a moment and said to Mr. Jia: "Sir, you are indeed in danger if you are single-handedly in the enemy-occupied area. In this way, I will write you a letter of introduction, and you can go to our Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region and Administration. It is an anti-Japanese base under the leadership of our party, and it will be safer and play a greater role there. ＂
Jia Xinzhai was overjoyed when he heard this, and nodded again and again. Head Yu immediately wrote a letter of introduction and told Mr. Jia in detail the route and precautions. Mr. Jia accepted the letter of introduction, thanked Head Yu repeatedly, and said that he would definitely go to the base area.
After sending Jia Xinzhai away, Head Yu did not stop there. He knew that activities behind enemy lines must have the support of local party organizations and the masses. So, he secretly contacted the underground party members in the village and learned in detail about the local enemy situation and people's feelings.
It turned out that although this small village was located in the middle of nowhere, the anti-Japanese consciousness was very high. Many of the villagers were underground party members and had been secretly carrying out anti-Japanese activities. Knowing that the Eighth Route Army was coming, everyone was very excited and expressed their willingness to help the troops.
When Head Yu learned of this situation, he was greatly moved. He immediately said that he would mobilize and organize the villagers, set up a militia team, and cooperate with the Eighth Route Army in the struggle. Under the encouragement of Head Yu, the villagers are more motivated.
In this way, on the one hand, Commander Yu sent people to escort Jia Xinzhai to the base area, and on the other hand, he actively mobilized the masses to carry out various tasks of the army and the people to jointly resist Japan. He knew very well that only when the army and the people were united could they gather the majestic force of resistance against Japan.
Before leaving, Commander Yu specially instructed Jia Xinzhai to pay attention to safety along the way, work hard after arriving at the base area, and reunite after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in the future. Mr. Jia nodded again and again, indicating that he would definitely live up to the trust of Commander Yu.
In this way, a patriotic democrat, with the help of the Eighth Route Army, embarked on the road of defecting to the anti-Japanese base area. Commander Yu led the troops and continued to fight behind enemy lines, waiting for the day when he and Mr. Jia would be reunited.
Who would have thought that this seemingly accidental encounter would turn out to be a good story. And the handshake between Head Yu and Jia Xinzhai has also become a microcosm of the Communist Party of China and democrats joining hands to resist Japan.
Fourth, the Hebei, Shandong, and Henan base areas will meet again
Time flies, time flies. In the blink of an eye, three years have passed. The past three years have been extremely extraordinary for both Head Yu and Jia Xinzhai.
For Regiment Commander Yu, these three years were three years of fighting. He led the troops to fight in the land of Hebei, Shandong, and Henan, and fought bloodily with the Japanese puppet army. From the initial guerrilla warfare, to the later movement warfare, and then to the final positional warfare, Regiment Commander Yu and his soldiers were born and died, and composed heroic hymns with blood and life.
For Jia Xinzhai, these three years have been three years of struggle. After he came to the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area, he quickly won the trust of the party organization and the love of the masses by virtue of his talents and ambitions. He successively served as deputy director of the Jilu-Henan Administration and a member of the Senate, and contributed his own strength to the construction and development of the base area.
One day in July 1943, there was jubilation in the base area. It turned out that in order to celebrate Jia Xinzhai's 60th birthday, the Party Committee of Hebei, Luyu District decided to hold a grand birthday party for him. As an old friend who has had a relationship with Mr. Jia, Head Yu is naturally also invited.
At the birthday party, Huang Jing, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hebei, Luyu District, personally presided over the meeting, and people from all walks of life gathered together to celebrate Mr. Jia's birthday. Everyone offered their blessings one after another, and recalled Mr. Jia's contribution to the anti-Japanese cause, and the scene was warm and touching.
When Head Yu stepped forward and shook hands with Mr. Jia, both of them were a little excited. I haven't seen him for three years, but Mr. Jia's body is still straight, and his eyes are still bright. And Commander Yu has a little more vicissitudes and maturity, but the pride of the battle has not diminished at all.
"Mr. Jia, let's meet again!" Head Yu said with a smile, "I really didn't expect that the road I pointed out to you back then, you walked so smoothly!"
Jia Xinzhai also smiled, held Captain Yu's hand tightly, and said: "Commander Yu, this is all your guidance back then! If it weren't for you, how would I be where I am today? I can't forget you in my life!"
The two recalled the scene when they met in Huaxian County, and they couldn't help but sigh. At that time, the land of Hebei, Shandong, and Henan was still full of gunsmoke and wars. Nowadays, the base area has taken on a new look, and there is a thriving scene everywhere.
Commander Yu suddenly remembered something, took out a delicate box from his arms, handed it to Mr. Jia, and said, "Mr. Jia, this is a compass I seized from the devil, so take it as a congratulatory gift from me." You see, this compass is always pointing north, just as our faith is always pointing us in the direction we are going. ＂
Jia Xinzhai took the box, his eyes a little moist. He knew that this compass carried the deep friendship of Head Yu for himself. He solemnly said to Commander Yu: "Commander Yu, I will definitely keep this compass well." It is not only a friendship between you and me, but also a symbol of our common faith!"
In this way, in the midst of laughter, Jia Xinzhai's 60th birthday banquet came to an end. But the friendship between Head Yu and Jia Xinzhai has borne deeper fruits in this red land.
Many years later, when people mention the names of Yu Keqin and Jia Xinzhai again, they will sincerely praise that it is countless people like them who used their youth and blood to compose the heroic hymns of that era and achieve our happy life today.