Yang Xiufeng presided over the creation of the Jixi guerrilla group

In July 1937, the All-Out War of Resistance broke out. At the critical juncture of national peril, Yang Xiufeng resolutely gave up the superior life of a professor at Peking Normal University in accordance with the instructions of the CPC Central Committee and the Northern Bureau, threw himself into the pen, went deep into Taihang, and established an anti-Japanese armed force.

Yang Xiufeng gathered more than 20 students who followed him in Taiyuan, Shanxi, and came to The County of Jingxing, Hebei Province, to set up the Jixi People's Training Office guidance commissioner's office, referred to as the "Jixi People's Training Office". At that time, there were more than 10 counties in the western part of Jixi, including Lincheng, Gaoyi, Zanhuang, and Yuanshi. On October 4, Yang Xiufeng presided over a plenary meeting, announced the formal establishment of the Jixi Folk Training Office, and sent cadres to various counties to contact local underground party members and organize anti-Japanese armed forces.

Soon, the Japanese army invaded Jingxing County, the county magistrate of the National Government fled in fear of the enemy, and Yang Xiufeng organized comrades from the Civil Training Office to cover the retreat of the masses. During the retreat, Yang Xiufeng found that the Kuomintang officers and soldiers who had collapsed from the front line were all over the streets, so he immediately approached them and carried out anti-Japanese propaganda. Yang Xiufeng's propaganda work had an immediate effect, and many Kuomintang defeated armed personnel expressed their willingness to follow him to continue to resist japan.

On October 10, shijiazhuang fell, and Yang Xiufeng's commissioner decided that the Jixi People's Training Office would turn eastward with the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army to the west of Jixi to carry out guerrilla warfare. Because the comrades of the Jixi Civil Training Office had no experience in marching and fighting, the 129th Division immediately sent military cadres to bring a batch of guns and bullets to support. On October 25, with the consent of the Jiyujin Provincial Party Committee and the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, an oath-taking meeting for the establishment of the Jixi Guerrilla Corps was held in Gaoluo Town, Xiyang County, Shanxi. Yang Xiufeng also serves as the captain of the team. People from all walks of life enthusiastically participated, learning that the "Jiyou" was an anti-Japanese organization under the leadership of the Communist Party, and signed up to join the army one after another.

In mid-November, the Japanese attacked Xiyang County. When Yang Xiufeng received the news, he immediately commanded the "Jiyou" to make preparations for battle, and personally led his troops to the area of Dongyetou to cooperate with the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army to attack the enemy flexibly. Under the command of Yang Xiufeng, "Ji You" launched several surprise attacks on the Japanese Kou, beating the Japanese army attacking Xiyang to a terrible end, and finally had to retreat. This battle was the first shot fired at the Japanese pseudo since the establishment of the "Jiyou". Subsequently, the "Jiyou" marched eastward with the Fourth Brigade as the vanguard. On the way to the eastward march of the "Ji tour," Yang Xiufeng constantly carried out propaganda work on the anti-Japanese national united front against the Kuomintang troops in Beidian, Gangdi, Fujiapo, Bailujiao, Ducun, Haojiazhuang, Chongshuiyu, and Ma Bee villages, organized condolence performances, encouraged them to fight for the survival of the nation, and called on them to be the sons and daughters of the people of western Hebei and jointly seek victory in the great cause of resisting Japan and saving the country. With Yang Xiufeng's efforts, dozens of defeated soldiers carrying weapons joined the "Jiyou" team.

Along the way, in addition to actively carrying out united front work and publicizing the united front, Yang Xiufeng also used every opportunity to do a good job in the ideological and political work of the guerrillas and show concern for the lives of the fighters. He often summoned everyone to make marching commentaries, organized young fighters to study the party's principles and policies, and paid attention to making the troops strictly abide by the party's mass discipline and oppose corruption and hooliganism. The "Ji tour" reached Xingtai, Lincheng, Neiqiu, Shahe, Zanhuang and other places in Hebei Province, actively carried out work, and opened up base areas. Everywhere he went, Yang Xiufeng demanded that the guerrillas convene mass meetings and put up slogans to propagate the anti-Japanese proposition of "defending the hometown, defending North China, and defending the whole of China" and the rational burden policy of "some people coming out, guns out of guns, grain out of grain, and money for money." In early March 1938, Yang Xiufeng formally established the "Jixi Guerrilla Command" at the Maotianling Ridge at the junction of Lincheng and Neiqiu in the Taihang Mountains, and led his troops to launch frequent attacks against the Japanese and Puppets, burning the anti-Japanese beacon all over the land of western Hebei.