Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

Wangzhai Town, Xiao County, Northern Anhui.

"The Japanese in Xuzhou promised that as long as we launched a riot, we would allow each county to establish a joint council to govern itself after the riot was successful. As long as we handed over military rations and taxes on time, neither side would harm the other."

"The Eighth Route Army will never be able to do this. Not only will they divide our property, they will also kill us. We can't just wait to be beheaded."

The Ge family of Wangzhai Town is a well-known wealthy family in the local area. Since Xiao County is close to Xuzhou City, the Ge family also has a considerable business in Xuzhou and has close ties with the Japanese army.

There are high walls and a large courtyard, with a sentry post every ten steps. There are trenches and chevaux de frise outside the walls, and even bonfires lit around the area for lighting. The guards patrolling along the way are armed with live ammunition.

Ge Liuwei is a big landlord in Wangzhai Town. With an armed force of more than 200 people, he is a local tyrant. No matter whether it is the National Army or the Japanese puppet army stationed in Xiao County, they have to give some face to the Ge family. But the Eighth Route Army does not give them face.

"Just because of a few peasants, the Eighth Route Army is going to take me away for public trial? Otherwise, they are the Eighth Route Army, and they really stand up for the peasants. I want to make the Eighth Route Army understand that without the support of people like us, they can't stay in northern Anhui."

In the light of the candle in the room, Ge Liuwei's face flickered, and he stared at the other people in the room with a grim look.

"You all have old scores on your hands. Now I am the one who is holding you back. If I am gone someday, will these peasants let you go?"

"Brother Ge, this involves risking our lives and property, so let us think about it carefully!"

"Yes, it's better to be cautious. Besides, if we do this, we will be following the Japanese's thinking and will be criticized."

Ge Liuwei looked at the people in the room and suddenly sneered, which made the others shudder. He thought that everyone knew the policy of the Eighth Route Army, and he just needed to come forward and take advantage of the situation.

In fact, the people present were all wealthy locals. How could they not have complaints about the policies of the Eighth Route Army? It was only the threat of force that forced them to submit.

"Everyone, we have discussed this many times, and there must be a result tonight. Now that you are involved, there is no turning back."

"Now please send your followers back to pass the message, and ask all the guards to move towards our Wangzhai Town immediately."

After Ge Liuwei finished speaking, one of them looked at the Ge family guards standing outside the house. He knew that if he didn't obey, there would be no peace. He asked with a stiff upper lip: "Brother Ge, I support you, but why do you want the guards to meet here? Wangzhai is too far from the county town, and it will take a lot of time to go back and forth."

"Brother Zhang seems to have a plan in mind. He is not satisfied with what you said. To catch a thief, we must first catch the leader. Yongcheng is the seat of the democratic government of northern Anhui. The guards of each family must gather before dawn."

There were a total of five families participating in the Wangzhai Town meeting. The other four were large households in several townships in the southwest of Xiao County. They had the same interests and were also the targets that Ge Liuwei had tried to win over many times.

Time passed quickly and it was already the late night. At this time, the Japanese troops of the 14th Division had already boarded the military train to Shangqiu.

Although Kenji Doihara was watching the fight between two tigers from a mountain in Xuzhou, he did make some arrangements. After arriving in Xuzhou, he sent people to secretly infiltrate the northern Anhui base many times.

Xiao County is located in the northeast corner of the northern Anhui base area, adjacent to Xuzhou. Naturally, it has the closest ties with the Japanese troops in Xuzhou, and is also the most resistant to the policies of the Eighth Route Army.

Zhou Weihan mentioned at the Northern Anhui Work Conference that the foundation of the Northern Anhui base area was not stable. The reason was that there was a conflict of interest between the landlords and the Eighth Route Army, while the local people had not yet tied their interests to the Eighth Route Army.

This was a life-and-death struggle between two classes, and a redistribution of the means of production. The Eighth Route Army naturally had to stand on the side of the working people, so they had to have a reasonable excuse to liquidate these landlords. The Zhang family's entourage from Dingli Town rushed back overnight, but was met by a young man in the uniform of the Eighth Route Army.

"Master, this is a handwritten letter from the master."

The letter was not sealed. Zhang Peishan asked as he read it, "Why did you come back alone? Where is my father?"

"I didn't see the master. The letter was delivered to me by the Wang family, who told me to come back and deliver it immediately."

Zhang Peishan realized that his father was being held captive by Ge Liuwei, and immediately said, "Gather the guards at home immediately and wait for me to set off together."

The follower responded. He was an elder of the Zhang family. In ancient times, he would be a family-born son. He was loyal to the Zhang family. However, when the Zhang family guards gathered, he was stunned.

There were about a hundred guards of the Zhang family, but the followers could see that only a few of them were familiar to them. The rest were strangers, and they all showed a spirit of bravery.

"Brother, what are you looking at?"

The follower smiled knowingly: "No, the round trip is too much trouble, a little tired."

After Zhang Peishan came out, he changed into casual clothes and nodded to the group of guards. After everyone set off for Wangzhai Town, two fast horses drove out from Zhang's house.

One horse ran towards the southeast of Xiao County, and the other horse first went south and then turned west, heading towards Yongcheng.

Zhang Peishan was previously an underground member of the Northern Anhui Special Committee. After the Eighth Route Army recovered northern Anhui, he worked in the local government. He performed well in the internal rectification study and was commissioned by his superiors before the war to secretly return to Xiao County.

The Zhang family was not a heartless family, but their reputation in the local area was not very good. Fortunately, there was a cadre of some importance in the family. After realizing the power of the iron fist of dictatorship, Mr. Zhang decisively chose to stand on the side of the people.

Zhou Weihan had long anticipated that some people would be restless, so while directing the battle, he was also waiting for some people to jump out.

These people may be local tycoons or they may be from within the local government. There are always some people who cannot see the situation clearly and are unwilling to give up their interests.

The New Fourth Army's 13rd Division and 14th Division, each with two regiments, formed a westward-moving detachment, which is now lurking in Xiao County. Before the war, Zhou Weihan deliberately transferred the th Brigade in northern Anhui to the north, and instead placed the th Brigade, which was unfamiliar with the local conditions, in Xiayi.

In fact, the counties in northern Anhui only had local armed forces commanded by the local government. This was the time when the strength of the northern Anhui base area was the weakest, and it was also a good opportunity for some people to launch a riot.

"Commander, the enemy is moving!"

Chief of Staff Peng of the New Fourth Army's Third Division laughed and said, "Hey, Zhou Yu is indeed very good at predicting things. I was not convinced at first, but now it's our turn to take the stage."

  There were four regiment commanders around him, each of them looking agitated. They hadn't won any battles, and were always feeding mosquitoes in the wilderness. Who could stand this?

"The Japanese troops in Xuzhou may cooperate with the operation. We need to send a main force to the direction of Xiaoxian County. The 3rd Regiment of the 10th Brigade will move north immediately, and the 5th Regiment of the 11th Brigade will be deployed in the southern part of Xiaoxian County."

"Two regiments of the Third Division will follow me westward to reinforce. This time the enemy must be rioting in many places. We must resolutely strike the main culprits and try to reduce casualties among the rest." (End of this chapter)