Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 23 Heading North to Resist Japan

The militia arrived on July 8th amidst a tense training atmosphere.

"Commander, Commander, something terrible has happened! The Japanese devils are fighting with the 29th Army of the Nationalist Government, which is defending Wanping City!" Li Qin rushed into the regimental headquarters in a panic.

"I know." Tang Weiguo already knew about this, so he didn't show much surprise.

"Commander, are the Japanese devils going to invade us again?" Li Qin asked nervously.

"The Japanese devils' wolfish ambitions are obvious. Their desire to destroy China remains undiminished. Occupying the three northeastern provinces will not satisfy their appetite," Tang Weiguo said to Li Qin.

"Let's prepare for the battles to come," Tang Weiguo said.

"Yes, Commander." Li Qin's tone became firm after hearing Tang Weiguo's words.

"Communications officer, notify all levels of supervisors to attend a meeting at the regimental headquarters," Tang Weiguo shouted.

"Yes."

Before long, the military commanders at all levels of the militia arrived at the regimental headquarters conference room. Seeing the regimental commander's serious expression, they knew that something big was about to happen.

"We just received news that the Japanese clashed with our 29th Army stationed in Wanping City on the evening of the 7th. It is now predicted that the Japanese are preparing to launch another war of aggression." Tang Weiguo introduced the current situation to everyone at the beginning.

"Damn those Japanese, they want to occupy our territory again!" Tang Xiaohu stood up and cursed angrily.

"Commander, just tell us what to do. From the very first day our militia was established, we've been preparing to fight the Japanese. When it comes to fighting the Japanese, our soldiers won't even flinch." Tang Dazhuang said, brimming with fighting spirit.

"Good, I'm very pleased to see everyone's determination to defend our country," Tang Weiguo said.

“Wanping is the gateway to Beiping. It seems that Japan was prepared for this. Wanping is not far from falling,” Tang Weiguo analyzed.

"Ah, Commander, if Wanping fails, then Beiping and Tianjin will also be in danger," Tang Xiaohu analyzed.

"Xiao Hu is right. Once Beiping and Tianjin fall, the entire North China Plain will be exposed to the Japanese army."

"In addition, Shanxi has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times, especially Taiyuan. Many dynasties in ancient times started from Taiyuan. So once Beiping fell, Shanxi would inevitably suffer from Japanese invasion next," Tang Weiguo analyzed.

"We swear to defend our homeland to the death!" Tang Xiaohu shouted as soon as he heard Tang Weiguo's analysis.

"We swear to defend our homeland to the death!" The others also looked furious. How could these native Shanxi people stand idly by and watch their land be invaded by the Japanese?

"Therefore, I now declare that the militia is now in a state of combat readiness. Military commanders at all levels must strengthen their study of the Japanese army's configuration, tactics and methods, understand the Japanese situation in advance, and make preparations for battle."

"Yes, Captain."

"Zhao Zhu, order the militia's village protection teams to organize the people to dig tunnels to ensure that people and food can be hidden there, and that every household can be connected to each other. If the Japanese invade our area, we can better prevent the people from being harmed by the Japanese."

"You must treat this as the most important thing right now. If there is a shortage of manpower, I allow you to mobilize the supplementary battalion to help the people dig tunnels."

"My requirement is that the tunnels must be waterproof and smokeproof. As for the specific implementation, you should discuss it with the people. There's a saying that goes, 'The wisdom of the people is boundless,'" Tang Weiguo said.

"Yes, I promise to complete the mission."

"Commander, has the situation deteriorated to this extent? Shanxi is Commander Yan's territory, with over 100,000 Jin-Sui troops under his command. How could the Japanese be that powerful?"

"Everyone should prepare for the worst and get ready as soon as possible," Tang Weiguo said without adding anything more.

"Yes, Captain, I promise to complete the mission."

"We need to be quick; we don't know what the future holds," Tang Weiguo said again.

"Bi Shoucai, do everything you can to purchase food, medicine and other supplies to ensure that our militia is prepared for a long-term war of resistance."

"We should also make use of Wolong Mountain and find a way for our militia to be self-sufficient."

"Yes, Commander." Bi Shoucai stood up and replied.

"Director Wang, the arsenal needs to work overtime to reload bullets, produce grenades, explosives, and all other combat supplies that can be produced to ensure the supply of weapons to the militia."

"Commander, no problem," Factory Director Wang replied.

"By the way, Director Wang, how's the landmine I asked you to develop coming along?" Tang Weiguo asked.

"It has been researched and developed. We are now conducting experiments, and once the experiments are successful, we can begin production."

"Alright. Each battalion will select some key personnel to learn in advance how to use landmines and how to deploy them," Tang Weiguo ordered.

"Yes."

Li Qin,

"At this critical moment for our nation, we must all work together to protect our homeland."

"Yes, Commander. Let us unite as one to defend our country."

Just as Tang Weiguo had said, the situation was becoming increasingly dire day by day.

By the end of July, Beiping and Tianjin had fallen. After the fall of Tianjin, the Japanese continued their southward offensive, with some troops advancing directly towards Taiyuan, the heart of Shanxi.

By the end of September, a unit of the Japanese army had successively occupied Datong and Pingxingguan, and their advance was aimed directly at Xinkou, the gateway to Taiyuan.

.....

"Commander, how did the situation become so serious? The Nationalist army is suffering defeat after defeat. They're about to reach our doorstep." Tang Xiaohu said with a pessimistic expression.

A shadow of gloom clouded the faces of officers at all levels of the regiment headquarters.

"I didn't come to this meeting to hear you spouting discouraging words. Look at the way you all are acting like militia soldiers!" Tang Weiguo scolded.

"The Japanese soldiers' weapons, equipment, and training are far superior to ours. Even our current militia members are far inferior to the Japanese," Tang Weiguo explained.

"Everyone calm down. The war has only just begun. The Japanese devils' plan to conquer China in three months is pure wishful thinking," Tang Weiguo angrily retorted.

"In the Pingxingguan area, the Eighth Army Group fought a brilliant ambush, severely striking the arrogance of the Japanese invaders. Therefore, the Japanese are not invincible. As long as we are united, we will drive the Japanese out of China one day."

"Now that the Japanese have reached Xinkou, right at our doorstep, it's time for our militia to take action."

“Our militia is not part of the regular army. The Second War Zone may not even know we exist, so we will be a surprise force. We will not fight the Japanese head-on. On a battlefield with hundreds of thousands of people, if we go there, we won’t even make a splash. So we can’t do that. If we die, we must die with value.”

"As the ancients said, 'An army marches on its stomach.' What's the most important thing in war? It's logistics. So let's go behind enemy lines and specifically target the Japanese supply convoys," Tang Weiguo said.

"Commander, just tell us what to do, we'll all follow your orders," Tang Dazhuang shouted.

"Dazhuang is right, we will follow the commander's arrangements."

"Alright, I now order the First Battalion, the Second Battalion, the Special Forces Company, and the Logistics Department to follow me north to fight the Japanese. The First and Second Battalions will continue to build defensive positions centered on Wolong Mountain to ensure the safety of our militia's base. This is our foundation, and we cannot afford to lose it," Tang Weiguo ordered.

"Yes, Captain."

"I'll give you three days to prepare. I don't know how many of you will be able to come back this time. I hope you'll go back and talk to your fellow soldiers, write letters home, and leave without regrets."

"Yes, Captain."

"Commander, Chu Xin and I must go too. We need to rescue the wounded soldiers and contribute to the war effort." Chu Yu stood up with a resolute expression.

Tang Weiguo nodded when he saw the determination on her face.

Three days later, the militia soldiers stood in neat rows in the middle of the military camp.

"We're going to Xinkou to fight the Japanese devils, with ten thousand banners to slay Yama, the King of Hell. Are you all afraid?" Tang Weiguo asked loudly from the front.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we will fight the Japanese devils to the bitter end."

"Set off."