Seeing the military lunch box full of rice, a box of black fungus roasted roe deer meat, a box of canned beef, and most of the lunch boxes of mushroom pheasant soup. Knowing that Yang Zhen probably didn't have much effort for his arrival, the commander-in-chief, who was a little melancholy just now showed a smile on his face: "It seems that your life is good."

"Although the delicacies of roe deer, pheasant, and mushrooms in this mountain are not fresh, the rice is a very strict control of the Japanese. Even among the puppet Manchukuo officials, there are no casual people who can eat it."

Li Yanping, who had completely calmed down at this time, heard this and knew that the commander-in-chief had some misunderstandings, and said with a smile: "Commander-in-chief, this is specially prepared for you by Commander-in-chief. As for us, except for Lao Peng who has stomach problems, we eat no differently from other soldiers on weekdays. The same is sorghum rice, and some pickled lumps made in Weihe County. When Lao Peng was slept in the Japanese prison, his stomach was damaged and he couldn't stand it by eating coarse grains."

"But this meat is the same. Our army's training intensity is high. In order to ensure the nutrition of cadres and soldiers, the commander found a way to organize a group of hunters to form a hunting team, which is specifically responsible for hunting to provide meat to the army."

"Zhang Guangcailing is a treasure house. Although it is all mountainous land, it is very raw and we have no seeds and cannot plant food. However, there are some ready-made meats, such as beating roe deer and scooping fish. Especially after winter, all kinds of wild animals are very fat."

"A wild boar is 200 kilograms. It is enough for the army to eat meat for a day or even two days after the snow. There are also pheasants. After the snow, use some food and a condom to get more than a dozen or even dozens of pheasants at a time. Just as the commander said, we can't guard the treasure mountain and can't even eat meat, right? Are we chewing these pickles, sorghum rice? We have a lot of training on weekdays, and the physical strength of the meat army cannot be guaranteed at all."

"Don't worry, we have arranged the cadres and soldiers transferred to the General Command. We are just worried that the soldiers will be hungry for a long time and eat too much at once, which will make their stomachs swell. So we only provide sorghum rice porridge, stewed wild boar meat and this pheasant soup. As for this roe deer, it was accidentally beaten by the army during training yesterday. The commander said that the roe deer meat is more delicate than wild boar meat, and it has higher nutritional value. I specifically told you to keep it for you to nourish your body."

"If it is special, only this rice and canned food are specially prepared for you. The commander said that you are from Yunnan and are used to eating rice. I know that you are here today, so I specially told the kitchen team to cook more when preparing rice for Lao Peng. I said that I would give you a tooth ceremony first, which is also a welcome gift."

Hearing Li Yanping's words, the commander-in-chief looked at Yang Zhen in front of him and sighed slightly, "Commander Yang is troublesome. Although I am from Yunnan, I have been accustomed to following the customs after so many years of fighting in the south and north. I am used to eating sorghum rice and big cakes. The situation is difficult now, so we senior cadres are still better to share the joys and sorrows with ordinary cadres and soldiers."

Yang Zhen did not care about the commander-in-chief's polite words, but just smiled and said, "Commander-in-chief, the situation is difficult, it is worth sharing the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, and we have been doing this all the time."

"But sometimes you have to be treated with special circumstances and special treatment. You are the highest leader of all anti-Japanese troops in the entire Dongman area. Everything from a grain of grain of food in the army to a winter clothing supplement to how to break the encirclement of the Japanese and puppet troops, these are all things you need to consider."

"When soldiers rest, you also need to consider, study, and find ways to solve the problem. When soldiers march, you also need to march. If conditions do not allow, there is no way. But when it is suitable, it is still necessary to supplement some nutrition. You must know that mental labor can consume much more energy than physical labor."

"The commander-in-chief sometimes maintains the morale of the army and morale. It is not that we, the commanders, must share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. Of course, what I said is not to let us marry young people, spend all day and live alone. At some point, some things, such as diet, we still have to take care of. After all, many of us, as commanders, are old and still have injuries on our bodies."

"The key to maintaining morale and morale is to let the soldiers see hope and see the hope of us ultimately winning. The morale of the military must be maintained by continuous victory." Yang Zhen's last sentence was a bit heavy.

Hearing Yang Zhen’s words, the commander-in-chief put down the bowls and chopsticks in his hand and sighed: “Yes. If we could win battles frequently, all cadres and soldiers could see the hope of victory. Some of our comrades, even those who have been tested by the Japanese torture, would not betray their oath of faith because they saw the hope of unwinding.”

Regarding the commander-in-chief's sigh, Yang Zhen knew that he was still the betrayal of the commander of the 1st Division of the Fifth Army who was his most beloved general and betrayed the Anti-Japanese Allies during the most severe Western Expedition. When Yang Zhen unexpectedly took over Weihe County and was captured again, he was shot and regained his betrayal.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Zhen raised his head to the commander-in-chief who seemed a little sad, "Commander-in-chief, don't be too sad. For us, the more severe the moment it is, the more time it is to test people. Only those with the strongest will can see our victory. The big waves wash away the sand, and the real gold is the one that cannot be washed away."

"Okay, Commander Yang said this well. The big waves wash away the sand, and the real gold is the one that cannot be washed away. As long as we stick to our beliefs, without compromising, and insist on fighting, we believe that we will see the day when we win." After hearing Yang Zhen's words, the spirit of the commander-in-chief obviously seemed much better.

However, perhaps the situation is getting worse, which makes the commander-in-chief seem to be very hungry. The commander-in-chief just took a few bites and put down the bowls and chopsticks in his hand. After waved his hand to signal the guard behind him to take away the endgame in front of him, the commander-in-chief was silent and said, "What does Commander Yang think about the current situation?"

Yang Zhen thought for a moment, stood up and walked to the map hanging behind, thinking and pointed to the map, "Commander-in-Chief, we have been fighting alone. Apart from obtaining some information through interrogation of prisoners in several battles, we know nothing about the situation in Xiajiang. Therefore, Command-in-Chief, we also need you to introduce us to the current situation in Xiajiang."

The commander-in-chief walked to the map and looked carefully and said, "To be honest, we are not very clear about how many troops the Japanese have deployed. The underground organization in Xiajiang was destroyed by the Japanese. We can hardly get any useful information from the outside world now."

"Just judging from the current experiences between our Second Route Army units and the number of troops blocked by the Japanese and puppet troops in Xiajiang area, at least 20,000 to 30,000 Japanese and puppet troops have been concentrated in the Xiajiang area so far. This is not the case with the miscellaneous puppet army armed forces such as the puppet Manchukuo police and puppet self-defense regiments in various places."

Speaking of this, the commander-in-chief looked at Yang Zhen and smiled and said, "At this point, I would like to thank you. If you hadn't taken the initiative, captured Weihe County, and mobilized some Japanese and puppet troops to advance westward, our current situation would have been even more dangerous. You should know that before you attack, the Japanese and puppet troops mobilized by the Japanese in Xiajiang were at least 40,000."

"After the Japanese and puppet troops were intensively cleared out, our secret camps in Xiajiang basically lost embers. After the Western Expedition, the troops left behind in Xiajiang were in trouble and suffered huge losses. The only third division left by the Five Armies after the Western Expedition were two division commanders in the front and rear, and more than half of the troops were injured or killed."

"After the Ninth Army surrendered to the enemy, the only remaining main seventh army suffered a lot, with less than 200 people left, and had lost their combat effectiveness. The most important thing is that under the various methods of the Japanese, both food and ammunition were short of both food and ammunition, which could almost be said to be exhausted."

"Now, after the main force of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces in Xiajiang, after the three armies in the west, except for the seventh army, there were only small troops left behind by the three armies and the sixth army. They are currently trapped in the deep mountains and forests and are no longer able to support them."

Listening to the introduction of the commander-in-chief, Yang Zhen stared at the map and frowned deeply. After a long silence, Yang Zhen said: "Commander-in-chief, I'm not very polite. If it were the Second Route Army and the Third Route Army cooperated with the cooperation, although it could not completely change the current passive situation, at least it would not be in such a dilemma."

"Our strength is already quite different from that of the Japanese and puppet troops. As the main forces of the Anti-Japanese United Army who are also active in the Xiajiang area, they cannot fight together in the face of the great enemy. Instead, they fight on their own and are defeated by the Japanese. If we clench one fist and hit people, the result may be much better."

Regarding Yang Zhen’s thoughts, the commander-in-chief shook his head and said, “How can we not know what you said? Clenching into a fist and hitting people is more powerful than hitting people with a slap. But if the troops are gathered together, we can’t solve the supply problem at all.”

"Since the Japanese began to implement the reunion of households, we have been in a passive state. Every grain of food and every bullet must be exchanged for blood. Not to mention that the large troops are gathered together, even if the small troops are often half hungry and half full."

"The large army is gathered together, let alone fighting, even if it is hungry. Besides, our army is too different from the Japanese in combat. When they face to face, they are no match for them at all. If they gather together, they can only be wiped out by them faster. Avoiding the enemy's edge is only our best and the only choice."

Yang Zhen nodded and said, "Yes. The Japanese are very vicious in returning to the village and merging households. Strengthening the walls and clearing the fields should be our means to deal with them, but now they are used to deal with us. We have a relationship with the people. If we are fish, then the people are water. Fish will not survive if they leave the water."

"I can't understand why when the Japanese carried out the reunion of households, you honestly allowed the Japanese to drive the people into the cluster tribes without finding ways to destroy them? We were in trouble."

The commander-in-chief could only smile bitterly and shake his head, but could not answer it. This was Moscow's decision, and how could he, who is very strong in party spirit, oppose it?

Seeing the wry smile on the commander-in-chief's face, Yang Zhen understood a little. Yang Zhen also learned a little about the commanding ability of this representative to the Communist International from later books. If he talks about being scheming and engaging in political conspiracies, he is indeed a good player. But if he talks about coordinating the overall situation and commanding operations, he is much worse than the founding leader.

Since the commander-in-chief looked at him and didn't want to answer, Yang Zhen, who could roughly guess the reason, wisely skipped this question and did not continue to get entangled. However, even though he had lived for decades more than everyone here, he was helpless.

Not only did the Second Route Army lose a huge amount of losses in the Western Expedition, but how could the Third Route Army in the Northern Manchuria succeed? Although there were not many battles, the non-combat losses were also huge. Relying on the current strength of the Anti-Japanese United Army and being divided by the Japanese and puppet troops, it can be said that they are basically powerless to make the world come true.

After hesitating for a moment, Yang Zhen said: "Commander-in-chief, I suggest that the Second Route Army, which is still in the Xiajiang area, are currently retreating to Tongjiang, Fujin, Fuyuan, and the remnants of the Fourth Army are currently temporarily retreating into the Soviet Union. And we are here to continue to recuperate. The key is to train the troops."

The commander-in-chief was a little hesitant about Yang Zhen's idea. For him, who had crossed the border many times and met with the Soviet army, he was too clear about the outcome of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces retreating into the Soviet Union. The result was almost equivalent to permanent losses. Those Anti-Japanese Allied Forces did not die on the battlefield of killing the enemy, but were killed by the elder brother in his heart. The ending of the Sixth Army troops on the third army on the first day of the Chinese New Year will be unforgettable. Where can he dare to let the troops withdraw from the Soviet Union to rest?

Yang Zhen naturally knew the hesitation of the commander-in-chief. Yang Zhen smiled and said, "Commander-in-chief, do you still remember the last telegram I sent you when you were in Yidong? I know what you were worried about."

Seeing the commander-in-chief nod, Yang Zhen continued: "Even if our troops crossing the river were disarmed by the Soviet army, I believe their safety is at least guaranteed. As long as our people survive, there will be a chance to return to the battlefield one day. Besides, the commander-in-chief do you think they will not retreat to the other side, how long can they last in this ice and snowy situation, the Japanese army encircled and suppressed, and they were short of food and bullets."

"The commander-in-chief, it's still the same thing that people can live. Besides, the situation changes, and the attitude of the other strait will not remain unchanged. The situation in Manchuria is now incomparable to the beginning of the year. The Japanese mobilized a large number of Japanese troops to station in Manchuria in just one year. I think it would be absolutely impossible for the other strait to have no pressure under the threat of hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops."

"According to the few intelligence we have, the Japanese not only upgraded the Kwantung Army, but also increased the strength of at least a few divisions. The Japanese army we ambushed in Weihe County was carrying the Fourth Division that had just been mobilized from Japan. This was the first batch of regular four-unit field divisions formed by the Japanese."

"At present, at least the Japanese army in Manchuria has no opponent yet. Our army in the pass cannot pose any threat to Manchuria at least in a short period of time. The Japanese continue to increase their troops in Manchuria. I think they are not here to make a fuss, right?"

"This year, the Soviet Union's border is not just a small-scale conflict. Just the battle between Zhanggufeng, if both sides had their own thoughts and did not want to expand the conflict, I think it would have been a lively battle. Let's not talk about the international situation. The situation on the Soviet border alone is enough for the Soviet army to change its attitude towards us."

"Of course, large-scale arms assistance is impossible. But at least it will give us a place to recuperate quickly. However, there is one thing that we must release from the commander-in-chief. The Soviet army is to provide us with support, but the ultimate goal is definitely not an international obligation, but to make us serve them."

"So even if we retreat into the Soviet Union, we must send effective cadres and keep the troops firmly in our hands. We must never let them consume us little by little. That would be counterproductive."
Chapter completed!