The Generation Path And Integration Of The Communist Party’s Armed Forces In The Hubei Henan Border Region(1937-1941)

The Hubei Henan Border Region was an important base area established by the Communist Party of China during the period of the Comprehensive Anti Japanese War,and the Fifth Division,one of the seven main divisions of the New Fourth Army,was established here.Due to its isolated "political and military environment,the Hubei and Henan border areas,without the support of the main forces,established the main local military forces by "building their own base".However,due to complex sources and special routes,there are also many problems with the armed forces in the border region,which further affects the development situation of the anti-Japanese base areas along the border between Hubei and Henan.The strategic location of the Hubei Henan Border Region is crucial because the Pinghan Road runs through the north and south,and is located on the periphery of Wuhan,the geographical hub of Central China.At the same time,the border between Hubei and Henan is at the forefront of the front battlefield of the Anti Japanese War,with both the Japanese army and the Kuomintang army equipped with huge forces.The establishment of a base area here by the Communist Party of China will undoubtedly have to deal with strong military pressure,and it will be spatially isolated from other base areas.At the same time,before the war,the National Government strengthened its rule over the border region of Hubei and Henan(Hubei Province),far exceeding its control over North China from the provincial government to the grassroots regime.In addition,the unique local culture and historical traditions have created significant resistance for the Communist Party to establish bases and develop armed forces here.Although the Soviet Revolution had affected this area,it has been difficult to maintain both military and party organizational forces since the withdrawal of the main forces of the Red Army.Therefore,there is insufficient support for establishing an anti Japanese base area here.In the early stage of the Anti Japanese War,as the situation changed and strategic choices were made,the main forces of the Eighth Route Army did not go to the Hubei Henan Border Region,so the Hubei Henan Border Region could only "build an army without main forces.".In this situation,many guerrilla forces were established in the early stages in various regions along the Hubei Henan border,and the situation was very flexible.The main task was to create armed forces that could be controlled by the Communist Party of China by using the united front and the numerous "Anti Japanese Self Defense Forces".In the specific process of establishing such armed forces,local characteristics and sophistication are all available conditions.The guerrilla forces in the Border Region develop rapidly,but they are also vulnerable to annexation or loss by other forces.After 1939,with the military advance of the Japanese army and the proposal of the Communist Party of China to "develop Central China" strategy,under the promotion of Liu Shaoqi,the center of activity of the Communist Party of China on the border between Hubei and Henan was transferred from southern Henan to central Hubei,and began to establish the main regular armed forces,opening a new situation in the border between Hubei and Henan.Li Xiannian,who is responsible for this task,has prepared for the integration of guerrilla forces in the border region through holding various meetings and spending half a year.Subsequently,a large-scale conference was held to unify the Party organizations at all levels in the border region to integrate the armed forces under their leadership,which was the main way of generating the regular army in the border areas of Hubei and Henan.However,there are limitations in establishing a regular army by integrating party organizations "from top to bottom".That is,many non party controlled puppet armies,local gangs,and bandits in the Hubei and Henan borders need to adopt other ways to integrate.At the same time,these armed forces with complex sources exhibit many repulsive forces and discrete phenomena after being integrated,further affecting the consolidation of the army.Moreover,after the early guerrilla forces were integrated into the regular army,all their inherent bad habits such as guerrilla habits,paternalism,and freedom and laxity would affect the exertion of the combat effectiveness of the troops and the development of the border region.Therefore,the border region continued to carry out military integration and regularization training.The development process of the armed forces in the Hubei Henan Border Region is quite special,demonstrating the complex aspects of the development of the armed forces in the anti Japanese base areas behind the enemy lines of the Communist Party of China.