Southern guerrilla warfare: I led the Red Seventh Army Corps to amassed a million troops.

Unlike the north-south basin passage between Lianjiang and Luoyuan, there was no clear main road connecting the east and west sides of the base area.

The terrain is mostly hilly and mountainous, interspersed with small basins. You'll find yourself climbing over a mountain and crossing a river as you walk.

Xun Huaizhou traveled along the mountain path, hardly stopping along the way.

By the time he arrived at the western front, it was already noon on the third day.

There was no small talk or welcoming ceremony.

As soon as Xun Huaizhou arrived at the garrison, he immediately sent someone to notify the commanders of each regiment to come to a meeting.

The meeting was held in an ancestral hall, where a large map hung on the wall directly opposite the door.

Below the map is a simple sand table created by the 7th Red Army Division based on intelligence gathered by scouts.

In the center of the ancestral hall was an eight-immortal table. The regimental commanders and political commissars of each regiment arrived one after another and sat down around the eight-immortal table.

"Before we came here, Comrade Zeyuan told me that our 7th Red Army Division was weaker than the 3rd Nationalist Army Division. If we wanted to take them down in one bite, we might accidentally burst our stomachs."

Xun Huaizhou stood in front of the sand table, his gaze sweeping over the group of commanders present.

"So he gave me an idea—to feign an attack on the Third Division, but in reality, to besiege the enemy's stronghold and annihilate Lu Xingbang's brigade."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "But neither of us really knows much about the situation on the front lines. So I'd like to ask you all: Do you think the 7th Red Army Division had the capability to wipe out the Nationalist 3rd Division in one fell swoop?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Qiming was the first to stand up and slam his hand on the table.

"Yes! Absolutely! So what if there are many people? In war, courage is what matters most. And the one thing our Red Army has in abundance is courage!"

"Well said. In a narrow encounter, the brave prevail. Back in the Central Soviet Area, we were outnumbered and even fewer armed, yet we still dared to fight the Kuomintang to the death. Now that we are well-equipped and powerful, what am I supposed to fear from a mere Li Yutang?"

Xun Huaizhou spoke with great confidence.

In front of Zhou Zeyuan, Xun Huaizhou didn't dare to say a word.

I was terrified of being drowned in that person's spittle.

But once he left Danyang Town, he no longer had this concern.

There's an old saying that goes: We're all family here, so what's wrong with speaking our minds?

The proud and fierce soldiers of the 7th Red Army Division were already eager to fight a major battle, and this incident ignited their emotions.

Division Commander Liu Feng stood up and said in a deep voice, "Corps Commander, our Seventh Division is confident of victory. We have to fight this battle, whether we want to or not. Comrades, we have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time."

Zheng Sanjiang chimed in, "Commander, give the order! Everyone's sharpening their bayonets, just waiting for your word!"

While everyone else was expressing their determination, Zhang Qiming didn't hesitate to start vying for tasks:

"Commander, my regiment is willing to be the vanguard in this battle. The most difficult task will be assigned to our regiment. If we fail to achieve it, you can hold me accountable."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the ancestral hall was electric, with several regimental commanders vying to express their opinions, as if they were afraid of falling behind and missing out on the battle.

Xun Huaizhou gestured for everyone to quiet down.

Once the room had quieted down a bit, he spoke again: "We must fight, but we can't act recklessly. War is not gambling. We need to make thorough plans, find the enemy's weak points, and strike decisively."

Everyone quieted down, their eyes all falling on the sand table.

Liu Feng walked to the edge of the sand table and took out a stack of papers from his pocket.

This is intelligence gathered from various sources over the past few days. He has verified it repeatedly, and every mark is verifiable.

Pingnan is a typical mountainous area, with mountains and hills making up the majority of the land, and only a few valleys and basins are large settlements.

The county town is located in the largest basin in the surrounding area, which is surrounded by mountains.

The Third Division occupied all the high ground, forming a circular defensive perimeter that left no opening for attack.

Moreover, judging from the troop deployment on the sand table, Li Yutang did not adopt egalitarianism in the allocation of troops.

Only key high ground and transportation routes will be used to deploy troops of battalion level or above.

The rest are mostly deployed as a platoon for symbolic defense.

This alone demonstrates that Li Yutang was an absolute master of defensive warfare. Moreover, he was quite familiar with the Red Army's tactics, deploying his troops in battalion and regimental units.

The distance between the battalions was not very wide, so they could quickly band together if attacked.

Xun Huaizhou stared at the sand table for a long time, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

The uphill assault was against elite Nationalist troops, making it far more difficult than the Battle of Nanjishan.

He Wendin and Chen Qixuan were ambitious and overly ambitious, deploying defenses everywhere, but their troops were of poor quality and slow to deploy.

When faced with the Red Army's fast-paced tactics, the entire defensive line was like a sieve.

But this time, he was facing Li Yutang, who had clearly learned from his colleagues' mistakes.

Later, the National Revolutionary Army had a saying: "Three Lis and One Wang".

The three Lis refer to Li Yannian, Li Yutang, and Li Xianzhou, while the one Wang is Wang Yaowu.

At present, on the battlefield in eastern Fujian, all three Lis and one Wang are present except for Li Xianzhou.

Moreover, while Li Xianzhou is gone, Song Xilian, the "hawk and hound general," has been added.

Like Wang Yaowu, he was a renowned general who could withstand adversity.

At this moment, the Nationalist army in Fujian could be described as an all-star lineup.

But Old Li had a good point: "Damn it, I'm going to take down the elite."

There are differences even among famous generals.

After being unsealed and freed from the constraints of rules and regulations, Su Yu and Xun Huaizhou were undoubtedly among the top generals.

So how do we measure whether a famous general is top-notch?

Putting everything else aside, being able to win with fewer troops and handle situations with ease when facing formidable opponents who are also renowned generals is a basic standard.

To make matters worse, these two are currently seething with anger because of their own people, and when they encounter an enemy, they just want to beat them to a pulp.

At this moment, I looked at the huge hordes of enemies on the sand table.

Xun Huaizhou began to outline the course of this war in his mind.

Concentrating military forces may not necessarily be a good thing.

The sieve became a mesh, making it much easier for them to maneuver and weave.

They also simulated a possible counterattack by the Nationalist army, slightly overestimating its deployment and reaction speed.

No problem, as long as the infiltration is done well, the other side won't be able to turn the tide.

Let's do it!!!

Meanwhile, the headquarters of the 3rd Division of the National Revolutionary Army was also holding a military conference.

Chief of Staff Nguyen Vinh Ki stood before the map, his face grave as he reported:

"Recently, the Red Army on the other side has been making frequent unusual movements. The frequency of reports from Red Army scouts has suddenly increased significantly."

"Therefore, the General Staff judged that the enemy's westward movement was not for defense, but for an offensive. Moreover, the target was very likely our 3rd Division."

These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the officers in the conference room.

Xu Yongxiang, commander of the 8th Brigade, slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "Absurd! Our 3rd Division is full of tough guys! Does the Red Army dare to have such a big appetite? Aren't they afraid of breaking their teeth?"

Li Yutang waved his hand, signaling him to calm down: "The Red Army's ability to defeat the 80th Division proves that their field combat strength is quite formidable. But field combat and mountain warfare are two different things."

"The 36th Division is not far from us, and the 9th Division is about to be transferred to the eastern Fujian front. From an overall strategic perspective, this is extremely advantageous to our army. Could this just be a feint?"