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

Li Yutang reluctantly left the county town.

Once outside the city, he went with the flow and resumed control of the retreat.

Pingnan is no longer a safe place; in just one night, Xun Huaizhou has wiped out half of his division.

We don't know when reinforcements will arrive, and if we stay any longer, the remaining half of our division will be wiped out.

By the time the various Nationalist troops from the west and north had assembled at Bijia Mountain, northwest of the county seat, it was already broad daylight.

To the north, in the Jiufeng Mountain area, the Ninth Division, which was confronting the First Division of the Seventh Red Army Corps, was rapidly moving south.

Realizing that Xun Huaizhou intended to continue the pursuit after occupying the county town, Li Yutang decisively turned back.

He told his men that they were not afraid of the Red Army, but rather that they were going to join up with reinforcements and prepare for the next counter-offensive.

But he could only fool himself with those words; how could he possibly fool his gang of seasoned soldiers?

Counterattack? With what can we launch a counterattack?

The county town was occupied, and the armory was gone.

More importantly, Zhenghe in the north was occupied by the Red Army.

This time, they could not linger in Pingnan County during their retreat, otherwise the Red Army to the north could threaten their retreat route from the flank.

We need to continue westward to places like Nanping and Jian'ou before we can be considered safe.

In the command center of Danyang Town, the morning light streamed through the window and onto the tabletop.

Zhou Zeyuan sat at the table, holding a newly delivered telegram from the front lines in his hand, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

The smile was neither one of happiness nor one of mockery.

How would you describe his feelings at this moment?

It's quite complicated!

This was the first time he had experienced the complex mindset of his former direct superiors.

Well, although the process was completely unexpected, the result was good after all!

Le Shaohua and Zeng Hongyi, sitting on the bench, exchanged glances, neither daring to speak first.

Finally, Zeng Hongyi mustered his courage and cautiously asked:

"Comrade Zeyuan... Is there anything wrong with the victory report sent by the Legion Commander?"

Zhou Zeyuan placed the telegram on the table, lightly tapped the paper with his finger, making a crisp sound, and then slowly said:

"He told me to besiege the point and attack reinforcements, but he ended up taking the point. Do you think there's anything wrong with that?"

Le Shaohua's eyes lit up, and he replied, "Wouldn't that be even better? Taking out a brigade of the Third Division would be far more effective than taking out a brigade of Lu Xingbang."

"What kind of troops did Lu Xingbang have? A motley crew among motley crews. The Third Division is a direct descendant of the Central Army. If they wiped out an entire brigade of his, Li Yutang would be heartbroken for years to come."

Zhou Zeyuan shook his head. "This isn't all good news. We've exposed our strength, but we haven't managed to annihilate an entire enemy division."

"Li Yutang's main force is still intact, and the Ninth Division and the Thirty-Sixth Division have not suffered any losses. It won't be easy to find such a good opportunity again later."

"Forget about this. The fighting is over, the battle is won, and the spoils are in hand. There's nothing to regret."

Le Shaohua nodded, reached into his pocket, pulled out a neatly folded telegram, and handed it over.

His movements were somewhat hesitant; he hesitated halfway through handing it over, then retracted it again, but finally presented it to Zhou Zeyuan.

"Comrade Zeyuan... This is the reply from the Central Committee. Don't be too angry after reading it."

Zhou Zeyuan took the telegram and scanned it from top to bottom.

The air in the command center seemed to freeze for a moment.

Zeng Hongyi and Le Shaohua both unconsciously held their breath.

Zhou Zeyuan read very carefully, word by word, his gaze slowly moving across the page. He finished the first page, turned to the second, then the third…

The first part of the Central Committee's reply mainly contained three points.

The first point is that the series of victories achieved by the Northern Expeditionary Force against Japan were all based on the premise that the main force of the Central Committee attracted the main force of the National Army on the main battlefield.

The sacrifices and containment efforts made by the main force made a significant contribution to the victory of the detachment.

The implication is clear: your victory was not due to your own ability to fight, but rather because the main force created the conditions for you.

The second point is that their previously advocated "short and sharp attack" strategy was not wrong in itself; the mistake was that the frontline commanders did not understand their intentions and did not resolutely carry out orders.

The Seventh Red Army Corps did this particularly well, effectively executing the strategic intentions of its superiors, which is why it achieved a series of victories.

The third point carries a hint of instruction.

The telegram concluded that Zhou Zeyuan had not given sufficient consideration to the purity of the ranks when it came to expanding the Red Army and recruiting prisoners of war.

Rapid expansion of the Red Army and indiscriminate recruitment of prisoners of war, while special measures under special circumstances, were detrimental to organizational development and the long-term growth of the Red Army.

It was required that in subsequent work, while strengthening military construction, cultural, ideological, and political propaganda efforts should also be intensified.

Zhou Zeyuan was overjoyed after reading it.

The entire article makes no accusations, does not label him as a "right-wing opportunist," and does not question his political stance.

Even the harshest words were only to ask him to "uphold his party spirit as a party member" and "resolutely obey the orders of the Central Committee," using an admonitory tone.

He vaguely remembered that before the Red Army's westward expedition, there had already been many criticisms of the Central Military Commission's decisions.

As the situation gradually deteriorated, beset by internal and external troubles, Zhou Zeyuan concluded that the two of them were not as calm as they appeared on the surface.

Use a letter of suggestion with a very clear meaning but rather tactful wording to test the waters.

The result was pretty good!

Now the Seventh Red Army Corps and the Mindong Soviet Area can proceed with their affairs without any further burdens.

He turned to the last page and his gaze fell on the last few lines of text.

There was a message there that was buried in a long string of platitudes and nonsense, but his eyes caught it immediately.

The Central Committee is preparing to send a highly respected elder to the Eastern Fujian Soviet Area to be in charge of Party building and cultural propaganda.

Zhou Zeyuan's gaze lingered on this line of text.

This is to decentralize power.

He finally understood why Le Shaohua had told him "not to be too angry" earlier.

If it were any other military commander, who had just fought valiantly on the front lines to establish a foothold, and then someone from the central government came to take away their power, anyone would be furious.

What might infuriate others is, for Zhou Zeyuan, more like the beginning of a game of chess.

Fighting with others is endlessly enjoyable.

He is never afraid of his opponent as long as the game is fair.

In eastern Fujian today, he has deep roots, with trusted people placed in every line and every key position, from the military to local areas, from logistics to intelligence, from base area construction to military command.

He fears no enemy, whether internal or external.

However, the telegram was vague and did not specify which elder statesman was coming.

However, Zhou Zeyuan didn't care too much; he wasn't afraid of anyone except his teacher.

It's just a pity that teachers have such a high status and such great influence.

If they were sent over, it would be equivalent to Wu Zetian sending a prince of the Li family to the grasslands for a marriage alliance.

Most likely, they will send a centrist elder, the kind with an excellent reputation, to put themselves in a difficult position.

Of course, riding a tiger is impossible; tigers are big cats that you have to stroke their fur gently.

The only odd thing is that this move was at least 99% effective, which is not the level that the other two should have.