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

These are tens of thousands of mouths to feed, all of them strong laborers, each with a big belly.

If local troops are also included, the total number of full-time personnel in the entire Mindong Soviet Area reached an astonishing 50,000.

Le Shaohua was naturally aware of these figures.

His tone remained calm: "Comrade Zeyuan, you can't just think about the bad things; you also need to think about the good things."

"The guerrilla areas and base areas of Ruorong, Xiapu and Gutian counties are basically adjacent, and the local grain-producing areas can also be used by us."

"The Nationalist troops in Ningde and Fu'an have concentrated their forces around the county towns, and the vast countryside has been taken over by our guerrillas."

"In addition, underground party members and private merchants in the plains along the Minjiang River in northern Fuzhou, Minqing, Houguan and other areas continuously transported food and supplies into the base area."

"At that time, as long as you had money, you could buy food. You might think that 1.5 million people were feeding 50,000 people, but in reality, the farmers who provided us with food numbered over 2 million."

After hearing these words, Zhou Zeyuan remained silent for a moment.

He admitted that he had indeed been somewhat arrogant before.

Compared to these veteran comrades who have worked their way up from the grassroots, he is ultimately lacking in experience and in his way of thinking.

To put it simply, they have limited knowledge and experience.

He subconsciously only considered the productivity of the controlled area, but ignored an important characteristic of the base: its survival largely depended on the supply of materials from the White Area.

Compared to the past, the smuggling capabilities of the Mindong Soviet Area have undoubtedly made a qualitative leap.

If it is not possible to bypass the anti-smuggling checkpoints and bribe the relevant personnel, the goods may be seized.

The local Party committee delivered the intelligence to the field troops in the Soviet area.

You can't do it secretly!

Then I, too, have some knowledge of martial arts!

Under these circumstances, the troops can rest and recuperate for a period of time.

Summarize experiences and conduct targeted training.

Zhou Zeyuan said, "It seems we won't have to worry about food in the short term. We also don't need to rush our advance into southern Zhejiang; we have more time to prepare."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Hongyi's face lit up with joy.

What's so great about going to southern Zhejiang? Eastern Fujian is so much safer!

In his view, relying on existing bases to steadily expand outwards is the safest and most profitable approach, with low risk and high returns.

He immediately picked up the thread: "The biggest weakness of our Eastern Fujian Soviet Area is that the connection between the Lianluo area and the Northern Fujian region is too weak."

"Therefore, the most urgent task is to repair the road leading to Pingnan. If the enemy attacks, we must ensure that reinforcements can arrive within three days."

"Otherwise, our base will be effectively divided into two large parts, each fighting its own battle, which would be very dangerous."

Le Shaohua frowned and said, "But the situation in the central government is extremely urgent, and we urgently need to make a breakthrough in southern Zhejiang..."

Zhou Zeyuan waved his hand: "There's no use in rushing. We just finished a major battle, and our soldiers are exhausted and in dire need of rest. Besides, we have so many prisoners under our control; if we don't handle them properly, it will be a big problem."

Zeng Hongyi quickly chimed in, "Yes! If we have the time to handle it properly, it would be a great tonic."

"If five thousand of these ten thousand men join our Red Army, our strength will increase significantly."

"Moreover, these prisoners are all strong laborers, and they will be indispensable in the subsequent bridge and road construction."

Zhou Zeyuan was slightly surprised!

Oh ho, that sounds familiar. Shouldn't I be the one saying that?

Sure enough, Le Shaohua immediately retorted: "Comrade Hongyi, do you know what you're doing? This is a violation of discipline!"

"Did you also use these Kuomintang prisoners of war in the construction of the Lianluo Highway? If so, you should make a self-criticism as soon as possible, and the Party will treat you leniently."

Zeng Hongyi, however, was not to be outdone. He was a veteran Party member, very familiar with the Party Constitution and Party discipline, and since he dared to do it, he naturally found the corresponding legal provisions.

"Comrade Shaohua, how can you slander someone's name out of thin air? My Red Army treats prisoners of war well and would never beat or mistreat them; I know this better than you do. But not everyone can enjoy the treatment of prisoners of war."

"The Kuomintang diehards, especially those officers who refuse to accept reform, are given appropriate ideological education and labor reform, which is also based on policy."

"Hmph," Zhou Zeyuan was really holding back his laughter, but in the end he couldn't help but let out a sound.

God the hell out for labor reform.

How strenuous is the labor involved in road construction?

Hardworking farmers need to rest for several days after finishing their work.

The officers of the Kuomintang and the officers of the Red Army cannot be compared. With very few exceptions, most Kuomintang officers were used to a life of luxury.

If they had to carry pickaxes and work for ten days or half a month, they would have truly "deeply experienced the hardships of the working class at the bottom of society."

But who knows? Maybe it can actually transform some die-hard elements?

Le Shaohua was stunned.

He glanced at Zhou Zeyuan, then at Zeng Hongyi.

Zeng Hongyi stood tall, looking quite self-righteous.

Finally, he said blankly, "Comrade Hongyi...you've made quite a bit of progress lately."

After the meeting, Zhou Zeyuan kept Zeng Hongyi behind to continue discussing the specific details of the road construction project.

Le Shaohua walked out of the conference room with a blank expression on his face, but in his heart he was cursing Zeng Hongyi, that scab!

He walked back to the Special Committee compound, and just as he reached the gate, he saw a middle-aged man in an old military uniform coming out.

Le Shaohua recognized the man as Zhang, a captain of the maritime guerrilla team. Zhang had been commended for successfully completing a large arms smuggling deal with a foreign businessman.

The man saw him too, stood at attention, and saluted: "Comrade Political Commissar!"

Le Shaohua returned the salute: "Comrade Zhang, what are you doing...?"

"Oh, I just reported to Secretary Su about the maritime transport. A new batch of machine parts and medicines has arrived," Captain Zhang replied with a smile.

Le Shaohua's heart skipped a beat: "Oh, that's perfect. Let me see if we have anything the arsenal needs."

As he spoke, he walked toward the office of Deputy Secretary Su Da.

Pushing open the door, Su Da was sitting at the desk organizing documents. Seeing Le Shaohua enter, he stood up: "Comrade Shaohua, what can I do for you?"

Le Shaohua didn't stand on ceremony, pulled up a chair and sat down, getting straight to the point:

"Comrade Su Da, you've been working in eastern Fujian for so long, are you familiar with the surrounding mineral resources?"

"You want..."

"Our base area has expanded, right? I think the Military Industry Commission should also integrate the mineral resources."

"Especially for the coal, iron, zinc, lead, and copper needed for military production, we must ensure self-sufficiency in raw materials as much as possible. We cannot rely on buying everything from the White areas."

"If the Kuomintang tightens its blockade one day, our arsenal will have to stop production."

Su Da's eyes lit up: "Comrade Shaohua, your idea is truly visionary!"

"If the arsenal wants to expand its production capacity in the future, the supply of raw materials will indeed be the biggest bottleneck. Okay, let's make a plan as soon as possible, and I will fully cooperate with your work."

Le Shaohua was extremely pleased with himself.

Old Zeng, Old Zeng! What kind of skill is it to just build a road?

I can build guns and cannons. In terms of revolutionary contributions, I'm miles ahead of you!