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

"Absurd!" Wei Lihuang slammed his hand on the table.

The command room fell silent instantly. Several staff officers stood up straight, not daring to breathe.

"What do you take the Red Army for? A Red Army cadre who is so young and has already been appointed to an important position, and you actually treat him as someone with connections?"

The command room was completely silent.

The fact that the young Red Army commanders were not to be trifled with was known not only to the outlaws but also to the high command of the Nationalist army.

But then again, can a deputy be considered a leader?

This is a true reflection of the inner thoughts of many high-ranking officers in the National Revolutionary Army. After all, in the National Revolutionary Army system, the difference between a principal officer and a deputy officer is like heaven and earth.

But no one dared to say this to Wei Lihuang's face.

Guo Jiqiao was momentarily speechless, then quickly lowered his head: "Chief, please calm down. I will immediately send people to gather intelligence on Zhou Zeyuan."

Before the words were finished, footsteps came from the doorway.

Everyone turned to look, and an officer in a lieutenant general's uniform strode in.

It was Li Yannian who had just arrived in Nanping.

Wei Lihuang looked up and saw him, a smile appearing on his face: "Oh, Jifu, you've come at the right time. I've been wanting to consult you about something."

Li Yannian stood at attention and saluted, adopting a very humble posture: "What instructions does the Commander-in-Chief have? I am but a defeated general and dare not accept such courtesy from the Commander-in-Chief."

"Haha, you trying to pull that on me?" Wei Lihuang waved his hand, then glanced at the staff officers beside him. "What are you all standing there for? Get Commander Li a seat!"

The staff officer quickly brought over a chair.

Li Yannian declined a couple more times before finally sitting down, only managing to sit on half of his buttocks.

Wei Lihuang picked up the stack of documents on the table, shook it, and got straight to the point: "Jifu, I've read through all the battle reports you sent over."

"The previous defeat wasn't entirely your fault. If I had been in command, the result wouldn't have been much better. Jifu, don't you think this group of Red Army soldiers is quite different?"

Li Yannian nodded solemnly: "Commander-in-Chief, that's exactly what I think. These past few days, I've exchanged many telegrams with Chen Mingren and Li Yutang, reviewing the situation again and again, and finally found the crux of this defeat."

"Oh? Then stop keeping me in suspense and tell me."

Li Yannian looked directly at Wei Lihuang: "Since last year, our army has been gradually advancing with fortification tactics and has achieved great success."

"This was certainly due to the valiant efforts of our soldiers. But on the other hand, it was also because the Red Army's tactics were becoming increasingly rigid and inflexible."

"But this unit reminds me more of the Red Army during the first three encirclement campaigns. Their tactics are extremely flexible, imaginative, and unconventional."

At this point, his words seemed to get stuck in his throat, and he coughed twice before continuing, "I feel... that man, it seems, has returned."

Wei Lihuang's gaze sharpened slightly, he remained silent for a few seconds, and then shook his head:

"Impossible, it's definitely not him. Given his status, he wouldn't command a small force. It's more likely that his student will be the one fighting us."

"I know, it's Xun Huaizhou. He participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising, went to Jinggang Mountain, and his fighting style is unpredictable and ever-changing. He is definitely a formidable enemy of the Party and the State."

Wei Lihuang's attention was immediately drawn to this sentence. "Xun Huaizhou...you've fought him before, tell me—what's this guy really like?"

Li Yannian spent more than ten minutes recounting in detail what he knew about Xun Huaizhou's combat experience and command style.

From the raid on Fuzhou to the blocking battle at Nanjishan, and then to the siege of Pingnan, he recounted each and every one of them with great familiarity.

Wei Lihuang listened very attentively, occasionally interrupting to ask questions about a few details.

The two talked more and more deeply, and several more marks were drawn on the map spread out on the table.

Previously, the suspicion and doubt about Zhou Zeyuan, the young deputy corps commander, were completely swayed by Li Yannian's words.

Later, when he saw the intelligence about Zhou Zeyuan sent by his subordinates, he immediately mocked himself for being too paranoid.

How high can the command level be of the commander of a local independent division?

After finishing their conversation about Xun Huaizhou, Wei Lihuang's gaze fell on the location of Gutian on the map, and he pointed to it:

"Song Xilian is having a tough time at Gutian. The opposing commander should be this Xun Huaizhou. In your opinion, should we send reinforcements, or should we withdraw decisively?"

Li Yannian did not answer immediately. He stared at the map for a while before slowly speaking:

"Commander, how can we determine whether this Gutian incident is another instance of the Red Army besieging a point to ambush reinforcements? In my opinion, unless we concentrate an overwhelming force, we should not rashly implement the piecemeal tactics."

Wei Lihuang nodded: "Alright, I'll do as you say. Order Song Xilian to break out tomorrow night and lead his troops to Shuikou. Order Liu Kan to lead his troops to Gutian to provide support. Jifu, how many divisions do you think we should need with this overwhelming force?"

"The Red Army had five fully-strength infantry divisions, each one brave and skilled in battle. They were adept at concentrating their forces to fight decisive battles."

"Therefore, I think we need to concentrate eight divisions, no less than 60,000 troops, in at least one direction to break through their defenses with overwhelming force."

"Eight divisions, hmm! If we really want to, we can muster that many. But the problem is, there are no major rivers flowing through eastern Fujian. How are we going to transport our food and supplies up there?"

Li Yannian paused for a moment, then shook his head somewhat awkwardly: "This... I haven't thought about it yet."

"You didn't think of that, but I did." Wei Lihuang stood up and walked to the map. "When the 19th Route Army rebelled, I led my troops into Fujian to quell the rebellion, so I am quite familiar with the mountains and rivers here."

"Concentrating forces on one route is a tactic that can only be employed in coastal ports and river valleys. Otherwise, if the enemy adopts a scorched-earth policy, even a large number of troops will starve to death."

Li Yannian stood up, hands at his sides: "Please give your instructions, Commander."

Wei Lihuang turned around, his eyes gleaming with confidence: "My strategy for suppressing bandits is very simple: lure the Red Army into launching an attack, and severely damage or even annihilate the main force of the Red Army along the Minjiang River."

"Don't they prefer fighting on the front lines? That's perfect, we'll wipe out their manpower right here on our own turf."

He tapped his finger back and forth between Gutian and Shuikou twice. "I can make a bold prediction: once the enemy takes Gutian, they will be greedy and go on to occupy Shuikou, Zhanghuban, and other places, cutting off the Minjiang River waterway. As for me, I will strike back and surround and annihilate them."

Upon hearing this, Li Yannian took half a step back and solemnly saluted: "General, your insight is truly remarkable. I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

Normally, Wei Lihuang would put himself in the position of a Red Army commander and conduct the next strategic simulation.

The final conclusion should not deviate too far from the facts.

But no one expected that Zhou Zeyuan, who had always been able to withstand the will of the central government, would choose to back down this time.

Of course, Zhou Zeyuan couldn't predict when the captain would make his move.

Neither side could predict the other's next move, and both sides were affected by external factors, so in a sense, it was a draw.