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

In Datian County.

Commander Wu of the security regiment was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the command post.

The gunfire outside the city was intense, and the Red Army's offensive was "fierce." He sent several telegrams to the 45th Division in Le'an requesting reinforcements, each one more urgent than the last.

"Where are the reinforcements? Where are Brigade Commander Chen's reinforcements?" he roared at the communications soldier.

The communications soldier said tremblingly, "Commander, the last telegram was sent an hour ago... after that, we lost contact..."

"Can't get in touch?" Commander Wu's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition enveloped him.

Is it...

Just then, a soldier guarding the city wall ran up in a panic to report: "Commander! Something bad has happened! A group of people have come down from the city wall, carrying white flags, and their leader is tied up. It looks like...it looks like Brigade Commander Chen from the 45th Division!"

"What?!" Commander Wu's head buzzed, and he scrambled up the city wall.

Not far from the city, dozens of Red Army soldiers were seen escorting a dozen dejected prisoners.

The leader, with his hands tied behind his back, his clothes disheveled, and his cap badge removed, was none other than Brigade Commander Chen.

A Red Army cadre, holding a tin megaphone, shouted towards the city wall: "Listen up, defenders inside! Your 45th Division's reinforcement brigade has been completely annihilated! Brigade Commander Chen Guanbiao has been captured! Continuing to resist will only lead to your death!"

"You have one hour to open the city gates and surrender. The Red Army guarantees to treat prisoners well and forgive any past transgressions! Otherwise, when the city falls, you will be severely punished!"

Brigade Commander Chen was pushed to the front, his face ashen. He opened his mouth towards the city wall, as if to say something, but in the end he just shook his head in despair.

Commander Wu was on the verge of a breakdown as he looked at the nightmarish scene below the city!

No, brother, I was waiting for you to save my life. How come you became a prisoner of the Red Army first? How can you do this to me?

The air on the city wall seemed to freeze. Only the clear and powerful voice of the Red Army propagandist urging surrender echoed continuously.

Even Wang Shichong couldn't withstand such a scene, so what merit does Commander Wu have?

But surrender was out of the question. He knew the Red Army's policies all too well. People like him, who trafficked in opium, forced women into prostitution, and robbed and plundered, were only spared being torn to pieces because no executioner could be found.

If they fell into the hands of the Red Army, being shot would be a certainty.

Rather than sit and wait to die, let's take a gamble!

Commander Wu abruptly drew his pistol from his waist, pointed it down at the city walls, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Nonsense! Brothers, don't believe it! Half an hour ago, Brigade Commander Chen sent me a telegram saying they had broken through the Red Army's blocking force and were on their way! This is a fake! They're trying to trick us into opening the city!"

As he shouted, he fired two shots in the direction of Brigade Commander Chen below the city.

The distance was too far, and the bullets from the Mauser pistol had flown off somewhere.

But the sudden gunfire terrified Brigade Commander Chen, who was below the city. His first instinct was to hide behind the Red Army soldiers, and he immediately cursed, "Wu Guanwen! You bastard! You actually fired?! I'll haunt you even in death!"

His dodging and cursing, though his voice was distorted by fear, made many of the veteran soldiers on the city wall, who were already feeling uneasy, realize that this really seemed to be Brigade Commander Chen!

Seeing this, Commander Wu knew things were going badly. Just as he was about to shout something to calm the troops down, the Red Army below the city had already lost patience.

"Stubborn fool!" The Red Army cadre holding the tin megaphone sneered and waved his hand behind him.

Two muffled thuds were heard, followed by a sharp whooshing sound.

"Fire! Take cover!" shouted an experienced veteran on the city wall.

Before the words were even finished, two mortar shells struck the vicinity of the city wall almost simultaneously! Bricks and stones flew into the air, and several militiamen who couldn't dodge in time were thrown to the ground with screams, covered in blood.

The violent tremors and the threat of death threw the already anxious defenders into complete disarray.

Commander Wu was also jolted and staggered, his ears ringing. Suppressing his fear, he brandished his pistol and continued shouting:

"Hold on! Hold on, all of you! Ten silver dollars for every Red Army soldier killed! No, twenty! Just hold on for another half hour, and reinforcements will arrive! I'm going to send a telegram right now to urge them..."

As he shouted, he subconsciously tried to slip down the city wall.

However, as soon as he turned around, he suddenly felt something hard pressing against his waist.

Commander Wu froze, turning his head with great difficulty.

What came into view was a face with a hideous knife scar. The owner of this face was He Laosan, the battalion commander of his security regiment and a brother he had taken in when he was a wanderer in the underworld.

He Laosan was holding a loaded Mauser pistol, the muzzle pressed firmly against his waist.

"He Laosan? You bastard! How dare you betray me?!"

He Laosan's scar twitched. "Commander, I'm sorry. It might have only been you who died, so don't drag the brothers down with you."

He raised his voice and shouted to the dumbfounded militiamen and guards around him:

"Brothers! Reinforcements are gone! The brigade commander has been captured! The Red Army has artillery! If we keep fighting, we'll all be killed! The Red Army said they'll treat prisoners well! Lay down your guns, and you might have a chance to live!"

"Commander He is right!"

"We're not fighting anymore! We surrender!"

"Raise the white flag!"

The defending troops, already terrified by the shelling, had lost all will to fight. Someone shouted first, and immediately a large group responded.

Among them, the best-paid were the guards of the various families. As private bodyguards, they were never owed wages. With the support of their respective employers, they all lived well and were highly respected in the surrounding villages.

But in the end, with only a few dollars a month, why risk your life?

Despite some setbacks, the Seventh Red Army Corps captured Datian County without losing a single soldier.

The more than 500 security guards and servants in the city, as well as the guards and servants sent by various families to assist in the defense, all surrendered.

The Red Army seized more than 300 rifles of various types, dozens of pistols, and a certain amount of ammunition and food in one go.

Including the spoils from the ambush, the Northern Expeditionary Anti-Japanese Vanguard captured more than 2,200 guns in a single day.

Including the scattered spoils on the way to Datian County, the entire advance team now possessed 5,500 firearms of various types, and a total of 120,000 rounds of rifle and machine gun ammunition.

The armed force rate was artificially inflated from just over 30% to 60%.

Their strength certainly wouldn't double.

However, even if they couldn't wipe out the main force of the National Revolutionary Army, it wouldn't be too difficult to defeat them head-on, or even wipe out a part of the enemy force.

At this point, Zhou Zeyuan's initial goal can be considered achieved.

The disastrous defeat of Fuzhou, which resulted in a prolonged siege and heavy losses at the hands of the Nationalist 89th Division, was partly due to underestimating the enemy and allowing them to seize high ground.

Ultimately, the problem stemmed from the weakness of the troops and their insufficient counterattack, which resulted in them being defeated by the enemy.

But now, if this situation were to occur again...

I have twenty years of experience in this punch. I don't know if he can withstand it.