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

Huang Ligui shook his head: "That's not what I meant. I just think that if we could have more time to train the militia in the base area to have a certain combat capability and cooperate with the regular army of the military region for defense, then the defense of the entire Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Area would be impregnable."

Zhou Zeyuan glanced at Huang Ligui, confirming that the comrade's inner thoughts were consistent with his current words.

He sighed inwardly. Huang Ligui had always been the most obedient to the central government's orders, but after being transferred to the military region, he began to consider the actual situation of the Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Area more.

This is understandable; with such a promising situation, everyone is worried that it could all be destroyed in the blink of an eye.

He advised, "Time isn't something you wait for; it's something you fight for. The militia training needs to be expedited, but the actual military operations shouldn't be affected by it."

"As long as it aligns with the overall strategic situation, we will fight if we are prepared, and we will fight even if we are not prepared."

Su Yu then stated, "I agree with this idea. Are we not prepared, but the Kuomintang is? I don't think they really have the strength to launch a large-scale invasion of our base areas."

"To ensure the safety of the base areas, we should take the initiative to fight out and bring the flames of war to the Kuomintang-controlled areas. Just like Comrade Huaizhou this time, his advance into western Zhejiang tied down at least 100,000 Kuomintang troops."

Ye Fei nodded: "I agree. But the question now is how to fight? Where to fight? Commander, please give us some direction."

Zhou Zeyuan smiled faintly, "I'm a person who values ​​democracy the most. How can I make such a big decision as strategic direction all by myself? Let's hear everyone's opinions first."

Everyone turned their attention to Chief of Staff Su Yu.

Su Yu didn't refuse, took two steps forward, and pointed to the location of central Fujian on the map:

"Then let me first express my opinion. Since Comrade Liu Chouxi arrived in central Fujian, the revolutionary situation there has been turbulent."

"Now Lu Xingbang is leading his troops in a standoff with the Fujian Central Independent Division in Youxi, and the situation has reached a delicate balance."

"At this moment, all it takes is for a single elite force to strike and completely turn the tide in our favor, thereby gaining greater strategic space."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Le Shaohua, who was usually very low-key, suddenly spoke up: "The Central Committee will not agree to this."

Everyone was somewhat surprised, wondering what kind of trouble this political commissar, who had been lying low for so long, had caused today.

Some people were deep in thought, some were staring intently at Le Shaohua, and others glanced at Yu Qiubai, who was sitting at the main table.

Ultimately, Le Shaohua was still the political commissar of the corps and one of the members of the five-person leadership group.

He wants to express his opinion, and no one can stop him.

Zhou Zeyuan tapped the table with his pen. "Comrade Political Commissar, feel free to speak your mind."

Seeing that everyone's attention was on him, Le Shaohua stopped being mysterious and said, "In the end, the situation in central Fujian is just a small-scale operation. It's far from the political center, and we don't have any elite Nationalist troops to annihilate. How can this help relieve the pressure on the central government?"

Su Yu glanced at him with interest, then turned her head slightly: "Oh? I wonder what insightful opinion Comrade Political Commissar has?"

"I dare not presume to offer such insightful opinions," Le Shaohua said calmly. "I should say that I am merely reiterating the proposal that Comrade Su Yu once put forward."

"Oh? I've proposed many solutions; which one are you referring to?"

Le Shaohua stood up, walked to the map, and drew his finger northward along the direction of northern Fujian: "Advance to northwestern Fujian, capture Pucheng, Nanping and other places, and connect with the Fujian-Zhejiang-Jiangxi Soviet Area."

Once again, everyone present was stunned by the political commissar's shocking remarks.

This plan was proposed in its very early stages; at the time, it was merely a vision for the future.

Logically speaking, now that we are stronger, there's nothing wrong with implementing such a plan.

The key issue is that times have changed, and Nanping has become the location of the enemy's Fujian-Zhejiang anti-bandit headquarters, heavily guarded and with strong city defenses.

If they really launch a direct attack, they probably won't come out on top either.

Huang Ligui lightly slapped the table: "Comrade Political Commissar, if we fight like this, of course we can attract the attention of the Nationalist army and relieve the pressure on the Central Committee. But have you thought about our fate? Or do you really think you have the ability to win this battle?"

Le Shaohua spread his hands, his face bearing an almost rogue-like expression: "To be honest, I don't have that ability. But I'm not a frontline commander. I just thought Comrade Zeyuan and Comrade Su Yu had the ability, so I proposed this plan."

"Moreover, from a strategic point of view, once the Min-Northwest Passage is breached, there will be a stable channel for the troop movement and the exchange of personnel and supplies between the two Soviet areas, and our overall strength will be able to reach a new level."

Zhou Zeyuan chuckled and shook his head: "Comrade Political Commissar, I'm very happy that you think so highly of me. Of course, I'm even happier that you've become so humble. It seems that your recent work at the grassroots level has made you less impetuous."

Yu Qiubai's gaze fell on Zhou Zeyuan: "Comrade Zeyuan, if you say so, do you also agree with this strategy?"

"Um, I don't completely agree. Comrade Su Yu, could you tell me what the problem is with this strategy?"

Everyone turned their attention to Su Yu, who was frowning and deep in thought.

He didn't speak immediately, but stared at the map for a while before slowly saying, "We really missed a great opportunity."

Some people were confused, but Zhou Zeyuan said, "Are you regretting it now? You shouldn't have gone south into the Minjiang River after the Battle of Gutian."

Instead, shouldn't we concentrate the elite forces of the entire Soviet area to capture Pucheng in one fell swoop and join forces with the comrades in Huaizhou, who then controlled the Jinqu Basin?

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at the map.

Indeed, Songxi County, located in the northwesternmost corner of the base area, is now closely connected with Pucheng, and some guerrilla areas have even penetrated into Pucheng's territory.

Further north from Pucheng lies a mountain road stretching for hundreds of kilometers. Although rugged and difficult to traverse, no large-scale Nationalist army troops are stationed there.

Then they traveled all the way to Jiangshan County on the west side of the Jinqu Basin, which had been briefly occupied by Xun Huaizhou.

Someone gasped. This was truly a missed opportunity.

Just think, if Xun Huaizhou had received their reinforcements at that time, he might not have had to give up the Jinqu Basin and could have directly crushed the Kuomintang's offensive on the front.

Zhou Zeyuan, however, poured cold water on the idea: "What are you all thinking? The chief of staff has gone mad, and you all follow suit? If we really do this, what will become of the Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Area?"

"Let me tell you, don't learn from the chief of staff. He always likes to push the limits of troop strength and time in battle. You must never do that. You don't have his strong adaptability, and you might end up with the whole army wiped out."

The crowd calmed down, and the excitement on their faces subsided somewhat.

Su Yu gave a wry smile: "I'm not regretting it. What's there to regret about what happened in the past? I just want to reflect on it so that the same thing won't happen again and I won't miss the opportunity."