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

"Bullshit!" Lu Xingbang turned around and glared at him, his eyes red. "He, Wei Lihuang, the dignified Commander-in-Chief of the Fujian-Zhejiang Bandit Suppression Army, with a large and powerful army under his command, can't even defend the Minjiang River? Is he incompetent, or does he simply not take me seriously at all?"

Chen Changshun shrank back, lowering his voice even further: "Commander, we are currently... dependent on others. If these words get out, it will be difficult to explain."

Lu Xingbang glared at him fiercely, but after a moment, he deflated and plopped back down in his chair.

"Actually, I had long expected the Red Army to head south. Liu Chouxi, that Hunan mule, was causing a ruckus in central Fujian, and the Red Army in eastern Fujian would definitely send reinforcements."

"But I didn't expect that they couldn't even give a warning, and that they would sneak up on me without me even noticing."

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "It's no use talking about this now. Changshun, do you think we should ask Commander Wei for some more reinforcements?"

Chen Changshun shook his head: "Commander, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Even if Commander Wei is willing to send troops, it will take two days by water from Nanping to Youxi, and even longer by mountain road. By the time his men arrive..."

"We've arrived, by which time my bones will have turned to ash." Lu Xingbang finished his sentence for him, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery.

Despite such disheartening and dejected words, no one present refuted them.

They had witnessed it firsthand; the fighting capabilities of the Northern Expeditionary Anti-Japanese Vanguard were simply not on the same level as those of the Red Army in other places.

Let alone an enemy regiment, even if only a battalion came, with their two or three thousand remnants, they had no confidence that they could win.

Lu Xingbang paced around the room with his hands behind his back for a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on the topographical map of the area around Youxi on the wall.

He stared at the map for a while, then turned around, the irritation on his face having mostly subsided.

His old subordinates, who were familiar with his personality, were all immediately impressed.

There's no other reason than that every time he turns around like that and his expression changes like that, his boss is ready to run away.

Sure enough, Lu Xingbang's next words were: "Pack up, let's go back to Shaxian."

Chen Changshun was stunned for a moment: "Commander? Withdraw? We finally managed to retake this territory..."

"We don't want Youxi anymore. If the Red Army wants to attack Youxi, let them. No matter how well the city's fortifications are built, without food and supplies, the soldiers will starve to death. I'm taking the troops back to Shaxian. There's food there; that's our foundation."

He walked to the door and glanced back at the adjutants and staff officers who were still standing there, stunned:

"Don't just stand there, hurry up. Also, before you leave, set fire to the granaries in the city, don't leave a single grain of rice for the Red Army."

Chen Changshun tilted his head. The granary was almost empty, and the commander even sent someone to set it on fire. Was the division commander out of his mind?

In a valley forty miles south of Youxi, Liu Chouxi was squatting behind a large rock, frowning as he looked at a map.

He suffered a setback when attacking Youxi a couple of days ago.

Lu Xingbang was a seasoned veteran; he positioned the reinforcements Wei Lihuang had assigned to him on the hilltop outside the city. His remaining troops, having suffered defeat, clung to the city walls in a desperate defense.

Liu Chouxi felt that attacking the hilltop from above would be too disadvantageous, so he simply took a detour to directly attack the county town. However, he lacked heavy weapons, and the Fujian Central Independent Division had expanded too quickly, resulting in a serious decline in its combat effectiveness.

They attempted to attack twice but failed, and suffered over 200 casualties.

He didn't want to risk lives to fill the city wall, so he temporarily retreated to the south to rest and prepare to wait for reinforcements from eastern Fujian to arrive before taking action.

At that moment, a young man ran breathlessly into the temporary camp and shouted to Liu Chouxi from afar, "Commander! Commander! Good news!"

"Lu Xingbang has escaped! Youxi City has been captured! It was Chief of Staff Su from eastern Fujian who led the troops to take it!"

Liu Chouxi suddenly stood up: "Chief of Staff Su has arrived?"

"We've arrived! We entered the city this morning and heard that a division's main force has come. Wow, those cannons and machine guns are really impressive. They sent me to find you and ask you to bring your troops to join them."

Liu Chouxi turned and shouted towards the camp behind him, "Assemble! Break camp! Head to Youxi!"

The troops set off again, heading north along the mountain road. This time, the march was much faster, and morale was much higher.

Liu Chouxi walked in the middle of the group, pondering what he should say to Su Yu when he saw her.

He had long heard of this Soviet chief of staff, but had never met him.

It is said that in the Battle of Gutian Shuikou, this man single-handedly defeated four divisions of the National Revolutionary Army, making him a true genius of his time.

Whether he was a prodigy or not is another matter, but the fact that he was able to defeat Li Yannian, Song Xilian, and Liu Kan, and incidentally take down Lu Xingbang and Liu Heding, is a testament to his talent.

That skill, that record—just hearing about it sends chills down your spine.

After marching for most of the day, a checkpoint appeared ahead as evening approached.

Dozens of Red Army soldiers stood by the roadside with their guns at the ready. When they saw the troop in the distance, they signaled with their flags.

After the officer in charge confirmed their identities, the checkpoint allowed them to pass.

A Red Army cadre in his early thirties emerged from behind the sentry post and walked towards Liu Chouxi.

He stood ramrod straight, and upon seeing Liu Chouxi, he stood at attention and saluted: "Commander Liu! I am Ma Jiwu, the regimental commander of the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Division of the 11th Red Army. I have been ordered to come and escort you into the city."

Liu Chouxi returned the salute: "Commander Ma, you've worked hard. Where is Chief of Staff Su?"

"The chief of staff is waiting for you in the city. He has already arranged accommodations and hot meals, so you can rest as soon as you arrive."

Liu Chouxi nodded and followed Ma Jiwu along the main road.

As he walked, he observed the group.

Ma Jiwu was followed by a platoon of soldiers, all of whom were in good spirits.

As they marched, their steps were steady and powerful, their formation loose yet subtly forming a peculiar array. Their eyes frequently glanced in all directions, appearing quite vigilant.

After walking for a while, Liu Chouxi made a judgment in his mind: the quality of this army was higher than that of the Northern Expeditionary Army.

As for combat strength, needless to say.

The most important thing in fighting is courage, and the Red Army had no shortage of courage.

As for equipment...

He glanced at it a few more times, and his lips twitched involuntarily. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Commander Ma, did the Fujian-Zhejiang Military Region bring all its most elite troops south this time?"

Ma Jiwu's face showed a surprised expression: "The most elite? I don't think so. Two divisions came south this time, and our regiment is one of them."

"I'm not sure about the configuration of other units, but at least in our regiment, every infantry squad has a light machine gun. This shouldn't be considered the most elite; many main force regiments have this configuration."

Every infantry squad has a light machine gun?! Is this even human language?

Having led troops for many years, he was already considered to be living a good life if he could provide each company with one or two light machine guns.

Everyone knows that the Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Area made several fortunes in succession, but no one expected them to become nouveau riche.

Liu Chouxi swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a strong craving.