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

In chaotic times, only those with troops can become kings.

With this in mind, Lu Xingbang left without any psychological burden, completely disregarding the fact that the Minjiang River defense line, which was originally quite intact, had been breached by him.

After capturing Youxi, Su Yu immediately deployed troops and set up firing points at Zhanghu Slope in Youxikou to intercept and inspect passing ships.

This once again cut off the Nationalist army's water transport on the Minjiang River.

Just when Lu Xingbang thought Su Yu would lead the Fujian Independent Division to launch a counterattack and fight the Nationalist army along the Minjiang River to the death.

Unexpectedly, after the Red Army joined forces, this force of up to 2 men headed straight for Shaxian.

In Lu Xingbang's mind, a minor warlord like himself was never a primary target of the Red Army.

Countless times, when they couldn't win, they would retreat to their stronghold, and the Red Army would basically not pursue them to the death.

But times have changed.

In the past, we couldn't do anything about these small warlords; forcibly taking them over would have been counterproductive.

The Red Army soldiers deeply abhorred these bandit troops who committed atrocities. Now, with their strong and well-equipped forces, they could not do anything to the Kuomintang army for the time being, but they were more than capable of dealing with these warlords.

In Su Yu's view, it was essential for the Red Army to take root in central Fujian and defeat these local bullies.

After the Battle of Gutian, Lu Xingbang's bandit army should have been wiped out, but Wei Lihuang gave them a blood transfusion, and they were able to rise from the ashes again.

To avoid repeating the same mistake, this time we must strike hard and eradicate it completely, burning it to ashes and scattering it clean.

Moreover, Su Yu's considerations went beyond this. The Fujian Central Independent Division had just been established and needed a victory to build confidence. Having two divisions to back them up would make this battle risk-free.

Defeating Lu Xingbang, this elite monster, will not only yield gold coins but also increase combat experience. Why not?

Wei Lihuang, who was already overwhelmed with the fall of Pucheng, breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the Red Army in the south was heading towards Shaxian.

As for Lu Xingbang's fate, all I can say is that if he can buy me some time, then my support for him back then won't have been in vain.

If he escapes alive, a position as a senior councilor in Nanjing will still be reserved for him.

What if he dies?

It would be even better if he died; the Party and the State would have gained another general who died a heroic death.

At this moment, he is focused on gathering troops and preparing to retake Pucheng.

Let alone Lu Xingbang, even if the entire Minzhong High School were to be overrun, the principal wouldn't care.

The Northern Route Army's general offensive has reached its most critical moment. The frontline troops are winning one victory after another and are about to advance to the enemy's capital, Ruijin.

At this critical juncture, all military decisions must give way to the Northern Route Army.

Therefore, no further problems were allowed to occur on the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway. This was the principal's final task for him before he officially stepped down.

That's right, his resignation letter wasn't rejected, and his first stop on his overseas inspection tour was already set: the romantic city of Paris.

The principal sent him a handwritten letter to comfort him, temporarily relieving him of his post and sending him abroad on a government-sponsored trip to relax. He would be given another important task once the storm had passed.

This put his mind at ease.

The principal still cherishes old friendships.

However, Wei Lihuang was also very clear that all of this was on the premise that he had to stand firm at his post until the very end.

What he didn't know was that Zhou Zeyuan, who was on the front lines, had no intention of fighting him head-on and had even prepared to retreat.

North of Pucheng, the mountains and forests stretch endlessly, and autumn is in full swing.

A group of about forty or fifty people were hurrying along a mountain path.

Everyone was dressed in the clothes of ordinary people, with gray-brown short jackets, patched trousers, and carrying bundles and bamboo baskets on their backs. They looked no different from the mountain people who had fled from disaster.

However, upon closer observation, one can see that their marching formation maintains a certain order.

Some men scouted ahead, others stood guard on both flanks, and at the very back followed several men carrying rifles, their steps steady and their eyes alert.

The men in the middle of the group weren't carrying guns, but each of them had a satchel or cloth bag slung over their back, which they held with their hands as they walked, as if protecting some vital organ.

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire came from behind.

Then came a cacophony of shouts, interspersed with screams, as more people were shot and fell to the ground.

A Red Army platoon leader, who was at the rear of the column and responsible for covering the rear, turned around and saw at least a hundred men chasing after him on the winding mountain road behind him, firing their guns as they went, looking very aggressive.

The platoon leader gritted his teeth and shouted to the soldiers beside him, "Hold on! Don't let them catch up!"

After saying that, he picked up his gun and fired a shot in the direction of the pursuers. A Nationalist soldier who was at the forefront fell to the ground.

Several soldiers nearby also opened fire, temporarily slowing down the pursuers.

But the enemy clearly had the advantage in numbers. Several machine guns were set up and swept in this direction, and two soldiers next to the platoon leader fell down with a thud.

On the mountain road behind, a Nationalist army battalion commander rode a skinny horse, waving his pistol and shouting:

"Hurry! Charge forward! Those guys up ahead are definitely big fish! Five hundred silver dollars for catching a Red Army commander!"

Wealth is a powerful motivator; this amount of money is enough for many families to live comfortably for several years.

This is definitely a large sum of money that could change one's life!

Upon hearing this, the Nationalist soldiers, who had initially been somewhat hesitant, turned red-eyed, picked up their rifles, and charged forward. The Red Army soldiers behind them were so riddled with bullets that they could not lift their heads.

Zhang, who was walking at the front of the group, heard the gunshots and shouts of killing getting closer and closer behind him, and his heart sank.

He was in his early forties, with a short beard, and looked like a frail scholar, but his steps were not slow.

He glanced back at the approaching pursuers, then at the seemingly endless mountain road ahead, and was about to urge the person beside him to hurry when a deep, powerful sound suddenly came from ahead.

That was the sound of horses' hooves.

At the bend in the mountain road ahead, dust rose as a troop of cavalry roared out.

Zhang Gong's heart tightened. If it were the Nationalist army's cavalry, then this hundred-plus pounds of meat would probably be lost here today.

But upon closer inspection, he noticed that the men in the cavalry were wearing grey-blue military uniforms, with red five-pointed stars on their octagonal caps, and rifles and ammunition pouches hanging on either side of their saddles.

They are Red Army cavalry!

The company commander leading the group held the reins with both hands, his back ramrod straight.

He could see the ragged "commoners" on the mountain road and the Nationalist army chasing after them from behind.

Without a word, he drew his Mauser pistol from his waist and shouted to the troops behind him, "Prepare for battle! First platoon, left flank deployed; second platoon, follow me!"

Dozens of warhorses quickly dispersed on the mountain road, the dust kicked up by their hooves almost covering the entire road.

Before the Nationalist soldiers who had rushed close could react, they saw the cavalrymen in front of them already raising their rifles.

The crisp sound of Ma Sihuan's gunshot suddenly rang out in the valley. Several Nationalist soldiers at the forefront fell to the ground. Before the others could even lie down, the cavalry had already rushed up to them.