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

At this moment, the cavalrymen demonstrated what it meant to be "two guns in one hand".

At long range, use the Mauser 4-ring rifle for accurate shooting. When the distance closes, hang the rifle on the saddle, grab the Mauser pistol from your waist, and fire a burst of fire.

The gunfire from the Mauser C96 was even more intense than that from the rifles, like a sudden storm sweeping through, causing chaos and defeat for the Nationalist troops.

The Nationalist army battalion commander who had been shouting "a reward of five hundred silver dollars" hadn't even had time to turn his horse around and run away when he was knocked to the ground by a bullet. His foot was still caught in the stirrup, and he was dragged more than ten meters away by the frightened horse.

In just one encounter, the pursuing Nationalist army completely collapsed.

Those who were alive turned around and ran back.

Fortunately, the cavalry company showed no intention of pursuing them.

The company commander reined in his horse, glanced at the fleeing figures, then jumped off and strode towards Zhang Gong and his group.

"Comrades, you came from Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi? We are a cavalry company coming from the direction of Pucheng to provide support. Commander Zhou ordered us to search along the way to meet you. Let's go back to Pucheng first."

Zhang Gong, holding his back, took a while to catch his breath before nodding to the company commander.

That evening, the group arrived safely in Pucheng.

In a large courtyard in Pucheng County, Zhou Zeyuan was already waiting. He reached out and grasped Zhang Gong's hands:

"Mr. Zhang, you must be tired from your journey. We're sorry to have given you such a fright. Our arrangements for the rescue weren't thorough enough, and we almost caused a major problem."

Zhang Gong quickly waved his hand: "Commander Zhou, you're too kind. To escort our group, you launched a campaign, mobilizing tens of thousands of people to clear the passage. If I may be so bold, even the top leaders of the Central Committee probably don't receive this kind of treatment."

Zhou Zeyuan sighed, his smile fading slightly, and his tone becoming serious:

"It wasn't me who insisted on bringing you here, but Comrade Le Shaohua, the political commissar of our Seventh Army Corps. He was also the leader in charge of military production in our base area."

At this point, Zhou Zeyuan thought for a moment and rearranged his words, "Mr. Zhang, how should I put this comrade? He has made some mistakes, but his heart is not bad."

"If you suffer any grievances while you are with him, just tell me, and I will stand up for you."

Zhang Gong paused for a moment, then smiled: "Commander Zhou, rest assured. I believe our Red Army comrades will put the overall situation first."

"I've heard about Political Commissar Le's temper. If there's anything we can't get along with, we'll try our best to work things out."

"But if he dares to interfere with normal production work, I will definitely file a complaint."

Zhou Zeyuan nodded; he hated it most when laymen instructed experts. And ironically, in the field of military production, the consequences of this problem would be extremely serious.

If anything unpleasant happens, don't blame Comrade Xiao Zhou for disregarding revolutionary friendship.

If Le Shaohua heard this conversation between the two, he would definitely feel that he was more wronged than Dou E.

Prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain!

Zhou Zeyuan believed from the bottom of his heart that Le Shaohua was a leader who liked to give orders to experts and liked to point fingers.

Without personally observing the work processes of the comrades at the Military Industry Bureau, Zhou Zeyuan wouldn't update this stereotype anytime soon.

He never imagined that Le Shaohua was so knowledgeable about military affairs.

Because they know nothing about it, they are prone to blind arrogance.

But he really understands industrial production.

It was precisely because he understood the intricacies of the matter that he was able to realize how vast the gap was between himself and true technical experts.

Nanping, the headquarters for the suppression of bandits in Fujian and Zhejiang.

Wei Lihuang stood in the operations room, his gaze fixed on the military map that almost covered the entire wall.

The blue arrow representing the Red Army on the map extends southward from northern Fujian, crossing the Min River, passing Youxi, and piercing into the heart of central Fujian, like a sharp dagger dividing Fujian in two.

His gaze lingered on those arrows for a long time, and he brought the teacup to his lips but put it down again, never taking a sip.

Footsteps sounded outside the door. A staff officer strode in, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief! A telegram from the Pucheng front reports that the Red Army inside the city is retreating, and our outposts have observed signs of enemy retreat. The frontline commander requests instructions on whether to organize a pursuit."

Wei Lihuang put down his teacup, turned around, and his gaze lingered on the staff officer's face for a moment.

"We must not pursue them. This could very well be a trap set by the Red Army to lure us in. These guys never play by the rules when they fight. They take a point and then retreat. Maybe they're just fishing for us."

"Right now, it's better to remain still. Keep the frontline troops on high alert and avoid being greedy for quick success."

"Yes, sir!" The staff officer saluted and turned to leave.

In the afternoon, news came again from the front.

The reconnaissance troops have confirmed that the Red Army has indeed completely withdrawn from Pucheng and the surrounding area, leaving no ambushes behind and showing no signs of setting up ambushes outside the city.

Wei Lihuang finally breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the front-line troops to enter the city to recover lost territory, while also allowing local armed forces to regain control of the countryside.

The chief of staff quickly drafted a report of victory and handed it to Wei Lihuang for review.

Wei Lihuang took the telegram and scanned it from top to bottom.

He frowned slightly as he looked at the words "4,000 enemy soldiers killed" and "countless spoils captured".

Let alone seizures, there's no such thing at all.

Killing the enemy...

It can't be said that there was absolutely no resistance; the defenders of Pucheng did put up some resistance. The skirmishes between the two sides never ceased.

Adding the two together, four hundred would be considered pretty good!

If it were someone with his old temper, he would probably have slammed his fist on the table if he encountered something like this where a zero is simply added to the end.

It's one thing to fool your boss, but you can't fool them like this! That's going too far!

But now it's different. A general who has suffered a defeat speaks without conviction.

Wei Lihuang gave a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Isn't this a bit too exaggerated? Just remove 'annihilated four thousand enemies' and write 'the Red Army suffered heavy casualties and fled in panic'."

The chief of staff took the telegram back, a sly smile on his face: "Then I'll go back and reconsider my wording."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, another staff officer rushed in through the door. The back of his uniform was soaked with sweat, indicating that he had traveled a long way.

After the staff officer took his position, he stood at attention and reported: "Commander! News has come from Shaxian that the Red Army has breached the city. Lu Xingbang's troops are either dead or have surrendered. They have completely lost the ability to resist."

Wei Lihuang's expression remained largely unchanged. "As expected. What about Lu Xingbang? Is he dead or alive?"

The staff officer swallowed hard, his voice lowering slightly: "They should have... perished in the fire. The Red Army surrounded the city like an iron barrel. Lu Xingbang led his men to break out once, but they were driven back in the end."

"The old man became disheartened later and actually had a bunch of young women and wives captured, which his men then abused for a whole night."

"When the Red Army finally stormed in, he simply set a huge fire and burned down the headquarters."