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

There was a few seconds of silence in the operations room.

Wei Lihuang's blood pressure spiked instantly. He slammed his fist on the table. "Hmph, what a worthless bastard! He's utterly hopeless. I was thinking of posthumously awarding him the title of martyr, but if I did that, my reputation would be ruined."

The chief of staff chimed in, "These kinds of people are just like chamber pots; they're used when needed and discarded when not. The Red Army getting rid of them saves us from damaging our reputation."

After saying that, he asked the staff officer, "Do you have any news about the Red Army's next move?"

The staff officer nodded: "According to intelligence gathered by the military intelligence department, the Red Army seems to intend to continue its southward advance."

Wei Lihuang slapped his forehead. "Oh dear, I really don't know whether to be happy or upset about this news."

The chief of staff walked to the map, pointed eastward from Datian to Dehua County, then southward all the way to Zhangzhou, and finally to the southern Fujian coast:

"It seems the Red Army's next target is southern Fujian. If they succeed, from northern Fujian to central Fujian and then to southern Fujian, wow, they'll have traversed the entire Fujian province."

Upon hearing this, Wei Lihuang felt as if a bitter pill had been stuffed into his mouth—it was so bitter!

For a general, a commander-in-chief of a region, to be beaten so badly is a blatant insult to his abilities.

He began to resent Jiang Dingwen in his heart.

I should have known better than to take on this mess. I got nothing but trouble.

He slumped into the chair, staring at the dim yellow chandelier on the ceiling, and remained silent for a long time.

"Even a clever cook can't cook without rice. Without soldiers, everything else is meaningless. It seems the only option now is to invite the wolf into the house."

The chief of staff was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant: "Oh? Commander-in-Chief, you mean Chen Jitang, that wolf in sheep's clothing?"

"What else?" Wei Lihuang sat up straight, his eyes filled with determination. "At this time, besides that Southern Heavenly King, who else has the strength and time to send troops to southern Fujian?"

"Report our current situation and the proposed solution to Nanchang. Only the principal can make decisions on this matter."

Smoke filled the study of Chen Jitang in Dongshan Villa, Guangzhou.

The leader of the Guangdong Army was currently admiring the empty promises the principal had made to him.

Chen Jitang read the telegram from Nanchang over and over again, finally tossing it onto the table and scoffing:

"Mr. Chiang was so generous! He actually gave me the title of Director of the Fujian-Guangdong Pacification Headquarters and transferred the salt and customs duties of southern Fujian to the Guangdong Army. He said a whole bunch of nice things for free, and I was really moved."

His cousin, Chen Weizhou, sat opposite him, exhaled a smoke ring, and said disdainfully, "Southern Fujian? That place will soon be no longer his, of course he's being generous. That's called being generous with other people's money. Brother, don't fall for it."

"Being fooled? How could that be?" Chen Jitang leaned back and crossed his legs.

"What level of opponent is Su Yu? He's a ruthless guy who can win with fewer troops and crush the elite Central Army. The situation in Fujian right now is a quagmire; only a fool would step into it."

"I only have about 100,000 troops at my disposal. I'd be heartbroken if I lost even a single regiment. And now I'm going to send tens of thousands more to fill that hole in southern Fujian? These guys at the Nanchang Military Headquarters really think I'm a fool."

Chen Weizhou, with a cigarette between his right fingers, flicked it into the ashtray and chuckled, "Shall we stick to the old way? We'll agree on the surface, take whatever benefits we can, and just pretend we're not doing anything."

Chen Jitang shook his head, picked up a cigar, and sniffed it: "This time it's different. Just fooling around won't work."

"Oh?"

"Although we have already made contact with Ruijin, some things are decided by the local leaders."

"Once an order is issued, it's hard to say how it will be implemented. It could easily escalate into a conflict. We need to send someone to Fujian to contact their top leader in person."

Chen Weizhou nodded: "Then what conditions should we offer?"

Chen Jitang cut open his cigar, slowly lit it, took a puff, and then said, "That's easy. Tell them that as long as they're willing to play along with me, our Guangdong Army is willing to use defeat after defeat to highlight the Red Army's prestige."

"Of course, seizures are no problem either. I'll sell as many guns as you can afford. If you don't want guns, that's fine too. I can transport all kinds of weapons, medicines, and even machinery to southern Fujian for them. As long as the money is right, anything is negotiable."

Chen Weizhou's eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up: "Brilliant, truly brilliant! You're managing to fight and make money at the same time."

Jiangxi is rich in tungsten ore, and at that time Germany was stockpiling war supplies and urgently needed this raw material for munitions.

Therefore, a significant portion of Jiangxi's raw minerals would be transported by waterway to Guangzhou Port, and then loaded onto ships for shipment to Europe.

This was also a pillar of the financial system of the Central Soviet Area!

Chen Jitang secretly engaged in smuggling, and he made a fortune from it. The Guangdong Army's equipment was second to none in the south, and this income was the key to its success.

But Chen Jitang also understood that these good days wouldn't last long.

Once the Red Army left, the Central Army completely controlled Jiangxi. Ha, let alone eating meat, even drinking soup, they had to depend on the Central Committee's attitude.

Chen Jitang's expression darkened slightly, and he said calmly, "Ah Zhou, you still haven't grasped my deeper meaning. Let me ask you, is it more advantageous for us whether the Red Army is here or not?"

Chen Weizhou's expression turned serious: "Of course, it's more advantageous for us to have the Red Army. We can make money, and we also have a shield in front of us."

"Oh... I see. If the Red Army leaves, Mr. Chiang will be able to completely control Jiangxi. Once he's free, he'll have to deal with us."

Chen Jitang nodded. "That's right, the Central Red Army is leaving, and they even specifically asked us for passage. This matter is settled and cannot be reversed."

"But if the Seventh Red Army Corps can establish itself in Fujian, at least our northeastern region will be safe. Mr. Chiang Kai-shek dares not push too hard; he has to weigh the consequences of the Guangdong Army and the Red Army joining forces."

Chen Weizhou nodded: "Then shall I have Li Jiezhi go?"

"Yes, take a handwritten letter with you. Be friendly, but don't ask for too much. They're here to risk their lives, we're here to do business, we can't make things difficult for them."

Chen Jitang flicked his cigarette ash. "Add a sentence to your letter: 'The future is long, and I, Chen Jitang, am willing to exchange information and help each other with Chief of Staff Su.'"

Chen Weizhou stood up, walked to the door, then turned back: "What if the Nanchang side presses too hard? For example, they send a military supervisor who insists we fight a battle with the Red Army."

"As I said before, we can send troops, but we can't fight! If we encounter the Red Army, we'll run away; preserving our strength is our priority."

Chen Jitang laughed, a laugh tinged with an indescribable roguishness and ruthlessness: "Heh, if you push me too far, I'll really suffer a defeat. If I lose a division, the Red Army will gain another. I'd like to see who's in a hurry then."

Chen Weizhou didn't say anything more, but nodded knowingly, then turned and disappeared into the depths of the corridor.