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

Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How do you mean by cooperating?"

The man revealed a meaningful smile: "For example, where to defend, where to yield, where to ambush, where to seize a batch of equipment... all these things can be communicated in advance."

"Both sides got what they needed. Your army got real supplies, and we were able to give a satisfactory answer to Nanchang and save face."

Su Yu smiled warmly, but her tone gradually turned serious:

"This deal is quite good. However, I have a question for you, sir. How can I trust you? What proof do you have that you are Chen Jitang's man, and not a spy sent by Chiang Kai-shek?"

"I came in haste, and to prevent leaks, I didn't bring any official seals or documents with me. But there is one thing that Chief of Staff Su can verify with your central command."

"On the 5th of this month, our army and your army reached an agreement. The level of secrecy of this agreement should be the highest in your army, and there is absolutely no possibility of leakage. This alone is enough to prove my identity."

Su Yu stared into his eyes for a few seconds, but saw no evasion or guilt in them.

He nodded slowly: "Alright, then I'll trouble you to stay at the command post for now. I'll immediately report to the central authorities to verify. Once it's confirmed, I, Su, will certainly treat you with the utmost courtesy and escort you safely out of the country."

The merchant bowed and said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir."

After everyone left, Su Yu went directly to the telecommunications room, intending to send a telegram to the Central Committee.

As the corps chief of staff and a member of the five-person leadership group, he naturally had the right to directly request instructions from the Central Committee.

But halfway there, I felt that this seemingly legal behavior was particularly unreasonable.

How could we not discuss such a big matter with our comrades?

Thus, the telegram ended up on Zhou Zeyuan's desk!

When Zhou Zeyuan received the telegram, he slapped his forehead in frustration. He had been so busy lately that he had overlooked Chen Jitang of the Guangdong Army, such a potential ally.

So he hurried toward the office area of ​​the Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Area Government.

Although it's called an office area, it's actually just a small mountain village hidden in the mountains. It looks ordinary and is no different from other ordinary villages in the mountainous areas of northern Fujian.

Mud walls, thatched roofs, a few old camphor trees scattered at the village entrance and behind the houses, and a gravel road winding through the village.

This place was indeed originally an abandoned village. Zhou Zeyuan chose it as the location of the government and, for the sake of secrecy, restored it basically in the style of an ordinary village.

The house wasn't painted white, there were no big signs, and even the sentries at the gate were in civilian clothes.

From a distance, it looks almost identical to the inhabited villages nearby.

From the outside, no one would mistake this for a government office area.

When Zhou Zeyuan pushed open the door and walked in, Yu Qiubai was sitting in the main room with several clerks around a long table, on which were spread several sample tickets and a large pile of documents.

A young man wearing glasses held up a newly printed banknote sample, examining the printing quality of the paper repeatedly in the light shining through the window.

Yu Qiubai tilted his head, his fingers gently stroking the edge of the sample ticket, muttering something. When he saw Zhou Zeyuan come in, he simply raised his hand to indicate that he should sit down first.

Then he bowed his head and spoke a few more words to the clerks before letting them disperse.

After everyone left, Zhou Zeyuan sat down opposite him and asked, "How's the preparation going on your end? When will the Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Bank be able to open?"

Yu Qiubai picked up the enamel mug beside him, took a sip of water, and said, "The manpower, supplies, and various regulations are almost ready. The paper and printing equipment for issuing banknotes are readily available. If all goes well, we can start issuing banknotes in the next few days."

He put down the enamel mug, then changed the subject, "But the problem is, I need a victory to boost morale, a good start. Zeyuan, has there been any good news from the military lately?"

Zhou Zeyuan leaned back in his chair. "I came here for this very reason. I heard that our principal is preparing to transport a batch of troops to Zhangzhou. He has even asked the Southern King to take charge, and the Central Army and the Guangdong Army have formed a joint force to resist the advance of our Red Army."

"If we can defeat this lineup, wouldn't that be a huge boost to the good news?"

Yu Qiubai's eyes lit up: "That's enough, that's more than enough."

But then he frowned. "Huh? The Guangdong Army? Chen Jitang? He's really going to send troops?"

Without wasting any words, Zhou Zeyuan took out a telegram from his uniform pocket and handed it over.

Yu Qiubai took it and read it from top to bottom.

Then he looked up at Zhou Zeyuan, sighed, and said, "Such an important matter should be sent directly to the Central Committee by Comrade Su Yu."

Zhou Zeyuan's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said in a deliberately cunning tone, "Such an important matter, it's one thing if the Central Committee didn't inform me, but how could they not inform you?"

Yu Qiubai's expression stiffened slightly, and he coughed lightly: "I have heard rumors about this, but I am not very clear about the specific details of the agreement."

Zhou Zeyuan's tone suddenly turned cold: "Oh, so you were notified, but not me? That's even more inappropriate. Our military strength is second only to the Central Column; we shouldn't have kept it from me, let alone anyone else."

"Take this incident for example. If Su Yu and I had known earlier that we had reached a cooperation agreement with the Guangdong Army, we would have made preparations before heading south, and we wouldn't be in such a rush as we are now."

Yu Qiubai truly didn't expect Zhou Zeyuan to be so unpredictable, turning on him in an instant.

A hint of helplessness appeared on his face: "Zeyuan, as you know, the Central Committee also has its difficulties. If this secret agreement is leaked, Chen Jitang might turn against us directly to protect himself, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

Zhou Zeyuan revealed a sly smile: "Comrade Qiu Bai, you've given yourself away. You even know the route the Central Column was planning to take through northern Guangdong, and you're telling me you only heard rumors?"

Yu Qiubai was stunned.

He instinctively tried to cover it up, but then he thought, Zhou Zeyuan is such a clever person, he has already guessed the truth, how could he possibly cover it up?

He slapped his forehead, his voice tinged with annoyance: "I only said 'the consequences would be unimaginable,' how could you have imagined so much? What's wrong with your brain?"

Zhou Zeyuan crossed his arms, a hint of smugness in his voice:

"Hmph, I had already anticipated that the Central Column was preparing to transfer before the Northern Expeditionary Anti-Japanese Vanguard Team set off, I just didn't know the specific route."

Yu Qiubai shook his head, his tone tinged with emotion: "Oh, then I understand. I was wondering how you could have been so prescient after you set off from Changting; it turns out you had already figured out the central government's intentions."