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

That night, Le Shaohua, without taking a break, lit an oil lamp and, combining his own understanding of Zhou Zeyuan's mobilization methods of "asking about age and elders" during the day, compiled a short document.

It is prepared to be distributed to the political departments of each division and the accompanying work teams, requiring them to promote its study.

At this point, he didn't have much personal ambition. If the method was effective, it should be promoted. As for the fact that Zhou Zeyuan came up with the method... that wasn't important. What was important was that it served the revolution.

He may have subconsciously wanted to prove that the political work system he led could also master and utilize this method effectively.

On the afternoon of the 19th, the recruitment data compiled from various locations were reported.

In the county town and surrounding villages alone, more than 700 new soldiers have been recruited, and it is expected that some more will be recruited before dark.

This number gave Le Shaohua a boost of spirits. Although it was less efficient than Zhou Zeyuan's "on-the-spot performance" yesterday, it was still a huge leap compared to the previous two hundred people.

He was satisfied with his decision to summarize and promote the findings in a timely manner.

Just then, the Second and Third Divisions, which had gone out to suppress reactionary armed forces, returned to the county town one after another before dark.

When they went out, both divisions had a little over a thousand men. When they returned, the ranks were much larger, clearly numbering over a thousand.

Moreover, the soldiers carried and carried the captured grain, cloth, and even some homemade guns and cannons, which were in considerable quantities.

The officer in charge of the Second Division excitedly reported their victory to the corps headquarters: "Reporting to the political commissar and commander-in-chief! When we passed through Pingshan Township to the south, the enthusiasm of the people there was simply beyond our expectations!"

"After inquiring, I learned that a few years ago, when General Zhu led the Red Army into Fujian, he had briefly stopped in that township. The Red Army's doctors treated many villagers and distributed grain."

"The local support is excellent! As soon as we arrived and explained the policies, more than 200 people in Pingshan Township alone signed up to join the army in just one day! Many of them were young and middle-aged men!"

Le Shaohua felt a burning sensation on his face again.

On the same day, I struggled a lot in the county town and only managed to recruit two hundred people in the early stages; while the Second Division easily gathered a team of more than two hundred people in just one township!

No, this is General Zhu's achievement. It's not shameful to lose to him!

Zeng Hongyi, standing to the side, failed to notice the subtle change in Le Shaohua's expression. Holding the personnel reports he had just received from various units, he began to happily calculate:

"Great, excellent! We now have over seven hundred new recruits... The First Division, after replenishment, now has one thousand nine hundred; the Second Division, after this expansion, has reached one thousand eight hundred; the Third Division also has one thousand six hundred; and the Seventh Red Army Division... now has three thousand seven hundred!"

"In this way, our four main divisions' field forces combined will have... nearly nine thousand men! If we include the corps headquarters, directly subordinate units, and these new recruits, the total strength of our advance team will exceed eleven thousand! Strong and well-equipped, truly strong and well-equipped!"

The more he calculated, the happier he became, as if he could see a vast army marching towards southern Anhui.

Le Shaohua, who was standing next to him, felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and his brows furrowed tightly.

"Wait! Commander-in-Chief, you just said how many people are in the 7th Red Army Division? Three thousand seven hundred? Aren't all the newly recruited soldiers registered and assigned at the corps headquarters? Does Zhou Zeyuan dare to violate the regulations and privately recruit and expand the force?"

Zeng Hongyi looked up at Le Shaohua with a surprised expression: "Unauthorized recruitment of soldiers? No, Political Commissar Le, didn't you personally approve it?"

"Comrade Zhou Zeyuan has done a great job these past two days. He has successfully converted and mobilized more than 1,200 of those two thousand prisoners of war! Eight hundred of them have been recruited into the Seventh Red Army Division, and he also voluntarily kept four hundred behind."

"Huaizhou and I discussed it and felt that the First Division had also contributed to the ambush, so we allocated these four hundred men to Hu Tiantao's First Division. I think my calculations... are correct, right?"

He paused, then added as if remembering something, "Oh, right, the Seventh Division still has over two hundred wounded soldiers, dozens of whom are seriously wounded and unable to move. After Zhou Zeyuan consulted with his superiors, they have been properly settled in the homes of reliable villagers to recuperate. I forgot to tell you this earlier."

"..."

Le Shaohua opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a moment. He felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face, and the pain was burning.

Eight hundred veterans!

The number kept replaying in his mind. These weren't new recruits who had just put down their hoes and needed to be trained from scratch; they were seasoned veterans who had fought in battles and used guns!

Although their thinking needed reform, their military foundation was far stronger than that of peasant recruits! In just two days, Zhou Zeyuan quietly crammed eight hundred such soldiers into the Seventh Red Army Division!

Add to that the already formidable foundation of the 7th Red Army Division and the spoils it has acquired... the 7th Red Army Division is no longer just a "fist," it has become an iron fist armed to the teeth! Its actual combat power is probably even greater than the other three divisions combined!

It should have been thought of earlier! He could incite hundreds of peasants to join the army with just a few words. Wouldn't it be easier to deal with those prisoners who were already wavering and had just suffered a defeat?

Le Shaohua felt like he had shot himself in the foot.

A mixture of frustration, shock, and a sense of imbalance churned in his chest. But the next second, he began to reflect on himself…

Should I be angry? I'm not a military commander, and from a military perspective, the strengthening of the troops is a good thing.

If anyone should be angry, it should be the division commanders of the First, Second, and Third Divisions.

They might be jealous of the Red Seventh Division's rapid growth, which has taken away prisoners that should have been theirs.

Could it be... that I'm jealous? Jealous of Zhou Zeyuan's talent?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible! As staunch Bolshevik fighters, with the overall revolution in mind, how could we harbor such low-level and narrow-minded individualistic sentiments as "jealousy of comrades"? This must be resolutely eliminated!

What exactly is this uncomfortable feeling?

Le Shaohua quickly found a "reasonable" explanation for himself: I'm worried! I'm worried about Comrade Zhou Zeyuan's guerrilla habits and possible warlord tendencies!

His personal abilities are too strong, and his prestige has risen too quickly. Now his troops are strong and well-equipped, accounting for almost half of the entire army's strength. This can easily breed complacency, form small factions, and undermine the unity and unified command within the legion!

Yes, I acted out of public interest and concern for the healthy development of the revolutionary ranks, not because of any personal gain or anything else.

Le Shaohua confirmed his judgment in his heart. He looked at Zeng Hongyi and said in a solemn tone, "Commander-in-Chief, expanding the troops is a good thing, but we must also pay attention to balance, strengthen ideological leadership and unified command."

"The Seventh Red Army Division is now quite large, so we must be even more strict with ourselves to prevent any tendency to deviate from the Party's leadership. I will remind Comrade Zhou Zeyuan of this matter on an appropriate occasion."

Zeng Hongyi nodded as if he understood, his mind still immersed in the joy of having 11,000 troops.

At this rate of expansion, by the time they reach southern Anhui, they might not be called the Seventh Red Army Corps anymore, but rather a Front Army!

"Ah, yes, yes, Political Commissar Le is very thoughtful. But Comrade Zeyuan has made a great contribution this time, so he should still be praised..."

Late that night, the soldiers of the reconnaissance company brought back good news: they had made contact with their comrades in Youxi County.

And they brought back some very important intelligence...