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

Ruijin, a spacious conference room.

This room was originally the main conference room of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Area. A portrait of Marx and a Party flag hung on the whitewashed walls.

Most of the leaders who were responsible for staying behind have come here.

Some were wearing gray military uniforms, some were wearing Zhongshan suits, some were older with graying temples, and some were younger and looked to be no more than twenty years old.

Although the crowd didn't look relaxed, they weren't as tense as they had been a few days ago.

After all, everyone already knew about the Central Committee's main force's westward expedition and the news that the Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Area had won several major victories in succession.

Although the situation is grim, there is at least some hope.

A thin-faced middle-aged man pushed open the wooden door and walked in. He quickly walked to the side of the main seat, bowed slightly, and said to Secretary Xiang, who was sitting in the main seat, "Secretary Xiang, Director Chen has arrived."

No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps and the sound of a bamboo pole hitting the ground came from the doorway.

Immediately afterwards, two soldiers carried in a rattan recliner.

A middle-aged man with bandages wrapped around his legs sat on a recliner.

After he was carried in, he glanced around at the room full of people and then shouted, "Wow, quite a few people have come! Come to think of it, this is the first meeting I've attended since I was injured!"

Secretary Xiang stood up, walked around the corner of the table to the recliner, his face showing a mixture of guilt and concern:

"Old Chen, are you blaming me? I'm just worried about your health. If you don't take good care of your injury, and this leg becomes useless, how will you carry out the revolution?"

The middle-aged man slammed his hand on the armrest of the recliner, his voice booming: "Old Xiang, whether my leg is crippled or not depends on God's will. But even if my leg is crippled, I'll still be a lame general, and I can still mount my horse and fight the enemy!"

"Hahaha……"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Amid the laughter, a middle-aged man with a mustache and black-rimmed glasses jokingly asked, "Old Chen, if we were fighting as guerrillas in the mountains and couldn't ride horses, would you be hopping on one leg or using a crutch?"

The laughter from the crowd grew even louder. Even the recorder sitting in the corner couldn't help but smile.

The middle-aged man wasn't annoyed. He chuckled and cursed, "You good-for-nothing He Huzi, your mouth is spicier than the chili peppers from your hometown! I'm a wounded soldier, aren't you afraid that if you anger me to the point of injury, you won't be able to sleep peacefully at night anymore?"

Sitting in the back row, Li Runtan chimed in, "Whether he sleeps peacefully or not is uncertain, but he'll definitely eat a big extra bowl of food tonight."

These words were met with another burst of laughter from the room.

The middle-aged man scratched his head and sighed with feigned helplessness: "I see now, you're all targeting me today. What law did I break?"

He waved to the secretary, signaling everyone to quiet down, then said seriously, "You haven't broken any laws, you've just hit the jackpot. Comrade Qiu Bai has found you a great job: Commander of the Fujian-Zhejiang Military Region. How about it, want to take up the post?"

All eyes in the conference room were drawn to the recliner.

Li Runtan added, "I heard that military region has three divisions and more than a dozen independent regiments, and they're all fully staffed. Old Chen, you've really hit the jackpot."

He shook his head, sighed half-jokingly and half-seriously, "How could Comrade Qiu Bai be so biased? Actually, I could be too."

The middle-aged man leaned back in his recliner, the smile on his face still there, but his gaze became more serious.

"So that's why you all started targeting me right away! Jealousy, that's great. But the problem is, what will Zhou Zeyuan do now that I'm the commander? A gentleman doesn't take what others love. I think we should discuss this further."

As he spoke, his gaze slowly swept across the entire room, and he made eye contact for a moment with a sharp-eyed young man sitting in the front row.

Their gazes met briefly in mid-air before quickly averting themselves.

Secretary Xiang didn't notice this detail; his tone was very confident: "Comrade Qiu Bai made this suggestion, so naturally, the arrangements had already been made beforehand. You just need to go and take up your post. It's true that Zhou Zeyuan single-handedly built up the Fujian-Zhejiang Military Region, but it's also part of the Party."

The sharp-eyed young man added, "Old Chen, it's all for the revolution, don't have so many concerns. Comrade Qiu Bai is too soft-hearted. As a political commissar, he can't even have a leading role in the military. This is completely inconsistent with the principle that the Party commands the gun."

"How dare the commander disobey the political commissar? What kind of behavior is this? When you get there, you must thoroughly eradicate this kind of atmosphere."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Xiang, who was sitting in the main seat, stiffened slightly.

He always felt that these words sounded like they were implying something about him, that they were saying that he, as the commander, did not listen to the political commissar.

But when he looked at the young man's open and honest expression, he thought that perhaps he was just overthinking it.

In that brief silence, Director Chen slammed his hand on the armrest of the recliner and roared, "This is outrageous! That little brat Zeyuan is so disobedient! When I get to Fujian, I'll definitely give him a good talking-to on behalf of his teacher!"

This powerful voice, carrying the confidence of a seasoned veteran, abruptly interrupted Secretary Xiang's thoughts.

He quickly reassured him, "Old Chen, you should control your temper. Zhou Zeyuan is not what he used to be; even Comrade Qiu Bai has to give him some face. When you arrive at the Fujian-Zhejiang Military Region, you should focus on appeasing the local comrades."

"Comrade Qiu Bai is currently organizing a large-scale military operation, which, if successful, is expected to relieve pressure on the Central Military Region. For now, stability is the priority."

Director Chen was secretly pleased, but when he saw the calmness and certainty in Secretary Xiang's eyes, he immediately realized that this guy probably saw through a lot of things.

However, circumstances were beyond their control, and the situation in the Central Military Region was indeed not optimistic, so they turned a blind eye to it.

He toned down his arrogance, adopting a more serious expression: "Alright, I will definitely prioritize the overall situation. Secretary Xiang, do you have any further instructions?"

Secretary Xiang nodded, his tone becoming more somber: "The situation in Ruijin is dire; its fall is only a matter of time. This mission also involves escorting a group of family members to the Fujian-Zhejiang Soviet Area. Only in this way can the soldiers on the front lines fight bravely without distraction."

Director Chen nodded: "Secretary, I have no objection to that. But how should we choose the route? With so many people, it will be very difficult to pass through the blockade covertly."

"Let's go through Ganzhou. The Guangdong army has already agreed and will turn a blind eye. Comrade Su Yu will send a large army to meet us. Once we pass Ganzhou and enter Guangdong, we'll be safe. With a large army by our side, I don't think Chen Jitang will risk turning against us."

After listening, Director Chen nodded. "Okay, it's settled then. When do we depart?"

"Three days from now. You have three more days to recover and prepare. When you arrive in Fujian and Zhejiang, please give our regards to Comrade Qiubai and Comrade Zeyuan."

Director Chen grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Don't worry, I'll definitely pass on the message."