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

Western suburbs of Pucheng.

Commander Song stood by the roadside, the horses behind him snorting and pawing the ground restlessly.

"Commander Zhou, you're busy with military affairs, so please leave us here."

Zhou Zeyuan stood opposite him, his hands behind his back. "You should spend more time learning foreign tactics; you'll be able to use them when fighting the Japanese. Your current methods are outdated."

Commander Song nodded: "I would have done it even if you hadn't told me. If I can't even handle a simple flanking maneuver, what kind of soldier am I?"

"Sigh, I've figured it out now. The Kuomintang is completely an old-fashioned army. Its system is outdated, its tactics are outdated, and its military discipline is outdated. In the future, the Red Army will still rule."

"Haha, then I'll take your kind words!" Zhou Zeyuan laughed.

He took a half-step forward and whispered, "I hope I can be your sponsor for joining the Party in the future!"

Commander Song remained calm, though his hand holding the riding whip trembled slightly. But this did not escape Zhou Zeyuan's sharp eyes.

"Alright, it's getting late, hurry up and catch up with your uncle!"

Commander Song quickly mounted his horse and cracked his whip: "Commander Zhou, the mountains are high and the rivers are long, we'll meet again someday."

As the figure in front of him grew smaller and smaller, Zhou Zeyuan stared blankly into thought.

Just then, a staff officer rushed up from the rear: "Commander! A telegram from the Chief of Staff! A great victory has been won at the front!"

Zhou Zeyuan reached out and took the telegram, then looked down to read it.

The bodyguard Xiao Zhong next to him also came over, craning his neck and glancing at the telegram every now and then.

After reading it, Zhou Zeyuan turned to Xiao Zhong and smiled:

"Our chief of staff is still too shy. He's ruthless to the enemy, but lukewarm to his own people."

Xiao Zhong chimed in, "Isn't this a good thing? Commander, I feel like you have this tendency too. Otherwise, back in Fujian and Zhejiang, it would have been a bloodbath long ago."

Zhou Zeyuan glared at him: "Nonsense! You make it sound like I'm a ruthless killer."

Xiao Zhong calmly replied, "I'm not making this up; I have evidence. I remember at the beginning of the month, the Soviet government arrested a group of unscrupulous merchants who were profiteering at prices, and they were tried and sentenced in order of severity—imprisonment, fines, and death."

"Then you casually said that all these speculators must be dragged out and shot, and they all went to the shooting range to participate in target practice."

Zhou Zeyuan shook his head, his tone serious: "This cannot be used as evidence. I am learning from the great founding experience of the Soviet Union—for enemies who cross the red line, all of them are executed."

"Any enemy that tries to create famine is a mortal enemy standing on the opposite side of the people. The iron fist of dictatorship is meant to crush them. There is no reasoning with them on this matter."

He looked at Xiao Zhong, paused for a moment, and said, "You actually think I'm cruel? I think your political awareness needs improvement."

Xiao Zhong blushed slightly: "So, does that mean our Chief of Staff's political awareness also needs improvement? Actually, I think your awareness is a bit too high, to the point that you see everyone as a dwarf, but in reality, we're all quite normal."

Zhou Zeyuan's expression softened, and his tone relaxed a bit: "Sigh, what can I really count on you guys for? If Old Su had half of my political ability, would I even have a chance to be in charge of the Seventh Red Army? He could have changed his fate on his own."

"Isn't this the perfect opportunity? Xia Chuzhong has been captured by us, and we happen to have a comrade who once infiltrated his inner circle."

"The first thing that popped into my head was the self-inflicted injury scheme. It was a natural reaction without any need for thought. Old Su didn't even think of that."

"He didn't even meet this comrade or have an in-depth conversation with him. It seems like he's respecting and protecting his comrade, but in reality, he's just letting him run wild. This is absolutely not a responsible approach."

Xiao Zhong nodded and said matter-of-factly, "That's right, the patriarch's strictness is also a form of care."

Zhou Zeyuan's expression remained unchanged; he simply turned his head and glanced at him: "Little Zhong."

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I've settled things here, and I'll be heading to Jiangshan tomorrow. Tonight, go and wash all the socks for everyone in our command post."

"Huh? Why? Are these two things necessarily related?"

"No." Zhou Zeyuan turned to look at him. "But do I have any necessary connection with the patriarch? No. I'm going to teach you a lesson today: as a politician, you must be responsible for every word you say."

Xiao Zhong opened his mouth, his face changing from blank to bitter, and finally he gave a weak reply: "Yes, Commander, your lesson was so vivid and profound, it's unforgettable."

Nanping, the headquarters of the Eastern Route Army.

Having not slept all night, Jiang Dingwen's eyes were as dark as a panda's. On the coffee table in front of him were several telegrams and a map of northern Fujian.

An aide quietly approached him, his voice low: "Commander, you were right. Li Mo'an's sneak attack failed as expected."

"How much was lost?"

The staff officer answered cautiously: "About a thousand were killed or captured, and several hundred were wounded. The scouts sent by Commander Li had actually discovered the Red Army's ambush in advance, but who would have thought that as soon as the gunfire started, the Red Army on the mountain would decisively rush down, which immediately disrupted his formation and led to his defeat."

Jiang Dingwen sneered: "Heh, Li Mo'an, who is both literate and skilled in martial arts, is quite the braggart. He talked about flanking maneuvers and night raids on the Red Army, using their own methods against them. It sounds nice, but the Red Army commanders figured out his little schemes."

"It seems this young man named Zhou Zeyuan is no ordinary person. He might be the one who beat me up in Fuzhou back then."

The staff officer paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "But didn't they say that the one named Zhang Kuiguang was...?"

"Zhang Kuiguang is Le Shaohua! Damn it, I remember now, that liar was talking about Zhou Zeyuan. I thought this liar was just trying to fool me, but now it seems very likely to be true."

The staff officer's face paled, and his voice dropped even lower: "Su Yu and Xun Huaizhou are genuine fierce generals, and now Zhou Zeyuan has appeared. Are they trying to kill us all?"

Jiang Dingwen glared at him: "What are you talking about? I've fought them so many times, and I'm still alive and well, aren't I? Even Wei Junru could hold out..."

He suddenly stopped, jumped to his feet, and cursed, "Damn it! Old Wei, you're so unfair! You've really put me in a terrible situation!"

The staff officer quickly stepped forward: "Commander, it's too late to say this now. Commander Wei has already boarded the ship. We can't just call him back."

Jiang Dingwen's chest heaved a few times before he sat back down on the sofa.

"Well, I can only do my best to maintain this situation. We can't attack Pucheng for now, at least not until we have gathered enough troops."

"Quickly draft a battle report and submit it to the Nanchang Headquarters in detail. I need the principal to know that it wasn't that I was being passive or lazy in battle, but rather that the Red Army on the other side was too formidable."

The staff officer nodded: "Yes, Commander. Should we exaggerate the number of Red Army soldiers and their equipment slightly?"

Jiang Dingwen glanced at him: "Nonsense, do I need to tell you that?"