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

Su Yu didn't stand on ceremony and spread out the densely drawn defense map on the table:

"I find it a bit strange. Your siege strategy seems more like an attempt to encircle and annihilate the enemy."

"If we surround the enemy, we will divide our forces and weaken our ability to attack the city from the front. This does not meet our basic requirement of a quick victory."

"Old Su, you've been blinded by the current situation! We don't necessarily have to win this battle."

Su Yu immediately became interested. "What if we don't win? How should we strategize then?"

"If we are bogged down at the city and cannot capture it after a long siege, then we should withdraw decisively. We should head north from Kaihua County into the Huangshan base area, and then turn east into Zhejiang. Huaizhou, with two divisions, was able to walk the Kuomintang army around like a dog in southern Anhui. We now have 5 troops, and we can definitely make a big move."

Su Yu frowned and pondered for a moment, "So, what's the point of attacking Quzhou?"

"Of course, it's to win faster. Our 5 troops are carrying a lot of heavy weapons, which makes traveling along mountain roads quite inconvenient. Being able to take the main road directly to Hangzhou will better preserve our combat effectiveness."

"Of course, it was also to accumulate experience in attacking major cities. To let the Nationalist army know that fortified cities and fortifications were no match for our valiant Red Army. This was also a way to enhance our deterrent power."

Su Yu was still somewhat puzzled and continued to ask, "If that's the case, then shouldn't we concentrate our superior forces and launch a main attack in the south? Why go through all that trouble to outflank them?"

"Haha, as the saying goes, attacking a city is inferior to attacking a mind. When I heard your report on Luo Zhuoying's troop deployment, I realized one thing—even in such a critical moment, neither Luo Zhuoying nor Chen Cheng would be willing to let the 11th Division shed blood."

He looked at Su Yu: "Do you know what this unit means to the Civil Engineering department?"

Su Yu nodded: "I know. The 11th Division was the unit where Chen Cheng started his career. The 18th Army, which was expanded from the 11th Division, is the foundation of their power in the Civil Engineering Clique."

"Even the name 'Civil Engineering Department' comes from this; ten plus one equals earth, and ten plus eight equals wood. For the Civil Engineering Department, this unit is their spiritual totem."

"You're right, but not entirely. Chen Cheng has a habit of training the young talents he values ​​by assigning them to the 11th Division for experience. Once they've gained experience and developed a sense of honor and belonging, he then assigns them to other units."

"Once this force is wiped out, there will be a gap in the younger generation of the Civil Engineering department."

Su Yu suddenly realized: "I understand now. For Chen Cheng, losing a battle is insignificant. But if the 11th Division is annihilated, that would be an unbearable burden."

"But of course he hopes that the 11th Division can withdraw as soon as possible, and we hope so too, so that we can easily take Quzhou. The situation is very clear now. The battalion commander's attitude is firm, and Chen Cheng may not dare to resist."

Zhou Zeyuan placed one hand on the defense map and said confidently, "They certainly wouldn't dare to do it openly. But they might not dare to do it secretly."

"The 11th Division is proficient in positional warfare and defensive warfare. If they don't have ulterior motives, this unit should be deployed in the south to confront our main force head-on."

"Of course, it doesn't matter if the enemy doesn't fall for it. We still have a chance of winning with a strong attack, it's just that the casualties will be greater."

Su Yu's gaze lingered on the defense map for a moment, then she slowly nodded: "Alright, be prepared for both scenarios. I understand how to fight this battle. Zeyuan, you should go and rest. I'll take over the initial command. Who knows, you won't need to think so much, we might just wipe out those two divisions in one go."

Zhou Zeyuan chuckled and stood up: "Alright, then I'll watch your performance."

He turned and walked out of the command post, then lay down fully clothed in the makeshift rest room next door.

As he fell asleep, Su Yu had already summoned several division commanders and regimental-level officers to the command post.

As night deepened, gunfire erupted almost simultaneously from several positions south of Quzhou city.

The Red Army split into three routes, each with about a battalion of troops, and simultaneously advanced towards the Nationalist Army's outer defense line from three directions.

Without artillery preparation or a large-scale charge, they simply advanced rapidly under the cover of night.

The Nationalist soldiers had been tormented by gunfire all night. When they first heard gunfire again, they thought it was the Red Army using the same trick again, and many of them simply stayed in their barracks and slept.

When they were awakened from their sleep, they found that the Red Army was everywhere, with guns pointed at them.

The battle lasted no more than half an hour from start to finish.

Several outer positions fell into the hands of the Red Army.

The Red Army soldiers who rushed into the trenches did not pursue the fleeing Nationalist troops, but instead immediately began to reinforce their positions under the cover of night.

The older veterans worked while shouting to the new recruits around them, "The first battle of the siege is all about morale. The Nationalist army will definitely launch a counterattack at daybreak. Reinforce the fortifications and watch out for their planes."

As dawn broke, morning mist rose from the Qujiang River, enveloping the newly occupied territories outside the city like a thin veil.

The outline of Quzhou's city wall was faintly visible in the mist in the distance. The soldiers on the city wall were busy at work, and the sounds of carrying ammunition boxes and the officers' shouts drifted over on the morning breeze.

The Red Army soldiers at the front lines worked even harder to reinforce their fortifications.

Meanwhile, on the rear lines of the Red Army, another Red Army unit was also busily engaged in civil engineering work.

These farm boys skillfully made one scarecrow after another, dressed them in gray military uniforms, and put a hat on their heads, making them look like sentries standing guard from a distance.

Meanwhile, skilled craftsmen used axes and saws to assemble wooden frames into the shape of cannons, painted them, and pointed the wooden cannon barrels at an angle to the sky. From a distance, they looked almost identical to real cannons.

A young recruit squatted nearby, watching the veterans busily at work, and couldn't help but ask, "Squad leader, is what we're doing even going to work? Will the White Dogs' planes really fall for our tricks with scarecrows and wooden cannons?"

The old soldier, who was painting the barrel of a wooden cannon, answered without looking up, "It's useful, of course it's useful. This was an idea suggested by our regimental commander Zhou. If the commander says it's useful, then it's definitely useful."

"Think about it, those white dogs' planes are so far away in the sky, how can they see things on the ground clearly? We'll use these logs to exchange for the Kuomintang's artillery shells."

Not far from them, another person was squatting on the ground, working even more diligently. That person was called Old Wang, a potter by trade, and his craftsmanship was exquisite.

He was holding a lump of wet mud in his hands, and he was applying it to a wooden frame. He would press each layer down firmly with his hand, then apply another layer, and finally use a small scraper to shape the outline of the cannon barrel and the gun carriage.

After working for more than half an hour, a clay cannon appeared in front of him. After he attached a layer of paper and painted it, it looked almost exactly like the real thing from a distance.