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

After crushing the Nationalist army's first counterattack, the Red Army immediately launched a counterattack.

Because of concerns about the threat from the Nationalist army's artillery and air force, only two to three thousand Red Army troops remained on the front lines.

Once the Nationalist army finished bombing, the second-line reinforcements, who had been hiding in the grove, were able to head towards the front line with peace of mind.

They were the protagonists of the second offensive battle.

If the attack goes smoothly and another Nationalist army position is captured, then the previous operation will be repeated.

First, consolidate the position and strengthen the defense, then wait for the Nationalist army to counterattack.

If the Nationalist army does not retaliate, it will launch another attack once reinforcements arrive.

As for having a single unit launch a continuous offensive and break through several enemy positions in one go?

That would be treating your opponent like a pushover.

If we really fought like that, the battle losses would be quite unique!

Units that suffer losses are often annihilated as a whole, while units that suffer no losses never even fight a single battle.

This is neither conducive to the accumulation of combat experience by the troops nor to the effective allocation of physical strength and morale.

Meanwhile, after conducting preliminary reconnaissance, Xun Huaizhou's side also launched a major offensive.

After understanding the principle that "attacking the city is inferior to attacking the mind," Su Yu actually fought with relative restraint in the southern offensive.

He still had the capacity to deploy a division southward into the mountains, making a detour towards the eastern part of Quzhou City.

Because the Red Army's main base was to the west, and the main force of the Red Army was to the north and south, the Nationalist Army's breakout direction could only be eastward from beginning to end.

However, there are two other ways to travel east: by land and by water.

Although waterways are convenient and accessible, they have a fatal flaw: the roads are too narrow, and a single machine gun can block the entire river surface.

Troop transport ships full of soldiers will become sitting ducks!

The fierce battle between Xun Huaizhou and the National Army on the north bank was for control of the coastal positions.

As long as the National Revolutionary Army can hold the land on the north bank, the Qujiang River area around Quzhou City will be safe.

But Su Yu's move was purely unethical; he made another large detour and continued to open up new battlefields downstream.

The banks of the Qujiang River are safe, right? But it's not safe a little further downstream.

This scene, which was made completely undisguised, naturally quickly caught the eye of the Nationalist Army's reconnaissance aircraft.

Quzhou, the headquarters of the Fifth Column!

Upon receiving news of the failed counterattack from the front lines, Luo Zhuoying grabbed the phone and roared at the top of his lungs, "Hello, Air Force Commander? What exactly happened? Didn't you bomb the Red Army into chaos? How come they still have the strength to launch a counterattack?"

A hesitant voice came from the other end of the phone.

"What? You don't know? Are you all just sitting around doing nothing?" Luo Zhuoying practically slammed the receiver back onto the phone.

The staff officers nearby quickly lowered their heads, pretending to look through the documents on the table, but their eyes were secretly darting around, afraid of becoming the target of their superior's anger.

Even the orderly serving tea and water slowed his pace, wishing he could shrink into a crack in the wall.

However, Huang Wei, the commander of the 11th Division who had just turned 30, seemed oblivious to Luo Zhuoying's anger.

He stepped forward, his back ramrod straight, and said in a deep voice, "Commander, this minor setback is nothing. The outer defenses were all hastily constructed, without bunkers or blockades; they were far too rudimentary, which is why the Red Army was able to launch a surprise attack."

"In my opinion, it would be better to retreat two miles and rely on the three lines of defense around Quzhou to fight the Red Army to the death."

Luo Zhuoying, still furious, slammed his fist on the table: "You make it sound so easy! My mission was to hold out for five days. If we abandon the outer perimeter as soon as the battle begins, how can we possibly delay for five days?"

Huang Wei did not back down, looking directly at Luo Zhuoying. "But Commander, these defensive lines have not played their due role. The Red Army can take them without paying a heavy price. However, our army's manpower has been wasted as a result."

"If we retreat, it will be different. The fixed firing points on the city wall and the bunker defense line will form two layers of crossfire, which will surely inflict great casualties on the Red Army."

Luo Zhuoying frowned. Huang Wei's words made sense, but he didn't want to care about logic at the moment!

The principal wanted him to hold the line, while Chen Cixiu was hinting that he should act according to circumstances. He was caught in the middle, torn between the leaders of his civil engineering department and the highest-ranking official.

"Commander Huang, your responsibility is to guard the inner city and the northern bank defense line. Don't worry about anything else."

Huang Wei hesitated, but in the end he simply put his heels together, gave a standard military salute, and stepped aside.

Just then, the telephone on the table rang again.

Luo Zhuoying took a deep breath and grabbed the receiver: "Huh? Is this the Air Force? Have you figured out the reason?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was urgent and tense: "Commander Luo, something terrible has happened! A large force of Red Army soldiers has appeared in the southern mountains and is heading east, numbering no less than five thousand!"

Luo Zhuoying's heart tightened, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

He slammed the phone down on the table and strode over to the map hanging on the wall.

Huang Wei followed, "Commander, what's wrong?"

Luo Zhuoying did not turn around, so Huang Wei, who was standing behind him, could not see his ugly expression.

"Oh, nothing. Small groups of Red Army troops have appeared to our east. I suspect they're trying to cut off our retreat. Immediately send a regiment across the Qujiang River to reinforce the defenses in the direction of position 14."

Huang Wei paused for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Commander, that's our last reserve force. There's already a battalion stationed at position 14. If it's just a small enemy unit, that should be enough..."

"That's an order!"

Huang Wei's silence lasted only a moment. "Yes, Commander!"

The footsteps faded outside the tent, leaving only the curtain swaying gently.

Luo Zhuoying slowly turned around, as if all her strength had been drained, and slumped down in the command chair.

The staff officer beside him glanced at him cautiously, then quickly lowered his head again.

Luo Zhuoying remained silent for a long while before saying in a hoarse voice, "Send a telegram to the Chairman: My unit is in dire straits. Request reinforcements immediately."

"In addition, send a telegram to Commander-in-Chief Chen, telling him... I have ordered all troops of the 11th Division to conduct defensive operations along the Qujiang line, and they are ready to turn east and launch an attack at any time. However, without the Generalissimo's order, I dare not act on my own. Please ask him... to persuade the Generalissimo."

The telegraph operator quickly finished recording and turned to leave the tent.

Luo Zhuoying sat there alone, lost in thought.

He could already foresee what he would face next.

The principal's order was very clear: hold out for five days and atone for your crime through meritorious service.

If this fails, both crimes will be punished concurrently, and the offender will be dismissed from their post and investigated.

Now we can only hope that Chen Cixiu can be reliable at this crucial moment and persuade the principal to change his mind.

That way his crime could be mitigated slightly.

Otherwise, give him an order to act according to the situation.

So, should he withdraw or not?

In the end, he'll probably still be destined to be a scapegoat!

Being an official is incredibly difficult.