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

Su Yu was overjoyed, but as a seasoned revolutionary fighter, he had long since mastered the art of controlling his emotions.

At this moment, his face remained expressionless, and his eyes were as still as a deep well, so that Luo Weixiong did not notice anything unusual.

She even managed to resist looking at Zhou Zeyuan next to her.

Zhou Zeyuan, needless to say, had long since mastered the art of controlling his emotions.

He continued, "If your army had made such a request before last night, it would have been reasonable. But today, the situation is different."

"You've lost a regiment in just one night. How long can your lines hold out? If we spend two more days annihilating you, we can gain the equipment of two more divisions and prisoners. Wouldn't that be better?"

Luo Weixiong's smile froze slightly, but he quickly recovered: "Deputy Commander Zhou, the declaration of the northward march clearly stated that we would try our best to avoid fighting with our army. Now, to break our promise like this, even the ignorant men and women in the countryside will laugh at us, and the Red Army will lose the trust of the world."

Zhou Zeyuan took a leisurely sip of water: "I'm afraid not. When the telegram was sent, our two armies were already at war. Now, you are in dire straits and risk being encircled and annihilated by us. You think you can just retreat whenever you want? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Our army will try its best to avoid fighting with the National Army, but since fighting has already begun, in order to protect ourselves, even if we cannot bear the loss of lives, we have no choice but to fight."

Luo Weixiong turned his gaze to Su Yu: "Chief of Staff Su, was what Deputy Corps Commander Zhou said his personal opinion, or the collective opinion of your Red Army?"

Su Yu put down his chopsticks. "Naturally, this is the collective will of our Red Army. If your esteemed envoy has come here only to take advantage of us, then I think there is no need for this peace talk to continue."

"How can it be that our army only wants to take advantage?" Luo Weixiong leaned forward slightly, his tone earnest.

"We will withdraw our troops, leaving Quzhou city intact to your army. The treasury will remain undamaged, the railway will not be destroyed, and all facilities will be available to serve the cause of resistance. Wouldn't this be a win-win situation for both our armies?"

Zhou Zeyuan laughed: "Deputy Officer Luo, were you a diplomat or a civil servant before? You're so quick-witted."

"But don't forget, this is a military camp, where soldiers are judged by their strength. You don't have many bargaining chips, and no matter how eloquently you speak, we cannot agree to your conditions."

Luo Weixiong was silent for a moment, then adjusted his mindset and softened his tone: "Alright. Our Commander Luo is willing to make a promise that not only will we cede Quzhou City, but we can also grant passage through Hangzhou on your army's northward journey."

"However, it is absolutely impossible to go north and cross the Yangtze River through Nanjing. We can discuss and come up with a new route for that."

Zhou Zeyuan sneered, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. This so-called negotiation is nothing but a delaying tactic. In the end, when our army marches north, we'll inevitably have to fight you. There's no point in talking about these agreements."

Luo Weixiong's expression finally turned serious: "Then what conditions do you want?"

"It's very simple: one million rounds of ammunition, twenty thousand hand grenades, five tons of explosives, and all the medicines for your entire army. Also, the weapons and equipment attached to the city's defenses are not to be withdrawn; they must all be left intact."

"Apart from that, we will not search your troops' weapons, remaining ammunition, or other personal belongings; you may take them as you see fit."

Upon hearing these conditions, Luo Weixiong's expression completely changed: "What's the difference between these conditions and surrendering in defeat?"

Zhou Zeyuan shrugged: "What are you saying? We didn't ask you to lay down your weapons and go to the POW camp first. If you don't have the authority to make that decision, you can go back and ask your Commander Luo."

He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold, "And please pass on a message to him: I know it's actually the guy in Nanchang who wants to negotiate. But he's very proud, so I won't force him to sign the agreement."

"If the Nationalist army wants to withdraw, so be it. Today they are not prisoners of war of the Red Army, but another day they will inevitably have to walk through a prisoner-of-war camp."

Luo Weixiong stood up, and the last trace of a gentle smile disappeared from his face.

"Our million-strong army is rushing towards Quzhou; the Red Army's annihilation is imminent. I admire your composure!"

Zhou Zeyuan was almost amused by the audacity of this boasting; it was truly a display of ancient wisdom.

He stood up as well, pointing a finger at Luo Weixiong: "Hmph! If you don't come to attack me, I will attack you. Our army has come to Zhejiang to annihilate your so-called million-strong army."

"Go back and tell your generals to indulge in feasting and revelry. Before long, you will all become defeated generals and prisoners of my Red Army!"

Luo Weixiong coldly cupped his hands in greeting: "Very well, General, your hospitality is certainly not to disappoint. Farewell!"

He turned and strode out of the tent, his heavy footsteps echoing on the muddy ground as he walked away.

The tent fell silent.

Su Yu pondered the conversation for a moment, then asked, "If we were to engage in a strategic decisive battle with the main force of the National Revolutionary Army, what are your chances of success?"

The words "strategic decisive battle" slipped out of Zhou Zeyuan's mouth. He didn't think much of it, but Su Yu, who said them, suddenly felt an immense pressure, like a mountain, bearing down on her.

Three words automatically flashed through his mind: Sore loser!

Zhou Zeyuan, however, was indifferent. "That depends on who the opposing commander is. If it's someone like Gu Zhutong or Chen Cheng, you can rest assured, we're guaranteed to win."

Su Yu shook her head. "Zeyuan, it is extremely inappropriate for you to underestimate the enemy. The life and death of tens of thousands of troops now rest on our shoulders. The more cautious we are, the better."

Zhou Zeyuan chuckled and patted his thigh. "My good chief of staff, when have you ever seen me underestimate the enemy?"

"If I were to lay a hand on someone, it wouldn't matter whether they were a young woman, a married woman, an old person, or a child. If they were an enemy, I would fight them to the death. There are too many examples in military history of people making mistakes because they underestimated the enemy, and I don't want to end up in the textbooks because of that."

Hearing this, Su Yu finally felt relieved.

After finishing their meal, Su Yu sent a message to Xun Huaizhou about peace talks.

Immediately, the armies from both the north and south no longer held back, and except for a small number of reserves, the rest were all sent forward.

This is both a strategy to force peace through force and a way to weaken the enemy as much as possible before a formal agreement is reached.

Therefore, the focus of the attack was no longer on the well-defended main positions, but rather on a feint attack on the front, concentrating forces to strike the flanks, with the aim of killing the enemy's manpower.

Of course, it wasn't that no one wanted to use underhanded tactics. One staff officer suggested that after the Nationalist army withdrew from the city, they should immediately back out and wipe out both divisions in one fell swoop.

Zhou Zeyuan immediately put the man in solitary confinement.

The reputation of their Red Army cannot be compared to that of a mere two divisions.

In the afternoon, the Nationalist army sent envoys again to discuss the specific withdrawal operation.

Zhou Zeyuan took the opportunity to raise the conditions by another 20%, saying that the conditions discussed in the morning were the same as those discussed in the morning, and the situation in the afternoon was more favorable to them, so they should increase their demands.

It's okay if you don't agree. I'll add more later.