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

Zhou Zeyuan has no time to attend to matters in Southwest China for the time being; he is currently focusing on consolidating the forces at his disposal.

The Fujian-Zhejiang-Jiangxi Soviet Area and the Central and Southern Fujian Military Regions all began to emulate the Eastern Fujian Military Region in vigorously developing militia.

After all, to be honest, the three-tiered system of militia, local garrison, and main force is hardly an institutional innovation.

The Red Army forces in various regions were developing in roughly the same way, but they lacked a standardized system.

The biggest difference now lies in the abundance of resources and the significant expansion of the population in the base area.

The Red Army was no longer just roaming around in the mountains; it also had the strength to occupy county towns on the plains and confront the Nationalist army head-on.

The six counties of Quzhou, Jiangshan, Yushan, Changshan, Guangfeng, and Longyou alone have a population of over one million.

This is the Jinqu Basin, known as the granary of Zhejiang. Its dense population and abundant resources are not just empty words.

In addition, the Red Army's mobilization of local areas was not only aimed at these well-established Soviet areas under its actual control, but also at guerrilla forces in Kuomintang-controlled areas such as Qianshan and Shangrao, which received military support from the Soviet areas and began to expand rapidly.

They may not have precise marksmanship, good training, or skillful command, but they are familiar with the terrain and have a lot of passion!

The constant guerrilla raids were a major annoyance to the Nationalist troops along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway, forcing them to deploy a large number of troops to maintain the smooth operation of this logistical line.

While the Red Army was preparing for war, the Nationalist Army was mobilizing its troops!

After Luo Zhuoying's Fifth Column withdrew from Quzhou, it only rested briefly in Jinhua before heading north to Hangzhou. Ostensibly, this was a retreat to the rear to regroup after suffering heavy losses and to strengthen Hangzhou's defenses against a potential Red Army attack.

However, reliable intelligence from inside sources indicated that the two divisions transferred from Henan had been assigned to the 5th Column.

Prioritizing the replenishment of personnel and equipment, it is clear that the Nationalist army leadership did not abandon this elite force despite a crushing defeat.

Zhou Zeyuan even narcissistically thought that Luo Zhuoying's ability to withstand their three-person onslaught for an entire day was already an exceptional performance.

So many famous generals couldn't even last a single round against them. Perhaps the battalion commander would value this top student from Baoding Military Academy even more because of this!

Strangely, intelligence indicated that Liu Zhi had already arrived in Jinhua and established a forward command post.

But there haven't been any major developments recently.

It is said that a new broom sweeps clean, and given Liu Zhi's current high spirits, he should not be afraid of his group of young peasants.

It is said that there must be something fishy about things that happen out of the ordinary, so Zhou Zeyuan immediately intensified his intelligence gathering in Jinhua. He had to find out the reason for the incident.

But sometimes, when problems arise on the front lines, the problem may not necessarily be on the front lines.

Zhou Zeyuan, after all, couldn't read the principal's mind, and inevitably fell into the trap of treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.

Nanchang Headquarters, Principal's Office.

The principal sat behind his desk, holding a fountain pen in his hand.

His strategist, Yang Yongtai, sat on a stool to the side, his posture relaxed.

Dai Yunong stood about three steps away from the desk, his back straight.

"Principal, we learned about Senior Xia's situation from the released prisoners. It's absolutely true; three people corroborated it, and their descriptions are consistent, so it shouldn't be wrong."

The principal did not respond immediately, but simply unscrewed the pen cap and screwed it back on, repeating this process twice.

Yang Yongtai, who had been silent all along, frowned slightly and said, "If that's the case, then it's most likely true."

"It's just a bit strange that the Red Army captured one of our high-ranking generals, yet they kept it a secret. They neither issued a public telegram nor used the opportunity for propaganda. What exactly are they up to?"

The principal's face was expressionless; he asked in a calm tone, "Is there any intelligence indicating that Guan Nan (Xia Chuzhong's courtesy name) has any tendency to defect to the enemy?"

"No, at least according to the intelligence we have so far, the Red Army is still keeping Senior Xia under house arrest in the POW camp, treating him the same as other captured officers, without giving him any special treatment, and we have not seen him cooperate with the Red Army's propaganda."

The principal's gaze fell on the lampshade on the desk, and he asked casually, "Yu Nong, what's your opinion on this matter?"

Dai Yunong's heart tightened suddenly.

He knew that the principal appeared calm on the surface, but was definitely weighing things over in his heart.

After all, Xia Chuzhong's mistake was indeed too great, and he should be severely punished.

However, Xia Chuzhong was a student from the first class of Whampoa Military Academy, and was personally trained by the principal. Even if he lost his teacher and territory, the principal was unwilling to give up on him easily.

If I had said something that made me feel bad, the principal might now have used that as an excuse to punish me.

But if they regret it later, the person who initially suggested severe punishment will be the first to be resented.

Having spent so many years in officialdom, Dai Yunong knows this all too well.

He bowed slightly: "Principal, in my opinion, although Senior Xia made mistakes, he also made outstanding contributions in this operation to suppress the Red Army."

"If we punish someone severely for a single defeat, wouldn't that mean that a general who wins a hundred battles is useless, but who gets dismissed and investigated for just one loss?"

"This precedent must not be set. Otherwise, in the future, all the generals of the Party and the country will be living in fear, and who will be willing to wholeheartedly lead troops for you, Principal?"

After hearing this, the principal's expression relaxed slightly, but his tone still carried a hint of deliberation: "What you say makes sense, but if we let them off so easily, I'm afraid the soldiers will be dissatisfied."

Dai Yunong breathed a sigh of relief; these words were tantamount to revealing his inclination.

Just as he was about to add a few more words, Yang Yongtai, who was standing next to him, calmly took over the conversation: "Principal, in my humble opinion, whether it is right or wrong, reward or punishment, those are all internal matters of the Party and the State."

"Now that Commander Xia is imprisoned by the Red Army, we cannot ignore this. We should rescue him as soon as possible, and then personally inquire about the specific details of this battle before investigating his mistakes."

Dai Yunong glanced at Yang Yongtai sideways, inwardly praising him. This is a master!

First, rescue the person, then question them personally. At that time, the officials will have two mouths, and Xia Chuzhong's words and arguments will depend on what the principal wants to hear.

As long as Xia Chuzhong isn't stupid, he'll naturally follow the principal's wishes and shift the blame for the defeat elsewhere.

If things go wrong, this senior student Xia might not only be blameless, but could even earn a reputation for "enduring humiliation and remaining fearless in the face of danger".

The principal's expression visibly relaxed: "Hmm, that makes sense. Let's discuss all the merits and demerits after Guan Nan is rescued."

"Yu Nong, I'll leave this matter to your Special Service Department. Just tell me what you need. I'll pay any price to rescue my student."

Dai Yunong felt a rush of blood to his head.

Let him go and rescue the Nationalist major general who was captured by the Red Army.

Moreover, the rescue took place in the heartland of Fujian and Zhejiang, where the main forces of the Red Army were surrounded and 50,000 troops were stationed.

Those Red Army soldiers could even shoot down the old man's plane. With the limited manpower of the Special Service Department, wouldn't they just be sending their heads to their deaths?

He was about to politely decline when a thought suddenly struck him: the principal didn't really expect his men to scale walls and rescue the person, but rather...