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

When the white flag reached the edge of the mountain, a young man in a gray military uniform was walking in front of him, his back ramrod straight.

The young man's gaze swept around the room before finally landing on Luo Lin. He raised his hand in a military salute: "Commander Luo, I am Li Zhengqing, a staff officer of the 12th Red Army. I have been ordered to come and make contact with you."

Luo Lin returned the salute without any formalities, "Commander Li, I know perfectly well why you've come. Please speak frankly."

Staff Officer Li choked, realizing that the prepared speech he had given before coming was now useless, even though he had spent several hours reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

"Commander Luo, I don't need to elaborate on the current situation. Surrender is your best way out."

"Our military policy is that all officers and soldiers of the Nationalist Army who voluntarily lay down their weapons will be treated as surrenderers. Their lives and property will be guaranteed, they will not be beaten or verbally abused, their pockets will not be searched, and the wounded will be given medical treatment."

"Commander Luo, the situation is now quite clear. I hope you can make a wise choice."

Luo Lin sneered inwardly, "I went through all that trouble negotiating with you just to get some treatment for surrendering?"

What's the point of even talking then?

"Commander Li, I understand what you're saying. But I must also say this: what if we don't surrender? I still have several thousand elite troops under my command, holding their positions in strategic locations. If you want to take down my 77th Division, you'll likely have to pay a considerable price."

Staff Officer Li showed no surprise. "Commander Luo, why should we force our way up the mountain?"

"We're surrounded on all sides. How much food did you bring up the mountain? How many days can several thousand people trapped on a small hill survive?"

"Two days, three days at most. By then, even if we don't attack, you'll have no choice but to obediently come down the mountain and surrender. But at that time, you won't be able to enjoy the treatment of surrender."

Luo Lin's smile didn't fade, but the sharpness in his eyes increased: "Hmph, do you think I'm easily intimidated? Although our army suffered a defeat, its overall strength remains, and a comeback is just around the corner. If it drags on for two or three days, the outcome is uncertain."

He paced two steps towards the edge of the trench, as if he had made a great decision, and said, "Commander Li, I think we should each compromise. You allow my unit to withdraw as a whole, and I can guarantee that we will never be enemies with the Red Army again. Is this condition too much to ask?"

Staff Officer Li did not answer immediately.

He looked at Luo Lin for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it seemed unstoppable, growing louder and louder until finally he was bent over, one hand on his knee, laughing so hard he was doubled over.

Luo Lin's face darkened.

He waited patiently for a moment, and seeing that the other party showed no sign of stopping, his tone revealed a clear displeasure:

"Commander Li, do you think I haven't read 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'? Are you going to say something sensational next? What's the point of these little tricks?"

Staff Officer Li finally straightened up, wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, and waved his hand: "I'm sorry, Commander Luo, I really couldn't help it."

He suppressed his smile, his tone regaining its composure: "You may not know the current situation while you're on the mountain. Let me inform you: of your two armies, only the 77th Division remains."

"We confirmed before we arrived that, including your troops, there should be more than 20,000 people in the encirclement, and they are surrendering one after another."

"Considering the losses from the previous battles, you can calculate how many people successfully broke through. How can you possibly think Jiang Dingwen still has the strength to launch a counterattack?"

Luo Lin frowned slightly. He caught a glimpse of something in that sentence that made his heart tighten, and blurted out, "You...didn't capture Jiang Dingwen?"

Staff Officer Li's expression faltered slightly, and his gaze became subtle.

"Commander Luo, let me confirm with you first. You don't know Jiang Dingwen's whereabouts? And Jiang Dingwen hasn't sent you any telegrams?"

Luo Lin's brows furrowed deeper, a hint of suspicion creeping into his voice, "Yeah, what's wrong? I thought he was already in your hands. Otherwise, why would our command system suddenly disappear?"

Staff Officer Li shook his head, his tone tinged with pity: "Of course not. In fact, Jiang Dingwen fled at the very beginning of the battle. Moreover, during the fighting, he also issued retreat orders to all other divisions and regiments except your unit."

Luo Lin stood there, his expression frozen.

He stared at Staff Officer Li for a few seconds to make sure he wasn't joking.

"Staff Officer Li, are you serious?"

Staff Officer Li nodded emphatically, "It's absolutely true. We just got this information from the prisoners."

Then, Staff Officer Li witnessed a very strange scene: a person's face could indeed turn bright red in a short period of time.

It turns out that Sichuan Opera's face-changing technique is not exaggerated, but a realistic art form.

"You bastard!" Luo Lin roared, his voice booming across the mountaintop. Even those who were gathering their ranks couldn't help but look up.

"Jiang Mingsan, you son of a bitch, you deserve to die a horrible death! I wish your sons will be born without an anus!"

He cursed with all his might for several minutes, going through Jiang Dingwen's ancestors for eighteen generations.

He launched into a tirade against Jiang Dingwen, criticizing his command abilities, his character, his performance in Fuzhou, and his desertion last night, interspersed with several swear words in Hunan dialect.

Staff Officer Li stood aside, neither interrupting him nor urging him, but simply waiting quietly.

When Luo Lin's cursing subsided and his breathing became heavy, he spoke at the opportune moment:

"Commander Luo, we both know that the Central Army is not on your side. I suggest you cooperate with us; only then will you have a chance to avenge today's humiliation."

Luo Lin took a few breaths, his eyes still bloodshot, but his gaze had regained focus.

"Cooperation, of course. But if I hand over all my weapons, can it still be called cooperation? Okay, I'll compromise further. I can accept your control, but I must retain light weapons for self-defense. That's not an unreasonable request, is it?"

Staff Officer Li looked helpless, as if he were looking at a naughty child. "Commander Luo, you should realize that even if the situation develops exactly as you have envisioned, you don't have many bargaining chips."

"After all, you are a member of the Hunan Army, a ragtag force. The Kuomintang won't bother to rescue you. We only need to wait, and we can turn you all into prisoners without firing a single shot."

Luo Lin remained silent for a long time.

He looked down at the gray figures gathering prisoners below the mountain, at the small boats with red flags on the river in the distance, and at the red flags that were converging from all directions and spreading further and further away.

"Alright, I have one last request: you can't take away my sidearm."

"Can!"

Luo Lin turned around and shouted to the trenches behind him, "Pass down the order: the entire division lay down its weapons and stop fighting."