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

As the car door opened, a gust of cold air carrying the smell of coal smoke rushed out.

Chen Lifu stepped onto the platform, his gaze sweeping over the welcoming crowd ahead, before stopping at the very front of the crowd.

He was a middle-aged man in his early forties, not very tall, wearing a faded gray cotton military uniform with the collar buttoned up neatly.

He stood there, his face calm, a faint smile on his lips, his gaze serene, like a bottomless pool of water.

Yu Qiubai.

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Chen Lifu's face, which was quickly replaced by a polite smile.

He hurried forward and stretched out his hand from afar: "Mr. Qiubai! Oh, I didn't expect you to come and greet me in person, this is too kind of you."

Yu Qiubai reached out and shook hands with him, his smile still gentle: "Minister Chen, you must be tired from your journey. I originally wanted to wait for you in the city, but considering that you are a distinguished guest representing the will of the people of the whole country, I should come to welcome you in person to fulfill my duty as a host."

Chen Lifu quickly made up his mind.

He had expected to be greeted by a section chief or someone from the General Staff Department, but it turned out that Yu Qiubai himself came.

This man is a highly experienced veteran and the de facto leader of the Fujian-Zhejiang Military Region.

He personally came to the platform to greet them, which was a great honor. It shows how much effort the Red Army put into this negotiation.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, nothing more than polite greetings like "Have a safe journey" and "You must be tired."

Yu Qiubai's tone was polite but not warm, like shaking hands through a thick quilt, where you couldn't feel anything.

Just as Chen Lifu was about to say a few more polite words, he heard footsteps and voices behind him.

The doors of the middle carriages opened one after another, and a group of people dressed in long gowns and suits walked off one after another.

Among them were elderly people with gray hair, middle-aged scholars wearing glasses, and several business owners, gathered in twos and threes.

Yu Qiubai glanced in that direction, then turned back.

"Minister Chen, I have already arranged a welcome banquet in the city. Please rest and settle in first, and we can talk things over later."

After saying this, he didn't even wait for Chen Lifu's response, but simply waved to a young Red Army cadre next to him, signaling him to come over and greet the delegation members.

He then turned and strode towards those carriages.

Chen Lifu stood on the platform, watching Yu Qiubai's figure disappear into the crowd. His smile froze for a moment before returning to normal.

He turned to Zhang Chong and whispered, "Let's go, when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

At the other end of the platform, a figure in a dark gray long shirt was leaning out of the carriage door.

The man looked tired from his long journey. The first thing he did after getting off the bus was to eagerly pull a cigarette out of his pocket.

With trembling hands, he struck a match, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled a puff of grayish-white smoke.

He sat in the carriage for the entire journey, among elderly people and women, and didn't dare to smoke a single cigarette.

For a heavy smoker, this was nothing short of torture.

He was enjoying the brief respite from the nicotine with his eyes closed when he suddenly heard a familiar voice from ahead: "Yucai!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the cigarette in his hand fell to the ground.

A few steps away, Yu Qiubai was striding towards him.

The calm and composed expression on his face had vanished, replaced by the joy of a long-awaited reunion.

"Qiu Bai!" Mr. Zhou blurted out, almost running to greet him.

The two stood in the center of the platform, their four hands clasped tightly together.

Yu Qiubai looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on his face for a long time, then squeezed his hand tightly: "You've lost weight, you've slimmed down a lot."

"You've gained some weight." Mr. Zhou grinned, then bent down to pick up the cigarette that had fallen to the ground. He looked at the cigarette holder, then blew off the ash with a pained expression, and put it back in his mouth. "You may be working hard, but you seem to be in good spirits."

Several people had gathered around the area without anyone noticing.

Mr. Cai stood a few steps away, watching the scene before him, and sighed softly: "If one has a true friend in life, one can die without regrets."

He spoke very softly, but Dai Yunong still heard him.

He stood in the shadows behind Chen Lifu, his hat pulled low, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Hmph, these leftists, they really are in cahoots with the Red Army."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged official in a Zhongshan suit beside him immediately reprimanded, "Director Dai, watch your mouth. We're now in Red Army territory, and the platform is full of their men."

Another person chimed in, his voice laced with sarcasm: "Exactly, Brother Yu Nong, you have no idea how hated your name is over there. I think we should stay away from you from now on, or I might end up covered in blood."

Dai Yunong's face paled for a moment, and he cursed inwardly: Do you think I wanted to come? It's all because of that cunning Xu Enzeng that he actually got Minister Chen to appoint him as his general. This is practically asking me to die.

If I can get back this time, I'll definitely repay them tenfold!

The welcoming banquet was held at a time-honored restaurant in Quzhou city. The banquet was not extravagant, but it was still quite sumptuous.

According to Zhou Zeyuan's habit, it was already considered good if he didn't feed the Kuomintang "guests" pig swill.

However, considering that there were quite a few pro-democracy figures in the delegation, and that it was a public occasion, Zhou Zeyuan still made the banquet as lavish as he could.

The Red Army did not advocate extravagance and waste, but for diplomatic reasons or when it was necessary to show sincerity in order to gain support from the outside world, it would still try its best to make guests feel at home within its capabilities.

As the host, Yu Qiubai first invited everyone to take their seats in the center of the hall.

Democratic figures and Kuomintang representatives were divided into two sections, left and right, separated by a narrow aisle.

Yu Qiubai's arrangement was ingenious; both sides offered a clear view, and no one could find fault with it, yet it also subtly resembled a distinct line.

After some Kuomintang members sat down, one of them muttered to himself, "I thought we'd be eating coarse food here with the Red Army, but it's quite a feast. At least there's fish and meat."

Someone nearby gave him a light kick, and the person immediately fell silent.

Mr. Tsai sat at the head of the table with the pro-democracy activists, watching as dish after dish was served.

Braised pork belly, steamed fish, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a steaming pot of chicken soup...

He turned his head slightly and said to Yu Qiubai, who was walking over to offer a toast:

"Mr. Qiu Bai, this is far too lavish. I know you are in difficult circumstances, and there is no need for you to go to such lengths for us. A hot meal is enough for us on our journey."