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

"Mr. Cai, have you not been reading the newspaper lately?" Yu Qiubai looked around, holding a wine pot, with a warm smile on his face.

"We've won several battles in a row, and the supplies we've captured are more than we can use. How many mouths do you have? You can't possibly eat our Red Army out of house and home."

These words were spoken frankly and generously, and a burst of laughter immediately erupted from the table of democrats.

Mr. Zhou had just taken a cigarette from the pack on the table and was sniffing it when he heard this, and replied:

"So that's why I thought someone as poor as you had the money to buy me such good cigarettes. Turns out someone else was treating you."

As soon as he finished speaking, several pro-democracy activists nearby couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Ignoring whether others were laughing or not, Mr. Zhou struck a match, lit his cigarette, took a deep drag, and leaned back comfortably in his chair.

The Kuomintang officials at the two tables on the right didn't look so pleased.

The group looked at each other, their chopsticks hovering in mid-air, putting back the food they had picked up halfway.

So, the fancy meals we're enjoying are actually things we've thrown away ourselves?

But this was Red Army territory, and the guards standing downstairs and outside were all dressed in gray military uniforms; no one dared to cause trouble.

Chen Lifu remained calm, even taking a sip of his wine, as if what he had just said had nothing to do with him.

Just as Yu Qiubai turned around to return to the main table, Chen Lifu suddenly called out, "Mr. Qiubai."

Yu Qiubai paused, turned around, and asked, "What instructions does Minister Chen have?"

"Hehe, I wouldn't dare presume to offer advice. However, I've heard that your army's representative in these negotiations is Commander-in-Chief Zhou Zeyuan. Why was he not seen at the meeting?"

Yu Qiubai's smile remained unchanged. "Haha, Commander-in-Chief Zhou is busy with military affairs and is on his way to the banquet. He will be here shortly."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than footsteps came from the stairwell.

Then a young man's voice came through: "Sorry I'm late."

Zhou Zeyuan went up to the second floor, where he was wearing a new military uniform, a rare sight for him today.

This uniform was nothing special in the Red Army; it was simple and plain, without much frills. But when he wore it, it gave him a simple, elegant, clean, and neat look.

But to the Kuomintang officials, all that remained was deep amazement—he was too young.

Everyone knows that this Red Army commander is only twenty years old this year, but hearing about it and seeing it with your own eyes are two completely different things.

His face still retained some of the roundness of a young man, but there was a calmness between his brows that was not commensurate with his age.

He stood there, radiating youthful vigor, which contrasted sharply with the Kuomintang officials who had spent years in the political arena. He was like a new bamboo shoot in spring standing among a pile of withered trees.

Chen Lifu put down his wine glass, quickly stepped forward, a perfectly measured smile on his face, and extended his right hand. "This must be Commander Zhou. I am Chen Lifu, and I am honored to be..."

"Minister Chen. The names of the two Chens are renowned. You are a senior figure with a long-established reputation, so there's no need for such formality."

Zhou Zeyuan extended his hand and shook hands with Chen Lifu, then continued, "Let me introduce myself, Zhou Zeyuan. I joined the Red Army at the age of 13, went to Jinggang Mountain in the same year, joined the Youth League at the age of 14, and joined the Party at the age of 15."

"We've been fighting your Nationalist army for exactly seven years now. I hope this process won't last more than eight years."

Chen Lifu held that young and strong hand, his smile unchanged, but a glint flashed in his eyes.

"That's for sure. We've come here for peace. If we can stop the fighting and turn to war, we'll all be heroes for the country. We hope Commander Zhou can consider the bigger picture."

Zhou Zeyuan withdrew his hand, his smile undiminished: "As the old saying goes, those who eat meat are base. Years of revolution have taught me a lesson—if you're asked to consider the big picture, it means you're not part of that big picture."

The hall fell silent suddenly, as if the air itself had frozen for a moment!

Chen Lifu's smile froze on his face, and he was speechless for a moment.

He had been through many ups and downs in his official career and had seen all sorts of situations, but never before had anyone cornered him with such a blunt and almost cruel approach, just one sentence.

Fortunately, his deputy Zhang Chong reacted quickly, standing up immediately and smoothing things over with a beaming smile:

"Commander-in-Chief Zhou, you misunderstand. That's not what the minister meant. He hoped that we could understand each other and that what we need to consider is not the overall situation of the government, but the overall situation of the country and the people, and certainly not for our own selfish interests."

Zhou Zeyuan's cold expression softened slightly, and he regained his polite smile.

"I see. I misunderstood you all. Minister Chen, I hope you won't take offense. I'm a straightforward person, and I often speak without thinking. I say what I mean and can't hide my thoughts. I hope you're magnanimous and won't hold it against me?"

Chen Lifu's smile had returned to normal: "No offense, no offense. General Zhou is quick-witted and straightforward, which is admirable. It's a good thing that young people have vigor."

At the table next to the pro-democracy activists, Mr. Zhou turned his head and whispered in Mr. Cai's ear, "What a thick skin."

Mr. Cai was taken aback at first, then realized what was happening, lowered his voice, and replied with a smile:

"This is called 'thick-skinned and black-hearted,' and it really has some of the style of Emperor Gaozu of Han."

The two exchanged a glance, both holding back their laughter.

Chen Lifu couldn't hear the whispers at that table, but when he caught a glimpse of the subtle expressions on the faces of the democrats, his anger flared up.

He picked up his wine glass again and raised it towards Zhou Zeyuan: "General Zhou, there's something I couldn't figure out before I came. Could you please enlighten me?"

Zhou Zeyuan took the wine glass handed to him by the comrade next to him and raised it as well: "As long as it doesn't involve the secrets of my Red Army, I will tell you everything."

Chen Lifu took a sip of wine, put down the glass, as if savoring the taste of the wine, or perhaps organizing his thoughts.

"I have heard that your army has two commanders, Su and Xun, whose military strategies are divine. They have won consecutive victories in Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi, routing several of my armies. I wonder how your command abilities compare to those of these two, General?"

Zhou Zeyuan said almost without hesitation, "These two are the most outstanding commanders, with military talents ten times greater than mine. Few in the world can rival them."

A playful smile appeared on Chen Lifu's face: "Oh? So you two are both so talented..."

"Then I'm curious, why aren't these two in command, but you alone sit in this position? Could it be that General Zhou, you possess some special talent?"

As soon as the question was raised, all eyes in the hall turned to Zhou Zeyuan.

The pro-democracy activists at the table to the left also put down their chopsticks. Mr. Zhou even took the cigarette he had just taken a puff of from his mouth and waited intently for an answer.