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

(I received the first donation for this book yesterday, so I'm adding an extra chapter.)

Le Shaohua frowned and retorted, "Comrade Zeyuan, can't we wait until after the Battle of Fuzhou to carry out this mission north? Dividing troops before the battle is a cardinal sin in military strategy!"

Zhou Zeyuan patiently explained, "Opportunities are fleeting! The enemy in eastern Fujian is still relatively lax, which is a golden opportunity for us to seize!"

"Once we advance towards Fuzhou and the sound of gunfire erupts, the enemy in eastern Fujian will surely be alerted. Taking Luoyuan and other places easily will no longer be so easy!"

Su Yu, standing to the side, quietly observed Zhou Zeyuan's words and scheme, his mind racing. He had almost figured out Zhou Zeyuan's true intentions.

This is to prepare eastern Fujian as the army's retreat route! If the attack on Fuzhou fails, they will face heavy enemy pursuit.

The entire army can move north and withdraw into the already established base area in eastern Fujian, relying on the local people's support and favorable terrain to maneuver against the enemy.

However, if an elite regiment is deployed in advance to expand the base area and establish contact beforehand, the main force will have a reliable rear and support, greatly improving the safety factor.

As expected of Zeyuan, he thinks three steps ahead for every one he takes. This kind of foresight truly has some of Mr. Li's flair.

If Zhou Zeyuan could hear Su Yu's thoughts at this moment, he probably wouldn't be able to resist showing a smug look on his face.

He might not appreciate other compliments, but if you praise him with phrases like "he has the same style as his teacher," he will definitely consider the person who said that a close friend.

Le Shaohua pondered the matter repeatedly. Zhou Zeyuan's plan was indeed logically sound, capable of both fulfilling the Central Committee's mission to mobilize the enemy and having a backup plan, seemingly flawless.

He slammed his hand on the table: "Good! I agree to this plan! Consider it a backup plan for the Fuzhou operation! If we can't take Fuzhou, then we'll focus all our efforts on developing eastern and northern Fujian! Our army will advance into southern Zhejiang and go straight for the peanuts' backside! Let's see how anxious they are!"

Zeng Hongyi had just breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart sank again when he heard that the army was advancing into southern Zhejiang.

The Kuomintang will inevitably launch a massive crackdown and encirclement campaign, which would likely be quite dangerous.

But when the time comes, all we can do is take it one step at a time.

He cleared his throat and interjected, "Uh, the person in charge of this northward expedition must not only be able to command operations, but also lead the local areas and build up the base area. We must send a comrade with outstanding political qualities!"

Zhou Zeyuan nodded: "That's right! Militarily, they also need to be able to take charge independently. However, we can only transfer one full-strength regiment from the 7th Red Army Division to the north. Any more than that would affect the combat effectiveness of the main force."

Le Shaohua immediately made the decision: "Then let Comrade Liu Shengmu be in charge of this northward detachment! He is the political commissar of the 7th Red Army Division, his political qualities are absolutely outstanding, and he has participated in all the battles and is familiar with the troops. He is the most suitable person to be this leader!"

Zeng Hongyi opened his mouth, his face turning ashen. He had hoped to secure this cushy job that offered both merit and safety, but Le Shaohua hadn't even considered him, directly nominating Liu Shengmu instead.

He naturally couldn't object, but what should he do next? Follow the main force to crash into Fuzhou? Just thinking about it made his legs go weak.

Ignoring Zeng Hongyi's changing expressions, Zhou Zeyuan continued with the military deployment: "Alright, the general plan is settled! We're not far from Gutian County now. The first step is to capture Gutian and use it as a temporary base for the army's eastward advance!"

He pointed to the map, his speech quickening: "We'll split into two groups. The 7th Red Army Division will focus all its efforts on capturing Gutian! Then, Comrade Liu Shengmu will lead an elite regiment drawn from the 7th Red Army Division, replenished with ammunition and key personnel, to immediately break away from the main force and advance rapidly northeastward, targeting Luoyuan!"

"The remaining main force will advance along the east bank of the Min River! Our first target is Shuikou Town! Intelligence indicates that four enemy battalions are stationed there, and they have constructed defensive fortifications. Our objective is to annihilate this enemy force as much as possible and prevent them from escaping back to Fuzhou!"

"My specific deployment is as follows: the Second and Third Divisions, along with the main force of the corps headquarters, will remain in place for the time being to mislead the enemy. Hu Tiantao's First Division will immediately depart, heading north along mountain roads, making a loop, and secretly infiltrating behind Shuikou Town to cut off the enemy's only route to Fuzhou!"

"Once the First Division arrives, our main force will press eastward from the front, forcing the Shuikou garrison to abandon their positions and retreat towards Fuzhou! At that time, the First Division will suddenly attack from the rear, cutting off their retreat, while our main force will launch a pincer attack from the front, aiming for complete annihilation!"

After listening, Le Shaohua nodded vigorously: "The plan is very reasonable! Let's fight it that way! Moreover, we must capture Minqing and Minhou counties along the way! If we can capture them, we must capture them decisively, annihilating as much of the enemy's manpower as possible! This way, the forces in Fuzhou will be even weaker, giving us a better chance to take it later!"

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, their expressions varied.

This... he's still incorrigible!

After going around in circles, the political commissar still couldn't forget his grand ambition of "capturing the provincial capital."

Zhou Zeyuan shook his head inwardly, but didn't argue further. In any case, once the gunshots rang out, the initiative would be in his hands, no matter how the fighting went.

As soon as the meeting ended, Le Shaohua reported the contents of the meeting to the Central Committee.

They applied to the Central Committee to appoint Zhou Zeyuan as acting corps commander, and also specifically mentioned the military pledge Zhou Zeyuan had made.

Even before the central government had approved the application, the troops immediately began to take action.

This meeting has established Zhou Zeyuan's leadership position and formally approved his military plan. Regardless of whether the Central Committee agrees or not, Zhou Zeyuan is the de facto acting corps commander.

If someone else were in this position, they would still have to implement this military plan. Le Shaohua wasn't exactly pedantic in this regard, or rather, the situation forced him to refrain from being too impulsive.

After receiving the order, Hu Tiantao immediately transferred the entire division's supplies to other units, and more than a thousand people, lightly equipped, ventured into the vast mountains.

For the 7th Division, if they were to select an elite regiment, the 1st Regiment would naturally be the best choice, as they had done the most of these kinds of infiltration missions in the past.

Not long after, the Central Committee replied, agreeing to the request of the Seventh Red Army Corps, but emphasizing that the Northern Expeditionary Anti-Japanese Vanguard should complete the task of containing at least five of the enemy's main divisions within a month.

All matters concerning frontline operations can be discussed and decided upon by the leadership.

However, when Le Shaohua read out the order, he omitted the last paragraph.