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

After the mobilization meeting ended, dust billowed up on the distant main road.

A force even larger than the Minxi Independent Division was winding its way in. The gray-blue uniforms stretched as far as the eye could see, and the flags fluttered in the air; this was the main force of the Seventh Red Army Corps.

Xun Huaizhou sent someone to invite Zhou Zeyuan to a meeting at the army headquarters.

As Zhou Zeyuan walked along the road, he frowned slightly as he watched the soldiers of the Seventh Army Corps passing by.

The soldiers of the Seventh Army Corps had a good morale, but many of them looked too young, even somewhat immature.

More importantly, their equipment varied greatly. Apart from a few veterans carrying Hanyang rifles, most of them carried broadswords and spears.

This wasn't going north to fight the Japanese; it was clearly sending a bunch of teenagers and farmers to be targets for the Nationalist army's machine guns.

What made his heart sink even more were the soldiers in the ranks carrying loads on their shoulders.

One load after another, endlessly.

As the column moved forward, a young soldier carrying a load tripped over a stone, lost his balance, and the load fell to the ground.

The straw rope snapped, and the contents scattered all over the ground.

It wasn't food, it wasn't ammunition, but stacks of paper.

"A Letter to Fellow Countrymen," "A Letter to All People for the Resist Japan and Save the Nation"...

Zhou Zeyuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

His gaze swept over the long line, and he roughly estimated that there were more than a hundred such loads!

Memories of his past life flashed through his mind in an instant.

To complete the propaganda task assigned by the Central Committee, the 7th Red Army Corps carried 1.6 million copies of propaganda materials, enough for 380 loads! In addition to the necessary logistical supplies for the troops themselves, the total exceeded 500 loads!

What does this mean?

This means that from the very first day of their departure, this so-called "Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Team" carried a mountain that was enough to crush everyone!

Mobile warfare?

A quick attack and retreat?

What the hell are you talking about!

Carrying so much baggage severely slowed down the march, and if they weren't careful, they would be surrounded and ambushed by the enemy!

For these ridiculous political tasks, who knows how many soldiers will sacrifice their lives in vain on this road!

An uncontrollable rage surged up to the top of his head.

Without saying a word, he strode forward and headed straight for the ancestral hall on the hillside that served as a temporary command post.

Xiao Zhong, the bodyguard behind him, was so frightened by the division commander's menacing back that he didn't dare to breathe.

He had a premonition.

Something big is about to happen today.

The command structure of the Northern Expeditionary Anti-Japanese Vanguard Team was determined long ago by Ruijin.

Commander-in-Chief Zeng Hongyi arrived by air and represented the authority of the Central Committee to the outside world.

The corps' political commissar, Le Shaohua, was in charge of political work, had the authority to interfere in military command, and possessed veto power over key decisions.

The one who actually carried out the combat mission was the legion commander, Xun Huaizhou, who also had the least power among the three.

According to the group in Ruijin, this triangular structure could check and balance each other, ensuring that the northward route would not deviate.

But putting this team together, it's enough to send chills down your spine no matter how you look at it.

Zeng Hongyi originally worked in the Soviet area of ​​northeastern Jiangxi. It is said that he was quite skilled in organizational development, but fighting was a completely foreign concept to him.

What's worse, he's extremely timid; his legs go weak at the sound of gunfire. In a real gunfight, this kind of person is not only unreliable but will also be a hindrance.

Judging from the later historical trajectory, this Commander-in-Chief Zeng defected to the enemy after arriving in the Fujian-Zhejiang-Jiangxi border region.

As for Le Shaohua, he was even more interesting. He came from a working-class background, participated in the Anyuan Coal Mine Strike, and was later sent by the organization to study at the Moscow Oriental University for two years.

After returning to China, he worked in political work, rising from regimental political commissar to divisional political commissar, and then to corps political commissar.

His resume is impressive, but he has one flaw—he has a bad temper, acts arrogantly, and always talks about "the Central Committee's opinion" and "the organization's resolution," having completely mastered the Soviet patriarchal style.

These two, one timid and the other arrogant, both happened to be returned from studying abroad, with impressive resumes and holding significant power.

Caught in the middle, Xun Huaizhou was less senior than Zeng Hongyi and less politically influential than Le Shaohua, so his room for maneuver was extremely limited.

Thus, this smallest corps in the Red Army, which boasted two great war gods, Corps Commander Xun Huaizhou and Chief of Staff Su Yu, was dragged down to near annihilation by a bunch of incompetent teammates.

……

Inside the command post converted from the ancestral hall, a military map was spread out on an eight-immortal table. Seven or eight people sat in the room; Zhou Zeyuan recognized some of them, but not others.

Xun Huaizhou was sitting on the left side of the table, marking something on a map with a pen. His chief of staff, Su Yu, was standing next to him.

Sitting in the center of the table was a man in his early forties, of medium build, with a fair complexion, wearing a brand-new gray military uniform, the belt buckle at his waist gleaming. This man was Zeng Hongyi.

He was drinking water from an enamel mug when he saw Zhou Zeyuan come in and nodded slightly.

On the right side of the table, a person was standing and speaking.

This man was not tall, but had broad shoulders and arms as thick as rafters; he clearly came from a background of manual labor.

He has a square face, thin lips, and his mouth turns down when he speaks, giving him a naturally serious and unapproachable appearance.

Le Shaohua.

He was giving a report to the crowd when Zhou Zeyuan entered. He overheard a few sentences, but Zhou Zeyuan was emphasizing the importance of political discipline and propaganda work during the journey north.

As Zhou Zeyuan stepped across the threshold, he first waved to Chief of Staff Su Yu: "Old Su, long time no see."

Su Yu smiled and was about to reply...

"I was giving a report. Who gave you permission to interrupt?" Le Shaohua's voice cut in coldly, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Zeyuan's face.

The air in the room seemed to have been sucked away. Xun Huaizhou's pen froze in mid-air, and Su Yu's smile froze on her face. Several staff officers lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Zhou Zeyuan stood at the door and sized up Le Shaohua for two seconds.

Get off the horse.

They arrived quite quickly, but unfortunately they came to the wrong person.

Zhou Zeyuan completely ignored Le Shaohua, his gaze passing over him and landing directly on Xun Huaizhou.

"Old Xun, I told you long ago that non-Party cadres shouldn't be allowed to attend military meetings of this level. Why don't you ever learn your lesson?"

Everyone present was stunned.

Xun Huaizhou's lips twitched twice, and he quickly said, "Zeyuan, this is our army corps political commissar, Comrade Le Shaohua."

Zhou Zeyuan turned his head and looked Le Shaohua up and down again, his expression summed up in three words—truly surprised.

"Political Commissar? This guy?" He pointed at Le Shaohua, clicked his tongue, and said, "He doesn't even greet his comrades when he walks in, and he starts lecturing people as soon as he opens his mouth. He doesn't even meet the quality level of an ordinary party member, how can he be a political commissar?"

Le Shaohua's face immediately turned black.

This corps political commissar has worked within the Party for over ten years since joining the revolution, and has witnessed countless scenes, both large and small.

Some people flatter him, some people curse him behind his back, and some people outwardly comply but inwardly try to outsmart him, but this is the first time someone has openly questioned his qualities as a Party member.

"Your name is Zhou Zeyuan?" Le Shaohua slammed the documents in his hand on the table. "As the political commissar, I order you to retract your inappropriate remarks and apologize to the comrades present!"

Zhou Zeyuan found a bench and sat down with an air of authority.

"Whose political commissar are you? My affiliation is still with the Fujian Military Region. When was I transferred to your advance team heading north?"