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

"Hey, hey, Third Battalion, Third Battalion!"

Inside the Fuzhou City Defense Command Headquarters, the communications officer gripped the telephone receiver, shouting until his voice was almost hoarse, but all he could hear from the receiver was a series of piercing busy tones.

Undeterred, he shook the handle again, but there was still no response.

Wang Jingjiu strode over, his voice laced with suppressed anger: "Still can't get through?"

The staff officer put down the phone, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead: "Reporting to the division commander, we spoke just ten minutes ago. Battalion Commander Zhou said that apart from his main bunker, only sporadic resistance remains at the other positions in Fushan. Division commander, do you think it might be...?"

"Shut up!" Wang Jingjiu slammed his hand on the table. "The telephone lines were clearly cut by the Red Army! Fushan's defenses were impregnable; how could it have fallen in just half an hour? Do you think the 518th Regiment is made of paper?"

The staff officer shrank back, too afraid to utter another word.

Just then, the curtain was lifted, and Jiang Dingwen walked in. His face was calm, but there was a hint of barely perceptible anxiety hidden in his eyes.

"Youping, a general should be calm. As the commander of a division, how can you lose your temper with your subordinates?"

Wang Jingjiu took a deep breath, suppressed his surging emotions, turned around and saluted: "I'm sorry, I lost my composure."

"Commander, the situation is very bad. The Red Army has not only launched a fierce attack on Fushan, but the First and Second Battalions have also been attacked in many positions and are asking me for help. This does not seem like a flanking force of the enemy at all; it is definitely the main force, and the Red Army's top-notch main force at that."

Jiang Dingwen maintained a calm demeanor, but cold sweat had soaked through his shirt. Alarm bells rang in his mind: Was this really coming for me?

He paused for a moment, as if encouraging himself, and slowly said, "Don't rush. We have planes and artillery; a temporary setback is nothing. I remember the artillery battalion marked the coordinates of all the positions; they should be able to fire accurately at night, right?"

Wang Jingjiu gave a wry smile: "But, Commander, the mountain artillery battalion has been occupied by the enemy. I want to launch an artillery barrage against the enemy in Fushan, but I can't."

Jiang Dingwen's brow twitched: "Oh? Don't we also have a field artillery battalion?"

"The field artillery's firing arc is too short; it can only hit the front, not the reverse slope," Wang Jingjiu said, pointing heavily to the contour lines of Fushan on the map.

"The main fortress of Fukuyama is positioned directly on the reverse slope, out of reach of the field artillery. Commander, what should we do now?"

Jiang Dingwen fell silent. He walked to the window and gazed at the deep night outside.

In the distance, gunfire erupted in waves from the direction of Fushan, the flames illuminating half the sky.

According to his usual military tactics.

It was pitch black and the situation was unclear.

Sending reinforcements rashly could lead to an ambush by the enemy, further weakening the city's defenses.

It's better to stay still than to act rashly.

But now it's clear that things can't stay quiet anymore.

Fukuyama fell in just half an hour; if the situation continued to drag on, the other positions would likely suffer the same fate.

He turned around, his face revealing neither joy nor anger: "What are the General Staff's opinions?"

Wang Jingjiu hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Most people suggest abandoning all positions outside the city and withdrawing the entire army back into the city."

Jiang Dingwen blurted out, "Then why not implement it?"

"Commander, what if the enemy has set up an ambush on the road? I'm afraid this could also be a trap set by the Red Army."

"Their assault teams have already infiltrated to the foot of the city walls. If our men retreat, they could easily run into them. In that case, the 518th Regiment might be completely wiped out."

Jiang Dingwen paced back and forth in the room, his hands behind his back, his mind racing with a jumble of thoughts.

He stopped abruptly, his tone resolute: "Then let's compromise. Have the first battalion withdraw back into the city at any cost. They're closer, so the chances of regrouping them should be much greater."

"The Second Battalion will hold its ground and rely on the strategic terrain to tie down the Red Army's forces as much as possible."

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away." Wang Jingjiu nodded and added, "I'll have the military police go to the north gate to provide support and withdraw as many troops as possible back into the city."

Jiang Dingwen patted his shoulder, his tone suddenly sounding weary:

"Youping, I'm sorry to trouble you with the defense of the city. I need to report the battle situation here to the Chairman. You can make your own decisions regarding anything else."

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Wang Jingjiu's response, his steps much faster than when he came.

Wang Jingjiu watched his departing figure, stood expressionless for a moment, then picked up the phone on the table and shook the handle: "Connect to the military police."

Along a roadside at the foot of Wufeng Mountain, the night was as dark as ink, and sporadic gunshots could be heard in the distance.

Zhou Zeyuan was squatting next to a rock, looking at a map by the light of a lantern, when suddenly a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

"Commander! Commander!" The bodyguard, Xiao Zhong, ran out of breath. "Deputy Division Commander Liu sent word that he has led his men and captured Dafuling!"

Ma Gongcheng, who had been following Zhou Zeyuan closely, suddenly punched his palm, almost jumping up in excitement:

"Excellent! That was a brilliant battle! Now, apart from Wufeng Mountain, we've taken all the other places! Commander, fighting under your command is truly exhilarating!"

Zhou Zeyuan waved his hand, his expression calm, without a trace of smugness:

"Whether it's Comrade Huaizhou or Comrade Su Yu, their command abilities far surpass mine. It's just that the timing was right, giving me the opportunity to lead you."

Ma Gongcheng opened his mouth, about to say something, when a rapid sound of hooves approached from afar, shattering the tranquility of the night.

Reconnaissance company commander Chen Sheng dismounted swiftly and ran to Zhou Zeyuan in a few steps, but his expression was not good.

"Commander, the situation is not good. That battalion has retreated back into the city. Division Commander Hu is trying his best to stop them, but he can't. He said that at least two hundred men have entered the city. His troops pursued them to the city walls, but were driven back by the enemy's machine guns."

Zhou Zeyuan frowned slightly: "What about the casualties?"

"Commander Hu said he has nearly six hundred men capable of fighting under his command," Chen Sheng said in a lower voice.

Zhou Zeyuan's brows furrowed even more. In such a short time, more than a hundred people had been killed or wounded. He remained silent for a moment, then his gaze returned to the map.

Chen Sheng added, "The enemy's artillery was really powerful. At first, Commander Hu was caught off guard and suffered heavy losses. Later, he sent out assault teams, who risked their lives to take down the enemy's positions."

Ma Gongcheng, listening from the side, stamped his feet in exasperation: "Damn it! We took down one, and there's another one over there! The Kuomintang regular army has way too much artillery!"

Zhou Zeyuan glanced at him but didn't reply, secretly thinking to himself: What else can we do? As the provincial capital, we should at least have this much prestige.

But the most difficult thing to deal with right now is those heavy machine guns on the city wall.

If you rely on ladders and demolition crews to rush up the city, without heavy firepower support, even if you have tens of thousands of men, you can forget about breaking through the city.

Simple human wave tactics seemed particularly laughable in front of Maxim. He was calculating rapidly in his mind, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Old Chen, I'd like to trouble you to make another trip. Have Commander Hu leave half of his troops to guard the north gate. He will personally lead the other half to reinforce the west gate as quickly as possible."

"Yes!" Chen Sheng responded, turned around, mounted his horse, and the sound of hooves quickly disappeared into the night.

Zhou Zeyuan then turned to Ma Gongcheng: "Old Ma, I'm giving you a task: start digging fortifications immediately."

Ma Gongcheng was taken aback, wondering to himself: Isn't this preparing for the final assault? Why are they still digging fortifications?

But for now, he was completely convinced of the new legion commander's abilities and, too lazy to ask why, simply replied, "Yes!"

He turned around and went to arrange manpower.