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

Before long, several scattered units arrived and joined forces.

Almost all the key officers of the vanguard had arrived, gathering around in twos and threes.

Zheng Sanjiang was nowhere to be seen.

He had been sent to take down the enemy's artillery positions and wasn't in a hurry to come over, so no one took it too seriously, assuming he was just cleaning up the mess on his end.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Zhou Zeyuan cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him.

"The enemy's retreat was more resolute than I expected, slightly disrupting my rhythm. Now there are two hundred more regular troops inside the city, and these are the most troublesome opponents we will face after we break through the city."

"Therefore, I decided to launch the siege as soon as possible and take advantage of the enemy's wavering morale to deliver the final blow."

As soon as he finished speaking, a regimental political commissar, looking worried, said:

"But Commander, the enemy at Wufeng Mountain is still threatening our flanks and rear. What should we do?"

Zhou Zeyuan replied calmly, "Normally, before attacking a city, all enemy outposts should be cleared out, but that's not always the case."

"The revolutionary war has been going on for several years, and our troops' combat effectiveness and ability to adapt to changing circumstances have been greatly improved, accumulating conditions favorable for the decisive battle."

"I thought that as long as we send a small number of troops to keep an eye on them, they will not dare to make any rash moves."

Hu Tiantao nodded and replied in a deep voice, "As things stand, the enemy still doesn't know our exact strength. Therefore, they lack the courage to retaliate. So I agree with the legion commander's idea."

The other officers looked at each other for a moment, then joined in with a chorus of agreement, some nodding, others whispering that it made sense.

Seeing this, Zhou Zeyuan said no more and began to assign tasks: "Alright, the troop deployment at Wufeng Mountain remains unchanged. You are still in charge of this. Make a show of force and block the enemy. The rest of the troops will follow me to attack the city."

"I've already arranged for Comrade Zheng Sanjiang to blow up the enemy's city wall. We're heading there immediately. If all goes well, they should succeed. We must use the most ferocious force to crush the Nationalist army's defenders in one fell swoop!"

In fact, this type of battle should first wait for the infantry to take position, then have a large number of firing positions to suppress the enemy's firepower and cover the demolition team to complete the demolition.

The infantry then launched a charge and routed the enemy forces in one fell swoop.

However, in order to keep it a secret, Zhou Zeyuan only arranged for soldiers from the Seventh Red Division to go and provide cover. He was also confident that as long as the city fell, the elite troops he had personally trained would be able to quickly seize the city and take over Yingxian Gate.

That's right, there's a time gap before the main force arrives.

But if the Kuomintang is given more time to react, can they turn the tide?

It wasn't that he looked down on Wang Jingjiu and Jiang Dingwen, but rather that they simply didn't have the ability; Wang Yaowu would have been more capable.

Inside Fuzhou city, the solemn and imposing atmosphere of Jiang Dingwen's temporary residence had long since vanished.

The guards rushed through the corridors in a panic, leaving chests and bundles piled up on the ground. Some people were carrying chests and running out, almost bumping into people coming from the opposite direction.

Although it had only been two or three days since they arrived in Fuzhou, all the high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and celebrities in the city had already rushed to the scene, sending out visiting cards and offering "small gifts."

When they arrived, they had only two suitcases of luggage, but when they left, there were already about twenty large suitcases stacked in the yard.

Even a clean prefect can earn 100,000 taels of silver in three years, so someone of Jiang Dingwen's rank would naturally receive the treatment he deserves.

As long as he is willing to accept it, even without actively seeking wealth, the speed at which he accumulates wealth will be absolutely astonishing.

Jiang Dingwen stood in the center of the hall, his brows furrowed.

He felt uneasy. Although the gunfire from Fukuyama had long since stopped, the unease surged into his heart like waves.

Just then...

boom!

A loud explosion came from the west side of the city, making the windows rattle.

Immediately afterwards, several more explosions followed, each one closer and more violent than the last, as if some giant beast was tearing at the city walls of Fuzhou.

Jiang Dingwen's expression changed drastically: "The Red Army really does have heavy artillery... Damn it, Lu Xingbang didn't lie to me!"

He quickly came to his senses and shouted into the courtyard:

"Hurry! Move faster! Throw away the worthless stuff! Get to the port now!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already taken three steps at a time, crossed the threshold, and walked towards the back door.

All the grand pronouncements he had made at the city defense headquarters were now forgotten, leaving not a trace.

He's a rich man now, he doesn't need to risk his life with these peasants.

Besides, as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Army, if anything were to happen to me, it would be a loss of face for the Party and the State.

He comforted himself with this thought, but his steps quickened.

Meanwhile, Wang Jingjiu, who was in the city defense command center, was not having such a good time.

Continuous explosions rang out in the western part of the city, one after another, causing dust to fall from the rooftops.

He stood in front of the map, his pencil almost snapping in his hand.

Xicheng is probably going to collapse.

The troops responsible for defense there were all officers and soldiers of the security regiment. Although they were stronger than the average county security regiment, they were no match for the regular army.

They also lack the qualities to fight tenaciously under extremely harsh conditions.

If a real fight breaks out, they probably won't even last a single exchange.

The problem is that the officers and soldiers of the First Battalion and the Military Police Regiment are still in the North City. All that is available to them are some new recruits and a small number of Marines.

With such limited troops, if we send them up in batches to provide support, won't it become a piecemeal tactic, just needlessly throwing lives into the enemy's grave?

His gaze was fixed on the map, his mind racing with thoughts.

The adjutant beside him was sweating profusely with anxiety and finally couldn't help but speak up: "Commander! What should we do? You need to make a decision quickly!"

Wang Jingjiu was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply, "Sigh... Let's prepare for street fighting. We can't win against the Red Army in close combat."

"Send out all the manpower we have available to build barricades and resist the Red Army. Have the First Battalion and the Gendarmerie quickly retreat into the city and rendezvous with the headquarters."

The adjutant paused for a moment, then stood at attention and saluted: "Yes, sir!"

The footsteps faded into the distance, and Wang Jingjiu stood alone in front of the map, gazing at the horizon in the west of the city, which was reddened by the firelight, and gave a bitter smile.

Needless to say, his boss had already run away.

You can never truly know a person's heart. I used to think he was a role model for me, a commander of elite troops, swift as lightning, and able to turn the tide of battle.

The name of the Flying General resounds throughout the north and south of the Yangtze River!

How spirited and high-spirited they were!

Who would have thought that once the situation deteriorated, it would endanger his own life?

His former bravery and fearlessness vanished in an instant.

Wang Jingjiu, who was still young and impetuous and had not yet completely fallen into the quagmire of officialdom, could not understand Jiang Dingwen's thoughts.

At this moment, all he could think about was that if things were hopeless, he would sacrifice himself to serve the Party and the country, and to repay the principal's kindness.

This is exactly the situation that Zhou Zeyuan least wanted to see.

Despite the fierce fighting of the Northern Expeditionary Force against Japan, the Red Army was fundamentally incapable of waging a protracted war.

All of Zhou Zeyuan's plans were based on the premise of a swift and decisive victory.

We cannot delay, much less get bogged down.

The ammunition was almost gone.

Once entangled in the streets and alleys, exposing one's weaknesses to the Nationalist army on the other side, the situation could spiral out of control.

He certainly had a contingency plan for this situation, but ultimately, man proposes, God disposes.

To win, you also need a bit of luck.