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

Gu Baoyu, chief of staff of the 87th Division, graduated from the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy.

The Gu family of Songjiang has always been a prestigious family, renowned for its tradition of combining farming and scholarship.

At this moment, this graduate of the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy looked at the Fuzhou city defense map, which was covered with red and blue pencil marks, and his brows furrowed into a knot.

He had never really agreed with the decision to hold the command post at all costs.

The command post isn't some kind of fortress or stronghold; it doesn't have much defensive capability.

The surrounding barricades were all temporary structures; they could buy some time, but to think they could withstand the attack of the main Red Army force was pure fantasy.

In his view, even if he didn't want to abandon the city and bear the infamy, he could have retreated to the south city wall.

The city walls there are thick and the fortifications are complete. Backed by the Minjiang River, it offers ample space for both advance and retreat.

They should occupy the south city wall and continue to hold out for reinforcements. If the situation becomes critical, they can also break out from the river in time.

But given the current situation, there's absolutely no room for maneuver left for him.

He wasn't afraid of death, but he felt that dying like this wasn't worth it.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare. Knowing that the enemy is stronger, it is unwise to insist on fighting head-on.

Just as he was lost in thought, Wang Jingjiu strode in from outside, his forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat.

He pulled Gu Baoyu aside and lowered his voice, saying, "Changfeng, the situation is bad. Our armory has been raided by the Red Army. They've probably got all the weapons and ammunition inside. That's bad enough, but our own ammunition is almost gone."

Gu Baoyu's heart sank, but he did not panic. Instead, he felt that this was an opportunity.

"Commander, in that case, let's hurry to the south of the city. There's a secret armory by the city wall. Let's go there to replenish our ammunition before the Red Army takes over the south wall. Staying in the command post will only lead to us being wiped out by the enemy."

Wang Jingjiu shook his head: "Changfeng, don't jump to conclusions so hastily. Think about it again, are there any other spare ammunition depots in the city?"

Gu Baoyu slapped his thigh in frustration: "Commander! The problem now is not just about ammunition. Can we really hold out until dawn? I doubt it."

"Listen to this, the fighting outside is quite intense, but it's mostly our machine guns firing. The Red Army commander on the other side is clearly trying to exhaust our ammunition and then wipe us out without lifting a finger!"

Wang Jingjiu's face darkened further, but he still forced himself to say, "Changfeng, your words are too encouraging. The Red Army soldiers are human too; they've been fighting all night, they must be tired."

"Yes, they're tired." Gu Baoyu sneered, pointing to the gunfire outside the window. "So their main force is resting now, only sending a small force to harass us, keeping us from having any peace, and incidentally exhausting our ammunition. A win-win situation."

"The Red Army commander on the other side is a formidable figure. His military tactics are swift as lightning and unpredictable. It's impossible to guess his methods beforehand. Yet, the enemy keeps striking at our weaknesses, one step at a time."

"I've thought about it, and our command decisions shouldn't have been anything too wrong. But we were forced into a corner. Tell me, what a terrifying opponent they are!"

Wang Jingjiu fell silent, his lips pressed into a thin line, and he didn't utter a word for a long time.

Just then, a staff officer rushed in with a telegram: "Commander, Chief of Staff, it's a telegram from Commander-in-Chief Chiang, sent from the cruiser Ninghai."

Wang Jingjiu was already seething with anger, and upon hearing this news, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh:

"In a critical moment, he ran to the warship to take command; he really remained calm under pressure."

Gu Baoyu glanced at the telegram quickly. "Commander, the General has ordered you to lead your troops to the port, hold your position, and wait for reinforcements to arrive, in order to buy time for the 261st Brigade to arrive."

"By the way, I remember the Marine Corps has its own supply depots, and they should have a lot of ammunition stored there."

Wang Jingjiu took a deep breath, as if trying to swallow all the pent-up frustration and anger.

"Alright, move to the port. Burn all the documents you can't take with you."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another staff officer rushed in: "Commander! Chief of Staff! There's news from the Japanese consulate!"

Wang Jingjiu frowned: "What's going on?"

"Hundreds of people, both men and women, gathered there, many of them carrying guns. The consulate's military attaché said that the overseas Chinese should defend themselves and protect the overseas Chinese community and trading companies. There were also rumors that they had obtained a batch of rifles and ammunition from the warships in the port."

Wang Jingjiu was stunned for a moment, then let out a cold laugh, a laugh full of chill: "Self-defense? I think it's taking advantage of the chaos."

Gu Baoyu's eyes flickered, and he revealed a meaningful smile: "Commander, being robbed at this critical juncture is not necessarily a bad thing."

Wang Jingjiu was bending down to pick up a document that had fallen to the ground when he heard this and suddenly sat up straight, his eyes wide with shock: "Changfeng, what nonsense are you talking about? The Japanese devils are taking advantage of the chaos, and you're saying it's not a bad thing?"

Gu Baoyu calmly said, "Commander, think about it. The Red Army kept saying they wanted to march north to fight the Japanese, but they turned east and attacked our Fuzhou. Such inconsistency between words and deeds is truly despicable."

"Now that the Japanese devils are going to engage in 'self-defense,' given their thieving nature, if they don't take the opportunity to gain some advantage, then the sun will truly rise in the west."

"If the Red Army doesn't stop us in time, we can expose their true colors. Putting that label on them is much bigger than losing a city."

Wang Jingjiu was stunned, and the expression on his face changed several times.

"To quell external aggression, we must first pacify internal strife"—this was a slogan personally proclaimed by the principal.

If they could shift the blame onto the Red Army, not only would their own guilt for losing cities and territories be wiped clean, but they might even earn a reputation for "enduring humiliation and prioritizing the overall situation."

But his face still felt burning hot.

Gu Baoyu noticed his hesitation and added in a low voice, "The principal has always valued his political reputation. If we can gather solid evidence to deal a fatal blow to the Red Army's reputation, it might even bring us further opportunities in the future."

Wang Jingjiu remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh: "Alright... I'll leave this matter to you."

Gu Baoyu nodded and turned to arrange manpower.

Ideally, a photograph should be taken at the crucial moment, so that it becomes irrefutable evidence.

Meanwhile, near a crossroads, Hu Tiantao and several soldiers were laboriously pushing an anti-tank gun behind a collapsed corner of a wall.

The arsenal in Fuzhou was extremely well-stocked with weapons, including rifles, light and heavy machine guns, mortars, and field guns—enough to equip an infantry division.

However, given the urgent situation, Zhou Zeyuan did not have time to equip all the soldiers with the new equipment. He could only equip the troops with some weapons that could be used immediately.