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

Hu Tiantao revealed a mocking smile. "Consul Yoshida, I'd like to ask you, has your Japanese government recognized our Soviet government? Do you have diplomatic relations with us?"

Yoshida Shigeru's expression changed completely.

"No, your Japanese government still only recognizes the Nanjing Nationalist Government and doesn't recognize our Soviet government at all. Since there are no diplomatic relations, what's the point of talking about diplomatic immunity?"

"In our eyes, you are just a group of illegal foreigners who attacked our army with weapons. You are hostile armed personnel and we have the right to deal with you according to law."

"You...you..." Yoshida Shigeru pointed at Hu Tiantao, his fingers trembling violently, but he couldn't think of a reason to refute her.

"You'll regret this! The Great Japanese Empire will not let you get away with this!"

Hu Tiantao was too lazy to waste any more words with him, and waved to the soldier beside her: "Please invite Consul Yoshida into the car as well, and treat him well."

Two soldiers stepped forward and grabbed Yoshida Shigeru's arms, one on each side.

Shigeru Yoshida struggled desperately, cursing loudly in Japanese, but was quickly shoved into the truck.

The three-story building opposite the consulate is the U.S. Consulate in Fuzhou.

At that moment, seven or eight Americans in suits were standing on the second-floor balcony, watching the farce with great interest.

Leading the group was Mr. Johnson, the U.S. Consul in Fuzhou, an elderly gentleman in his fifties with gray hair.

He was holding a glass of whiskey, leaning against the railing.

Standing next to him was a young man of about twenty-one or twenty-two, tall and thin, wearing a well-tailored dark blue suit, with an expression of curiosity and nervousness on his face.

This man was named Hunter Mayer, the new manager of the Fuzhou branch of the Shenchang Trading Company.

As Mayer watched the Japanese diplomats being loaded onto trucks one by one, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

He turned to ask, "Mr. Jensen, I'm not very familiar with diplomatic regulations. But Mr. Yoshida, why doesn't he have diplomatic immunity? Shouldn't consulates be protected according to international practice?"

Jason gently swirled his glass. "Oh, dear Mayer, it's not that simple."

"This poor Mr. Yoshida, as long as he was on any piece of land under the jurisdiction of the Nationalist government, he enjoyed the treatment that a diplomat should have."

"After all, Japan and the Nanjing government had formal diplomatic relations, and even in a state of war, diplomats could be protected and treated with respect."

"But now that this place has become Red Army territory, the treatment we receive... depends entirely on the Red Army's mood."

Maier pressed on nervously, "Aren't we in great danger? What if the Red Army treats us the same way they treat these little dwarfs...?"

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from the balcony.

A businessman in a white suit patted Mayer on the shoulder: "Mayer, don't worry! There's absolutely nothing to worry about!"

Jason smiled and shook his head: "Oh, no, no. Mayer, you haven't been in China for long, so you probably don't know the ins and outs of this."

"The Chinese Red Army was actually a very disciplined force. Look at them, when they searched the consulate, they didn't steal anything, they just took people and weapons. If the Japanese had done the same thing, this building would probably have been emptied out long ago."

The businessman in the white suit added, "Yes, that's true. And, as businessmen, we even receive preferential treatment in some ways."

"The Red Army generally wouldn't make things difficult for foreign businessmen who were doing legitimate business. Especially for us Americans, who had a good relationship with the Soviet Union, the Red Army would give us some face."

Another middle-aged man wearing small round glasses chimed in:

"Actually, the Red Army's arrival in Fuzhou is an opportunity. I have a lot of cloth piling up in my warehouse. The Red Army has won a battle, so they should get new uniforms, right? That's a huge order!"

"That's right! I still have quite a few bicycles. The army needs them for communication during battles. They might fetch a good price!"

"I have kerosene, candles, and matches. They're fighting outside; they need light at night!"

"What you all say makes sense, but I think the biggest opportunity lies in medicine. The Red Army is notorious for its lack of medical supplies..."

The merchants started talking all at once, getting more and more excited as they spoke, as if the bloody battle they had just fought was nothing more than a lively fireworks display.

Mayer stood to the side, listening to everyone's discussion, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

Shenchang Trading Company dealt in machinery, medicines, medical equipment, electrical equipment... most of these items were used by the military.

At Shenchang Trading Company, his word alone was not enough; even his father, the second-generation heir, could not usually defy public opinion.

That doesn't matter; profits will shut all the shareholders up.

A bold idea gradually took shape in his mind.

"Mr. Jensen," Mayer turned his head, "you just said that the Red Army wouldn't make things difficult for legitimate businessmen, is that right?"

Jason raised an eyebrow: "That's the principle. Of course, the premise is that you have to do business honestly and not play any tricks on them."

Mayer nodded, looking across the street at the Red Army soldiers.

Those young people, dressed simply and wearing straw sandals, did not make a sound. Let alone rob or rape.

It is said that bandits pass by like combs, and soldiers pass by like fine combs. Although he has not been in China for long, he has never heard this saying before.

Having grown up in Denmark, he understood this principle all too well.

After the Red Army captured the city, they were able to maintain strict discipline and refrain from looting the people's property, which was truly extraordinary!

The Red Army across the Baltic Sea seems to be inferior in this respect.

Just then, his gaze met that of Hu Tiantao across the street.

Hu Tiantao also saw him.

To be precise, they saw this group of well-dressed foreigners on the balcony of the American consulate.

He frowned, but quickly looked away.

There are more important things to do now.

The southern city wall is still in the hands of the Nationalist army, which gives the Nationalist army along the Minjiang River the opportunity to directly reach Fuzhou by ship.

Logically, Zhou Zeyuan should have ordered the rapid control of the north, south, and west city walls long ago.

But Fuzhou was too big. After their two thousand men controlled two city walls and occupied the armory and headquarters, they...

They also dispatched patrol teams to maintain order in the city and clear out the defeated Kuomintang troops.

They also had to send a troop to guard against a counterattack by the Nationalist army at the eastern port, as their forces were already stretched thin.

These occupation tasks can only be carried out one by one.

Moreover, as they occupy more and more positions, their troop strength is being continuously diluted...

Zhou Zeyuan was well aware of this; as long as reinforcements arrived, the Nationalist army in Fuzhou wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

As for risking the annihilation of the Nationalist army in the east, that was not in his plans.

Zhou Zeyuan's biggest worry was that after the complete occupation, the higher-ups would issue an order to hold out for at least a month.

Then he'll really be in a bind!

At least in his view, such a brain-dead situation is entirely possible!

Li Bo didn't care about the fate of his team; all they cared about was occupying a provincial capital, which would be a slap in the face to the Nationalist government.

The battalion commander will definitely be unable to resist sending troops to regain the face he has lost, which will greatly reduce the pressure on the Soviet area.

But that would cause me a lot of suffering.

Therefore, to avoid such a thing from happening, his next move is not to expand the occupied territory, but to consolidate it and reap the benefits.

This is an important coastal trading city, bustling with merchants and a constant flow of goods. You can eat your fill of juicy food with just a bite.

However, money is secondary; the key is all kinds of military supplies and personnel!

Fuzhou is a large city with a population of over 300,000. Surely there must be many young people with aspirations for revolution and resistance against Japan!