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

Le Shaohua walked at the front of the group, but his pace slowed down more and more.

He looked up at the red flag fluttering in the wind on the city wall of Fuzhou, his eyes filled with awe.

There's a saying that goes, "Hearing and seeing are two completely different things."

It fits him perfectly.

He had heard the messenger report Zhou Zeyuan's achievements and heard the news of the victory that several key locations had been captured in one night, but when he saw the Red Army flag flying on the city wall of the provincial capital with his own eyes, he still couldn't help but feel a surge of shock in his heart.

At the city gate, Zheng Sanjiang had already come out to greet them.

Le Shaohua grabbed his hand, his voice trembling slightly: "Comrade Zheng, it's true... he really did it."

Zheng Sanjiang felt a surge of secret pleasure, but his expression remained serious.

He's professionally trained; no matter how funny something is, he'll never laugh out loud.

"What do you mean, 'really' or 'false'? I've been following the legion commander for years, and he never boasts. What's a mere Fuzhou compared to that? He even said he'd lead us all the way to Nanjing."

Le Shaohua snapped out of his daze and quickly turned around to order, "Publicity officer, quick, bring the camera here!"

Zheng Sanjiang paused briefly, then said, "No need to rush. We've also taken over the provincial government, and most of Fuzhou is under our control."

Upon hearing this, Le Shaohua was stunned.

Taking Fuzhou, what a great achievement that is!

At a time when the Soviet area was facing a heavy encirclement by enemy troops, and the revolutionary situation was bleak, such a major victory was like a ray of dawn.

And this victory was achieved under his nominal leadership as the legion's political commissar.

The central government's commendation, the Soviet government's record of merits, and the annals of history will all add a significant chapter to his story.

The tension in his heart suddenly tightened, then relaxed again, like a pot of boiling water, bubbling and steaming.

Within the group, many were lost in thought.

This reinforcement force of over a thousand people consists mostly of veterans with combat experience.

However, the main force of the Seventh Red Army Corps still needed a group of core members to maintain it, so there weren't many veterans available to be transferred.

In response to the request for reinforcements from the front lines, Le Shaohua relaxed the restrictions and selected a large number of newly converted Kuomintang prisoners of war into his ranks. These were mainly officers and soldiers from the former 45th Division recruited by the 7th Red Army Division in Datian.

His reasoning was simple: Fuzhou had already fallen, and our army was in a superior position, so there was no need to worry that these prisoners of war would have second thoughts.

This is called a special case, and should be treated specially.

The effect at this moment is undoubtedly excellent.

A large number of former Kuomintang officers and soldiers, whether they were genuinely devoted to the revolution or harbored ulterior motives, were among them.

Seeing that the provincial capital had been captured by the Red Army overnight... no, by our army.

What else is there to say?

Just follow the Red Army, and the future will be bright.

Le Shaohua had considered this point.

But what he didn't expect was that Zhou Zeyuan's already towering image in these people's hearts became even more awe-inspiring.

These veterans knew very well who was in charge of this team, and who was leading them from one victory to another.

Having not yet fully experienced the baptism of revolutionary thought, they were more inclined to follow the jungle instinct of the strong.

This is also the way the military survives!

Once inside the city, Le Shaohua handed over command of the troops to Zhou Zeyuan and arranged for the accompanying propaganda team to take photos throughout the city.

Then, he and Zhou Zeyuan discussed their next move.

A small table was placed on the city gate tower, and the city defense map seized from the municipal government was displayed on it.

Zhou Zeyuan, Hu Tiantao, Le Shaohua, Ma Gongcheng, Zheng Sanjiang and others sat on small stools, forming a circle.

Hu Tiantao used a blue pencil to mark an area in the east of Fuzhou, including the port and the surrounding sea area of ​​Majiang.

Then, at the boundary of this area, some small red crosses were painted on it.

The three sections of the city wall, the armory, the hospital, the provincial government, and all the important streets were marked with small crosses.

Now, the situation in Fuzhou became clear.

Le Shaohua watched for a while, then let out a long sigh: "Amazing! My Northern Anti-Japanese Vanguard Team is truly amazing. Overnight, the world has been transformed."

"...If the provincial capital is lost, the National Army will do everything in its power to recapture it. The Central Committee has assigned us the task of containing at least five enemy divisions, which we can easily accomplish in less than a week."

"With just this one battle, who dares to say that my 7th Red Army Corps isn't a top-tier main force of the Red Army?"

The group of people nearby all frowned.

It goes without saying who deserves the greatest credit in this battle.

But this political commissar talked for a long time, only praising how brave the Red Army was, without mentioning at all the corps commanders' skillful command.

They were well aware of his intentions and couldn't help but feel disgusted.

Such narrow-mindedness is truly despicable.

Zhou Zeyuan, however, didn't seem to care at all, waving his hand and saying, "Alright, Comrade Political Commissar, take a break. Although the situation looks very good, the crisis is not over."

"We learned from the captured Kuomintang officers and soldiers that the Nationalist army's reinforcements will arrive by sea no later than this afternoon and join up with the Nationalist army at the eastern port. Let's discuss the next steps."

A rare look of embarrassment crossed Le Shaohua's face. He coughed lightly and said, "Comrade Zeyuan, I know the soldiers fought all night and have worked very hard. But now that we've added over a thousand more troops, is it really impossible for us to annihilate the enemy forces at the port?"

"If we capture the port, the enemy will have no landing point and will have to turn around and take the land route. This will give us enough time to fully mobilize in Fuzhou. The strength of my Northern Expeditionary Force against Japan will then reach a new level."

Zhou Zeyuan's tone was calm but firm: "Comrade Political Commissar, I agree with your priority of strengthening the troops."

"But it is absolutely unacceptable to send our exhausted soldiers to risk capturing the port."

"If the attack fails, it could very well be a complete loss. The mysterious and powerful image we've worked so hard to build up will completely collapse."

"Furthermore, you've studied abroad, so you should be familiar with the power of naval guns, right? Is it any Red Army commander who would give an order for soldiers to charge at naval guns with their own flesh and blood?"

Le Shaohua's expression stiffened for a moment, then he laughed heartily: "I was just saying. After all, Comrade Zeyuan has already created an impossible miracle. I was wondering if you had any other methods to create another miracle. I absolutely did not mean to make things difficult for you."

Zhou Zeyuan shook his head: "It's not a question of whether there's a way, but whether it's worth it and whether it's worth the cost. If we raid Fuzhou and can't win, we can just leave without losing anything ourselves."

"But now that we've taken over most of Fuzhou, it's not worth risking everything to gamble on a port in the eastern district.

Le Shaohua nodded: "What you said makes sense. But as you said, enemy reinforcements will arrive this afternoon. Our main force will also arrive before dark. After that, the advantage for both sides will be even. Today should be safe."

"But what about tomorrow? What about the day after? The enemy's reinforcements keep coming in, and when they feel they are strong enough, they will definitely launch a counterattack."