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

Wang Jingjiu slammed his hand on the table. "Director Zhang, are you here to negotiate or to make sarcastic remarks?"

"Haha! Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand." Le Shaohua waved his hand, his smile unchanged. "I just want to show you one of our bargaining chips."

He pulled a brown paper envelope from his pocket, slowly drew out two negatives, held them between his fingertips, and showed them to the other side:

"I work in politics, so I carry a camera with me. The film from your attack has already been developed at a photo studio in the city center."

"Before long, every household in Fuzhou will have a photograph of the naval bombardment of the city posted on their door. Then, we'll send the negatives to newspapers in Shanghai. Sir, wouldn't you consider that a nice little gift?"

Jiang Dingwen's face darkened, becoming as hard as a dried-out iron plate.

His voice was low but cold: "What exactly do you want? State your terms."

"Don't rush me, I haven't finished speaking yet." Le Shaohua put the negative back into the envelope, placed his hands on the edge of the table with his hands folded, and his boss-like demeanor completely overwhelmed the three people opposite him.

"We just figured it out ourselves. Those who retreated to the eastern port were mostly security regiments and military police, whose combat strength wasn't even second-rate. If it weren't for these big iron shells at the port, we could have driven you all into the sea with a single charge."

Wang Jingjiu snorted coldly and was about to speak when Gu Baoyu raised his hand to stop him.

Gu Baoyu stared into Le Shaohua's eyes and slowly said, "Does Your Excellency mean that we're currently caught in a dilemma—a lose-lose situation—and therefore you want to make peace?"

"Afraid?" Le Shaohua chuckled, leaning back. "Afraid of what? Afraid you'll blow the entire city of Fuzhou to smithereens?"

"If you really have that kind of guts, I'll think more highly of you. Besides, while the navy's naval guns are powerful, your ammunition reserves are probably not that high. Don't overestimate yourselves! If it weren't for the central government having other missions, we wouldn't want to suffer any extra casualties."

Gu Baoyu astutely grasped the meaning behind the words: "Oh? Is swallowing Fuzhou not enough to satisfy you? Do you have other intentions?"

Le Shaohua's expression froze slightly, then he feigned confusion: "What? What are you planning? What are you talking about? Alright, let me tell you my terms."

Wang Jingjiu and Jiang Dingwen exchanged a glance. Something was fishy; the Red Army must have another mission!

Le Shaohua continued, "We can promise that, based on the existing control line, we will not launch any proactive attacks on the ports in the eastern district within one week."

"The condition is that both sides sign a clear ceasefire agreement to formally end the state of hostility. The agreement should state that during the ceasefire period, the Fuzhou citizens will not be held responsible for any assistance provided to our army afterward."

Upon hearing this, the three members of the Kuomintang had different expressions.

Jiang Dingwen frowned.

The anger on Wang Jingjiu's face subsided somewhat, replaced by an indescribable contemplation.

Gu Baoyu lowered his eyelids slightly, as if he was quickly calculating something.

The observation room was quiet for a while, with only the sound of waves crashing against the hull outside the ship, like whispers urging the people in this iron house to make a decision.

At this moment, Jiang Dingwen was most conflicted. This condition could give the National Army a precious respite, so he naturally wanted to agree.

But the agreement absolutely cannot be signed.

Otherwise, the central government and the Nanchang authorities could have easily rendered him widowed!

Jiang Dingwen slowly exhaled, his face showing an expression as if he had swallowed a live fly, yet he still had to maintain his composure.

"This matter is of great importance. Please allow me to consult with my superiors before giving a reply. You may go to the lounge to rest for a while, and I will give you an answer after I have communicated with the Nanjing side."

Upon hearing this, Le Shaohua not only showed no intention of getting up, but instead leaned back in his chair with a half-smile on his face: "As a deputy director of the political department of a corps, I can still make decisions on behalf of our army."

"You, the dignified Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Route Army, stationed in Fujian and Zhejiang, commanding tens of thousands of troops, can't even represent the National Army and agree to such a small condition? Chairman Chiang Kai-shek is truly adept at managing his subordinates."

These words were like a red-hot nail, piercing deep into Jiang Dingwen's ear.

He stared at the smug-looking face opposite him, and at that moment he really wanted to slap it.

Within the Party, besides the university president, who dares to give him a hard time?

Today, some nobody from the Red Army actually dared to defecate on my head, and he did it so confidently and nonchalantly.

Seeing this, Gu Baoyu calmly took over the conversation: "Director Zhang, you flatter us. After all, our Party is the ruling party that governs the central government, with a large organization, so naturally there are more constraints."

"Unlike your army, which gathers in the mountains and forests, living a carefree and happy life. This negotiation is a complex matter with many issues, and it cannot be accomplished overnight. Please be patient."

Le Shaohua laughed heartily, stood up, and leisurely picked up the hat from the table and put it on:

"It's alright, it's alright, I have plenty of patience. But our legion commander has a bad temper, I'm just afraid he'll get impatient and change his mind."

After saying this, he nodded slightly to the three men, turned around and followed the sailors waiting at the door out.

The hatch closed, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded away in the armored corridor.

There was a two-second silence in the observation room.

Jiang Dingwen slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Hiss!" He gasped, slamming his fist on the metal tabletop, feeling a sharp pain.

He shook his hand, his face turning pale and then red; he was even angrier now.

Wang Jingjiu and Gu Baoyu exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Jiang Dingwen gritted his teeth: "I'll remember this guy surnamed Zhang."

……

Nanchang Military Headquarters, Guling, Lushan.

When Jiang Dingwen's urgent telegram arrived, the principal had just come down from the reviewing stand of the officers' training corps.

He only read three lines before his expression changed.

"Niang Xipi!"

The telegram was slammed onto the table.

The room fell silent, even the cicadas seemed to discreetly lower their chirping.

"You've lost a provincial capital, and you still dare to make demands of me? That idiot Jiang Mingsan! He has planes, cannons, and warships, yet he let a bunch of peasants force him to the negotiating table!"

He paced around the room a couple of times with his hands behind his back, then suddenly stopped, his gaze sweeping over everyone present:

"He still has the nerve to ask for instructions? A ceasefire? No attack for a week? And he wants my approval? Damn it! Fuzhou is lost, and instead of going to take it back, he wants to sign some ceasefire agreement with the Red bandits! It's an absolute disgrace to the Party and the State!"

The air in the room seemed to have been sucked out by half. Several staff members lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.

After a moment of silence, a slender figure emerged from the corner. Yang Changqing, courtesy name Yongtai, was the principal's "chief strategist."

He walked to the table, slowly straightened the crooked telegram, and glanced at it again.

"Principal, although Ming San's handling of the situation was inappropriate, his request for instructions is not entirely without merit."

The principal turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Reason? What reason?"