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

Chief of Staff Su Yu, who had been silent all along, spoke up at this moment.

"I agree with one point in Comrade Zhou Zeyuan's analysis. If propaganda materials can only be fully effective after capturing major cities, then there is absolutely no need for us to carry them from the starting point."

"Big cities have ready-made printing machines, and the printing plates for the propaganda materials aren't very big; just a few sets are enough. We can print and distribute them on the spot when we capture towns along the way, replenishing them as needed. This is much better than carrying over a million sheets of paper over mountains and valleys."

Zhou Zeyuan mentally gave Su Yu a thumbs up. Not only was Su Yu quick with her gun, but she also reacted even faster. It seemed she had suffered a lot of mistreatment on a daily basis.

Le Shaohua's expression changed several times. He wasn't stupid; he understood the reasoning, but...

"This is a task assigned by the Central Committee, a decision made by the Central Committee. No matter how reasonable your arguments are, you must first seek approval from the Central Committee; you cannot make decisions on your own."

"Then just ask for instructions." Zhou Zeyuan spread his hands. "According to you, you also agree that the burden reduction plan is reasonable. So what's the point of talking nonsense? You three, as the leading group, should draft a telegram now to apply to the Central Committee for burden reduction."

"Only one-tenth of the propaganda materials need to be retained; the rest should be left in the rear or stored on-site. The saved manpower and transportation capacity should be used to supplement the combat troops."

Le Shaohua opened his mouth, but for a moment he couldn't find a way to refute it.

Zhou Zeyuan has already blocked his path. If he still stubbornly refuses, it's not a matter of principle, it's a matter of risking everyone's lives.

Xun Huaizhou chimed in at the opportune moment: "I agree with Zeyuan's plan. The telegram will be sent tonight, and we'll try to get a reply from the Central Committee before we depart tomorrow."

Zeng Hongyi nodded hastily: "I agree too. Let's consult the Central Committee first."

Le Shaohua was suppressed by two votes. Even if he was unwilling, the decision-making mechanism of the three-person group was that the minority had to obey the majority. He sat down in the chair with a sullen face and did not say a word.

This round is now over.

The matter of the propaganda materials has been temporarily put aside, and the meeting moved on to the next item—verification of troop strength and equipment.

Xun Huaizhou took out a handwritten troop strength statistics table.

"Zeyuan, tell me about the situation of the Seventh Red Army Division. How many men and how many guns do they have?"

"What about the Seventh Red Army Corps? Let's reveal our strengths first, so everyone has a clear understanding."

Xun Huaizhou didn't hide anything: "When the Seventh Red Army Corps returned to Ruijin for rest and reorganization, it had 4,000 men and 1,200 guns. The total number of machine guns and rifle bullets in the entire corps did not exceed 30,000 rounds."

"The rest of the men were equipped with broadswords and spears. The Central Military Commission supplemented the force with two thousand new recruits, including a non-combat work corps, making a total of six thousand people."

He spoke these numbers in a flat tone, as if reading a purchasing list. But everyone in the room could hear the weight behind those numbers.

Six thousand men, twelve hundred guns.

What does this mean? A Class A division of the National Revolutionary Army had 12,000 men, over 4,000 rifles, hundreds of light and heavy machine guns, and hundreds of thousands of bullets. The Red Seventh Army Corps couldn't even withstand a single division in a head-on confrontation.

Zhou Zeyuan nodded: "Pretty much, about 80-90% what I estimated. As for my situation, I have 3,000 men, exactly half of yours. As for guns, exactly 1,800, with 25 bullets per person."

Upon hearing this, several people in the room simultaneously looked up.

Xun Huaizhou paused, and even Le Shaohua, who had been keeping a dark expression, subconsciously looked over.

Three thousand men, eighteen hundred guns, with an armament rate of sixty percent.

The entire 7th Red Army Corps, with 6,000 men, had only 1,200 guns, a mere 20% armament rate. How could the Fujian-West Independent Division have half as many guns as the entire corps?

Xun Huaizhou was the first to react: "Where did you get this gun?"

"I confiscated it, of course. What, you think I stole it?" Zhou Zeyuan rubbed his nose with his thumb. "The 85th Division's transport teams, the 56th Division's supply lines, the local security regiment's armory... I've accumulated this over the past few years through dozens of battles, big and small. Do you think I've been basking in the sun in western Fujian every day?"

Xun Huaizhou sensed something fishy in his words. He had won many battles and captured even more weapons over the years, so why was he so poor?

It wasn't a head-on, positional battle; they basically wore them down!

Is this kid born in the Year of the Rat? He always hides away any good stuff he finds.

"In that case... the advance team has a total strength of over nine thousand men and three thousand guns, increasing the armament rate to thirty percent. That's much better than before." Su Yu quickly calculated.

Zhou Zeyuan glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that Zeng Hongyi and Le Shaohua's expressions had improved somewhat, and immediately began to pour cold water on their efforts:

"It's improved a bit, but compared to the Nationalist army, the gap is still too big. Nine thousand men and three thousand guns are no match for a full-strength Nationalist division. They simply cannot be defeated in a short time. Once they are tied up, it means that reinforcements will swarm in."

Xun Huaizhou continued, "That's why we need to fight mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare even more. The burden reduction plan you just mentioned is very reasonable. After the troops are streamlined, their mobility will increase by at least 30%."

Xun Huaizhou had said some things to Le Shaohua more than once, but the political commissar didn't listen; as a corps commander, he couldn't make the decision. Now that Zhou Zeyuan had broken the ice, he could take the opportunity to push things along.

Zhou Zeyuan said, "Reducing the burden alone is not enough. The central government's task is to reach southern Anhui in one and a half months, which is plenty of time. The journey is less than a thousand kilometers, so what's the rush? My suggestion is that after entering central Fujian, we should not rush to get there, but first fight a few decisive battles on the spot."

"Annihilation battle?" Zeng Hongyi frowned, hesitating to speak.

"Yes. The Nationalist army in the central Fujian region is mainly composed of security regiments and local armed forces, and their combat effectiveness is not strong. Let's pick a few easy strongholds to attack, take them one by one, and replenish our weapons, ammunition, and supplies."

"At the same time, it will also let those two thousand new recruits see blood. Soldiers who have been on the battlefield and killed people are completely different from those who haven't. As long as our combat effectiveness is improved, even if the National Army organizes a subsequent encirclement and suppression, we can come and go as we please, whether we fight or retreat."

Zeng Hongyi's eyes lit up.

Zhou Zeyuan noticed this. The commander-in-chief's thoughts were easy to understand; he didn't care about anti-Japanese propaganda or easing the pressure on the Soviet areas.

He only cared about one thing: how to reach southern Anhui safely and alive.

In his view, Fang Zhimin's troops would be there to meet him in southern Anhui, and he would be safe once he got there.

Zhou Zeyuan's proposal just now gave him a glimmer of hope.

Fighting a few small battles to replenish his strength, and then leading a stronger force on his journey, would naturally increase his chances of survival. So he was tempted.

Le Shaohua was not so easily fooled.

"Is a war of annihilation so easy to fight? You make it sound so simple. What if we lose? What if it delays our journey and we can't complete the Central Committee's mission? Who will be responsible then?"

"You don't need to set me up. Don't forget, the advance team is also tasked with drawing the attention of the Nationalist army and relieving pressure on the Central Soviet Area. How are you going to accomplish this mission? By blindly rushing forward? By running away from the enemy the whole way, who are you relieving pressure for?"

"To attract attention, we need to make a splash. If we win one or two major battles of annihilation in central Fujian, once the news gets out, even if Peanut doesn't want to pay attention to us, he won't be able to."

Le Shaohua remained silent for a long while. "Even if what you said makes sense, this matter still needs to be reported to the Central Committee first."

"If we have to ask the central government for approval on everything, what's the point of having us cadres?"

Zhou Zeyuan took a step forward, his imposing manner reaching its peak. "Political Commissar Le, are you making excuses because you're afraid? Are you thinking of hurrying to southern Anhui to avoid being surrounded by enemy troops?"

Le Shaohua stood up abruptly, his face flushed red, and the veins on his neck bulged.

"Bullshit! I was involved in the workers' movement in Anyuan when I was sixteen, organizing strikes under the bayonets of the Kuomintang! I've been in Kuomintang prisons, I've been whipped and pepper-sprayed, and not a single bone in my body has gone weak! You're still a kid, and you dare to mention fear in front of me?"

He slammed his hand on the table. "If you want to fight, fine, I won't stop you. But let me make this clear: if you underestimate the enemy and advance recklessly, causing losses to the revolutionary armed forces, I, Le Shaohua, will still hold you accountable! You'll be court-martialed if necessary, or executed if you deserve it!"

"Okay, it's a deal." Zhou Zeyuan extended his palm.

Le Shaohua stared at him for a few seconds, then reached out with his rough hand and gave him a heavy squeeze.

After the meeting, on his way back, Zhou Zeyuan pondered the situation. In the grand scheme of things, the Central Red Army's westward expedition was already set. The advance team was merely a sacrificial pawn, thrown out to draw enemy fire, and that couldn't be changed.

As a close confidant of the teacher, it was normal for him to be targeted; he never even thought he could participate in the Long March.

He had only thought he would be left to fight as a guerrilla in the Central Soviet Area, and had made many preparations for this.

But then again, while fighting guerrilla warfare in one's hometown is safe, there are much more possibilities to explore if one goes north to fight!

Historically, the Seventh Red Army Corps marched north, first suffering a crushing defeat at the gates of Fuzhou, then barely managing to replenish its ranks in eastern Fujian, before finally being surrounded at Huaiyu Mountain and annihilated. Xun Huaizhou was killed in battle, and Fang Zhimin was captured and executed.

Along the way, tens of thousands of precious lives were lost.

In this lifetime, I gained three thousand more men and eighteen hundred more guns. And, most importantly, I gained myself.

Is it enough to turn the tide?

Just kidding! With a force of nine thousand men and three thousand guns, we've already surpassed most transmigrators. If we can't even get past the first hurdle, we'll be a disgrace to our peers!

As for the criticisms of Li Bo and his colleague's poor command, and the infighting among the advance team's higher-ups...

Having traveled through time for so many years, he has accumulated a wealth of experience in this area.

Zeng Hongyi is cowardly, Le Shaohua is brave but reckless, while Xun Huaizhou and Su Yu are outstanding in talent and consider the overall situation, making them easier to recruit as helpers!

Compared to that, fighting under Secretary Xiang or Director Chen would be like being struck by lightning!