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

Zeng Hongyi's lips trembled uncontrollably: "Annihilate part of the 45th Division? Commander Zhou, are you kidding me? We finally managed to escape the Eastern Route Army's encirclement, how could we... how could we actively provoke them? This... this is too risky! No, absolutely not!"

He shook his head vigorously, as if his calves were cramping.

Le Shaohua was also stunned. He had anticipated all sorts of reasons for Zhou Zeyuan's rebuttal, but he never expected that the other party would act unpredictably and directly propose a goal that was a hundred times more radical than his own!

He subconsciously picked up the rough porcelain bowl in front of him, using the act of drinking water to cover up his embarrassment, while glancing to the side out of the corner of his eye, hoping that Zeng Hongyi, as the commander-in-chief, would stand up first and clearly oppose Zhou Zeyuan's "outrageous remarks".

But upon closer inspection, Zeng Hongyi looked terrified, his eyes glazed over, and there was no way to rely on him.

With everyone's eyes fixed on him, Le Shaohua had nowhere to hide.

He looked at Xun Huaizhou, his tone regaining its usual seriousness: "Comrade Corps Commander, you are the commanding officer. What are your opinions on Division Commander Zhou's... this 'grand' goal?"

Xun Huaizhou chuckled inwardly, but on the surface, he feigned a thoughtful expression: "Zeyuan was the most outstanding student in our class. In terms of military skills and strategic vision, he far surpasses me. I'm still somewhat unable to grasp the subtleties of his idea. Political Commissar Le, what do you think?"

Le Shaohua cursed Xun Huaizhou inwardly for being cunning, but since things had already come to this point, he could only accept the situation and back down.

"Hmm, Commander Zhou's idea is indeed... very bold. I also have some questions about it. Commander Zhou, could you explain in detail how to achieve this operational objective?"

Zhou Zeyuan asked with a hint of surprise, "Explain in detail? We haven't even determined the objective yet, why rush to discuss the plan? Political Commissar Le, don't beat around the bush!"

He stepped forward, his voice suddenly rising: "I'll ask one last time: who agrees with the operational objective of capturing Datian County and simultaneously seeking an opportunity to annihilate a portion of the Kuomintang's 45th Division? Who opposes it?"

The pressure was immense, and then it suddenly poured down.

Zeng Hongyi, emboldened, blurted out, "I object!"

But when he met Zhou Zeyuan's unfathomable eyes, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis, as if he were about to step into a trap, and his tone of voice abruptly changed:

"Oh no, I agree! I agree!"

Le Shaohua's face darkened completely. Zeng Hongyi, that terrible teammate, let us down at the crucial moment!

With everyone watching, he was in a difficult position. It would be absolutely impossible for him to say that he was afraid at this time.

"I agree. However! We must be extremely cautious about the specific battle plan to ensure absolute success! We must not act recklessly!"

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became somewhat awkward. Several division commanders lowered their heads, their shoulders trembling slightly, desperately trying to suppress their laughter.

Su Yu looked down at the map, her lips twitching slightly. Xun Huaizhou, on the other hand, let out a soft sigh of relief.

Zhou Zeyuan nodded. "Now that the operational objectives have been agreed upon, the method is simple."

"My idea is to besiege the enemy's stronghold and then attack their reinforcements."

"The Second and Third Divisions, along with the corps' directly subordinate units, surrounded Datian County, forcing the garrison inside the city to request reinforcements from the 45th Division in Le'an."

"At the same time, with my 7th Red Army Division as the main force, plus the 1st Division under Commander Hu Tiantao, we will secretly maneuver to the only route from Yong'an to Datian to ambush them. We will wait in ambush and defeat the enemy reinforcements!"

"Our army's entry into Fujian was a secret operation, without revealing our unit designation. The enemy will only mistake us for local armed forces, which will lead to their underestimation and arrogance. Once they've fallen into our trap, we can wipe out a regiment, or even a brigade, and the equipment we capture will be enough to upgrade our weaponry!"

The ancestral hall fell silent again, with only Zhou Zeyuan's voice seemingly still echoing. This time, no one objected.

Everyone, including Le Shaohua and Zeng Hongyi, was digesting this bold and tempting plan.

Seeing this, Xun Huaizhou seized the opportunity and immediately began raising his hands to vote.

He voted in favor, and after a slight hesitation, Le Shaohua also voted in favor.

Zeng Hongyi initially wanted to object, but seeing the situation, he followed the crowd and voted in favor. He then comforted himself, thinking that as long as they could win and capture a batch of equipment, things would be much safer afterwards.

After the meeting, Xun Huaizhou and Su Yu, under the pretext of inspection, followed Zhou Zeyuan back to the 7th Red Army Division's base.

In a secluded mountain valley, Xun Huaizhou stopped and looked at Zhou Zeyuan, his tone unusually solemn:

"Zeyuan, you like to take risks in battle, and although you've won every time, we really can't afford to lose this time. More than nine thousand people, thousands of guns—this is the capital of the revolution, and also thousands of living lives."

Zhou Zeyuan felt helpless. He had heard this more than once.

When he was in Ruijin, his teacher said the same thing, and his boss also advised him to use the orthodox methods of military strategy more and to avoid resorting to strange and unorthodox tactics.

Doesn't he know whether it's right or wrong?

He can see the enemy's emotional changes and sense the atmosphere on the battlefield. This is something that can't be explained to anyone, and no one would believe it if he said it.

Zhou Zeyuan nodded. "I know. We're too close to the Eastern Route Army. If we can't win quickly, the situation will be very dangerous if we get entangled with the enemy. That's why I sent the First Division to assist us, to ensure victory."

At this moment, the two looked at each other and sighed in unison.

Frustrating, humiliating!

Their military styles are similar, emphasizing the importance of "flexibility".

Fight if you can win, run if you can't, use flanking maneuvers, feints, and whatever works.

Zhou Zeyuan was an expert in this area. With his ability to perceive the enemy's emotions through [Mind Insight], he would dare to face not only twice as many enemies, but even ten times as many.

When the enemy has a large number of troops, there will always be strong soldiers and weak brigades, and they will always find a gap to slip through.

But that's no longer possible. With Zeng Hongyi and Le Shaohua now holding them back, they've become hesitant and timid in their actions.

In the past, no matter how many enemies there were or how good their equipment was, at their command, the entire army could break into smaller units and disappear into the mountains without a trace.

Now? Let's have a meeting first, and wait for approval... By then it'll be too late.

Su Yu, who had been silent all along, spoke up at this moment, "Zeyuan, the First and Seventh Divisions together have more than four thousand men, but only more than two thousand guns. How many enemy troops are you confident you can wipe out?"

Zhou Zeyuan smiled confidently: "A regiment is a snack, a brigade is the main course. Dai Minquan's 45th Division is a ragtag army, with outdated weapons and insufficient training. Its combat effectiveness is not even second-rate."

"Even if he mobilizes his entire division, I can't handle that many people, but I'm still confident I can defeat him cleanly and decisively."

"Huh?" Xun Huaizhou was somewhat surprised. "How do you know so much about the 45th Division?"

"I've been fighting guerrilla warfare in central Fujian for so many years, don't underestimate my intelligence system."

Xun Huaizhou pondered for a moment: "Now that you've revealed your hand, we can rest assured. We're far from our base now, making it difficult to replenish our troops and care for the wounded. We still need to minimize casualties. Just one brigade, wipe them out cleanly and efficiently, and then immediately move on."