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

Su Yu's baton marked three locations on the map:

"On the western front, Datian and Pingnan counties were occupied by the enemy's 36th and 3rd Divisions, respectively. At the border of the two counties, there was a place called Jigang, which was a strategic transportation hub. It was guarded by a brigade of Lu Xingbang."

He paused, then used his baton to draw a semicircle in front of the entire map:

"In summary, the enemy has occupied Fuzhou in the south, Ningde and Fu'an in the north, and Datian and Pingnan in the west, with approximately two divisions in each of them."

"They occupied the Minjiang River and the Pingning Ancient Road, forming two blockade lines in the north and south. Each blockade line was reinforced by a main division. The Eighth Division plus a brigade, plus several security regiments, brought the total strength to over 80,000 men."

As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose in the command post.

Zeng Hongyi gasped and blurted out, "This force is almost three times our size."

As soon as he spoke, he suddenly felt a little uneasy, and his eyes involuntarily glanced at Zhou Zeyuan beside him.

Seeing Zhou Zeyuan's calm expression, with no ripples on his face, as if 80,000 people were just a number.

Immediately realizing that his earlier exclamation had been somewhat beneath him, he quickly composed himself and sat up straight.

Le Shaohua noticed his reaction and slightly curled his lips.

Hmph! I'm ashamed to associate with such a person.

Xun Huaizhou ignored these little actions, his gaze fixed on the map, and said:

"It seems that the enemy's blockade line in the west is the weakest, with only two divisions holding two county towns and only Lu Xingbang's brigade in the middle."

This is practically blatant temptation, luring us to attack him. So I conclude... there's definitely a trap here.

Zhou Zeyuan nodded and, taking the opportunity, said, "I know that when people are indecisive, they often resort to attacking warlords first."

"But you also need to think about it. After fighting so many times, the Nationalist army has figured out our tactics. In this situation, we need to think more carefully."

Everyone seemed to be deep in thought.

Several division commanders nodded slightly, their eyes shifting back and forth between the map and their notebooks.

Su Yu continued, "We now have five divisions, and our strength is vastly different from what it used to be. We don't care about tough opponents or easy targets."

"When choosing a direction of attack, we should not only consider the strength of the enemy, but also focus on gaining an effective strategic advantage."

He turned around and pointed his baton towards the northern front: "Attack from the north! Attack Chen Mingren. If successful, it will shake up the entire situation."

"In the short term, it can strengthen ties with the northern guerrilla areas; in the long term, our army's feigned advance towards Nanping and Jian'ou can also alleviate pressure on the Fujian-Northern Soviet Area. Its strategic significance is extremely important."

Zhou Zeyuan looked around and said, "Alright, Chief of Staff, I see that everyone has no objections. Please announce the battle plan."

At this point, he seemed to suddenly remember something and looked at everyone: "Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone said they had no objections, but Zeng Hongyi waved his hand, signaling to continue.

Su Yu didn't beat around the bush, "Since that's the case, then I'll announce the battle plan."

"First, the Mindong Independent Division, together with the 3rd Regiment of the 7th Red Army Division and an artillery battalion, will attack Ningde. This move is intended to besiege the city and strike at its reinforcements."

He looked at Ye Fei: "Political Commissar Ye, you will command this battle. Mobilize any part of the National Revolutionary Army's 80th or 49th Division to support Ningde, and the first phase of the operation will be a great success."

"Remember, do not engage in reckless fighting to avoid excessive casualties."

Ye Fei abruptly stood up, his face flushed, and his voice booming: "Yes! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Su Yu nodded. "I will personally lead the First and Third Divisions to ambush on the flanks. If the Eightieth Division moves out, we will ambush them halfway."

If the 49th Division is deployed while the 80th Division remains stationary, our army will use the superior force of two divisions to attempt to encircle and annihilate the 80th Division.

"If we can succeed quickly, we will completely cut off their supply lines; if not, we will at least severely damage their troops, so that they dare not fight back, and then decisively move north to the outer lines to carry out the third phase of operations."

He put down his baton. "As for the operational plan for the third phase, I can only say that it will be based on improvisation."

Zhou Zeyuan added, "Although the main attack is on the northern front, we must also launch feint attacks on the western and southern fronts."

"While ensuring the defensive line is secure, deploy small units and widely mobilize guerrilla forces. Use every trick in the book to cause trouble for the enemy: ambush, sabotage, surprise attacks, spread rumors."

Xun Huaizhou nodded and said, "That's a good idea. Comrade Su Da and I will take on this task. Zeyuan, you will be in charge of the Legion Headquarters, coordinating all parties and controlling the overall situation."

Zhou Zeyuan did not refuse and readily agreed, "Okay, let's do it that way."

He stood up, placed his hands on the edge of the table, and scanned everyone present with his gaze. "Meeting adjourned."

Since the arrival of the 36th Division of the National Revolutionary Army a few days ago, the market in Datian County, which was originally somewhat desolate, has unexpectedly become bustling.

Many villagers noticed that this Nationalist army was quite different from the Kuomintang troops they had encountered before.

Although they weren't as friendly as the Red Army soldiers, they generally paid for things when they went out to buy things and didn't try to freeload.

As one of the first reorganized divisions of the National Revolutionary Army and the 36th Division of the Central Army, its military discipline and appearance were naturally extraordinary.

Division Commander Song Xilian was also someone who couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing.

Li Yannian, the commander of the Fourth Column and his superior, deeply understood this point.

Just two days ago, Song Xilian personally escorted a regimental commander who had withheld military pay to his headquarters, demanding that he be court-martialed.

Daejeon County was not only the location of the headquarters of the 36th Division, but also the location of the headquarters of the Fourth Column.

Li Yannian, as the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Mindong Bandit Suppression Headquarters, has quietly moved into Datian to take charge of the combat command of the entire Mindong front.

Even the Red Army's intelligence personnel were unaware of this.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the command post was eerily quiet.

Li Yannian sat at the table, clutching a telegram in his hand. His face was calm and expressionless, as if he were just reading an ordinary official document, but his eyes were fixed on the words on the paper as if they were spitting fire.

The staff officers around him kept their eyes down, barely making a sound as they flipped through documents, for fear of incurring bad luck at this critical juncture.

Song Xilian stood to the side, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up: "Commander, has Commander Gu approved your attack plan?"

Li Yannian sneered, "You know perfectly well why you're asking this."

He slammed the telegram on the table, stood up abruptly, and raised his voice several decibels.

"Playing it safe! Playing it safe! All he knows is playing it safe! The Red Army has practically built a road right to their doorstep, and he's completely unmoved!"

After Song Xilian finished venting his anger, he said slowly, "Commander Gu is, after all, the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Route Army, and he is very busy."

The top priority right now is to capture Ruijin. His position as Commander-in-Chief of the Anti-Bandit Suppression in Eastern Fujian is, in essence, just a part-time role. He's not seeking merit, but rather avoiding mistakes.

Jiang Dingwen had previously suffered a setback in Fuzhou and was criticized by fans.

Although he did not lose his position in the Eastern Route Army, he was still responsible for the blockade of the eastern part of the Central Soviet Area.

Several divisions were also transferred from the Northern Route Army to strengthen the defenses of the eastern front.

However, their actual authority was greatly reduced.