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

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Wu Chengren's voice came through again: "Good. Commander Chen, your intelligence is very valuable. Hold firm. If we can hold out for another twenty-four hours, reinforcements will arrive immediately."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qixuan's voice rose sharply: "Brother! No way! If we wait another twenty-four hours, I'm afraid the soldiers of my newly formed 10th Division will be a pile of corpses!"

"Please hurry up! For the sake of the Party and the country, lend a hand to your brother! Lend a hand to your brother!"

"Don't worry." Wu Chengren's voice remained calm. "The newly formed 10th Division is the army of the Party and the State, and the Party and the State will never sit idly by."

"I'll coordinate with the air force to send two air squadrons over to relieve some pressure on you. My 49th and 80th Divisions will advance from two directions and annihilate the Red Army at the gates of Ningde."

"Commander Chen, if you can hold out for another twelve, no, ten hours, you will be the greatest hero of this battle. The principal will not hesitate to reward you with official rank and titles."

A glint of light flashed in Chen Qixuan's eyes: "Brother, it's a deal!"

It's a deal.

The call ended, and Wu Chengren had just put down the receiver.

A staff officer stepped forward and reported in a low voice, "Commander, the troops have assembled. When do we depart?"

"Pass the word down, let's rest for another two hours."

The staff officer paused, thinking he had misheard: "Commander? Commander Chen's side is in a state of utter urgency..."

"There's no use in rushing. The Red Army can't be defeated by just one division. We need to wait for the 80th Division to arrive together, combining the strength of two divisions to advance from the east and west, attacking from both sides, in order to achieve victory in one battle."

Wu Chengren stood with his hands behind his back, exuding the air of a master who had everything under control.

"Two hours later, the troops set off for Saiqi Port. I had already contacted the convoy; the Red Army probably didn't expect us to take the sea route."

"As long as Chen Mingren's side doesn't mess things up, our two divisions will arrive at Ningde City at the same time. At that time, even if the Red Army had three heads and six arms, they would still have to go to the execution platform."

The staff officer wanted to say that the battle situation was unpredictable, and what should be done if something unexpected happened?

But he dared not spoil his master's enjoyment, so he could only stand at attention and salute: "Yes, sir!"

In the middle section of the Pingning Ancient Road, there is a place called Hongkou Township.

This is a typical alluvial basin, where the Huotong River meanders through, its swift currents carving through mountains and hills.

Chen Mingren rode on horseback, his gaze sweeping over the dense forests on both sides.

Despite Chen Qixuan from Ningde sending several telegrams every hour, he remained unmoved and strictly controlled the marching speed.

Five hundred meters ahead, the scouts spread out in a fan shape, wading through the grass and bushes along the way.

"Commander, the progress is too slow." The staff officer leaned over with a map in his hand. "At this rate, we won't reach Ningde before dark."

Chen Mingren's face was cold as he pointed his whip at the mountain ahead.

"A forced march is suicidal. Su Yu, the chief of staff of the Red Seventh Army Corps, is an extremely difficult opponent."

Chen Mingren pulled on the reins. "This man never plays by the rules when he launches an ambush. While others ambush their troops on the high ground on both sides, he prefers to hide his main force further behind."

"Once your main force has passed, he will suddenly seize the high ground and then send men to flank and cut off your retreat. He wants to besiege the stronghold and ambush reinforcements? I won't give him that chance."

"But Commander, Division Commander Wu is waiting for us to meet up. At this rate, we definitely won't make it in time, and I'm afraid we'll have a hard time explaining this to the headquarters."

Chen Mingren snorted, "He's too eager for quick success. He's courting death. I won't go with him. General Chiang is being evasive in his report, but I know exactly what kind of weapons are in Fuzhou."

"After so many days, the Red Army should have already converted these weapons and ammunition into combat power. At this critical juncture, whoever runs into the main force of the Red Army first will be in deep trouble. I'm not going to risk that misfortune."

As they were talking, the terrain suddenly opened up in front of them, with the Huotongxi River Valley Corridor stretching out before them.

Directly in front is a towering mountain, Sangongyan Mountain.

This is a necessary bend in the road, and also an excellent ambush point.

Chen Mingren ordered Qian Dongliang, the commander of the 474th Regiment, "Send a company up to capture Sangongyan Mountain. After capturing it, do not linger, continue searching and advancing towards Longgutou Mountain behind it."

Soon, a company of Nationalist soldiers, armed with Hanyang rifles, took turns providing cover as they climbed up the hillside.

On the back of Dragon Bone Mountain, in the bushes.

Su Yu lay on the soil, holding up binoculars.

In their line of sight, on Sangongyan Mountain, a platoon of Nationalist soldiers, rifles in hand, were creeping towards Longgutou Mountain.

The enemy's formation was kept very loose, with the distance between each other controlled at about five meters, a standard search formation.

Su Yu put down the binoculars, her face expressionless.

Ambush warfare emphasizes surprise.

The enemy is now advancing cautiously, and waiting any longer will only put us at a disadvantage.

"Pass the order. Ambush canceled, switch to a direct assault." Su Yu turned to look at the communications officer beside him.

"Order Hu Tiantao to lead the 2nd and 3rd Regiments of the 1st Division to immediately traverse the mountain roads and outflank the enemy from behind."

"The First Division and the First Regiment remained to guard Dragon Bone Mountain, holding firm at Shuangxian Valley at the foot of the mountain, blocking the enemy's flanking route."

"I will personally lead the Third Division to attack Sangongyan Mountain to the north!"

The orders were relayed down the chain of command. The Red Army soldiers rose from their hiding places, pulled the bolts, and chambered their rifles.

On the river valley road, Chen Mingren was looking down at the map coordinates.

"Bang!"

A crisp rifle shot shattered the tranquility of the mountains and fields.

Immediately afterwards, a burst of machine gun fire erupted from the direction of Sangongyan Mountain, the gunfire becoming continuous.

Chen Mingren suddenly looked up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He quickly made a judgment: "Order the special operations battalion to immediately return along the same route, seize Wutongcha, and hold the rear line at all costs!"

He turned to the regimental commanders behind him and spoke rapidly: "The entire division will be divided! The 237th Brigade will launch a main attack on Sangongyan Mountain to suppress the Red Army's firepower. The 238th Brigade will immediately advance south towards Nanshan!"

The staff officer looked at the map and couldn't help but admire it.

Nanshan has a rugged and steep terrain that is difficult to traverse. But setting aside the contour lines, it is the shortest route between two points.

Chen Mingren planned his retreat route the moment the gunfire started, while maintaining an offensive posture.

This arrangement allows for both offense and defense, leaving ample room for maneuver.

Halfway up Nanshan Mountain.

Hu Tiantao led his outflanking troops, rapidly maneuvering through the forest.

The mountain path was narrow, with thorny brambles on both sides.

The bushes ahead rustled.

"Who's there!" The Red Army platoon leader at the front raised his gun and shouted.

Behind the bushes, the vanguard of the Nationalist army was also stunned.

The two were less than thirty meters apart, and they could even see the beads of sweat on each other's faces clearly.

"Fire!" Hu Tiantao roared, and his Mauser pistol fired first.

The Red Army soldiers lay down on the spot and fired volleys of gunfire.

The Nationalist soldiers quickly dispersed and used the tree trunks as cover to fight back.

The bullet struck the tree trunk, sending wood chips flying everywhere.