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

The sun gradually set in the west.

On the hilltop of Wutongcha, the morale of the Nationalist army visibly plummeted.

Meanwhile, the Red Army soldiers on the other side were overjoyed.

At the foot of the mountain, torches were lit, illuminating the entire battlefield.

The Nationalist army, suffering a crushing defeat, surrendered en masse.

A large number of firearms were sorted out and piled up together, like a small mountain.

A soldier walked by carrying a bundle of rifles, and several young soldiers surrounded a captured light machine gun.

You touch the barrel, I turn the bolt, acting like I know everything.

The most lively crowd was gathered around the two captured mountain guns.

A young soldier squatted down next to the cannon, patted the barrel, and asked the veteran next to him curiously, "What model is this? Why does it look different from the ones we've seen before?"

The veteran tilted his head and looked at it, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind: "This is a Nationalist army copy of the Japanese Type 41 mountain gun. We captured a batch of them in Fuzhou last time."

Everyone turned around and saw that it was Hu Tiantao walking over.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the two mountain guns, a smug look on his face:

"Be careful, don't be clumsy. These are precious items. If you break them, we can't fix them."

When the soldiers heard that it was a "precious gem," their eyes shone even brighter, and they surrounded the mountain gun, examining and pondering it.

If Hu Tiantao hadn't been there, someone probably would have climbed up and sat on it.

Hu Tiantao looked at the group of jubilant soldiers and was about to say a few more words when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

He turned around and saw Su Yu walking over.

"Comrade Tiantao, this battle was fought very well! The infiltration was timely, cutting off the Nationalist army's retreat route first. Now, Chen Mingren is trapped like a turtle in a jar."

Hu Tiantao grinned and pointed to the dark outline on the hilltop: "Chief of Staff, when do you think we should launch the final assault? It's getting late. If we wait until it's completely dark, he'll definitely break through under the cover of night. If we let him get away with the prize we've got, we'll be at a huge loss."

Su Yu looked up at the direction of Wutongcha and sighed, "This Chen Mingren is indeed a master strategist. While counterattacking, he even managed to leave himself a way out."

"Several thousand people are currently huddled on this hilltop. If we were to force our way through, the casualties would be considerable. Let's try to persuade them to surrender first. If possible, let's avoid fighting."

Hu Tiantao nodded and turned to make the arrangements.

A moment later, the shouts of Red Army soldiers echoed from the foot of the mountain:

"Brothers of the Nationalist Army on the mountain, you are surrounded! The Red Army treats prisoners of war well! Surrender and you will not be killed! Think of your families, they are waiting for you to return!"

The shouts echoed through the valley again and again, reaching the top of Wutongcha Mountain.

On the hilltop, the Nationalist soldiers listened in silence.

A sense of oppression quietly permeated the mountain.

Datian County, Headquarters of the Fourth Column.

Li Yannian and Song Xilian sat facing each other in silence.

These two good classmates from the first class of Whampoa Military Academy have completely lost their previous high spirits.

Chen Mingren's distress telegram was like a slap in the face to both of them.

Not long ago, they were even thinking of luring the Red Army into a trap and wiping out the warlord Red Army in one fell swoop.

Unexpectedly, in just one day, what was thrown into the pot and stir-fried over a high flame became their Central Army.

At that moment, a staff officer rushed in, "Commander! Commander Wu has sent a telegram: the Red Army has captured Nanjishan, and He Wending's fate is unknown! The 49th Division is unable to move westward!"

"What?!" Song Xilian, who was sitting at the table, suddenly stood up. "This is impossible! He Wending has six thousand men! Even if they were six thousand pigs running all over the mountains, the Red Army couldn't catch them all in a day!"

Song Xilian was from Hunan and was known for his strong and straightforward temperament, earning him the nickname "Hunan Mule".

But it's quite rare to see someone so openly express their disgust for a ragtag army.

It's clear that they've reached the point of extreme anger.

Li Yannian, standing beside him, remained silent, but his expression was even more grim than Song Xilian's. He gripped the edge of the table with both hands, his palms trembling slightly as he exerted force.

With He Wending's death, coupled with Chen Mingren's ambush, heavy losses, and precarious situation, the entire bandit suppression situation in eastern Fujian collapsed instantly.

The situation on the northern front has deteriorated completely.

The newly formed 10th Division suffered more than half its losses, and the remaining half were demoralized and lacked fighting spirit.

Even more critically, Nanjishan was occupied by the Red Army, leaving the southern gateway to Ningde wide open.

As a result, the 49th Division was pinned down in the direction of Fu'an and dared not move an inch.

Once they leave, Ningde will fall.

With the loss of Ningde, Fu'an was exposed to the Red Army's advance.

If these two important cities were lost, the entire northeastern Fujian region would essentially be under the control of the Red Army.

Li Yannian took a deep breath and turned to his advisor, "Where is Li Yutang's Third Division at?"

The staff officer glanced down at the telegram in his hand. "Reporting to the commander, they have just left Pingnan County and are still forty kilometers away from Commander Chen's position."

Li Yannian slammed his fist on the table, causing the teacups to jump and spill tea all over the table. "Damn it! Too late, absolutely too late!"

40 kilometers, and it was at night, hiking on a mountain road.

No matter how fast we speed things up, by the time reinforcements arrive, it will be dawn.

You ordered Chen Mingren to lead 3000 remaining troops to hold out until dawn?

Just kidding, given the situation, even Xiang Yu would have to run away if he came!

Song Xilian stood up, walked to the map, and looked at it for a while: "Even if there's still time, we can't let him go. It's pitch black here, and we're in the mountains. If we run into an ambush by the Red Army again, won't we lose another division?"

Li Yannian suddenly looked up at him, his voice tinged with resentment: "Then what do you suggest we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch Brother Ziliang bravely sacrifice himself?"

"There's no other way now, let's break through." Song Xilian walked to the map and pointed to Huo Tongxi's location.

"The Huotong River isn't too wide. Brother Ziliang is from Hunan and is a good swimmer, so swimming across shouldn't be a problem. He still has three thousand men under his command. If they can be evacuated, it will provide the backbone for reconstruction."

Looking at the location marked "Wutongcha" on the map, Li Yannian could almost see Chen Mingren trapped on the mountaintop, facing a desperate situation with no ammunition or food left.

Finally, he slowly nodded: "Alright, it's your suggestion. Order Li Yutang's Third Division to remain stationed in place and guard against any Red Army attacks."

The staff officer accepted the order and left. Silence fell once more in the command post.

Li Yannian took off his military cap and rubbed his temples.

"We lost this first encounter, but I'm not convinced. If it weren't for someone dragging us down, we wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat. The responsibility for this battle shouldn't be borne by Brother Ziliang, nor by you and me, brothers."

Song Xilian immediately understood his meaning and nodded in response, "Of course. It's all Chen Qixuan's fault for his poor command and exaggeration of the enemy situation. We need to report him to Commander Gu. In the future, when cooperating with these warlord troops, we need to be more careful and not believe everything we hear."

Li Yannian nodded, but he still couldn't figure it out.

Where did the Red Army get so many troops to split into two groups, attacking cities and ambushing enemies at the same time?

Yes, Wang Yaowu made a judgment that after the Red Army arrived in eastern Fujian, the size of the force would quickly expand to 30,000.

But what about the guns? What about the weapons and ammunition?