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

Danyang Town, the headquarters of the 7th Red Army Corps.

Zhou Zeyuan leaned back in his command chair, his head slightly tilted to one side, his eyes closed, and his breathing even and long.

He was sleeping soundly, but a faint smile lingered on his lips, as if he were having a sweet dream.

In his dream, he saw that the command post was later destroyed by Japanese planes, and the ruins were overgrown with weeds.

However, later generations built a memorial hall on the original site, with blue bricks and gray tiles, solemn and dignified.

A statue stands in the center of the main hall of the memorial hall.

He circled the statue, examined it carefully, and then curled his lip in disapproval.

The carving is not very good; the face is too blurry.

Moreover, he was too authoritative and lacked his usual carefree and easygoing demeanor.

The guard, Xiao Zhong, who was standing by the door, noticed the increasingly obvious smile on his commander's lips and found it quite amusing.

He quietly took out his small diary, turned to the latest page, and wrote: "August 16th, night. The legion commander fell asleep with his head tilted back in his chair, seemingly having a sweet dream, and kept smiling foolishly."

Just then, a deliberately light footstep sound came from outside the door.

Although the person tried to keep their voice down, it was still clearly audible in the silence of the night.

Zhou Zeyuan's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was still somewhat drowsy, but it quickly cleared.

Xiao Zhong quickly stuffed the diary into his pocket and stood up straight.

The person who entered was Liu Shengmu, the director of the political department. Seeing that Zhou Zeyuan was awake, he said apologetically, "Comrade Zeyuan, did I wake you?"

"It's nothing, I wasn't planning on sleeping too long anyway." Zhou Zeyuan sat up straight, rubbed his eyes, and asked, "Old Liu, what's going on?"

With a smile on his face, Liu Shengmu handed over a telegram:

"Comrade Zeyuan, good news! Comrade Su Yu has sent word that Chen Mingren has crossed the river to the north to break through the encirclement, and the garrison at Wutongcha has surrendered."

Zhou Zeyuan took the telegram and quickly scanned the paper.

After reading it, he took the telegram and flicked it lightly with his finger, making a crisp sound.

"This is indeed good news. With the addition of these eight hundred brave warriors from the Northwest, our anti-Japanese forces have been strengthened once again."

Liu Shengmu sat down to the side. "These people are basically veterans who have served in the army for more than five years. Their individual combat skills and experience go without saying. Most importantly, they wield their broadswords with great skill."

"I was wondering why the National Army fought so tenaciously in that bayonet battle during the day. It turns out that these key figures were leading the charge."

Zhou Zeyuan nodded slightly. "Maybe. But I think the main reason is that Chen Mingren was strict in managing the army. A bad soldier is a bad soldier, and a bad general leads to a bad army. If you replace him with an incompetent commander, no matter how capable the subordinates are, it will be useless."

He put down the telegram and looked at Liu Shengmu. "Su Yu proposed reorganizing them into two battalions, directly incorporating them into the First and Third Red Divisions. What do you think?"

Liu Shengmu was stunned for a moment.

He read the telegram three times before he arrived; Su Yu's wording was quite tactful.

The statement said, "We intend to arrange for these comrades who have surrendered to be placed under our care for observation and education." The meaning of directly incorporating them into the Red Army was expressed quite subtly, and it did not directly say "reorganized into two battalions."

But as soon as Zhou Zeyuan said that, he immediately understood.

This is Comrade Zeyuan's own idea; he's just using Su Yu's telegram to express it.

He pondered for a moment before replying, "Comrade Zeyuan, I think... as long as it's beneficial to the overall situation of the Red Army, we can be a little more flexible with certain policies."

Zhou Zeyuan looked at him with a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Old Liu, this probably isn't what you really think. We're comrades who fought side by side, don't try to fob me off with these platitudes. I want to hear your true thoughts."

Liu Shengmu was silent for two or three seconds, then raised his head, his gaze firm: "This is my true thought. We are a revolutionary force, how can we be bound by those rules and regulations?"

Then, changing the subject, he said, "However... isn't it a bit risky to rashly incorporate so many prisoners directly into the Red Army without separating them, and simply send instructors and political commissars to do ideological work?"

Zhou Zeyuan laughed: "There are some risks involved in doing this. But the benefits are also obvious."

"These are all veterans who have fought for many years. With them around, our new recruits can grow faster. What war is without risks? We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater."

"By the way, the Political Department can use this as a model for publicity. As long as they are determined to resist Japan, even if they are Nationalist soldiers, we welcome them to join us."

Liu Shengmu nodded: "Good, that is indeed a good idea. I will personally go to Wutongcha and arrange for the local comrades to transfer the wounded and prisoners of war from the front to the rear, so that Comrade Su Yu can concentrate on the battle without any worries."

He stood up, about to leave, but then stopped. "By the way, Commander, the first and second phases of the operation can be considered a great victory. Should we report this to the Central Committee?"

"Yes, we will. But I need to discuss the specific wording with Comrade Shaohua and Comrade Hongyi."

"How about I wake them up, we discuss this, and then I'll set off?" A hint of eagerness flashed in Liu Shengmu's eyes.

Zhou Zeyuan smiled meaningfully, a smile that sent a chill down Liu Shengmu's spine: "This time, I don't just want to report the victory. Are you sure you want to stay?"

Liu Shengmu quickly waved his hand and said, "I misunderstood! The situation at the front is dire; that's the most important thing. I'll set off immediately, immediately."

After saying that, he turned and walked out, his pace more than twice as fast as when he came.

Zhou Zeyuan watched his figure disappear through the door, smiled, and shook his head.

He picked up the pen on the table, opened his notebook, and wrote four words on the first page: "Capture and replenish immediately."

After pausing for a while, four more words were added below: "Policy of Complaining About Grievances".

He put down his pen, looked at the eight characters on the paper, and his gaze became deep.

Yes, the time is ripe.

Some things that seem unconventional now can now be brought to the forefront.

Soon, Zeng Hongyi and Le Shaohua were summoned to the command post by the communications officer.

The two of them looked sleepy when they entered, clearly having just gotten out of bed.

Zhou Zeyuan was already sitting at the table waiting for them. Seeing the two of them come in, he greeted them with a smile:

"Thank you both for coming so late. I have some good news to share with you."

"Comrade Zeyuan, did Comrade Su Yu send news of a victory? Did they capture Chen Mingren alive?" Le Shaohua immediately perked up.

Zhou Zeyuan shook his head with a wry smile, "It's not that easy, but it's definitely good news. A great victory on the northern front!"

"After a day and night of fierce fighting, Comrades Su Yu and Ye Fei not only captured Nanji Mountain and cut off the Pingning Ancient Road, but also achieved great results."

"A total of more than 6,000 guns, more than 100 machine guns, and two mountain guns were captured. The two battles resulted in the annihilation of more than 10,000 enemy troops, of whom more than 5,000 were captured as prisoners."

"Great!" Zeng Hongyi slapped his thigh, his face beaming with joy, and his drowsiness vanished considerably. "This is a resounding victory!"

But soon, his brows furrowed slightly: "Comrade Zeyuan, are we going to take all these prisoners back to the base? Our food reserves can't withstand such a depletion."