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

He turned and yelled behind him, "Quick! Bring that prisoner to me!"

Two soldiers escorted a dejected middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of a security regiment officer as they approached.

Liu Feng shoved him: "Repeat what you just told our legion commander!"

The prisoner confessed in detail: "Sir, it's no wonder the brothers fought so fiercely. It's just that yesterday, General Jiang... oh no, Jiang Dingwen personally came to Minhou for an inspection. He paid us back half a year's worth of military pay and even gave each of us an extra ten silver dollars as a reward!"

He swallowed hard and continued, "Moreover... he also 'invited' all the families of us officers to Fuzhou City, saying that it was because we were worried about our safety during the war and that the provincial government would take care of them."

"In addition, he left a supervisory team in the city, all veterans of the 87th Division, armed with light machine guns. Anyone who dared to retreat would be shot on the spot... Our orders were absolute: hold the position for three days, and do not retreat a single step within those three days!"

Zhou Zeyuan snorted coldly: "This guy's character isn't great, but his methods are shrewd. He's willing to spend money at crucial moments, and then use the supervisory team and their families to block their escape route. No wonder a group of security guards can fight with the tenacity of a regular army."

"Sir, you don't know this, but we've only gotten half of the money. The truckload of silver dollars that Jiang Dingwen brought has passed through several hands, including our regimental and battalion commanders, so we'll only get half of it."

Hearing this, Zhou Zeyuan was taken aback, then smiled. This was an old tradition; it wasn't surprising that it happened, but rather strange that it didn't.

Liu Feng, however, seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes darting around: "Commander, I have an idea."

"explain."

"Didn't Jiang Dingwen come to Fuzhou in person? If the soldiers know this, it will be more effective than any mobilization effort!"

Liu Feng became more and more excited as he spoke, "Why don't we set up a target and capture Jiang Dingwen alive! Just think, the leader of the Eastern Route Army, what a huge reward that would be if we captured him! Wouldn't the soldiers be roaring and charging forward?"

Zhou Zeyuan glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "You always manage to come up with something new."

He pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright. The slogan will be—Capture Fuzhou City and capture Jiang Dingwen alive!"

Liu Feng clapped his hands: "Great! This slogan is so catchy!"

Zhou Zeyuan turned to look at the sky. The sun had already sunk below the ridgeline, with only the last rays of light remaining on the horizon.

"Everyone rest for two hours! Let the soldiers eat some dry rations, drink some water, and check their ammunition. Once it's completely dark, we'll begin the siege!"

He emphasized his words, his gaze sweeping over the weary but still determined soldiers around him:

"Tell the comrades, tonight we will march and fight continuously! We must carry forward the spirit of not fearing hardship or fatigue, take Minhou in one fell swoop, and then head straight for Fuzhou!"

As it turns out, Jiang Dingwen's trip was a waste of time.

Tens of thousands of dollars were spent as rewards on the battlefield, hoping to win over the soldiers' morale. However, the officers pocketed half of it, leaving only a small amount for the soldiers.

The problem is not scarcity, but inequality!

The officials ate the meat, while the people below didn't even get a sip of soup. Their resentment was more effective than the Red Army's cannons.

Security chief Hu Qiang was a typical slacker. He knew nothing about military affairs, was greedy for money and lustful, and couldn't resist beautiful women.

No sooner had Jiang Dingwen left than he turned Cuihonglou into a military camp and the prostitutes into his subordinates, commanding them with even more fervor than if he were fighting a war.

Instructions from superiors? Long forgotten.

City defense? He passed the buck to the deputy regimental commander.

However, the deputy regimental commander was also overworked and handed the reins over to his battalion commander.

The battalion commander drank two cups of strong liquor, instructed several company commanders to "be on high alert tonight," and then went to sleep.

After being subcontracted layer by layer, by the time it reached the soldiers on the city wall, all that was left was the message: "Be vigilant tonight."

The soldiers listened to this advice and slept with one eye open that night.

As soon as the gunshot rang out, everyone buried their heads and fired, determined not to stick their heads out.

That's just how things are these days; you'll do as much work as you're paid for.

If it weren't for the supervisory team watching them from behind, most of the soldiers on the city wall would probably have run away long ago.

While gunfire erupted outside the city, Hu Qiang was still enjoying the pleasures of Cuihonglou.

By the time he rushed back to the command post shirtless, the Red Army had already entered the city. There were only a dozen or so corpses on the city wall; the rest of the security regiment soldiers saluted in a French military style.

Upon entering the command post, Hu Qiang immediately rushed to the phone, grabbed the receiver, and shouted, "Hello! This is Hu Qiang from the Minhou Security Regiment! My unit is under heavy attack from the main force of the Red Army! We request immediate reinforcements! Quick! We can't hold out any longer!"

A lazy voice came from the other end of the phone: "Commander Hu, this is the Operations Section of the City Defense Command. Division Commander Wang is resting. Tell me what's going on first."

"Tell you?!" Hu Qiang jumped up and down in a panic. "What's the use of telling you? Can you call reinforcements? Quickly, get Commander Wang on the phone! The Red Army is about to storm the city!"

"Commander Hu, there's no use in being anxious. Don't worry, our division commander will be here soon. Just hang in there a little longer."

"Take that to the Red Army! See if they'll wait a bit!" Hu Qiang practically shouted. But the other party had already put the receiver aside and hadn't hung up.

Hu Qiang was in a panic. He wanted to hang up and try to find another connection, but he was afraid that if he hung up, he would never be able to get back to the Fuzhou line.

If his mother hadn't just been taken to Fuzhou to enjoy a life of luxury yesterday, he would have run away long ago.

But now, he dares not. He can only hold the phone like a lifeline, waiting anxiously in the house.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from downstairs.

His trusted adjutant stumbled upstairs: "Commander! No, something terrible has happened... The Red Army... The Red Army has entered the city!"

"What?!" Hu Qiang almost dropped the microphone in his hand.

The adjutant, panting, continued, "They...they were shouting slogans while they were fighting!"

"What slogans are you shouting?!"

The adjutant hesitated, his eyes darting around, as if he dared not speak.

Just as Hu Qiang was about to kick him, a steady voice came from the microphone: "Hey? Commander Hu? I'd also like to hear what the Red Army's slogans are?"

Hu Qiang was startled! The voice was too familiar; he had heard it yesterday. It was Wang Jingjiu, the commander of the Fuzhou city defense. He had received instructions from him when Wang accompanied Commander-in-Chief Jiang on his inspection tour.

He instinctively put his feet together and straightened his back involuntarily. "Yes, Commander!"

Don't ask him why he called him "commander." If he could call him "commander" or "division commander," of course he would call him "commander" in a more grandiose way!

"What the hell are you still babbling about? Speak up! Speak loudly!"

The adjutant, his face contorted with grief, shouted, "They're yelling, 'Take Fuzhou! Capture Jiang Dingwen alive!'"

On the other end of the phone was the Fuzhou City Defense Command.

Wang Jingjiu's face turned ashen with anger. He slammed the microphone onto the table: "Hmph! Arrogant!"

The operations staff officer beside him cautiously advised, "Commander, there's no need to get angry. The Red Army has always been boastful. They've only just captured a few small county towns, and they think they can take over Fuzhou... That's far too overconfident."

Wang Jingjiu took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and picked up the microphone again: "Hello! Commander Hu..."

But his words came to an abrupt end.

Because the voice coming from the other end of the phone was no longer Hu Qiang's, but a Red Army soldier speaking in rough Hakka dialect:

"Hey? Who are you? You mean Commander Hu? He's already been captured alive by us."

A brief burst of static came through the microphone, then the voice chuckled softly and continued:

"By the way, could you please tell your Jiang Dingwen to wash his neck and wait for him?"