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

(Thanks to Xiaomuwu, Hengyuxuan, and Chenguangshanshao for their donations)

Huanxi Town, the headquarters of the Third Division.

Su Yu sat in the main seat, but her gaze remained fixed on the long table in the corner.

Xiao Fang, a communications soldier, was wearing headphones and holding a pencil, scribbling notes on a telegram.

The ticking of the telegraph machine's buttons was particularly clear in the quiet room.

Although Zhou Zeyuan did not anticipate that the Nationalist army might launch a surprise attack on his logistics base, he still had this basic sense of vigilance.

Therefore, the chief of staff, who was the most reliable and cautious in his eyes, was assigned to the rear.

The Third Division, which has completed its troop replenishment and re-equipment, and the local armed forces in eastern Fujian are responsible for maintaining the security of the transportation lines.

Liu Yongfa, the commander of the 2nd Regiment of the 3rd Division, leaned closer to Su Yu and lowered his voice: "It would be great if our regimental headquarters could be equipped with a radio sometime soon."

Su Yu chuckled: "Then you should ask Comrade Zeyuan when he will lead us to conquer another provincial capital."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled knowingly.

The laughter was soft, yet it carried an uncontrollable sense of smugness.

This time, after capturing Fuzhou, everyone has truly upgraded their equipment.

Take their Third Division for example, machine guns have been reduced to the platoon level, and the entire division has a total of eighty light machine guns.

Below the regimental level, a new machine gun company was also formed, equipped with six heavy machine guns and six mortars, with ammunition reserves of more than two basic units.

Although the unit was not at full strength, it still had 2,500 people.

With this strength, the Third Division before its departure could be worth at least four or five of them.

Now, who dares to say they weren't the main force divisions of the Red Army?

Sitting at the conference table, Ye Fei, the political commissar of the Second Independent Regiment of Eastern Fujian, glanced at the spirited faces and a hint of envy flashed in his eyes.

He turned to Su Yu and said, "Commander, when will our Second Independent Regiment of Eastern Fujian have the opportunity to participate in such a major battle? The brothers have received equipment for nothing, and they are itching to make a contribution to the revolution."

Su Yu glanced at him and nodded: "Comrade Ye Fei, don't worry, there will be opportunities."

At this moment, Xiao Fang, a communications soldier, walked up to Su Yu and said, "Commander, this is an order from Commander Zhou."

Su Yu took the telegram, glanced at it, and his expression immediately turned serious: "Comrades, we need to be on high alert. The corps commander reminded us to strengthen our vigilance. A formidable figure has arrived in Fuzhou—Wang Yaowu of the First Supplementary Brigade."

"A supplementary brigade?" Ye Fei was slightly taken aback, a look of doubt on his face. "Shouldn't this kind of organization consist of second-rate troops?"

Su Yu shook her head: "This unit is different. They selected the best recruits, are well-trained, and are well-equipped. Their brigade commander, Wang Yaowu, is an exceptionally capable general."

He glanced at everyone present and said in a more emphasizing tone, "The corps commander said that among the Nationalist generals he knew, this Wang Yaowu's abilities were at least in the top five."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression turned serious.

The National Revolutionary Army had many famous generals, many of whom were veterans who had been famous for a long time. However, this unknown Wang Yaowu was actually evaluated by his own corps commander as "at least in the top five".

That would be far beyond the reach of people like Wang Jingjiu and Jiang Dingwen.

As for the fact that Jiang Dingwen had the title of "Flying General" before this, it's okay. After a defeat, this title immediately changed from a compliment to a derogatory one.

Ye Fei remained silent for a moment before speaking first: "If that's the case, I suggest we immediately strengthen security in the eastern part of the town."

"Although the Nationalist army has just arrived and is not yet firmly established, they are unlikely to dare to launch a surprise attack on us. However, Huanxi Town is our army's logistics center, and we absolutely cannot afford to lose it. We must still take precautions just in case."

Su Yu's gaze lingered on Ye Fei's face for a moment, a hint of satisfaction appearing in her eyes.

Zeyuan had told him that this man was both talented and virtuous, and with a little more training, he would become a great general capable of leading an army independently.

These words, while hitting the nail on the head, are not rash and strike the perfect balance.

"Good, that's a good suggestion. In that case, the eastern defense will be handled by the Second Independent Regiment of Eastern Fujian."

"The sentries can be placed further away. If a large number of enemy troops are spotted, immediately retreat and hold the southern pass position. Reinforcements will arrive in no more than fifteen minutes."

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"

……

On a mountain road east of Huanxi Town, a group of people were quietly making their way west under the cover of night.

The mountain path at night is rugged and difficult to traverse, covered with loose stones, and one can easily slip and fall if one is not careful.

However, the First Supplementary Brigade was one of the few elite units in the National Revolutionary Army that could guarantee a standard of food, and none of its seven thousand men suffered from night blindness.

In addition, they had traversed the mountainous roads along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi border many times, so marching at night was not a difficult task for them.

Midway through the group, Wang Yaowu looked ahead and asked, "Wang Baochang, how much longer until we reach Huanxi Town?"

A gaunt old man leading the way turned around, holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand, and answered while fanning himself:

"Sir, at this pace, it will take at most another hour."

Wang Yaowu nodded, then pointed to a dark mountain range ahead: "What's the name of that place beyond this mountain?"

Wang Baochang squinted and looked ahead: "That place up ahead should be called Shuanglong (Double Dragons)."

After considering the matter for a moment, Wang Yaowu instructed his staff officer, "Send word to Li Tianxia, ​​the commander of the Third Regiment, to speed up the march, reach Shuanglong, find a favorable location, and build a camp."

"The rest of the units, rest where you are, have something to eat. We'll set off again in an hour."

In the darkness, several soldiers from the reconnaissance company of the First Supplementary Brigade were slowly crawling forward along the ground.

They were camouflaged with weeds and branches, and moved so quietly that they blended into the shadows of the mountains, almost unnoticed unless one looked closely.

Twenty paces ahead, two Red Army sentries stood beside a protruding rock, holding guns and scanning the darkness ahead.

One of the sentries suddenly stopped, tilted his ear, and listened for a few seconds. "Did you hear anything?"

The other sentry also stopped and listened intently for a while.

The night wind rustled through the trees.

Just then, the calls of night owls came from afar.

"It's probably a small animal." The sentry relaxed his guard, slung his gun over his shoulder, and said, "There are lots of animals in the mountains, don't be alarmed."

The sentry scratched his head and glanced uneasily at the treetops in the distance.

The tree was about twenty paces from the sentry post, its branches and leaves so dense that it almost blended into the darkness in the night.

Deep within the tree canopy, a Red Army soldier sat motionless, perched on a tree branch, camouflaged with leaves.

He hid very well; if you didn't know his location beforehand, you wouldn't be able to see that there was someone hiding there.

That was a hidden sentry.

The two sentries on the ground, finding nothing amiss, lowered their guard.

Just then, two dark figures suddenly sprang up from the roadside bushes, one on the left and one on the right.

A Nationalist Army scout lunged at the sentry on his left from behind, covering his mouth with his left hand, and the blade of a dagger pierced his heart diagonally between his ribs.

The sentry's body stiffened abruptly, and without uttering a sound, he collapsed to the ground.

The same action was performed on the right side at almost the same instant.

The two sentries were gently laid down on the ground without making a sound.

The Nationalist Army reconnaissance company commander lay prone not far away, his tense breathing just beginning to ease.

Suddenly, a piercing whistle cut through the night sky.