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

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire temporary command post fell silent for a full three seconds.

Everyone gasped in shock.

That's incredibly extravagant!

They thought they would be rich after making their fortune in Fuzhou, but compared to the true elite of the National Revolutionary Army, they were at best petty bourgeois.

Even with the thousands of guns and dozens of light and heavy machine guns captured from the First Supplementary Brigade, their firepower density still falls far short of this level.

Le Shaohua swallowed hard, and after a long while, he managed to utter a sentence: "Comrade Su Yu is truly remarkable... He defeated a large number of enemies with a small force, and he won against a strong enemy with a weak one. In terms of command ability, he is probably no less than Comrade Zeyuan and Comrade Huaizhou."

Zhou Zeyuan glanced at him; his provocative intentions were all too obvious.

But that's ridiculous!

Do you think I care if my command skills are inferior to others?

This is worse than calling me a political novice!

Haha, it's only polite to reciprocate!

"Although we won this battle, it was actually a very bad sign. The Nationalist army had already dared to launch a counterattack."

Zhou Zeyuan's expression turned serious, and he steered the conversation back to the main topic: "I suggest that we withdraw from Fuzhou as soon as possible, preferably tonight."

These words immediately created a tense atmosphere in the command center.

Le Shaohua was the first to nod: "Agreed. We have indeed stayed in Fuzhou long enough, and we have bought all the necessary supplies."

"There's nothing we can do if we can't buy them. The Nationalist army's warships have already sealed off the ports. Civilian goods can still get in, but military-related goods are all intercepted at the docks and can't be transported into the city at all."

Zeng Hongyi echoed this sentiment, saying, "I agree. Taking advantage of the momentum from this victory to withdraw is both politically advantageous and militarily safe."

"Although Wang Yaowu was defeated, Nanjing will definitely not swallow this insult, and reinforcements will arrive soon."

Chen Shangrong and Liu Shengmu also expressed their agreement.

Indeed, their income began to slow down significantly after the total value of their gold, silver dollars, and foreign currency exceeded ten million.

I've bought everything I could; there's no point in waiting for the things I can't buy.

Staying in the area offers no benefit other than increasing the risks.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Zhou Zeyuan took out a piece of paper from his pocket and continued:

"We still have one day left. We may leave, but before we go, we can still gain some political benefits."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Hongyi and Le Shaohua's eyes lit up simultaneously.

Zeng Hongyi leaned forward and asked curiously, "Comrade Zeyuan, what's that in your hand?"

"Oh, this is the speech I wrote overnight." Zhou Zeyuan waved the manuscript in his hand.

"The Nationalist army has violated the peace agreement this time and actively provoked the conflict. Shouldn't they be severely criticized?"

"We won the battle, and now, for the safety of the citizens of Fuzhou, we are voluntarily withdrawing. This spirit of selflessness should be widely publicized."

Le Shaohua and Zeng Hongyi got up almost at the same time.

Zeng Hongyi sat in the main seat, with Le Shaohua to his left and Zhou Zeyuan to his right.

Without a doubt, Zeng Hongyi immediately took the speech manuscript into his hands.

He glanced down at the text, his expression growing increasingly animated: "Wow, this is really well written! It's going to infuriate the Kuomintang!"

"This is it... Our Party's policies are written too little; let me polish them for you!"

Le Shaohua quickly stepped forward: "Political work is my duty, and I'm best at it! Leave this work to me!"

Zeng Hongyi tucked the manuscript into his coat pocket, smiled, and shook his head: "Comrade Political Commissar, you're busy with military equipment and the reorganization of new recruits and prisoners of war. You're very busy. Let me handle this matter."

Le Shaohua stared at him fiercely, and Zeng Hongyi stood up and met his gaze without backing down.

Zeng Hongyi was holding a grudge. You and Zhou Zeyuan had done all the show-off things along the way, but I wasn't allowed to show off.

Zhou Zeyuan chuckled inwardly, but immediately stepped forward to smooth things over:

"Alright, alright, these are minor matters. Let's talk about the upcoming evacuation."

The two then sat down, but their gazes still held a hint of tension.

Zhou Zeyuan pretended not to see it and continued, "The Political Department has already compiled the list of the first batch of released prisoners, which consists of one thousand people, mainly Kuomintang soldiers captured in Datian and Youxi in the early days."

"The original plan was to take them away from Fuzhou and then release them, but now it seems that releasing them directly back to the Nationalist army will have a better political propaganda effect."

Zeng Hongyi immediately agreed: "I agree. The Nationalist army always demonizes our army's image, so we can use these people to disrupt their morale. Sending back a thousand living examples will be more effective than posting ten thousand leaflets."

Seeing that no one had any objections, Zhou Zeyuan made the decision: "Then it's settled."

Of the original 4000-plus KMT prisoners of war, after converting 1500 and releasing another 1000, there were still more than 1000 left.

Even with the gains from this battle, the number of prisoners still exceeded two thousand, but this was well within the Red Army's tolerance range.

After the meeting, Zhou Zeyuan caught up with Le Shaohua and said in a low voice, "Comrade Political Commissar, you and the Commander-in-Chief should try to avoid conflicts."

Upon hearing this, Le Shaohua paused, turned around, and glared at him: "How could this be my fault?"

"Yes, you're not wrong," Zhou Zeyuan said sincerely, "but shouldn't those with higher political awareness be more humble?"

Le Shaohua felt very comfortable with this compliment.

Just as his emotions had calmed down a little, Zhou Zeyuan immediately added:

"Commander-in-Chief Zeng used to be a leader in the Fujian Military Region, and we will need his strong support as we move into eastern Fujian. Therefore, the unity of our leadership team is very important."

These words instantly ignited a fire in Le Shaohua's heart.

I am the real leader of the Mindong base area! He's just a figurehead commander, why should I have to be subservient to him?

His face remained stiff for a moment, but he ultimately did not lash out.

"Comrade Zeyuan, what you said makes sense. But you also know that Commander Zeng is quite unreliable. I can respect him, but I can't listen to him."

As he spoke, he looked intently at Zhou Zeyuan and asked, "Comrade Zeyuan, do you support me?"

Zhou Zeyuan smiled and answered flawlessly: "You are the secretary of the Special Committee, and the decision-making power over military and political affairs is in your hands. Why would you need my support? I only care about fighting; I will try my best not to offer any opinions on other matters."

Seeing that Zhou Zeyuan was so sensible, Le Shaohua nodded in satisfaction, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Zhou Zeyuan stood there, watching Le Shaohua's figure disappear around the corner, the smile on his face slowly fading.

Old Zeng, I've set up the stage for you, so you'd better be on your best!

If you can't even be a good troublemaker, I really have no reason to keep you around.