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

As night fell, the Red Army announced that in order to avoid involving the citizens in the fighting, it would withdraw from Fuzhou in the near future.

The news spread quickly, and many people in Fuzhou felt a mix of emotions, including reluctance and relief.

In the Nationalist army's command center, Jiang Dingwen held a newspaper, his face ashen.

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

He slammed the newspaper on the table, stood up angrily, and pointed at the printed words, shouting at those around him:

"Where did this Zeng Hongyi come from? His roundabout way of insulting people is just like Zhang Kuiguang's! Are all Red Army soldiers this rude?"

The newspaper prominently featured the press release from the Red Army reporters' press conference, with extremely scathing wording.

First, it reconstructs the battlefield in great detail, revealing in detail the fact that the Nationalist army broke the agreement and launched a sneak attack during the peace talks.

He then went on to say things like, "You have been unkind to me, so I cannot be unjust to you," and "For the safety of the citizens of Fuzhou, our army is willing to withdraw despite the pain."

The entire piece, filled with seemingly caring words, was actually a series of resounding slaps that left Jiang Dingwen's face swollen.

This kind of rhetoric has a catchy name in later generations: "green tea".

Chiang Ting-wen was arguably the first high-ranking member of the Nationalist Army to have the privilege of experiencing the "green tea" (a euphemism for bribery).

Wang Jingjiu, who was standing nearby, stood up and advised, "Commander-in-Chief, please calm down. The Red Army is spreading rumors and misleading the public; it's nothing to worry about. Let those writers deal with them. But their announcement of a retreat... that I find a little hard to understand."

Wang Yaowu, standing to the side, replied, "There's nothing strange about that. We've transferred three divisions and a brigade from the Eastern Route Army, and they're pressing in."

"The Red Army couldn't stay any longer, so naturally they had to leave. Of course, it's also possible that they were using the retreat as a pretext to launch a night attack."

Gu Baoyu, standing in the corner, couldn't help but purse his lips upon hearing this.

You've said both the truth and the sarcasm. This young Wang from the third class of the Whampoa Military Academy is much more shrewd than his own mentor; he truly has a limitless future.

Jiang Dingwen pondered for a moment, gradually suppressing his anger, and sighed, saying:

"The Red Army's tactics are unpredictable. For now, stability is the priority. Tonight, the entire army should strengthen its defenses to prevent a night attack by the Red Army."

"In addition, send a telegram to Liu Kan, instructing him to slow down his march and wait for the two divisions behind him to join him before advancing eastward in a triangular formation."

This time, even Wang Yaowu did not raise any objections.

Last night's beating was really quite humiliating.

If the Red Army were to feint an attack and then suddenly move north, they could completely encircle Liu Kan's troops.

They might be able to wipe out an entire division in one bite.

Caution is the boat.

He thought for a moment and then added, "Commander, our main forces are now on the south and west sides of eastern Fujian, while the defenses on the north side are weak."

"That makes sense." Jiang Dingwen nodded and immediately ordered, "Then the newly formed 10th Division under Chen Qixuan shall concentrate its forces on the Ningde-Fu'an line and defend the city with all its might. Without orders, it shall not leave the city to fight."

Before the main force of the Red Army had even withdrawn to eastern Fujian, the Nationalist army had already devised a plan to encircle them.

In the command post of Huanxi Town, after listening to Zhou Zeyuan's retreat plan, Su Yu couldn't help but ask:

"Now that our main force has withdrawn, why not launch a rapid attack and take Ningde?"

Zhou Zeyuan shook his head, his tone calm but firm: "Expanding the scope of the base is not necessarily a good thing."

Lying on the recliner, Xun Huaizhou, whose injuries had not yet fully healed, turned his head slightly and interjected:

"But according to the reports from our comrades in eastern Fujian, the villages surrounding Ningde are basically our guerrilla zones. Taking the county seat would be a matter of course, wouldn't it?"

Zhou Zeyuan smiled and said, "Then we absolutely cannot take over the county town. Ningde is a piece of meat on our lips, and we can eat it at any time. Since that's the case, we should maximize our profits even more."

Su Yu and Xun Huaizhou exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with doubt.

Su Yu spread his hands and said, "What benefits could there be in a county town? Do you intend to use it as a battlefield to annihilate the main force of the Nationalist army?"

"That's a good idea, but it's much more than that." Zhou Zeyuan lowered his voice, his expression becoming serious.

"I'm only telling you this. Don't let it leak out."

As he spoke, Zhou Zeyuan squatted down in front of Xun Huaizhou, and Su Yu quickly moved closer as well. The three of them huddled together, and Zhou Zeyuan whispered something to each other for a while.

A moment later, Su Yu suddenly stood up abruptly: "So what you're after is the port! Excellent, that's a brilliant idea!"

"Keep your voice down!" Zhou Zeyuan grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back.

"There are a full 18,000 guns in Mayil's area, and it will take about two more months for them to arrive."

"Therefore, the timing of our capture of Ningde must be precise. When we are about to arrive, they will contact us by radio. We will try to keep the error within ten hours."

Xun Huaizhou frowned after hearing this: "That's troublesome. We have no reason to stay in eastern Fujian for two months. The troops can rest and replenish their supplies in a month at most, by which time the Central Committee will be urging us to move north."

Mayer had said it would take a month and a half, but Zhou Zeyuan told him to be well-prepared and to help him purchase some machinery and equipment, so the timeframe naturally became two months.

And two months later, it will be October, and then...

Zhou Zeyuan suppressed his restless heart and said with a serious expression, "I came to you precisely to discuss this matter."

"The three of us have reached a consensus: the Seventh Red Army Corps should undergo a major expansion, increasing its size to 30,000 to 40,000 men. This is the optimal military solution at present."

Su Yu was taken aback: "Then aren't we going back to the era of two people and one gun?"

He wasn't against it, he was just a little unaccustomed to it. In the past, the Red Army lacked guns and ammunition, so they had to share a gun between two or three people.

Xun Huaizhou continued, "If we are expanding the army on such a large scale, it would be reasonable for us to stay in our base for two months."

"Once we receive the equipment, even if the Kuomintang sends 100,000 troops to encircle and annihilate us, they may not be able to defeat us."

"But Zeyuan, have you considered what would happen if the central government insisted on sending us north? What if that merchant went back on his word? What if we encountered a storm at sea?"

"There are no such 'what ifs'. I just feel that the risk is worth taking for this batch of equipment. To rashly head north would be irresponsible to the Red Army."

Xun Huaizhou was silent for a while, then sighed: "You are right, but it also depends on whether the Kuomintang will give you face."

Su Yu chuckled self-deprecatingly: "That's strange, we're actually hoping the Nationalist army will come and annihilate our base."

Clearly, the reason of expanding the military alone was not enough to convince the central government.

However, if they were to engage in combat with the Nationalist army, they would have ample reason to remain in eastern Fujian to continue fighting.

This is also a way to restrain the Nationalist army and relieve pressure on the central government!

After the three finished their conversation, the command post also began to relocate northward.

The supplies for Huanxi Town had already been almost completely transported, and the entire Northern Expeditionary Anti-Japanese Vanguard Team quickly entered Lianjiang territory.

The 7th Division was the first to arrive in Luoyuan and join forces with the 1st Regiment.

The First and Second Divisions were responsible for covering the rear and defending Lianjiang.

The Third Division provided support from the center.

The entire evacuation operation proceeded smoothly and in an orderly manner.