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

This is undoubtedly somewhat politically incorrect.

Surprisingly, Le Shaohua and Zeng Hongyi chose to ignore it.

When asked, they would say, "The overall situation is more important; we must prioritize ensuring the combat effectiveness of the army."

These two men were even more eager for the Red Army to win another major victory than before the Battle of Fuzhou, so that they would have enough confidence to ask the Central Committee for a new unit designation.

Despite the competition, their goals were aligned: to win battles and obtain unit designations.

But unexpectedly, the three Nationalist divisions in the west moved as slowly as snails.

After launching several probing attacks, the Nationalist army in the south found that the Red Army was resisting exceptionally well and even daring to launch counterattacks, so they basically gave up.

An eerie calm descended upon the battlefield.

The various units of the Red Army were delighted with this arrangement. Regardless of any conspiracies or schemes the Kuomintang might have, as long as they completed their reorganization and training, they were full of confidence for the battles to come.

But soon, a telegram from Ruijin broke the peaceful atmosphere.

It was a peaceful afternoon, with the chirping of cicadas echoing incessantly in the courtyard of the Danyang Town Special Committee office.

Zeng Hongyi strode into the office of the secretary of the Mindong Special Committee, still shouting, "Comrade Shaohua, why did you call me here in such a hurry?"

Le Shaohua didn't reply. He walked to the door, looked around to make sure no one was in the corridor, and then closed the door.

Under Zeng Hongyi's bewildered gaze, he took out a telegram from his pocket.

"Take a look at the telegram from the Central Committee."

Zeng Hongyi took it, glanced at it, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Hiss...isn't this like crossing the river and then burning the bridge?"

Le Shaohua sat back in his chair, crossed his legs, and spoke in a much calmer tone than before:

"That's not how it works. It's perfectly reasonable for Comrade Huaizhou to take over as corps commander again after recovering from his injuries."

Zeng Hongyi also sat down, slammed the telegram on the table, and stared into Le Shaohua's eyes:

"If it's reasonable, why did you call me here secretly? Just announce it at the meeting."

Le Shaohua didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and after a moment's thought, slowly spoke:

"Old Zeng, let's not beat around the bush. You know who's really in charge of this team, and so do I."

"I've figured something out these past few days: even if the team is expanded, the political commissar has to have the final say. Otherwise, this position is too hot to sit on."

Zeng Hongyi raised an eyebrow slightly, immediately understanding the meaning behind his words.

Let's call a temporary truce and join forces to drive Zhou Zeyuan away.

The more obedient Xun Huaizhou was reinstated as commander of the Seventh Red Army Corps.

He paused for a moment, then said carefully, "Our legion has just gotten on the right track, and this sudden change in power might cause problems."

Le Shaohua leaned forward confidently and said, "What problem could there be? We are well-equipped and strong now. We can fight whenever we want, and we can leave whenever we want."

"Xun Huaizhou is also an excellent commander, and he will definitely be able to command this force well."

"Old Zeng, we can't hesitate any longer. Zhou Zeyuan's influence in the army is growing. As a corps commander, he doesn't focus on directing his own troops properly, but he also frequently interferes in our work."

"Let me just say this: in our Red Army, with so many corps and so many corps commanders, is there anyone like him? I'm really afraid that if things continue like this, we'll both become his puppets."

Zeng Hongyi was actually quite conflicted at this time. Zhou Zeyuan gave him a sense of security that no one else had ever given him.

As long as you stay by his side, it seems there's no enemy you can't defeat.

But he could not disobey the orders from the central government, and besides, he was an ambitious man; how could he remain subservient to others for long?

Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, let's do it. But I want to make this clear beforehand... we'll stop here. As the deputy legion commander, he deserves the respect he's due. If you suddenly throw a tantrum, don't blame me for not cooperating."

Le Shaohua chuckled sarcastically, "Oh, so you've developed feelings for Comrade Zeyuan?"

Zeng Hongyi wasn't annoyed. He leaned back in his chair, looking completely at ease.

"Comrade Shaohua, I'll say something you won't like to hear: we both hate this person and have no choice but to use him. When the situation becomes most critical, only he can turn the tide."

Le Shaohua's smile froze instantly. He stood up abruptly, his voice rising several decibels:

"Old Zeng, have you been brainwashed by this Zhou Zeyuan? Our revolutionary ranks rely on the people, on the masses! We'll keep running just fine without anyone!"

"I think you've been brainwashed." Zeng Hongyi raised his head, looking at him calmly. "Could the October Revolution have continued without Comrade Lenin?"

Le Shaohua was speechless for a moment. He sat back heavily in his chair, his chest heaving a few times before he calmed down.

Zeng Hongyi chuckled, his tone softening slightly: "But what you said makes sense. Comrade Zeyuan's prestige in the army is indeed too great. It needs to be suppressed appropriately, otherwise it will not be conducive to balance."

Le Shaohua snorted coldly and replied irritably, "Hmph, you really are a hypocrite who wants to pretend to be virtuous even when you're a prostitute."

"Likewise." Zeng Hongyi stood up, brushing non-existent dust off his trousers. "If you weren't worried about the army's affairs, would you still be so considerate of the bigger picture?"

Late at night, at the Legion Command Post.

Xun Huaizhou stopped his white horse at the entrance of the command post. He dismounted cleanly and swiftly, showing no trace of the sickly appearance he had been lying on the rattan chair earlier.

After someone took the reins, he strode inside.

Upon entering the command center, he discovered that besides Zhou Zeyuan and Su Yu, there was one other person.

He had a vague recollection of it; it seemed to be Chen Sheng from the Seventh Red Army Division.

Su Yu poured him a glass of water, which Xun Huaizhou took but didn't drink immediately. His gaze fell on Chen Sheng, then turned to Zhou Zeyuan.

Zhou Zeyuan nodded: "Old Chen, please recount the previous situation."

Chen Sheng nodded slightly and lowered his voice, saying, "In the afternoon, Commander Zeng was summoned to Political Commissar Le's office. It was broad daylight, and the door was closed. I don't know what they were talking about."

"In addition, a comrade in the Telegraph Office said that he received a telegram from the Central Committee at noon, but the political commissar did not make the contents of the telegram public."

Xun Huaizhou's face immediately darkened. He put down his water glass, turned to look at Zhou Zeyuan, and spoke with obvious displeasure:

"Zeyuan, why are you using these spy tactics on your own people? Do you have spies around me too?"

Zhou Zeyuan remained unfazed and replied calmly, "Hai Rui, a great upright official of the Ming Dynasty, once said that to be a corrupt official, one must be cunning; to be an upright official, one must be even more cunning than a corrupt official. Otherwise, the court would be filled with treacherous officials."

"As for your entourage... sorry, I don't bother planting spies in people with zero political intelligence."

Su Yu and Xun Huaizhou both froze for a moment.

Well, that's very much Zeyuan's idea.

They do bad things with such composure.

Xun Huaizhou sighed and rubbed his forehead: "If I had known, I would have continued to feign illness, otherwise the Central Committee wouldn't have..."

Zhou Zeyuan interrupted him directly: "How long can you keep up this act? The Central Military Commission's dissatisfaction with me has been going on for a long time, and it was bound to happen sooner or later."

Su Yu interjected, "I don't think the Central Military Commission will go too far. The corps commander will definitely remain Comrade Huaizhou. Zeyuan, didn't you also say that the matter of a commander and a deputy should be decided through discussion?"