Chapter 2070 - Da Shijie Military Council
The meeting hall of Greater World—also known as Da Shijie—was located on the second floor of a building adjacent to the Youlanyuan Teahouse. Originally the establishment's banquet hall, this space was also called the "Lotus Hall." After Guangzhou's occupation, it had been commandeered as a venue for the Huanan Military Command's meetings.
Today's gathering was not a campaign planning session but rather a "joint military affairs meeting"— essentially a gathering of the Huanan Military's principal commanders. Unlike formal combat briefings, attendees sat in a loose circle rather than in strict formation, more like a salon or salon-style conference.
Xi Yazhou walked into the conference room. Fu Sansi rose and called out: "Attention! Salute!" Those present rendered salutes as prescribed. Xi Yazhou returned the salute and took his seat.
After pondering for perhaps half a minute, Xi Yazhou spoke: "Comrades, what are your views on the current situation?"
You Laohu sprang to his feet: "Reporting, General, sir! The situation is excellent—not just good, but excellent! Our Army troops are ready to pursue the beaten enemy to the finish, to crush the Ming government's residual forces in the Two Guangs at a single stroke, laying the foundation for the great enterprise of the Council of Elders!"
Xi Yazhou rubbed his temples: "Fine, truly excellent. Old You, sit down." Inwardly he grumbled: You boor!
You Laohu occupied a unique position within the Fubo Army. He was neither a PLA-trained professional nor a military enthusiast. To put it plainly, he was simply a man who loved to fight, willing to stab people. Rumor had it that he'd joined in a gang brawl, stuck a knife in someone, and then fled with his mother aboard the Holy Ship.
Without credentials or seniority—calling an MP5 a "B32" and an AK-47 a "B41"—You Laohu came to the military as a complete blank slate. He'd risen through the ranks purely on his willingness to do whatever it took to secure his own prosperity, leading every charge in person and fighting with reckless disregard for his life: "white knife in, red knife out." This fearlessness had earned him steady promotions until he became one of the Fubo Army's principal commanders. After the Guangdong campaign concluded, he was certain to be among the first cohort promoted to Major General.
Naturally, Xi Yazhou knew such a high-ranking officer would have nothing substantive to contribute.
"Old Fu, and Mingxia—do you share this view?" He then pointed at Zhang Bailin: "Zhang Bailin, sit still!"
Zhang Bailin, who had been poised to applaud, froze in confusion—What's happening here?
Fu Sansi and Zhu Mingxia exchanged glances. Zhu Mingxia took the initiative: "Let Director Fu speak first."
Fu Sansi still held his Training Director post. A veteran PLA officer who had attended the Infantry Academy, he was the closest thing to a proper military professional in the Fubo Army system. Moreover, he was older than everyone present, so naturally he commanded respect.
He shrugged and first quoted a line of poetry: "'Worry not that no one knows you on the road ahead; who in all the world does not know your name?' By the Front Committee's approach, I fear we'll be left with nothing but parade-ground duties this time."
Zhu Mingxia shook his head: "Based on current intelligence, we'll only get to fire a few shots once we reach Zhaoqing. If it's uprisings and defections all the way, by the time we arrive the rear will still be depending on the National Army to stabilize the territory. This creates two problems: first, the troops won't stay sharp—laxity breeds carelessness, and if we hit a hard fight they'll be 'soft.' Second, whether it's Lechang or Wuzhou, if we simply 'peace-march' through deep into enemy territory with only a single line of supply depending on the water route—and now the Navy's set up this Pearl River Special Task Force..."
Xi Yazhou nodded: "Deputy Commander Meng of the Navy is still in Hong Kong. He'll assume his post in two days. I've called today's council so we can sit down together and properly discuss how this great campaign in the Two Guangs should be fought."
He took a sip of tea, cleared his throat, and—after all, as both Army Commander and Chief of Staff he had to plan and direct everything himself—rose to his feet, drew back the curtain covering the operations map behind him, and with pointer in hand began:
"For this northward campaign, we've been disadvantaged from the start. First the Chengmai Battle, then the Pearl River Expedition—after both operations, the prestige of our Council of Elders' forces is unassailable. No Ming army in the Two Guangs dares to raise arms against us. So the original plan, as General He and I both agreed, anticipated that our three-pronged advance would mostly involve pursuit operations. Only the sieges of Wuzhou and Shaoguan warranted serious attention. However, since the External Affairs Bureau's 'work' has been so... outstanding—yes, outstanding—we must now consider: on the Northern and Western routes, passing through areas untouched by military action, will hostile forces attempt to cut our overland supply lines during siege operations? Therefore, the General Army has concluded that all three columns, while ensuring their supplies are secure, should advance as quickly as possible to reach their strategic objectives and launch attacks promptly, so as to establish secure positions for the Front Committee as soon as possible. To this end—Orders!"
Everyone rose.
"First Mixed Brigade—capture Zhaoqing within seven days; reach Wuzhou within fifteen days thereafter!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Second Mixed Brigade—capture Shaoguan within fifteen days!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Third Mixed Brigade—secure Shantou within fifteen days, seal off the Nan'ao retreat, and support the Navy in launching the Nan'ao Campaign!"
"Yes, sir!"
Having issued the orders, Xi Yazhou did not adjourn. Waving for the commanders to sit, he proceeded to explain the operational plans for each front in detail.
The Huanan Army's primary effort was the Left Column—the axis toward Zhaoqing and Wuzhou.
Zhaoqing was the seat of the Governor-General of the Two Guangs, the primary rallying point for Guangdong's Ming forces. After Guangzhou's liberation, defeated soldiers and fleeing officials and gentry had streamed there like homeless curs.
From a military standpoint, the Two Guangs formed an integrated whole. Guangxi's armies had long depended on assistance from Guangdong's coffers, and when Guangdong faced major warfare, it often called on Guangxi's troops—especially the renowned "wolf soldiers," who would certainly become the Ming court's lifeline for counterattacking Guangdong.
Among Guangdong's neighboring provinces—Fujian, Jiangxi—none possessed major troop concentrations. Given Guangdong's geography, once Lechang, Xianxia Pass, and similar chokepoints were secured, neighboring armies would struggle to enter. Only Guangxi had a significant Ming military presence; if its forces descended the West River from Wuzhou, they could arrive directly beneath Zhaoqing's walls.
Swiftly destroying Zhaoqing—the headquarters of Ming forces in the Two Guangs—would eliminate the threat of a Ming counteroffensive for years. Taking Wuzhou would place the strategic initiative for conquering Guangxi entirely in their hands.
The Left Column was entrusted to Zhu Mingxia, the professional, commanding the First Brigade—and there were reasons for this. He faced the strongest enemy and had to execute the most complex operations.
The Right Column's mission emphasized steadiness. According to the operational plan, the Third Mixed Brigade was essentially a skeleton formation. Fu Sansi commanded only a single infantry battalion; even with the Marine Corps First Expeditionary Force's support, operations in western Guangdong would suffer from insufficient strength.
Given the complex social environment and the need for joint Army-Navy operations, only a veteran soldier like Fu Sansi could properly control the tempo of his force's actions.
Xi Yazhou explained each point in turn. Only then did he sit down and address Zhu Mingxia: "Mingxia, submit the First Brigade's action plan to Army Command as soon as possible. Any difficulties?"
"Reporting, General—fighting's the easy part. It's the accelerated advance that's the issue. Western Guangdong is mountainous terrain, as you know. With additional command and coordination levels, we need more communications equipment—at minimum, assign us two or three more signal sections."
Xi Yazhou scratched his chin, looking troubled: "The Old Man's instructions are to minimize use of equipment we can't manufacture ourselves. I'll file a request and get back to you as soon as possible."
Then he looked at You Laohu's group: "Yingyu, keep an eye on Second Brigade matters. Watch Old You—don't let him get excited and rush to the front lines. The Shaoguan operational plan needs corresponding revisions: no more leisurely encirclements. Strike fast—stun the Ming forces, leave them no time to react. The landlord gentry are all fence-sitters; as long as we quickly eliminate the government and its troops, they won't jump out to oppose us on their own. Right!" Xi Yazhou slapped his forehead. "Old You and Little Yu—you two were on point for Chengmai, weren't you? Same story this time. Learn from the experience; score new achievements." He then turned to look at Fu Sansi.
"Don't worry, General. Nothing will go wrong on my end." Fu Sansi, seeing Xi Yazhou about to turn nagging, quickly cut him off.
"The Chaoshan region—the garrison isn't the issue. It's the locals who'll be hard to deal with." Xi Yazhou said, "Three parts military, seven parts political. Above all, don't let this turn into a pacification campaign..."
"Relax." Fu Sansi said, "This requires a two-pronged approach. We'll keep a careful balance."
"Ah," Xi Yazhou lit a Golden Ship cigarette, tossed the pack on the table for distribution. "Old Fu, I'll be coordinating with Meng De in Guangzhou. You'll need to coordinate with Li Di and Shi Zhiqi in Shantou. The success of our Huanan Army depends on how well we work with the Navy. You've got even more pressure on that front—watch your technique. We're guests under their eaves."
From today onward, Volume Seven enters multi-thread simultaneous serialization.
The already-published portion of "Volume Seven: Mainland" is now renamed "Volume Seven: Mainland—Guangzhou Governance Arc."
Simultaneous serialization of "Volume Seven: Mainland—Liangguang Campaign Arc" begins.
The story timelines of each arc run in parallel; serialization will proceed concurrently. Please pay attention to chapter designations when reading.
This arc begins from March after the occupation of Guangzhou, focusing on the Two Guangs campaign.
(End of Chapter)