Chapter 45

"Lin Sha, it's you again, can't you be a bit more peaceful?"

In the flower hall of the Dusi Yamen, Li Dusi couldn't help but be surprised when he saw Lin Sha again, but his expression remained unchanged. He suddenly slammed his hand on the table and sternly rebuked.

Lin Sha's recent performance had occasionally reached his ears. Although he was surprised by the sudden change in this young man's character, he didn't take it too seriously.

To stand firm in the army, one either needs a strong backing that can withstand any trouble, or one must have solid skills to earn the respect of subordinates. Lin Sha, who had lost both parents and had no direct relatives to support him, could only take the second path.

Of course, Lin Sha was not young, and to achieve success, he would have to make great efforts. Li Dusi was skeptical about whether Lin Sha could persist, as this was not something an ordinary person could do!

However, Lin Sha's current transformation left him speechless.

Damn, is this still the timid and fat guy?

"Sir, I don't understand what you mean. Please forgive my dullness!"

The fierce light in Lin Sha's eyes flashed and disappeared instantly. He bowed and clasped his hands, showing no ambiguity in his formalities.

After three months of continuous training, he had completely lost all excess fat. His muscles were well-defined and full of explosive power. At 1.75 meters tall, he was neither particularly tall nor short among the old generals of Liaodong, but he certainly exerted some pressure on Li Dusi, who was from Yunnan and stood less than 1.65 meters tall.

Moreover, after three months of continuous training, his martial arts skills, learned from Wong Fei-hung, had reached the mid-level of Mingjing (manifest strength). With enough time to adjust his physical condition to the best state, he could break through to the peak of Mingjing.

As for Anjing (hidden strength), although he had勉强reached it in the Wong Fei-hung movie world, he didn't have time to carefully savor its subtle mysteries and was unfortunately killed by the Qing army with a musket. To become an Anjing expert again, he would need to explore for at least one to two years, and this would require the assistance of precious medicinal herbs.

Of course, for someone in Yunnan, a major province for medicinal herbs, and as a second-generation military man with a small military authority, this was not too difficult.

Strength is the guarantee of confidence. Previously, when he was fat and weak, he was somewhat cautious in front of Li Dusi. Now, as long as he didn't deliberately defy his superior, Li Dusi couldn't do much to him.

The advantage of being a second-generation military man is the wide network of connections. All his uncles were core old subordinates of Old Wu, powerful generals from Liaodong. They wouldn't usually interfere in Lin Sha's affairs, but if he were bullied...

"What do you mean?"

Li Dusi sneered, his gaze full of malice as he looked at Lin Sha: "Commander Lin, you have been enjoying your power in the supply camp, arbitrarily beating and scolding your subordinates. Complaints have been filed with this official!"

"There is absolutely no such thing!"

Lin Sha denied it without hesitation, but in his heart, he had already put those 'stubborn' subordinate military officers on the blacklist.

"Hey, this official doesn't care about the mess in the supply camp!"

Li Dusi rolled his eyes, his tone unfriendly, glaring at Lin Sha with a cold and stern expression: "This official doesn't want to hear any more rumors about Commander Lin's arrogance. If this happens again, the consequences will be unbearable for you. Go, I've said my piece, you think about it!"

To hell with it, who doesn't know that those troublemakers in the supply camp are your people?

Lin Sha cursed in his heart, but his face showed no sign of it. He just nodded repeatedly in agreement and turned to throw this warning out of his mind.

Trying to threaten him with his position, what a miscalculation!

Not to mention that his position as a commander in the supply camp was personally awarded by Old Wu, and replacing him was not something a mere fourth-rank Dusi could do.

Military personnel appointments have always been a sensitive issue. Although Lin Sha's rank as a sixth-rank commander was not high, he held real power as the head of a camp, and the authority to appoint personnel was in the hands of third-rank Zhenjiang or even second-rank Deputy General. A mere fourth-rank Dusi was nothing.

...

Although Lin Sha was not afraid of Li Dusi's warning, he adhered to the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble. Moreover, his most important task at the moment was not to vie for power but to quickly enhance his physical strength to the peak of Mingjing or even Anjing. Only then could he have the power to dominate in this era of rising firearms.

Thus, his behavior changed...

Morning exercises were mandatory, but he no longer forced the military officers in the camp to follow. The same applied to a series of measures aimed at improving the combat effectiveness of the soldiers.

It must be said that as long as you are willing to work hard, put aside your high and mighty attitude, and share the hardships with your subordinates, you can easily gain their recognition and loyalty. A mere half-hour of morning exercises was nothing.

Except for a few particularly cunning soldiers, most of the soldiers followed Lin Sha's training every day without fail, completely changing their previously lazy and lax military discipline. After three months of persistent training, both their physical strength and mental resilience were incomparable to before.

This long period of military life also allowed Lin Sha to quickly integrate into the camp and become one with his subordinates, understanding the military rules, discipline, and some unwritten rules. He at least understood why Old Wu's so-called elite troops only trained every three days and practiced every five days.

Damn, there are only two meals a day, and they are half-dry and half-liquid, barely enough to fill one's stomach. A little movement and you're starving.

This was still the 'good' treatment under Old Wu's rule in Yunnan, where neighboring countries like Annam were major grain producers, allowing for the cheap purchase of large quantities of grain.

It wasn't that Old Wu was stingy with his subordinates, but there were too many 'bad habits' passed down from the Ming Dynasty. Squeezing the soldiers' blood was a common occurrence. Out of ten parts of military pay, only six or seven parts reached the soldiers after being skimmed off layer by layer, and this was the result of a conscientious leader.

For a second-line auxiliary unit like the supply camp, the treatment was even worse. This was also because Lin Sha, being young and 'not understanding the rules,' did not reach out for the military pay.

Fortunately, he did not make excessive demands, only insisting on half an hour of morning exercises, treating it as a way to wake up and move his body, which prevented any unexpected incidents or training deaths.

Those few troublemakers who suggested training the soldiers according to military standards definitely had no good intentions!

After his efforts, the soldiers in the supply camp could at least present themselves decently, at least in terms of military posture and appearance, which could impress some laymen.

Because Lin Sha was lenient, a small group of cunning soldiers were unwilling to 'work hard' and gathered around the 'stubborn' lower-ranking military officers in the supply camp, forming a small circle to resist.

Lin Sha was even more straightforward, placing them at the edge of the camp to isolate them from the mainstream circle. Over time, the supply camp remained unchanged whether these people were there or not.

With his previous show of authority, these people, even if dissatisfied, did not dare to show it.

His focus on training the troops eventually 'alarmed' the upper echelons of Wu's army. And it was during a chat with his subordinates that he learned a shocking piece of news...