Chapter 70

Lin Sha has become famous, truly famous!

The attention he garnered this time was no small feat, even catching the attention of Old Wu, the Prince of Pingxi.

Despite being attacked repeatedly by the elite assassins of the Mu王府 (Mu Mansion), he managed to retreat unscathed, which was enough to earn Old Wu's attention and respect.

Especially this time, the Mu Mansion dispatched top-notch experts like 'Iron-Backed Azure Dragon' Liu Dahong and 'Shaking Lion' Wu Lishen, yet they still failed to harm Lin Sha. Once the news spread, it caused a significant stir among the high-ranking officials in both the military and political circles in Kunming.

Old Wu had killed the previous head of the Mu Mansion, Mu Tianbo, and thus had a blood feud with the Mu Mansion. Not only was Old Wu a prime target for the Mu Mansion, but many high-ranking military and political officials in Yunnan Province were also on the Mu Mansion's assassination list, always at risk of being attacked by the Mu Mansion's experts.

If they were in Lin Sha’s shoes, they would definitely not have been able to get through this unscathed. Lin Sha’s skills and abilities were hard not to admire.

Thus, Old Wu, in his joy, promoted Lin Sha half a rank, from a sixth-rank battalion commander to a fifth-rank brigade commander, putting him in charge of two battalions. Not only did he regain command of the logistics battalion, but he also took command of another regular battalion.

This made Lin Sha a true rising star in the Yunnan army, not just a new up-and-comer!

Taking charge of two battalions, familiarizing himself with the troops and officers, and attending various banquets to build relationships with his superiors and colleagues, Lin Sha was kept extremely busy and had no time for anything else.

By the time everything was settled, about half a month had passed.

At this point, the news that the Mu Mansion’s people had fled Yunnan Province and gone into hiding began to circulate among the high-ranking officials in Yunnan. Both Lin Sha, the ultimate beneficiary, and Old Wu and other high-ranking military and political officials in Yunnan, breathed a sigh of relief. The troublemakers from the Mu Mansion were finally gone.

When he finally had some free time, he took the opportunity to examine his own changes.

Indeed, only by experiencing battles of the same level or in adverse conditions could one best improve their strength. After being surrounded by the Mu Mansion’s experts and engaging in a fierce battle with 'Iron-Backed Azure Dragon' Liu Dahong, Lin Sha made significant progress and was now on the verge of reaching the Dark Force threshold.

This was the most exciting thing for him. In this era of cold weapons and internal martial arts, only one's own strength was real. As long as his strength was strong enough, he could get by anywhere.

Thus, he entered another period of intense training. It was also a good opportunity to sort out the various trivial matters of the newly taken over regular battalion.

Suddenly having over three hundred regular soldiers under his command, the situation was complex. To fully win the hearts of the troops was not an easy task. He needed to demonstrate sufficient martial prowess, show a strong hand, and let the soldiers see the benefits of following him. These were all tedious and troublesome matters that were very headache-inducing to resolve.

At this time, several local chieftains in Yunnan Province suddenly raised the banner of rebellion, causing chaos in the region within a few days. Urgent reports from local officials flooded into Kunming like snowflakes.

Before Old Wu could take specific measures, the court had already intervened.

It should be noted that it was now the eighth year of the Kangxi era. The young Emperor Kangxi had been personally governing for two years. The most significant event of the year was his successful overthrow of the powerful minister Ao Bai, thereby firmly grasping the reins of power and beginning to show his prowess.

This was the most glorious time for Emperor Kangxi. He had long been dissatisfied with the three feudal lords and had the idea of reducing their power. Now that Yunnan Province was in turmoil, he was eager to intervene.

The court issued an edict reprimanding the Yunnan governor, ordering him to quickly quell the rebellion, and subtly indicating that if Yunnan Province was unable to handle it, the court could dispatch elite Green Standard troops to assist.

This was unacceptable.

Old Wu, whose mind was still sharp, reacted immediately. He convened his trusted subordinates to assign tasks for quelling the rebellion and submitted a report to the court, guaranteeing that he could handle this minor matter without the court's intervention.

As one of Old Wu's sons-in-law and a major general in the Yunnan army, Hu Guozhu directly took on the task of quelling the rebellion of the western Yunnan chieftains. The other major generals were also assigned to quell the rebellions in their respective regions.

This was an opportunity, a great chance to earn military merit!

Upon hearing the news, Lin Sha's thoughts immediately became active.

He immediately sought out the young and chubby Hu Dasha to inquire about the details.

To his surprise, Hu Dasha looked worried. Upon seeing Lin Sha, he immediately began to vent his frustrations without hesitation.

His uncle, Hu Guozhu, the major general, was in a difficult position.

Why?

Because Hu Guozhu had been given a thankless task, and none of his capable subordinates were eager to fight, which greatly troubled Hu Guozhu.

Lin Sha was truly astonished. What kind of situation was this?

Hu Dasha, looking indignant, explained the situation to Lin Sha.

Yunnan Province not only had complex terrain with high mountains and dense forests but was also a multi-ethnic region bordering several vassal states in southern China. The situation was extremely complex, and disturbances and rebellions often occurred.

Old Wu had been settled in southern Yunnan for nearly ten years, and most of the generals had become accustomed to a comfortable and leisurely life. Tasks like quelling rebellions and suppressing disturbances, which were both arduous and offered little military merit, were considered a daunting task by the old generals.

This was also why Hu Guozhu had readily signed the military order for Lin Sha to lead the troops to suppress the Red Wolf Mountain bandits last time.

Suppressing bandits was a minor matter, but the real headache was the chieftains in various regions of Yunnan.

These chieftains were like local emperors in their own territories. The court's current policy towards the chieftains was mainly to win them over and pacify them, which only fueled their arrogance.

Moreover, the chieftains' territories were usually in high mountains and dense forests, making travel difficult and communication with the outside world limited. Most of the residents were Miao people, and once instability occurred, the government found it hard to respond in time, easily leading to widespread unrest.

Even more troublesome was that the Miao people were wild and fierce, and in their home territory of high mountains and dense forests, they were extremely difficult to deal with.

High-ranking generals naturally did not want to encounter such a tough challenge. Even if they earned significant military merit, their opportunities for promotion were limited. Years of a stable life had eroded their ambition, and they naturally avoided tasks like quelling chieftain rebellions as much as possible.

This was an opportunity!

After listening to Hu Dasha's explanation, a bold idea sprang to Lin Sha's mind. He then said solemnly, "I want to participate in the operation to suppress the chieftain rebellion. I hope you can put in a good word for me with your uncle..."