Chapter 71

"Good, good, good, Lin Sha, you young man are indeed impressive, taking on responsibilities bravely, your future is boundless!"

Lin Sha's initiative to volunteer brought great honor to Hu Guozhu, who praised him lavishly at the military conference without any restraint.

"This young man is good, full of energy and strength!"

"Yes, we old fellows shouldn't hinder the performance of the rising stars. This time, let these capable young people take the lead!"

"Commander Wang is right, we should give capable young people the chance to show their abilities!"

"..."

With the top brass speaking, Hu Da's subordinates naturally hurried to echo, eager to pass the hot potato as far away as possible.

Now, with the new military star Lin Sha taking the initiative, it naturally fulfilled the wishes of the old generals, who hurriedly pushed this troublesome task to Lin Sha, letting him lead his troops to suppress the rebellion and restore order.

Of course, with Lin Sha leading the charge, the other deputy generals, commanders, and colonels couldn't be too stingy. They each dispatched one or two battalions of regular troops, led by the more unruly and unpopular officers, to participate in the operation to quell the rebellion of the local chieftains in Yunnan Province!

Regardless of the various calculations of the military's real power players, Lin Sha, upon receiving the order to march, immediately led his two battalions out of camp and rushed to western Yunnan without waiting to join up with the allied forces.

His initiative to volunteer had offended many, and he didn't know how many of his military comrades harbored resentment. It was better to set out alone to avoid any trouble that might arise from mixing with other Yunnan troops.

With the experience of suppressing the Red Wolf bandits, this march to western Yunnan went very smoothly, with no unexpected incidents along the way.

The logistics transfer base was set up in Dali, and the two battalions took a brief three-day rest.

During this period, there was no shortage of repeated warnings and admonishments to the unruly and arrogant regular troops. With the excellent performance of the logistics battalion, the arrogance of these high-and-mighty individuals was successfully suppressed.

During the march, the training effects of the logistics battalion, which Lin Sha had previously enforced, were evident. Despite the hundreds of miles of travel, even on the official roads, the regular troops found it extremely tiring. Once they reached Dali for rest, they collapsed on their beds, groaning in pain.

In contrast, the logistics battalion, though dusty and showing signs of fatigue, remained upright and spirited. They only relaxed after setting up the temporary camp, having a hot meal, taking a cold bath, and arranging the patrol and guard shifts and areas.

Such a stark contrast made the regular troops, no matter how不服气 (unwilling to admit), become more obedient under Lin Sha's repeated admonishments. They acknowledged that the logistics battalion was not a burden and that if they didn't step up, they might be outperformed by the auxiliary troops!

Taking the opportunity, Lin Sha took strong measures to rectify some bad habits in the regular battalion and required them to train like the logistics battalion, with morning drills for half an hour every day.

Thanks to the continuous drill training of the Yunnan army, this saved Lin Sha a lot of trouble. He directly focused on improving the physical fitness and combat skills of the regular troops, and within just three days, they showed some improvement.

To deal with the rebellious chieftains, Lin Sha dared not be the slightest bit careless.

To understand the living habits and combat capabilities of the Miao people, during the three days of rest, he conducted on-site investigations in several Miao communities in Dali.

The results weighed heavily on his mind. The Miao people, with their unique ruggedness, were both热情友善 (warm and friendly) and好勇斗狠 (aggressive and combative). Their customs were both simple and warlike. In just three days, he witnessed five life-or-death brawls, not including minor fights.

Dali was mainly inhabited by the Bai people, and the Miao communities were only a small part, and even these were more sinicized. If it were the Miao people living in the mountains, he could hardly imagine how difficult they would be to deal with.

Moreover, the Miao youth moved like the wind in the mountains, natural forest warriors. Defeating them in the forest would be extremely challenging.

With a heavy heart, he and his nearly 500 troops set out to quell the rebellion in western Yunnan.

He did not intend to dampen the morale of his troops and did not share his observations in the Miao villages. Instead, he only hinted to a few trusted battalion commanders and external commissioned colonels that the pacification might not be as smooth as expected, urging them to be cautious and mentally prepared.

To be on the safe side, Lin Sha did not lead his nearly 500 Yunnan troops directly to the most troubled areas but first circled around the periphery to gather intelligence and gain experience.

Indeed, his caution was not without reason!

When encircling a group of nearly a hundred rebel chieftains on the periphery, despite the pre-arranged traps and harassment, and with nearly five times the number of troops, and with Lin Sha leading the charge, the victory was extremely hard-fought.

The rebels moved swiftly in the forest, each one as fierce as a wolf, resisting fiercely. With their short, sharp Miao knives adapted for forest combat, they fought like mad tigers, willing to risk their lives. The Miao knife techniques were ruthless and venomous, and in the forest, they could almost match two opponents at a time. If Lin Sha hadn't been prepared, they might have been caught off guard!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Lin Sha shouted, his long spear moving like a dragon, piercing left and right without hindrance. Despite the fierce and fearless rebel warriors, none could match him.

Sss!

The long spear, like a venomous snake, instantly pierced the chest of a rebel warrior, blood splattering everywhere. But before Lin Sha could shake off the body, the wounded rebel warrior, eyes wide open, slashed his short Miao knife from an impossible angle, aiming to gut Lin Sha.

Swish!

Lin Sha, though surprised, remained calm. He whipped his free hand like a whip, striking the rebel warrior's wrist with a crack. The bone broke with a crisp sound, and the originally fierce slash lost its momentum, landing weakly on Lin Sha's chest armor, unable to penetrate.

Damn, what a reckless lunatic!

With a sudden shake of his wrist, the flexible white wax spear bent into an arc and then snapped straight, flinging the rebel warrior's body off the spear.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just as he had flung one rebel warrior, three more whistling sounds came from the air. Three rebel warriors, with disheveled hair and fierce faces, leaped out one after another, their faces twisted in rage, emitting sharp whistles as they charged at Lin Sha, the Yunnan military officer. They weren't fools; they knew the principle of capturing the king to defeat the bandits...