Chapter 103 Warlord: Haven't you eaten? Give me a gua sha treatment.

The day after the Punk Elder, Zhao Dezhu, happily accepted the position of strategist, the skies over the Sanbianpo region changed.

This newly appointed Ghost-Faced Strategist completely abandoned any thoughts of fishing and poured his rock-and-roll heart, which had been dormant for decades, entirely into this real-life version of a total war game. The first thing he did was officially grant the designation of the Xuanwu Legion to the fifty brand-new black tortoises under Kun Sha’s command.

Over the next few months, this newly born legion swept through the entire Sanbianpo region like a dark green hurricane, crushing everything in its path.

Zhao Dezhu's command style was an eye-opener for Kun Sha's soldiers, who were only used to fighting when they had the upper hand. He treated that nearly worn-out copy of The Art of War as the tactical bible for this legion.

When they needed to raid a hostile warlord's camp entrenched deep in the dense forest, Zhao Dezhu would quote the theory: 'As swift as the wind, as gentle as the forest, as fierce as fire, and as unshakable as a mountain.'

The battle began in the dead of night. Ten black tortoises turned off all their lights, their electromagnetic drive engines moving silently through the rainforest like a pack of ghosts. Utilizing the incredible grip provided by the [Van der Waals Force Adsorption All-Terrain Tires], they easily traversed muddy swamps and steep slopes, appearing noiselessly at the enemy's most vulnerable flank and rear.

While the enemy was still heavily guarding the only path at the front, this dark green iron fist had already struck deep into their heart.

The battles usually ended within minutes.

When they needed to capture a mountain fortress that was easy to defend but hard to attack, Zhao Dezhu would bring out the tactic of 'openly repairing the gallery roads while secretly marching through Chencang.'

He would order Kun Sha to send out a portion of the regular troops to stage a grand feint at the front, with gunfire and battle cries shaking the heavens to draw all the defenders' attention and firepower.

Meanwhile, beneath the cliffs that the enemy couldn't see and considered a dead end, twenty black tortoises would cling to the nearly vertical rock faces like geckos, silently climbing upward.

Without any warning, the defending soldiers would often watch helplessly as the black tortoises, like armored behemoths, vaulted down from the top of the cliffs and appeared right in their headquarters. That kind of despair falling from the sky left many soldiers without the courage to even resist; they would drop their weapons and flee in panic.

Several times, they even encountered tough nuts equipped with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers provided by the Ugly Country.

The enemy's bullets rained down on the black tortoise's [Multi-layer Composite Armor], but they only produced a series of weak sparks, unable to leave even a white mark. Occasionally, a few rockets would hit, only causing the vehicle to shake slightly. Then, deafening rock music would blast from the loudspeakers inside, followed by Zhao Dezhu's arrogant cursing.

“Haven't you eaten? You're just giving your grandpa a massage!”

In just three short months, every warlord of any repute in the Sanbianpo region was either crushed or chose to surrender under the iron hooves of the Xuanwu Legion. Kun Sha's sphere of influence expanded at an unprecedented speed, achieving substantial unification of the entire region.

With Kun Sha's rise, terrifying legends about his demonic legion began to spread wildly among mercenaries and information brokers throughout the region.

Legend had it that this unit was composed of invulnerable steel monsters that were impervious to blades, bullets, fire, and water. They could climb cliffs, charge through swamps, and some even swore they had seen them briefly submerged and moving underwater in rivers.

Commanding this demonic legion was an even more mysterious Ghost-Faced Strategist. It was said that his face was always painted with strange black oil makeup, he loved wearing leather jackets covered in rivets, he was always surrounded by a dozen beauties, and his favorite thing to do was to study an ancient book from the East.

He never fired a gun himself, but every one of his orders was like a death sentence, driving all his opponents to despair.

...

Kun Sha's rapid rise and the abnormal unification of the Sanbianpo region were like a massive boulder crashing into a swamp that had previously maintained a delicate balance, completely shattering the region's inherent power structure.

This also raised high alarms in Western nations like the Ugly Country, which had local proxies and significant grey interests in the area.

Langley, Virginia.

Inside the Ugly Country Central Intelligence Agency's Southeast Asia Affairs Analysis Center, the atmosphere was solemn.

On a massive electronic screen, a reconnaissance video captured by a Global Hawk drone from an altitude of tens of thousands of meters was being played repeatedly after multiple magnifications.

The video's clarity wasn't particularly high, but it was enough to see the content clearly.

In a dense mountain jungle, a boxy, dark green tracked vehicle was easily climbing a steep rock wall with a slope of over sixty degrees, in a manner that completely defied common physical sense.

“My God...” a blonde, blue-eyed analyst murmured as he stared at the screen, his mouth hanging open. “Just how terrifying are this thing's grip and torque? It's not even using tracks; it's using tires! This is unscientific!”

“That's not the point, Bob.” His supervisor, a serious-looking middle-aged man, froze the frame, zoomed in, and pointed at the rear of the vehicle. “Look here, this silhouette, this logo...”

On the screen, a cute cartoon bear logo, though somewhat blurry, was clearly visible to everyone.

“It's them again...” The supervisor's voice carried a hint of exhaustion and disbelief. “It's that damn Li Family Toy Factory again!”

“Xuanwu...” Another analyst responsible for intelligence synthesis pulled up another file and read, “According to information we obtained from black market intelligence brokers, Kun Sha named this unit the Xuanwu Legion. We have also designated the temporary code name for this vehicle as Xuanwu.”

“We have reason to believe that this is a new generation of all-terrain light armored assault vehicle secretly developed and exported in small batches by the Eastern Country. Its appearance will completely change the patterns of mountain and jungle warfare.”

After hearing the report, the supervisor's face turned ashen. He remained silent for a moment and then issued an order in an unquestionable tone.

“Immediately organize all videos, images, and analysis reports into a top-secret file of the highest level.”

“In the name of the Department of Defense, attach our strongest note of protest and send it urgently to the top brass of the Eastern Country's military!”

“I want to see how they explain this act of blatantly exporting advanced weaponry to a chaotic region and undermining regional stability this time!”