A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

In early April 1950, the Yunnan Provincial Military Region was officially established.

The original Fourth Army Corps was gradually abolished, and Brigade Commander Chen was appointed Commander of the Yunnan Provincial Military Region, while the Political Commissar was concurrently held by Comrade Song, the First Secretary of Yunnan Province.

Zhang Renfeng was appointed as the First Deputy Commander of the Yunnan Provincial Military Region, and concurrently served as the Deputy Director of the Military Control Commission, taking full responsibility for the suppression of bandits in Yunnan Province.

As soon as the appointment was announced, Zhang Renfeng knew that he wouldn't have a moment of peace for the next year.

Yunnan Province is located in the southwestern border region, with high mountains and dense forests, and is plagued by bandits. There are dozens of large-scale bandit gangs, ranging from dozens to thousands of people, scattered in various places, occupying mountains as kings, robbing and plundering, and harassing local governments.

In addition, the scattered soldiers left behind by the Kuomintang remnants during their retreat were entangled with local bandits, forming a complex and difficult network to deal with.

The military region's troop deployment was also adjusted accordingly.

The 13th Army guarded the Sino-Vietnamese border, blocked the vital Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, and prevented foreign forces from infiltrating.

The 14th Army guarded the China-Myanmar border, with its defense line stretching from Dali all the way to Baoshan, Dehong, Nujiang, Lijiang, Diqing, and Lincang, making it an extremely long front.

The 15th Army was the most dispersed, with the 43rd Division stationed in northeastern Yunnan, the 44th Division remaining in southern Sichuan after participating in the Xichang Campaign, and the army headquarters, along with the 45th Division, stationed in Luzhou to be responsible for bandit suppression operations in southern Sichuan.

Zhang Renfeng was stationed at the Yunnan Provincial Command Headquarters, overseeing and directing operations from all angles.

Zhang Renfeng knew perfectly well that suppressing bandits was, to put it bluntly, a task that required patience and was not as quick and easy as fighting a conventional war.

In a conventional war, it's a battle between main forces, where everyone sets up their formation and fights, and the outcome is clear.

Suppressing bandits is a game of chasing and hiding, of camping and harassing. When bandits disappear into the deep mountains and forests, you can search for ten days or half a month and still not find a trace of them.

But he didn't complain. Since the organization had assigned him the task, he would do it honestly.

Throughout April and May, Zhang Renfeng traveled back and forth between various cities and prefectures in Yunnan Province to inspect the bandit suppression deployments of various armies, coordinate the cooperation between local armed forces and main forces, and organize and convene bandit suppression work meetings.

Wherever he went, he would thoroughly investigate the local bandit situation, identifying which bandit groups were on which mountain, who their leaders were, how many men and guns they had, and what their activity patterns were, before formulating targeted extermination plans.

Sometimes when I'm busy, I travel to three counties in a single day. I eat breakfast in Qujing, lunch in Chuxiong, and only have time to grab a bite of dinner when I get to Dali.

One day in late June, Zhang Renfeng was inspecting work in Qujing and holding a meeting with people from the local military sub-district to discuss the next steps in the clearing and suppression plan.

As they were talking, a messenger rushed in and handed them a telegram.

Zhang Renfeng took the message and saw it was from Brigade Commander Chen. It contained only a few words: "Return to Kunming immediately, there's urgent business."

Zhang Renfeng folded the telegram and put it in his pocket, wondering what the old man was up to now. Without further ado, he set off back to Kunming that afternoon.

We went straight to Commander Chen's office, where he was standing in front of a map, his back to the door, lost in thought.

"You're back?"

Brigade Commander Chen turned around with a sly smile on his face, making it clear to everyone that he was up to no good.

"Why did you summon me back in such a hurry? My meeting in Qujing isn't over yet." Zhang Renfeng sat down in the chair, stretched out his legs, and crossed his ankles.

Brigade Commander Chen stubbed out his cigarette, leaned closer, and lowered his voice, saying, "Zhang Baopo, would you like to go abroad?"

Zhang Renfeng was taken aback, then waved his hand: "Go abroad? I haven't even sorted out all the affairs in Yunnan Province yet, and bandits are still running all over the mountains. What would it look like if I went abroad? No way."

Brigade Commander Chen chuckled twice, took a document from his drawer, and waved it in front of Zhang Renfeng: "Don't rush to refuse, take a look at this first."

Zhang Renfeng took the document, unfolded it, and saw that the heading read "Decision of the Central Military Commission on the Formation of a Military Advisory Group to Vietnam".

He glanced down two lines, his brow furrowing. Further down, he saw the appointment list, and his name was prominently listed as deputy commander; the commander was Wei...

He already had a hunch that this was probably the same advisory group that had helped Vietnam resist the French in history.

He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with this matter.

The Fourth Army Corps had engaged in several small-scale skirmishes with the French army on the Yunnan-Guizhou border, and he was well aware of the French army's combat capabilities.

He put down the documents, leaned back in his chair, and said, "No way. It's a bunch of weaklings fighting each other; it's pointless. With their fighting capabilities, they couldn't even handle bandits roaming the mountains, let alone a conventional war. What would I do there? Teach them how to fight? That would be like casting pearls before swine. Besides, this country is full of ingrates..."

Brigade Commander Chen also knew that although Zhang Renfeng's words were rough, they were the truth.

He knew a little about the situation in the Viet Minh region: their weapons and equipment were rudimentary, their training was limited, and their fighting style was unsystematic.

The situation wasn't much better for the French forces. Their colonial troops suffered from low morale, poor logistics, and were several levels below the Kuomintang's elite Central Army.

Sending a general like Zhang Renfeng, who commanded hundreds of thousands of troops in the Liberation War, to direct a battle of that scale was indeed using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

But this matter is considered more from a political perspective.

He wiped the smile from his face and said seriously, "This is a decision made by the Central Committee. Its political significance outweighs its military significance. You can't be unaware of that, can you? Besides, you're not going to actually command on the front lines. You're going to be a military advisor, helping them train officers and reorganize their troops, and passing on our combat experience. This task requires your expertise."

"Then we definitely can't go."

Zhang Renfeng glanced at the old brigade commander's aggrieved expression, sighed, and knew he couldn't refuse, but still muttered a few words under his breath.

Seeing that he had softened, Brigade Commander Chen took out another transfer order and handed it to him: "It was personally approved by the old political commissar. You are concurrently serving as the first deputy commander of the military advisory group. However, unlike Commander Wei, this is a transitional position. See? That's quite a lot of face, isn't it?"

Zhang Renfeng took it and glanced at it. His initial reluctance lessened somewhat, but he still couldn't help but say:

"This isn't right. Last year in Feidong, the old political commissar told me I should return to Beijing to get married this year. How come I've been transferred to the military advisory group? Am I still going to get married?"

Brigade Commander Chen put the transfer order back, patted Zhang Renfeng on the shoulder, and grinned mischievously: "Don't worry, we'll only be there for half a year at most. When we come back, I'll personally take you to find that girl, and I'll make sure everything is taken care of. When you return with the imposing air of someone who fought off Vietnamese bandits, won't that girl look at you with a newfound respect?"

With me, the organization's top matchmaker, arranging your marriage, what girl can't you marry? I'm not bragging. That Little Cannon, Commander Peng, weren't they all arranged by me? If you're really that bold, I could even get Chiang Kai-shek's daughter for you...

Zhang Renfeng was both amused and exasperated by his words: "You old geezer, you never say a single serious word."

Brigade Commander Chen chuckled twice, then said seriously, "By the way, the old political commissar asked me to pass on a message to you. You don't need to come with me from Yunnan Province into Vietnam. Go to Guangxi Province first and meet up with Regiment Commander Wei."

The old political commissar said, "I'm letting you go back to Baise for a visit, consider it a vacation, and you're allowed to bring your family back home."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Renfeng's smile slowly faded.

Go back to Baise!

These three words weighed heavily on his heart like a stone.

He wanted to go back to Baise, but he was also afraid to go back.

He wanted to go back because that was his hometown, where his parents were buried, and where his roots were.

He was afraid to go back because the moment he set foot on that land, the faces of his fallen comrades would flash before his eyes: Uncle Huang, Brother Li, Old Chen, and those brothers whose names he couldn't even remember. They were all seventeen or eighteen years old, in their early twenties, who fell on the Long March, on the battlefield of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and in the War of Liberation.

He owes them a debt he can never repay in this lifetime.

"The old political commissar..." Zhang Renfeng's throat tightened a little.

"He knows that you have a hard time getting over it," Brigade Commander Chen said in a softer tone. "He said that you followed him when you were ten years old, and that you've been with him for twenty-one years."

Now that the whole country has been liberated, you should go back and visit. Light incense for your parents and tell them that their son has returned alive and successful.

Zhang Renfeng remained silent for a long time before finally nodding: "Okay, I'll go."

He returned to his residence, sat at the table for a long time, and finally picked up his pen to write a letter to his elder brother, Zhang Rende.

In mid-June, the anti-banditry operation was progressing rapidly. After handing over his work, Zhang Renfeng immediately set off for Nanning, Guangxi Province.

He didn't bring many people with him, only his bodyguard Sun Bing, a staff officer, and a communications officer.

Having received a last-minute order from the Central Military Commission to form a bandit suppression staff group to share their experience with Guangxi Province, and knowing that the formation of such a group would take time, Zhang Renfeng decided to set off ahead of schedule.

The train departs from Kunming and heads eastward. After passing Qujing and Fuyuan, the landscape gradually changes after entering Guangxi Province. The mountains are still mountains, but they are not as steep as those in Yunnan Province. There are also more paddy fields, with lush green rice seedlings stretching as far as the eye can see.

Zhang Renfeng sat by the window, watching the scenery rushing past outside, feeling a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.

When he left twenty years ago, Guangxi Province was still the territory of the old Guangxi clique, and the people were struggling to breathe under the heavy burden of taxes and levies.

Now that we're liberated, the land has been distributed, and taxes have been reduced, you can see a different look on the faces of the people working in the fields outside the window.

When the train arrived at Nanning Station, a row of people in military uniforms were already standing on the platform.

As soon as Zhang Renfeng got off the car, he saw the person standing at the front. He wasn't very tall, but he stood very straight, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and wearing a faded military uniform with the top button of his collar fastened meticulously.

It was Li Tianyou, deputy commander of the Guangxi Military Region.

There were several people standing behind him, and Zhang Renfeng glanced over and recognized a few familiar faces.

When Commander Li saw Zhang Renfeng emerge from the carriage, he paused for a moment, then strode forward to greet him, his eyes immediately welling up with tears: "Little brother!"