Chapter 108: The Origin of the Blue Flag Army

Lin Fan could naturally feel the concern of his brothers. However, as he was not naturally gifted at expressing his emotions, his words were never particularly sentimental. Yet, everyone in Dragon Soul knew that Lin Fan was a man of deep loyalty. He might not voice his feelings, but at the moment a bullet arrived, he would throw himself in front of his brothers. As long as there was a sliver of hope, he would never abandon them.

For instance, during a mission in the United States, it was Lin Fan who took a bullet for Xu Qiang during their escape, saving his life. To Lin Fan, protecting Xu Qiang was merely his duty as the captain of Falcon; he could not stand idly by while his brother died before his eyes. But to Xu Qiang, it was far more than that; from that moment on, he had pledged his life to Lin Fan.

Following the death of Han Feng, Lin Fan was elected captain of Dragon Soul, fulfilling Han Feng’s final wish. It was precisely this character of his that inspired so many brothers to willingly risk their lives for him.

After Lin Fan finished speaking, Mo Fei and Zhang Lei stood up and left. Xu Qiang glanced at Lin Fan and asked, "Boss, the last time we visited the Blue Flag Army, we had the backing of the state. If we go again now, General Jin might not necessarily grant us that favor."

"Don't worry, he will help," Lin Fan said, a faint, confident smile playing on his lips. "Let's go. If it gets dark, the road to their base won't be easy to navigate."

Xu Qiang couldn't quite fathom where his boss's confidence came from; it seemed he had indeed missed a lot during his four-year absence. He stood up and followed Lin Fan out, where the two hailed a taxi and headed toward a nearby mountain.

Because of the dense jungle and treacherous terrain, the taxi driver refused to go deep into the mountains, fearing for his life. He dropped them off at the edge of the wilderness. Lin Fan didn't press the issue—after all, the man was just a civilian—so he tossed him a few bills and the two began their trek on foot.

The Golden Triangle is a region of rugged mountains and isolated transportation, covering roughly 150,000 to 200,000 square kilometers. Its endless, undulating peaks were occupied either by warlords or the military, and ordinary people dared not venture there. Furthermore, the terrain allowed for opium cultivation that was difficult for the government to detect, while also providing excellent defensive positions for combat. Those in the drug trade had many enemies and lived in constant fear of government intervention, making them exceptionally cautious.

In fact, when Lin Fan was with Falcon, Lin Haotian had told him the history of the Blue Flag Army.

Originally, the unit was established in the Golden Triangle by Lin Honglie of the Qing Dynasty to resist British imperialist aggression and engage in opium cultivation. When the British found themselves unable to deal with this force, they pressured the Qing court diplomatically to suppress the Blue Flag Army.

The spineless Qing government bowed to these demands. Caught in a pincer attack with no reinforcements, the loyal and battle-hardened Blue Flag Army fought to the death but was ultimately outnumbered and forced into a retreat. Finally, Lin Honglie and Luo Ziman led five thousand soldiers to the banks of the Salween River, where they were surrounded by British and Qing forces. Out of ammunition and food, they died heroically, staining the Salween red with their blood.

Later, the crumbling Qing Empire collapsed, followed by the Xinhai Revolution, the civil war, and the eight-year War of Resistance. The country was in complete turmoil.

People were unaware that when the Manchu court realized the empire was doomed, they chose another path: heading south.

The far south of China had long been considered a desolate, pestilential land inhabited by "barbarians." Yet, the dying Qing authorities had little choice. The Guangxu Emperor, though he had a son, knew the dynasty’s end was inevitable. He staged a deceptive maneuver, claiming to have no heirs, and instead adopted the son of Prince Chun—the last emperor, Puyi—to inherit the throne.

His true son, Aisin Gioro Longxin, had been sent south to Burma at the age of nine, escorted by loyal guards and generals. Guangxu’s plan was for them to gather strength and cultivate forces in the mountains, waiting for a day to reunify the country and restore the Great Qing.

While Longxin used the treasures left by Guangxu to recruit tens of thousands of men, this force was sufficient to rule the mountains of Burma but far too small to influence the wars back home. Consequently, Longxin shifted his focus to the "Golden Triangle," the border region of Thailand, Burma, and Laos. Through painstaking effort, he occupied the area under the name of the Blue Flag Army.

Since then, the Aisin Gioro clan changed their surname to Jin and lived there for generations. As the region developed, they became a local military force. They funded themselves through the regional advantages of the Golden Triangle—the drug trade—though their product was exported overseas and never sold within China.

Lin Fan had learned this history during his time with Falcon. Today, the general of the Blue Flag Army was the renowned descendant of the Aisin Gioro family, Jin Zhengyang. Born in 1965, a member of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, Jin Zhengyang maintained a cordial relationship with the Chinese government, which was why Lin Fan and Xu Qiang had been able to secure his help during their previous missions.

The mountain paths were rugged, and without his prior visits, Lin Fan would never have found the way. The GPS on his watch was useless; the Blue Flag Army had clearly set up signal jammers.

"Who goes there? Stop! Don't move any further or you'll lose your lives!" As they climbed, a stern shout echoed, and two soldiers in camouflage gear emerged from the brush with submachine guns.

Lin Fan recognized the hidden sentry posts he had encountered before. They kept their security tight. The two men exchanged a wry smile, stopped, and raised their hands. As soldiers, they hated doing it, but they were on someone else's turf.

"Brother, don't misunderstand. We are here to visit General Jin," Lin Fan said with a faint smile.

"Who are you, and what do you want with the General?"

"We are from China. My name is Lin Fan. Tell your General that I am his old friend, and he will see me," Lin Fan said, his trademark confidence unshaken.

Xu Qiang looked at him in surprise, wondering when his boss had become "brothers" with Jin Zhengyang.

In truth, their relationship had been purely professional during his first mission. However, on a subsequent visit with Han Feng, they had stayed at the base. Jin Zhengyang had recognized him, and seeing that Han Feng was grooming Lin Fan as his successor, he had begun calling him "Brother Lin" to foster a closer connection.