Northern Myanmar: Bloodshed in the Golden Triangle, Have I Become a General? - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Enraged Shan Ethnic Armed Forces – How Dare He?

In northern Myanmar, Kachin State, at the frontline of the Shan ethnic armed forces’ wildfire relief effort, the leaders of the Shan ethnic armed forces were covered in soot.

They had been commanding the rescue operations, but the fire was too massive. It had mobilized almost the entire strength of the Shan ethnic armed forces.

They were desperately trying to save their raw materials as the wildfire had already consumed six or seven of their cultivation bases. The financial losses were incalculable, and what was more embarrassing was the matter of prestige.

They had been a dominant force in northern Myanmar for decades, and for the first time, they had suffered such a serious setback, caused by a wretched drug trafficker. How could they bear it?

A group of outsiders had come in and humiliated them on their home turf. They couldn’t hold their heads high in northern Myanmar anymore.

At this moment, the leaders of the Shan ethnic armed forces were gathered around a television, their eyes fixed firmly on the screen. On the screen, there was Zhao Zhan, with his square face and an air of righteousness about him.

Standing before the media reporters, Zhao Zhan spoke eloquently and with conviction:

“At the very moment we discovered the sudden wildfire,” he began, “our ‘Golden Triangle Security Group’ immediately gathered town supplies.”

“Everything has been loaded onto vehicles and is ready for immediate support in firefighting. Regarding the accusations made by the leaders of the Shan ethnic armed forces against us, I want to make a statement on behalf of our group.”

“Our Chairman, Mr. Zhao Renzhou of the ‘Golden Triangle Security Group,’ is neither a drug lord nor a criminal mastermind. We are legitimate businessmen, with all our procedures fully legal and compliant.”

“Due to our company’s provision of security training and services, it is inevitable that we collaborate with local factions. This collaboration may have led to misunderstandings on the part of the Shan ethnic armed forces.”

“I wish to clarify that our group is not involved in any drug trafficking organization.”

“Our collaboration with local factions is purely contractual and within the bounds of the law”.

“We have provided video evidence to counter the accusations of the Shan ethnic armed forces, which we have submitted to the Kawei Town District Court. Once the court has sorted through the evidence…”

“The trial is scheduled to begin at the end of this month,” Zhao Zhan continued, his voice unwavering. “At that time, we hope that the leaders of the Shan ethnic armed forces will come forward to confront this issue personally. ”

“We don’t seek trouble, but we’re not afraid of it either. In the face of baseless accusations, we will wield the weapons of the law as our shield.”

“The ‘Golden Triangle Security Group’ is dedicated to the principles of peaceful development…”

As they watched Zhao Zhan speak confidently, the heads of the Shan ethnic armed forces responsible for watching the live broadcast felt like a certain string in their minds had snapped. Shameless… Truly shameless…

The hot-tempered boss, Che Xiu, couldn’t contain his anger. His face contorted with rage as he snatched an automatic rifle from one of his subordinates and aimed it at the television.

Rapid gunfire echoed in the room, shattering the TV screen into a sieve. Glass shards flew everywhere, along with electronic components. Che Xiu, seething with frustration, shouted in a fit of rage, “What is he saying?!”

“What is he saying?!”

“What?!” Che Xiu bellowed, his face twisted in fury. “What the hell is he saying?! A damn drug dealer dares to talk to me about the law?”

He grabbed a trembling subordinate beside him, his expression grotesque, and shouted, “Did you hear that?! He’s talking to me about the law?! The law! A filthy drug dealer talking to me about the law! Who does he think he is?!”

With a forceful shove, he sent his trembling subordinate flying. Che Xiu’s fists pounded the table with a resounding ‘thud.’

“He dares to sue me?!”

Che Xiu raged, his face red with anger.

“A drug dealer? How dare he?! On what grounds?! On what grounds?!”

“Ah?!” he roared. “Someone tell me! On what grounds?!”

His words filled with seething anger, Che Xiu flipped the table in a fit of rage, sending items crashing to the floor. Nobody dared to utter a word as Che Xiu stood there, his eyes widened with rage, and his chest heaving heavily.

Like a starving, enraged lion, Che Xiu’s presence sent shivers down everyone’s spines. His ferocious gaze swept over the silent assembly.

“Why isn’t anyone speaking?!” he thundered. “On what grounds does he dare?!”

One of the older leaders finally spoke up, addressing Che Xiu, “Chieftain, if negotiations don’t work, we can exert pressure on the Myanmar government. Zhao Renzhou is obviously a reckless man. If we continue to engage in conflict, it might lead to mutual destruction.”

The various leaders in the room nodded in agreement. Indeed, this guy seemed utterly reckless.

Who could have imagined that after a few small village skirmishes meant to intimidate him, he would retaliate by setting fire to our territory?

He burned down dozens of kilometers of land! He’s a lunatic!

“A pure damn lunatic?!” The leaders couldn’t help but wonder aloud. It wasn’t just a matter of whether they could take Kawei Town in an attack;

it wasn’t even guaranteed that they could eliminate the opposition. The reports they had received earlier indicated that these guys were well-armed.

Each of them had AKs, rocket launchers, light machine guns… It was like they were dealing with warlords rather than drug traffickers. Where did they get all this firepower? With just these weapons, they could put up a serious fight.

They couldn’t match them in terms of sheer numbers. But what if Zhao Renzhou decided to run away?

The thought of Zhao Renzhou escaping after the wildfire sent shivers down everyone’s spines. It was better not to provoke someone like him.

After all, they were nominally under Myanmar’s jurisdiction. Pressuring the Myanmar government to handle the situation was a better option than sticking their necks out.

Che Xiu, listening to the words of the older leader, couldn’t help but laugh. He gestured to the older leader and the man approached, swallowing hard. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as he walked a few steps closer.

Bang!!! He was slapped to the ground. Then came Che Xiu’s furious voice, “What do you mean by this?”

“You mean to tell me that our Shan ethnic armed forces,” Che Xiu raged, “are being toyed with by this insignificant drug dealer?! Relying on the Myanmar government? That’s truly ridiculous! Relying on the Myanmar government for face?!

How are we going to survive in northern Myanmar after this? Tell me?!”

“What?!” he roared. “You damn well tell me?!”

The older leader trembled and didn’t dare to get up. “But… but… they… they dared to set fire to the mountains,” he stammered.

Dealing with drug traffickers had always been a walk in the park for them. But encountering someone this fearless was a whole different story. In all their years, they had never come across someone like this. He actually dared to do it.

Upon hearing this, Che Xiu’s face darkened, his mood shifting rapidly.

Clearly, he understood the gravity of the situation, but he was deeply unwilling to accept it.