The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 718 Development!!!

Wang Qiang inspected them very carefully. Don't be fooled by how exquisite these weapons look; who knows if they're counterfeits or originals?

Even in some small countries and villages in West Asia, people can "handcraft" all kinds of individual weapons from around the world.

Moreover, some of the weapons produced are so realistic that they can be mistaken for the real thing. Some inexpensive weapons come from those places, so we must be wary.

On one occasion, Liu Xiaotao and Zhang Jincheng led a team to participate in a peacekeeping mission in a country in the "black continent".

It was discovered that some local warlord forces were heavily equipped with weapons from Peshawar. They were all talk and no action, and in a real battle, they might even injure their own people.

Therefore, it is known that on the border of the West Asian country of Ba, there is an inconspicuous small town called "Dara Adam Hell".

In this place, others buy vegetables and meat, but the "goods" here are weapons.

You can pick up any "Aka 47" and he can immediately make three different versions for you;

If you want an M16, in addition to the Q, he will also give you two spare magazines;
Even missiles, if you dare to ask, he can start construction immediately.

This is one of the world's largest and most secretive illegal weapons counterfeiting bases, relying on hand-operated machine tools and craftsmanship to support a "weapons kingdom".

There, the price of counterfeit weapons is extremely low.

A replica of an "Aka" costs less than $50, and you can even get a "little melon" as a free gift.

Some weapons are almost identical in quality to the originals, but at an astonishingly low price.

This village, with virtually no patents or regulations, has become a driving force behind hotspots around the world entirely through its powerful ability to imitate.

Whether in the "Black State" or in the Middle East, the "shadow" of Dara is almost everywhere.

Dala town is located in the Pashtun tribal region, which is what Pakistan calls a "border blind spot".

Located southeast of Peshawar, near the Afghan border, it is less than a two-hour drive from Afghanistan.

Here, no requirements such as ID card or education level matter. As long as you can skillfully operate manual machine tools, grind gun barrels, and polish gun barrels, you can be considered a "mechanical engineer".

Most of the manufacturing workshops in the town are family-run, with fathers teaching their sons and brothers passing the skills down to their younger brothers.

A simple lathe and an old welding machine constitute the entire gun manufacturing industry chain.

What kind of gun do you want? AK, M16, MP5, Uzi, Glock, and even replicas of the Stinger missile can be made here.

Because of the abundance of weapons here, it has become a source of chaos in many places.

The higher authorities once sent Zhang Jincheng to lead a team to conduct an on-site investigation and found that the counterfeit "Aka" was priced at about $50 and came with two magazines. Some versions even came with a simple "Little Melon".

Such low prices make these weapons almost "low-end consumer goods," but their firepower and practicality are not compromised.

The industrial chain in Dala Town is quite complete, with a clear division of labor: some villages specialize in making gun barrels, some are responsible for assembly, and some are responsible for polishing and finishing.

Local gun shop owner Chita told Zhang Jin, "As long as you provide the blueprints, we can deliver the goods within a week."

It's worth mentioning that there are also some "mixed sets" here, such as the "AK M16" combination that Zhang Jin once saw.

The stock is made of wood, the scope is imported, and the paint job imitates American civilian hunting rifles.

Although this gun is not aesthetically pleasing, and could even be described as crude, its performance and practicality are not to be underestimated, and it is extremely inexpensive.

Although the Pakistani military was aware of the situation in Dara and had set up multiple checkpoints in the surrounding area in an attempt to block external circulation and restrict the entry of foreign media, these weapons never went through the regular market but were smuggled to the border secretly through tribal channels.

These illegal weapons are not confined to Pakistan; their "footprint" is all over the world.

A conflict weapons report from a certain year mentioned a large number of "unnumbered M16 copy rifles" found in a country in the "Black State". These rifles came from a small workshop in Peshawar.

In Mogadishu, the peacekeeping forces also seized a large number of counterfeit "AKA" rifles, domestically produced MP5 submachine guns, and knock-off mortars, which, after tracing back, ultimately pointed to the town of Dara.

In early 1995, 16 employees of a state-owned factory in Pakistan were kidnapped by armed men. The weapons used by the kidnappers were all imitation models, and some of the part numbers were the same as those in Dara's gun shop.

This incident marks the first time that "black Q" has been directly linked to our important facilities, immediately raising domestic alarm.

Meanwhile, police in Thailand also reported last year that they had seized a batch of black guns smuggled into Chiang Mai by land, marked "Bala," which is a transliteration of the dialect of Dala town. The smuggling route was also very clear: Dala → Krachi border → MT border → Chiang Mai warehouse → black market distribution.

The reason why black guns from Dara Town were able to spread globally is mainly due to several characteristics: low price, strong camouflage, flexible production, and complete logistical support.

Prices typically range from $50 to $150. They have almost no serial numbers or trademarks, and parts can be mixed and matched, custom-made, and even ammunition, scopes, and repair services are offered.

Wherever there is demand, Dara's "Black Q" can infiltrate all parts of the world through a complex smuggling network.

That's why Zhuang Yan and his team were very cautious when purchasing weapons and equipment; luckily, they brought along weapons expert Wang Qiang.

The shop owner could tell that these people were not amateurs, but rather very capable and not to be trifled with, so he immediately took them seriously.

Seeing this, Zhuang Yan took out the list of weapons he wanted to buy and handed it to the shopkeeper.

The boss glanced at it and said confidently, "I don't have a few of the things you want. Give me three days, and I guarantee I can get them in three days."

"We only want genuine products. Are you sure you can get them? Don't try to fool us with counterfeit 'Peshawar' products," Zhuang Yan asked anxiously.

"No problem, you all seem to be experts, how could I dare!"

"Besides, the price of counterfeit products is different from the original. If there are any problems, I won't charge you a penny; I'll give it all to you." The boss said confidently, patting his chest.

Zhuang Yan stared into his boss's eyes for a few seconds before nodding slightly.

Wang Qiang walked calmly to the counter and tapped the glass display case lightly with his fingers: "We'll come back to inspect the goods in three days. Remember, we want goods with verifiable original serial numbers."

The boss wiped the sweat from his forehead and repeatedly agreed.

He turned around and took out a yellowed register from the safe, carefully opening it: "Gentlemen, please take a look. This batch of M4s that just arrived last month are all M military stock that leaked out from Kw through special channels."

Each gun has rifling wear of no more than 200 rounds; they're definitely top-quality.

Zhang Jin suddenly reached out and pressed down on the register, his sharp eyes sweeping over the records: "Why has this been altered?" His fingertip precisely pointed to a blurry ink stain on the register.

The atmosphere in the shop froze instantly. The owner's expression changed, then he forced a smile: "This brother has a keen eye."

"To be honest, the origin of this batch of goods does require some technical processing. But I guarantee with my life, it's absolutely genuine!" He turned and took a sample gun from the wall. "You can check it out now if you don't believe me."

Wang Qiang took the gun and skillfully disassembled and inspected it.

When he saw the "FN" factory emblem engraved inside the bolt and the complete M military acceptance stamp, he nodded almost imperceptibly to Zhuang Yan.

But then, his fingers touched a tiny bump on the bottom of the stock—a spot that had been artificially polished and re-engraved with a serial number.

"Interesting." Wang Qiang sneered and gently placed the gun on the counter. "We need the goods in three days. If you find any signs of polishing..." He didn't finish his sentence, which instantly made the shopkeeper's back soaked with cold sweat.

"Understood! Absolutely guaranteed to be original and genuine!" The boss's voice trembled slightly. "I'll contact the European suppliers right away regarding the night vision goggles and tactical accessories you requested. As for the price," he gritted his teeth, "I'll give you the cost price plus five percent, just to be a friend."

"Deal! We'll come pick it up together in three days." Zhuang Yan nodded with a smile; he trusted the shop owner quite a bit.

Zhuang Yan found that the locals were still very honest, unlike some businesses in China that use improper means to deceive customers.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely have it ready for you in three days." The boss was overjoyed; he had sold a lot of good stuff in this deal and was about to make a fortune.

Worried that his boss might not trust him, Zhuang Yan added, "If you're still worried, I can give you $50,000 as a deposit." In his view, paying a deposit when placing an order is a perfectly normal thing to do.

Unexpectedly, the shop owner waved his hand and said, "No need, we have never had the habit of collecting deposits when doing business here."

You can come and collect the money anytime.

If you don't have enough money with you, you can pay me next time.

Zhuang Yan was genuinely worried about the boss's business practices.

In some parts of China, no amount of money would be enough to cover his compensation.

Judging from the boss's composed expression, he had certainly never encountered malicious fraud. Three days later, the four men returned and successfully retrieved the weapons and equipment the boss had prepared for them.

Before parting, the weapon shop owner insisted on giving Zhuang Yan the "Twenty-Shot" rifle, which Zhuang Yan accepted without hesitation.

So, Zhuang Yan led a team to purchase weapons and equipment.

Zhang Jin and Liu Xiaotao were also busy. They gathered the remaining assault team members and told them about the next steps in their operation.

He planned to take Lu Da Ye Peng to Mi Gao's lair to investigate the situation of the "flour factory" there.

According to the original action plan, after the "Sharp Sword Commando" established a foothold in the "Kim Jong San area", the first thing to do was to go to the southern region to make contact with Kang Laoda, who had escaped from the old city, and assist him in retaking the old city.

Before leaving here, we must first completely shut down Michael's "flour factory".

Michael is also a well-known "big flour dealer," and he currently has seven or eight hundred men under his command in Awa Mountain Village.

With the current dozen or so members of the assault team, plus the dozens of members of the mountain militia-like self-defense force, it would be difficult to completely eliminate them.

To strike at Michael, the first step is to target his "flour mill," temporarily cutting off his "flour" production. Once we return from the south, we can devise a way to completely eliminate Michael.

Zhang Jin explained the situation at the station to Liu Xiaotao.

After they left, Liu Xiaotao led the remaining team members to take charge of the central command and build and defend the "base".

Faced with a shortage of manpower and in order to put the mountain people's self-defense force to use as soon as possible, Liu Xiaotao led his men to intensify the training of the mountain people's self-defense force.

Because Zhuang Yan and his men had not yet returned with their weapons, the people left behind in the stronghold were short of weapons, with only about ten M16s and old "Aka" rifles, making their defense very weak, and they had to be careful.

Fortunately, the commando team had just been established, and only the local mountain people knew that they had settled here, and they were unaware of their background.

The caravan members were even more clueless, thinking it was some powerful figure who had established himself as a mountain king.

Because such situations are so common in the "Golden Three Regions," they are not surprising.

The "base" is currently in a period of stealthy development and has not had any conflicts of interest with other armed groups, so the possibility of it being attacked is very small.

After Zhang Jin made the arrangements, he asked A Gui to be their guide and the four of them left the mountain village.

He never imagined that his momentary carelessness would almost bring annihilation to the newly formed commando team.

After they left the mountain stronghold, a crisis suddenly struck...

This story needs to be told from the beginning.

Two hours after Zhang Jincheng and Zhuang Yan were rescued by A Gui and his men, the guards on duty noticed something was wrong.

The guards on duty in the guard post were knocked unconscious and tied up. Looking down, they saw that the dungeon roof had been lifted and placed aside, guessing that the enemy must have escaped. They peered down into the hole and, sure enough, the place was empty.

Michael rushed over upon receiving the news and became alarmed upon seeing the scene.

He knew perfectly well what the consequences would be if these two men escaped, and in a fit of anger, he threw the two unconscious guards into the dungeon.

Michael hurriedly ordered his eldest son, Mi Yuan, and his adjutant to investigate the matter.

A few hours later, Migo received news that several Kokang veterans who had defected from Kokang had also disappeared.

Michael then remembered that he had asked Kokang veteran Agui to be Zhang Jincheng's guide.

He regretted his carelessness; he hadn't noticed something so important. It must have been these Kokang veterans who rescued Zhang Jincheng and the others.

Without external assistance, even a god couldn't escape from the water prison. This time, we really lost Jingzhou due to carelessness.

Mi Yuan consulted his father, "Should we immediately lead the troops out of the mountain stronghold and pursue them?"

Michael thought for a moment, shook his head and said to his son, "The stronghold is surrounded by mountains and forests, and we don't know which direction they fled in, so we can't send troops to chase them."

"We can't just let it go like that, can we?" Mi Yuan asked, puzzled. He felt that his father would never let it go like that, given his personality.

The shrewd and calculating Michael concluded that Zhang Jincheng and his group, regardless of their identities or anything else, would absolutely not leave the "Jinsan area" easily.

He said to Mi Yuan, "Of course we won't let it go like that, especially with those two who came from over there."

If I keep them around, they will definitely be a major threat; I cannot sleep or eat in peace until I get rid of them.

Michael paced back and forth in the room with a gloomy face, then suddenly stopped and said to his son, "Since they were able to escape, they will definitely come back for revenge."

"Immediately send someone to contact our informants in various villages, especially those near the border, and make sure they closely monitor the movements of strangers."

Just as Mi Yuan was about to accept the order and leave, Mi Gao called him back: "Wait! Have your men strengthen the patrols of the mountain stronghold, and replace all sentry posts with double posts. Also," a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, "arrest and interrogate all those connected to A Gui, the Kokang veteran."

"In addition, you should arrange for a few people to go out in disguise and search the entire mountain stronghold within a radius of 100 miles."

I reckon they'll definitely look for mountain strongholds to settle down in, especially the strongholds of the Kokang people; we need to search them carefully.

If you receive any information, do not alert the enemy; return immediately to report.

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away." Mi Yuan said and immediately turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." Michael called out again, repeatedly urging, "I'm certain these two won't leave the 'Kim San area' easily, so we must send more people to find them."

“Father, don’t worry, as long as they are still in the ‘Kim Jong-il area,’ I will search the ground three feet deep to find them.”

Mi Yuan accepted the order and immediately dispatched more than 30 elite subordinates, dividing them into six groups to conduct searches in different directions.

He specifically selected several veterans familiar with the Kokang people's settlement area, dressed them in civilian clothes, and infiltrated the border villages to gather information.

Half a month later, the people sent out by Mi Yuan sent back information that they had found traces of A Gui and his group in a mountain village.

Mi Yuan never imagined that the person he was looking for was hiding in an abandoned village less than 100 kilometers away from Awa Mountain Village.

Because the surrounding area is inhabited by some mountain people who hunt and live in seclusion, and there is no one managing it, this mountain village is not marked on the map.

To prevent any mistakes, Mi Yuan specially arranged for a few people who knew A Gui and the others to sneak into the mountain village to confirm.

During this period, Zhang Jincheng returned to China, leaving only Agui, Zhuang Yan, and others in the mountain stronghold.

After receiving this news, Michael thought about it carefully for several days and finally decided to send troops to eliminate Zhang Jincheng and his forces.

Michael had personally witnessed the two men's prowess, and if he didn't eliminate them in time, the consequences would be unimaginable if they turned around and attacked him.

Moreover, he instinctively felt that these two would come back to deal with him sooner or later, so he decided to take action as soon as possible.

Migo sent his eldest son, Mi Yuan, with his adjutant assisting him, to lead three hundred men straight to the old Miao village.

Migo didn't care about the few Kokang soldiers who escaped; the key was Zhang Jincheng and Zhuang Yan. Three hundred men could easily wipe them out, no matter how strong they were.

Therefore, Mi Yuan mobilized nearly half of the forces in Awa Mountain Village and launched a surprise attack.

……

Zhang Jin said that, led by A Gui, they set off towards Awa Mountain Village along a mountain path.

Not long after leaving the mountain stronghold, they discovered a sizable army.

Encountering such situations is common in the "Kim Jong-un region". Many armed groups, apart from fighting for interests, do not distinguish between friend and foe in normal times, and do not engage in conflict when they meet.

Therefore, encountering the marching troops on the mountain road did not attract the attention of either side. Zhang Jin said that they were disguised and dressed in civilian clothes, looking like mountain people, and their weapons were not exposed, so the soldiers on the way did not pay attention to them.

Suddenly, A-Gui walked onto a side path and gestured for Zhang Jin to follow him.

Zhang Jin noticed that A Gui's movements were somewhat hurried, as if he was avoiding something.

(End of this chapter)