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

Chapter 728 Trapped in the Encirclement!

The old town has a rather unique geographical location, as it borders the mainland to the north and east, with the closest point being less than ten kilometers away.

These two directions are the weakest points in Lang Laoda's troop deployment, because he has to guard against the government army to the west and various local armed forces to the south, especially Kang Laoda's troops whom he drove out of the old city.

The team's leader, Lang, didn't do any defense on the domestic side at all. He knew that the other side wouldn't easily send troops to attack him under normal circumstances.

If they really send troops to attack him, the outcome will be the same whether or not there is any defense.

Therefore, Boss Lang decided to deploy his troops to the west and south.

Standing on the rooftop, Boss Lang gazed at the rolling mountains to the west, his brow furrowed.

The government forces to the west have been making frequent moves lately. Scouts report that they are constantly mobilizing troops, seemingly preparing for a major operation, but it is unclear who they are targeting.

Meanwhile, Kang, the leader to the south, is like a centipede that doesn't die easily; it seems this old man is unwilling to accept defeat and is fantasizing about making a comeback.

In addition, they sent people to kidnap his younger brother and blow up the missile base. Could all of this be...? Thinking of this, his eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown.

After leaving the border crossing, Zhang Jin said they parked their two "Warrior SUVs" in the woods just a few kilometers from the old town.

It was just dawn, and Zhang Jin estimated that Boss Lang already knew that Bale had been rescued, so they dared not enter the city rashly.

Zhang Jin told them to hide the two cars in the woods, then called over Zhuang Yan and A Gui and said to them, "You two dress up as the enemy and go into the old city to scout out the situation, focusing on Li Wencai's residence in the east of the city."

Just now, Balai said that Li Wencai has been recuperating at home for some time.

You are to carry pistols and a portable radio; stay in contact with me at all times.

Zhuang Yan and A Gui quickly changed into the locals' coarse cloth clothes and smeared their faces with camouflage.

Ah Gui took out two worn-out straw hats from his backpack. After pulling the brims down, even they couldn't recognize each other.

The two men concealed their pistols at their waists, hiding them with the wide hems of their clothes, while stuffing their portable radios into the bamboo baskets filled with mountain produce.

In the morning mist, the two walked along the road toward the east gate of the old city.

The sentry at the checkpoint in the east of the city was yawning and was very perfunctory in checking the people coming and going.

Zhuang Yan deliberately limped and complained about his rheumatism in his dialect, while A Gui helped him up and handed the sentry half a crumpled pack of cigarettes.

The soldier conducting the inspection grinned and waved him through.

The streets of Dongcheng were more bustling than I had imagined, and the morning market had already opened.

The rice cake vendor was shouting loudly, and several drunken soldiers were sitting around eating rice noodles.

Zhuang Yan noticed a wanted poster on the utility pole, which prominently featured a portrait of Bale.

A-Gui nudged Zhuang Yan with his elbow, gesturing for him to look at the soldiers patrolling and checking people on the street corner.

Their eyes were fierce as they shouted and roughly stopped and questioned passersby and vehicles at will.

These soldiers of Boss Lang were all carrying "Aka" automatic rifles, and their waists were bulging, obviously carrying grenades, so their firepower was quite good.

Upon seeing this, the two immediately lowered their heads and slowly moved towards Li Wencai's residence along the shops on both sides.

After Zhuang Yan and A Gui left and entered the city, Zhang Jin immediately arranged for Wang Tao and Lu Da to stand guard around the area for the first shift, and then urged the others to rest.

After a whole night of running around, everyone was exhausted and soon fell asleep in their car seats.

About two hours later, the sun was high in the sky, and soft rays of light shone through the gaps in the leaves.

Just then, the car radio suddenly crackled to life. Zhang Jin quickly picked up the microphone, pressed the call button, and said, "This is 'Phoenix,' please speak!"

The call came from Liu Xiaotao's residence in "Lao Miao Village," saying that he had received a telegram from Kang Laoda that morning, asking Zhang Jincheng to go to Mengla immediately to discuss important matters.

Upon seeing that the content of the matter was not explained, Liu Xiaotao knew that Boss Kang must be worried about the news leaking out, so it must be something important. Therefore, he immediately called Zhang Jincheng in plain language.

"This is Lao Liu. I just received a telegram from Mengla, asking you to come over immediately. There's something important to discuss."

"Didn't they say what the content was?" Zhang Jin asked.

"No, how's things going on your end?"

"We encountered a slight mishap and haven't finished yet. Get back to Mengla immediately and tell them we're on our way. That's all!"

"Understood. Please be careful. Over!"

After ending his call with Zhang Jincheng, Liu Xiaotao immediately drafted a reply and gave it to Li Ming to send to Boss Kang.

Liu Xiaotao then reported to the headquarters that Kang Laoda wanted to see Zhang Jincheng immediately.

Commander-in-Chief Liu Wu quickly replied, explaining that Kang Laoda's request to meet with Zhang Jincheng was likely related to negotiations with the government army. He also instructed that all efforts must be made to cooperate with Kang Laoda's side.

After reading Commander-in-Chief Liu Wu's reply, Liu Xiaotao felt reassured. Considering that Zhang Jin said they would be back soon, he would tell him the contents of the telegram when they returned.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jin said that they were currently undergoing a severe test.

After putting down the intercom on the car radio, Zhang Jin immediately used a mini radio to call Zhuang Yan.

But after calling several times without any response, Zhang Jin guessed that Zhuang Yan and the others must have gone too far.

Because the effective range of the portable wireless communicator is five kilometers, and there are mountains in the surrounding area, it is very likely that Zhuang Yan will not be able to receive a signal.

Zhang Jin glanced at his watch and decided to wait a little longer.

If there is still no news from Zhuang Yan and the others, send someone to approach and make contact.

He lit a cigarette and leaned against the car, quietly pondering what Kang Laoda's urgent summons really meant.

After finishing his cigarette, Zhang Jin decided not to wait any longer. He immediately called Wang Tao over and said to him, "Wang Tao, head towards the outskirts of the city right away, and at the same time contact Monkey by radio. Once you make contact, tell him to come back immediately."

"Yes!" Wang Tao turned and left.

Zhang Jin then instructed him: "Be careful to conceal yourself. If you still can't contact Monkey after you get to the suburbs, don't risk going into the city."

"Understood!" Wang Tao's figure quickly disappeared into the woods.

Here, Zhuang Yan and A Gui arrived at a restaurant serving Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles.

It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was quite crowded. The two of them ordered two large bowls of rice noodles and kept an eye on the street while they ate.

“We don’t need to go check out the old stronghold in the west city; it’s definitely heavily guarded,” Zhuang Yan said to A Gui while eating.

“Okay, let’s go straight to Li Wencai’s residence after we finish eating,” A-Gui nodded and said softly.

"Brother Gui, do you know where Li Wencai lives?"

Ah Gui shook his head. "His house was built in the last two years."

After driving away Boss Kang, Boss Lang rewarded Li Wencai with a large sum of money, which he used to build a very grand house.

I heard it's very grand; just ask anyone.

When it was time to pay the bill, A-Gui asked the shop owner for directions, and the shop owner kindly told them how to get there.

After thanking the shop owner, A-Gui left the rice noodle shop with Zhuang Yan.

Following the directions given by the rice noodle shop owner, the two walked along the street deeper into the eastern part of the city, where the streets gradually became quieter.

After turning two corners, a newly built, white mansion appeared before them.

The entire compound covers an area of ​​two or three acres and is quite spacious and impressive. The compound has a two-meter-high wall with barbed wire on top. The three-story building inside is clearly made of reinforced concrete and covered with white tiles. You can see armed guards patrolling back and forth on the roof.

The gate was wide enough for cars to drive in and out freely, but it was tightly closed at the moment. There must be guards inside.

In this area, anyone with money can have their own private armed force to guard their home, so those in power all keep private armed forces at home.

Compared to the bustling street in front, this place was much quieter, and the entire courtyard was deathly silent.

Zhuang Yan and A Gui pretended to be passersby and walked past the gate. As soon as they reached the gate, they heard the barking of dogs coming from inside.

The two of them didn't dare to stop and had to walk quickly past the door.

After turning the corner, the two hid behind an old banyan tree and discussed in hushed tones. Zhuang Yan took out a miniature telescope and observed the side of the house through the gaps in the branches and leaves. "There's a blind spot in the electric fence on the back wall," he said in a low voice, "The pine branches in the northeast corner extend over the wall; we can use them to climb over."

Ah Gui frowned and said, "But those wolfhounds..."

“I have a solution. Look over there.” Zhuang Yan suddenly pointed to the drainage ditch at the base of the wall.

A section of the concrete cover was missing, revealing a dark hole. "This is the newly built drainage system; we can sneak in from here."

Just then, the sound of a car engine suddenly came from afar.

The two quickly disappeared into the shadows of the trees, and a military jeep came speeding by, screeching to a halt in front of the house.

Several fully armed soldiers jumped out of the vehicle. The one in the lead, a burly officer, shouted, "Strengthen patrols in the vicinity! Enemies infiltrated the city last night!"

The gate to the courtyard suddenly burst open, and the guards inside rushed out with their wolfhounds to check the situation.

Zhuang Yan and A Gui exchanged a glance, knowing that the situation had changed.

Just then, Wang Tao's voice came through Zhuang Yan's earpiece: "Calling Monkey, please respond if you hear me!"

Zhuang Yan covered his collar with one hand and spoke into the miniature communicator, "I am Monkey, please speak!"

"Phoenix orders you to withdraw immediately. Over!"

"Understood, all done!"

Zhuang Yan turned to A Gui and said, "The captain has ordered us to retreat immediately!"

"Okay, follow me, we'll go out through the alley ahead." A-Gui said, leading Zhuang Yan into the alley.

As the two stepped out of the alley and onto the street, a group of soldiers approached them. There were eight or nine of them, and the leader had a pistol at his waist. Judging from the exposed part, it was a Beretta, and he appeared to be an officer.

Upon seeing A-Gui and Zhuang Yan emerge from the alley, the officer immediately stopped them and loudly asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Ah Gui smiled and said, "We buy mountain products. We just looked at the goods at that shop inside."

Upon hearing that Ah Gui spoke entirely in the local dialect, the officer stopped asking questions and waved them away.

When Zhuang Yan walked up to the officer, the guy, who had sharp eyes, suddenly noticed the earphone Zhuang Yan was wearing and the wire running through his clothes. He immediately shouted, "Wait, what's that thing in your ear?"

Zhuang Yan turned around and said with a smile, "It's nothing, just an earphone."

This guy noticed that Zhuang Yan's accent was off, and at the same time as Zhuang Yan was speaking, he spotted the miniature microphone on Zhuang Yan's collar.

The officer, of course, knew who used this kind of equipment. He reached for his pistol and shouted to his soldiers, "Arrest them..."

Before the officer could finish speaking, Zhuang Yan grabbed his wrist holding the gun, pulled him into his arms, and twisted his wrist hard, handing the man the pistol to Zhuang Yan.

At this moment, the soldiers surrounded the three of them with their guns in hand.

Zhuang Yan pressed the gun against the leader's temple and said sternly, "Make them scatter, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

"You all get the hell back, get the hell back!" The leader was terrified, his face pale, and sweat poured down his cheeks as he shouted at his men.

Ah Gui also drew his M9 pistol and stood back-to-back with Zhuang Yan, facing off against the soldiers.

"Retreat into the alley," Zhuang Yan said softly to A Gui, then led the officer back slowly into the alley.

Several soldiers approached menacingly in a fan shape, their loaded submachine guns pointed at Zhuang Yan and A Gui's chests, ready to pounce at any moment.

The light in the alley suddenly dimmed, and a damp, musty smell mixed with the stench of rotting garbage hit us.

Zhuang Yan pressed the gun barrel hard against the officer's temple and said sternly, "Tell your men to back off. If they follow, I'll kill you." The officer's Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he finally roared, "Do as he says!"

"Don't fucking follow us, do you hear me?" Seeing his subordinates hesitate, the officer not only cursed them verbally but also inwardly: What a bunch of idiots! Can't they go around and intercept them from behind? They just blindly follow along. I'm so angry!

The soldiers ultimately dared not follow any further and had no choice but to obey orders and remain where they were.

After Zhuang Yan and A Gui retreated to the alley entrance, Zhuang Yan struck the officer on the head with his gun, knocking him unconscious. Then the two of them ran away quickly.

Before they even ran out of the alley, they heard intense gunfire behind them, and bullets rained down around them.

Zhuang Yan intentionally let A Gui run ahead, and he fired several shots behind him, emptying the gun in one go.

Then he casually tossed the pistol aside and took out his M9 to continue firing.

A-Gui dashed into the fork in the road on the right, with Zhuang Yan close behind.

Bullets sparked blindingly against the brick wall as the two men maneuvered through the intricate alleyways to outmaneuver their pursuers.

Two armed soldiers suddenly appeared from around the corner. Zhuang Yan raised his hand and fired two shots, accurately hitting the enemy in the chest.

Amidst screams, Zhuang Yan pulled a smoke grenade from his waist and threw it behind him, instantly sealing off the entire alleyway with thick, grayish-white smoke.

At this moment, A-Gui had already run to the left side of the street. Zhuang Yan took two steps to catch up with him. Once they got out of this street, they would reach the outskirts of the city. Once they reached the outskirts, they would be like tigers entering the mountains and forests, and it would be difficult to deal with them.

While waiting for them in the woods outside the city, Wang Tao suddenly heard intense gunfire coming from the city. He immediately guessed that something had happened to Zhuang Yan and his group, and anxiously called out, "Monkey, what happened?"

"We've been caught by the enemy, and we're retreating outside the city!" Zhuang Yan's tone didn't convey the seriousness of the situation.

Just as Zhuang Yan was on the phone with Wang Tao, several Ford single-cab pickup trucks suddenly appeared ahead, each carrying five or six enemy soldiers.

These single-cab pickup trucks are the most common troop carriers in the area. They are all high-horsepower four-wheel drive vehicles with excellent off-road performance, making them very suitable for the local road conditions.

This was a convoy that was patrolling the area and came over after hearing the gunshots.

At this moment, pedestrians on the street heard the gunshots and hurriedly hid in the shops on both sides of the street.

The pickup trucks were lined up in a row, blocking the road. Soldiers behind them were perched on the roof of the driver's cab, their guns pointed at Zhuang Yan and A Gui, who were running.

The enemy soldiers in the pickup truck quickly jumped out and set up machine guns to block the street.

Bullets rained down like a storm, and Zhuang Yan grabbed A Gui and darted into a roadside alley.

Just then, Wang Tao's anxious voice came through the earpiece: "How is the monkey?"

"We might be surrounded by the enemy, but we're getting closer to the suburbs," Zhuang Yan replied as he ran.

"I've already reported to the captain. They'll be here soon. Just hold on for another ten minutes or so." After Wang Tao finished speaking, there was no reply for a long time.

It turned out that Zhuang Yan and A Gui had run into a dead end in their panic. After running for several dozen meters, they suddenly realized something was wrong. There was no other way out except for the closed gate in front of them, and at this moment, the enemy's figure appeared at the entrance of the alley.

Without thinking, Zhuang Yan hurriedly squatted down in the corner and said to A Gui, "Brother A Gui, quickly step on my shoulders and climb up."

A-Gui knew this wasn't the time for polite refusals, so he immediately stepped onto Zhuang Yan's shoulders, and when Zhuang Yan stood up, he could just grab onto the top of the wall.

Zhuang Yan exerted force again, and A Gui climbed up very easily.

Then A-Gui climbed onto the wall and reached down to pull Zhuang Yan up, who then used the leverage to climb up as well.

Looking inside, it turned out to be a large courtyard filled with wood, which looked like a timber processing factory.

Zhuang Yan jumped down, then tried to turn around and pull A Gui back, but A Gui slid down on his own.

After landing, A-Gui looked around to determine the direction, and then said to Zhuang Yan, "We should go out from the southeast, as this direction is closest to the outside of the city."

Zhuang Yan nodded, and the two quickly crossed the mountain of logs.

The distinctive scent of pine resin filled the air, and you could occasionally step on scattered wood shavings.

Suddenly, a series of chaotic footsteps and the clanging of metal came from ahead, indicating that the enemy had circled around to the other side of the factory to encircle them.

"This way!" A-Gui whispered, pulling Zhuang Yan into a gap between two rows of logs. Through the gap, they saw five or six armed soldiers searching the area.

After Wang Tao left, only Zhang Jincheng, Yan Kan, and Lu Da Ye Peng, who was in charge of driving, remained in the woods.

The four of them sat quietly in the car, waiting for Zhuang Yan and the others to return.

Zhang Jin was trying to figure out why Boss Kang had asked him to go there.

(End of this chapter)