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

Chapter 732 Return to Mengla!!

After a short rest, Zhang Jin and his group will set off for Mengla in the afternoon.

Knowing the urgency of the situation, Liu Xiaotao didn't stop Zhang Jincheng, but simply said, "It's hundreds of kilometers from here to Mengla. How will you get there without an off-road vehicle?"

Zhang Jin realized this was indeed a problem, as the "Warrior" all-terrain assault vehicle, which had superior off-road capabilities, was now the only option in the mountain stronghold.
However, this vehicle is too conspicuous; it's clearly a military vehicle. Driving such a vehicle on the road would be too ostentatious and would make it difficult to keep the mission secret.

Moreover, there are too many checkpoints set up along the way. If the news leaks out and Boss Lang finds out, he will definitely surround and intercept them again. It will also make him guess the relationship between the assault team and Boss Kang, arousing his vigilance.

Zhang Jincheng paced back and forth in the courtyard with a frown. Suddenly, he remembered something and said with a smile, "I just thought about it. I happen to be passing through Mengbian Town on my way to the south."

Michael, that old bastard, has an office in this town, which is his liaison with the outside world, and it is managed by his second son, Michael.

Mi Qing has several "Warrior" off-road vehicles, so let's do a Robin Hood-style robbery to help the poor.

We'll drive one car to Mengla, and the rest of you can drive the rest back.

"Wouldn't it be inappropriate to do this? It feels like a robbery to me," Liu Xiaotao said with some concern.

To be honest, I've never robbed anyone before, and no matter who the other person is, I always feel a little uncomfortable.

"Old Captain, how have you become so old-fashioned? When our army was first established, weren't all our weapons and equipment seized from the enemy?"
Besides, why be polite to these 'big flour dealers'? This is to prevent them from selling more 'flour' outside..."

"Alright, no need for any more ideological lectures. I'll go with you, okay? You kid, I never realized you were such a smooth talker. Otherwise, after this mission is over, I'll write you a report to become an instructor." Liu Xiaotao immediately stopped Zhang Jincheng's long-winded talk with a smile.

Zhang Jin laughed heartily upon hearing this, and patted Liu Xiaotao on the shoulder: "Forget about being an instructor, I'm more suited to charging into battle on the front lines. But old captain, we need to hurry, let's set off while it's still early."

"Actually, there are other reasons why I got a few cars, of course, it's also for your convenience," Zhang Jin said mysteriously.

"Just say what you want to say, stop beating around the bush."

"When I broke up with Boss Kang last time, I promised him that I would capture Li Wencai for him, but I unexpectedly failed."

I don't know how many days I'll be back from my trip to Mengla this time, so we can't go back on our word, can we? Don't you think so?

"If you want me to clean up your mess, just say so. Why go through all this trouble?" Liu Xiaotao joked.

Zhang Jincheng said with a smile, "As long as you deliver the person to Mengla within ten days, I'll treat you to a big meal when I get back, how about that?"

Liu Xiaotao pouted and said irritably, "I was thinking of having a seafood feast, but unfortunately you can't make it."

“I’ll personally go into the woods and hunt a roe deer for you. Isn’t that much better than seafood?” Zhang Jin said happily.

Liu Xiaotao handed the telegram from Commander-in-Chief Liu Wu to Zhang Jincheng, saying, "The commander said that Boss Kang wants you to come over, probably to discuss negotiations with the government army, and at the same time, he instructed us to cooperate with him as much as possible."

"They're moving so fast!" Zhang Jincheng muttered to himself as he read the telegram.

"You mean the government and military agreed very quickly?" Liu Xiaotao asked softly.

"Hmm, I thought this would take at least ten days to half a month, but I didn't expect to hear from them so quickly."

"I reckon the commander-in-chief had already spoken to the government army beforehand. As soon as Kang brought it up, the government army immediately agreed to talk to him."

"In that case, we can't wait any longer; I must get to Mengla as soon as possible."

After lunch, the two quickly gathered their team members and briefly explained the action plan.

Before leaving, Zhang Jin specifically instructed the team members who stayed behind: "Remember, if anyone asks, just say we're going out on a routine patrol. Especially keep quiet about those newcomers in the village."

After arranging the guards of the mountain stronghold, Zhang Jin and his group walked to Mengbian Town.

It's a 50-kilometer mountain road, and we won't arrive until dark.

The group made a quick trip along the rugged mountain path, with Zhang Jincheng leading the way and occasionally looking back to check on the team members' condition.

The mountain mist gradually spread, adding some concealment to the march, but also making the path slippery and difficult to walk on.

"Watch your step, everyone. There are a lot of loose stones on this section of the road, so be careful not to twist your ankle," Zhang Jincheng whispered a reminder.

He took out a map and confirmed the location. "There's a fork in the road three kilometers ahead. If we turn east, we can avoid the patrol team's usual route."

After passing this point, it's just a short walk to Mengbian...

The group quickened their pace, and the sound of a stream could be faintly heard through the mist.

Zhuang Yan, who was leading the way, suddenly raised his hand to signal the group to stop. After listening for a moment, he whispered, "There's an engine sound ahead. It's probably a patrol team's motorcycles."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jin led his team members to quickly hide in the bushes by the roadside, holding their breath and focusing their attention.

Sure enough, two minutes later, three modified motorcycles drove through the fog, the armed men on board laughing and talking loudly, completely unaware of the ambush just inches away.

After the sound faded away, Zhang Jin wiped the dew from his face, took out his pocket watch and looked at it: "Twenty minutes later than expected. Zhuang Yan, take Xiao Zhao ahead to scout the way. Send a signal as soon as you spot the Mi family office's sentry post."

Xiao Zhao, whose name was called, stepped forward, and they disappeared into the thick fog in the blink of an eye.

And so, before nightfall, they finally arrived at the outskirts of Mengbian Town.

Upon arriving at this point, Zhang Jin suggested that everyone rest in the woods and have something to eat to replenish their energy.

Zhang Jin squatted under an old banyan tree and took out compressed biscuits from his backpack to distribute to his team members.

He chewed on the hard biscuit, but his eyes remained fixed on the brightly lit town of Mengbian in the distance.

On the watchtowers on the outskirts of the town, searchlights swept across from time to time, drawing streaks of light through the fog.

"Captain, I just sneaked around the edge of town." Zhuang Yan ran back crouching low and reported, "The Mi family office is at the east end of town. There are two armed guards at the entrance, and inside there are still ten guards in total, all inside the office. It's not easy to handle."

However, the back wall is next to a small alley, so the defenses are relatively lax.

Zhang Jin nodded and stuffed the last bite of the biscuit into his mouth: "That kid Mi Qing definitely didn't expect us to come and 'borrow' the car."

Monkey, take three people and climb over the back wall to take control of the garage.

"I and the rest of the men will make some noise at the front gate to draw the guards away."

Liu Xiaotao wiped the cookie crumbs off his hands and frowned, saying, "Don't make too much noise, or we'll get into trouble if we alert the Mi family's patrol team in town."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Zhang Jincheng grinned.

Zhang Jin said he let everyone rest for a full three hours, waiting until most of the people in the town were asleep before starting.

Three hours later, everyone started packing up their equipment and smeared rapeseed oil on their faces.

Zhang Jin instructed everyone to dress up as Boss Lang's men, and then divided the team into two groups to act according to the plan.

Liu Xiaotao and Wang Tao were responsible for dealing with the enemies in front, Zhuang Yan and Ye Peng were responsible for dealing with the enemies inside the courtyard, and Zhang Jincheng led the remaining team members to deal with the enemies at the main gate.

The team members all fitted silencers to their guns to avoid disturbing the local residents in the town.

Upon entering the town, all the shops on both sides were closed and locked. Apart from the occasional barking of dogs, the whole town was like an overworked farmer who wouldn't wake up even if you kicked him twice.

The commando team sneaked into the Mi family's office, and the whole courtyard was very quiet.

After approaching the gate on one side of the courtyard, A-Gui took out a piece of cooked meat that he had prepared beforehand and threw it in through the gate.

A large wolfhound suddenly pounced and bit into the fragrant cooked meat.

Zhuang Yan inserted the silenced pistol through the crack in the door. The muzzle made a slight click, and the large wolfhound snorted and lay still on the ground.

Zhuang Yan quickly climbed over the wall into the courtyard and opened the office door from the inside. The team members filed in.

Liu Xiaotao led Wang Tao, Gao Shang, and others straight to the two-story building along the street.

The staircase to the small building was on the outside. Liu Xiaotao gestured to Wang Tao and Lu Da to go upstairs, and then went with Gao Shang to the first floor to search for the enemy.

There is a small door on the first floor leading to the backyard, and light shines through the crack in the door.

Liu Xiaotao leaned closer and glanced inside; it was a small hall.

There was a table in the middle where five or six people were playing cards.

Liu Xiaotao gently pushed open the door and went inside with Gao Shang. These guys were probably too engrossed in their card game; Liu Xiaotao and Gao Shang didn't even notice them standing behind them.

Liu Xiaotao patted one of the guys on the shoulder, but the guy didn't even turn around and said impatiently, "What's wrong? I've almost lost everything, don't bother me."

"I'm here to rob you," Liu Xiaotao said slowly and deliberately, crouching on the ground with his hands covering his head.

Having been in the "Old Miao Village" for so long, Liu Xiaotao and the other members of the assault team have all learned the local dialect, and at least they can communicate normally without any problems.

Only then did the men notice the two dark gun barrels, and an uneasy look appeared in their eyes. One of them asked in a low voice, "Brothers, where are you from? We don't have any grudge against each other, do we?"

Liu Xiaotao sneered, his gun muzzle remaining motionless: "Enough nonsense, put your hands behind your heads and squat in the corner! If you utter another word, I'll wipe you out..." He winked at Gao Shang, who immediately stepped forward and confiscated the weapons from the table.

The group of guys then realized the seriousness of the situation and huddled together, their faces turning pale.

At this moment, Wang Tao and the others also came in, and whispered in Liu Xiaotao's ear, "There's no one upstairs."

Liu Xiaotao deliberately said loudly, "Tie up these brats, and take all the valuables with you. If we get back late, Boss Lang will be unhappy."

The bound guards turned ashen-faced upon hearing the words "Boss Lang".

One of the tall, thin men said in a trembling voice, "So you're Master Lang's men. Take whatever you want, brothers, just please don't hurt us."

Liu Xiaotao used the barrel of his gun to lift the man's chin, deliberately lowering his voice: "You're a smart kid." Then, with a wave of his hand, Wang Tao and Gao Shang came over and tied up the five or six people.

Lu Da walked to the table, gathered the scattered money together, and stuffed it into his pocket.

Liu Xiaotao said to Gao Shang, "You stay here and watch over them. The rest of you go to the backyard and look for anything valuable."

The man who had spoken earlier was still not satisfied and couldn't help but say, "Brothers, you're from the old city, we used to be one family, that's enough, go easy on me."

Liu Xiaotao stepped forward and angrily kicked the guy, "Who the hell is related to you? That old bastard Michael ruined our Third Master's life. Don't think our Boss Lang doesn't know."

At this moment, A-Gui walked in from outside. Seeing this scene, he whispered to Liu Xiaotao, "The new guy is Mi Gao's second son, Mi Qing."

Liu Xiaotao suddenly realized and said, "No wonder! If you keep talking, I'll drag you back to collect your reward from Boss Lang."

How could things possibly turn out well if this fell into Boss Lang's hands? Upon hearing this, Mi Qing immediately showed a look of horror and remained silent in fear.

Liu Xiaotao and Agui turned around and came out.

In the yard, there was a Warrior SUV and three Ford four-wheel drive pickup trucks.

The other team members had also finished their battle and were loading things onto the pickup truck, including oil drums and several wooden crates, which looked like boxes of "Number Four" (a type of armored vehicle).

Gasoline is a scarce resource for the commando team. While "No. 4" gasoline can be easily purchased in the "Jin San area," gasoline is very difficult to obtain.

Zhang Jin walked around the Warrior off-road vehicle and patted the hood with satisfaction: "This vehicle is in good condition and can withstand the hardships of mountain roads." He turned to the team members who were loading the vehicle and whispered: "Hurry up and load all the oil drums onto the pickup truck, and bring those 'number four' as well. We'll burn them later."

Zhuang Yan jogged over from the back door of the office, carrying a brown leather file bag: "Captain, we found this in the office on the second floor. It contains the ledgers for the Mi family's transactions with overseas entities."

Zhang Jin took the document and flipped through it, a cold smile playing on his lips: "This is good stuff, keep it safe." He then stuffed the document bag into a lining of his tactical vest.

Suddenly, several barks came from a distance, and Zhang Jincheng immediately raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

Ye Peng nimbly climbed onto the wall and observed for a moment before jumping down and whispering, "It's the Mi family's patrol team from town; they're still far away."

Seeing that it was about time, Zhang Jin called everyone to get in the car.

"Retreat as planned." Zhang Jin made a gesture, and the team members quickly split into three groups and boarded the vehicles.

Zhuang Yan jumped into the driver's seat of the Warrior off-road vehicle and skillfully started the engine.

With a low rumble, four cars silently drove out of the office and sped off along the original road out of town.

The "Warrior Off-Road Vehicle" carried Zhang Jincheng, Zhuang Yan, Wang Tao, and several others; they were heading to Mengla overnight.

The remaining team members, led by Liu Xiaotao, drove three pickup trucks back to "Old Miao Village" with supplies.

The commando team struck it rich this time. They had previously lost two "Warrior" vehicles, but this time they acquired four more, along with a large quantity of supplies.

Zhang Jincheng sat in the passenger seat, flipping through the account books by the moonlight.

Zhuang Yan skillfully maneuvered the steering wheel, navigating the rugged mountain road with agility.

Suddenly, Gao Shang's urgent voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Captain, we're being followed! Three motorcycles, it looks like the Mi family is catching up!"

Zhang Jin immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie: "Attention everyone, proceed according to Plan Two. Instructor, you turn right at the fork in the road ahead back to the mountain stronghold, we'll turn left to lure them away." After saying that, he patted Zhuang Yan on the shoulder: "Get ready to shake them off."

Zhuang Yan nodded in understanding and slammed on the gas pedal.

The Warrior off-road vehicle let out a deep roar, drawing a beautiful arc on the bend.

In the rearview mirror, the lights of three motorcycles were getting closer and closer.

Wang Tao leaned out of the back seat and set up his assault rifle: "Captain, should we?"

"Don't fire yet." Zhang Jincheng squinted. "There's a sharp turn ahead. Watch me." He quickly pulled out several caltrops from his backpack and precisely scattered them onto the road as the vehicle rounded the bend.

Caught off guard, the first motorcycle skidded and overturned, and the two behind it also braked hastily.

Taking advantage of the lull, Zhuang Yan jerked the steering wheel, and the SUV plunged into the dense forest by the roadside.

The branches scraped against the car body with a screeching sound, but they quickly shook off their pursuers.

"Well done!" Wang Tao excitedly punched the chair.

Zhang Jin said with a solemn expression: "Don't be too happy yet, the Mi family will not let this go."

"Zhuang Yan, take a detour and try to reach Mengla before dawn."

At the same time, Liu Xiaotao's convoy successfully shook off their pursuers.

After a long journey that lasted all night, Zhang Jin said they arrived in Mengla the next morning.

Because of the urgency of Kang Laoda's situation, Zhang Jin said that they went straight to Kang Laoda's temporary residence without taking a break.

Unlike the last time I visited, there were noticeably more guards at the entrance of Boss Kang's house, and there were also heavily armed soldiers patrolling nearby.

Zhang Jin signaled for his team members to get out of the car, then straightened his collar and strode towards the guard.

The head guard recognized him, gave him a polite nod, and then turned to go inside to report.

A short while later, Boss Kang came out to greet them personally.

"My dear brother has finally arrived!"

"Brother Kang, how have you been?"

"..."

When they met again, Kang Laoda and Zhang Jincheng were even more enthusiastic.

After exchanging a few polite words, Zhang Jincheng got straight to the point: "Brother Kang, why do I feel like the atmosphere is a bit off?"

"Haha, my brother, you mean those additional guards, right?"

That was because my daughter was worried about my arrangements, so she specially added a guard platoon for me.

"Actually, this place is so close to the border, what danger could there be?" Boss Kang said nonchalantly.

Zhang Jin nodded thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping over the heavily armed guards around him.

Although these soldiers were wearing green uniforms, their posture and gun-holding postures indicated that they were elite soldiers, clearly not ordinary soldiers.

He smiled calmly and said, "Your daughter is truly filial, but Brother Kang does need more manpower lately."

Kang, the eldest brother, put his arm around Zhang Jincheng's shoulder and led him into the house, heading straight to the study where the two had their last private conversation. He said to him impatiently, "Brother, I've received an invitation from the government army. They want me to personally go to their headquarters in Mandalay to discuss the joint operation..."

(End of this chapter)