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

Chapter 736 The Agricultural Expert Arrives!!

"Of course! As long as it helps with the later promotion, I'll do whatever you say," Liu Xiaotao said happily.

Two days later, Zhang Jin said they had returned from Mengla, and Liu Xiaotao told him about Liu Benhui's idea.

Zhang Jin also supported the suggestion and asked A Gui to fully assist Liu Benhui in his work. The two of them quickly got things going in the mountain village.

The villagers of "Laomiao Village" are very happy to participate in farm work because they will earn many times more income than before.

In fact, the elderly here have a very simple idea: as long as they can live a better life, they are definitely willing to change their original way of life.

Liu Benhui and Agui acted quickly, setting up a simple office shed on the open ground of the mountain village and hanging up a wooden sign that read "Old Miao Village Ecological Farm".

The morning sunlight shone through the thin mist onto the wooden sign, casting a warm glow.

They divided the mountain people into several groups according to the plan: the planting group was responsible for cultivating terraced fields, the animal husbandry group built bamboo fences, and the elderly with superb skills formed a traditional craft group.

In the first week, joyful laughter filled the village.

Women carried bamboo baskets and sowed seeds in the newly built seedling shed; men wielded hoes and transformed the slopes where Ying Su had been planted into neat terraces.

Just as Liu Benhui had feared, several months later, after the mountain villagers harvested large quantities of sugarcane and other crops, there was nowhere to sell them.

In the "Golden Three Regions," there were neither markets for purchasing agricultural products nor enterprises for processing them. As a result, the crops piled up like mountains, causing great distress to everyone in the mountain village.

However, Zhang Jincheng was very satisfied with the success of the planting, because both sugarcane and rubber are in high demand in China, so there will be no problem with large-scale planting and sales in the future. As long as the mountain people here are willing to give up planting sucrose, "Operation Sharp Sword" will definitely succeed.

After planting this season's sugarcane, the villagers of "Laomiao Village" have realized that it is simpler and easier to manage than planting sugarcane. As long as their future income is guaranteed, they are all willing to undertake this project.

Seeing the abundant sugarcane piled up like mountains, Liu Benhui had a sudden inspiration and summoned Agui and several village elders overnight to discuss countermeasures.

She suggested using the unused bamboo houses in the village to temporarily transform them into a simple sugar workshop. "I've seen Grandpa make sugar using traditional methods, we can give it a try," said Yina, a girl with a colorful headscarf, volunteering.

On the morning of the third day, wisps of smoke rose from the east end of the village.

The men fed the sugarcane into the stone mill, the women tended the large iron pot to boil syrup, and the children ran back and forth, passing firewood.

When the first batch of golden, translucent brown sugar was ready, the old priest dipped his trembling hand into the syrup and placed a mark of blessing on everyone's forehead.

Upon learning of this, Zhang Jin immediately sent people to Sunshine to purchase professional equipment and also invited professional technicians from China.

This laid a solid foundation for the future deep processing of crops such as sugarcane.

After entrusting the planting of crops to experts from China, such as Liu Benhui, Zhang Jin said he would shift his focus to future actions.

For the next period of time, the "Sharp Sword Commando" will focus on helping Boss Kang train his troops and strengthen their combat capabilities, while also secretly preparing for "Operation Sharp Sword Commando".

Zhang Jincheng stood on the observation platform halfway up the mountain, looking down at the bustling training ground below, which was a secret military base in Mengla.

Kang Laoda's soldiers were practicing the tactical movements taught by the commando team, and their neat shouts echoed through the valley.

He turned to his deputy Zhuang Yan and said, "Notify the heads of each training group to hold a meeting in the conference room after dinner."

“Okay!” Zhuang Yan nodded, turned around and went down the tower.

After dinner, the commandos, including officers under Kang Laoda, sat in the conference room for a meeting.

Zhang Jin unfolded a hand-drawn map and pointed to the area circled in red: "According to the latest intelligence, Boss Lang's troops are in the above area..."

……

After learning that Boss Kang was going to join forces with the government army to deal with him, Boss Lang also began to adjust his troop deployment.

Boss Lang knew Kang's military strength very well and knew that he posed no danger to him.

The key is the government army west of Sawen, because the government army is several times larger than Lang Laoda in terms of both manpower and equipment. If the government army launches a full-scale attack on the old city, his defenses will be difficult to withstand.

Lang Lao Da deployed half of his troops to the western front and had his nephew Lang Kai, who was also Lang Lao Er's son, personally oversee the command.

While deploying his troops, Boss Lang did not forget to continue bribing government personnel.

As long as the government's army doesn't send troops but doesn't exert its full strength, Kang Laoda's small force is simply no match for him.

Boss Lang squinted as he puffed on his hookah and said to his adjutant beside him, "Go and tell those officers in the western front of the government army that I, Lang, value loyalty above all else. If they help me this time and make the government army work without putting in any effort, each of them will receive double the reward." The adjutant nodded in understanding and turned to secretly contact those government army spies.

After more than six months of careful preparation, "Operation Sharp Sword" officially began before the rainy season arrived.

As agreed by both sides, a division of the Chinese army suddenly crossed the Sawen River and approached the old city from the west.

Meanwhile, Kang Laoda's troops also gathered at "Laoya Ridge," preparing to attack the old city from the south.

At dawn, thick fog enveloped both banks of the Sawen River.

Under the cover of the morning fog, the vanguard of the ZF army quietly crossed the border river.

Meanwhile, Kang Laoda's elite troops were advancing towards "Laoya Ridge" along the rugged mountain path, the soldiers' rubber boots making a slight sound as they stepped on the slippery stone steps.

Lang Kai stood in the western defensive fortifications, observing the movements on the river with binoculars.

He noticed that the government army's advance was unusually slow, and a cold smile crept onto his lips.

Sure enough, the bribed officers were secretly slowing down the march.

He turned to the communications soldier and ordered, "Notify our troops on the southern front to be on high alert against Kang Laoda's sneak attack."

Lang Laoda deployed 3,000 men at the "Laoyaling" defense line, hoping to use the natural barrier to defend against Kang Laoda's troops.

Laoya Ridge was originally a strategically important and easily defensible location, so Lang Laoda used three times the number of troops as Kang Laoda to defend it.

That day, Kang Laoda's troops marched silently in the darkness before dawn, the soldiers gripping their weapons tightly.

The officer at the front gestured for the troops to stop.

He crouched down and carefully examined the winding mountain road ahead—that was the area where Boss Lang had the most tight defenses.

"Sir, the reconnaissance team is back," the deputy reported in a low voice.

Two scouts emerged from the bushes, their faces covered in dew and mud.

"There are sentries 300 meters ahead, and heavy machine guns are mounted on the cliffs on both sides," the scout reported, panting. "But we found a small path used by herb gatherers on the east side. We tried to get behind them, but we found that there were enemy troops defending it as well."

"Cunning beast!" the officer thought to himself, and immediately reported the discovery to headquarters via radio.

Meanwhile, the government forces on the western front continued their slow advance, with commanders frequently ordering their troops to "rest," giving Langkay's defenders ample time to deploy their defenses.

Meanwhile, in the old city command post, Boss Lang was smugly swirling his wine glass.

He had just received news from the western front that the government's offensive was indeed all bark and no bite. "That idiot Kang, without the government's support, he's dreaming of defeating me with his meager forces... Hahaha..."

Sure enough, after the battle began, Kang Laoda's troops launched a fierce attack on the "Laoyaling" defense line for two days without making any breakthrough.

Kang Laoda was furious at the command post, extremely dissatisfied with the performance of his troops.

However, his frontline officers complained, "Boss, it's not that the brothers aren't working hard, it's just that the enemy seems to have more troops than us, and they're easy to defend but difficult to attack!"

Kang Laoda didn't believe his officers. He thought it shouldn't be like this; most of Lang Laoda's troops should be deployed on the western front, so why was it so difficult? Kang Laoda slammed his fist on the battle map, making his teacup clink. Just as he was about to explode, the curtain of the command tent was suddenly lifted, and Zhang Jincheng strode in with Zhuang Yan.

"Commander Kang, I know about the situation at the front." Zhang Jincheng gestured for the officers to leave the tent first, then lowered his voice and said, "The intelligence from the western front doesn't seem quite right to me..."

"Oh, what do you mean by that, brother?" Kang asked anxiously, his heart sinking.

Zhang Jin also expressed some doubts about Lang Laoda's troop deployment, because for the old city, the focus of defense should have been on the western front.

One division of the government army has crossed the Sawen River. If it were a head-on confrontation, even if Boss Lang sent all his troops, he might not be able to withstand the government army's attack.

However, now Lang Laoda's troops have focused their defense efforts on the southern front, "Laoya Ridge," while only a little over a thousand men are left on the western front.

This unusual military deployment seems to be foreshadowing something.

Seeing that Kang Laoda's troops could not break through "Laoya Ridge", Zhang Jincheng was very anxious. If the battle could not be ended before the rainy season, then "Operation Sharp Sword" would have to be stopped and would not be carried out again for at least a few months.

Zhang Jin stared at the map in deep thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly narrowed: "Brother Kang, I suspect that Boss Lang has made some kind of deal with certain people in the western front government army. Look—" His finger traced the government army's strange marching route on the map, "Their advance is too slow, which is clearly buying time for Boss Lang."

Upon hearing this, Boss Kang's expression changed drastically, and he slammed his fist on the table, standing up abruptly: "I knew it! How come we couldn't even take a hill after two days of fighting! These traitorous bastards!" He paced back and forth in the tent, his military boots thumping loudly on the ground.

"Brother Kang, don't worry. I'll go back and think of a solution. It seems that relying on others is really not as good as relying on yourself..."

"Alright, brother, then I'll leave it to you. I hope you can come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise my troops will be in trouble..."

After returning to the commando team's base, Zhang Jin urged all team members to discuss countermeasures.

After a discussion, Zhang Jin decided to lead the assault team to detour around to the other side of Laoya Ridge, to tear a gap from behind the enemy, and to help Kang Laoda's troops break through the Laoya Ridge defense line.

At this moment, Zhang Jin was considering how to break through the enemy's defenses when Kang Laoda called and asked him to come to his command post again, saying that there was something important to discuss.

When Zhang Jin returned to the command post, he found Kang Laoda pacing anxiously back and forth. Upon seeing him, Kang Laoda hurriedly said, "Brother, just as you predicted, the government army is really not putting in any real effort. After crossing the Sawen River, they are just holding out with Lang Laoda's troops without launching an attack."

“Boss Lang only deployed a thousand men on the front line. It seems he knows the government army won’t attack him.” Zhang Jincheng frowned, giving up any illusions about the government army.

Kang Laoda pointed to the map and said to Zhang Jin, "Now we can be completely certain that of Lang Laoda's five thousand men, he deployed one thousand on the western front, one thousand to defend the old city, and the remaining three thousand-plus men are all on the opposite side of us, using them to resist us with all their might."

If the government army doesn't attack Lang Laoda as agreed, we have no chance of winning. We must find a way to make the government army attack Lang Laoda immediately as agreed..."

Zhang Jincheng stared at the map in silence, nervously pondering a solution.

The current situation is beyond his expectations, and dealing with such an army for the first time is really making him uncomfortable.

No wonder the Kim Jong-un region is in this state; what can you say with a government and military like this...?

Seeing that Zhang Jincheng remained silent, Kang Laoda reminded him, "Should we put more pressure on the government army?"

Zhang Jin said he understood what Boss Kang meant, but judging from the current situation, even if they put pressure on them, the final effect would not be very good.

He gently shook his head and said, "A general in the field may disobey orders, let alone a corrupt army."

Those in higher positions can't always go to the front lines and watch the soldiers fight.

The key now lies with the government army's frontline commanders.

"What should we do then? If this drags on, it will be very disadvantageous for us," said Boss Kang anxiously, now completely flustered.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Jin said to Boss Kang in a firm tone, "Brother Kang, please rest assured, leave this matter to me. I have a way to get the government army moving."

"Oh, is that really true?" Boss Kang became excited upon hearing this, as he was now counting on Zhang Jincheng.

Kang Laoda knew that this young man never made empty promises; if he did, he would definitely deliver.

Therefore, he wanted to hear from Zhang Jincheng how he mobilized the government army.

However, Zhang Jin did not reveal his own plans, but said to Brother Kang: "Brother Kang, please order the troops attacking at the front to stop first, and then send out scouts to keep a close eye on the enemy's movements."

Two days later, if any enemy movements are detected at 'Old Crow Ridge,' launch an attack to try and break through their defenses.

Kang Laoda looked at Zhang Jincheng in surprise. He couldn't fathom what kind of brilliant strategy this young man possessed that allowed him to know that the enemy at Laoyaling would be mobilized in two days.

Zhang Jin didn't say much, and Boss Kang didn't ask any more questions, only saying, "Okay, okay, okay, no problem."

After leaving the command post, Zhang Jin immediately gathered the core members of the assault team, explained the situation to everyone, and asked them to brainstorm solutions.

Liu Xiaotao noticed that Zhang Jincheng's expression was calm and his tone was unhurried, indicating that the guy must have an idea and just wanted to hear everyone's opinions to integrate them.

The team members expressed their thoughts one after another. Everyone mentioned forcing the government to take action, but they disagreed on the specific methods to use. In the end, they all looked at Zhang Jincheng, wanting to hear his plan.

Zhang Jincheng listened intently to the team members' speeches, then suddenly noticed that everyone had fallen silent. He looked up and around, then said to everyone, "Everyone mentioned forcing the government army to take action, which is a good idea. The key is how to do it."

It's clear that our strength alone is insufficient, so we need to get Boss Lang to force the government army to start a war.

Zhang Jincheng's words immediately piqued the interest of the team members. Boss Lang's biggest worry was that the government would take action against her, so why would he force the government to take action? Everyone looked at Zhang Jincheng curiously, waiting for him to continue.

Zhang Jin walked to the map and continued, "The dividing line between the government army and Lang Laoda was the Sawen River. In order to show that they had taken action, the government army has now crossed the Sawen River, and Lang Laoda's troops on the western front have also retreated thirty kilometers in tacit agreement."

We know that the relationship between the government and the military is definitely financial. What could be more important than a financial relationship?

Zhang Jin paused deliberately at this point, glanced at everyone on the inspection team, and then said, "Of course it's safe."

For either side, survival is always the top priority, so we need to create a survival crisis between them, thereby forcing them to take action.

Zhang Jin said that by this point everyone had guessed his plan: he wanted to provoke a conflict between Boss Lang and the government's military branch.

"Our Sharp Sword Commando Team is divided into two action groups. The first group is led by Instructor Liu. Your mission is to blow up the highway bridge over the Sawen River and cut off the government army's retreat route."

I led the second group, disguised as Lang ZF soldiers, to infiltrate Lang's army's position.

Our target is Langka. If we can take Langka out, the western front will definitely fall into chaos.

And Lang Laoda would also panic, he would be worried that the government army would launch an attack on him and send more troops to the west.

The government army's rear was cut off. As long as Boss Lang mobilized his troops, the government army would definitely launch a preemptive attack on him..."

"Brilliant! What a brilliant plan!" Liu Xiaotao couldn't help but exclaim. Zhang Jin called this guy a true genius for coming up with such a clever idea. "Although they maintain their relationship with money, they're definitely wary of each other. If one side makes a move, the other will surely strike first..."

"The government army has started operations on the western front, while Kang Laoda is also taking action on the southern front at the same time. Meanwhile, our commando team will join forces and rush into the old city, wreak havoc inside Lang Laoda's belly, turn the world upside down, and make him unable to attend to both ends."

“Okay, let’s go with your plan. I think it’s feasible!” Liu Xiaotao clapped his hands in agreement.

“I have no objection either!” Zhuang Yan followed up.

"agree!"

"I agree!"

Zhang Jincheng's plan was ultimately unanimously approved by the team members.

He immediately began to deploy the operational details, dividing the commando team into two groups, each equipped with sophisticated equipment and communication devices.

The first group, led by Liu Xiaotao, was responsible for blowing up the highway bridge over the Sawen River.

(End of this chapter)