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

Chapter 764 "Langzhai"!!!
In the towering mountains about fifty kilometers northwest of the old city, the cunning Lang Yuancai meticulously crafted a hidden escape route for himself.

After years of painstaking efforts, Lang Yuancai built a fortified secret mountain stronghold—Langzhai—nestled among the mountains.

Langzhai is located in an extremely rugged area, surrounded by cliffs and precipices, with only a winding, narrow path for passage, making it a natural fortress that can be described as "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand".

Months earlier, when the coalition government forces led by Kang Jiasheng launched an attack on the old city, the cunning Lang Yuancai knew that there was no chance of winning if they resisted to the end.

He made a decisive move, ordering his trusted confidants to secretly transfer a large amount of military supplies to Langzhai, and also moved his family and most of his close associates to this remote mountain fortress.

When the Kang family army was at the city gates, Lang Yuancai did not choose to put up a stubborn resistance. Instead, he decisively abandoned the old city that he had cultivated for many years and led his elite troops to quietly retreat to the retreat route that had been prepared in advance.

The internal structure of Langzhai is full of hidden secrets.

Behind the main hall, Lang Yuancai ordered his men to carve out a secret passage leading directly into the mountainside, with its exit connected to a turbulent underground river.

This escape route was known only to him and two trusted confidants; even the guards in the stronghold were completely unaware of it.

The village's granary was filled with grain transported from the old city, enough to last for three years.

Even more remarkably, Lang Yuancai also established a secret training ground deep in the mountain stronghold, where he drilled soldiers who had retired from the old city and newly recruited mountain villagers every day.

These mountain people have lived here for generations, are familiar with every mountain path, and are all experts at climbing rocks and crossing streams.

Every nightfall, Lang Yuancai would stand on the watchtower at the highest point of the mountain stronghold, looking down at the faint lights of the old town in the distance.

He toyed with a red jade thumb ring in his hand, a cold smile playing on his lips.

This seemingly isolated mountain stronghold actually harbors his ambition to make a comeback.

Recently, his spies brought back important news: Kang Jiasheng and the government army had a falling out over the distribution of profits.

The government army was forced to withdraw from the old city and retreat directly to the banks of the Sawen River, the starting point of their war, and gained no benefit whatsoever. Kang Jiasheng was the biggest beneficiary.

This series of defeats completely shook the fragile alliance between the government and Kang Jiasheng.

If it weren't for the fact that both sides faced a common enemy—Lang Yuancai—they would probably have already gone to war.

The alliance that exists on the surface is now just a thin veil of pretense, and it could collapse at any moment.

Lang Yuancai keenly realized that the long-awaited opportunity for a counterattack was about to arrive.

However, Lang Yuancai did not rashly deploy troops to directly attack the old city.

On the one hand, his troops had just suffered a crushing defeat, their morale was low, and their combat effectiveness had not yet recovered. To send troops out hastily at this time would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

On the other hand, it is clear that the old city's garrison commander, Kang Jiasheng, has the support of that "great power" in secret.

Lang Yuancai knew that if he rashly attacked this impregnable city, not only would he be unlikely to win, but he might also suffer an even more devastating defeat.

Once upon a time, Lang Yuancai, relying on the two "weapons of mass destruction" he possessed, was so arrogant that he dared to challenge that "great power" head-on.

However, these two "weapons of mass destruction" have now been completely destroyed by enemy special forces.

Having lost these two crucial trump cards, Lang Yuancai is like a cobra with its fangs removed, possessing only the outward appearance but no longer posing a lethal threat.

Let's rewind to a month ago.

That day, Lang Yuancai stood on the high platform of the mountain stronghold's training ground, looking at the soldiers who were training, a sinister glint in his eyes.

He knew that brute force alone was not enough to make a comeback.

Lang Yuancai must wait for the perfect opportunity, a chance for Kang Jiasheng and the government army to turn against each other.

Recently, his spies brought back even more exciting news: In order to combat "drugs," Kang Jiasheng began to persuade the villagers in the surrounding mountain villages to give up planting Ying Su and cooperate with a "bilateral trading company" in the old town to switch to planting other cash crops.

Kang Jiasheng is doing this to completely sever the roots of the DX warlords.

Destroying someone's wealth is like killing one's parents.

Kang Jiasheng's move has angered many DX warlords in the "Jin San region," and many of them have begun to secretly organize sabotage against the "Planting Alternative Plan."

Lang Yuancai's lips curled up slightly; this was the breakthrough he had been waiting for.

He immediately gathered several trusted confidants and secretly devised a plan.

They decided to first send people to infiltrate these reactionary DX warlord factions, incite discontent among "DP" stakeholders, and at the same time secretly provide financial and weapons support, turning these DX bandits into a sharp sword in their hands.

Moreover, Lang Yuancai himself took charge of the "Lang Village" campaign, dispatching his trusted adjutant to lead elite troops in a swift and decisive attack on several remote villages that had pledged to participate in the Old Town's "alternative planting plan."

This long-planned crackdown unleashed a bloody storm in the mountains.

Lang Yuancai's move was intended to send a warning to all the mountain people. He wanted to use the bloodiest method to send a clear signal: anyone who dared to abandon the Yingsu planting and join the "alternative planting plan" in the old town would face annihilation.

The raging fires and mournful cries of those mountain strongholds were Lang Yuancai's last struggle against this change.

Lang Yuancai dispatched some of his men to carry out this bloody crackdown on some innocent mountain people who participated in the "alternative planting plan," which was just the beginning.

Those slaughtered villages will become Lang Yuancai's tool to intimidate people and force more wavering mountain people to submit in fear.

Meanwhile, Lang Yuancai's trusted confidants have successfully infiltrated several major DX warlord forces.

These warlords already hated Kang Jiasheng's "alternative planting plan" to the core, and now, with the weapons and financial support secretly provided by Lang Yuancai, they were even more powerful.

They began organizing larger-scale acts of sabotage, attacking villages that had switched to growing cash crops, burning farmland, kidnapping technicians, and cutting off transportation routes...

Lang Yuancai chose not to confront Kang Jiasheng's troops in the old city head-on, but instead attacked the scattered mountain villages of the local people. This tactic was disgusting but effective, forcing Zhang Jincheng and his assault team to put out fires everywhere.

Kang Jiasheng quickly realized the seriousness of the situation.

He stood before the sand table in the old town council hall, looking at the mountain map covered with red markers, his brow furrowed.

These markings represent villages that have been attacked in the past month, forming a shocking web of blood.

“Mr. Zhang Jincheng and his commando team are exhausted.” Kang Jiasheng’s chief of staff, Wu Damin, reported with great concern. “Our forces are too scattered, while Lang Yuancai and DX’s troops are elusive, targeting our weakly defended villages.”

Kang Jiasheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on the location of Langzhai on the sand table.

The fortress hidden in the towering mountains seemed to be mocking him silently.

Kang Jiasheng whirled around, a cold glint in his eyes, his fists clenching involuntarily: "We can no longer sit idly by and wait to die. Pass down the order: execute 'Operation Fox Hunt' immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Damin's expression changed drastically, unsure of what to say: "You mean to use our moles in Langzhai? But the deployment is not yet complete, and a hasty action might..." "Enough!" Kang Jiasheng interrupted sharply, his brows furrowed with an unyielding gloom, "Every day that viper Lang Yuancai lives is a fatal threat to the 'Destroy the Party' cause."

My mind is made up, there's no need to say more!

Seeing Kang Jiasheng's resolute attitude, Wu Damin had a sudden inspiration: "S-order, why don't we invite Mr. Zhang over to discuss this first? He is always resourceful and wise, perhaps..." Before he could finish speaking, he was abruptly cut off by Kang Jiasheng's sharp gaze.

“Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang, my Brother Zhang and his team are so busy, we have to trouble them with everything…” As he spoke, Kang Jiasheng suddenly slammed his hand on the table, his face ashen as he glared at Wu Damin, his voice filled with suppressed anger: “Wu Damin! Tell me, do you think we can really accomplish nothing without Brother Zhang and his team’s help?”

He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, his military boots making heavy thuds on the floor: "I, Kang Jiasheng, have led my brothers through so many life-and-death battles over the years, and in your eyes they are all just useless trash?"

He suddenly stopped, turned around and stared intently at Wu Damin, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light: "Those rumors outside, saying that without Brother Zhang and the 'great power' behind him, we are nothing—" He grabbed Wu Damin's collar, his voice rising abruptly: "Come on, tell me honestly, do you think so too?!"

Wu Damin trembled at Kang Jiasheng's sudden outburst of rage. He stammered, "Sir, please calm down. That's not what I meant at all."

"Then what exactly do you mean? Speak! Explain yourself clearly!" Kang Jiasheng's eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged on his forehead.

He was under tremendous pressure during this period, with bad news coming one after another, bringing him to the brink of collapse.

One day this mountain stronghold is attacked, and the next day that planting site is destroyed.
Just as they finished dealing with the casualties, they received the devastating news that their technicians had been kidnapped.

These unexpected events, like sharp knives, have shattered the previously steadily progressing "alternative planting plan."

Even more worrying is that some mountain people and villages that had originally joined the plan began to waver and back down after witnessing the enemy's cruel methods.

As the promising situation took a sharp turn for the worse, Kang Jiasheng's anger was like a volcano about to erupt, ready to burst at any moment.

His clenched fist trembled slightly, his knuckles turned white from excessive force, and he looked like a live volcano about to erupt.

Just then, the phone in Kang Jiasheng's office rang urgently.

Kang Jiasheng frowned, his gaze piercing Wu Damin like a knife. He wanted to ignore him, but the phone kept ringing like a death knell.

Wu Damin nervously wiped the large beads of sweat from his forehead, bowed, and said with a forced smile, "You, you should answer the phone first, hehe."

Kang Jiasheng glared at Wu Damin and said, "I'll settle the score with you later, hmph..."

Then, Kang Jiasheng picked up the phone on the table and said somewhat impatiently, "Hello! What is it..."

"Hey! Why are you so angry today, Brother Kang?" Zhang Jincheng's teasing voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Ah! Hahaha... It's Brother Zhang! Look at me... I didn't know it was you calling." Upon hearing that it was Zhang Jincheng, Kang Jiasheng immediately put on a smiling face.

"Brother Kang, what's wrong?" Zhang Jin asked with concern. He knew Kang Jiasheng's character and that he wouldn't lose his temper for no reason.

Upon hearing this, Kang Jiasheng paused, opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately let out a heavy sigh: "Hey, brother, it's all because of all these recent troubles!" He rubbed his temples, the wrinkles between his brows deepening.

In the spacious and bright manager's office of the "Bilateral Trading Company," Zhang Jin frowned and then said, "Brother Kang, to be honest, we're also worried about this matter..."

"How about this, brother, come to my command post when you have time, and we can talk in person!"
This won't do! Our 'alternative planting plan' can't be ruined!" Kang Jiasheng invited Zhang Jincheng over for a chat.

"Okay, Brother Kang, I'll be right there." Zhang Jin hung up the phone, got up and walked out of the office, calling out to Zhuang Yan, "Monkey, come out with me for a bit."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaotao also came out and asked, "Old Zhang, where are you going?"

"Old Liu, Boss Kang just invited me to his command post."

"I'll be right there. It might take a while. If you need anything important, just call his office to let me know," Zhang Jincheng instructed.

"Okay!" Liu Xiaotao nodded.

Zhang Jincheng and Zhuang Yan drove to Kang Jiasheng's command post, and the tense atmosphere they witnessed along the way was palpable.

There were noticeably more sentries on both sides of the road, and the soldiers looked on guard, with a sense of impending doom hanging in the air.

When the car entered the command center compound, Kang Jiasheng was already standing on the steps waiting.

He strode forward and grasped Zhang Jincheng's hand tightly: "Brother Zhang, you've finally arrived!" His voice betrayed his undisguised anxiety.

The three entered the operations room, where a combat map hanging on the wall was densely marked with enemy and friendly positions. Kang Jiasheng pointed to the map and said, "The situation is worse than we imagined."

Lang Yuancai not only incited many DX warlords and bandits, but he also bribed some people within our ranks. He slammed his fist on the table. "Just now, one of our vehicles transporting agricultural supplies to a certain planting site encountered an unknown force during the journey," Zhang Jin said angrily.

"What? Another accident! What's the casualty situation?" Zhang Jin's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he almost dropped the teacup in his hand.

These enemies are absolutely ruthless. Their commando team had finally managed to get a day of rest, but they were attacked again so soon.

Kang Jiasheng's eyes were bloodshot, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "Our people...all of them sacrificed themselves. The supplies they were transporting were also reduced to ashes."

"It's those beasts, Lang Yuancai, again!" Zhang Jincheng slammed his fist on the table, scattering the documents across it. "No one but them would do something so inhumane." His voice trembled with rage, and his eyes burned with the flames of revenge.

Zhuang Yan stood to the side, his fists clenched so tightly they turned white.

He recalled Agan, the driver of the "Bilateral Trade Company" who was murdered last week. The honest and kind man who always loved to hum folk songs was ambushed while driving to transport supplies, and he and his vehicle plunged off a cliff.

Blood debt must be paid with blood!
A brief silence fell over the operations room, broken only by the jarring ticking of the wall clock.

Zhang Jin suddenly turned and walked towards the map, his finger slamming heavily on the location of Langzhai: "Brother Kang, we can't continue to be passively attacked. I suggest we immediately launch a 'decapitation operation' to eliminate Lang Yuancai, this root of trouble!"

Kang Jiasheng's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but he immediately frowned: "But we are not ready yet. Langzhai is strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack. A direct assault would come at too high a cost."

"We must launch a strong offensive, even at great cost, otherwise our 'alternative planting plan' will be ruined if we drag this out any longer."

"This way we can take a two-pronged approach." A glint of light flashed in Zhang Jincheng's eyes. "Let our spies speed up their reconnaissance of Langzhai's defenses, and then we'll formulate a battle plan for a surprise attack."

There's no other way; I think it's better to be sooner rather than later. We're making preparations, but isn't Lang Yuancai also making preparations?

Upon hearing this, Kang Jiasheng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He nodded thoughtfully and said, "Brother Zhang's words are truly enlightening! You are absolutely right."

It was indeed my oversight that I hadn't considered this carefully before.

I was so preoccupied with calculating how strategically important and easily defensible Langzhai was that I always thought I should make thorough preparations before launching an attack.

However, they overlooked the fact that Lang Yuancai was also preparing for war and strengthening his defenses.

Looking back now, we should have taken advantage of his unstable foothold and wiped him out completely in one fell swoop!
"Sigh, now it might come at a considerable price..."

(End of this chapter)