Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

"I came to Handong on my way here, not only to give you a warning, but also to entrust you with an even more important strategic plan."

Lin Yang's tone became serious and grand, as if he had returned to the state of a commander who was strategizing and making decisions.

"The special economic zones in the south have been fully launched. We need massive amounts of energy to support the industrial operations there."

Lin Yang turned around and drew a long line across the windowpane with his finger.

"I want you to leverage Handong's abundant coal resources to establish the largest mine-mouth power generation cluster on the entire continent. Then, in coordination with the water conservancy department, transmit the electricity from Handong continuously to the Southern Special Economic Zone via an ultra-high-voltage transmission network!"

"Use the coal from Handong to light up the lights in the south! This is your core task for the next five years. If you succeed, you will be the number one contributor to the nation's economic take-off. If you botch it..."

Lin Yang looked at him coldly, without finishing his sentence, but the meaning was self-evident.

As Zhao Lichun listened to this earth-shattering and magnificent plan, the fear in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by an extreme fervor and ambition.

This is the kind of man he wants to follow! He always has a strategic vision that ordinary people can't match, and he's always playing a game that can change the world order!

"Please rest assured, Chairman! I will risk my life to ensure the smooth operation of the 'North-to-South Power Transmission' artery!" Zhao Lichun suddenly straightened his chest and loudly swore.

Lin Yang looked at the ambitious lone wolf, which had been re-chained and had pointed out the direction to pounce, and nodded slightly.

He walked to the desk, said nothing, and prepared to turn and leave.

"President..." Zhao Lichun suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with a cautious probing, "

"Since you've made such a long trip to Handong, tonight... I've arranged a welcome banquet at the Provincial Party Committee Guesthouse, what do you think..."

Lin Yang stopped and turned around, a hint of disdain flashing in his cold eyes.

He didn't answer the question at all, but instead strode straight toward the office door.

When Lin Yang reached the door, he paused and gripped the brass doorknob with his right hand.

Without turning around, Lin Yang merely turned his face slightly and left behind a chilling remark.

"Keep your hands to yourself and your knife under control. If I ever see you acting like a local tyrant again, I'll personally come and take your head."

Click.

With a crisp metallic click, Lin Yang exerted force with his wrist, opening the heavy mahogany door.

It slammed heavily against the doorframe. The deafening echo shattered Zhao Lichun's last shred of hope.

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The dull, resounding crash of the mahogany door slamming against the doorframe seemed to still echo in the corridors of the Jingzhou General Administration building.

Lin Yang's steps did not falter for a moment.

His black jacket swayed slightly in the draft, and his leather shoes made a cold, rhythmic sound on the marble floor.

Shen Yan followed closely behind, clutching the black confidential briefcase tightly in his hand. Only when he entered the private internal elevator and watched the elevator doors slowly close did Shen Yan feel the terrifying pressure that had been pressing on his chest and almost suffocating him dissipate slightly.

He secretly glanced at Lin Yang beside him.

This man, who controlled the endless wealth and resources of the land, showed no trace of anger on his face. His breathing was steady, and his eyes were as deep as an ancient well.

Just now in the office, Lin Yang's few words terrified the powerful and influential executive vice president of Handong, causing him to kneel on the ground, drenched in cold sweat. The way Lin Yang could crush a regional official's psychological defenses with sheer absolute power, without needing any shouting, made Shen Yan, a top student from Peking University's economics department, truly understand what it meant to be "unpredictable by divine authority."

"What? Do you think I went too far just now?"

Lin Yang didn't turn his head, his deep gaze fixed on the constantly changing floor numbers in the elevator, and asked in a low voice.

Shen Yan's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stood up straight and replied respectfully, "Chairman, Comrade Zhao Lichun's methods in Handong have indeed crossed the line. If we don't take strong measures to curb this, Handong Province's economy will eventually become his personal property. Your action is like curing a disease and saving a patient."

"To heal the sick and save lives?"

Lin Yang sneered, a mocking smile curving his lips.

"Zhao Lichun is already terminally ill. Once you're hooked on the poison of power, you can never get rid of it." Lin Yang's tone was cold and rational. "I went to give him a warning today, not to turn him into an incorruptible Hai Rui. Water that is too clear has no fish. This quagmire of Handong needs a vicious dragon like him who will do anything for political achievements to stir up trouble."

The elevator came to a stop on the first floor and opened with a ding.

Lin Yang stepped out of the elevator, his voice unusually clear in the empty lobby.

"I was just telling him that the dog leash around his neck is forever in my hands. As long as he wants to continue playing at this gambling table, he must play by my rules. His knife can only be used to cut the stones that hinder the country's industrial development, and never to cut the rice bowls of ordinary people."

Outside the building, the night was deep.

He Yuzhu had already started the jeep. Seeing Lin Yang get out, he quickly opened the car door.

"Commander, where are we going?" He Yuzhu asked in a low voice.

"Back to the freight marshalling yard. Board the special train and head straight south." Lin Yang sat down in the back and uttered these words crisply.

The convoy, like several black phantoms, quickly drove away from the city of Jingzhou and disappeared into the vast night.

At five o'clock in the morning, the special train slowly pulled out of the border of Handong amidst a sharp whistle, speeding along the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway artery towards the southern coast that was about to undergo earth-shattering changes.

The heating in the private compartment was on full blast.

Lin Yang took off his jacket, put on a loose white shirt, and leaned back on the leather sofa to rest with his eyes closed.

Shen Yan sat at the small desk opposite Lin Yang, carefully organized a long briefing that he had just received through the vehicle's encrypted radio, and handed it to Lin Yang with both hands.

"President, this is the latest survey data that just came from the Southern Special Zone last night."

Lin Yang slowly opened his eyes, took the briefing, and quickly began to read it.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened. The plains of the Central Plains were rushing past, with only a few chimneys belching black smoke occasionally visible. But as the train traveled south, the scenery outside the window began to become lush and verdant, and the air seemed to gain a touch of moisture and warmth.

"How is the infrastructure progress in the Special Economic Zone?" Lin Yang asked while looking at the briefing.

"Extremely enthusiastic." Shen Yan pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, his tone carrying an undisguised excitement. "Ever since the Modern Reform and Development Committee, which you led, approved the special economic zone's various unconventional policies, it has become a huge super construction site. Engineering corps and construction teams from all over the country have poured in like a tidal wave."