Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1303: Watching with cold eyes
At noon, the sun is high.

The towering cracking towers of the refinery cast huge shadows under the blazing afternoon sun.

Inside the command post, the fan futilely stirred the stagnant air, while the static from the radio and the indistinct sounds of conversations on different frequencies penetrated the eardrums of everyone present.

Song Heping sat at a table covered with maps and intelligence briefings, his eyes glued to the contents, but his gaze seemed to penetrate the walls and fall on the boiling land hundreds of kilometers away—Titrick.

Samir's voice burst from the radio, his tone slightly distorted with excitement:

"Boss! Boss! Please respond! Titrick direction confirmed! Thunder Defense and those bastards from Kolde have completely collapsed! They're running wildly towards Erbil and Zahu like rabbits being chased by hounds! The 1515 team is harvesting like crazy, the dust kicked up by the convoy can be seen dozens of kilometers away! Shouldn't we...shouldn't we make a move? If we insert ourselves now, Titrick will be ours! In this situation, I'm sure even if we take Titrick while we're at it, the Americans won't dare to utter a sound!"

Song Heping picked up the microphone, his voice calm and even, a stark contrast to Samir's excitement: "Samir, remain silent and stand by. Titrick, we're not going in."

"what?"

Samir was clearly stunned, then exclaimed urgently, "Boss, this is an opportunity! A once-in-a-lifetime chance! Let 1515 and the Americans fight like dogs, and we'll just pick up the pieces! That bastard Kurt has already..."

“Kurt is dead,” Song Heping interrupted him, his tone still calm, “but Titrick’s game isn’t over yet. Are we going in now to help the Americans clean up their mess?”

Samir was silent for a few seconds, seemingly calmer, but still puzzled: "So... we're just going to watch 1515 completely wipe out the Americans' assets? That would be quite satisfying."

"Looking?"

Song Heping's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer. "That won't work either. 1515 can win, but not too much. Leaving a half-dead 1515 force in Titrick is most advantageous for us."

His gaze swept across the map to several key roads and secret passages leading from Syria to northern Iligo, routes he had deliberately "neglected" and even secretly guided to allow 1515's support troops and supplies to enter the Titrick battlefield relatively smoothly.

Now, these paths need to be tightened.

“Samir, listen, change your mission.”

Song Heping ordered, “From this moment forward, your troops will immediately move eastward and regain control of the B7 and D3 highway junctions leading from the Sirian border towards Titrick, as well as the two valley trails from Hasakah province. Close the gates you previously opened. If any follow-up troops or supply convoys from the 1515 group attempt to reinforce Titrick or move towards Hurmatu via these routes, intercept them immediately without warning. Be ruthless and swift; destroy their supplies. Don’t let a single mosquito belonging to the 1515 group get in.”

Samir may still have some doubts, but his long-standing obedience and trust led him to immediately reply: "Understood! Close the door, beat the dog, and wipe out their tails! Don't worry, boss, leave it to me!"

As soon as Song Heping put down the receiver, the curtain of the command post was lifted, and Jiang Feng walked into the room, bringing with him the heat of the outside world. His expression was somewhat solemn.

"Sergeant, the latest footage from the frontline reconnaissance posts and drones shows that after the success at Titrick, the morale of the 1515 forces is soaring. They have deployed at least 8,000 to 10,000 main force members, along with a large number of captured vehicles and heavy weapons, and are rapidly advancing towards Hurmatu in a pincer movement. The defeated troops of the Kold'd forces and Thunder Defense are simply unable to mount any effective resistance, abandoning a large amount of equipment along the way. At this rate, the vanguard of the 1515 forces will be at the gates of Hurmatu by tomorrow evening at the latest."

Hurmatu.

Song Heping's finger landed on that crucial node on the map.

This important northern city is located in the triangle area connecting Mosul, Kirkuk, and Erbil, making its geographical location extremely important.

If it falls into the hands of 1515...

This is not the situation I wanted to see.

This means that 1515 will drive a hard wedge into the heart of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), not only directly threatening the capital Erbil, but also connecting with their sphere of influence west of Mosul, potentially creating a pincer movement against Baij and the entire northern Salah al-Din province.

We absolutely cannot let it fall into the hands of the 1515 armed forces.

This is not only for its own strategic security, but also for the need to maintain the superficial unity of the current fragile and strange "Quad alliance".

Americans can suffer losses and lose face, but they cannot stand by and watch a strategic location like Hurmatu be captured by 1515.

Otherwise, if relations break down, the current delicate balance will be disrupted, and no one knows what irrational actions Washington might take in a desperate situation.

"Call Nassin over here."

Song Heping said to Jiang Feng, while quickly making plans in his mind.

Soon, Nassin, the supreme commander of the Holy City Brigade of the Persian Revolutionary Guard stationed in Baij, strode in.

“Song, is there a situation?” Nassin’s English was heavily accented with Persian.

Song Heping gestured for him to look at the map, and concisely explained the defeat of Titrick and the situation in 1515 when the army's advance was aimed directly at Hurmatu.

"Nassin, Hurmatu cannot be lost. The momentum of 1515 must be contained."

Nassin nodded emphatically: "I understand. We need to launch an attack? To reinforce Hurmatu?"

Song Heping shook his head, pointing twice at the west and north sides of Titrick on the map: "We won't go directly to Hurmatu. We'll go here—Tuz, and here—Fairhat. As long as we take these two places, Ahmed will have to retreat."

Nassin bent down to examine it closely, his brows furrowing at first before relaxing, a look of realization and admiration flashing in his eyes.

The town of Tuz is located about 50 kilometers west of Titrick, controlling another auxiliary route to the Syrian border and an important agricultural area; the town of Fahat is located northwest of Titrick, guarding the entrance to the Jazira Desert and the road leading to the northern mountains of Mosul.

These two towns are strategically important, but they are not the main focus of the attack in 1515, and their defenses are relatively weak.

"Taking down Tuz and Fehart is like sticking two sharp knives next to the fat meat of Tetris."

Song He calmly explained, “We can’t attack Titrick directly, as that would force 1515 into a head-on confrontation with us, which would play right into the Americans’ hands. By occupying these two key flanks, we can monitor and deter Titrick on the one hand, and on the other hand, like a pair of pincers, we are subtly clamping down on 1515’s outstretched arm toward Hurmatu. Ahmed isn’t stupid; if he still wants to launch a full-scale attack on Hurmatu, he must consider the risk of our flanks and supply lines being cut off.”

"To relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao, one must strike where the enemy is bound to defend!"

Nassin uttered the idiom in broken Chinese, which he had learned from Song Heping, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Moreover, keeping Titrick in 1515's hands, continuing to draw the wrath of the Americans and their air strikes, is beneficial to both us and Persia. Song, am I right?"

Song Heping nodded slightly in agreement: "Therefore, you need to immediately assemble Baiji and the nearby mobile Holy City Brigade troops. I will deploy two 'Musician' battalions. We will split into two groups. You will be the main attacker for Tuz, while Jiang Feng will lead the men to take charge of Fehart. The action must be swift, take it as quickly as possible, and then quickly switch to defense, preparing to deal with the 1515 counterattack."

"Okay! I'll go prepare right away!" Nassin turned to leave, full of enthusiasm.

"Wait a minute," Song Heping called out to him.

Nassin turned around, somewhat puzzled.

"Assemble the troops and complete the pre-battle preparations, but do not set off yet."

Song Heping glanced at the silent satellite phone on the table. "Wait for my orders."

Nassin was even more confused: "Why? Speed ​​is of the essence in war! Once the 1515 militia takes Hurmatu and establishes a foothold, we'll be in big trouble!"

Song Heping sneered, “We’re waiting for an ‘invitation.’ An ‘invitation’ that will make this operation ‘legitimacy’ and bring more additional benefits. Be patient, Nassin. The cheetah is always quietest before it strikes.”

Nassin seemed to understand something, so he stopped asking questions, nodded emphatically, and strode out to deploy his troops.

Song Heping sat back down in his chair and closed his eyes.

Only the hum of the fan and the distant noise from the radio remained in the command post. He was waiting, waiting for the inevitable phone call from across the ocean.

With Kurt dead, Thunder Defense crippled, and Hurmatu in imminent danger, the proud Americans, especially the savvy members of the command structure, will not stand idly by and watch the entire situation in northern Iraq completely collapse.

Right now, the only one on land capable of rapid intervention, and "theoretically" an ally of theirs, is themselves.

This is a game of patience.

Acting too early would be selling off one's strength at a low price; acting too late, and if Hurmatu is truly lost, the situation will become even more complicated.

We must wait until the Americans ask for our help themselves, and seize the initiative, before we can negotiate terms and maximize the value of this operation.

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)