Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1314 I couldn't resist any longer!

Ahmed stood before a huge tactical map, his finger slowly tracing the dotted line that stretched from the border of Syria to Titrick.

This supply route, which he calls his "lifeline"—the Gaim-Selsar Lake passage—has been operating quietly for the past three weeks, delivering large quantities of supplies to him.

"Commander, the latest statistics are complete."

Staff officer Khalid handed over a folder, saying, "Through the new route, we have acquired twelve anti-tank missile systems, forty-eight mortars, and four hundred tons of ammunition. In addition, the elite combat battalion of 1,500 men dispatched by Raqqa headquarters arrived last night."

Ahmed took the report, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

The memory of the disastrous pursuit by Baiji was still fresh, when a third of his main force was lost in the combined attack of Song Heping and the Persians.

But things are different now.

How many combat-ready troops do we have now?

He asked, even though he already had the answer in his heart.

“There are 8,000 troops stationed in Titrick, 3,000 in the Tuz direction, 3,000 in the Fahart direction, and 2,000 mobile reserves.” Khalid paused. “With the newly arrived reinforcements and local recruitment, the total strength reaches 23,000, of which 19,000 are combat troops.”

Twenty-three thousand people.

This number brought a slight smile to Ahmed's tense lips.

In northwestern Iligo, this was an army powerful enough to shift the balance of power.

More importantly, this supply line was so well-hidden.

Starting from the town of Gaim on the border of Syria, we traveled along the desolate western shore of Lake Sersar, hiding during the day and traveling at night, avoiding all major roads and towns.

In this way, there is no need to worry about Song Heping cutting off their supply lines at the border.

This is where my confidence comes from!
"What's going on with Song Heping?" Ahmed turned to the intelligence officer.

"In the direction of Baiji, the main force of mercenaries is still resting. Samir's 'Liberation Forces' haven't left the area around Mosul recently either, and seem to be consolidating their defenses."

The intelligence officer reviewed the report. "It is noteworthy that over the past ten days, enemy reconnaissance aircraft have been frequently active east of Lake Selsar, but their drones have never been seen in the area on the west bank of the lake—which is our supply route."

Ahmed nodded; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

“I reckon Song Heping still thinks I only have 12,000 men,” Ahmed muttered to himself, tapping the location of Hurmatu on the map with his fingers. “He thinks that after the last battle of Baiji, we were severely weakened and would definitely retreat to the Titrick region for a conservative defense.”

Khalid hesitated, "Commander, are we being too confident? Song Heping's tactics are cunning. His abandonment of the key locations of Tuz and Fehat and retreat to Baiji is very unusual. Logically, he should have strengthened the defense of these two salients to protect the flank of Hurmatu."

Ahmed smiled, the smile of a hunter seeing his prey step into a trap.

“This is precisely his mistake, and also our opportunity.” He pointed to the map. “Look, Tuz is 80 kilometers from Baiji, and Fahit is even 120 kilometers away. If Song Heping divides his forces to defend these two strongholds, his already limited strength will be further diluted. At that time, we will concentrate our superior forces to defeat them one by one, and he won’t even have time to come to their aid.”

"So he chose to contract?" Khalid said thoughtfully.

"Yes, it's a typical 'concentrating superior forces' tactic. I've read some military books by people from Dongda University, so I understand them!"

Ahmed’s self-analysis was full of confidence.

"But he overlooked one point—when he put all his eggs in Baiji's basket, Hurmatu was exposed. And Hurmatu, my friend, is the key to the entire Northwest campaign."

The officers in the command post gathered around.

Ahmed drew a triangle on the map with his baton. “Titrick, Ozam, and Hurmatu—these three cities form a near-perfect equilateral triangle. Currently, our people control Titrick and Ozam, while Hurmatu…”

He tapped the spot. "It's defended by demoralized Thunder Defense mercenaries and a small number of Kold militia. If we take this place, the trio will be complete."

A young officer excitedly interjected, "If this iron triangle is completed, we won't have to worry about defending against enemies from all directions every day. No matter which side they attack from, we can support each other and arrive in time!"

“That’s not all.” Ahmed’s eyes gleamed with even greater ambition. “Hurmatu is the gateway to Erbil. Once we control it, we can threaten the Kurd’s capital and force them to redeploy their troops to defend it. Their forces are also stretched thin right now. If we can move our troops, the situation in the entire north will loosen up, and we can find new points of attack.”

An excited whisper rang out in the command post.

The dejected atmosphere following the Battle of Baigi was swept away.

But Khalid remained cautious: "Commander, I fear this is a trap. Song Heping gave up Tuz and Fehat too easily, as if... as if he deliberately let them go to us."

Ahmed patted his most trusted advisor on the shoulder: "I understand your concerns, Khalid. But we need to consider the bigger picture."

He walked to the other side of the map, where the distribution of various forces was marked.

“What does Song Heping have? He only has two battalions of 'Musicians' mercenaries, three thousand of the Persian Holy City Brigade, and less than ten thousand of the ragtag army in Samir towards Mosul, for a total of just over fifteen thousand men. We, on the other hand, have twenty-three thousand men, giving us an absolute advantage.”

"He needs to defend against Baiji, and also keep an eye on the movements in the direction of Mosul. The Kold people in the north are also only superficially allied with them. He has to be wary of things going wrong in Kirkuk."

Ahmed drew circles on the map: "His forces are already stretched thin, how could he possibly divide his troops to defend the two isolated strongholds of Tuz and Fehat? Abandoning them was a last resort, but also a wise choice. But what he didn't expect was that we received such a large amount of reinforcements through the new route through Celia."

Khalid was still hesitant: "But if we attack Hurmatu, our forces will inevitably be dispersed. Tuz and Fehat need to be garrisoned, Titrick needs to stay behind, and the attacking force needs to be large enough, so..."

“That would indeed require us to divide our forces,” Ahmed continued, “but I’ve calculated it, and we have enough for each link.”

He walked back to the map and began to deploy:
"Three thousand men will be stationed in Tuz and Fehat respectively, and strong fortifications will be built. Two thousand mobile reserves will be deployed between the two places to support each other at any time. The force attacking Hurmatu will consist of eight thousand men, equipped with artillery and armored units. Seven thousand men will be left to defend Titrick."

Ahmed looked at the officers:

"Eight thousand against fifteen thousand, and it's us again! The latest intelligence sent back by our spies over there last night shows that they only have about fifteen hundred men capable of fighting. With a five-fold numerical advantage and heavy equipment, we can take it in three days, five days at most."

"What if Song Heping launches an attack from Baiji?" someone asked.

“It’s 150 kilometers from Baiji to Hurmatu, and it would take two days to march there.”

Ahmed sneered, "By the time his reinforcements arrive, Hurmatu will have already changed hands. At that time, we can wait in ambush and launch a counterattack."

The plan seemed flawless.

It possesses all the necessary elements: superior troop strength, element of surprise, and tactical rationality.

But Khalid's unease did not dissipate.

He always felt that an opponent like Song Heping shouldn't make such a basic mistake.

“Commander, one more question,” Khalid asked finally. “If the fighting continues, how long can our supplies last?”

Ahmed smiled confidently: "This is precisely our greatest advantage. The Gaim-Sersar Lake route can deliver 1,500 tons of supplies every week. The Celia headquarters has promised that as long as we capture Hurmatu, the next reinforcements will include tanks and more heavy artillery."

He looked out the window at the soldiers training on Titrick Street.

“Song Heping thought that cutting off the regular supply line on the border would starve us out, but he didn’t know that a new blood vessel was already beating in the dark.”

　First update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)