Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1320 The deal is done, let's get started!
Thirty minutes later, Duke's phone rang again.

"It's settled, all your conditions are agreed to!" His voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth. "Song, attack immediately! The men of 1515 have already stormed into the building where Ross is hiding!"

“You agreed? Fine.” Song Heping said calmly, “Don’t try anything funny. I hate people who break their promises—since I can stop Ahmed, I can also send him back to Hurmatu.”

"Damn it!" Duke cursed. "You think this is the time to bargain? I assure you, in the name of the Pentagon and the White House! Song, act now!"

"OK."

Song Heping hung up the phone and turned to Jiang Feng: "The operation begins."

"understand!"

Jiang Feng knew that his old squad leader had won this round again.

Thirty seconds later, the first Kornet anti-tank missile was launched with a trail of flame, marking the start of "Operation Snakehunter".

The missile came from the ambush position of the 3rd Platoon of Company A—three camouflaged Humvees were hidden behind weathered rock pillars, and the launcher locked onto the lead BTR-80 from 800 meters away. The 23mm cannon on the turret was still firing aimlessly, as if conducting fire reconnaissance for the convoy behind.

hit.

The turret was blown off, and the ammunition inside the vehicle exploded. The secondary explosion sent a column of fire shooting up more than 20 meters high, blooming like a ferocious spark in the dawn sky.

The shockwave whipped up sand and soil, forming a temporary wall of dust.

Immediately afterwards, the pre-set explosive device was detonated remotely.

The engineers had infiltrated the highway the night before, and anti-tank mines and pre-fragmented explosive charges planted at key points detonated simultaneously. The chain of explosions stretched along the highway like a string of lit firecrackers of death.

boom!
boom!
boom!
Three trucks loaded with ammunition were overturned, and the resulting fireballs engulfed everything within a 30-meter radius. Shattered metal, torn human bodies, and burning materials were thrown several meters into the air, then rained down as blood.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The 1515 soldiers awoke with a start and scattered like ants whose nest had been disturbed. Officers roared, trying to organize a counterattack, but the communication channels were filled with screams and explosions, and orders could not be transmitted at all.

At this moment, the mobile detachment of the 1st Battalion launched an attack.

Twelve armed pickup trucks surged out from three directions, each equipped with a heavy machine gun or automatic grenade launcher in the back seat. Like a pack of wolves, they darted and moved across the battlefield, constantly changing positions and reaping lives with concentrated firepower.

1515 soldiers took cover behind the truck wreckage and returned fire, but their AK-47s and PKMs were completely outmatched in range and accuracy.

Five kilometers away, the mortar detachment of the 2nd Battalion had already completed its deployment in concealed positions and began to provide fire coverage. The 81mm mortars unleashed a rapid barrage of ten rounds per minute, with pre-fragmented shells exploding in mid-air, scattering steel balls in a fan shape that covered the entire area.

Even more deadly are the snipers.

From their high vantage point, the sniper team used .50 anti-materiel rifles and 7.62mm high-precision sniper rifles to eliminate high-value targets one by one—an officer waving a pistol in command, a machine gunner operating a heavy machine gun, an artilleryman attempting to set up a mortar…

With each gunshot, one person fell. Fear spread like a plague.

Fifteen minutes into the battle, the 1515 rearguard had lost effective command. Surviving officers were shouting into the radio, but the channel was completely jammed by electronic interference. The troops were in disarray, fighting independently.

"Break through to Hurmatu! Everyone move towards Hurmatu!"

A commander with a blood-covered face brandished an AK-74, trying to rally the remaining soldiers.

But they had barely gone a hundred meters when they ran into a pre-planned death trap—Song Heping had deployed a reinforced platoon at the only exit of the riverbed, and a barrage of fire consisting of three M2HB heavy machine guns, five sets of "Kornet" rifles, and more than twenty machine guns swung towards them like the scythe of death.

Any vehicles or people attempting to rush out were instantly torn to shreds.

After twenty-five minutes of fighting, most of the resistance ceased.

The 1515 surviving soldiers knelt on the sand, raised their weapons above their heads, and shouted in Arabic, "Surrender! We surrender!"

However, Song Heping's orders had already been issued: time was of the essence, surrender was not accepted, and the attack and retreat were swift and decisive!

The machine guns of the firepower platoon did not stop, nor did they hesitate.

Bullets rained down on the kneeling crowd with their hands raised.

The first volley of gunfire felled more than twenty men in the front row. The bullets made dull thuds as they hit flesh, and blood blossomed one after another in the morning mist.

Some tried to get up and run away, but their spines were broken as soon as they bent over, and they fell to the ground convulsing; others curled up and hugged their heads, but were hit in the side of their necks by ricochets, and arterial blood spurted several meters away.

"They're going to kill us all!" a bearded veteran roared in despair, finally realizing what was happening. But it was too late.

Once an army lays down its weapons, its morale collapses like a burst dam, and it becomes impossible to recover.

The heavy machine gun roared incessantly, and spent cartridges rained down on the ground.

The kneeling crowd collapsed in droves, the sand soaked in blood and turned a deep brown.

The mortar fire was directed here, and the shells crashed into the crowd, exploding into a bloody mist.

Occasional sporadic counterattacks were quickly overwhelmed by even more intense firepower.

The grenade launcher fired high-explosive rounds at the crowd, scattering shrapnel and sending limbs flying. A soldier tried to pick up an RPG from the ground, but as soon as he touched the launch tube, a sniper shot him to the head.

Just fifteen minutes later, the gunfire subsided.

The riverbed was littered with corpses and burning remains. The air was thick with the stench of gunpowder, blood, and charred flesh, making one want to vomit.

Some of the wounded were still breathing, groaning weakly in pools of blood, but were quickly finished off by the mopping-up squad.

Song Heping arrived at the battlefield after the battle ended.

The car was parked on high ground, and he got out and raised his binoculars. Jiang Feng followed behind, quickly tallying the results: "Preliminary estimates indicate that approximately nine hundred to one thousand people were killed, and the rest scattered. We captured two BTRs, fifteen military trucks, and three 122mm howitzers. Other light weapons and ammunition are still being inventoried."

"Our casualties?"

"Three dead, five seriously wounded, and eleven slightly wounded." Jiang Feng paused. "The damage was mainly from the initial firefight during the assault phase; there were no losses during the ambush phase."

Nineteen men were traded for nine hundred.

Such an exchange ratio is sufficient to be included in any special operations textbook.

Song Heping nodded, his face showing no joy of victory, only the calm of a chess player after making a move.

"The forwards and central reserves should have realized what's happening by now. Notify everyone to evacuate quickly and see if they split up to pursue." He sneered. "Samir and Nassin have already made their move. Now the problem is Ahmed's."

"understand!"

Song Heping returned to the communications vehicle and connected to Duke's dedicated line. The other party answered almost instantly.

“General, the first battle is over.” Song Heping’s tone remained calm. “The 1515 rear guard, numbering three thousand, was routed, with nine hundred killed and the rest scattered. Meanwhile, our forces have launched attacks in three directions: Tuz, Fahiat, and Titrick. Ahmed’s attacking force now consists of only two thousand vanguard and three thousand central troops, and has lost heavy firepower support.”

"What?!" Duke exclaimed, unable to hide his shock. "Your two battalions routed three thousand enemy soldiers?!"

"Is it strange?" Song Heping smiled faintly. "I once used three hundred men to block three thousand troops from 1515."

A long, clear exhale came from the other end of the phone:
"God...you really did it."

“But it’s not over yet.” Song Heping looked at the flashing cursor on the electronic map. “Amad now has two choices: one is to use the remaining 5,000 men to launch a full-scale attack on Hurmatu and fight to the death; the other is to retreat immediately and preserve the main force.”

What do you think he will choose?

“It depends on how much pressure we apply.” Song Heping moved his finger across the map. “If I order the Persian Holy City Brigade to intensify their offensive in Tuz, while Samir increases pressure in the direction of Fahit, even if Ahmed takes Hurmatu, he will only gain a dead end. So I judge that he will most likely choose to retreat.”

“Then let’s do it this way,” Duke finally said, his voice tinged with a resigned weariness. “But I need a promise, Mr. Song.”

"please say."

"After the siege of Hurmatu is lifted, you will officially take over the city's defenses. The Thunder Defense Forces will withdraw within ten days, and the entire defense of the area will be transferred to you."

“No problem.” Song Heping smiled. “Hurmatu is indeed a hot potato for you and Thunder Defense. It’s perfect to leave it to me.”

call ended.

The chess pieces have finally been placed.

　Third update, 10,000 words completed.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)