Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 122 These are the real high-quality recruits!
Juan has even put the gold away.

These things on the ground are not just about gold, but also about human relationships.

Even if you have gold, you can't buy these things if you don't have the right channels.

Juan was prepared for Milton to make exorbitant demands, and even for him to lead everyone in a suicide mission for Milton.

Milton chuckled and held up three fingers: "First, pay taxes. You brought a whole bunch of unregistered guns to my territory, so you have to pay me taxes. If you don't have the money right now, I'll give you a ticket, which is probably around $20 for the value of your equipment... Take it to your rebels, and consider it something you owe me."

Juan's mind flashed through all the terrifying rumors about Milton, and he nodded vigorously, saying, "It's our duty, Mr. 'Hell Tax Collector'."

“Very good.” Milton was very satisfied with such a proactive attitude towards paying taxes. “Secondly, I need you to leave three people behind, three experienced warriors. My team needs people with combat experience who can use various equipment.”

"Third, stay in touch with me and become my informants. I need you to provide me with intelligence on the government forces."

After Milton finished speaking, Juan waited for a while—there were three conditions in total, and he didn't think it would be so easy to get all that equipment in the car.

Those seriously wounded soldiers in his team were unlikely to survive after leaving the hospital, so it was bound to be a loss.

The third point is even more ridiculous. They already had a common enemy with Milton, so isn't it only natural for them to share intelligence about the enemy?

What's the difference between this and giving it away for free?
But it seems Milton has really finished speaking!

"Only this?"

Milton asked calmly, "Do you think I'm asking for too much?"

“No, that’s too low,” Juan said, shaking his head. “We can be bought with a maximum of $1000.”

“That’s to buy your deaths.” Milton didn’t look at him. “Three living, experienced, and loyal warriors are worth that price to me.”

Many new recruits couldn't even drive armored vehicles properly, and Flora had to accompany Milton frequently. Training them with only "poison" and "anvil" was simply not enough.

Having three more instructors, especially those with guerrilla experience and who are absolutely hostile to the government, would be a godsend for Milton.

This kind of person cannot be bought with money.

No matter how high your points are, you can only exchange them for equipment, not for living people.

A flicker of emotion crossed Juan's eyes, and he lowered his voice slightly: "Which three people do you want to keep?"

“Those three seriously wounded in the hospital,” Milton said. “The others with minor injuries will come with you after they receive basic treatment. The seriously wounded will stay behind, and we'll take care of their treatment. Then… they'll be my men.”

Juan looked at Milton with deep respect: "May I ask for their opinion?"

"Of course, let's go."

Milton got up and gestured for Juan to get in the car, leaving the soldiers who were still staring blankly at the equipment inside. He then got in the car with Juan.

After closing the car door and starting the engine, Juan turned his head and bowed deeply to Milton.

"Mr. 'Hell Tax Collector,' I cannot show my weakness in front of the warriors. Please allow me, in my personal capacity, to express my highest respect and gratitude to you for your assistance. As long as I live... no, as long as the resistance exists, we will always remember this day. If you encounter any difficulties, we will do everything in our power to help you."

“I am deeply ashamed that my soldiers and I have failed to pay taxes in your territory.”

Juan used the word "aid".

Yes, in his view, this was not a deal at all, but a one-sided aid.

“Alright, enough of that.” Milton glanced at the panel; Juan was now listed as an “informant” and had entered the ally list. “Tell me about the situation on the front lines.”

"The situation is not optimistic, but we are still persisting in our resistance."

“No.” Milton shook his head. “You are about to be defeated. You are about to surrender to the people who massacred you.”

“I…” Juan’s eyes widened, wanting to argue, but in the end he could only weakly laugh at himself, “Yes, you’re right, we are retreating step by step and are about to be defeated. But it’s definitely not because the resistance army lacks the will to resist!”

“You were right before. Willpower can’t enchant equipment. They have planes, armored vehicles, cannons, and a lot of good equipment... while we have nothing. We can’t even see the enemy. We can only fight in urban areas and resist as guerrillas. What use is willpower alone?”

"If we had the same equipment, I'm confident we could storm Guatemala City! We could capture all those executioners, but..."

"We have already lost more than 20 people, and the casualties are impossible to count... Do you understand what that means?"

"But we will definitely continue to resist, at least to make them suffer, and to fight for a good deal in the peace agreement."

As far as I know, the peace terms are somewhat different from what you imagine.

Milton sighed and said, "Two years."

"what did you say?"

“Hold on for at most two more years.” Milton held up two fingers. “I guarantee that the situation will turn around before then.”

The peace treaty was signed in 1996 in his previous life, but Milton is unsure whether his arrival will cause any changes or alter the signing date of the peace agreement.

If a ceasefire is implemented tomorrow, the regular army and special forces will be freed up, and Milton won't have such a good chance to develop.

So he only wants one outcome, the one with the least resistance—to maintain the same development as in the previous life.

Within two years, no, within one year, Milton was absolutely confident that he could sweep away the so-called regular army of this cesspool country.

Juan was taken aback.

He really wanted to ask, what is a turning point?

But he understood Milton's subtext—to buy him two more years.

Thinking about Milton's excellent equipment, his highly motivated soldiers, and his deep hatred for the current government, he vaguely felt that this timeline was not just nonsense.

Perhaps, if we persevere for another two years, things might really turn around?
Juan then stopped beating around the bush and nodded vigorously: "I can't guarantee you the time, but I can guarantee you that as long as I and my men are alive, the resistance will continue."

"Very good, I hope you will keep your word."

"..."

Soon, their car arrived near the hospital.

At that moment, a number of police officers were outside the hospital, throwing some badly injured corpses onto refrigerated trucks.

Juan looked at him strangely and asked, "Uh, what's going on here?"

"I took it to sell."

Juan's expression changed drastically: "Huh?! This, this isn't a good idea, is it?"

“These men are all bloodthirsty executioners, and they were sent by the enemy to kill me,” Milton explained. “When dealing with the enemy, you only need to remember one principle: have no principles.” Milton continued, “Besides, these corpses can help me extract money from the enemy’s treasury and replenish my funds. I can tell you, it won’t be long before I have enough money to build the airport.”

"Why?" Juan opened the door and got out of the car, somewhat puzzled. "What does this have to do with the enemy?"

“Because these people were sent by the enemy to fight me,” Milton emphasized. “Coincidentally, you know what kind of business those insects are in, so I just sold these people to them for money.”

"You can do this if you have the chance. I never thought this thing could make so much money."

Milton gave a general explanation of the origins and development of the "new triangular trade".

Juan was completely bewildered: "?"

Kill the enemy's men and sell them to the enemy for money?!

"I think I suddenly understand why you've been able to develop so quickly and so well."

If it were a resistance team, they would never have come up with such a wicked plan, no matter how hard they tried.

The nurse, whose clothes Milton had previously undressed, carefully led the two into the elevator and pressed the corresponding floor button.

"But we can't do that. If we get caught, they'll definitely make a big deal out of it."

“That just means your firepower isn’t strong enough…” Milton sneered. “Don’t worry, even if you do everything like saints, the media will still find flaws in your work and smear you as heinous criminals. The only sound they can understand is the sound of machine gun fire.”

“You’re right… but the machine guns are in their hands.”

"So they can say whatever they want, don't worry too much about it. What you need to do is get more firepower than them and kill as many of their people as possible. If you need anything, I can sell you some unwanted equipment."

Juan recalled the armored vehicle that had been so enviable and smiled bitterly, "Unfortunately, the road connecting us is in the hands of the enemy."

"If I sell more slaves... do more business, and repair the airport, perhaps I can partially solve this problem."

At that time, Milton can use the equipment to exchange for money and men from the rebels, making money in the arms trade while also replenishing his ranks with high-quality soldiers.

Guaranteed profit without loss.

Since the panel was upgraded, the purchasing power of points has been enhanced, and regular points instead of red points are now allowed to be used to purchase light weapons. This has made it possible to make a profit by exchanging some weapons for money, instead of losing money entirely.

Milton then added, "You can read more books and refer to more successful cases... especially successful cases in China."

“I’ll remember that, Mr. ‘Hell Tax Collector’.”

Milton nodded slightly, then stood in the shadows of the hospital corridor without entering the ward.

How to negotiate with the rebels was Juan's business; Milton only set the terms and wasn't responsible for persuading them.

Pushing open the door, Juan saw the soldiers sitting by the hospital beds or on the beds themselves—many of them had IV drips in their hands and were eating their food attentively.

However, they only ate the potatoes and beans and didn't touch the chicken.

Seeing this scene, Juan felt a pang of emotion, so he waved his hand and said, "Eat whatever you like. I've already made a deal with Mr. 'Hell Tax Collector'."

A woman with a rugged appearance, long and powerful limbs, large hands and feet, and who looked like a mixed-race Mayan and a local, turned around. Despite her serious injuries, she still frowned and said with displeasure, "Juan, our funds are very limited. You shouldn't use them to buy luxury goods."

Juan paused for a moment, then said, "This isn't a purchase, it's military aid. Besides food, Mr. 'Hell Tax Collector' has given us a lot, a lot of aid."

When Juan presented the list of "deals," everyone was shocked.

The value of these things is enough to buy all of their heads hundreds of times over!
The woman's gaze grew even more serious: "Then it's even more wrong. How can we take other people's things with a clear conscience? Especially so many, such good things?"

"So he made a condition that we leave three people behind to assist the 'Hell Tax Collector' in training his troops."

The woman pressed her forehead: "Is this even a condition? I and those two are about to die, and now he wants to keep us in the hospital. Is this a condition? This can even be considered a condition? Juan, when did you learn to deceive yourself?"

“But, Ishimaya, you are my deputy. You should know that people are dying on the front lines… every minute.” Juan said seriously. “We shouldn’t refuse this hard-won help, especially since it’s offered voluntarily. We can pay the outstanding amount later, but we should never refuse. You know how useful these things are.”

The rugged woman, who had a Mayan name called Ismya, remained silent for a moment before saying, "You're right, but..."

“Then it’s decided. You three seriously wounded, Ishimaya, will stay here.” Juan interrupted her. “Staying here is also fighting the enemy, and I have a feeling you will learn a lot here.”

Ismaila was silent for a moment, then asked, "And what about you?"

Originally, their plan was simply to catch their breath in Malakan, see if they could get some bullets, and then fight to the last man in the jungle guerrilla warfare, wearing down the enemy as much as possible.

A defeated army whose logistics have been completely cut off and whose communication with the main force has been blocked by the enemy is already a hopeless situation.

But now... this seemingly hopeless move has a glimmer of hope.

A fierce glint flashed in Juan's eyes as he said, "I'm going to lead the others to fight our way back and break through to our base. The pursuing enemy will never imagine that we could acquire such equipment overnight; they're going to suffer a terrible fate!"

Many of the weapons used to pursue the enemy were unable to penetrate their bulletproof vests!

They had machine guns, two machine guns at that.

"The casualties will be very high," Ishimaya said.

“Yes,” Juan nodded. “But at least we see hope, don’t we?”

"...Good luck, and I hope we can still have a drink together in a bar after the war is over."

"Hehe! Take good care of your injuries! Everyone else, meet at the Central Church at 8 a.m. tomorrow."

Juan waved his hand, pushed open the door of the ward, and walked out to Milton's side.

"Thank you for your generosity, but please excuse me for leaving. I need to discuss with my teammates how to break through next."

"Go."

"..."

At this point, Milton's panel showed that Ismeia and two others had become "allies," while the other members of the resistance had become "informants."

Flora teased from the side, "Boss, I didn't realize you were so generous."

“I’ve always been very generous,” Milton said. “And this deal is absolutely a steal for me. I don’t mind letting the other party make a little more in a very profitable deal.”

"Let's go, intensive training. It's time to prepare a big surprise for 'Station Chief' Lyman and Senator Lopez."

Flora raised her arms and shouted, "Charge! For the airport! Oh no, for victory!"

Milton gave her a disdainful look: "No, it's for the airport... and taxes."

(End of this chapter)