Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 168 CIA
"The CIA is investigating me?" Milton chuckled. "I'm quite curious, what kind of person am I, according to the renowned CIA?"

Winnie spoke calmly, "Cruel, insane, powerful, extremely ambitious, uncontrollable... those are pretty much the words, none of them are good."

Upon hearing these comments, Brandon and Flora were about to refute them, but they subconsciously turned to look at the city council, which was still filled with the smoke of battle.

Well, these reviews don't seem to have too many problems...

Milton looked her in the eyes and asked, "And what do you think? Am I that kind of person?"

"Of course you are."

The moment this answer was given, the atmosphere in the room immediately became tense.

One of the guards standing to one side had already reached for his pistol.

Milton wasn't in a hurry; instead, he asked with great interest, "Then why did you tell me this news?"

“Because the CIA is right about everything, except for one crucial piece of information.” Winnie reached out and felt the dog tags on all her teammates through the outside of her pocket. “The people you killed, they all deserved to die.”

“That’s not something a federal police officer should say,” Milton laughed, offering a reminder.

Winnie touched the dog tags of her fallen comrades again, her tone not showing much emotion: "What I also know is that the CIA must... listen carefully, must, has someone colluding with the corporation. I don't know if this is related to the higher-ups in the CIA, but it must be related to certain agents."

"Or perhaps the land we are standing on now is related to one of their missions."

"Perhaps right at this very moment, a CIA agent is standing on a building some distance away, holding binoculars, coldly watching our conversation right now."

This isn't the first time the CIA has harmed the DEA; in fact, it's becoming a widely accepted fact in the future.

Milton looked the woman up and down; her injuries had almost healed. He then asked, "So why don't you go somewhere secluded, sit down, and talk slowly?"

“Because I want to tell them that this isn’t over,” Winnie said. “And you, on the other hand, aren’t you surprised to hear this?”

"What's surprising?"

Winnie raised her head slightly, looked at Milton seriously, and made sure he wasn't faking it before explaining in detail: "In your propaganda, America should be God's heaven on earth, the embodiment of justice, and a fighter for world peace... Shouldn't you be incredulous to hear that even an agency like the CIA is colluding with drug traffickers?"

In this day and age, Winnie was not wrong.

Whether in the battle of public opinion or in the real battlefield, the United States, having achieved unprecedented victories, is omnipotent in propaganda around the world.

If you can reach the United States, you have reached the heaven described in the Bible.

This country itself is the embodiment of justice.

But... Milton seemed to have absolutely no similar emotions, as if he had known all along that the CIA would do this.

“Don’t forget, I’m good at media maneuvering too,” Milton reminded him. “Those propaganda pieces won’t fool me. Right now, I just want to know what kind of forces are backing my opponent in Guatemala, Congressman López?”

Winnie spoke slowly and deliberately: "I don't know, but they definitely have people here... I mean definitely. The whole of America is America's backyard, and they can infiltrate everywhere and operate openly."

"And it won't be long before you meet them."

It won't be long...

Milton laughed again: "What I've done is so big that it's hard to go unnoticed. What do you think the CIA would want with me?"

“Of course, I’ll warn you first, and then try to recruit you.” Winnie said without thinking. “Chiapas and Guatemala, these rebellious provinces, have always been a vacuum in the CIA’s power structure. There has never been a strong enough force to unite them.”

"Now that a Pan-Madre Group has finally emerged, they'll definitely try to contact you, using both threats and inducements..."

"After all, controlling you is equivalent to controlling this area. The benefits for them are simply unimaginable."

Milton then asked curiously, "I think Lopez probably has some support from the CIA. What if we end up fighting each other?"

Winnie finally showed a change in her emotions. She sneered, "They don't care about any of that... In fact, they'd love for you to fight each other. Then the CIA will see which side is weaker and sell weapons to that side to maintain regional balance while making a fortune off you. This will force you to become more dependent on them and less likely to turn against them."

"If we turn against each other, we will not receive equipment support and will be defeated in the conflict."

"Moreover, a prolonged war will inevitably destroy the local economic foundation, and public resentment will boil over. Without the help of the CIA, your rule will also be overthrown..."

"In this way, they control a large area of ​​land with very few resources, and at the same time, they can continuously keep this land in chaos and poverty, squeezing money out of it."

“I’m just giving you one example. There are many similar methods, but the principle is the same—you have become the de facto ruler of the Pan Madre region, and the CIA has been eyeing this chaotic yet important region for a long time.”

"So they will definitely come after you, perhaps soon."

This is……

They said everything.

It seems Winnie also has some information; the deaths of her teammates might indeed be related to the CIA.

Being killed by an enemy from the front is a completely different feeling from being stabbed in the back by a teammate.

"You're telling me this already?" Milton got into the back of the armored car, but didn't close the door. "Aren't you afraid I'll agree to the CIA's terms?"

"Do you know?"

Milton chuckled. "No, I won't. I'm leaving now. Call me if anything comes up."

He didn't say much—judging from the DEA agent's attitude, she certainly wouldn't choose to leave her position as a federal police officer and join his side.

Having a common enemy is enough.

“I hope we’ll have the chance to meet again in the future.” Winnie nodded gently. “Thank you for the rescue.”

"If you can live, I think so."

Snapped!
The doors of the bulletproof car were closed, the convoy drove away, and gradually faded from Winnie's sight.

Milton didn't stop her, nor did he ask any questions or even mention any conditions; he simply let her go.

Winnie glanced silently in that direction, then took out the dog tags, still stained with blood and unwashed, from her pocket and examined them carefully.

The faces of the captain and his comrades appeared one by one.

"Whoever it is, you will pay the price, I swear..."

"..."

……

In the back seat, Flora looked at the crowds spontaneously marching along the street to celebrate the victory in the war on drugs and suddenly asked, "'Tax collector,' you just let her go like that?"

“There’s not much point in keeping her here.” Milton shook his head. “If we let her go out and cause trouble, let her find a way to make the conflict between the DEA and the CIA public, and put the hatred in the open, then we will have room to maneuver.”

“Uh, that’s not what I meant.” Flora scratched her head. “I mean, didn’t she have three surgeries at our hospital and stay for half a month? And then she just left like that? Did they pay for it? Where did they send the hospital bills?”

Milton: "...Holy crap! I was so busy showing off that I forgot about this!"

Flora covered her forehead: "She shouldn't be far yet, we can still turn around quickly."

Forget it, I've already put on a show. Going back to ask for money would just be like slapping myself in the face.
Milton's lips twitched slightly: "Forget it, I'll find a chance to send the bill to DEA later, or have her settle the payment when we meet next time—Winnie definitely doesn't have any money on her right now anyway."

"Tsk!"

"Alright, let's not worry about these trivial matters." Milton waved his hand. "Let's get back quickly. Lopez is going crazy, and the resistance might not be able to hold out for long."

"I wish I could, but recruiting soldiers isn't as fast as you think," Flora said with a hint of helplessness. "We've almost got the personnel, but training and all that takes time."

Even if the food is good every day, even if drug dealers appear as guests in the live-fire exercises every day, even if these soldiers are very enthusiastic about fighting, technology is still a materialistic and objective thing.

Even if key personnel, such as aircrew members, can be "borrowed" from the rebels, technical personnel still need to be trained by themselves.

It will take at least 10 days before they can be deployed to the battlefield.

“Ten days, at least another ten days.” Flora echoed Milton’s sentiment. “Only our newly recruited men, under the guidance of veterans, can adapt to modern warfare. But can the resistance hold out for another ten days?”

Milton didn't comment for the moment, but instead asked, "How's the situation at the front? I remember we talked about a new type of tank, have you figured out what model it is?"

“We’ve figured out the tank models,” Flora nodded in reply. “They’re a modified T-64, and some amphibious infantry fighting vehicles, probably BMP-1s. We need more detailed intelligence from the front lines though… but it’s pretty much the same.”

"Most importantly, Lopez suddenly began to use his few precious air force resources without hesitation—even though the SAM-7s that had been supporting the previous missions had already shot down two helicopters, Lopez still had his other helicopters and Dragonfly helicopters deployed every day."

"Our air routes supporting the resistance need to be rerouted for safety reasons, which greatly affects the efficiency of transportation... The biggest problem for the resistance is logistical support. They are currently facing great difficulties in defense, and this line of defense may not be able to hold out for another 10 days."

"If the river is lost, the rebels will have a large area behind them that is not defensible, and the regular army will also have enough depth to defend against a possible two-pronged attack."

"At that time, we were in a very passive position..."

"Or rather, if the government forces hadn't been so demoralized, the rebels' defenses might have already collapsed."

It wasn't that the resistance fighters weren't brave enough; it was simply that their equipment was too poor and their logistics couldn't keep up.

Milton receives daily supplies by plane, but this amount is woefully inadequate compared to the enormous losses incurred at the front lines every moment.

It might change the outcome of a local battle and increase enemy losses, but expecting this little bit of food to fill the stomachs of all the soldiers or to obtain enough ammunition and medicine is just wishful thinking.

Moreover, the air force is also very costly—the government forces have more people and more money, and they are transported by land.

Using air freight here would be incredibly time-consuming and exhausting!

Milton looked at Flora and shook his head, saying, "Actually, the fact that Lopez can use the air force on such a large scale reflects something very scary... Perhaps, among the various weapons that are about to be introduced, there will be even more military aircraft."

Flora sighed: "More planes, more tanks, more howitzers, and some other strange things. Even if we replenish our manpower, I feel we are still at a great disadvantage."

Given the limited territory Milton currently controls, as I said before, once the howitzers are in place and Milton has no means of countermeasures, he can simply surrender.

Before, we could bully Lopez because he was uncultured and ignorant, and show him what a VBSS at sea was like, but now we don't have that chance anymore.

"So, what are you planning to do? How do you intend to use these 800 of us to break this deadlock? Or should we move our headquarters to Mexico?"

The convoy stopped in front of the police station. Milton glanced at the cheering crowd around him and went straight to his office.

As he walked, he replied, "No, we control the trade routes. These two towns, located in the mountainous terrain, are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Our springboard to the coast depends on these two towns. Without them, we can't fight anymore."

"They might not die, but at most they'll just barely manage to stay in Chiapas and do some normal PMC business."

Without the legal status to collect taxes, the control panel is unusable, so they can only become a local armed group.

Milton glanced at Flora and gestured for her to sit down: "You didn't just think of this method, did you? Running away?"

“There are other ways, but we are missing a lot of things… I don’t think you can get them in such a short time.”

"Tell me."

“Let’s learn directly from the battalion-level configuration of the U.S. Army Rangers,” Flora said. “600 men… battalion headquarters company… infantry company… heavy weapons platoon…”

"Weapon configuration..."

Before Flora could finish speaking, Milton suddenly raised his hand.

"What's wrong? Do you have a better idea?"

Milton said, "Your setup is indeed fine, but its ability to tackle tough challenges is a real problem."

To put it bluntly, it's too light and not heavy enough.

“I think it could be a bit ‘heavier’ – still, it would still be a battalion.”

"But we need two armored companies, a total of 28 armored vehicles, to advance as the vanguard. We should be using main battle tanks here, but we don't have any, so we'll use armored vehicles as a substitute."

"For three armored infantry companies, we need 36 armored personnel carriers."

"Artillery company, we don't have self-propelled artillery, so we'll use the towed artillery and 107mm guns that we seized earlier as substitutes."

"We just happened to capture one of the drones..."

"For air defense, we can use a combination of self-propelled artillery and Stinger to create a basic version of an air defense network."

"Our Gazelle helicopters and Dragonfly attack aircraft provide ground attack support as army aviation."

"Establish a special operations platoon and see if we can penetrate deep behind enemy lines to carry out special sabotage."

"Logistics...medical...communications are of utmost importance. We must ensure the unimpeded transmission of orders and intelligence, and at the same time find ways to monitor enemy communications."

"Believe me, given the quality of Lopez's troops, they must be communicating in plain language. If we can intercept their conversations, we've already won half the battle!"

"..." "The tactical concept is very simple and direct: reconnaissance centered on drones; destruction of high-value targets such as enemy command posts and fortifications centered on artillery and rocket artillery; wedge-shaped assaults by armored companies centered on armored convoys, with armored infantry responsible for dismounting tanks to clear remaining fortifications and using anti-tank missiles to suppress enemy armored counterattacks, etc., which are the most basic infantry-tank coordination."

"If they coordinate well, these 800 people can instantly break through a defensive line composed of thousands or even tens of thousands of people."

This is the basic configuration of a heavy synthetic battalion!
PLA Selected!
It may not be enough from the perspective of decades to come, but right now, in this place, it is enough to show the local Latin Americans, who are still using World War I tactics, what modern warfare and modern combat thinking are all about.

It is no exaggeration to say that even NATO and the US military today cannot come up with a better framework.

Flora pondered for a long time, and the more she thought about it, the more surprised she became—the combination of things Milton casually mentioned, though seemingly simple, was definitely not something that could be come up with on a whim.

The combined impact of such battalion-level combat units is indeed very powerful.

but……

Flora pointed out the biggest drawback of a heavy combined arms battalion: "I won't go into the fuel consumption for now. Your configuration is strong, but the biggest problem is that it's a bit bulky and may not be suitable for our terrain."

"If you try to attack the resistance from both sides like this, the losses could be huge."

"Because in complex terrain, the defensive capabilities of heavy equipment will be greatly reduced—the government forces are wary of this, and they must have laid minefields to slow us down."

"As long as the speed slows down, the impact will be greatly reduced."

In complex environments, light equipment and light infantry like the Rangers are more suitable.

Milton chuckled: "Who said I was going to use this equipment to fight off the government forces blocking my lines?"

Flora's eyes widened suddenly: "You..."

“Champellico!” Milton uttered the word. “I’ve been eyeing this port for a long time, and it’s been feeding Lopez for far too long… It’s time for us to prepare to take over a real city.”

Chanperico Port is the port city that Milton previously bombarded.

It is one of Lopez's two major strengths.

Flora frowned, tapped the table, and said with some doubt, "But since we raided the port last time, Lopez couldn't possibly be careless... He must have deployed a large number of troops to guard it, and he may even have borrowed troops from other military regions."

"Although the terrain problem is no longer an issue, the enemy has also become stronger."

On paper, Lopez did not have many troops to block Milton at the front. All of his main forces were drawn to attack the rebels. Using the light infantry of the Rangers to attack this line was the lowest cost, highest success rate, and least casualty tactic.

But... Milton wasn't considering a battle.

Milton shook his head and pointed to the warehouse not far away: "Don't forget, we have reconnaissance drones... Champellico is a city, and the troops defending it must be large and strong, but I don't believe that with their level of expertise, they can really build an impregnable fortress."

"Moreover, and most importantly, the impact of our victories on the two battlefields on the overall situation is on a completely different level."

"We cannot simply choose which battle to fight based on which battle is easier to win."

"First, we can cut off one of Lopez's most important economic lifelines and his maritime supply lines—even if he asks other military districts for help and uses their ports, the pressure and cost of logistical support will skyrocket."

"Warfare is all about logistics!"

"Secondly, if we can capture a sizable city, the strategic deterrent effect of Lopez's two upcoming howitzers on us will be greatly reduced—to put it bluntly, two small towns might be afraid of being bombed by howitzers, but a city is not so scary."

"Third, and most importantly, Lopez won't stand idly by and abandon his port. If we can take it, there's a very high chance he'll come back to reinforce it, which would be tantamount to relieving the siege of the rebel front."

Actually, there's a fourth point: as long as you can capture such a port city, the interface can unlock a lot of new things, which is much more important than simply defeating an enemy army.

"In comparison, charging into the enemy's encirclement and minefield with light infantry to fight a breakout battle, even if won, would result in heavy losses. This is because Lopez has enough time and depth to retreat, reorganize his army, has a continuous source of funds to replenish his weapons, and has a sea supply line to provide him with a constant flow of supplies..."

"We won a battle, but the impact on the overall situation was limited."

“Our sphere of influence is still compressed to the border line. Strategically, we are still passive. We are fighting with existing forces. We have offensive pressure, otherwise we will be suffocated. In war, you have to move the enemy, not be moved by the enemy.”

"We cannot be lured by the enemy; we should lure Lopez's troops instead."

"Champeriko may be more difficult to take down, but as long as we can capture him, we will gain a strategic advantage, our sphere of influence will expand to a province, and we will be true warlords, no longer afraid of the enemy's war of attrition."

"Therefore, the only option is to attack Champelli."

Flora was convinced. She clapped her hands and said, "Okay! I'll do as you say!"

However... despite Milton's confidence, there is still a huge variable in this approach.

What if, after the port falls, Lopez chooses not to return to defend it, but instead sells everything he owns and uses other people's ports for supplies, launches a desperate attack on the rebels' defenses, and heads straight for the rebels' stronghold?
Milton thought about it and came to only one conclusion—there was no other way but to hope that the resistance would fight their way through.

Because this is war.

At worst, the rebels would be completely wiped out. Milton would try his best to rescue as many people as possible by plane, and then rely on the economic size of a province, its port, trade routes with Mexico, and cooperation with the Tapachula government to slowly develop.

Milton looked out the window and nodded.

"I'll take care of the equipment and everything else. Give me 10 days. Make sure the resistance holds out. Victory is just around the corner."

"I finished speaking with Omar and our new mayor, Mr. Vic, and prepared to lead our army back. They just happened to arrive."

The goal of recruiting soldiers in Mexico this time has been successfully achieved.

Soon, Omar and Vic came up.

"Are you going back?"

“Everything’s done, of course we should go back.” Milton glanced at the office. “This office can now be officially returned to your police station. The company has already rented an office building, so we don’t need to work at the police station anymore, to avoid any gossip from the public.”

Omar shook his head solemnly: "No... Your company will move, but this office will always be yours. Whenever you come, the office will be ready for you!"

Vic nodded: "You are the one who cleaned up the air in Tapachula. Your name will be remembered forever. You deserve this treatment—Mexicans never forget kindness."

"And I believe that in the near future, we will have a lot more room for cooperation—those drug lords, the foreign forces behind them, and the corrupt state and Mexican governments will not give up. This is just a truce, a halftime break."

After they finished speaking, a picture suddenly popped into Milton's mind.

A region that is politically and militarily independent and belongs to Milton, comprised of the states of Chiapas, other Mexican states near the border, and the Guatemalan side, with a completely new border!

A super warlord whose sphere of influence spans across Mexico and Guatemala!

No, what warlord.

By that time, Milton would be the legitimate ruler of the "Pan Madre region".

And what Vic and Omar said was also true—it was now September 1994, very close to the time when the Mexican peso was about to crash, or rather, signs of it were already emerging.

The whole of Mexico will be thrown into chaos, and the warlord conflicts will intensify.

Tapachula has won in the present, but the challenges ahead are equally formidable.

“Sure.” Milton smiled. “The company headquarters will remain here. Just contact me if anything comes up.”

Vic nodded: "Also, there's a small truck downstairs. It's your payment for providing 'security services' this time... It's not much, but it should be helpful."

He's a meticulous person.

To be honest, Milton came here to take this job mainly to recruit soldiers; money was not a consideration for him at all—this city government, which was almost bankrupt, could only spare a few cents; he might as well rob a drug dealer.

Even after driving away the drug dealers, Tapachula was in dire need of rebuilding and needed money everywhere. The agreed-upon payment in the contract had already been paid, and Milton really didn't expect the city government to offer an additional payment.

Vic gave a gruff laugh and patted Milton on the shoulder: "We're waiting for your triumphant return! Don't worry, even if you fail, Tapachula will always be your second home, your sanctuary, and its doors will always be open to you!"

"Thank you."

Milton nodded slightly, picked up his things, and went downstairs.

On the parade ground and nearby roads, there was a group of soldiers, their eyes brimming with fighting spirit, fully equipped and ready to go—a group of soldiers with faith.

After opening the truck door, Milton glanced inside.

Honestly, Vic is being a bit too polite.

What do you mean by "not much"?!
Inside were several heavy gold bars, and next to them were piles of green papers with Franklin's ugly face printed on them!
Just by looking at it, Milton could tell that the car was worth at least $1000 million.

Vic stood to the side and smiled: "Use it without worry. It was all taken from the drug cartel's hideout. To make it easier for you to use, there are only US dollars and gold in the truck. We'll keep the pesos and other currencies; we have ways to exchange them."

"If you want to fight a war, you need money that can be spent directly."

Milton looked over again, nodded, and said, "You've been a great help. By the way, although I can't say why, I'd like to remind you to exchange your Mexican pesos as soon as possible, for whatever you want—dollars, euros, pounds, Hong Kong dollars, yuan, gold, silver, or even commodities. Just try not to hold onto pesos."

After the peso's dramatic collapse, Tapachula can, to some extent, preserve its economy thanks to these preventative measures.

"Everyone, get in the car, let's go!"

"Let Lopez taste our power!"

"For justice!!!"

"..."

Flora grabbed the seat next to Milton, turned on the air conditioner, enjoyed the cool breeze, and then relaxed by reclining in a semi-reclined position.

"Going home! Sigh, I need to take a leave of absence this time. We just finished a major battle, and now I have to go fight another one. It's so tiring..."

Milton yawned: "At least the company is finally back on track."

"Yeah, even my former boss heard about it. When he heard that I could even turn the company around, he immediately broke down and started to doubt himself. He was so smug, hahaha!"

“Even you…” Milton retorted, “it seems you’re quite clear about your position.”

"There's no way around it. The company's revival is largely due to you. You deserve 99% of the credit."

The two walked and chatted for a while, and soon arrived at the Malakham checkpoint.

Just as Milton was about to get out of the car, a notification suddenly appeared on the dashboard.

Counter-espionage system activated: Members of other organizations detected entering the town; location marked.

The current counter-espionage system is only just unlocked and is in its early stages. Only individuals who clearly belong to other non-friendly factions will be flagged, and only their location information will be displayed, without any other details.

Milton's face darkened. He pretended to answer a phone call, then reached out and shoved Flora and Brandon.

"Don't sleep yet."

"what happened?"

"An unidentified person has arrived. Let's go meet him—be prepared for battle at any time."

"Holy crap, are you just going to keep causing trouble?"

"..."

Soon, a convoy of police officers and armored vehicles drove into the old street, surrounding Matteo's bar.

Milton walked indifferently into the bar and pushed open the door.

The bartender was wiping glasses and pouring a drink for a man when he saw this and froze on the spot.

The man had neatly trimmed light brown short hair, a well-defined jawline, and a high nose bridge. He leisurely took a sip of his drink.

Upon seeing Milton enter, the man smiled and raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Ah... I've only been here a short time, and the wine in my glass hasn't even cooled down yet, and I'm already surrounded? Impressive, impressive... Even the KGB would have a hard time achieving this level of efficiency."

The other party's posture wasn't just suspicion; they had solid evidence and were ready to arrest someone!

Milton glanced at his watch, scanned the man with his screen, and asked coldly, "Name, identity, purpose of visit—one piece of advice: don't lie."

This person didn't have any smuggled goods on him; everything was legal!
"Hahaha! As expected of the 'Hell Tax Collector,' as expected of the 'Merciful Father'—I'll show you my ID and tell your men not to fire."

The man chuckled, unzipped his briefcase, showed its contents, and pulled out a document.

"Eric Wilson, USAID, Agricultural Technology Advisor for Guatemala, legal, official, and supported by US federal government certification."

"Oh, of course, this identity is public knowledge."

"You can also call me..."

"CIA agent."

P.S.: The Agency for International Development has been dissolved. RIP
(End of this chapter)