Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 170 Non-Aggression Pact (Toilet Paper)
Non-aggression pact...

Milton had developed a condition where the mere mention of the thing made him want to laugh, leaving him completely unmoved.

"At this point, you're still willing to negotiate peace?" Milton, barely able to contain himself, spoke with a hint of amusement. "Don't forget, I took your territory, I destroyed your armored forces, I stole your cannons, and I publicly humiliated you... And you're willing to negotiate peace with me?"

Lopez remained silent for a while, seemingly enduring something, before finally speaking: "There are only eternal interests, not eternal enemies. I want to make money. I don't want to send all the benefits the CIA has given me back to the United States intact. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I will no longer pursue the things you obtained."

“You control the resources along the border between the two countries, which you obtained yourself, so I won’t mention taking them back.”

"Now I have only one request—stop interfering in the civil war. Your southward expansion of your sphere of influence should be limited to the current area. Anyway, you've already succeeded in Mexico. Southern Mexico is a large vacuum area where various forces are at odds, enough to fill your stomach."

"Nobody wants to fight on two fronts, even with my current huge advantage."

"From now on, we will not invade each other's territory, shall we?"

Milton tapped the table and asked, "Do we need to sign any document?"

Lopez was indeed prepared. Before Milton could even finish asking his question, he readily agreed, saying, "I'm ready. If you agree, my men can be there for you tomorrow."

Milton had always had a question in his mind, and he took the opportunity to ask it as well: "These treaties, whether domestic or international, are not legally binding, are they? Is it really necessary to sign them?"

“Whether something is binding or not depends not on the law, but on power,” Lopez’s voice came through the receiver. “If you have the ability to tear up agreements at will, then these agreements are indeed worthless pieces of paper. But, Milton, do you have that kind of power?”

"Since there's a certain consensus, let's leave it at that. I'll send someone over tomorrow."

After saying that, Lopez hung up the phone without waiting for Milton to say anything more.

beep...

Milton listened to the busy tone on the receiver, gave a playful smile, and hung up the phone.

After outlining the remaining battle plan, Milton stood up, walked to Flora's office door, and knocked.

"Ah—ah!" A loud yawn came from inside, followed by Flora's almost resigned voice, "Who is it?"

Milton.

"Oh my god... what time is it? I feel like I've been transported back to the Victorian era in England."

"Stop complaining and look at your payslip." Milton, too lazy to argue with her, pushed open the door and went inside. "Lopez just called me."

Flora, who was writing furiously, paused for a moment, thought for a while, and then looked up and said, "This person is really... too much like a politician. He has such a deep grudge against you, and he can let it go? If it were me, I would definitely fight you to the end."

Milton nodded approvingly: "Not bad, you've improved. I haven't even said anything yet, and you already know that Lopez called to negotiate peace with me?"

"Tch, he can't exactly call and declare war on you... Besides, I've long suspected that local warlords like Lopez have ties to the CIA, and now you've got them in touch with the CIA too. Any competent politician would choose to negotiate peace."

A friend of a friend is not necessarily a friend, but it's best not to make them an enemy either.

After explaining her analysis, Flora tapped the pen in her hand, looked up at Milton, and said, "But you definitely wouldn't do that. Anyone who has offended you, you would definitely do everything you can to get rid of them."

Alas, that's how warlords are.

Milton found a sofa and sat down. He thought about the countless people around the world who were cursing him, and smiled: "It's not that bad. I don't have that much energy."

Flora put down her pen and asked, "I guess you agree, right?"

"Of course I agree. What if I disagree, and Lopez opens her mouth and complains to the esteemed CIA agent?"

What happens after the contract is signed?

Milton was both annoyed and amused: "After signing the contract? You just sign it and throw it in the trash, or are you going to use it as toilet paper?"

“Uh…” Flora choked for a moment. “What I mean is, if you tear up the treaty this time, your political credibility, at least in this region, will be completely bankrupt. Other warlords and groups will no longer dare to trust your so-called contracts.”

Milton extended his index finger and waved it: "It won't go bankrupt so quickly. As long as you deceive people properly, there will be at least one more chance to break the contract—don't forget how those politicians in World War II were completely fooled by someone."

How politically savvy can people in Latin America be?
Milton was confident that with a little persuasion, he could trick the local insects into signing a toilet paper.

"Tsk tsk, this is what warlords are like!"

Milton waved his hand: "There's no need to talk about morality when dealing with this kind of enemy. Okay, I'm going to sleep now. You finish filling out the budget application form, summarize today's events and tell the others, then get some rest too. Don't overwork yourself."

Flora rolled her eyes: "...You might as well just say I don't need to rest."

"..."

Early the next morning, Milton yawned and got up from his room.

The town was already bustling with activity—for example, the radio monitoring equipment had been moved out and was ready to be installed on a vehicle to serve its purpose on the front lines.

Milton nodded, pushed open the door, and walked into the conference room, where most of the others had already gathered.

There are many things to do today—first, to formulate a rough battle plan; second, to sign a sacred treaty with the enemy later.

Finally, we will test-fly the newly assembled reconnaissance drone.

"Boss!" Brandon stood up. "Come and see, how are we going to fight from here?"

As he spoke, a map was placed in front of Milton.

As expected, there were still two options, A and B.

Plan A was the most conventional plan: to advance along the Pan-American Highway (CA-2) and break through all the defenses along the way to reach the port of Champelli.

Don't be fooled by the plan's simplicity and unpretentiousness; the simpler the plan, the more it requires careful planning and strong execution.

In short, Plan A was a "mistake-free" plan, relying on a clear route, a simple command structure, and roads that facilitated logistical support and rapid maneuver, reducing the risks of unexpected events caused by complex terrain.

Milton quickly moved on from that plan and looked at the next option.

Option B appears much more radical, with a simple premise—bypass! Instead of attacking and capturing cities along the highway defense line, they first use drones for reconnaissance, then send a fast enough combined arms battalion to strike along the weak points of the enemy's defenses, directly tearing a gap in the defenses.

The combined battalion advanced along the river tributaries to the city of Retaluleu, and then regrouped to take it over. This city is located on the only main road leading to Port Champerico, and once it is destroyed, Port Champerico will be an isolated city for a period of time.

After destroying the road and thwarting the enemy's only hope for rapid reinforcement, we will advance directly on Ciampellico, maintaining a local numerical advantage. Even if the enemy reacts, they will not be able to repair the road and send a large force to support us in a short time.

With the combined arms battalion's powerful offensive capabilities, Champeriko had already fallen by the time enemy reinforcements arrived.

To put it bluntly, it's about maneuvering, flanking maneuvers, and deep penetration attacks.

This plan looks impressive and fast, resembling a rudimentary form of "blitzkrieg." If successful, it could catch the enemy off guard, quickly demoralize them, and cripple their command chain. However, there are also problems.

The problem is that the protrusion is too obvious. Once the impact is blocked and the speed slows down, it will not be a sharp knife piercing the enemy's heart, but rather the enemy will surround and trap it.

It relies on accurate intelligence and troop coordination, and places extremely high demands on commanders' on-the-spot decision-making.

"Boss, which one do you think is better?"

Everyone in the conference room looked up at Milton, awaiting his decision.

To be honest, it's hard to say which of these two plans is better or worse—that's war, every plan seems reasonable, every plan seems to have a high chance of success, and every plan is self-consistent.

Whether it will ultimately succeed can only be known after actual combat.

Milton tapped the table carefully, frowning as he pondered—in fact, from a conventional combat perspective, both of these options were viable, each with its own limitations.

The first approach is to proceed cautiously and steadily, but it might lead to a protracted war of attrition.

The second type is flashy, but difficult to execute and requires a high level of personal competence from frontline soldiers. A single mistake can result in huge losses in a short period of time, and the logistical support is under immense pressure.

and so……

Milton decided not to choose either.

Because these two are just "conventional" combat strategies, and Milton is no ordinary person; he has cheat codes!

“Besides these two plans, I have another idea.” Milton tapped the table. “We’re going to attack Champellico, a port city… Let’s broaden our thinking. Do we really have to start from our own base?”

Flora was a little confused: "Huh? If we don't start from our own base, then where do we start from?"

“We can depart from our Mexican friends’ port.” Milton slammed his fist on the table. “Don’t forget, they have ports too.”

"Put the tanks and soldiers on the ships, bypass their defenses from the sea, use drones for reconnaissance, and find a suitable landing point..."

“We have LAV-25 infantry fighting vehicles, and I can also get my hands on AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicles, which will make landing quick and convenient.”

"At that time, from the enemy's perspective, we will look like an army that fell directly from the sky... Lopez never dreamed that the layers of defense he laid out would not even play a single role."

"..."

In the conference room, everyone else's faces were filled with astonishment.

Good heavens, instead of starting from their own base, they're going via Tapachula, setting off from Tapachula's port, sending all their equipment by sea to bypass the defenses and take Champeriko directly?!

"Holy crap, you're a genius!" Flora slammed her hand on the table. "You really are something else! The biggest problem with warlords like Lopez is that all their equipment is purchased, it's not a cohesive system, and their reconnaissance system and coordination are terrible..."

"And most importantly, Lopez has virtually no navy!"

"Radar won't be able to detect us, or they might not even be paying attention to this area."

It might be disastrous to deal with a well-organized regular army like this, but Lopez doesn't have such troops at his disposal.

Flora immediately said, "I agree to this plan. I wholeheartedly support it!"

Brandon thought about it carefully and then asked a crucial, even fatal, question: "Boss, your plan can indeed work if it's done by surprise, but... how do we achieve that surprise?"

“We can guarantee that there are no traitors in our territory and that no one can leak information... But Tapachula may not be all friends. They have only just calmed down there and there are still many remnants. If we move a large amount of equipment there, will the people there notice something and report it to Lopez?”

"As long as he is on guard, things won't be so simple."

Yes, the most important aspect of Milton's plan is "surprise."

If their intentions are discovered, it's like fighting idiots for those on the shore to attack the landing force.

Milton laughed: "I have a way to get the equipment onto the ship quietly... As for the personnel, that's even simpler. Now that our trade route with Tapachula is unobstructed, a few hundred soldiers can easily be dispersed and get through in a few days."

Once the details are agreed upon with the new government of Tapachula and the ship is leased, Milton can directly transfer the equipment to the ship.

There won't be a single sound.

Brandon nodded upon hearing this, then, stroking his chin, asked as if talking to himself, "Could it be that the boss had already planned this battle strategy all along, which is why he wants to take Tapachula?"

"..."

I really hadn't thought that far ahead...

But that doesn't stop Milton from putting on a mysterious expression to show off.

Flora asked with some skepticism, "Really? You thought of that already? Then why bring the soldiers recruited from Mexico here? Wouldn't it have been better to just have them stay put?"

Before Milton could even come up with an excuse, Brandon had already conjured up a reason in his mind: "It's simple. Everyone knows we went to Mexico to find recruits... but we finally found them, and then we didn't bring them back. Wouldn't that obviously arouse suspicion?"

"Bringing them back in a grand manner, but breaking them down into smaller parts, is the only way to keep them out of sight."

"These are all the wisdom of the boss!"

Flora was convinced: "...I see!"

Milton thought to himself that Brandon's ability to spread rumors wasn't entirely a negative thing, and nodded, saying, "Yes, that's right."

To make the explanation seem a little more believable, Milton thought for a moment and added, "Furthermore, we can't remain completely silent on the front lines. We still need to pretend to execute Plan A and Plan B to disrupt Lopez's tactical arrangements and create some confusion."

"it is good!"

The others received the order and went to carry it out.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement; they couldn't wait to carry out the mission.

Milton and Flora sat in the conference room, waiting for Lopez, the "diplomat," to arrive shortly to sign the toilet paper—no, the agreement.

After waiting for about half an hour, Milton's counterintelligence system issued a warning.

Almost simultaneously, Milton's phone rang.

The guards on guard duty spotted the car immediately and reported it to Milton.

"Check if they're carrying any dangerous items, then let them in."

"it is good!"

"..." More than ten minutes later, the luxury car arrived downstairs at the "Malakhan Tax Office" building, and two men in suits got out and came in.

The two men, who had already been searched once at the entrance of the town, were surrounded by guards and subjected to a second full-body search.

Their faces showed anger, but they dared not show it at all, and could only let the guards touch them as they pleased.

"You're really honest. I remember the last guy he sent was very arrogant."

Milton still remembers the beautiful prosecutor who was blown to pieces by the traitor's barrage of fire.

Flora watched this scene and clicked her tongue: "So you dare not speak out? Your reputation for ruthlessness has probably spread to the ears of all the warlords in Latin America. How can they not be afraid?"

While the outside world condemns the Juarez Group for carrying out the biggest terrorist attack of the 20th century and setting a terrible precedent by crashing a plane into a building, the group's top brass knows that it was actually Milton who did it.

Many rumors have escalated to the point where Milton eats anyone he sees, a truly outrageous claim.

Now these two are about to see for themselves the legendary demon, the "tax collector" rumored to come from hell, and are naturally terrified.

After being searched, the two men picked up their clothes that were scattered on the ground and put them on.

He didn't forget to thank the guard.

Once the two were close, Milton scanned the area with his panel again to make sure they weren't carrying any well-concealed poisons before nodding to Flora.

Flora understood immediately, went forward, drew the curtains, and opened the door.

The two "diplomats" guarding the door quickly came in and went to Milton's desk.

Their positions within Lopez's team were not low; they were considered upper-middle level, and most of the time, others would fawn over them.

When they do need to see their superiors, the superiors will treat them with sufficient respect—at least a chair will always be provided.

However… Milton’s desk wasn’t without a chair, but the way it was placed and the position of the chair were very uncomfortable, making one subconsciously feel that the chair wasn’t meant for them.

And how do you divide the chairs between two people?

After hesitating for less than a second, the two stood before Milton's desk, bowed their heads, and greeted him: "Good morning, Mr. 'Hell Tax Collector'..."

Milton looked down at his book and didn't look at them.

Flora sighed inwardly, her voice turning cold as she said, "Lopez says he'll bring peace—now tell Mr. 'Hell Tax Collector,' where is peace?"

The two hurriedly took out a document and placed it on Milton's desk.

"Here, here!"

This document also includes a map.

Lopez's "diplomat" pointed to an area highlighted on the map and said, "You see, this whole area belongs to you, including the nearby mines, the population... and all other resources, which are acknowledged to be under your control."

"After defeating the rebels, this area can be yours..."

"And these resources..."

"At the same time, he can support you to become a local member of parliament, and even if you wish, he can nominate one of your people to serve as a member of parliament, provided that your person acts in unison with him on important issues."

"Among the next cabinet officials, one can be reserved for your person..."

"Mr. López also agreed to lift all the blockades on you, on the condition that you do not have any further territorial claims on the Guatemalan side."

"This is also the only premise."

"What do you think? Is there anything else you need?"

"..."

To be honest, after looking through the treaty, Milton realized that Lopez was indeed quite sincere—he offered up everything that couldn't be obtained on the battlefield at the negotiating table.

It's clear that he's eager to extricate himself from the war as soon as possible.

Under pressure from elections, the economy, the military, and many other factors, López Obrador's wealth and status have been severely shaken.

Milton really had nothing more to say, so he nodded and said, "Very sincere."

The two diplomats breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously asked, "Then, Mr. Milton, may we sign it?"

They were genuinely afraid that Milton would be dissatisfied with the treaty and would tie the two of them to the plane and crash it into a building.

Milton picked up the pen and signed his name perfunctorily: "Okay."

"Thank you, thank you!" The two breathed a sigh of relief. "May our friendship last forever, may peace last forever! Well, then we'll be going now, so we won't bother you any longer?"

Wow.

Milton looked down at the documents without saying a word, but Flora opened the conference room door.

The two understood each other perfectly, quickly walked out the gate, fled the tax office in a flash, got into their car, floored the gas pedal, and sped away from the town.

"Tsk, the 'Godfather's' sense of ritual," Flora, who had taken Brandon's place, remarked as she walked out after the two left. "Those two seem pretty happy."

“Let them have their fun.” Milton stood up from his seat. “Let’s go check out our drones and give them a test flight… This is the core equipment for our future reconnaissance work.”

"Let's go! I've never used this kind of good stuff before, I'm itching to try it."

Milton casually tossed the Non-Aggression Pact into the trash can, went downstairs with Flora, got into a car, and arrived at a very secluded take-off and landing field—this take-off and landing field had been specially enhanced with antenna signals to ensure smooth signal transmission.

At this time, several technicians were standing nearby, and the debugging of the drone was almost complete.

Flora took two steps forward, looked at the spotless drone in front of her, touched it vigorously twice, and nodded repeatedly: "Advanced enough, good enough, beautiful enough!"

Milton looked at this old, huge, and ridiculously expensive Israeli aircraft and mentally scoffed at how good it was.

Let's see how good it is in 30 years—cheap, powerful, and feature-rich! You won't feel bad using it as a consumable.

If this drone were to crash, Milton would be so heartbroken he wouldn't be able to sleep all night.

"Alright, let's test it out first. 'Bottle,' go fly."

“Thanks, Boss!”

Flora rubbed her hands together, went to the pilot's seat, and began to try to control the drone based on her previous experience flying airplanes.

"Remember, the range is only 7 hours, so save enough fuel for the round trip."

"Don't worry... This time we're scouting the defensive lines Lopez has set up near the coast, right?"

“Yes.” Milton nodded. “No matter how weak the enemy is, we must be on high alert and deal with them with full preparedness. We cannot underestimate them—let’s treat our opponents as the U.S. military.”

“No problem…” Flora chuckled. “Even if Lopez’s radar is on all day, his old model would have a hard time detecting such a small drone.”

buzzing...

The drone's engine started up, humming, and it quickly disappeared into the sky.

"..."

"Sure enough, after our last raid on his port, he became extremely wary of our route to the coastline. There might really be people he's infiltrated in Tapachula, so our personnel transport must be clandestine."

"That thing... is it laying mines?"

"The defense seems to be very well organized. Does Lopez have a mastermind behind him?"

"There are speedboats...our transport ships may need to reroute..."

"..."

The atmosphere was serious and tense. Milton and Flora stared intently at the screen, meticulously recording and analyzing everything they saw, making the most thorough preparations for the upcoming decisive battle.

……

Meanwhile, the two "diplomats" of Lopez were sitting in their car, looking back at the town of Malacan, which was getting further and further away, and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Great...we're out alive!"

"Damn it, Milton is a madman. I'd believe it if he suddenly went crazy and sent planes to bomb us."

"Don't say such things, it's bad luck!"

"What do you mean by unlucky? Haven't you heard? This madman poisoned half the city's population with poison gas and dropped bombs on the city every day because he suddenly wanted to see fireworks... The younger brother of the Juarez Group's leader was tied to a plane and crashed into a building just because he glanced at him in the crowd."

"He is a super terrorist. You can't associate with this kind of person. You should stay as far away from him as possible."

"Have you read the Bible? Do you know anything about demons? I've heard that in hell, even demons have to tattoo Milton on their bodies, otherwise they'll be bullied by other demons for not being evil enough!"

"Who is our boss, Lopez? When have you ever seen him take the initiative to negotiate peace?"

“If we had said even one wrong word in the office just now, believe it or not, Milton would have jumped out of his chair, strapped us to bombs, and thrown us into the hotel in Quetzaltenango.”

"It was terrifying, absolutely terrifying! I swear, this was the closest I've ever come to death in my life."

"Let's go, let's go, hurry up..."

Half an hour later, the two arrived at a temporary helipad controlled by the government forces.

Near the tarmac stood several heavily armed soldiers—unlike the line-filling babies who were dying on the front lines, these were Lopez's private army, and held high positions.

The officer in charge walked to the car, opened the door for the two diplomats, and saluted with great respect, saying, "Gentlemen, the helicopter is ready and can depart at any time."

Looking at the powerful soldiers around him and the heavily guarded base, the "diplomat" finally felt a sense of security return.

The devil's hand cannot reach here.

"Excellent, you've done a great job." The diplomat straightened his clothes, stepped out of the car, and acted like a top-ranking military officer inspecting the troops. "Lead the way."

The timid and submissive demeanor he displayed in Milton's office, and the awkwardness he showed when leaving Malacan, vanished instantly.

In Malacan, you don't even need to look at a street sweeper.

But as soon as he left, even these officers of high rank had to salute him!

The officer who received the praise was very pleased and immediately turned around and walked to the helicopter, opening the helicopter door for the two men.

"Gentlemen, please!"

The diplomat walked gracefully toward the helicopter and got in.

The helicopter took off immediately and flew towards Quetzaltenango.

Soon after, the plane landed on the helipad of Lopez's luxurious villa. Looking out the window, Lopez himself, Greta, who was in charge of public opinion, Iker, the first deputy, and many other members of parliament, military officers, and officials were standing nearby, welcoming the two of them back.

The two "diplomats" instantly forgot how they looked in front of Milton, and smug smiles appeared on their faces.

Iker, leaning on his cane, took a small step forward, muttering a slight complaint: "Is this all there is to peace? We're just going to let it go after he bombed us like this at the docks last time?"

Grey said calmly, "At least for now, we need peace... If you really can't swallow this, why don't you tear up the treaty after we defeat the rebels and become stronger?"

“Milton is not a simple enemy. This is a long-term tug-of-war involving a complex set of political, military, and diplomatic issues. We are playing chess, and it is about patience and long-term planning.”

“Bring him into our system, and then slowly use the power of our system to eliminate or assimilate him.”

"Of course, defenses and vigilance are essential."

"..."

Standing in the center of the crowd, Lopez held up a wine glass and pointed it toward the helicopter.

"Look... our warriors ventured deep into the dragon's lair and have returned unharmed!"

Let's welcome them!

After finishing his sentence, Lopez downed the drink in his glass and asked loudly, "My warrior, tell me, what did you get from Milton?"

The diplomat jumped out of the helicopter, waving the documents in his hand with a smug look on his face: "The enemy's retreat, the enemy's compromise, the enemy's appeasement!"

"And peace!"

The atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed, with Lopez laughing loudly, "Great! Reporters, take pictures and record this great moment!"

A masterpiece of entertainment fiction. My long-time readers should all know this author, so I won't say more. Anyone who enjoys entertainment-themed content should definitely check it out.

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(End of this chapter)