Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 172 Two people got lost at your place
Port of Tapachula, Mexico.

The newly elected mayor, Vic, is dressed simply and is giving a speech by the dock.

Tapachula is currently in dire need of reconstruction. The good news is that because the wealthy people here are generally law-abiding and very patriotic, they have voluntarily paid 95% of their taxes, resulting in a large number of job opportunities.

"Look, these cargo ships of the Kalis family... In the future, they can carry a lot of things, not only providing jobs, but also importing the cheapest goods!"

"This is the Vic family's cargo ship, which is what I surrendered..."

Every time Vic spoke, a huge cheer erupted from the audience.

Their lives are about to get better; they can live with dignity and do very well without drug trafficking.

But what no one knew was that right now, the cargo covered up on those ships was enough to make anyone's jaw drop.

Drones, armored vehicles, fully armed soldiers...

It's clearly a troop transport ship!

Vic continued, "Then, may our ship set sail!"

Uh...

Milton, sitting in his cabin, felt the ship rocking.

"They've set off." Flora, sitting opposite, rested her chin on her hand. "I never imagined I'd ever get to fight a amphibious landing operation in my lifetime."

“Once we leave the port, we’ll be moving out immediately,” Milton said very seriously. “During our reconnaissance a few days ago, we used drones to pinpoint the locations of enemy radar, armories, various important buildings, anti-aircraft missiles, and anti-aircraft artillery.”

"Artillery fire must destroy these high-value targets as soon as possible before our aircraft can enter the field. Tanks are said to be the king of land warfare, but in reality, the real magic weapon on the modern battlefield is still the roaring artillery from the rear."

“Urban warfare is very difficult. The enemy’s reinforcements can be deployed very quickly, so we must fight a quick battle.”

After saying that, Milton subconsciously looked up and glanced at the sky—his plane would soon be flying at extremely low altitudes nearby, hovering there to avoid possible detection by the enemy.

Ishimia sat not far away, gazing ahead. After a long while, she sighed, "I had thought about our future victory, about the scene of us finally being able to launch an offensive against the enemy, but I never expected it to come so soon."

Flora immediately interjected, "Don't forget, before the attack, you need to issue a statement, no matter how clumsy or lame the excuse is."

Milton and Lopez signed a peace treaty. Even if both sides tacitly knew that the treaty would be torn up one day, in many people's minds, they should still have some sense of shame.

To lull Lopez and his scouts into a false sense of security, Milton deliberately reinforced his forces along the border between the two sides during this period, giving the impression that he was strengthening his defenses.

“How could I possibly forget something like that?” Milton chuckled. “It’s all planned out. Three minutes before the attack begins, I’ll contact headquarters and have them issue a stern condemnation.”

Flora was most curious about this, and she pressed on, "What statement? What kind of trap have you set for Lopez this time?"

“There’s no trap,” Milton began. “Just say that two of our men got lost over there, and condemn Lopez for violating the peace agreement, maliciously arresting our people, and ruining the hard-won peace. Then go on and on about how pitiful the families of those two Voidlings are, how indignant our people are, and how everyone is demanding that we get justice for our warriors…”

"That's pretty much it."

Flora's eyelids twitched slightly as she asked, "Does anyone really believe what you're saying?"

“It’s mainly to give Lopez a psychological blow,” Milton said. “Didn’t you see on TV? Those two ‘diplomats’ who came to our side went back waving the treaty we signed.”

"Now López Obrador is using this as a political achievement, hoping to force the Pan Madre Bloc to sue for peace by defeating the rebels, thus proving that he is winning and can continue to lead voters to victory."

"This winning mentality, which promotes itself as a team that is constantly victorious, will collapse instantly from within if given an undeniable crushing defeat."

The best example is India.

As the group was talking, the cargo ship had already left the port and was sailing smoothly on the sea.

Flora nodded slightly: "Okay! Hmm, we should be able to launch the drones now. Let's confirm the location of the enemy's high-value targets one last time and try to cripple the enemy's air defenses and command system in the first round of shelling."

After saying that, Flora stretched out her hands and gave Milton two thumbs up: "Seriously, 'Tax Collector,' your combat thinking is really too advanced."

"Equip everyone with radios, use drones to make the battlefield as transparent as possible, and implement radio monitoring systems..."

"To obtain as much information as possible about the enemy, and to prevent the enemy from obtaining our information as much as possible."

"This is already a very standard information-based and mechanized warfare approach. Where exactly did you learn these things?"

Milton said calmly, "That's the benefit of reading more books."

"Tch, say it or don't, it's up to you!"

Flora grumbled and then controlled the drone to take off from the cargo ship's "makeshift runway" and fly towards the port of Champellico.

Soon, the entire layout of the port was laid out before everyone with their aerial view.

"That should be their air defense base, with anti-aircraft guns and land-based air defense missiles modified from man-portable air-defense systems... We must take care of it."

"Not bad, not bad. Their army still hasn't entered the city; they're still stationed outside... This will make it much easier to fight them."

"This location looks a bit like a command post; if possible, it would be best to cover it as well."

"Lopez is really going all out. The Guatemalan army only had a few armored vehicles. Tsk tsk, this shows that he has really made a lot of money, more than the budget of the congressmen."

Milton pointed to the footage transmitted by the drone and said, "They have a layered and layered deployment, and they have also tried to find cover to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop. The last time the docks were bombed, it left a deep psychological scar on them."

“If we really have to go head-to-head, it could cause us some losses,” Flora said. “That’s why aircraft are especially important.”

The extent to which ground attack aircraft can inflict losses on the army has long been a proven fact, proven in countless real-world combat scenarios.

To deal with a team whose fighting will is not firm, air raids alone can make them retreat.

There is a military force in the world, and currently the only one, capable of advancing its front lines even after losing air superiority—unfortunately, this force could never be here.

"Unfortunately, it was useless... Faced with the concept of information warfare, these deployments can only be defeated by a lower-dimensional attack."

"Give the location information to the artillery, and then...we prepare to land."

"The drone can come back now."

While piloting the drone, Flora casually remarked, "I heard that Lopez is going to give a speech today to garner votes... I wonder how long that speech will go on when we break through Champellico?"

“Never mind that.” Milton glanced out the window again. “We’re almost at the target location. Prepare to land—we need to be quick. Although this is a vacuum in the enemy’s defenses, we can’t guarantee we won’t be discovered.”

“Lopez is in a bad situation,” Flora clicked her tongue. “They set up so many defenses up front, and we just bypassed them by sea… You know what this reminds me of?”

Milton said expressionlessly, "The outstanding performance of the German team in the 1940 Tour de France?"

"Holy crap, hahahahaha!" Flora laughed until her stomach hurt. "No, 'tax collector,' that was funny enough, but the way you said it with that expression makes it even funnier, hahahahaha!!!"

"I'm serious, this detour you took is just as valuable as that one."

"Sending so much equipment to the sea without the enemy's knowledge is extremely difficult, but you did it, which is why you were able to successfully bypass them this time."

"If even a single word of this gets out, we're finished."

Milton got a little bloated by the praise and quickly waved his hand: "Alright, stop flattering me, let's get ready to land!"

In order to land as quickly as possible, Milton redeemed a lot of related items, such as roll-on/roll-off ships, bridge-building barges, hovercrafts, and so on.

Amphibious vehicles were launched directly into the water, while other vehicles landed in an orderly manner...

Soon, Milton's entire army was assembled in this area, which was not particularly suitable for landing.

Armored vehicles, armored infantry, towed artillery, rocket launchers... and ground attack aircraft circling in the nearby low-altitude airspace.

Right now... Lopez's army is unaware that such an extremely deadly force has undetected bypassed the heavy defenses and is preparing to strike their port city!
"We should show them what it means to be annihilated before the fight even begins."

"Reject armor-piercing missiles, embrace the integration of information and firepower!"

After advancing a certain distance, the armored vehicles and armored infantry immediately began their final sprint toward the port of Champellico, following the predetermined formation.

Meanwhile, the artillery, having adjusted its firing parameters, was also ready.

In a highly information-based and collaborative environment, it is best to conduct the assault and artillery bombardment together to catch the enemy off guard as much as possible.

If they can't establish OODA, they will soon collapse.

"Target... Azimuth... Distance... Elevation..."

"All units, instantaneous fuse activation... 3 rapid fires!"

"Fire! Fire!"

Boom boom boom!
A shower of meteors streaked across the sky.

Milton gazed into the distance, chuckling to himself, "The enemy must still be watching the north with extreme vigilance, constantly on guard against my army's southward advance, right?"

……

Port Champellico, Lopez's private army barracks.

At this moment, almost everyone was in a very relaxed state, eating, squatting on the ground playing cards, watching TV, and going to drug dens to take drugs... highlighting the relaxed atmosphere and the gathering of elites in the Latin American region.

There was no vigilance whatsoever.

There's a reason they're so relaxed.

There's been no movement at the front lines at all, so what's wrong with relaxing a bit?
Who can stand being so tense every day?
Don't be fooled by how imposing and powerful those armored vehicles look from the outside, making you want to touch them. Once you've ridden in one, you'll never want to touch it again.

A junior officer, a lieutenant, scurried into the command post with a wad of cash. He handed the money to a senior officer, a colonel, and said with a fawning smile, "Hey, Jason, this is today's gambling profits. It's all here. Take a look." Jason glanced at the wad of cash, took it with great satisfaction, and gave a few bills to the officer.

"Great, here's your commission."

"Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss!" The lieutenant rubbed his hands together, happily putting the banknotes into his pocket. "Hehe, I got a new batch of leaves, good stuff, sold for a good price!"

Jason chuckled: "You know why you're advancing so slowly?"

The lieutenant, with a fawning expression, said, "Please tell me, please tell me!"

“Because you don’t know how to make your boss happy.” Jason pointed to the television. “If you want to climb higher, command more soldiers, and gain Lopez’s trust, the most important thing is to make him happy, and the way to make him happy is to understand him better.”

“Mr. Lopez’s schedule is all public… Didn’t you notice he has a speech today?”

"If you watch this speech, you'll know what he'll be like next time you meet him, and how to compliment him casually without seeming deliberately awkward."

"Watch carefully and learn well."

"As far as I know, what he needs right now is war merit—even though we haven't fought a war, keeping Milton pinned down in his hometown can be portrayed as a war merit, understand?"

The lieutenant suddenly understood and nodded: "I understand! Thank you!"

Jason glanced at the empty radar station and said, "Alright, turn on the TV!"

The speech hasn't started yet, but Jason is bored, so he's watching TV to pass the time.

As for the radar station... well, there's no news from the front lines yet, so why turn on such an energy hog?
The money saved is all yours.

"Okay, okay!"

Soon, the television in the room was turned on.

"Let's see if Malacan TV has any interesting shows... Well, no, what a pity." Jason turned the TV knob, found that he couldn't find Milton's channel, and switched back to Quetzaltenango TV with some disappointment. "Never mind, let's see what Lopez is saying."

Logically, the speech hasn't started yet.

However, as soon as Jason turned on the TV, he saw a noisy and chaotic scene.

Lopez appeared to be at the hotel entrance, surrounded by a large crowd. From the occasional sounds that drifted over, it seemed that they were all relatives of soldiers, there to claim their compensation.

"Tsk, a bunch of cannon fodder, used as expendable supplies on the front lines after only a few hours of training." The lieutenant laughed out loud. "They're just there to die for us, and they still want compensation?"

"Did you see that girl? She's shouting so loudly, all for her brother's compensation money, hahahahaha!"

The lieutenant flattered, "That old man and this girl must be family, hehe... Boss, I think she's pretty, and she's pretty loud, she's been yelling quite a bit, I wonder what she's like in bed..."

Jason's eyes lit up, but he didn't immediately agree to take action: "Don't rush, observe for a few days and see if any big shots want it. If not... then capture it for me. If you can accomplish this, I can also give you a part of the opium den business in the military camp."

"Okay! Thank you, boss!"

"..."

Just as the two were watching TV, several strange sounds suddenly appeared in the sky.

shhhhhh...

Although Jason was extremely corrupt and the military equipment was in disrepair, he was still a real soldier who had heard a lot of artillery fire and had observed artillery firing from a distance!
this? !

Jason instinctively stood up, rushed out of the military camp, and looked up at the sky.

Rockets rained down, leaving trails of flame, and hurtled towards the city!

Judging from the direction, it looks like...it looks like their air defense position?!
"Not good!!!" Although Jason had fallen from grace, he still had basic military common sense. The enemy's target was so clear, which could only mean one thing!

"The enemy is about to launch an air attack on us!"

"Fuck your mothers, you bunch of idiots still playing the fucking card? Get up and get the anti-aircraft missiles, now!!!"

"Turn on the radar! Turn on the radar! Quickly! Pay close attention to the direction of the enemy aircraft!"

Amidst the chaotic issuance of orders, Jason himself harbored many questions—who attacked? Lopez was a shrewd politician with seemingly good relations with other warlords, wasn't he?
His only enemy appears to be Milton, who is entrenched in the border region between Mexico and Guatemala.

Could it be Milton who called?

That's impossible. The fortifications, traps, scouts, and a certain depth of defense on land have almost turned Milton's territory into an impenetrable fortress. He couldn't have teleported here, could he?!

This sudden attack, which was completely contrary to his common sense about military affairs, made it impossible for him to calm down and make any effective judgments.

Jason had no idea who the enemy was, and could only frantically issue the most conservative orders.

"Get on the chariot! Get on the chariot!"

"Retreat into the city! Fighting a defensive battle in the city gives us an advantage!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a towering flame shot into the sky from the city not far away, accompanied by a series of explosions.

Boom boom boom...

The air defense positions in the port of Champelli have been destroyed.

Jason's heart sank; he was shocked and filled with doubt.

But why?!
They had clearly taken precautions to hide; even if you were driving a big truck and standing on the roof, you couldn't find their air defense positions.

How could the enemy know the location of the air defense positions so precisely?

Jason suppressed his doubts, glanced in the direction of the radar station, and almost fainted.

Seeing the soldiers who had just been smoking weeds staggering towards the radar station, Jason was furious. He yelled, "You fucking hurry up!!! Do you want enemy planes and helicopters to shit on our heads?!"

"Our air defense positions are destroyed! Destroyed!!!"

"Holy shit, holy shit!"

At this moment, Jason finally felt a little regretful—it was great when making money, but when it came to actually fighting, he was a complete disaster.

Fortunately, those soldiers finally made it into the radar station, and another group of soldiers went into the armory.

The radar will be activated immediately... and the man-portable air defense missiles will be ready for deployment soon.

As long as we can pose an effective threat to the enemy's air power, we can still fight; at least we can hide in the city and fight street battles.

Just as Jason had this thought, a huge iron lump suddenly flew down from the sky and struck the radar station directly.

A direct hit!

Immediately afterwards, the 152mm high-explosive shell exploded.

boom!
The terrifying fireball blasted the entire radar station into the sky!
All the equipment and instruments turned to dust in an instant, along with the corpses of the soldiers who had gone inside, turning into a pile of charred remains.

Before Jason could recover from the initial attack, a second 152mm high-explosive round followed.

And this time the target is equally clear—an arms depot!

boom!
A large-caliber high-explosive bomb exploded again!
The weapons in the armory were also violently exploded!
The flames instantly engulfed the entire military camp, and the powerful shockwave swept across the armory and the epicenter of the artillery explosions, killing any soldiers nearby instantly.

Boom boom boom...

In the sky, rockets and artillery shells continued to fly towards this side, each landing point corresponding to a high-value target!
Before the battle even began, before they even knew where the enemy was—or even who the enemy was—they had already suffered heavy losses.

The enemy seemed to have supernatural vision, knowing precisely which places were important, while our side was like headless flies, only knowing that the enemy was coming from the north.

How to fight this? !

Besides, aren't there many lines of defense over there? Aren't there many landmines laid over there?
Could it be that... the enemy has become so powerful that they can silently tear apart the defense line in a short time, annihilate all friendly forces on the line, and then quietly sneak into Champellico Port?
The thought of this hopeless possibility caused the morale of the troops to collapse completely.

In the distance, they could already see the armored convoy, like a steel torrent, charging forward in wedge formation!

"Help!"

"Run...run!"

At this moment, Jason remained calm. He picked up the megaphone and shouted, "Don't run! No one is allowed to run! Get in the armored vehicles and retreat in an orderly manner! We're retreating into the city! We'll fight in the streets!"

"You'll only die if you run away!"

"Get in armored vehicles, get in armored vehicles, and get away from high-value targets! The enemy knows everything about us, so stay away from areas that might be bombed!"

"Go ask Lopez for help. Don't despair. We don't need to defeat the enemy. We just need to delay them for a little while. The army will be here very soon!"

After this shouting, the soldiers finally regained some composure.

Yes, they are not trying to defeat the enemy.

With a leader in mind, the soldiers finally regained some composure and began to board the vehicles in an orderly manner, intending to retreat to the city to buy time and seek help.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine came from the sky.

Jason instinctively looked up.

The Gatling gun nozzles of the A-37 Dragonfly attack aircraft began to rotate.

Buzz!
(End of this chapter)