Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 227: Drug dealers are assassins?

……

San Cristo, Chiapas, Mexico.

buzzing...

In the sky above this fortified small city, another contrail stretched across the heavens, and a large number of leaflets were dropped from the An-24 tactical transport plane into the city.

A CJNG drug dealer, hiding behind a makeshift tank and holding an AK-74 assault rifle, instinctively looked for cover. Only after confirming that what was falling was a leaflet and not a bomb did he dare to approach and pick up a leaflet from the ground to examine it.

This propaganda campaign has continued unabated for the past few days.

The propaganda wasn't a letter urging surrender, nor was it a plea for drug dealers to reform, nor was it a boast about Milton's military prowess...

Each flyer that was thrown down featured horrifying photos of corpses, creating a visually stunning effect, along with detailed text explaining how these people died and how painful their deaths were.

The flyers were even arranged chronologically, making it seem as if the drug dealers were reading a serialized, perverse novel.

The only difference between this and a novel is that the drug dealers understand what the "author" Milton means—it won't be long before the drug dealers of San Cristo are also written into a "novel".

“This is terrifying… Look at this, I know this guy, he was usually very powerful, he killed at least 5 people, and now he’s planted in the ground.”

"I still think the pyramid is more terrifying..."

"Compared to Milton, the boss is still too kind."

"..."

Under Milton's fear-mongering propaganda, many drug dealers who were originally stationed on the outskirts of the city dared not stay any longer and continued to retreat into the city, concentrating their forces to deal with Milton's possible next attack.

The drug dealers' whispers finally angered a minor leader, who raised his hand and fired two shots into the air: "Shut up! What's all this babbling about?!"

"Given Milton's personality, if he were truly confident in defeating us, he wouldn't waste a single word; his tanks and planes would simply ride right up to our faces."

"The fact that they're using airplanes to drop these leaflets shows that they have absolutely no confidence in taking us down!"

Why be afraid of him?

After saying this, another convoy appeared in the distance—two modified homemade tanks, one with a cannon on it and the other with a Gatling gun.

In recent times, in order to defend against a possible attack from Milton, the CJNG and the state government have been working frantically, sending in all available forces while ensuring the minimum defense of the rear cities.

The crooked steel plates on those trucks are evidence of this.

But what excited these drug dealers the most was that behind the makeshift tank, there was actually a "real tank" following!
It looks very small, with three pairs of road wheels, but you can tell at a glance that it is genuine standard equipment, not a modified one.

The drug dealers were immediately excited: "Boss, is that a tank? Is it a real tank? We have tanks now?!"

His men were ignorant, but the foreman was somewhat knowledgeable. He snorted and said, "That's not a tank, it's an assault gun, an ERC-90 wheeled assault gun. It's a little thing weighing less than 10 tons, it's not a tank at all."

He recognized this device because it was in service with the Mexican army.

It can fire fin-stabilized discarding sabot armor-piercing rounds, which are lethal to Milton's tanks.

But the other drug dealers were very excited: "But this is enough! This thing has very poor defense. Milton's tank can be destroyed with just one shot, but we can destroy his tank with just one shot with this, so there's basically no difference."

"With these homemade tanks, it seems we really don't need to worry too much about Milton's armored forces?"

"I still feel it's difficult..."

The squad leader snorted and pointed around: "Look for yourselves. How many machine guns, how many cannons, how many men are here? How could Milton possibly take it down? Forget about taking us down, if he makes even the slightest mistake, our forces are enough to raze the entire Comitan to the ground! We could even directly threaten his Vevetnango."

"Milton is the one who's in a hurry now, understand?"

To appease them, the leader continued, "Furthermore, 'Shooter' boss told me that Milton looks strong, but he's actually very fragile. Do you know why?"

The drug dealers, who had been living in fear for the past few days, shook their heads.

“Legitimacy!” the foreman said. “Milton was able to bring his forces from Guatemala because he had legitimacy, because they were actually security personnel officially employed by the Tapachula government!”

"The boss has already sent out several assassination squads to take out Vic."

“As long as Vic dies and a mayor who is closer to us is put in place, Milton, no matter how strong, will have to leave obediently.”

"Even if we can't immediately install a mayor who is close to us, they will definitely be in disarray for a while, which will delay Milton's actions... Time is on our side!"

"Alright, Milton's planes have just arrived, he probably won't launch an attack today..."

"Then..."

No sooner had the words been spoken than two Dragonfly attack aircraft suddenly flew in from the sky at an extremely high speed!

Unlike previous attacks that involved low-altitude flight and precise strikes with machine guns and rockets, this time the attack aircraft did not attempt to find high-value targets; instead, it fired directly at the ground from high altitude!

This is……

The small-time gang leader stared blankly for several seconds as dust rose from the street not far away, and as several drug dealers who had been looking at the flyers were reduced to mangled limbs after the dust settled.

Then he shouted shrilly, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Milton has launched a general offensive! Everyone on alert! All vehicles, take cover! We'll fight after Milton's army enters the city! Don't go out and fight head-on! I'm telling you again, don't fight head-on!"

"Hide! Hide!"

A drug dealer, looking disheveled, followed his underling into the building, his voice filled with surprise and doubt: "Boss, is it possible that Milton is just here for an air raid and doesn't intend to launch a full-scale attack?"

"Are you gambling with your life?" the squad leader cursed. "Milton is a master of this tactic: bombard the enemy with planes, then the armored forces advance under artillery cover, followed by the infantry... If you don't react quickly enough, you'll soon see a gap torn in the front line, and Milton shoving his cannon into your cunt!"

Sure enough, after the plane finished strafing, a violent explosion was heard ahead.

Screams and cries of panic echoed throughout the city.

"The frontline defenses are under artillery fire! Milton is bombing us, what do we do?"

"Quickly, retreat! Concentrate your forces! Milton is going to attack us from the front! Bring over those guards around here too!"

"Shrink back into the city, hide in the basement..."

"..."

While everyone was in chaos, the walkie-talkies worn by each of the squad leaders suddenly started making noise.

In order to keep Milton firmly locked in Comitan, Elmenjo and the state government not only sent people and equipment, but also a large number of walkie-talkies!

This is to ensure that every junior leader can receive top orders at any time.

"This is Nathan Crawford."

As soon as that sound came out, all the drug dealers quieted down a little.

"Butcher" Nathan is one of the most trusted henchmen of the big boss "Shooter" Julio, and he is currently in the very center of San Cristo, directing the defensive mission.

His nickname reveals that he was proud of Elmencho and regarded him as a role model, and he had countless lives on his hands.

While Elmenjohn remained silent and other drug dealers were terrified, only Nathan publicly declared that Milton would pay for his actions, threatening to send him a Latin American version of the "Vietnam War" if Milton dared to attack.

Of course, Nathan's nice words were only because he saw so much power gathered in San Cristo, carefully assessed the balance of power between the two sides, and concluded that Milton's chances of winning by launching a strong attack were 0%. Only then did he adopt the posture of a "warrior" and come to the front line to take charge.

"Don't panic. Follow the pre-battle plan. Everyone, get to your defensive positions."

"Kill one person, $100 reward; destroy one armored vehicle, $5000 reward; destroy one tank, $2 reward!"

"Tanks and anti-tank weapons are hidden around street corners!"

"Ignore those shelled lines, wait until the shelling stops, then rush in to fill the gaps..."

"This is our territory. Even the 'hellish tax collectors' have to take a detour!"

"..."

Nathan's setup was very simple, even rudimentary, but it was more than enough for the defending side, which had the upper hand in terms of strength.

Sure enough, after he gave the order, the panicked mood of the lower-level drug dealers finally calmed down a bit.

The leader waved his walkie-talkie and said, "See? I told you, as long as you don't scare yourselves, victory will surely be ours."

In the past, people were terrified at the mere mention of CJNG's name, but this time it's completely the other way around. Fortunately, Nathan's presence on the front lines has helped to stabilize morale.

After the leader finished speaking, he jumped onto the makeshift tank, reached out and touched the ZIS-3 cannon, a hint of excitement and anticipation flashing in his eyes.

“If Milton’s armored vehicles, or even tanks, pass through this intersection I’m guarding, hehe… then I’ll be rolling in money.”

"At such close range, it's bound to hit, it's bound to blow!"

"2 US dollars..."

Boom boom boom...

The continuous artillery fire was visible even inside the city, and the first line of defense had been completely covered, with smoke and dust filling the sky.

The carpet bombing lasted for a full 10 minutes before the sound of exploding shells gradually became sparse.

All the drug dealers gripped their weapons tightly, awaiting the direct assault of Milton's steel torrent.

Nathan, who was sitting in the basement, looked at the map with considerable confidence, waiting for his subordinates to report the latest intelligence.

However, at that moment, a drug dealer rushed over.

"Boss, something's happening!"

This drug dealer was in charge of the flank, a less important area, so he was not of high rank. Information about his subordinates would not be directly relayed to Nathan, but would instead be relayed through this drug dealer.

Nathan looked at him and said nonchalantly, "What is it? Speak."

"Our position has been attacked by Milton's main force. He came too suddenly and too fast. Now the position has been lost!"

"What?!" Nathan stood up. "Milton's attack on the flank? Didn't we plant landmines?"

"They have UR-77 mine-clearing vehicles, which blasted out several passages. Then their armored forces rushed up our positions along these passages and broke through our defenses! Their main force is all at the front and in the city. We don't have enough manpower or equipment, so we can't stop them at all!"

Nathan finally calmed down a bit: "You mean, Milton's army only broke through one of our flanks, not tore open a path into the city?"

"Yes, it is!"

Nathan laughed loudly upon hearing this: "What's there to panic about? That kind of lousy place, if he wants it, we'll just give it to him. Our outer perimeter is just for reconnaissance anyway, it's basically a gift to them."

“I know what Milton is trying to do. He thinks there’s no hope in a frontal assault, so he’s using artillery fire to bombard us, pretending to attack the front, but actually trying to find a breakthrough from our flanks or other places?”

"Then he'll be disappointed, huh..."

"All our forces are concentrated in the city, so he won't find a breakthrough no matter which angle he tries."

"Such a feint attack serves no purpose other than wasting his own ammunition."

“We’ll just sit here and wait for Milton to finish his stunt.” “Just watch, Milton will rack his brains, but he won’t be able to get in. And even if he does, we’ll wipe out his armored forces within a day!”

"Transmit my order: all deployments remain unchanged; just keep an eye on Milton's movements."

Nathan was full of confidence, showing no fear whatsoever, and even leisurely smoked a cigar.

Sure enough, more and more intelligence came in one after another.

Milton's army advanced with unstoppable momentum, breaking through several outer defenses and sweeping around the city, killing many people, but they never managed to take even a single step into the city.

The frontal artillery barrage looked impressive, but once the bombardment ended, the people inside the city rushed in and filled in the defensive line, making it still incredibly solid.

"Hahahaha!" Nathan said smugly, "I told you, Milton just went around in circles like that and got nothing out of it except wasting his own strength!"

He was so proud of himself that he turned on his radio and shouted to all the drug dealers as if showing off:

“I’ve said it before, Milton’s current reputation is only because the Guatemalan government army is useless and because the old drug cartels were too cowardly, not because he is so strong.”

“I’m standing right here. Milton might only be a dozen or even a few kilometers away, but what can he do to me?!”

"What can he do to me except be a clown running around everywhere?!"

After finishing his speech, Nathan was both excited and proud. He ordered his men, "Go get some wine and fry some steaks. I want to eat while watching Milton's performance."

"No one else, unless it's something as serious as the city's defenses being breached, don't come to me, understand?!"

"……clear!"

Many drug dealers had lost their fear of Milton and relaxed considerably after realizing that Milton couldn't break in.

Upon hearing the word "food," a low-ranking leader suddenly frowned—would Milton's sweeping raids on the outskirts threaten the supply of food and ammunition? The city's food reserves were only enough to last for half a month.

However, seeing Nathan so excited, he didn't dare to spoil the madman's fun. He could only smile and agree, planning to report back to him alone after dinner.

Soon, in the VIP reception room in the basement, several high-end steaks were served.

The drug dealers were having a great time eating.

The dinner lasted for more than two hours. Only after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill did Nathan light a cigarette and leave the reception room, completely satisfied.

"How's it going? Any activity these past few hours? Has Milton attempted to attack the city?"

The drug dealer in charge of monitoring Milton shook his head and said, "They shelled our rear lines and observation posts, but the army didn't attack."

"We will follow your instructions and ignore their shelling. Once the shelling stops, we will have our men continue filling in the lines."

"The defensive line has not been actually damaged."

"..."

Nathan was quite satisfied with the report. He turned to the other drug dealers and laughed, "See? I told you, Milton just beat up a really weak opponent. He's not all that great."

"Yeah! Pshaw, I thought he was something special."

"Those flyers almost scared me."

"So, don't easily reveal your true abilities, or others will find out you're really not that capable. Milton is a prime example of this now, hahahahaha..."

"..."

Nathan took a drag of her cigarette and asked smugly, "What's Milton doing now? After going around in circles and finding nothing, has he slunk back to Comitan City?"

"Have they called to request peace talks?"

"Unfortunately, it's too late to talk peace now."

The drug dealer in charge of the report shook his head dismissively: "They didn't leave, but they didn't attack either. They seem a little unwilling to give up."

"Oh, they didn't leave. What are they doing then?"

The drug dealer who gave the report remained unconcerned: "Uh, it seems they've just settled down here."

Nathan was taken aback: "You've set up camp here?"

"Yeah, maybe they built some simple fortifications to prevent us from launching a sneak attack?" The drug dealer still didn't seem to care much. "But who's going to fight them? Let them play by themselves."

The moment Nathan heard the news, he sobered up instantly.

"Wait, what did you say? What is Milton doing?"

The drug dealer thought carefully for a moment and said with great certainty, "They have set up camp on the outskirts and built some simple fortifications. They don't intend to attack us."

Nathan: "..."

At this point, he finally realized that loyalty and ability were not simply a matter of choosing the former.

These drug dealers, who have never fought a war, never been to school, and whose brains have been ruined by drug addiction, are very loyal, but their awareness is extremely poor!
"No, that's not right!" Nathan finally lost his composure. "Milton isn't just setting up a camp; he's building a fortress!"

"He wants to build a fortress behind the city of San Cristo!"

"Damn it! Milton, that treacherous, cunning, untrustworthy, cowardly coward who wouldn't fight head-on! His propaganda offensive, his feints, aren't meant to distract us, but to make us concentrate our forces as much as possible!"

"This way he can take the outer positions at a lower cost! And block San Cristo from both the front and rear!"

"Blocking the front and back of San Cristo's location is a complete blockade! He only needs one logistical route!"

Nathan was practically roaring, "We only have enough food to last half a month! Half a month! And the food transport routes are blocked!!!"

The other drug dealers finally realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Then, what should we do?"

"Stop defending, attack, attack!" Nathan sprinted out. "Before their fortifications are finished, attack immediately, break through them, and defeat them at all costs!"

"Immediately organize the strongest forces to attack!"

The roles have reversed... The fear that had just disappeared is now resurfacing on the faces of the drug dealers.

Relying on fortified cities to defend against Milton's attacks is not the same as leaving the fortresses to attack Milton.

In urban warfare, Milton's tank range advantage is rendered ineffective, and he can be easily destroyed by earthen tanks.

But if they attack Milton...

"Wouldn't this result in too many casualties...?"

"Casualties my ass!" Nathan roared. "The casualties are high now, but once Milton completely surrounds us, the casualties will be 100%. You idiot, can you survive without eating?"

"Immediately relay my orders: Assemble the troops, attack, attack!"

"Inform Tustra to send men to attack Milton's troops from the rear, catching him from both sides!"

"quick!"

Realizing they were in deep trouble, the drug dealers finally got busy.

Soon, an armored unit was assembled, consisting of homemade tanks, assault guns, and various armored vehicles, with formidable firepower.

"Report, assembly complete, position..."

"Assembled, location... ready to depart."

"..."

After listening to all the reports, Nathan finally breathed a sigh of relief, thanking the walkie-talkies for quickly transmitting orders, and said, "Prepare..."

The next second, he heard a terrifying explosion coming from the other end of the walkie-talkie.

Boom boom boom... boom boom boom...

Nathan's heart tightened, and he asked, "What's wrong? Answer me!"

"Artillery fire!" a drug dealer screamed. "The armored forces had just assembled when they were shelled, suffering heavy losses... and the aim was perfect! He knows we're here, he knows we're assembling... Milton is a devil, someone in hell is giving him information, ahhh—"

"..."

Nathan stared blankly at the radio.

The armored forces, which had just left their bunkers and were preparing to attack, were precisely bombarded by artillery shells.

Nathan's hands trembled, and he almost screamed, "Radio monitoring!!!"

"Fuck the Americans, why didn't they tell us this is such a fucking important message?"

"The Guatemalan government forces are a bunch of useless idiots! After fighting for so long, how come they didn't even discover that the enemy had radio listening devices?!"

"Do they really think this is something drones can do? The war has lasted so long, the drones should have flown back to refuel by now!"

"Hold!!!"

……

Meanwhile, Milton was sitting in the back, monitoring the battle situation in real time.

Flora said with some regret, "Sigh... our radio listening system, which we've kept hidden for so long, might be exposed now, unless the other side is an idiot."

"It won't be so easy to have such a clear understanding of the enemy's tactical deployments in the future."

“It’s worth it,” Milton said. “We’re not firmly in position, and if we’re attacked from both sides, we might not be able to hold our line… Now, Nathan won’t be able to mount a decent offensive for at least 48 hours.”

“Perfect timing. Let’s issue a notice in Comitan City—I’m going to build a city behind San Cristo City, and I need a safe logistical route to the front lines. I urgently need construction workers.”

"Those with guts will come and make a fortune."

After Flora left, Milton looked at Brandon and asked, "Is there anything to report?"

“Vic was attacked again, but he managed to thwart it,” Brandon said. “There were two assassination teams in total. One team was captured as soon as they got off the plane, and the other team was captured as soon as they got off the ship. They didn’t pose any real threat.”

"Everything else is going well."

Milton chuckled upon hearing this: "Assassination, assassination... another assassination."

"Don't these opportunistic politicians and drug traffickers who are trying to take shortcuts to end the war realize one thing?"

"If they can carry out assassinations, why can't I?"

“I’ve surrounded San Cristo. It’s time to send a few cannons forward a little further and pick an auspicious day to deliver a small gift to the bigwigs in the state government.”

(End of this chapter)