Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 237 The CIA Comes to Its Senses
Da da da……

On the helicopter, Milton opened a can of Coca-Cola and took a couple of casual sips.

He had originally planned to stay in Vevetenango for a while longer so that the metalworkers could experience the awe-inspiring power of the Latin American warlords, but news from the front lines forced Milton to return.

With Flora's military capabilities, holding the front line shouldn't be a problem... but Mexico's problems go far beyond military matters.

Not long ago, Palenque's spies brought incredibly shocking news!
"The army marched directly into Palenque and opened fire on the demonstrators demanding the return of oil interests to the locals... causing a large number of casualties. Because the city is now under martial law, we cannot provide specific figures."

After mentally reviewing the entire report, Milton couldn't help but sigh.

Because many of the people in this protest support the Tapachula government and want to get rid of the corrupt officials in the federal government.

In other words, if there were enough of these people, Milton could actually send some soldiers to lead them, and perhaps open up a "frontier battlefield".

Brandon communicated with the front lines via the airborne radio and said somewhat gravely, "Boss, there's another message, and it's not good news."

"Go ahead."

"The local Coca-Cola company announced that it will be issuing food vouchers to local residents in the near future, claiming it's some kind of charitable donation from the company..."

“Compared to the army that just mows down crowds with machine guns, Coca-Cola is clearly much smarter.” Milton nodded slightly. “Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re kind—this isn’t the era of Union Fruit anymore. If they dared to kill people indiscriminately, they’d be kicked out in a few days.”

"Sigh... I feel that whether the enemy tries to appease us or suppress us, it's never good news for us."

“Because we are still playing away from home,” Milton explained. “Others are playing at home, so of course they have some room for error… but soon, this will no longer be the government forces’ home ground.”

"Ah, why?"

Milton looked at the ground getting closer and closer: "Do they think that by suppressing the march, everything will be fine and there won't be any problems in the rear? They're wrong. Those who express their opinions vehemently are often a minority, not the silent majority."

“These people may not have the courage to fight back, but given the right opportunity, they will never hesitate to stab the state government in the back, and that’s enough.”

"..."

Milton jumped out of the helicopter and glanced at San Cristo, which was still smog-filled, though only slightly better than before.

"The cleanup of the city is progressing a little slowly... It seems like the drug dealers have been fed too much. Being too full makes them sleepy and lazy."

“Starting today, reduce the food portions for these drug dealers by another 10%.”

"Brandon, how's the tax collection going on their assets—no, how's it going?"

While giving orders to the others, Brandon replied, "Boss, many drug dealers don't dare to deposit their loot in banks. They hide it somewhere that no one can find it... It's a bit difficult to find. I estimate that about 20% of the loot is still missing."

With 20% remaining, that means we've basically found everything.

Milton returned to the command post, took another sip of his cola, and then opened the control panel.

Now that we've collected most of the money, it's time to figure out how to upgrade our equipment and prepare for the tough battles to come.

The drug traffickers have been wiped out, and so far, a total of $1500 million in "fines" has been recovered.

Converted into points, that's 6000 million red points!
Considering the income from the entire occupied territory over this long period, Milton now has 8000 million points at his disposal. Apart from the most expensive BM-30 Tornado self-propelled rocket launcher, Milton can take a look at the others.

Even the most expensive 2S19 only requires 3000 million points to obtain.

"I think it's better to save the points needed for logistics and maintenance and replace the slightly outdated self-propelled guns first. We can upgrade them later when we get oil."

"The main goal right now is to get six self-propelled artillery pieces and form a heavy artillery company..."

The role of self-propelled artillery in brigade-level units is simple: it mainly undertakes three core tasks: fire support, battlefield suppression, and counter-battery operations.

Generally speaking, the actual positions of both sides are built outside the firing range of the enemy's towed artillery, while the front-line combat zone is within the firing range.

Both sides will keep their artillery outside the enemy's firing range as much as possible to avoid unnecessary losses.

The ancient traditional warfare strategy was similar—artillery, positioned in the safe rear, used its range advantage to provide fire support to the front lines, helping soldiers capture positions.

The advent of self-propelled artillery has revolutionized this approach.

Self-propelled artillery, with its high mobility, can quickly move with mechanized units and is largely unafraid of enemy counter-battery radar, allowing it to fire and leave.

In other words, self-propelled artillery is meant to rush to the front lines and fire, unlike towed artillery which can only stay in a safe rear!
It can not only provide fire support, but also carry out concentrated fire strikes on key targets such as enemy artillery positions, command and communication hubs, and logistics hubs in the depths of the enemy before an attack or during the defense phase, thereby weakening the enemy's combat capabilities.

At the same time, if there are self-propelled howitzers, the enemy's towed artillery will be in a very awkward situation.

Counter-battery radar is ineffective against highly mobile self-propelled artillery, but it is very effective against towed artillery.

In order to prevent the artillery from being wiped out by enemy self-propelled artillery that can penetrate deep into the front lines, the towed artillery will have to retreat further until it reaches a safe distance.

This effectively reduces the enemy's artillery firepower density.

In short, with this heavy artillery company, the logic of the entire battle will change dramatically.

After reviewing all the available equipment, Milton finally focused on a particular weapon.

[2S5 Hyacinth 152mm self-propelled howitzer]

Using the GMZ armored mine-laying vehicle as its chassis, it features a four-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of using multiple fuels, delivering a maximum output of 520 horsepower and a power-to-weight ratio of 19 hp/t. Its top speed on the road is 63 km/h. The hull is constructed from welded steel plates, with the thickest armor measuring 15 mm. Despite its tank-like appearance, its actual protective capabilities are not particularly strong…

With a caliber of 53.8, a range of 30km, and a range of over 40km if rocket-assisted, it can fire 6 shells per minute, making it a powerful weapon.

From firing to withdrawal, it can be completed in just one minute. Even Milton's own AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar is helpless against this speed of withdrawal.

"Unfortunately, it also has many drawbacks, such as a relatively narrow firing arc... If I had more money, I would definitely buy the 2S19."

"However, it is more than enough to fight off an army of these insects."

Milton quickly purchased six 2S5 cannons, along with various types of shells—including laser-guided shells.

Of course, Milton hasn't unlocked tactical nuclear weapons like nuclear artillery shells yet, otherwise he would definitely get one to play with.

Just as Milton was indulging in his lavish spending, Flora walked over from the side.

"Hey, 'tax collector,' do you have any new weapons that are handy? Aren't you supposed to be good at making weapons? Help me out! I just did a simple sand table simulation. Even if you use economic means to throw the enemy into chaos, with our current strength, it's not impossible to achieve our objective, but the casualties will be considerable no matter how you calculate it."

Milton temporarily put away the panel, glanced at her, and said, "How about I give you another artillery company?"

“Artillery company, okay…” Flora rubbed her temples, “It’s definitely useful, but I don’t think it will have a particularly big impact on the overall battle. What kind of artillery? How about 12 M224 mortars… wait!”

Flora was talking to herself when she suddenly realized something was amiss.

Given Milton's personality, he always makes big moves when he arrives; he wouldn't even bother mentioning the 12 mortars.

"Holy crap!" Flora clenched her fist. "Could it be howitzers? A battery of 12 howitzers? Large caliber or small caliber? 12 D-30s? Or the American M102s? I think it's the former, the latter is too abstract."

"What a generous 'tax collector'! My God, having a leader like this is truly a blessing!"

However, Milton simply watched Flora talk to herself without making any response.

Flora paused for a moment, then asked cautiously, "You really set up another large-caliber artillery battery, and got another six 152mm D-20s?"

Milton finally smiled: "Neither... 6-door 2S5 hyacinths, arriving soon, within a day."

Flora: "..."

"Holy crap! Where the hell did you steal those six self-propelled howitzers from?!"

"You managed to get your hands on this! This is already military-level fire support equipment!"

After shouting, Flora quickly lowered her voice: "Really? You really got your hands on six 152mm self-propelled howitzers?"

Milton tapped the table: "It's not 'off work' yet. Would I joke about something like this?"

"That must be kept secret, absolutely!" Flora also became serious. "The news that we possess self-propelled howitzers must not leak out in the slightest... If the enemy doesn't know that we have self-propelled howitzers, I might be able to use this information gap to achieve huge results, huge results!"

"If it's really impossible to keep it a secret, then you should at least let me know in advance..."

Milton waved his hand: "Don't worry, it's absolutely confidential... I'll announce it to the public. Because of the pressure at the front, I've purchased another batch of 'tanks.' They're all tracked and each has a cannon. Not only will I not let the enemy see them, but even if they do, given their military sophistication, they'll just think they're tanks."

What are tanks and self-propelled artillery? These are common sense for anyone who understands military affairs, let alone soldiers and intelligence personnel... but that's how it is in Latin America.

"Perfect timing, now is not the time to attack... These cannons will arrive at Champellico Port first, where 'Poison' and 'Anvil' will have some emergency training to ensure our artillerymen are proficient in operating these self-propelled guns before the fighting begins."

Flora nodded vigorously: "As long as the enemy is unaware of the existence of this artillery battery, they're in big trouble!"

Think about it, all the pre-war arrangements were based on the range of Milton's D-20s, which was the underlying logic of the entire campaign.

The addition of self-propelled artillery directly destroyed this logic!

How terrifying is that all of the enemy's deployments, which were originally intended to be outside the range of artillery, are actually within Milton's artillery range!

"How confident are you now?" Milton asked casually.

Flora, suppressing her excitement, said, "They'd be lucky if they didn't beat the shit out of them."

"Very good... Let's formulate the tactics accordingly."

"Hmm... there's one more question." Flora didn't leave. "Besides the cannons, ammunition is also very important. How many special shells can I bring?"

Milton looked at her and said, "If you feel it's necessary, I can arrange all the special shells you want, including laser-guided shells." "That's what you call a well-funded war," Flora said, deeply moved. "When I was the boss of PMC, I encountered many similar problems... Sometimes it's not that the latter doesn't want to offer the former such good terms!"

Anyone who has ever been on the front lines knows how exhilarating it is to fight under Milton's command.

If they need equipment, they'll provide it without hesitation; the artillery has an endless supply of shells to bombard the enemy positions...

Encountering a tough nut to crack? Take out your radio, and within minutes an attack aircraft will be coming to CAS (ground attack).

High wages and good benefits, restaurant-quality food, and even inclusion in textbooks to let children know about this great war on drugs and revolution... It provides both material and emotional value.

No wonder their combat power is so high.

“We’re not rich, but if we can win a war by spending more money, it’s always a profitable business,” Milton explained. “At our level right now, using money is often the lowest-cost solution.”

Flora was excited: "Okay, once this batch of self-propelled artillery arrives, I'll go check it out in Champelli!"

Milton said, "Approved. You can leave this afternoon—remember, as you said, keep it as secret as possible. I'll also put out some smokescreens to protect you."

After saying that, Milton turned his head, opened the panel, and continued browsing.

Although he couldn't afford many of these things, it didn't stop Milton from admiring them and imagining the days when he would own them.

"The fighter jet... seems to be unlocking soon?"

"Once I take Chiapas, I can buy a lot of equipment production lines..."

"A real vehicle-mounted air defense missile, I'm so envious."

"Sigh, it all costs money. When can we just take down the entire drug cartel and use all their money to pay off their taxes?"

"..."

Just as Milton was looking at the equipment that hadn't been unlocked yet and calculating how big his funding gap was, a message suddenly popped up on the panel.

[Unregistered individuals have been detected entering your controlled area]

[Level 1 Contraband Found: M4 Carbine]

[Category A Contraband Found: M16A2]

[Level 1 Contraband Found: Fake Passport]

[Level 2 prohibited items found:]

【Discover……】

Looking at the dazzling array of individual tactical equipment, from firearms to GPS locators, from laser sights to thermal imagers... Milton only spent 0.1 seconds guessing the identities of these illegal immigrants.

The midterm elections are over, and the CIA is at it again?

It's really unlikely that they'll swallow this insult.

Milton thought for a moment, then picked up the DMZ and called DEA agent Winnie directly.

The call was answered quickly.

"Well done." Winnie didn't even greet you before praising you. "The San Cristo Annihilation Operation, which took less than a week, wiped out a total of 2000 enemies... Your achievements have already caused a stir in the industry."

"It can't be that serious," Milton squinted. "What's so shocking about a battle of this scale and tactical level?"

“No… low-level tactics, there are low-level tactics.” Winnie’s tone was amused. “How many bad wars have there been in Latin America and Africa? Would it be useful for them to refer to the US military? Of course, they can only refer to you. You probably don’t even know it yourself, but you’re already a celebrity.”

Not a celebrity, but someone who's well-known within the industry...

That's good, at least it won't attract unwanted attention.

Winnie then jokingly added, "Want to hear some advice from capitalism?"

"Tell me."

“Don’t you and Flora have a company called ‘War Wind Company’?” Winnie said. “You could open a training course. With your current name, as long as you open a course, plenty of people will pay a lot of money to hire you for training.”

“We’ll talk about that later.” Milton immediately lost interest. “I’m already short-handed with my own troops, so there’s no way I can spare a few more capable instructors to make money.”

"Hmm...that makes sense. Okay, so why did you call us?"

Milton spoke slowly and deliberately: "The CIA has begun trying to restart its intelligence network on my turf."

"You found out just as we were planning to restart?" Winnie chuckled. "It was somewhat expected. The CIA got a new deputy director, and he's bound to do something to salvage its reputation... If the Clinton administration wants to be re-elected, it has to make some changes."

"Otherwise, after such a historic defeat, not to mention the president, even the Democratic Party itself is very likely to fall apart."

Milton largely agreed, though he felt a little regretful—Clinton performed exceptionally well for the next two years and ultimately won the election, defeating the Republicans and securing a second term.

"I need your help with the CIA matter."

“No problem… I’ve been in Tijuana recently, still investigating the attack we suffered last time. The truth will soon come to light.” Winnie’s voice turned a little cold as she said this. “Thanks to you, the usually assertive CIA has been forced into such a passive position.”

"Perfect timing, I'm going back to Chiapas state soon to conduct an investigation."

Milton continued, "You've heard about what happened in Palenque, haven't you? The army and drug traffickers ganged up on the local citizens."

"……Um."

“There’s definitely something going on with the CIA. You guys go over there and ‘investigate,’ find out whatever you can, and let them fight amongst themselves as much as possible.”

……

Comitan City checkpoint.

A man and a woman dressed as businessmen are undergoing a full security check.

They bought two tickets to Malacan, Milton’s “birthplace.”

After passing through security, the two looked at each other.

“A very thorough inspection, and it seems that none of the staff can be bribed.” The man frowned. “It’s hard to imagine this scene happening in a warlord-ruled territory.”

The woman, carrying her luggage, casually remarked, "Luckily, the SAD team chose to cross the border by off-road, otherwise something terrible would definitely have happened."

"There's no other way. We've tried several times to split the guns and manpower, but we've failed. Milton's territory is practically impregnable. We have to resort to the most rudimentary method."

"Not only that, even on the front lines, Milton's army is very well kept secret. Nobody knows exactly how many men Milton has or how much equipment he has—the only source of information is Milton himself."

If it's like this on the front lines, imagine how it is in the rear!

The territory Milton now occupies is, in the CIA's view, a complete black box; they can't get any useful information from it.

All the information we could get was either released by the Pan Madre Group itself or secondhand intelligence.

The man sat in the front seat of the plane, and after making sure no one was around, he lowered his voice and said, "So, remember our mission: rebuild the intelligence network. We need to find out exactly how strong Milton's military is. The pressure from Mexico is immense; we can't afford to lose any more territory."

"Yes...that's why the funding this time is quite generous."

"..."

The plane landed safely at Malacan Airport, and two CIA agents disembarked. Before entering the country, their passports had to be checked again.

That's obviously a fake passport.

The border official glanced at the fake passport: "Mexican, what are you doing here?"

"Doing business, doing business... Hehe, you know, Mexico is in chaos right now. You've just escaped your predicament, but food prices are very high. We're planning to invest in an affordable chain fast food restaurant here."

"Hmm..." The border official checked their identities, nodded, and said, "Welcome to Guatemala. I wish you both great success in your business."

The two retrieved their passports, discreetly eliminating the possibility of being followed, rented a car, and drove to the central park of Malacan, arriving next to the "Jingguan Museum".

Along the way, the scenery that the two CIA agents saw made them secretly tremble with fear.

This life is just too good. Although it is far from those top welfare developed countries, people are well-fed and watered, the streets are clean, everyone has spare money for entertainment, and they dare to walk on the street wearing jewelry and ornaments without worrying about being robbed.

The woman immediately concluded: "It's probably going to be difficult to incite hatred with words alone; they definitely support Milton."

“Then let’s spend the money. There will always be people who betray others for their own benefit,” the man said. “Even if Milton is popular, there will definitely be people who don’t support him as much, and there will certainly be people who have lost a lot of benefits in the revolution. Find them, and we can try to win them over.”

"Among these people, some might be able to get relatively close to military facilities."

The woman continued, “It’s difficult to directly bribe them; it would arouse suspicion and even expose us… But we can start with their families and friends, instilling in them the idea that America is paradise, making them dissatisfied with the status quo, and corrupting those who are not firm in their hearts.”

"For example, you could say to those who have already lost out with surprise, 'How come you get such a low salary? In the United States, people like you earn $50 a year.' This is guaranteed to stir up their resentment."

"Then we'll step in, reveal our identities, and offer the lure of immigrating to the United States, and we can take them down in one fell swoop!"

The man looked out the car window: "It's a very simple operation... but it works."

"Oh right, isn't that the 'Museum of Jingguan'? Hehe! I want to see if it's as terrifying as the legends say."

(End of this chapter)