Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 247 Let's endure some more hardship for the sake of our term, General.
The Battle to Protect the Numbers...

The other party wasn't stupid; of course they could understand Badr's sarcastic remarks.

Milton's offensive, taking advantage of the economic crisis, actually worked, plunging the entire 31st Brigade into crisis.
"...General Bader, please wait a moment, I'll contact the governor for you."

A few minutes later, Fied's voice came through, sounding confused: "Badl, what's going on? Is there a problem on your end?"

The peso just announced a sharp drop, and the impact on the economy will always have a transmission process. How could it have just plummeted this morning, and the army collapsed on the spot this afternoon and was taken over by Milton in one fell swoop?

Bader replied, "The losses were extremely heavy."

He emphasized the word "very".

Fiddle was even more confused: "I just heard that things aren't very stable at the front, and Milton's attack hasn't made much progress?"

"Is your understanding of war like eating? You eat a little less rice in your bowl?" Badr sneered. "War is not eating, war is diarrhea. When you can't hold it in anymore, it doesn't just come out little by little, it's a torrent. Do you understand?"

"Right now, we're like people who're about to reach their limit. Do you understand how I describe it?"

Bader was actually exaggerating a bit. Even if the fighting continued as it was, and Milton's air force was allowed to roar overhead, the 31st Brigade was still large and had some strategic depth, so it should be able to hold out until Christmas.

But that was just a death throes!

Federer frowned at the crude analogy: "Why? With your capabilities, our intelligence network with the Guatemalan government, and even the funds from the drug cartel, why did such a huge problem arise in such a short time?"

Badr was furious when he heard the word "intelligence": "Intelligence, um, intelligence from you and the Guatemalan government, oh, even from the CIA, yes, you said Milton bought six new tanks and sent them to the front line, good intelligence, really good intelligence."

"Something with a 152mm caliber gun, and a barrel almost as long as the vehicle itself, you call that a 'tank'? That's a howitzer!"

"My deployments were all arranged according to the intelligence you provided... You bunch of politicians who have absolutely no military common sense, do you even know what it means to have an entire heavy artillery company wandering around on the front lines?!"

"The battle had barely begun when my command post was completely bombarded by artillery fire. Do you know how many officers died? Do you know how serious the disruption of a command post can be during such chaotic times? Do you know that a shell exploded right in my face, turning my adjutant into a bloody pulp and smearing it all over my face?!"

"I still have bits of his meat stuck between my teeth!"

"Intelligence? You have the nerve to call it intelligence! Giving false intelligence is worse than not giving any intelligence at all!"

"..."

Federer was scolded harshly and felt a little annoyed: "Isn't it normal for intelligence to be wrong? Can't you analyze the intelligence? Can intelligence be absolutely correct?"

"Stop trying to twist the facts! The intelligence error means the enemy has 10 tanks, but you read it as 6. That's intelligence error!" Bader raised his voice and roared, "You said the enemy had 6 aircraft carriers when they had 6 tanks? That's lying about military intelligence, understand?!"

"If you maintain this attitude, then I can congratulate you in advance on a Christmas filled with anxiety!"

"The oil interests are controlled by the federal government, so you still have a chance to fight for them... But if Milton takes them, haha, you try to fight for them? Not only will you not be able to fight for the oil interests, but you'll also be fighting for Milton's museum ticket revenue!"

Already caught off guard by the peso's dramatic drop, Fede rubbed his forehead: "What kind of help do you need?"

"Everything—reinforcements, equipment, money." Bader was still brooding over the "tanks," refusing to believe he lost to Milton due to a lack of ability. "One less bullet, and I'll retreat. You guys can play by yourselves!"

Fid suppressed his anger: "This is not something the current state government can do. Do you know how much the peso has fallen? 30%. That means we've lost 30% of our funds... Here's what we'll do: you hold on as long as you can, and I'll help you contact the federal government, directly with the president."

“I need a reply by tomorrow, or I will withdraw my troops—I will not let my army die on a meaningless battlefield!” Badr said, and hung up the phone without waiting for the other party to speak.

Boom boom boom...

Violent explosions rang out around the command post, and an adjutant glanced outside with trepidation.

"General, how about... we just withdraw? We all know how inefficient the federal government is. How could they possibly come up with a plan in just one day?"

Badr's anger suddenly dissipated. He glanced at his adjutant and gently shook his head: "This time, perhaps not."

"what?"

“Salinas is about to step down. The things he’s done are absolutely intolerable in Mexico,” Bader replied slowly. “It’s not so easy for him to protect his and his family’s political and even biological lives.”

"The escalation of the civil war in Chiapas provides Salinas with a perfect excuse—because there is no change of president during wartime."

"The Mexican presidential election has always been on November 30th, but more than half a month has passed and Salinas is still in that position. Can't you see what's going on?"

Boom boom boom...

“Let’s wait for tomorrow’s news. The enemy has already attacked with all their might, but we still have the federal government behind us. As long as they are still human, there is no reason for Milton to win so easily.”

"If all else fails, we can retreat safely—Milton can't exactly wage a pursuit and annihilation battle, can he?"

Badr was constantly interrupted by various explosions outside as he spoke, and there was always a lot of bad news coming in, but he was completely indifferent to it all.

With the air defense system completely destroyed and no means left to prevent Milton Air Force from entering, unsurprisingly, the artillery positions that were difficult to move were also doomed and were turned into a sea of ​​fire within hours.

All the heavy artillery, the positions that were difficult to move quickly, the warehouses, the storage facilities, and so on, were turned into a sea of ​​fire within a few hours.

Air superiority not only means firepower suppression, but also information superiority!
Currently, only the mortar positions of the entire 31st Brigade can still exert some effectiveness and pose a certain obstacle to the attacking forces.

The reason the front lines haven't collapsed yet is because Milton's planes and self-propelled artillery are still bombarding high-value targets.

Once all high-value targets have been destroyed and all long-range firepower has been eliminated, Milton's towed artillery and rocket artillery positions, which were far behind, can also be moved forward.

Air bombardment, artillery barrage, and rocket artillery barrage...

At that time, what awaits the soldiers on the front lines is a terrifying barrage of bombardment... Those soldiers who spend their days on drugs and gambling to make money have no chance of maintaining morale under Milton's firepower density.

The collapse happened in the last two days. All the counterattack forces Badr could muster were rendered useless. Even if he were Napoleon, he would have no way to turn the tide of the war.

After swallowing a pill with some water, he rubbed the bandage wrapped around his arm, returned to the safe basement, covered himself with the blanket, and fell asleep immediately.

Badr was awakened by various explosions the next morning.

He slowly rinsed his mouth, washed his face, and ate breakfast before asking, "So, what did our President Salinas say?"

……

Mexico City, Mexico. The current presidential palace seems rather deserted.

Salinas's government is a lingering government; everyone knows he is about to leave office and will soon lose his power.

Everyone was busy going to the president-elect's house to congratulate him and busy redistributing the cake. Who had time to pay attention to Salinas?

It is important to understand that Salinas and the incoming president-elect have extremely different political views and conflicts.

"According to the Mexican constitution and practice, you should have handed over power on November 30th! More than 20 days have passed, and this is a desecration of the constitution! If you don't change your term before 1995, just wait for the title of 'dictator' to fall on your head!"

The other party was a member of Congress, and his words were extremely harsh.

Salinas said calmly, "It's not that I don't want a change of leadership... The country is in a state of emergency right now. There's been an internal conflict in Chiapas state, and there's a high possibility that foreign powers are interfering. If we change the government at this time, it's very easy for chaos to break out, especially in the military."

"If the war is lost due to political reasons, it is a responsibility that neither you nor I can bear, and it is also a betrayal of the country."

"I have already conceded victory to Zedillo, and his six-year term will be fully guaranteed by the Constitution. Why should we disregard the interests of the entire country just to gain power a little earlier?"

The congressman retorted angrily, "Chiapas? That's such a small and poor place. How can such a trivial matter break so many years of political tradition? Has no previous Mexican president ever encountered war or unrest during the transition period? Did they do what you're doing?"

“So it’s quick to resolve,” Salinas said. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

"Heh, heh heh! Just you wait!"

Snapped!
Salinas listened as the other person hung up the phone, then turned back to the president's desk and took a deep breath.

“Mr. President…” One of Salinas’s trusted aides had been waiting. After the call ended, he stepped forward and said, “There is a message from the Chiapas state government for you.”

After speaking, the confidant couldn't help but ask again, "Mr. President, are you really planning to do this? Isn't this a bit too dangerous?"

“Is it dangerous?” Salinas slowly shook his head. “First of all, Zedillo is openly anti-drug, and all drug cartels hate his rise to power. That’s our advantage.”

Everyone knows that Salinas's relatives have very shady dealings with certain cartels.

Even though they are in the same political party, Salinas and Zedillo can be considered mortal enemies.

Moreover, Salinas didn't really want to change the constitution and become emperor himself; he was just looking for an excuse to use the remaining power he had to secure his own future and that of his family.

"However, this excuse may not be strong enough... and the Americans may oppose your doing so."

“That’s my second point,” Salinas tapped the table. “As long as I have power, I can control the Department of Defense, and I can exert influence over Chiapas.”

"Do you know why I haven't sent reinforcements over there even though the war has been going on for so long?"

"Do you know why I can negotiate with the Zapatista rebels, but not with Vic of Tapachula, or Milton?"

"Because the Zapatista insurgents are too weak, they can't make any big moves and will only let public opinion pressure me. So no matter what means I use, I have to appease them as soon as possible and resolve the matter."

“But Milton and Vic are different… They can really threaten the state government, they can really use force to take over many important strategic locations, and they can really affect American interests. For example, Coca-Cola over there, and the oil fields over there.”

One is an American giant, and the other is a major source of federal revenue... The interests involved are simply too numerous to count.

"The CIA has a blood feud with Milton. If they just let Milton cause trouble there, why would they be afraid that the Americans wouldn't intervene?"

"Those who oppose me, don't they say the issue isn't serious enough?"

"If the entire 31st Brigade is lost, if the federal government's oil interests are completely lost, if American companies are threatened, can they still oppose me? Those people are indignant now, isn't it just because they think that no matter how much trouble a poor border state causes, it won't affect them?"

"Now I'll show them properly whether what happens in Chiapas doesn't affect them!"

In order to retain his temporary power, Salinas was capable of handing over oil interests at this critical juncture, sacrificing an entire infantry brigade, or making peace with drug cartels; he was capable of anything.

Salinas would do anything in exchange for even a little bit of power!
The president's confidant took a deep breath and said, "The commander of the 31st Infantry Brigade, Badr, has requested assistance from the state government of Chiapas."

Salinas was overjoyed: "Oh? You couldn't hold on for such a short time? Let me see!"

His biggest worry was that Milton would be unable to break through the defenses, unable to escalate the situation, and unable to find an excuse for Milton to refuse to step down!
Halfway through reading, Salinas burst out laughing: "Hahaha! General Badr, you actually dared to threaten me, saying you'd retreat if you didn't deliver a single bullet?"

"Does he think I need the war in Chiapas now, that I need this excuse to prolong my political life?"

"Badr guessed right, but not entirely... I do need the fighting in Chiapas, but what I need is the even bigger fire that will erupt after the 31st Brigade is deployed!"

"Let the Ministry of National Defense put pressure on them. Support and assistance will be provided, but they must hold their ground and never surrender to the enemy. They must not retreat an inch. Otherwise, all officers will face serious charges in a military court and become war criminals on the pillar of shame!"

"……Yes!"

……

Palenque, Milton's forward command post.

Boom boom boom...

Since the planes entered the airspace, the enemy has been under unilateral bombing for more than a day.

If it were Lopez's private army, or any other drug dealer, such an explosion would have caused the army to collapse as a whole, with the soldiers fleeing for their lives.

Hearing the battle report from the front, Milton's expression turned serious: "The 31st Brigade's morale is so high, and Badr's will to resist is so strong? Not only are they not running away, but they're not even retreating. Are they going to resist to the end?"

"How badly were they bombed?"

"They really are a regular army. We really need to be wary of the idea of ​​a quick victory... Even the regular armies of Latin American countries should not be underestimated."

“‘Bottle,’ relay my order: continue bombing—let me see just how strong their iron will really is.”

"Brandon, initiate the behind-enemy-lines operation plan."

"You're not retreating? Then I'll annihilate them!"

(End of this chapter)