Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 269 will soon be available in Hard Mode.
“‘Primitive Voodoo Cult,’ an old friend.” Milton chuckled as he flipped through the intelligence in his hand. “I thought we had wiped them out last time, but there are still a few remnants.”

“This is what extremist organizations and extremist ideologies look like.” Flora pondered for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. “Once an extremist ideology takes root in a place, it becomes incredibly difficult to eradicate it.”

“‘Tax collector,’ I must remind you, this is not a good sign… ‘Primitive Voodoo’ itself is nothing, and I believe these remnants are no match for us, but what it represents is something we must be wary of.”

Extremist ideologies only need to find a place with a religious atmosphere and low levels of education, use the most extreme violence to destroy the existing order, then display terror, target a few people, and carry out the most horrific public executions.

These executions may even involve "public participation".

In areas with low levels of education, people are quickly swept up in this crazy and terrifying atmosphere. Young people are brainwashed by extreme ideologies and develop a self-consistent and bizarrely logical "religious theological logic," forming a cognitive loop.

Once this cognitive loop is formed, it will become terrifying—extreme ideas will no longer be "opinions" or even "beliefs," but rather a kind of "common sense"!
The difficulty of turning things around is self-evident.

Isolating and educating the younger generation, developing the economy, and rebuilding the culture... are all extremely difficult, costly, and time-consuming tasks.

To put it bluntly, time is the greatest enemy.

Milton began, “What’s even more insidious is that human lifespan is limited. Even if a wise ruler emerges to rebuild, the succession problem could cause all efforts to be in vain… Destruction is much easier than construction, not to mention that the destroyer is very powerful.”

Flora raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Oh? Very perceptive."

“The enemy’s strength is not just about the strength of its weapons and equipment. Don’t take me for a fool.” Milton closed the file in his hand. “These are more destructive than direct military strikes and will directly undermine the foundation of a regime’s rule.”

As Milton spoke, he was also mentally ranting – he had seen far too many of these things in his past life.

Although the United States was ultimately devoured by terrorism, the damage caused will likely take decades to heal.

Flora nodded seriously: "So, we must nip all threats in the bud, and we must act quickly. Once this thing spreads, it's like a malignant tumor spreading."

"And there's one more thing you need to pay attention to..."

"The next battle we will fight is a real war to take over the whole country, or at least the central government. If we can win, the 'Pan-Madre Group' will be the one to speak for Guatemala in the future."

“Look at Cuba next door. If we don’t handle this well, the outcome could be similar… ‘Tax collectors,’ the small-scale skirmishes are coming to an end, and the hard mode is about to begin.”

What started as a small organization, almost like a gang, is now able to talk about what happened after they seized national power!
Milton sighed slightly and said, "First of all, we haven't even fought yet... When we started our operations in Mexico, the Alzu government, although unable to launch an offensive, had purchased a lot of advanced weapons and organized its defenses. Let's not make any promises before we've won."

"Secondly, it doesn't mean that we've seized power just because we've taken Guatemala City. Have you heard the saying, 'Store up grain and delay declaring yourself king'? Before we've truly developed, even if the regime has substantially changed, we shouldn't break the ice."

The current "Pan-Madre Group" is still far too small in scale; it is essentially a small, elite force that becomes increasingly strained as its territory expands.

Although Milton is using all available resources to recruit soldiers from all the occupied territories, it will take at least a year for these troops to become combat-ready.

Similarly, railways, oil refineries, and all other equipment also require a year to build.

In any case, even if Milton conquers Guatemala and drives Alsú to some godforsaken place to become president, he will not declare that he has seized power for at least a year.

Flora sighed: "Ideally, we should develop quietly for a while, until we have a truly powerful and forgiving army, and once all the rear production is stable, then we can sweep across the entire Guatemala and seize power. With our current strength, even if we succeed, the regime we seize will be shaky."

But now, the "anti-Milton alliance" led by the Alsu government is stirring up trouble. If Milton doesn't intervene, he will once again fall into the same situation of being attacked by all sides... But even if he wins, he won't be able to enter Guatemala City in the best possible condition.

This puts you in a lose-lose situation, pleasing neither side.

Once the roles of "government forces" and "resistance forces" are reversed, all sorts of weapons might actually grow out of the enemy's crops... This is also one of the combinations of "hard mode" that Flora mentioned.

Milton said slowly, "Our enemies won't give us such a perfect opportunity. As I said before, an opportunity with a 20-30% chance of success is enough to fight for with all our might."

Flora chuckled upon hearing this, pulled a map from her pocket, and unfolded it on the table: "Then take a look and tell me how to proceed?"

"There are two main directions now. The first is to continue with the previous strategy, take the initiative, and take Solora first. Once we capture this city, the only obstacles between us and Guatemala will be Tecpan and Chimaltenango."

"Moreover, we will have a great barrier to protect Quetzaltenango."

"It can be used for both offense and defense."

Anyone who has even glanced at a map of Guatemala knows which city lies behind Chimaltenango.

Guatemala City.

Flora added, "The second direction is to fight a defensive counterattack... According to intelligence analysis, the 'Anti-Milton Alliance' is such a large force that they will definitely take the initiative to attack. We can take advantage of the defensive side to fight a defensive battle."

"Our current deployment is based on the goal of defense, so there shouldn't be too many surprises in the arrangement."

"How to say?"

Milton replied without hesitation: "We only have offense, no defense."

"Under normal circumstances, defense is certainly advantageous, but the situation we are facing is not a normal situation."

"The enemy is the Allied forces, the Allied forces!"

"What does this mean? It means that their command center is fragmented, that they have extremely poor adaptability to changes, and that they are there for their own self-interest."

"If we adopt a passive defense, their weaknesses will be minimized—the battlefield is determined by them, and coordination issues will be perfectly concealed by fixed positions. We cannot decide which unit to focus our attack on, and their internal conflicts will be resolved internally."

"Moreover, the absolute disadvantage in troop strength will be irreversible. So much of our equipment is unusable in actual combat and we are about to face the final battle. The cost of trial and error is too low."

Flora nodded: "So, we must attack Solora, and the sooner the better."

“The prerequisite is to do a good job with intelligence gathering,” Milton said. “Railley should have been accepted by the Arsu government by now, right? Have you received any news from him?”

He just asked casually... Riley had just arrived and it was difficult for him to access any useful information.

To gain further trust from the Arsu government, or even to be given important responsibilities, Milton needs to provide some accurate but outdated information that has little impact on the war situation.

Occasionally, it may even be necessary for the message to have some real effect.

"Not yet," Flora shrugged. "But it's confirmed that the enemy now possesses self-propelled artillery and vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft missiles, further increasing the threat to us."

"Well... our previous speculations have also been largely confirmed. With so many advanced weapons, the Alsu government forces and the coalition lack enough personnel to use them effectively, and they also lack experience in commanding coalition operations. Therefore, there may be some different personnel mixed in with our enemy camp. Whether it is CIASAD, PMC, or something else, we have no news yet."

Milton waved his hand: "Don't worry about that. Have the people from Mexico arrived yet? If they have, take a day off and prepare for the new war."

"The North American drug cartel has completely lost its influence in Chiapas. The fighting there has come to an end, and troops can be redeployed to the front lines."

"This war is unlike the previous ones, where the outcome of the entire war could be basically determined by just one or two battles."

"Once the fighting starts, it will be a protracted war."

"First, launch a surprise attack to remove Solora as a thorn in our side. Then, as the coalition forces are gathering, defeat them one by one, preventing them from coming together."

"The key to the whole plan lies in taking down Solora in a short time. That's up to you, 'Bottle,' can you do it?"

Flora smiled and gave a casual salute: "Everyone is eager to earn military merit."

"..."

...Boom boom boom...

Solora, armored vehicles are driving in.

Among them, there were a total of 6 "tanks" with very large turrets and long, sturdy gun barrels.

Of course, after news spread throughout Latin America that Milton had used a similar weapon to achieve great success on the Mexican battlefield, annihilating the Mexican regular army with a force that was three-quarters smaller, everyone became familiar with this weapon.

Self-propelled artillery!

A junior officer watched as the self-propelled artillery drove past him, his excitement palpable: "So this is what the 'Hell Tax Collector' used to instantly shatter an entire brigade's command and air defense systems?!"

The senior officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel next to him squinted: "This is an M109 self-propelled howitzer, 155mm caliber, with a range of 15 kilometers! Do you know what that means?"

The junior officer was a little confused: "What does it mean?"

"This means that you can receive artillery support from us at any time while you are charging on the front lines! The days when we were always being bombarded unilaterally when we fought Milton are over!" The senior officer could not suppress his smile. "Be glad that we are President Arsu's direct army. These cannon shells will support our positions first, instead of other people's positions."

The junior officer scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly, "But I don't see anyone else here either."

“Rios’ reinforcements are already in Escuintla and will arrive in Solora in seven days,” the senior officer said. “The Northern Group’s troops have also been mobilized and will be able to converge in ten days at most.”

"Other units of the National Defense Forces are also assembling."

"This time, we have the support of the Honduran military. All the forces that previously opposed the president have united. The one in charge of operating the self-propelled artillery is even... hehe, I won't go into details."

"In short, our forces are 10 times stronger than Milton's! 10 times stronger!"

"The number is still increasing. Those idiots in Mexico have thoroughly figured out Milton's weaknesses for us and bought us enough time. Now there is no generational gap between us and Milton."

"The president also secured a large sum of money and quelled the internal chaos."

"Let me tell you, this time our goal is not to hold Solora, but to attack, reclaim Quetzaltenango, wash away all the shame of the past, and take back everything we have lost!"

Boom boom boom... Six M109 self-propelled howitzers have gradually driven into the distance.

Not far away, they could also see armored vehicles carrying several intimidating-looking anti-aircraft missiles, as well as drones being tested and flown in the distance.

In short, they had given their all in this battle and caught up with Milton in terms of equipment.

These advanced equipment, the overwhelming numerical superiority, and the rumored presence of Americans who would personally operate these weapons gave senior officers tremendous confidence.

Just as the senior officer was about to reveal something more, a communications soldier approached and whispered something to him.

"Okay... I need to go to a meeting first."

The senior officer waved, got into a military vehicle, and arrived at the hospital—at the request of the American instructors, the army had forcibly requisitioned the hospital's basement, turning it into the most important frontline command post.

Those seated here are all high-ranking generals!

Even the brigadier general of the Guatemalan 2nd Infantry Brigade did not sit in the first seat—the person sitting in the first seat was a general with the rank of lieutenant general!
Next to him was the Kaibiles Special Forces Commander, who held the rank of Major General!

They are all senior military officers working directly in the Ministry of National Defense.

Beside the uniform group of generals were some "staff" who appeared to be of no lower rank than them.

The lowest-ranking officer present at this pre-battle meeting was a lieutenant colonel.

“It’s probably the Americans…” The lieutenant colonel took a deep breath and sat down in the most inconspicuous spot. “With this lineup, Milton is finished.”

“Everyone’s here, very good.” The lieutenant general said calmly, “As you all know, this time we’re not like before, defending against Solora… We’re going to take down Xaltenango and completely eliminate Milton.”

"According to the analysis report, Milton has only strengthened the front-line defenses, and there is no indication that he intends to launch an attack."

An aide suddenly interrupted the lieutenant general, saying in not-so-fluent Spanish, "But we can't rule out the possibility of Milton launching a surprise attack... We've studied him, and the conclusion is that he's not a man who follows the rules."

The lieutenant general nodded: "We have conducted several drills simulating nighttime raids recently, in preparation for this kind of situation."

"Don't worry, our reinforcements will arrive soon. Even if Milton launches a surprise attack, he won't be able to take down Solora in a short time without the advantage of generational superiority."

"I would rather Milton attack us – as the attacker, he would suffer heavy casualties if he launched a strong attack without adequate preparation. Once reinforcements arrive, annihilating him would not be a problem. In contrast, if he plays the tortoise and holds the line, he might cause us some trouble."

"Unfortunately, our drones have conducted reconnaissance, and your CIA intelligence agents there have also sent back information that Milton has not transported any logistical supplies needed for the offensive battle to the front lines, so he will most likely be on the defensive this time."

“Unless Milton is a madman who thinks he can break through Solora’s front line in three days, no, two days.”

Judging the general movement of an army by its logistical support is something the Americans taught us.

Taking Solora would be a protracted war of attrition, which would inevitably require corresponding logistical support. Such a large-scale mobilization could not be concealed.

The aide nodded and said nothing more.

"This is the battle plan. Everyone take it and pass it on to your mid-level and junior officers... Just follow the steps."

“We have a huge advantage. Tell the soldiers not to be intimidated by Milton’s record in Mexico. He exposed all his tricks and weaknesses in that battle. His victory is unsustainable. He is a bullet that has penetrated several layers of body armor and is extremely weak!”

"Victory will surely be ours—Milton has amassed so much wealth, it will surely be ours!"

Upon hearing that last sentence, the senior officers immediately became excited:

"Yes!"

"..."

After the pointless meeting, the staff members silently left the military camp, went outside, got into military vehicles, and drove all the way to the camp of the six M109 self-propelled howitzers.

Next to the self-propelled howitzer, there was also a combat vehicle equipped with an anti-battery radar and a command vehicle.

Several staff members walked to the side, took off their clothes, and put on military uniforms.

The "staff" have donned military uniforms!
One of them skillfully removed the badge from his chest, put it in a box, and threw it into his personal locker in the barracks.

It was an emblem with wings, an anchor, and a trident.

Seal Trident Badge.

These people who control the self-propelled artillery, these people who strategize in the war councils...

It's the Navy SEALs.

"Let the people of Milton see what modern artillery is all about."

(End of this chapter)