Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 286 Fish Torture

Guatemala City, Joint Command Center.

The officers stationed here were all drenched in sweat, and many of them had their cheeks flushed from working so hard.

Many officers previously believed that once the Allied forces were formed, they would immediately become an extremely powerful military force that could instantly crush Milton's pitifully small force.

But when it came to actually coordinating things, the joint command discovered just how difficult it was to unify a coalition force.

Firstly, all parties in the coalition only nominally obeyed the orders of the joint command; in reality, the supreme commanders remained scattered.

If the government forces in the coalition wanted to convey any intelligence to the Monte family's private army, they could not do so directly; instead, they needed to go through the joint command as an intermediary.

Conversely, if the Monte family's private army wanted to respond to this intelligence and request cooperation from allies, they would also need to make an intermediary trip.

The entire army's information communication channels were incredibly slow.

But if they didn't do it this way, the various units of the Allied Forces wouldn't agree—no one was willing to completely hand over their army to someone else, because the warlords all had a consensus that if they encountered a battle that was bound to result in heavy losses, and they held absolute command of the entire force, their own loyal troops would definitely not be the first to go.

One of the officers who was screening intelligence received a new intelligence report.

"Sent from the Escuintla Line... Hmm."

"Milton withdrew his troops, and all the garrison abandoned a large amount of supplies and moved south at high speed?"

"Requesting the next command?"

"It seems to be some important intelligence. The Monte family's private army is currently engaged in combat with Milton's forces... Let's send it directly to the Ministry of Defense and let them discuss it."

The officer dared not delay and quickly submitted the message to the Ministry of National Defense.

We await the conclusion of the meeting by the important figures, and their discussion of a suitable plan.

……

The battlefield of Escuintla.

DEVGRU's team member, Liam, was sitting in the car, feeling somewhat unwell from the shock.

Buzzing sounds filled the distance. He could hear the roar of attack aircraft formations taking off, napalm burning forests, and high-yield aerial bombs destroying roads.

This severely slowed down their retreat.

“…Milton has already figured out our true intentions; he’s convinced we’re planning a evacuation by sea.” Leam made a calm assessment. “I didn’t expect him to act so quickly.”

Another seal frowned: "But we're so slow... The joint command just gave us the exact information, and they're just starting to mobilize the ships in the port."

“By the time they have regrouped and the ship has left the dock, I fear Milton will have already taken hold.”

“It’s alright. Once we get to Lagomera, we can set up a temporary defensive line there and hold out until the ships arrive.” Leam waved his hand. “As long as the main force can withdraw, land at the docks in the rear, rearm, and join the Solora battlefield, Milton’s operation will be a huge waste of time and resources.”

“His airlift logistics costs are extremely high. Even if he takes all our supplies, he will absolutely not be able to recoup the costs.”

"The dollars in Milton's vault are like a bucket of gasoline that has been poured on them and set on fire. If we can just get out of here, it will be a glorious victory."

"Milton is quick, but those cowards who are afraid of death and want to be among the first to board will keep him firmly outside the defensive line."

Just then, Leam's car radio suddenly received a message.

"This is the joint command post."

Leam frowned and replied, "This is 'Blood Diamond.' We are currently on an evacuation mission and are probably unable to coordinate with any coalition operations."

"We have just received intelligence on the Escuintla line, which indicates that the Milton garrison, which was confronting our line, has withdrawn and is moving south."

Leam's expression changed drastically, and the veins on his right hand, which was gripping the radio, bulged: "Where are our people?!"

"Our frontline commander has chosen to focus on key defenses, aiming to delay and impede the enemy as much as possible without abandoning the existing lines. After a meeting, our joint command believes that you have the best grasp of the battlefield situation, so we intend to consult your opinion. What do you think is the best course of action for this unit?"

"Should we abandon our defensive lines and stick close to the enemy, or should we seize the defensive lines that the enemy has abandoned?"

Leam was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say: "..."

Damn it, are the frontline commanders useless? Are they donkeys? They have no judgment of their own, no initiative, and can't make their own decisions. They still need to report to their superiors?
The top idiots in the joint command are the absolute idiots. Can't they give orders themselves? They even held a meeting, and in the end, they came up with the brilliant strategy of asking others for help. What kind of sons of bitches are they?!

Seeing that there was no response for a short while, the communications officer at the joint command asked in confusion, "Are you there? Is the signal bad?"

Are you there……

Leam suddenly felt as if he wasn't sitting in a Hummer, but in a prison cell.

"Who the hell cares about the defense line?!"

"Get the defenders to find every vehicle they can get their hands on, forget about the weapons they can't carry, catch up with the enemy, catch up with the enemy!!!"

"We'll catch them even if it kills us!"

"Their target is La Gomera. If the enemy takes that city first, we're finished, we're finished, understand?!"

The person on the other end was clearly startled and quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I'll go and inform them right away."

Just as Leam was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Wait! Tell me, when was this message sent?"

"Uh, judging from the meeting, it should have been 4 hours ago."

Leam's vision went black.

4 hours...

In addition, with the order being relayed from the highest command, the garrison adjusting its deployment, and the time it took for them to set off by car, they would ultimately be at least 5.5 hours behind Milton.

Well, although it's infuriating, there's still room for redemption.

Milton's army had a time advantage, but intelligence showed that the defenders were mostly new recruits who had abandoned a lot of heavy equipment and were not very elite. This time advantage was not enough for them to establish a strong defensive position.

If you are fast enough, and combine it with artillery fire, you can still defeat them.

Just as he was forced to accept the news and was about to order the artillery units that were slowing down Milton's main force to change their firing direction and aim their cannons at Lagomera, the roar of aircraft engines came from above once again.

Leam instinctively tried to dodge, but being very familiar with all kinds of equipment, he felt that the sound coming from this time did not seem to be from the Su-25.

Curiosity compelled him to look up and glance at the sky.

A Soviet-style plane, resembling a passenger plane, flew low overhead, completely ignoring the enemy troops who were frantically retreating on the ground.

“An-24?” Leam was taken aback. “Shouldn’t Milton’s transport planes be taking off and landing like crazy right now to supply his troops? Why are they flying here?”

The answer to this question came to me immediately.

"...They're going to supply the troops blocking our way!"

"Fuck me!"

"Where did Milton's mother get so much money?"

"It's alright, we still have a chance to win. Even if he airdrops supplies, the army blocking our way is still not strong enough, and we still have a great chance of breaking through their defenses."

“No!” Leam steadied himself and shook his head violently. “That’s not the most important thing… Milton is so strong, do you think he wouldn’t know that? He’s focused on our tactics themselves!”

"What do we rely on to maintain morale? What do we rely on to lure these idiots from shithole countries onto the ship to their deaths? Isn't it just promising them priority boarding and departure?"

"If there are artillery shells or gunfire from behind, or even if the people in front see shells coming from behind them, what will they think? Will their defenses falter?"

“Once the defensive line collapses and Milton catches up, we will be the most passive party – we must take the Lagomera position before Milton catches up with us, otherwise we will be annihilated!”

"...How should we deploy our tactics?"

“At this point, no tactics will work.” Leam shook his head again. “We have no other choice. To put it bluntly, the soldiers we have are no match for Milton’s men.”

“As long as he makes the battlefield ‘normal,’ the scales of victory will be on his side.”

"Then what do we do?" "Keep the deployment unchanged. Let these trash cannon fodder fight for La Gomera. We'll contact the captain and have them send a ship to take us away."

“We’ll bypass that wretched village of La Gomera and go straight to the sea.”

Can’t fight?
Then let's not fight. Anyway, this isn't their battlefield. Things have come to this point, and the most important thing is to think about how to protect ourselves.

The loss of Monte's private army is a blow to the Allied forces, but it is far from being fatal.

The Northern Group and the Honduran "mercenaries" are still approaching Guatemala City. If they can join forces, they will still have a numerical advantage.

Moreover, the Jaguar attack aircraft, their trump card, hasn't been deployed yet...

Milton achieved a brilliant victory, but he still faced a dilemma—to return to Solola or to attack on the spot?
Once the Monte family's private army is wiped out, Milton's main force will be able to receive logistical support by land transport, allowing them to shift their main attack direction to the south. However, the problem is that transporting heavy equipment will still require a long detour and waste a lot of time.

They can either return to Solora and fight a defensive battle where they are still at a disadvantage, or they can start a counter-offensive and see whether Solora or Escuintla collapses first.

The two commanders had completely given up on the "great retreat" operation, which still held some hope, and were determined to abandon all troops and let them cover the rear, creating an opportunity for their own escape.

"..."

boom! boom! boom!
After calling for help and breaking away from the convoy, Leam heard bursts of artillery fire coming from the direction of Lagomera.

The shells falling to the ground and the machine gun fire like popping beans indicated that fighting had already begun over there.

"We need reinforcements! We need fire support... A large enemy force has appeared in Lagomera, and we cannot take this place quickly!"

"The front is about to collapse, Milton's main force is preparing to catch up!"

"We need backup..."

Leam replied coldly, "Reinforcements are on their way. Hold on, victory is just around the corner... You don't want to be turned into some weird or wonderful thing by Milton, do you?"

"The troops can't hold out any longer, Milton's main force is very close to us..."

"My troops have created an opening, but why are shells coming from behind?! I need an explanation! Where are our artillery? We need artillery support!"

"Medical support is needed..."

"..."

Hearing these noisy sounds, Leam simply shut down the entire radio station.

His Hummer had arrived at the seaside.

How many of the Monte family soldiers will escape, how many will be able to board the ships, and how many ships will be able to return safely—it all depends on fate.

A small speedboat also docked on the beach as promised, with two seals, also from the DEVGRU Red Team, waving to them.

A relaxed smile appeared on Leam's face. He got out of the car, took out two offensive grenades, and threw them in.

Boom boom!

With two explosions, the two easily jumped onto the speedboat and gradually moved away from the coastline.

Meanwhile, their soldiers remained oblivious, continuing their attack on Lagomera, which was now impossible to capture, while awaiting reinforcements that would never arrive.

……

Pan Madre Group Front Command.

Milton watched the battlefield while waiting for battle reports from the front.

Boom boom boom!
The mountain howitzers fired another salvo, carpet-bombing the enemy positions.

As usual, the soldiers who had withstood the gunfire were overjoyed, jumping up from their positions and scattering in all directions to retreat.

The other group of soldiers who were also in a hurry to escape had to step forward immediately to fill the gaps they had left behind.

"The airborne troops have reached their designated positions, La Gomera..."

"Heavy mortars have been deployed."

"Prepare for bombardment!"

Milton finally smiled: "Fire!"

The first round of shelling was not aimed at the enemy forces trying to capture La Gomera, but rather at the line-filling babies who were still trying to hold off Milton's main force, using the longest range of fire!

Whether or not you can hit them is not important. What is important is to tell these soldiers that the "Hell Tax Collector" who can turn the army into the enemy's rear has once again turned an army into their backs.

The idea that holding out at the front line for a while will grant you priority boarding rights is all a lie.

Even their backsides have been stolen, and they still want to run towards the sea?

Sure enough, as soon as the cannons fired and the shells landed, the enemy troops, who had been actively resisting, visibly began to show signs of collapse once again.

The morale that had been built up with money and the promise of escape began to crumble at this moment.

That "fearless" "elite" force, that army that seemed to have evolved into human beings, degenerated once again, becoming a rout that would scatter at the slightest touch.

The soldiers simply threw down their weapons and turned to run wildly towards the sea.

In one instance, several soldiers even mutinied on the spot in an attempt to seize a car, shooting the officer who wanted to keep it for himself and then driving off with it.

The moment the artillery fire erupted from behind, even though no one was killed, the morale of the Monte family's private soldiers completely collapsed.

Flora jumped excitedly onto the command vehicle and reported some good news: "'Tax collectors'! The garrison stationed in Escuintla has also collapsed! They've started fleeing towards the sea, hahaha!"

"So, what's your plan now?"

“No need to rush.” Milton smiled and said slowly, “They can’t capture a single stronghold. Even if they reach the coast, they can’t organize a defensive line, build a position, or evacuate in an orderly manner.”

"Our attack aircraft and warships will also be constantly sweeping the surface, making it difficult for their rescue ships to save people."

"The most important task now is to get these people together as much as possible."

"This makes it easier for me to handle everything at once."

Flora's smile immediately turned a little strange: "Uh, you've driven them all to the beach, what are you going to do with them?"

“Just ask once, and capture those who are willing to surrender,” Milton said slowly. “A military court will try them to see if they are guilty, and those who are innocent will be thrown into prisoner-of-war camps and released after the war ends.”

Flora nodded and asked with a hint of pity, "And what about the guilty?"

“I’m not some devil,” Milton glanced at her. “As long as they’re willing to admit their mistakes, I’ll still give them a choice.”

"Oh?" Flora exclaimed in realization, "What choice? To grow bananas or to do infrastructure construction?"

Milton's tone was completely flat: "Choose one of the following: the 'Museum of the Mound of Jing,' the 'Wall of Flesh and Blood,' or the 'Maritime Museum.'"

"Oh, so it's a choice of how to die, huh?" Flora retorted. "You're quite humorous. And what about those who don't surrender?"

"Since they dare not surrender, it means they must know what they have done."

At this point, Milton changed the subject and asked, "How are our fishermen doing lately? What's their income like? Are they going hungry?"

Flora was taken aback: "How should I know? I'm fighting..."

Brandon, who had been listening all along, suddenly interjected: "Boss, we have strict requirements for fishing... In theory, fishermen's income should be pretty good, but Lopez's mismanagement has led to overfishing, so fishermen's income doesn't seem to have returned to normal levels yet."

Milton glanced at the dumbfounded Flora: "Hmm... then we're short of feed. How about this, I'll send a ship and the Monte family will provide the feed, and we'll raise all the kinds of sea fish in our exclusive economic zone properly."

“Call our fishing boats over and tell them the good news, so that they can fulfill their civic duty and assist the government in completing this beneficial policy for the country and its people.”

Brandon immediately saluted: "Yes, sir!"

Flora, stunned, muttered to herself, "After ruining the renovation company, now you're ruining our fishermen, huh...?"

(End of this chapter)