Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 294 The General Draws the Car
Everyone keenly sensed this opportunity.

A fleeting opportunity.

But they were still unsure how to make the best use of this extremely short opportunity.

"Taking advantage of the moment when their high command is offline, we should quickly pursue the enemy and inflict as many casualties as possible on their forces, laying the groundwork for the upcoming Guatemala City campaign?"

"I think we can let Olya know the news and see how she can promote it."

"To carry out a special operation to assassinate Arsu?"

"Why don't we just abandon the tricks and stick to the status quo? While the enemy is out of their minds, let's push forward with our entire army and see if we can break through the Tekpan and Chimaltenango defenses and push the front line to the vicinity of Guatemala City."

"..."

Many people have offered their opinions.

These ideas were certainly not random; given the current military strength of the Pan-Madrid Group and the current state of chaos on the other side, many of these ideas were feasible...

but……

Milton tapped the table: "You're all right. The only problem is that your thinking can be summed up in one sentence: weaken the enemy as much as possible in all aspects in preparation for the decisive battle in Guatemala City."

“Your plan already envisions a ‘final battle in Guatemala City’… I think we should think outside the box.”

Flora, who hadn't commented until now, looked up and said, "I knew it... From the beginning, you really didn't want to fight the final battle in the big city. A lot of the things you did were to prevent the war from escalating to this point."

“That’s right.” Milton nodded seriously. “Guatemala City is one of the few economically strong cities in the country, and it’s the capital. If possible, it’s best not to fight here.”

As the central figure of the Arsu government, he would inevitably place his strongest, most determined, and most elite soldiers here—the families of these soldiers would become hostages, and with the incentive of bonuses, a massive urban battle would inevitably break out at this critical juncture of life and death.

How high would the casualties be if street fighting were to take place in the largest, most populous, and most fiercely resisting city in the country?
Even if the enemy forces were weakened, Milton's most optimistic estimate was that his elite troops, who had wiped out the Mexican regular army, fought arduous battles across mountains and valleys, massacred 5000 enemy soldiers in one fell swoop, and were capable of fighting the Americans head-on, would have lost at least half of their strength in that battle.

Milton absolutely did not want to see such a Pyrrhic victory.

He only wanted to annihilate the enemy forces in open battle.

“This civil war will be fought in open field.” Flora nodded. “You must wipe out all the enemy forces, then enter the undefended cities, take over the cities… and become the legitimate government of this country.”

Legitimate government...

Upon hearing this, Brandon felt a pang of sadness.

More than a year ago, he was waiting to die in the basement in utter despair after killing several members of Fan Kang's gang.

It was the "boss" who sacrificed his life, allowing him and the "hellish tax collector" to escape death.

And now... they are close to becoming a legitimate government of a country.

Let alone the Van Con gang under the Sinaloa Cartel, even if all the drug lords in Mexico united, they would tremble with fear and pray that they would not become the raw material for the "spectacle".

Brandon sighed briefly, then quickly asked, "Boss, what's your plan?"

Milton did not reply, but instead turned his gaze slightly northward towards Guatemala City.

Brandon, still on the battlefield in Solora, couldn't see this scene, but Flora, who was next to Milton, realized something.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Two seconds later, Flora said, enunciating each word clearly, "A component of the Northern Group of warlords within the Allied Forces!"

"You're going to attack this unit?!"

"What a huge appetite!"

Brandon was taken aback by what he heard, and he subconsciously glanced at his map.

"Boss, at this time, the warlords of the Northern Group may have already arrived in the Zacapa area, not far from Guatemala City. If we bypass Guatemala City to fight the Northern warlords and Honduran mercenaries, we may end up being attacked from both sides."

Milton's voice was firm: "Should we fight in the field in a relatively complex environment, or proceed step by step and wait for the enemy to complete their combined forces in Guatemala City, then engage them in a brutal meat grinder within the city?"

"Guatemala City is a battlefield set up for us by the enemy. Unless absolutely necessary, we should not fight in the battlefield that the enemy has envisioned."

Flora thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "The idea is good, but there are many problems in its actual implementation."

"First, our main force consists of two heavy combined arms battalions. Even without other troops, bypassing the enemy's defenses will not be easy—how are we going to get around Chilmatnango, how are we going to get around Guatemala City, and strike deep into the enemy's territory?"

The enemy has already made their intentions clear and is about to abandon the Tekpan defense line after Solora.

There were only two cities standing in Milton's way.

In other words, the Allied command's brain had been temporarily disconnected; otherwise, Milton's maneuver of bypassing the enemy's defenses would have been suicidal.

“There is no other way—Chilmatenango must be taken as quickly as possible, and the greatest pressure must be applied to the enemy while they are brainwashed.”

"Without command and under immense pressure, decisions tend to be conservative; as long as they shrink their defensive cities, we can bypass them."

Flora immediately asked, "What if our attack is thwarted, and the enemy commander doesn't choose to retreat and defend?"

"Then it's a pity we couldn't capitalize on the gains from this decapitation strike." Milton shrugged. "Like I said, I was just looking for an opportunity for field operations; how could I guarantee 100% success?"

“Hmm… let’s assume the army can bypass it.” Flora continued her deductions. “But what about logistics? We no longer have the money and resources to rely on airlifts.”

Once the enemy command comes online, and the coalition forces coordinate again, resupplying a force that has penetrated deep into enemy territory will be an extremely difficult task.

Milton finally couldn't help but laugh and asked in return:
"What do you think will be the consequences if the enemy conscripts men?"

"Uh, low morale? Public outcry? Decreased combat effectiveness? Uh, we can't use the enemy's ammunition for logistics and eat the enemy's corpses for food, can we?"

Milton's smile froze for a moment: "Am I really that inhuman?"

“Some of the conscripted men were extremely dissatisfied with the conscription office and secretly contacted our informant there, betraying the coordinates of the conscription office in the hopes that we could blow it up.”

Flora immediately understood: "Some of the soldiers who were forcibly conscripted also harbored resentment, including those guarding the warehouse... They also sold the coordinates to us for money?!"

"Correct."

Brandon was curious: "Logically speaking, these conscripted men should be thrown to the front lines, the most dangerous places, to fill in the gaps and wait to die. Why are there still people guarding the warehouse?"

Warehouses are also high-value targets and very dangerous, but they are much safer than going to the front lines to fill gaps.

Milton rubbed his hands together: "It's still about money... Some people can avoid being conscripted if they can pay the full 'war tax'."

"However, being conscripted does not mean complete annihilation... Paying an incomplete 'war tax' can, to some extent, allow one to choose some less dangerous positions."

Brandon listened as if to a fairy tale, partly astonished by the extent of the enemy's corruption, and partly marveling at how well the "Hell Tax Collectors" had done their intelligence work.

"Boss, how did you come up with this method of intelligence gathering?" "It wasn't my idea," Milton said casually. "Our intelligence informants were also forcibly conscripted. They spent all the money they earned from selling intelligence to us over the years, and only managed to get a job guarding a warehouse."

"Now he's determined to get his money back, like he's seeking revenge. He not only sold the location of the warehouse, but also recruited some people to his network."

"There's nothing we can do. We have to pay for our own uniforms. Many enemy troops are begging us to sell them intelligence, but we don't want it."

“After a while, I gained complete control over many of the warehouses located outside the city.”

Of course, the control panel also played a part in this.

Some less accurate information can be supplemented by purchasing it with points.

Flora couldn't help but laugh: "So, these warehouses outside the city, which the enemy thought were well hidden, are actually our supply points?"

If there are no supplies, then we'll fight to sustain the war!
You can even take these warehouses under the guise of taxation to earn points!

Compared to that, the points spent on replenishing intelligence are simply insignificant.

“That’s right, and these warehouses are in the heart of the territory, where the enemy’s defenses are not very strong.”

"If there is a real shortage of supplies, we can make up the difference by air freight, and the cost of that is within an acceptable range."

Flora couldn't help but take a swig of her alcoholic beverage: "I really didn't expect the enemy army to have become so corrupt and degenerate."

Brandon laughed: "They might even think they've made a profit, since most of the 'intelligence fees' we paid actually went to the higher-ups."

He listened and learned, and privately analyzed why, when facing the same enemy, the former rebels had been suppressed and fought against the enemy for decades, but when facing Milton, the "Silver Lion" Ismaila remained silent for a long time.

Perhaps the rebels were good at aiming and shooting, and good at hiding themselves... but Milton's idea of ​​infiltrating the enemy from all aspects, including non-military areas, and ultimately turning it into a military advantage was something the rebels had lacked.

If Milton had been the one to suppress the resistance...

Silver Lion dared not think any further—the rebels probably wouldn't survive.

"'The Godfather,' when shall we begin your plan?"

Milton listened quietly, then asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Huh?" Even Ishimaya struggled to answer the question. She thought for a long time before replying, "The soldiers have already had dinner."

“Very good.” Milton glanced at Flora. “Pass on my orders: all soldiers assemble immediately and prepare to execute Operation Chess. Break through the defenses, bypass Guatemala City, and eliminate the Northern Group and the Honduran mercenaries!”

Should we save Arsu or not?

If they did not come to the rescue, they would have watched as the last remaining force of the coalition was wiped out. The "Anti-Milton Alliance" would have completely disintegrated without even a single joint effort. In the end, the government forces would still be the main force fighting against Milton. Even if another group of Americans came, there would be no hope left.

In other words, if the "chess" plan succeeds, Arsu will be in check.

The city of Guatemala, which had been built up over such a long period of time, was temporarily abandoned and infiltrated. Soldiers who had a deep fear of Milton's name were to be dragged out of the city and face that terrifying army once again.

……

Guatemala City.

A large off-road truck was parked in front of a luxury apartment building.

Workers kept carrying expensive decorations, gold, gems, various valuable paintings and calligraphy, high-end furniture, and bundles of US dollar cash down from upstairs and carefully putting them into the car.

Not far from this building, the bombed-out luxury sanatorium has been leveled and placed under military control.

A man stared gravely at the truck: “This city is no longer safe… We must continue to retreat, at least until we are behind the Northern Group’s army. I have a feeling Milton is coming, with all his strength.”

"By then, the entire city will be in ruins."

Another man, clearly younger and with a gold revolver prominently displayed on his waist, shrugged nonchalantly: "Hey...that's perfect. I manage a warehouse on the road, so I can collect some money along the way."

The brothers, one a military officer and the other in the Arsu cabinet, were incredibly influential.

"Oh? You can still collect money now? Why?"

"Who knows? It just means the recruiting officers haven't really squeezed these people dry."

“Alright… let’s set off then. Once we get there, I need to have a serious talk with Eunice and her family. The Monte family has been decimated, all 5000 of their soldiers have been wiped out, and it’s said that internal strife has broken out… at this point, we must win over the Ubico family to join us.”

"Offer a high price and stop them from wavering!"

“Milton ignores them, and once he wins, he will surely kick the Ubiko family aside. It’s better to join the government forces.”

"This all requires money. Do we still have that much fiscal surplus?"

"..."

As they talked, the two got into the luxury car and gradually left Guatemala City along with the truck.

The officer's brother shrugged and continued, "It's alright, there are plenty of people in the army, we can continue to exploit them, continue to bleed them dry... Oh, no, this is called 'war tax'!"

"Ha! Milton is nothing but a 'hellish tax collector,' we are the real tax collectors!"

"..."

After a while, as the sun began to set, the convoy arrived at the inconspicuous warehouse that contained a lot of military supplies.

The younger officer jumped out of the car and showed off his lieutenant colonel rank.

"By order of the President, the war tax has been increased!"

"You should get ready to pay."

Generally speaking, once this sentence is uttered, the entire camp should be filled with sighs and lamentations.

This time, however, none of the soldiers complained.

Even the platoon leader here looked at the two high-ranking figures with a strange gaze.

"Well...we are indeed raising funds, but you'll need to wait a little while."

The lieutenant colonel raised his chin: "How long?"

The guards exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a mixture of unease and barely suppressed amusement.

The platoon leader said, "Today, sir, I guarantee you will see a large sum of money today."

P.S.: The KJ-600 AWACS launched! The J-35 launched! Holy crap, the US wants this! They've been dreaming about it! This is a fully-fledged electromagnetic catapult carrier, not that crippled toy like the Ford-class! With this, Milton might as well go to Mars!

(End of this chapter)