Crossing through time 04, I blew up the American aircraft carrier.

In the military, officers can be high-profile in normal times, after all, everyone has a bit of vanity. But when fleeing on the battlefield, one must blend in with ordinary people to make escape easier.

When everyone else is running for their lives, the person sitting in the SUV will definitely be the most conspicuous!

Da da da!

Gunshots rang out one after another, and fleeing soldiers were constantly being killed. Ahmed felt a chill run down his spine, as if he himself might die at any moment.

"Faster, faster, speed up!" he kept urging.

Meanwhile, in the distance, a sniper intently aimed at his car, the muzzle of his gun rotating as the car moved, and then... pulled the trigger!

boom!

Gunshots rang out, bullets flew past, and the next moment, they struck the left front wheel accurately!

If it were a military off-road vehicle, it would have bulletproof tires, and it could still drive for dozens of kilometers even if it was flat. But this was just an ordinary civilian Pajero. As the bullet hit, there was a loud bang, and the air leaked out, blowing the sand and soil around it.

Perfect timing! There's another huge crater to the left!

The driver slammed on the brakes, but still couldn't control the car. The next moment, everything spun around...

Then, Ahmed and Mustafa's exclamations rang out almost simultaneously!

Mustafa was filled with regret. If he had known the Houthis were so cunning, he wouldn't have fled with Ahmed!

Staying in Saada is safer than it is now!

His head slammed hard against the roof of the car. He tried to brace himself against the roof with both hands and kicked the car door hard with his right foot.

Bang, bang, bang!

Thankfully, the car door opened!

He scrambled out, then went around to the other side to pull Ahmed. If his brother died, Mustafa's only option would be to surrender to the Houthis.

and many more!

Now it seems like... surrendering to the Houthis isn't such a bad option?

"Lord Ahmed, come out."

This guy was completely weak and couldn't muster any strength; he was like a dead sheep being dragged along!

Mustafa was also panting heavily after dragging Ahmed out, after all... he hadn't exercised much in recent years, spending his days eating and drinking, which had resulted in a large belly.

Just as I was panting heavily, I sensed that something was wrong.

When did a group of people gather around us?

"Hands up! You've been captured!"

"Don't kill me, don't kill me, I am..." Ahmed was about to reveal his identity when Mustafa stopped him.

Are you kidding me? If you reveal your identity, do you think you'll survive?

Just then, a loud voice rang out.

"We're rich! We're rich! A major general gets a million, a colonel gets five hundred thousand, a lieutenant colonel gets three hundred thousand, and a major gets one hundred thousand! Hey, you deserters, tell them to go back and tell their families to come to our Bede tribe to ransom them! Remember, I'm talking about US dollars!"

The Bide tribe? A small tribe under the Bajile tribal alliance?

Mustafa was stunned. How could this be!

Such a small tribe ambushing the Republican Guard? Are you kidding me? They must be backed by the Houthis!

Upon hearing that it was a small tribe, Ahmed Saleh could no longer contain himself.

"You bastards, do you know who I am? Tell me my identity..."

"No! They're definitely in cahoots with the Houthis!" Mustafa was speechless. How could Saleh's eldest son be so stupid!

Fortunately, Ahmed Saleh came to his senses, turned pale, and remained silent as the armed men tied him up.

Sana'a, New City, Government Building.

"Those damned Houthis, they broke their word! They promised to let us go after we paid the toll, but they're resorting to dirty tricks behind our backs!"

"Yes, we suffered heavy losses this time! Of the five thousand elite Republican Guards we had, less than two thousand have returned!"

In fact, even if they were ambushed, the casualties wouldn't have been that high. Less than a thousand people were killed, and the rest felt that being a soldier was too dangerous, so they simply ran away! Only about two thousand people were willing to come back.

"They said it was the Bid tribe, but... it's obvious that the Houthis did it!" Ali Ahmar said through gritted teeth.

"So we shouldn't have traded with them!" Saleh roared angrily. "Ali, take the 1st Armored Division and wipe out this tribe!"

"Destroying this tribe isn't difficult, but... will Ahmed come back alive?"

Saleh fell silent.

They have already experienced the cunning of their opponents!

The schemes are endless. They talk about the Bide tribe, but in reality... the hostages might not even be being held somewhere! The Bide tribe might not even know!

Going to wipe out the Bide tribe would only mean completely offending the Bajile tribal alliance, which is second only to the Hashide tribal alliance!

At that time, this tribal alliance will also side with the Houthis, and the entire North Yemen will be in complete chaos!

"So what's your solution?"

There's only one way, of course! Ali-Ahmair said hesitantly.

"Our best course of action is..." He took a deep breath, "to raise the money and get them out of there first."

"Pay ransom again? We've already paid it!"

"Last time we paid a toll, but we didn't feed the Houthis! Now... the Houthis probably don't know they've captured Ahmed yet. We should be able to... get him released without any problem."

On the other side, in Malan Town.

"They wiped out over a thousand Republican Guards?" Hassan's eyes widened. "Wow, it seems Abdul's battalion is quite formidable!"

A battalion of 500 men could never wipe out a thousand! If they dared to launch an encirclement and annihilation campaign against an army of 5,000, then they must have at least several thousand men! That's not necessarily less than the number of Hai Shan's brigade.

"Yes," Yusuf Midani nodded. "Their troops number at least three thousand."

Three thousand people!

Hassan nodded: "It seems our finances are going to get increasingly strained!"

Even with the introduction of the new tollbooth model, it still can't keep up with the increasing demand!

No matter how noble one's beliefs are, they still have to be grounded in personal interests; maintaining an army costs money!

"In total, we captured two major generals, five colonels, eight lieutenant colonels, and twelve majors. The ransom we can get is $8.1 million, including Saleh's son, Ahmed."

"Yes, the others can be taken away after paying the ransom, but Ahmed... we can't let him go!"

Can't we release him? Then...won't Saleh become desperate and do something rash?

"I have an idea..."

Yusuf Midani opened his eyes wide and was already observing a moment of silence for Saleh.

Hamid nodded repeatedly, "That's right. This way, we can also sow discord among them. Once Mustafa returns, he might very well lead the city of Saada to surrender to us!"