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

Sana'a New Town.

Snapped!

Saleh slammed the documents in his hand to the ground.

"What did you say? Our mighty Republican Guard is trapped in the city?"

"Yes. They've lost their supply lines..."

"How is that possible? Send the 1st Armored Division there immediately to reopen the supply route!"

Ali-Ahmair's heart skipped a beat: "Brother, the 1st Armored Division is a crucial force in the fight against South Yemen; we can't afford any mishaps!"

"You call this an accident? Then what are you even for?!"

"No, brother, our armored division is suited to operations in plains. This is a mountainous area, and we need much more fuel. Once our supply lines are cut off, not only will the Republican Guard be unable to rescue us, but we will also be trapped here!"

He really didn't dare to go, even if it meant going against his elder brother's wishes, he still had to explain the pros and cons!

"What about the Republican Guard? What about Ahmed?"

"We can send a helicopter to pick Ahmed up..."

The Houthis only have ground forces; their air power still belongs to the Yemeni government. Deploying a few helicopters isn't a problem, but the entire Republican Guard...

"No, the Republican Guard is the foundation of our family's rule!"

Ordinary government troops are unreliable; only the Republican Guard, the Saleh family's private force, is truly dependable! If this force were to disappear... their rule would crumble!

"Brother, perhaps we can... negotiate."

Over the years, they have parted ways and reunited with the youth believers organization many times. Now that it is not suitable to fight, let's resolve the issue through negotiation!

"Negotiations?" Saleh's gaze was icy. "How can we negotiate? If the Houthis demand that we withdraw from Saada, if they demand that we relinquish all Houthi control over the entire province of Saada, can we agree to that?"

"Brother, what do you think of the Houthis' demands?"

"Alright! Then let Abdul-Hakim go!"

In previous years, when Saddam Hussein was a member of parliament, he had the best relationship with Abdul-Hakim, who was also a member of parliament. Now... even though Saddam Hussein is dead, Abdul-Hakim is the most suitable candidate. He has to go, whether he wants to or not!

So, as the sun was setting that day, a new guest arrived in Malan Town.

"Abdul-Hakim, my brother, welcome to Maran!" Yusuf Midani said warmly.

"Yusuf Midani?" Abdul-Hakim asked curiously, "Are you the leader of the Houthi rebels?"

Wasn't Hassan-Yahya supposed to be the top leader?

"I am the chief of staff for the Houthi rebels."

"Can you negotiate on behalf of the Houthis?"

"Of course! We Houthi rebels are peace-loving; we have absolutely no desire for war! It's Saleh who went too far by supporting these Western wolves!"

You've occupied the entire rural area of ​​Sadah, and you still claim to love peace?

Abdul-Hakim thought to himself, but dared not say it aloud. While Saddam Hussein was alive, he could still consider him a friend, but with Saddam dead... if he dared to act recklessly, he might never be able to go back. Moreover, Saleh's support for Western policies had indeed aroused the resentment of many people.

"Yes, our government forces are also peace-loving. I wonder... what conditions would be required to allow the Republican Guard to leave Sadah?"

"As long as you pay the toll normally, it's fine!"

Abdul-Hakim's eyes widened: "Just a toll?"

There was no coveting of the city of Saada, no coveting of the province of Saada, no coveting of territorial sovereignty... they just paid a toll?

and many more!

Isn't this just a tacit admission?

If even the Republican Guard has to pay a toll to enter Saada province, then the entire Saada is under the control of the Houthis! Once this precedent is set, the government's credibility will be gone! The whole country and the world will know that the Houthis call the shots in Saada province, Yemen!

But... this is better than a complete falling out!

"All vehicles can pay according to the existing standards, except that tanks will have higher tolls."

"How many?"

"One million dollars a car!"

Abdul-Hakim's expression changed. "What a joke! Those tanks cost less than a million dollars each. We might as well give them to you!"

and many more!

That's probably what the Houthis meant!

The toll fees will definitely be paid together. Other trucks and such won't cost much, and personnel won't be charged. The key issue is these tanks! If the tanks don't pay the toll fees, then the other personnel and vehicles certainly can't pass!

"Yusuf Midani, the toll for this tank is too high, can you lower it?"

"Of course not. Tanks are tracked vehicles. If they just drive around the road, they'll cause serious damage. Wouldn't we have to spend money on maintenance afterward? Besides, they'll damage a lot of flowers and plants. One million US dollars per tank is the normal toll fee; we can't lower the price any further!"

"Well... if we can't afford to pay, how about we just hand over these tanks to you?"

"Well... normally, that would definitely not work, but since you're here, I have to give you face. So I'll take the liberty of making this decision: I'll give you one day, tomorrow. If you can't get the tanks to the outskirts of the city for us by then, you'll still have to pay the toll!"

"Okay, I'll head back now..."

The conditions weren't too harsh. I heard the engines of those tanks were already scrapped, and the Houthis... probably didn't know the extent of the damage, otherwise they definitely wouldn't have agreed.

After seeing off his guests, Yusuf Midani also left the earthen building where the negotiations were taking place and headed towards a cave in the mountains behind it, where the Houthi armed forces were actually located.

Who knows if this Abdul-Hakim is wearing a GPS tracker? They might send planes to bomb us tonight. We definitely can't let him know our real office location.

Before I even got there, I saw two girls in front of me, dressed in black robes, wearing headscarves and veils, only their eyes were visible.

Even so, he could recognize it at a glance.

"Mrs. Julia, Nurse Susan, hello...wait, what are those in your hands?"

As the Houthi chief of staff, he couldn't deliberately keep his distance from women; he needed to know how the entire Houthi headquarters was operating.

At this moment, he became interested when he saw the fluffy little animals in the hands of the two girls.

"Kitty, Hassan gave this to us."

"Hmm, not bad, so cute... Wait a minute!"

Yusuf Midani hadn't initially intended to look at it much, but something felt off. Its thick, spotted fur, round pupils, and blunt ears... it didn't look like a cat at all; it looked more like...

lion!

"What's wrong?"

Hassan said... Is this a cat?

"yes."

Okay, I'd better not say anything more. Hassan said it's a cat, so let it be a cat. Even if it grows to the size of a lion, it'll still be a big cat.