American Gossip King

Chapter 270 Escape

Despite the war, Ian's life remained comfortable.

Even better!

On the first day he arrived, Saddam arranged three beauties for him. On the 10th, there were four. A few days later, the number increased to six, then eight, and then they were rotated!

The more hopeless the situation, the more important a straw becomes!

The U.S. military's relentless advance made Ian Carl's existence all the more important.

As the war began, air raid sirens blared frequently over Baghdad.

The US-led coalition forces dropped more than 2000 precision-guided bombs of various types on more than ten cities and ports, including Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Mosul, Kirkuk, and Umm Qasr, including 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Iraqi forces engaged in fierce fighting with US-led coalition forces in Karbala, Hilla, and Hindiya in central Iraq, successfully halting the US advance temporarily. This initially thrilled Saddam Hussein, who believed he had successfully repelled the US offensive.

Fuck your sister!

It's just that the city was taken down in two days instead of one.

What's most baffling is that in the old timeline, the US military took only 19 days to enter Baghdad, and this time it was even faster... perhaps because the war was delayed, allowing for more thorough war preparations.

On April 18, the US military broke through Karbala and other areas, and made a rapid advance towards Baghdad.

It was truly overwhelming and unstoppable!

At this point, Saddam Hussein panicked.

He repeatedly convened emergency operational meetings and kept calling Ian in to ask him how the reporting was going.

Ian reiterated his previous argument: "Iraq is a large country, and you have many military and research bases. I haven't been to enough places to provide sufficient evidence. Even if I were to publish a report now, it would only prove that Baghdad does not have weapons of mass destruction, but it cannot prove anything in other cities."

Why didn't you say so earlier?

Saddam glared at Ian.

Don't blame me, you guys couldn't have lasted a month!

Ian's expression remained calm: "But the truth will eventually prove you didn't, the problem is we're too late. My suggestion is to immediately abandon Baghdad, go elsewhere, and rebuild our military. I will follow you, President Saddam, and I will make your voice heard in the world. If necessary, I can also help you establish contact with the US military."

This is an implicit message: at least when you choose to surrender, I can help you make connections, and even use my influence to help you survive.

Of course, if you want me to do this, you can't let me report on "Iraq does not have weapons of mass destruction" anymore, because that would offend the US military and be detrimental to my negotiations.

Therefore, everything that had happened before was naturally rendered "a waste of effort".

It's okay, I don't mind working for free.

Ian’s voice was low, yet carried a devilish allure.

Looking into Ian's eyes, Saddam was confused.

Why do I always choose to believe this bastard even though he hasn't done anything for me?

The initial straws were mostly useless, but Ian was still clinging to the straws that were breaking the camel's back.

Just like the founder told the investors, "We're almost there, we're almost there, all you need to do now is invest a little more and we'll be on the right track."

It's absurd, but it works!

Besides, he even cheated.

Saddam reluctantly nodded: "Then let's do it this way."

He was supposed to leave later, but the American offensive was too fast!

He was too fast to wait until Baghdad fell before leaving.

An hour later, the presidential palace finally made the decision to immediately evacuate Baghdad.

Under Ian's influence, Saddam withdrew from Baghdad on April 19.

When he left, he took with him a large number of bodyguards and a vast amount of wealth he had amassed over the years.

The long convoy drove away like that.

Ian naturally followed suit.

Bridexon followed in his car, which carried Ian and the others, as well as a few beauties they couldn't bear to part with.

Van Nistel, filming the convoy with a camera, chuckled, "There are twenty vehicles just for transporting the goods. Boss, I bet you won't give up this fortune."

Ian smiled and shook his head: "No, I won't take it."

Ok?

Van Nistel and Bledson both stared at him in astonishment.

This isn't like Ian Carl at all!

Ian took a sip of water, looked at the long convoy, and said, "Let me tell you what will happen next. Saddam will flee, but his men will be scattered as the US military pursues him. Eventually, he'll have fewer and fewer people around him, and his wealth will be gradually abandoned. During this time, we won't be able to get it... It's a large sum of money, but it's not like a bank deposit; it's difficult to transfer. Who told us there are only four of us? To scheme against each other for twenty truckloads of wealth is suicidal."

Bledson understood somewhat: "But it can be used for trades."

The latest novel is first published here!

Ian laughed: "That's right! All I have to do is convince Saddam to hide the treasure and then continue my escape. Then I'll contact the US military and tell them I have a batch of treasure to give them, and of course they'll have to give me some benefits in return. Also, once the US military enters Baghdad, our journalists will also enter, and then we'll have enough people to do things for me."

As he spoke, he muttered, "I can't give him two more months."

Saddam Hussein's money wasn't all for show. In the original timeline, he was able to escape for seven or eight months largely because he was constantly spending money in various places, which made the local people willing to take him in. Until later, when his money was almost gone, his end came.

Thinking about it this way, in the long run it will just be a financial loss!

After all, the US military can rob money from ordinary people, but I can't!

Forget it, the reports over this period have already been enough to break down into a lot of content, there's no point in dragging it out any longer!

With this in mind, Ian essentially set the date for Saddam's capture ahead of time.

Hearing Ian say this, the group looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

This is indeed Ian Carl, our boss.

They chatted casually until dusk.

The convoy arrived at a city where Saddam Hussein's palace was located—this guy had palaces all over the country and lived an extremely luxurious life, but he could only live in palaces for now; later on, he would only be able to live in villages.

At this moment, the people in the convoy got out of their vehicles and began to unload the items. Ian, as an important person, also followed along.

Van Nistel carried his camera and filmed everything, while Saddam's bodyguards watched the Americans speechlessly.

That feeling... was so peculiar! So magical!

Fortunately, Ian had been cultivating good relations with Saddam's people during this time, constantly using hypnosis, and many officers agreed with him. Otherwise, given the current situation, someone might have rushed out and shot him.

Saddam still has a guard of up to a thousand men around him, but Ian doesn't have that kind of confidence.

Just then, an angry roar rang out: "Why should we tolerate these Americans?!"

Ian looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man sitting in a wheelchair, glaring angrily at Ian.

Uday, Saddam Hussein's eldest son!

(End of this chapter)