After discussing the pros and cons, Song Heping returned to his seat near the chair, then picked up the hot tea on the table and slowly sipped it, his gaze never leaving Avanti.
It should be understood that convincing the highest commander of the Revolutionary Guard, who has spent most of his life fighting the Aricans, to accept his vision in just an hour and a half is not an easy task.
Ti must be given for Avanti to digest it slowly.
Sitting opposite, Avanti's breathing noticeably beca heavier, his body unconsciously leaning forward, eyes locked onto the region on the map.
The strategic picture drawn by Song Heping has an irresistible attraction for him.
Opening up this corridor ans that Persia will be able to more directly and efficiently transport personnel, weapons, and supplies to Siria, greatly enhancing control over the situation in Siria, which would be a huge geopolitical victory.
But the key focus is not here.
All the efforts put in over the years have been simply to create a perfect Ten-leaf Arc to trap the Daishe Bird Country.
And Daishe Bird Country is also not the ultimate goal.
It's just that Persia needs to eliminate Daishe Bird, the number one enemy of the Arab World, to establish prestige and revive the grandeur of the forr Persian Empire, becoming the true leader in Middle East geopolitics.
As a typical nationalist, this is Avanti's lifelong pursuit and dream.
"But, Song!"
Avanti took a deep breath, trying hard to break free from the enormous temptation, and raised the most realistic obstacle.
"How could the Aricans just sit by and watch us complete this last piece of the puzzle? This is tantamount to enhancing the strength of their rival, the Cilia Governnt! They will never give in on the Siria issue! Furthermore, there's Moscow! The Russians are fighting alongside us in Siria, how will they view us cooperating with their enemy, the Aricans, in Illinois? This could damage our valuable alliance with Russia! I'm not confident in persuading the Kremlin."
Faced with Avanti's barrage of doubts, Song Heping smiled confidently once again.
"General, regarding the Aricans, what we need to leverage is their mindset of 'choosing the lesser of two evils'."
He analyzed calmly, "To them, which threat is more imdiate? Is it a yet-to-be-completed, theoretical 'Shiite Corridor', or is it an ISIS that is already at the gates of Baghdad City, possibly overthrowing the pro-Arican regi and declaring the establishnt of an extre Caliphate at any ti? The answer is obvious. If limited cooperation with us can more quickly and effectively eradicate ISIS and stabilize the situation in Illinois, then allowing us so influence in the Northwest is an acceptable cost to them. This is damage control, a consideration of realpolitik."
"As for Moscow..."
Song Heping paused slightly, a gleam flashing in his eyes, "Leave that to . I will go through the 'Chef' as a conduit, and personally make a trip to Moscow to et the core decision-makers of the Kremlin."
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice: "At that ti, I will clearly explain the pros and cons to the Russians. First, our activities in the Northwest Illinois have the core goal of striking ISIS and opening up the corridor, which does not harm Russia's core interests in Siria. On the contrary, it can indirectly support the Siria battlefield by enhancing the stability of the rear of the Cilia Governnt."
"Second, such limited, regional cooperation with the Aricans is strategic utilization and not a strategic shift."
"Third, and most importantly, we can assure Russia that all geopolitical and political gains from this action will be shared and coordinated within a more stable 'Russia-Iraq' strategic partnership frawork. I believe, based on the practicality of the Da Maozi leadership and their understanding of the big picture, they will make a wise judgnt."
Avanti once again fell into deep thought.
Song Heping continued to escalate, explaining in detail the specific benefits to Persia and himself from the cooperation—ranging from easing sanctions, gaining legal status and resources, mastering oil fields, to eyeing the lucrative US Army logistics in Afghanistan, all candidly laid out.
This is Song Heping's negotiation technique.
If he completely avoided ntioning his own interests, Avanti might get suspicious.
After all, no one would do such a thing for free, even if they are old friends with him.
There is no free lunch in the world.
If he puts his own interests on the table, openly acknowledging that this matter also has benefits for him, then soone like Avanti, a seasoned individual, would believe that this sincerity is genuine.
In conclusion, he summarized: "General, cooperating with the Aricans is a ans, not an end. The goal is to use their current predicant and needs to accelerate the realization of your long-planned strategic objective—the complete closure of the 'Shiite Arc'. This is an unprecedented opportunity, and the frenzy of ISIS, combined with Arica's anxiety, has created unprecedented conditions. Once this chance is gone, it won't co again, so you need to consider it carefully."
The conference room once again fell into a long silence.
Avanti's gaze wandered repeatedly between the faintly visible 'corridor' on the map and the determined face of Song Heping.
His expression fluctuated, interwoven with shock, doubt, weighing of options, and excitent inspired by the grand blueprint outlined.
He could hear the powerful beating of his own heart; this is not just a military cooperation, but a geopolitical gamble that could influence the Middle East's future configuration for years to co.
Eventually, he slowly lifted his head, replacing all hesitation and struggle in his hawk-like eyes with a decisive breaking of boats.
He looked deeply at Song Heping and solemnly said, "Song, your idea...is daring beyond asure, but the strategic insight within it...cannot be overlooked. This matter is too significant and has far exceeded the scope of my authority."
He stood up, walking to the encrypted communication equipnt: "I need to imdiately report to Tehran, to the office of the Supre Leader in an ergency. But you must ensure that the Aricans can agree to your idea and guarantee that they take the initiative to extend an olive branch to us, or else I believe the leadership will... because of issues of dignity..."
At this point, he paused.
Song Heping laughed and said, "What is there that you can't say in front of ! I already know—"
He reached out and gently patted his own cheek.
"Face! Isn't it just about your leadership's face? Fine, leave it all to !"
At the end, he didn't forget to mock Avanti: "I have to say, you Persians sotis live quite exhaustingly. Before evaluating a policy, isn't it about looking at tangible, long-term benefits? Only focusing on that pitifully worthless bit of self-respect?"
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