The air in the conference room had already beco as solid as ice due to the fall of Sulaimaniyah.
When Simon bent down and took out the secret docunt from the seemingly ordinary black briefcase, an even deeper sense of oppression instantly spread.
He laid the docunt flat on the mahogany conference table and then took a deep breath to stabilize his emotions as much as possible.
After all, what he was about to say was more shocking than throwing a hand grenade in here.
"Gentlen."
Simon glanced at the docunt on the table before starting his speech.
"In my hands, there is a... preliminary draft of an informal cooperation proposal."
He deliberately paused at the keywords, making each word hit the hearts of everyone present like a hamr.
"This is a bold vision, especially in the current nearly unsolvable strategic dilemma. Perhaps... it is ti for us to reassess the... value of this proposal with courage that surpasses convention."
"Cooperation proposal?!"
Brennan looked at Simon in confusion.
"What proposal? Cooperate with whom?"
Simon candidly said, "It's a proposal by Song Heping of 'Musician Defense' that was delivered to through secret channels just half a month ago, but when I saw the proposal, I thought it was quite absurd, so I didn't take it seriously. But the fall of Sulaimaniyah suddenly made think of it again, and reassess the proposal. I admit it has certain feasibility and is not a fanciful, absurd idea. Therefore, I brought it here for everyone to see."
"Musician Defense? Song Heping?!"
After a brief calm, the conference room imdiately erupted.
Exclamations, gasps, and the piercing sound of chairs being dragged as their occupants moved uneasily echoed continuously.
Almost everyone imdiately questioned whether they had heard incorrectly.
Brennan's reaction was very intense.
He stood up with a "Hah," leaning forward, hands bracing on the table, his sharp eyes fixed on Simon's face as if he were staring at a criminal.
His tone was no longer questioning, but filled with disbelief and angry indignation, as if he had heard the most blasphemous treasonous remark.
"Cooperate with that ard leader who just seized Sulaimaniyah?! Simon! Do you realize what you're proposing?! Have you lost your mind?! This is like dancing with the Devil! This goes against the country's fundantal strategic bottom line and moral codes!"
In the conference room, one gaze after another focused on Simon and the thin file under his hand.
Those gazes were filled with extre shock and offended anger.
Here stood the White House!
The center of Arica's power!
Proposing cooperation with the leader of a terrorist organization proven hostile and dangerous, in the core hall of Arican power, went beyond madness, bordering on strategic blasphemy.
Simon felt cold sweat instantly soak his back. This kind of reaction, he had envisioned countless tis in his mind, but truly experiencing it still made the cold sweat pour down.
This was a high-stakes gamble.
Winner takes all.
Loser gets nothing.
"Yes, Mr. Brennan. I'm fully aware of the... sensational nature of this proposition, as well as the enormous risks and moral dilemmas involved. That's why I locked it in a safe and deed it unworthy of reporting, because I feared seeing the shock and anger on everyone's faces..."
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat and slightly raised his voice.
"But I ask you all to temporarily set aside your initial anger and instinctual aversion, and allow to present the logical chain of this proposal based on the cold geopolitical reality and pure gains and losses."
He glanced around the room, his eyes sweeping across the grave and hostile faces of every military high-ranking officer and intelligence chief.
"Firstly, we must face the 'double nightmare' we're currently up against!"
Simon held out a finger and said, "First is the rapid expansion of the global terrorist scourge, the 1515 Ard Forces. Their offensives in Northern Illigo and Syria have severely threatened regional stability and the safety of our allies. According to our intelligence, their growth speed is faster than cancer cells, and their ideological output directly threatens many of our Middle Eastern allies and even contaminates Europe. Among the 1515 Ard Forces are a number of Europeans, so whites and young people who were not MSL before, but are now seduced by 1515's propaganda, volunteering to go to Siria for the so-called 'jihad,' with numbers exceeding 2,000. "
"Second is the loss of Sulaimaniyah, which has severed the critical northern strategic corridor we spent countless resources establishing, forcibly driving out our influence and nearly breaking our strategic layout in Northern Illigo. Next, we either deploy forces back to Illigo and organize powerful air and ground forces to reclaim Sulaimaniyah, or rely on the Illigo Governnt Army, which has no chance against Song Heping. This is a conclusion I drew from my previous experience dealing with Song Heping as an intelligence chief in Illigo. Believe , gentlen, Song Heping cannot be handled with a few special task forces or by the Illigo Governnt Army."
"Then let's return to Siria! Deploy armored units to take him out; even Sadam was easily dealt with, so why fear this rcenary leader?!"
A general from the Pentagon coldly spoke out.
"You're right, General." Simon's gaze turned towards that military figure, "Once the President signs and Congress agrees, sending one or two chanized divisions would defeat Song Heping."
At this, he paused and then continued, "But then what? Do you think Song Heping will confront our army directly in battle? No! From my knowledge of him, he will adopt a retreat strategy, withdrawing his forces entirely into Persian territory, where they have a large secret base on the Persian Plateau. Then, are we to pursue them across borders or watch them slip away?"
The general hesitated for a mont and then said, "That way, we still regain Sulaimaniyah and open up the transport corridor."
"Hahaha!"
Simon laughed aloud.
"General, if redeploynt were truly as easy as you say, would the forces have withdrawn from Illigo? If achieving this were feasible, would we have relied on the Illigo Governnt Army and Kurdish forces against 1515 Ard in the past year? We could've intervened directly and won against those 1515 terrorists!"
At this, he snorted coldly, "Sending ground troops back to Illigo, is that purely a military issue? A tactical issue? No, General, that's a political issue! Would Congress pass this? What about the budget after announcing a withdrawal and returning? If there are casualties, who would bear this political liability? You or the President? How would those in the Elephant Party attack the President and the ruling party in Congress? Have you thought about these matters?"
The scenarios that could occur, Simon had already simulated.
Including this general's opposition and suggestions.
In fact, he knew his chances today were very high.
Not just that his chances were high.
Song Heping had foreseen all of this.
The President had already declared a withdrawal to the world, and Congress passed related proposals, implenting the withdrawal plan for over a year, with most ground troops already returned ho.
Now suggesting a return to Illigo?
That would be akin to bare one's backside under the scrutiny of the world and whip it oneself.
Does Arica, the world's superpower, still want its dignity?
The conference room fell silent once more.
Several military moguls looked at each other, finding no better idea for the mont.
Seeing no further discussion, Simon continued, "As for Song Heping's proposal..."
His palm again pressed on the docunt.
"Its core directly targets these two nightmares! He has clearly stated his willingness to use the 'Liberation Forces' under his command as a spearhead, proactively setting a strategic graveyard in Northern Illigo to lure the main 1515 forces in, and in the process, share critical intelligence with us, and under specific conditions, coordinate with our actions. The goal is to completely, cleanly eradicate the 1515 forces' vital power! Furthermore, he promises to help us eliminate the 1515 culprit Buckdadi!"
This term—"complete eradication," made the eyes of several military leaders flicker slightly.
Fighting against the elusive and hard-to-capture 1515 militants has always been a headache for them.
"Then what is the Devil's asking price?"
After a long pause, Brennan asked coldly.
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