He clenched his fist, "Whoever has the harder fist can set the rules! As long as we take Mosul or achieve other major results, the Aricans won't dare to turn against us; instead, they'll be begging to cooperate with us! That's reality!"
He emphasized again, "In the next few days, more scraps from the 1515 will co from all over. But we're not afraid! This hilly area we've occupied is easy to defend and hard to attack. As long as we don't go crazy and attack the fortified defenses of Hulmatu, relying on drone reconnaissance, artillery groups, and the fortifications we've built, even without Arican air support, we can send back as many as they send!"
With that, he turned his gaze toward Hulmatu.
"They want us to attack, we just won't. The roles have reversed now! We are the nails, waiting for them to strike! Let's see who runs out of patience first!"
Exactly so.
Everything was just as Song Heping anticipated.
The next day, during breakfast, the latest intelligence summary arrived in Song Heping's hands.
Samir pointed to the numbers in the report, his tone shocked, "Boss, according to our multi-source verification, Hulmatu City now has more than twenty thousand 1515 ard personnel! And it's still increasing! My Allah! They've gone mad, frantically deploying troops here!"
Song Heping took the briefing and looked it over carefully, not only free of worry but actually smiling, flicking his fingers on the paper: "Good! This is exactly the effect we want! The more people gathered in Hulmatu, the emptier Mosul and Tal Afar beco! Inform the Abu You Brigade and our Persian friends to seize the ti, the opportunity window is about to open!"
He knew that now it was a test of the patience of the 1515 commander Basmo in Hulmatu City and Bakdadi's judgnt in far-off Siria.
The third day, in Hulmatu City, at the temporary command post.
Basmo stared at the map, increasingly feeling sothing was off.
Song Heping outside the city was like a patient hunter, sitting five kiloters away, occasionally dispatching small patrol units, sending up drones, but showing no signs of a major attack whatsoever.
With nearly twenty-five thousand troops gathered, consuming vast resources daily and straining nerves to the limit, the opposing side had no intention of touching his fortress at all?
Standing in front of the map for a long ti, he couldn't resist connecting with the encrypted communication of the main base in Siria again.
"Respected Caliph,"
Basmo's voice was filled with anxiety, "Song Heping's forces are still stationed outside the city, building solid field fortifications, but there's no sign of any intended attack. I suspect... does he have other sches?"
On the other end, Bakdadi listened to Basmo's report, feeling restless.
Song Heping's unconventional tactics were not new, but this eerie calmness stirred unease in his heart.
Hulmatu concentrated over thirty percent of his mobile forces in Illiguo's Northwest Region. If sothing happened elsewhere...
Yet he was reluctant to give up this opportunity to "encircle and annihilate" Song Heping.
Feigning composure, he ordered, "Basmo, don't panic! Song Heping is bluffing; perhaps he's waiting for supplies or hesitating! What about the probing forces you sent before?"
Basmo replied bitterly, "A reinforced company was dispatched; they didn't get within three kiloters of the enemy's lines and were completely wiped out by their artillery... never even touched the edge of their positions."
Bakdadi was silent for a mont, and ultimately, greed and the desire for revenge prevailed: "Then wait a bit longer! We have reinforcents on the way! When we have collected thirty thousand at Hulmatu! Triple his forces! By then, no matter his sches, we will crush him from the front! Erase him in one fell swoop!"
Day four...
Day five...
As ti passed, the forces in Hulmatu City swelled like a snowball.
The defense seed to grow stronger.
Hulmatu appeared safer.
Yet the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive...
anwhile, in the Baghdad Green Zone, Colonel Kote's patience also wore thin. He repeatedly contacted Song Heping via the tactical radio, inquiring about the attack schedule, each ti more impatient.
Ultimately, Song Heping couldn't even be bothered to respond to his calls anymore, directly silencing the radio channel.
Song Heping was still waiting.
He was waiting for the Abu You Brigade and the Persian Revolutionary Guard to complete the encirclent of Mosul, waiting for the enemy to make the first blunder.
Until the sixth day.
According to intelligence, the forces in Hulmatu City had surged to thirty-five thousand!
Such massive forces brought more logistical pressures and command coordination challenges.
Basmo felt he was about to go insane; so many forces were cramd into the city, idle, consuming precious resources every day, yet helpless against that "immovable" force kiloters outside.
He contacted Bakdadi once again: "Caliph! We can't wait any longer! There are thirty-five thousand in the city now! The supply pressure is enormous, and morale is beginning to waver! Song Heping has never planned to attack! Have we been fooled?!"
This ti, Bakdadi was totally unsettled as well.
Thirty-five thousand elite troops!
This was almost the maximum he could muster in this region!
With such a huge force tied up in Hulmatu, one could only imagine the defense situation in other areas!
A huge, ominous premonition enveloped him.
He realized, he might have once again fallen into Song Heping's trap!
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