Early the next morning, at the Hulmatu frontline command center.
Song Heping stood before the central physical terrain map, staring at the entire Northwest Region's map, studying the current battle situation and the state of affairs.
The map accurately replicated the terrain of Northwest Illinois, with key towns like Titrick, Mosul, and Ozham clearly visible, and small flags representing various forces — the blue flag representing "Musician" defenses was firmly planted in Hulmatu, its edge pointing straight at Titrick to the south; the black flag representing the 1515 Ard forces was in retreat, scattering westward from Ozham; and the flags representing the US Army and Allies trailed far behind.
Now, the Great Northwest was truly thrown into chaos.
Song Heping was contemplating how to control the situation amidst the limited chaos in the future.
It can't be too chaotic.
But it can't be not chaotic either.
This balance must be carefully maintained…
"Boss, Miles and his team have withdrawn."
A voice ca from behind.
Song Heping turned around to find Jiang Feng standing behind him.
Song Heping nodded slightly and simply responded with "Hmm," indicating he understood.
The US Army advisor group's departure was sowhat hasty.
However, everything seed within expectations.
After eting with Miles last night, although both sides didn't have a complete fallout, their divergences and intentions were apparent.
There was no point in the Aricans staying here.
They couldn't command us, and the US Army, used to being the emperor, could hardly endure staying another minute.
Leaving was inevitable.
Just didn't expect them to leave so quickly.
"Sothing seems strange."
Jiang Feng said cautiously:
"They left in a big hurry."
Song Heping finally took his eyes off the map and looked at Jiang Feng: "Hurrying back to make a complaint! Did you really think they were here to observe the frontline war situation? They ca to probe our vulnerabilities, it doesn't matter, we'd have to show our cards sooner or later, and the sooner, the better."
"Do you… think they might be scheming sothing again?" Jiang Feng asked with a hint of worry.
Only then did Song Heping turn around, pick up the teacup beside him, and take a sip, saying: "If they weren't scheming, they wouldn't be called Aricans, would they?"
He put down the teacup, smiling and shaking his head.
"This is just the first signal, I reckon there will be more signs indicating they still intend to backstab us."
"What should we do?" Jiang Feng asked.
Song Heping shrugged: "Jiang Feng, rember, the sky won't fall, we'll just counter soldiers with arms and water with an earth dam. This place isn't the Aricans' ho turf anymore like it was over ten years ago."
"Hmm."
Jiang Feng nodded silently, saying nothing.
The "other signals" that Song Heping ntioned soon arrived.
The indicator light on the encrypted satellite phone started flashing; Song Heping pressed the answer button, and Colonel Kote's Texan-accented English voice ca through.
"Song, my old friend!"
Kote's tone sounded stiff and formulaic, almost like a recording.
"Major Miles reported your difficulties to . I understand, the battle is indeed tough. However, ti waits for no one, you know? To provide you with sufficient air cover, we've even adjusted the training plans of the B-52 strategic bomber groups deployed in Qatar, ready to provide… um, 'routine' battlefield support at any ti. A massive 'scalpel,' isn't it? Just depends on when you need it."
B-52?
Is it necessary to deploy this weapon of mass destruction, used for plowing fields, destroying fortified positions, and area bombing, against a group of retreating 1515 infantry?
Wouldn't A-10 "Warthogs" suffice for this job?
Sothing stirred within Song Heping.
Kote's words seed like an offer of support but were laced with a sense of threat.
"Thank you for the support, Colonel. I'll call when we need it."
"Earlier, when you attacked Hulmatu, it seems you didn't call for our air support. We are allies, after all. You could have notified and requested our air support; there was no need to be so distant. Isn't that so?"
"Colonel, I appreciate your goodwill." Song Heping chuckled coldly: "It's just that I no longer have the US Army's ground guidance team here, and my folks are layn, not familiar with JTAC. I fear we might bomb the wrong target."
JTAC refers to the "bridge" between ground forces and airpower, directly commanding airstrike operations.
It's a specialized military role within the US ard forces, often part of the Army or Marine Corps, but requires completion of an Air Force-certified JTAC course, equipping them with target identification, weapon matching, and tactical communication skills.
Kote wasn't a fool and naturally caught the undertone in Song Heping's words, clearly a jab at Kote — that he didn't trust him.
This reminded him of the previous incident where he intentionally delayed intelligence transmission and was caught by Song Heping, rekindling his feeling of discomfort.
"If there's no trust, so be it. Good luck!"
He ended the call in a huff.
After putting down the phone, Song Heping's sharp gaze swept across the terrain map.
"Drone control team…"
After staring at the map for a while, Song Heping suddenly spoke up.
"Tell the drone company to extend the reconnaissance range by fifty kiloters to the west, focusing on scanning towards the Siria border, especially the area previously marked as the operational area of that US Army 'Delta' team. Conduct continuous sector scans for ."
"Understood!"
The communications officer imdiately responded.
The order was swiftly executed.
An hour and a half later, the latest reconnaissance images were delivered to Song Heping's main screen.
The images, enhanced for clarity, showed clearly several small heat signals moving slowly but steadily towards Hulmatu, on the desolate Gobi Desert, about forty kiloters west of Hulmatu.
User Comments
0 comments from readers