At the edge of the camp, the low roar of engines shattered the night's tranquility.
Two elite rcenary camps under the banner of "Musician" Defense had completed their assembly.
The entire unit enforced strict light discipline, leaving no unnecessary lights, only the red lines traced by vehicle taillights slicing through the darkness and the occasional beam from tactical flashlights as soldiers checked their gear.
The two rcenary camps were organized by Song Heping according to the PLA structure. After completing a six-month devil training at the Hunter School established by "Musician" Defense in South Arica Venezuela, they were deployed to combat units as the elite of the company's operations in Africa.
The manpower was sparse, totaling only about 900 people.
These individuals, professional soldiers from various countries, gathered here for money or rely seeking thrill and survival amidst warti chaos. Under Song Heping's leadership, they had been forged into a disciplined iron fist.
Song Heping jumped onto a command off-road vehicle equipped with armor and communication antennas.
"Move out!"
The order swiftly reached each soldier's ears through the individual radios.
The convoy sped away along a pre-scouted secret route, heading northeast towards Bayji.
The dust kicked up by the wheels ford a long dragon of smoke under the moonlight.
Inside the vehicle, Song Heping spread out an electronic map, the dim blue light reflecting his furrowed brow.
He picked up the transmitter of the encrypted radio, adjusting it to a specific frequency.
"01 calling West Wind, 01 calling West Wind, co in."
After a brief burst of static noise, a familiar voice quickly responded: "West Wind here, go ahead 01."
"West Wind has set off, estimated arrival at target area, H 24." Song Heping spoke using the pre-arranged code. "According to the operation plan, your unit must reach the predetermined attack position before H-ti. Repeat, before H-ti, you must be in position."
Over 200 kiloters away, in Mosul.
In his command post, Abu You, the commander of the Abu You Brigade, had been waiting for a long ti. Hearing Song Heping's order, excitent spread across his rugged face.
"West Wind understands! All preparations are complete, we will imdiately move towards Bayji, ensuring arrival at the predetermined attack position before H-ti."
Ending the call with Abu You, Song Heping leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes.
In his mind, three forces, like three sharp arrows, were piercing through the night, aiming at two different targets.
In the direction of Tetric, there were Jiang Feng and Samir's six thousand militia, headed towards Bayji from the east to the west, along with himself and the two rcenary camps, and from Mosul headed west to east, the Abu You Brigade with three thousand elite Kurdish militia advancing.
If his speculation was correct, the 1515 Ard force in the Bayji region was currently at its lowest strength in recent years, the most fragile mont, making it the perfect ti to seize the vital oil refining town.
The next day, as the first rays of sunlight cast down in the morning.
Samir and Jiang Feng stood on a slightly elevated sand dune, watching the large advancing force of the "Liberation Forces" below.
Six thousand militia, with a stretched-out formation, vehicles and personnel kicking up dust everywhere, viewed from above, undoubtedly a formidable attacking force.
"Is the drone airborne?"
Jiang Feng asked over his headset, inquiring the technical reconnaissance team.
"Report, 'Falcon One' and 'Falcon Two' are patrolling 10 kiloters ahead, no enemy reconnaissance units detected."
"Stay alert, especially watching out for potential enemy ground reconnaissance teams and low flying drones."
Jiang Feng ordered.
He knew well that information confidentiality was the key to this operation's success or failure.
anwhile, Samir was busy directing artillery and logistics units: "Set up all those extra tents! More cooking smoke, lots of cooking smoke! Make the trucks run back and forth a few more tis, create more noise!"
Thus, over the next two days, the "Liberation Forces" camp outside Tetric presented a scene of bustling preparation.
During the day, dust billowed, and vehicles moved back and forth non-stop.
At night, the camp was brightly lit, with bonfires dotting the area, and occasionally they conducted small-scale artillery test fires, shells whistling as they fell in the no-man's-land outside Tetric, the explosion's light exceptionally noticeable in the night.
Inside Tetric City, the regional commander of the 1515 Ard, Az, just as Song Heping predicted, was mired in anxiety and hesitation.
Frontline observation posts kept reporting the massive scale and active attack preparations of the "Liberation Forces".
"What on earth are they planning? A frontal assault?"
Az paced in the command post, his mind a jumbled ss.
"Song Heping... that madman, he never plays by the rules, he has pulled the dividing trick before, perhaps this ti..."
"Commander, based on reconnaissance, the enemy forces are estimated over six thousand, and appear better equipped than before."
An adjutant reported.
"How many waves of recon units have we dispatched?" Az asked. "Why hasn't any of them reported back with specific information? I need to know Song Heping's exact movents! I need eyes on him!"
"We've sent out five waves... only one returned, and the other four lost contact. The enemy has strong counter-surveillance capabilities, with aerial drones constantly monitoring the periter, any deeper approach encounters artillery attacks, no way to get through..."
The adjutant said with difficulty: "Only a few teams reached the outskirts, engaged in firefights, from the firepower assessnt, this is surely Song Heping's main force."
The unknown brought fear.
Az recalled the painful experience of previous encounters with Song Heping's forces, the feeling of helplessness against precise strikes and tactical deception surfaced once more.
He dared not take risks.
Thirty thousand troops seed formidable, but scattered across Tetric City and its outlying posts, if they launched an attack and fell into an ambush, or the enemy exploited a weakness to invade the city...
In the prior Hulmatu battle, Song Heping sohow uncovered a secret tunnel network within the city that even the 1515 didn't know, deployed a batch of rcenaries to infiltrate and blossom from the center, resulting in a swift collapse with little resistance from Hulmatu...
This ti, he had every street and every corner of Tetric City turned inside out to make sure there were no secret passages.
Logically speaking...
It should be safe.
Yet, he still feels a bit uneasy inside…
"Order all units to hold their positions firmly! No one is allowed to launch a strike without my orders! Strengthen city defenses, especially the weak points that might be breached! If they take the initiative to attack or provoke, don't fall for it; stick to your positions!"
Az ultimately chose the most conservative plan, in line with Song Heping's expectations—defensive holding.
anwhile, in the western suburbs of Mosul, the gathering place of the Abu You Brigade was a different scene.
Abu You, forrly an effective henchman of the Kurd Ard, dared not slack off in executing orders from Song Heping.
He knows well the benefits of cooperating with this "Eastern War God," and also understands the consequences of defying his will.
Although the 3,000 soldiers of the Abu You Brigade can't match the equipnt and discipline of Song Heping's rcenaries, they have the advantage of familiar terrain and harbor a deep-seated hatred for 1515.
In the darkness, they silently assembled, vehicles covered with camouflage nets, and soldiers quietly passed on orders.
"Listen up, all of you!"
Abu You stood on the bed of a truck, and shouted to the dark mass of heads below, "The Commander has given us an opportunity for wealth and revenge! Bayji, there's an oil field there, there are supplies! Take it down, and we'll be living large for a while! More importantly, we can slaughter those 1515 bastards!"
The soldiers emitted a low cheer.
"Now, move out! Maintain radio silence, proceed along the planned route, keeping secrecy. If anyone dares to cause a stir and alert those 1515 pups now, don't bla , Abu You, for being unkind!"
Like a stream flowing through the night, the convoy began maneuvering southeast toward Bayji.
Their route was more covert, requiring passage through barren hills and dry riverbeds, and the journey was further.
This was a special force, expected to strike from an unexpected direction at a crucial mont, delivering a fatal blow to Bayji's 1515 ard forces.
Song Heping led two rcenary camps, after nonstop high-speed maneuvers for a day and night, had silently reached an abandoned village about fifty kiloters southwest of Bayji, and then settled here.
This site was chosen as the forward base and final attack preparation point.
The convoy was thoroughly camouflaged, all personnel banned from going out unnecessarily, maintaining radio silence, only receiving drone reconnaissance information.
The first camp commander Milosh and the second camp commander Wells appeared together in Song Heping's temporary command post.
"Boss, the latest reconnaissance intelligence."
Milosh handed the tablet to Song Heping.
"According to preliminary reconnaissance, Bayji's defending force is about two thousand troops, mainly distributed in the refinery area to the west of the city, the governnt building in the city center, and several checkpoint stations in residential areas to the east of the city. Their defense focus is south and east, with relatively lax vigilance towards the southwest where we're coming from. The Abu You Brigade's scheduled attack direction in the west has the weakest defense fortifications."
On the screen, high-definition images transmitted by drones clearly showed Bayji's defense arrangents.
"The situation is advantageous for us; originally, I thought they would have five thousand people, now it's only around two thousand; even if underestimated, it won't exceed three thousand. We have 900 here, three thousand Abu You Brigade soldiers to the west, a two-pronged attack estimated to take the city's outskirts within a day, entering the main city within two days."
The second camp commander Wells licked his lips, eyes gleaming with a fighting spirit.
"I think we can tear open a path from the southwest, directly thrust into the refinery; the terrain there is elevated, capturing it allows us to bombard any position in the city below."
Song Heping did not imdiately express his opinion; he carefully examined maps and images, his fingers sliding over several key points.
"Don't be careless. 1515 has worked these towns for a long ti, surely there's hidden firepower points and reserve forces. Wells, your camp is responsible for clearing the outer guard posts, establishing a safe passage. Milosh, your camp will be the main attack spearhead; once the passage is opened, imdiately surge in at maximum speed, target—the core control zone of the refinery. Rember, speed is crucial, don't get bogged down. 1515 people have a trait, they're more fierce than anyone when fighting with the wind, but once the line is breached, I've found they're like those guys in Africa, will instinctively retreat imdiately."
He paused, looking west: "Simultaneously, notify Abu You that H-ti is fixed at 4:30 AM tomorrow morning; it's the darkest ti, also when the defenders are most fatigued. Have them attack the city west on ti, make a big noise to attract enemy attention."
"Understood!"
The two replied in unison, turned to leave to assign tasks.
Song Heping walked to the broken window of the mud house, gazing in the direction of Bayji.
The city lay dormant in the darkness, like a giant beast in slumber.
It's estimated that the 1515 militants in the city are still unaware that they've been tracked to their very bedside.
In a few hours, this place will beco a battlefield where flesh and blood fly.
His plan, his gamble, is about to face its final test.
He took a deep breath of cold air, his gaze sharp as a blade.
Three forces, two battlefields, a vast war net has been cast.
Can Tetric's decoy troops successfully pin down?
Can Jiang Feng and Samir deceive Az inside the city?
Can the raid on Bayji achieve success in one stroke?
Can Abu You's special forces arrive on ti?
Those answers are not entirely within his control.
That's how war is: timing, terrain, human harmony, and luck.
All are indispensable.
Everything will be revealed in the darkness before dawn.
It will be a fierce battle.
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