"Why…" Ahd muttered to himself, his face full of doubt. "Song Heping went to all that trouble to take these two places, held them for less than ten days, and suddenly abandoned them? That makes no sense."
The staff officer said cautiously, "Commander, maybe it's just like we analyzed before—Song Heping doesn't have enough troops. He's holding Bayji, Western Mosul, parts of Kirkuk, and still has to guard against us. His front is stretched too long. Giving up Tuz and Feihate and shortening his line is a reasonable choice."
"Reasonable?" Ahd sneered. "Song Heping never does things just based on what looks reasonable on the surface. Every move he makes might have three more moves hidden behind it."
He walked to the map, his finger moving from Tuz and Feihate to Bayji, then to Hulmatu.
"If he really is short of troops, then by retaking Tuz and Feihate, we can stabilize our flank again. And then…"
In the end, his finger stopped on Hulmatu.
"Thunder Defense is half‑crippled now, Hulmatu is poorly defended. If we can take it…"
"Commander, that's too risky."
An older chief of staff reminded him, "Last ti we were hit in the rear by Song Heping and had to abandon our offensive on Hulmatu. If he cuts off our rear again this ti…"
"That's why we need to be fully prepared."
A dangerous light flashed in Ahd's eyes. "After we retake Tuz and Feihate, we deploy heavy forces in both places, build strong fortifications, and make sure that even if Song Heping attacks, we can hold for at least a week. Seven days is enough ti to pull in reinforcents from elsewhere."
"What about over at Hulmatu…"
"We take it as fast as possible." Ahd clenched his fist, greed flickering in his gaze. "Thunder Defense has fewer than a thousand n still fit to fight, and their morale is low. We concentrate superior forces—three days, five at most—and we can definitely take it. Once we seize Hulmatu, we'll have a solid strategic foothold: from there we can threaten Elbil, or fall back and hold out for relief."
The staff officers looked at each other.
The plan sounded feasible, but everyone harbored misgivings about Song Heping.
That Lord Dong was too cunning; you never knew what he would do next.
"Commander…"
An intelligence officer spoke up. "We've just received word from the Siria side: Raqqa Headquarters will provide us with another batch of weapons and ammunition and two thousand experienced fighters. They'll be transported via the newly opened Al‑Qaim – Lake Salsal route and are expected to arrive in five days."
Ahd's eyes lit up. "Good! That's exactly what we need! Tell Raqqa Headquarters we need more anti‑tank weapons and manpower!"
Three in the afternoon.
Tuz Town seed unusually quiet in the heat of the early afternoon.
The wind drove sand and dust through the empty streets, past abandoned fortifications and scattered ammunition crates.
A few machine‑gun positions made of sandbags still retained their intact shapes, but the weapons inside had long since been removed.
Ahd stood at the southern entrance of the town, raising his binoculars to observe carefully.
His brows were knitted into a knot.
It was too quiet—so quiet it was unsettling.
The reconnaissance unit had entered the town that morning, searched every street and every building, and hadn't found a single enemy, nor any traps or explosives.
The Persians and rcenaries had pulled out very cleanly; aside from a small amount of supplies they couldn't carry and damaged equipnt, they hadn't left anything behind.
"Commander, area confird secure."
The recon company commander ran over to report. "We found so traces in the central square. It looks like the enemy pulled out during the night. They left in a hurry, but in good order."
"Any signs of mines or explosives being planted?" Ahd asked.
"The engineers used mine detectors to check the main roads and key buildings; nothing turned up. But…"
The company commander hesitated and then said, "But we did find trigger devices for trap mines in several buildings, only the detonators had been removed. Looks like they deliberately left them to spook us."
Ahd let out a cold snort. "Is that all Song Heping's got?"
Despite his words, he didn't relax in the slightest.
The safer it looked, the more likely there was a bigger danger hidden.
"Commander, the main force has reached the outskirts of the town. Do we move in?" a staff officer asked for instructions.
Ahd didn't answer imdiately.
He looked around the abandoned little town, his mind rapidly weighing pros and cons.
Tuz Town's geographic position was indeed important. Controlling it ant they once again held the western gate of Titrick.
But the question was, why had Song Heping abandoned it?
Was he really short of troops and forced to shorten his line?
Or was he deliberately showing weakness to lure him in?
"First move one battalion in and establish a defensive line on the outskirts of the town."
Ahd remained extrely cautious, but he had made a decision.
"The rest of the troops will camp three kiloters outside the town and stay mobile. Tell the units moving in to stay on high alert. Double sentries at night to prevent enemy night raids."
"Yes, sir!"
The orders went out, and the soldiers of the 1515 Ard began cautiously entering Tuz Town.
They advanced in groups of three, backs to each other, searching every building, muzzles always aid at any corner where enemies might be hiding.
The engineers set up roadblocks at major intersections, and machine gunners established fire points on high ground; everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
But Ahd's heart stayed tight.
He stood in the command vehicle, staring at Tuz Town's position on the map, his fingers tapping the tabletop unconsciously.
"What's the situation at Feihate?" he asked the communications officer.
"We've taken it, also without encountering resistance. The garrison commander reports the town is empty, but the defensive works are basically intact and can be used after minor repairs."
Two empty cities.
Strategic strongpoints, there for the taking.
"Strange… really strange…"
Instead of feeling excited, Ahd grew even more uneasy.
This looked far too much like a trap—first give you so easy gains, let you relax your guard, then suddenly tighten the noose.
"Commander," the chief of staff said quietly, "if Song Heping is really luring us in, what will he do next? Wait until we move in in force and then shell us with artillery? Or launch a surprise attack with armored units?"
"Both are possible." Ahd stared at the map. "But he won't be that simple. His tactics are always a chain of interlocking moves."
His gaze moved across the map from Tuz to Feihate, then to Bayji, and finally stopped at Hulmatu.
A thought suddenly erged, sending a chill through him.
"What if… his real target isn't Tuz and Feihate?"
Ahd murmured, "What if he deliberately abandoned these two places to concentrate his forces in Hulmatu…"
"They're going to move into Hulmatu!" a staff officer picked up the thought. "Hulmatu is still in Thunder Defense's hands, but they're already half‑crippled. The Aricans must have invited Song Heping to take over Hulmatu's defense!"
Ahd's face darkened. "If that's the case, once he moves in, taking Hulmatu will be much harder for us…"
The staff officer asked again, "Then what do we do?"
Ahd traced a line on the map with his finger. "If we attack Hulmatu now, our main force will have to leave Titrick and move north. At that point, Song Heping will have two options: he can either send troops out from Bayji to cut off our retreat, or… directly attack Titrick."
Silence fell around them.
Everyone was chilled by that possibility.
Titrick was their main base in Northern Illigo. If they lost it, then even if they took Hulmatu, they would be like duckweed without roots, trapped in the northwestern triangle.
At that point their logistics would be cut, enemies on all sides, and annihilation would only be a matter of ti.
"So… do we still attack Hulmatu?" the staff officer asked cautiously.
Ahd fell silent.
It was a dilemma: don't attack and you miss a golden opportunity; attack and the risks are huge.
His eyes moved back and forth across the map, his brain rapidly calculating every possibility.
Force ratios, marching tis, logistical support, weather, terrain…
Every factor had to be considered.
Ten minutes later, he raised his head, a hint of resolve flashing in his eyes. "We attack—but we change the way we fight."
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