The hot wind of Hulmatu whipped up sand and dust, slapping against the sentries' cracked faces.
The dusk stained the desert blood-red, and the contours of distant dunes twisted in the twilight.
The Thunder Defense Command Post was located in a reinforced three-story building on the west side of the city.
Commander Rose reviewed the defensive deploynt map for the third ti, the pencil in his hand moving back and forth on the map, the wrinkles on his forehead deep enough to hold the pen.
As the highest commander of this Arican private military company in Northwest Illigo, the forces at his disposal were depressingly thin.
Eight hundred Thunder Defense rcenaries - among them nearly three hundred were logistics, communications, and support personnel, leaving only just over five hundred actual combat forces; five hundred cooperating Illigo Governnt Army soldiers, low in morale and uneven in training; two hundred Kurdish Militia, nominally under unified command, but in fact only obeying orders from Elbil, unreliable at critical monts.
anwhile, reconnaissance reports indicated that the 1515 Ard had amassed over twenty thousand troops in Titrick.
"Sir, we've received a reply from Bayji." The communications officer handed over a ssage sheet, his voice low. "Song Heping stated he would 'closely monitor the situation in Hulmatu' but did not commit to dispatching troops for support."
Rose slamd his fist onto the oak table, causing the coffee cup to jump: "Dammit! What ga is he playing?"
Deputy Jack cautiously said, "Sir, maybe he really is short on troops. The Bayji battle ended just two weeks ago; his troops need rest and replenishnt."
"Short on troops?" Rose sneered, pointing at the map, "He has two elite rcenary camps, 'Musician', plus the Persian Holy City Brigade and Samir's 'Liberation Forces', total strength at least ten thousand! If he wanted, he could definitely detach so troops to support us!"
"But he voluntarily abandoned Tuz and Fehate." Miller pointed out these two critical towns southeast of Hulmatu, "This indicates he's retracting his lines and concentrating forces to hold Bayji."
Rose walked to the window, looking out at the boundless desert outside the city.
The setting sun cast eerie long shadows from the dunes, each shadow like lurking enemy soldiers.
He knew this was not an illusion—the 1515 reconnaissance team had certainly infiltrated the city outskirts, evaluating the weaknesses of the defense line.
"Sir, the video conference with Washington, three minutes." The communications officer reminded.
Rose straightened his wrinkled desert camouflage, took a deep breath, and walked into the encrypted communications room in the basent.
On the screen, Major General Duke's face appeared in the fra, the background was the tactical map wall of the joint command center in the Baghdad Green Zone.
"Rose, how long can Hulmatu hold out?" Duke got straight to the point, no small talk.
Rose straightened up: "General, it depends on how many forces 1515 commits and how much air support we can get. If they attack with full force, with the current defenses and troops, even with air superiority...at most five days."
Duke was silent for a full seven seconds. Rose could hear the hum of communication equipnt and the low-voiced discussions of staff in the background.
"What's happening on Song Heping's side?" Duke finally asked.
"No commitnt of support. His troops are concentrated in Bayji for rest, and on the surface, there's no sign of deploying forces."
Rose hesitated for a mont but decided to voice his judgnt, "General, I believe Song Heping is deliberately allowing 1515 to attack us. His abandonnt of Tuz and Fehate is too easy, which doesn't make military sense."
Duke didn't respond directly but instead asked, "Why do you think he's doing this?"
Rose thought for a few seconds: "Maybe it's a stress test? Or...is he sending you so kind of signal?"
"Go on."
"If Hulmatu falls, the northwest situation will completely collapse."
Rose walked to his map, although knowing Duke couldn't see it, he gestured anyway.
"1515 will open a corridor from Titrick to Ozham, forming a triangle, directly threatening the heartland of the Erbil Kurdish Autonomous Region. By then, the only one capable of turning the tide will be Song Heping."
He paused, organizing his thoughts: "His reluctance to take over Hulmatu's defense may be a way to prove his value."
Duke's face showed a complex expression: "It's more than that, Rose. He's forcing us to agree to his terms."
"The regularization of Samir's forces?"
"Yes." Duke slowly nodded, "The Pentagon and State Departnt have been arguing about this for a full week. So people worry that once given an official status, this ard force would beco Song Heping's proxy in the Illigo Governnt. But others think that without official status, they will always be uncontrollable warlords, even more troubleso."
Rose understood: "So Song Heping is creating a crisis to let the opponents see the cost of non-cooperation firsthand."
"Smart man." Duke smiled wryly, "And he has calculated the timing. According to intelligence, 1515's attack preparations require at least two more days. And Washington's decision...if the White House intervenes, a result could be reached within forty-eight hours. At that ti, it will be the critical mont for us to negotiate with him."
"So what do we do?" Rose couldn't help but ask, "Just wait to be used by him as chess pieces?"
Duke's gaze beca sharp: "First attempt to hold Hulmatu, Rose. Hold for at least five days. This is an order, but also a political necessity. We need to prove to Song Heping that Thunder Defense is not useless, that Aricans are not completely dependent on him. Only then can we retain more initiative at the negotiation table."
"But what if we can't hold it?" Rose pressed.
"Even if you can't hold it, hold it." Duke's tone was indisputable, "Use urban combat to pin them down, make 1515 pay in blood for every building, every street. anwhile, I will expedite the negotiation process. If Hulmatu is truly on the brink of collapse, we will need him to act—but it must be within our terms frawork."
The call ended.
Rose stared at the dimd screen, taking a long ti before turning back to the operations room.
Thunder Defense is an important private military company contracted by the United States Departnt of Defense, also a company with retired generals serving as "consultants", to so extent considered a "favored child".
At a critical mont, of course, pressure must be shared for the employer, even at a heavy cost — this is reputation, this is survival.
The night had fully fallen.
Rose started redeploying the defenses: dividing the city into six defense zones, each with an independent command chain; dispersing four armored vehicles and twelve ard pickups to serve as mobile counterattack forces; planting hundreds of simple explosive devices within a three-kiloter radius around the city to delay enemy advance.
But he knew in his heart that these asures could only buy ti, not change the balance of power. The fate of Hulmatu did not depend on his tactical arrangent, but on the calculation of that Chinese rcenary leader in Bayji, the decision speed of the Washington bureaucrats, and a ga he could only watch but not control.
The searchlights on the city wall pierced the darkness, sweeping back and forth over the desert. Soldiers at sentry posts nervously watched the distance, their weapons gripped tightly in their hands, whitened by the force. No one slept tonight.
At the sa ti, 150 kiloters southeast of Hulmatu, deep in the desert of "Area 4".
This place is known as "Devil's Chessboard", where dried riverbeds cut through the land like knives, and weathered rock pillars stood in the moonlight, casting twisted shadows.
In this seemingly lifeless wasteland, Song Heping's troops had been lurking for a full forty-eight hours.
Two elite rcenary camps, totaling six hundred and twenty n, divided into fifteen combat teams, hidden behind rock pillars, beside sand dunes, and at the bottom of riverbeds.
They carried twelve sets of "Kornet" anti-tank missile systems, eight NSV heavy machine guns, twenty-four RPG-7 rocket launchers, and hundreds of anti-personnel mines and prefabricated shrapnel explosives.
Song Heping crouched in the shadow of a weathered rock, the thermal imaging monocular showing moving targets on the distant road.
It was a colossal convoy — twenty-three military trucks, four BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, twenty towed howitzers, and dozens of Toyota pickups ard with DShK heavy machine guns.
"Old squad leader, confird this is the main attack force of the 1515."
Jiang Feng whispered: "About five hundred people at the vanguard have passed through our ambush zone, approaching the outskirts of Hulmatu; the main force of three thousand people is entering the ambush zone; two thousand rear guards protecting artillery and logistics are still three kiloters away."
Song Heping did not reply imdiately.
He adjusted the focus of the night vision goggles, carefully observing the formation of the convoy.
Ahd clearly learned from the Bayji campaign, no longer concentrating his forces into an easily encircled group, but using a tiered advance tactic, maintaining an interval of three to five kiloters for mutual support.
Very cautious.
But not enough.
"Order Naxin to start the feigned attack on Tuz."
Song Heping looked at his watch, 3:47 am.
"Have everyone ready, wait for my command before taking action."
"Understood."
Encrypted radio silently transmitted orders to each ambush team. Confirmations started coming through the headset:
"Group A is ready."
"Group B is ready."
"Group C is ready..."
All fifteen groups were prepared.
Song Heping raised the binoculars, observing the enemy convoy passing through the dried riverbed.
Because it's a night march, most 1515 soldiers were huddled in the truck compartnts napping, with weapons casually leaned against their sides.
The officers' vehicles had simple armor protection, but most transport trucks were unprotected civilian trucks converted for use.
Perfect targets.
But the ti had not yet co.
Song Heping's eyes moved past the convoy, looking northwest.
There lay Hulmatu, where sporadic gunfire should have already sounded.
Rose was organizing defenses, General Duke was waiting anxiously in Baghdad, Washington's bureaucrats were arguing over whether to compromise.
And he, was waiting here.
Waiting for the Aricans to bow down, waiting for the right ti, waiting for this ticulously planned ga to reach its predetermined conclusion.
"Boss, urgent call on the encrypted line from General Duke."
The communication officer's voice ca through the headset.
Song Heping slightly frowned.
At this ti?
So soon?
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