Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1088 Compassion is a luxury!
"Why?!!"

Samir almost roared out loud, but he tried his best to suppress the sound, his face turned red, and the veins on his neck bulged.

"Yes, they are the Kolds! Yes, I hate them! I despise them! But we are now facing 1515! The common enemy that is destroying our homeland! We should unite all forces! This is moral! This is also to reduce obstacles in our future battles!"

Just then, in the distant firelight, the executioner's scimitar swung down.

Even at such a distance, where no sound could be heard, the swift, decisive movements, the subsequent gushing of liquid that appeared as a large gray-white shadow in the night vision goggles, and the body that instantly lost all support and collapsed...

All of this cruelly reveals what happened.

One, two, three...

The execution proceeded methodically yet cruelly.

The 1515 members surrounded the execution site, shouting wildly, waving weapons, and performing bizarre dances, as if they were holding an evil and bloody victory celebration.

Samir's face drained of color, the muscles in his cheeks twitched, and his jaw clenched. He slowly turned his head and looked at Song Heping again.

Song Heping remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on the slaughterhouse ahead, his eyes flashing with indifference and decisiveness based on the cold reality and political calculations.

Samir understood.

Any request will be in vain.

Song Heping's decision was based on reasons that he did not fully understand, but which were certainly profound and complex.

Song Heping caught a glimpse of the despair and confusion on Samir's face, knowing that he had already suffered enough inner torment.

He gestured to his surroundings, and the members of the Sand Fox Squad and their guards immediately and tacitly dispersed slightly, maintaining a high level of vigilance and leaving them a small space where they could talk in hushed tones.

Then he leaned close to Samir, lowering his voice so that only the two of them and Nassin nearby could hear him:

“Samir, I understand that you want to save people. Seeing your fellow human beings being tortured and killed, feeling compassion and anger, is the most admirable quality of a person and a soldier.”

Song Heping first acknowledged his emotions, but then his tone suddenly shifted, becoming cold and realistic.

“But you are not just a fighter now. You are the leader of the ‘Liberation Forces,’ one of the hopes for these people’s future. You need to be responsible for the thousands of lives that have followed you, for the cause you will fight for in the future, and not just for a momentary moral impulse.”

He paused, then pointed to the distant ruins, now silent except for the remaining traces of the 1515 militants, his tone growing increasingly somber: "The Kords are indeed brave warriors, that's beyond doubt. But whose people are they on? They are the most loyal ground agents and vanguard of the Americans in Iligo and Syria! The Americans give them the most advanced weapons, systematic training, and crucial air support—for what? To protect American interests, not for the people of Iligo, and certainly not for your future, Samir!"

"Yes, we're all against 1515 now. Theoretically, the enemy of my enemy could be my friend. But that logic doesn't work here!"

Song Heping's gaze was sharp as a hawk's, fixed on Samir. "Think carefully, just a few months ago, when 1515 had just risen and was flooding Mosul and Baghdad like a flood, what were these Kold'd 'Dare-to-Fighters' doing?"

Samir paused for a moment, his brows furrowing as Song Heping's words led him into recollection and reflection.

Song Heping continued coldly, "They were just watching from the sidelines! They watched as the government army and police were routed in Mosul! Instead of supporting the central government which was on the verge of collapse, they took advantage of the chaos to invade and occupy Kirkuk, a region they had long coveted and rich in oil, as well as a large amount of other disputed territory! They even disregarded the central government's objections and sold oil through Turkish pipelines, pocketing all the profits, further weakening the Bakhta government's finances and creating a de facto split. They stabbed you in the back and plundered your resources and land when you were in your most difficult time! And now you're telling me you still want to save them?"

Samir's breathing became heavy. Song Heping's words were like a key, unlocking the floodgates of anger and humiliation in his memory.

He recalled how he felt when he heard the news that the Kolds had taken the opportunity to advance north and occupy the oil fields; that anger of betrayal and plunder surged up in his heart again.

“But…” Samir wanted to argue, “that’s all in the past… now 1515 is attacking them too…”

"Without the past, there would be no present!"

Song Heping interrupted him, his tone resolute.

"Their ambivalence and selfishness are ingrained in their very being! Okay, even if we ignore the past and only look at the present and future, I ask you, what would happen if we saved them now at any cost?"

“First,” Song Heping held up a finger, “we would immediately expose ourselves! Behind us are thousands of panicked civilians with no heavy weapon protection and an exhausted support team! To save a few dozen Kold warriors who might survive, are we going to risk total annihilation by directly attacking a main force of over five hundred men, well-equipped and in the euphoria of victory and religious fanaticism of the 1515? Is it worth it? To exchange the lives of thousands of women, children, and brothers for the lives of a few dozen Kolds? As the leader, how do you calculate this?”

"Second," he held up a second finger, his eyes blazing, "Even if we miraculously win, defeat 1515, and save them, will the Koldeids be grateful to us and obey your orders, Samir, and even return the oil fields and land they took in the future?"

Song Heping sneered and shook his head, as if looking at a naive child: "Absolutely not! They will only thank their American masters! Once the crisis is over, under the orders of the Americans, they may turn their guns on you at any time! Don't forget, in Iligo, the contradictions, sectarian differences, and land disputes between you and the Kurds have never disappeared; they have only been temporarily covered up by the greater enemy, 1515! The Americans will never truly support the growth of a 'liberation force' with Persian shadows behind it! Sooner or later, you and they will have a conflict of interest!"

Samir fell silent. Song Heping's words were like a cold tide, crashing against his understanding wave after wave.

Nassin nodded solemnly beside him, clearly agreeing with Song Heping's analysis.

"The third and most critical point is."

Song Heping's voice was even lower, yet more impactful.

"Look, what is 1515 doing for us now? They are helping us weaken your future rivals—the Kold'd forces—for free. They are not only 1515's enemies, but also our main geopolitical rivals and competitors in northwestern Iligo! The more they are losing now, the more they suffer, especially losing important command levels or elite squads. The weaker their influence here will be in the future, the less territory they can control, and the lower their bargaining chips will be in the competition with us for the right to speak in the northwest region!"

He pointed to the ruins: "Who should lead this land in the future? Should it be the Kold's people, who obey the United States and waver between two sides, or should it be the local forces like you, Samir, who are rooted here and truly fight for their homeland, with the 'Liberation Forces' filling the vacuum and determining the order? Let them fight like dogs, we'll watch from the sidelines. Isn't it the most advantageous choice for us right now to let 1515, that mad dog, tear apart the American-raised hounds?"

"Unnecessary compassion is a luxury in this cruel land; it will only hasten your and your followers' demise and end your cause prematurely."

Song Heping concluded with an undeniable coldness in his voice, "Survival and development sometimes require making difficult, even seemingly cold-blooded, choices."

After finishing his speech, Song Heping stopped looking at Samir, raised his binoculars again, and calmly monitored the movements of Team 1515.

They appeared to be cleaning up the battlefield, collecting spoils, and burning vehicle wreckage and corpses. The noise gradually subsided, and there was no sign of them moving in that direction.

Samir fell completely silent.

He kept his head down, his chest heaving violently, clearly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

Song Heping's words were like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing his previous enthusiasm and impulsiveness. But they were also like a scalpel, cutting through the layers of fog and allowing him to see the cruelty and reality behind the war.

He recalled the tragic deaths of his people, the burning of his village, the ruthless faces of the Kolde people as they looted the place, and the thousands of eyes in the sand valley behind him, filled with expectation, fear, and the hope that their fate rested on his shoulders.

That's right.

The boss is absolutely right!

When he looked up again, his eyes still held a trace of the pain of witnessing the atrocity, but they were now filled with clarity and resolve.

"I understand, boss. You're right. It was my... oversight."

Nassin nodded silently beside him, deeply understanding and agreeing with Song Heping's judgment.

This is war, not just a contest of guns and cannons, but a ruthless game of strategy, politics, history, and survival wisdom.

They lay in wait silently, like scorpions in the desert, patiently waiting for the danger to pass.

In the distance, after carrying out executions, looting, and destruction, the 1515 militants finally signaled to assemble.

The convoy restarted its engines, and just as it had come, it sped off into the darkness to the southeast, gradually disappearing from sight.

The desert returned to its eternal silence and cold, leaving only the still-burning flames and silent death in the ruins, and the faint smell of blood and acrid burning in the air, as if silently telling the tragic story that had just happened.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, until Sand Fox No. 1 confirmed again that the 1515 convoy had indeed gone far away and would not be able to return in a short time, Song Heping finally gave the order.

"Eagle's Nest is calling all units: danger cleared. Remain silent, organize your forces, and proceed as quickly as possible along the original route back to the border."

　Asking for a monthly ticket! Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)