Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1123 Shrinking the Defense Circle

The meeting at the Damascus command center concluded in a tense but pragmatic atmosphere.

The plan has been set; all that remains is to execute it.

There is no time for cheering or hesitation; once the gears of war begin to turn, they can only roar forward fueled by blood and steel.

Song Heping and the cook barely lingered.

A crack Wagner guard squad and several liaison officers from the Cyrian government forces were already on standby in the building's underground parking garage.

The vehicles consisted of several Toyota Land Cruisers equipped with light armor and heavy machine guns, and a truck responsible for transporting additional ammunition and communications equipment.

The engine roared low, and a slight heat emanated from the exhaust pipes.

"Let's go, Haibab."

Song Heping opened the car door and spoke concisely.

The convoy drove out of the underground bunker and into the streets of Damascus shrouded in night.

The atmosphere in the city was heavy, with numerous checkpoints and few civilian vehicles; instead, military vehicles and armed personnel were being mobilized.

In the distance, on the horizon to the south and east, faint flashes of light occasionally streaked across the night sky, indistinguishable as either artillery fire or lightning, but the muffled rumble of thunder—or rather, the more deadly sound of explosions.

Song Heping leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest, but his mind was racing, repeatedly analyzing the various situations Haibaib might face and every detail of the Otaba Plan.

He had already drawn up a rough battle plan for the defense of Haibab, but anything conceived while sitting in the command post could only be a rough outline. The details had to be adjusted based on the specific situation after he personally went to the front lines to see the battle lines.

The cook sat to one side, wiping his signature short-barreled assault rifle, his face grim. Occasionally, he would glance out the car window toward the south, the direction from which his men were about to fight a bloody battle.

"Song".

The cook suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse, "If Haibaib can't hold out, my thousand brothers who went through will be like throwing meat buns to a dog—gone and never to return."

The thousand brothers he referred to were Wagner's mercenaries.

In fact, Wagner's mercenaries don't have many troops left in Cyria. Apart from a few who are still in Damascus to take on defense duties, these thousand men are all the troops that the cook can muster.

Their mission was to operate alongside 500 special forces soldiers from the government army. When Song Heping and the cook left Damascus, this force departed from the east of Damascus, reached Mismiye, and then turned south, passing through Shekhba and heading straight for Otaba. They were to launch a rapid raid on the international mercenary camps and logistics assembly points there, killing as many enemies as possible and destroying supplies.

Once Otaba's camp is destroyed, the "Victory Front" attacking Haibab from the north will immediately feel attacked from both sides and will be unable to keep up with the supply lines.

In this way, the offensive will not only be restrained, but they may even have to retreat for fear of being attacked from both sides.

However, the entire crossing distance reaches 120 kilometers, which is no easy task.

Song Heping's order to the commander Wagner was: avoid fighting along the way and go straight to Otaba!
To ensure the success of the operation, the cook called Tartus and found a senior air force officer there with whom he had a good relationship. He arranged for an Il-20 to take off and fly south of Damascus to provide ground intelligence for the infiltration force.

Even so, the risk factor of this operation is still very high. If the "Victory Front" discovers the intention and sends troops from elsewhere to encircle and suppress them, or fails to annihilate the enemy in the camp in Otaba, the infiltrating troops themselves will face the risk of being surrounded and annihilated.

However, any military operation carries risks.

Especially when you're already at a disadvantage, there's no way to turn things around without taking risks.

Song Heping did not open his eyes and replied calmly, "Therefore, Haibaib must hold on, and must keep the entire main force of the 'Victory Front' tied up there, making them unable to spare any attention. Otherwise, once they are able to divide their forces, the flanking troops will be at risk of having their rear cut off."

Having said that, he opened his half-closed eyes and looked at the cook: "Cook, we have no way out in this battle. Neither Wagner nor the Sirian government forces have it."

The convoy sped along the main road leading south, and the closer they got to the front lines, the more shocking the scenes became.

Even though it was already night, more and more refugees were still fleeing north with their families, their faces filled with fear and exhaustion.

After nearly two hours of bumpy travel, the smell of gunpowder in the air grew stronger, and the continuous explosions and dense gunfire in the distance became clearer.

Haibab, we've finally arrived.

This city, once an agricultural and trading center south of Damascus, has now become a meat grinder-like battlefield.

The convoy did not enter the city center, but instead drove directly to the entrance of a reinforced underground command post located in the north of the city.

The area above the command post was originally a school, but it has now been bombed into ruins, which cleverly serves as a camouflage.

As soon as I got off the car, a sound and vibration hit me.

The roar of heavy artillery shook the ground slightly, and the rattling of machine guns came from not far away like popping beans, interspersed with the bursts of automatic rifle fire and the loud bangs of rocket explosions.

Besides the smoke of gunpowder, Song Heping also smelled a faint odor of blood and a smell similar to that of a burnt corpse.

A colonel from the Syrian government army was already anxiously waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing Song Heping and the cook, he immediately saluted, his face a mixture of exhaustion, tension, and a glimmer of hope: "Mr. Song! Colonel Yevgeny! You've finally arrived! Our situation here is extremely dire!"

"Take us inside, we'll talk as we walk."

Song Heping strode towards the underground entrance, with the cook carrying a gun close behind. The Wagner guard squad quickly dispersed and occupied key defensive positions at the entrance.

The underground command post was dark and damp. Staff officers were crowded around the huge sand table. The sounds of radio communication, shouting, and keyboard typing rose and fell, and the atmosphere was so tense that it was almost explosive.

“Mr. Song, the scum of the ‘Victory Front’ and the ‘Islamic State’ have concentrated at least two brigades of troops to launch a major offensive on the eastern and southern suburbs.”

The commander defending the city was General Jamal, one of the commanders who had previously participated in the Damascus online military conference.

His hair was slightly disheveled and mostly white, and he looked tired with a furrowed brow.

“They have many tanks, mainly T-72s and T-55s, and even a few modified T-62s. We have too few anti-tank missiles, and our rocket launchers have a short range, making it difficult for our soldiers to get close. They are usually mowed down by their machine gun fire during the approach. Now, the outer defenses are showing signs of collapse in many places... We have suffered heavy losses... The rebel vanguard has already reached the industrial park on the outskirts of the city…”

Song Heping walked to the sand table, his sharp gaze sweeping over the arrows and symbols representing the forces of both sides.

On the sand table, the small blue flags representing the government forces have been overwhelmed or forced back to the edge of the city in many areas by red enemy arrows.

How many tanks do we have left?

Song Heping asked the key question.

Lieutenant General Jamal's face showed bitterness: "No more than 15 are operational. Most of them are old T-62s and T-55s, and they lack spare parts and ammunition. The rebels... they have at least 40 tanks, and they are constantly being supplied by Camel and Turkey. They also have much more anti-tank weapons than we do."

"Damn camels and chickens! Aren't they the same faith as you?! Why do they wish you dead?!" The cook slammed his fist on the edge of the sand table.

Jamal sneered, "It's no use. We're the most worldly people, and that's why we've become a thorn in their side!"

The cook cursed again: "Suka! How are we supposed to fight this war?"

Song Heping was silent for a moment, then pointed his finger at the core area of ​​Shanghai Baibu's urban area on the sand table.

"We can no longer afford to engage in a war of attrition with them in the open areas outside the city. That would be using our weaknesses against their strengths."

Song Heping's voice was calm to the point of being cold. "Order all troops to immediately abandon their existing outer positions and retreat into the city in an orderly manner. Shrink the defensive line, build fortifications using the buildings in the city, and resist house by house and street by street."

"Contract the defenses?"

Jamal was taken aback.

The cook also cast a questioning glance his way.

Abandon the outer defenses?

This means the defeat has reached the city.

That would be tantamount to a cornered beast fighting...

"Mr. Song!"

Jamal said urgently, "Once we retreat, we'll have no depth! The rebels will surround us in the city like an iron barrel! If... if we can't hold out, not only will our entire army be wiped out, but if Khaybaib falls, the southern gate of Damascus will be completely open!"

The cook added, "Old Song, this is too risky! Contracting our defenses means giving up our mobility. If we get surrounded, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Song Heping turned around, his gaze sharp as he looked at the two men: "General Jamal, please tell me, if we continue with our current tactics, how long can we hold out against the enemy's superior armored forces and firepower with limited infantry and a handful of tanks on the flat terrain outside the city? One day? Or two days?"

The two were silent.

The answer is obvious.

"The result was the same—Haybab fell, and Damascus was wide open."

Song Heping said in a heavy tone, "And then what? Urban warfare in Damascus? Your families, friends, and everyone you want to protect will be exposed to the extremist group's knife. At that time, what will be lost will not only be a war, but the future of the entire country."

He walked to the communications console: "General, please connect to the communications channels of all units at the company level and above in the entire army. I have something to say."

Lieutenant General Jamal hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded to the communications officer.

"Do as Mr. Song instructs."

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)