Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1137 Kremlin's Hesitation

"FUCK!"

The cook was so anxious that he even forgot to speak Russian and shouted in heavily accented English, "Just received news! Idlib... is lost! Those sons of bitches from HTS and the Free Army have entered the city!"

Song Heping's expression darkened slightly; the worst-case scenario had still occurred.

But his face remained calm as he turned to the cook: "What about Moscow? What's their reaction? The Kremlin can't just watch Idlib fall like this; they'll definitely take action. Has a press conference been held yet?"

The cook scratched his bald head: "No! Absolutely nothing! I just called my old buddies in the military and the FSB, and even tried contacting the office of that 'Supreme Commander' in the Kremlin, and all I got were 'closely monitoring,' 'the situation needs careful assessment,' and 'our country's position is consistently clear'... all fucking official rhetoric! President Vladimir hasn't given me any clear signals! They seem scared by the Crimean situation and the Western sanctions, and they're still hesitating!"

The cook's tone was full of disappointment and anxiety.

He placed his great hopes on strong intervention from his homeland, but his homeland remained silent, which chilled him to the bone.

Song Heping's brows furrowed even deeper.

The Russian military intervention was the cornerstone of his entire strategic prediction. If the Kremlin ultimately chooses to back down, then the Hafez regime may really not have much time left.

Just then, the satellite phone in his pocket rang.

The unusual ringtone made his eyes narrow – it was President Hafez's private number.

He pressed the answer button, and Hafiz's voice immediately came from the other end of the line. He had lost his usual composure and was filled with suppressed tension and exhaustion, even with a slight tremor:
“Mr. Song! You must already know that Idlib has fallen.”

Hafez skipped all pleasantries and went straight to the point, “I just spoke with President Vladimir on the phone, and I… I almost pleaded with him to intervene militarily immediately, for the sake of the traditional friendship and strategic interests between our two countries. But… his answer was vague, only saying that it was an ‘extremely complex decision’ that required ‘comprehensive consideration of all factors,’ and advising me to ‘exercise restraint and continue to resolve the issue through political means’…”

Hafez's voice was filled with despair: "Mr. Song, they have no intention of agreeing! If Idlib falls, the Free Army and HTS's vanguard can advance to the outskirts of Homs in as little as three days! Once Homs falls, Damascus... Damascus will be completely finished! By then, it will be too late!"

Song Heping understood the unspoken meaning behind the other party's words—Hafiz was not only worried about his country, but also looking for a way out for his personal and family fate.

He could even imagine that an emergency evacuation plan was probably being secretly prepared at the presidential residence at that very moment.

"Mr President."

Song Heping's voice remained calm, attempting to instill a sense of confidence in the other party.

"The situation is indeed serious, but it is far from hopeless. As long as Russia has not explicitly refused, there is still room for maneuver. What they need is a reason to intervene, a bargaining chip that they cannot refuse, or an opportunity to reduce the risk of intervention."

"Reasons? Bargains? Opportunities?"

Hafiz, as if grasping at a straw, pressed on urgently, “What else do we have? My army has suffered heavy losses and morale is low… Mr. Song, could you… could you personally go to the front lines in Homs, just as you did in Haibab? I am willing to grant you full authority to command all available troops. Please help me hold Homs! Buy us time!”

Song Heping remained silent for a few seconds. He knew that Hafiz was desperately grasping at straws, trying to pass the hot potato of guarding Holmes to him.

Holmes is now a meat grinder. The government troops, lacking heavy equipment and reinforcements, are demoralized. Facing the rising tide of the anti-government forces, even if Song Heping had three heads and six arms, he could not hold out for long on his own.

I am a human being, not a god.

Moreover, he would never allow his company's precious elite forces to be drawn into a city war of attrition that was destined to be brutal and seemingly endless.

That was a war fought by the Cyrians themselves, and it required a confrontation of national power.

"Mr President."

Song Heping calmly rejected this unrealistic request. "My personal trip to Homs would be of no help to the overall situation. The key now is not the temporary gains or losses of a single city or territory, but whether we can quickly persuade the Russian army to make a decision and enter the fray on a large scale. Only they can fundamentally reverse the course of the war." "But... how can we get them to make that decision?"

Hafiz's voice was filled with helplessness.

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed my mind.

A bold and adventurous plan instantly took shape in Song Heping's mind.

This plan requires accurate intelligence, superb deception skills, and a bit of luck.

"Give me a moment, Mr. President."

Song Heping's tone carried an unquestionable decisiveness.

"I need to make a few phone calls. I'll get back to you later. Please keep your phone accessible, and whatever you hear next, please remain calm for now."

After hanging up the phone, the room fell into a brief silence.

The cook looked at Song Heping suspiciously: "Song, what's your plan? Those old men in Moscow won't listen to you."

“They won’t listen to us, but they will care about their own interests and will be provoked by their enemies.”

A cold glint flashed in Song Heping's eyes.

“We need to create an ‘opportunity’ while also making the Kremlin feel humiliated and threatened.”

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Henry."

After the call was connected, Song Heping immediately gave the order.

“I am Song. You have one hour. I need all the detailed information on Jackson, the current acting director of the CIA Operations Division. The focus should be on his career trajectory and personal weaknesses. Top priority, use all available resources.”

"Understood, boss. These personal data are not difficult to obtain. I will report back to you in an hour."

Henry on the other end of the phone didn't waste any words and immediately took the order and left.

"What do you need the information on a CIA operations director for?"

The cook was completely baffled.

"What does the situation here have to do with the CIA?"

Song Heping put down the phone and explained to the cook, "As far as I know, Jackson was a protégé of the former director, Kelly. Kelly became a vegetable because of me, which is why Jackson wanted to kill me by any means necessary, even resorting to poisoning."

At this point, he sneered, "Heh, since you want me dead so badly, I'll give you a chance and set a trap for you."

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)