Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1188 Persuading Afanti

The Persian Plateau, Revolutionary Guard frontline command post, late at night.

After ending his cryptic phone call with Simon, Song Heping showed no signs of sleepiness. Without delay, he immediately drove through the night to the area most heavily guarded by the Persian military.

He needed to see someone immediately—his old friend and the true ruler of the area, Afanti, the supreme commander of the Persian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

In a secret room with walls covered in detailed military maps, Song Heping met Afanti.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Song Heping directly revealed to Afanti the core content of his conversation with Simon, as well as the five groundbreaking cooperation conditions he had proposed.

After he finished explaining his idea, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Only the old air conditioner next to the map emitted a low hum.

Nasreddin frowned, lost in thought like a statue.

He stood there petrified for a full minute before suddenly raising his head, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief, even a hint of anger at being offended.

"Song!"

Afanti's voice was deep and menacing: "Do you know what you're saying? Cooperating with 'Satan'?! Do you know how much blood we Persians have shed and how many fine warriors have sacrificed over the years, all to resist their infiltration and hegemony? And now you're telling me you want to negotiate with them at the same table?! Putting aside this almost heretical act, what will the hardliners and spiritual leaders in the country think? They'll think I've betrayed the principles of the revolution!"

His tone was filled with instinctive aversion and deep concern.

No wonder.

The relationship between the Persians and the Americans has been tense since 79, and the historical reasons for this are as long as an old woman's foot binding cloth.

Needless to say, just hearing Afanti use the term "Great Satan" to describe Americans tells you how evil they see them as.

“I completely understand your shock and concerns.”

Song Heping remained calm and composed; he had already anticipated Afanti's reaction.

As he spoke, he stood up and walked to the huge military map of the Middle East, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"But please set aside your emotional resistance for now, and let's take a strategic view and calmly analyze the current situation from the perspective of practical interests. You see, since the end of last year, the 'Caliphate' (1515), after its rise in Mosul, has been spreading and expanding like a contagious disease, threatening not only the survival of the new government in Iligo, but even Bakhda was once on the verge of collapse. This is not only a major obstacle to your 'Shia Crescent' concept, but also a serious violation of American interests. If the Iligo regime they supported collapses, it means that the war gains they have made through huge military expenditures will vanish, which is absolutely unacceptable to Washington."

He pointed heavily at the location of Mosul with his finger.

"You oppose cooperating with the Americans, but what conclusions have I drawn based on past intelligence and situation analysis?"

At this point, Song Heping gave a cold laugh and tapped on the map.

"Since the beginning of 2014, a peculiar 'tacit understanding' has emerged in northwestern ISIS. Pro-Persian Ilse militias and advisors to your Revolutionary Guard are fighting ISIS 1515, while American planes are bombing ISIS targets in the same skies. Although you two sides have never established communication channels, let alone direct coordination or contact, this has objectively created a pincer movement against ISIS. This 'indirect cooperation' is based on the realistic logic that 'a common enemy outweighs ideological differences.' You say you hate the Americans, but aren't you also assisting 'the Great Satan' by attacking ISIS 1515?"

Song Heping's words made Afanti lose face.

The reason it couldn't hold on was because everything the former said was true.

Although Afanti never wanted to admit it, and the Persian high-ranking officials never wanted to utter a word about it, it was the truth.

"Come on, let's face reality!"

Song Heping abruptly changed the subject, his finger sweeping westward from Mosul to Seria: "But in Seria, the situation is entirely different. You and the Russians are staunch supporters of the Hafez regime, while the United States and its allies are dedicated to overthrowing him. There, you become direct adversaries. That's the complexity of the current situation—in Iligo, you Persians and the United States are 'indirect allies' in the face of the 1515 militia; in Seria, you are mortal enemies."

After speaking, Song Heping turned to Afanti and said, "General, the cooperation we are proposing now is precisely to take the 'tacit understanding' on the Iligo battlefield a big step forward and maximize the interests of all parties in the fight against the 1515 militant group. You don't need to shake hands and make peace with the Americans in Seria; you only need to reach a temporary, targeted deal in northwestern Iligo, an area where the 1515 group is still rampant and directly related to your core strategic interests."

He pointed again to the narrow strip of land on the map that borders Cyria to the northwest of Ilig, his tone becoming extremely solemn.

"You have painstakingly built the 'Shia Crescent' for many years, stretching from Tehran to Bakda, and then to Beirut and Damascus. However, the entire chain has been unable to be fully opened at the junction of northwestern Iriego and eastern Syria due to the obstruction of ISIS and the covert interference of the United States! This land corridor is the best land lifeline for continuously supplying your loyal friend, the government of Hafez in Syria! It is the last and most crucial piece of the puzzle for the final closure of the 'Shia Crescent'!"

After explaining the pros and cons, Song Heping returned to his chair and sat down. He then picked up the hot tea on the table and sipped it slowly, his eyes still fixed on Afanti.

It's important to understand that getting the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard, who had spent most of his life fighting against the Americans, to accept his ideas in just an hour and a half is no easy task.

We need to give Afanti time to process this on his own.

Sitting opposite him, Afanti's breathing became noticeably heavier, and his body leaned forward involuntarily, his gaze fixed on that area on the map.

The strategic vision depicted by Song Heping held an irresistible appeal for him.

Opening up this corridor would mean that Persia could more directly and efficiently transport personnel, weapons and supplies to Syria, greatly enhancing its control over the situation in Syria. This would be a huge geopolitical victory.

But that's not the most crucial point. All the immense effort I've put in over the years has been nothing more than creating a perfect Ten-Leaf Arc to trap the Hoopoe Kingdom.

The country of the hoopoe is not the ultimate goal.

It's just that Persia needs to eliminate the hoopoe, the number one enemy of the Arab world, to establish its prestige, revive the former glory of the Persian Empire, and become the true leader in Middle Eastern geopolitics.

As a typical nationalist, this was the dream that Afanti pursued throughout his life.

"But, Song!"

Afanti took a deep breath, struggling to break free from the immense temptation, and raised the most realistic obstacle.

"How could the Americans possibly stand by and watch us complete this final piece of the puzzle? It would be tantamount to strengthening their adversary, the Syrian government! They will never back down on the Syrian issue! And then there's Moscow! The Russians are fighting alongside us in Syria, how will they view our cooperation with their Syrian enemy, the United States, in Iligo? It could damage our precious alliance with Russia! I'm not confident I can convince the Kremlin."

Faced with Afanti's barrage of questions, Song Heping once again revealed a confident smile.

"General, what we need to exploit about the Americans is their mentality of 'choosing the lesser of two evils'."

He calmly analyzed, "For them, which threat is more imminent? Is it a theoretically established 'Shia corridor' that is not yet fully operational, or ISIS, which is already at the gates of Bakhta and could overthrow the pro-American regime and declare the establishment of an extremist caliphate at any moment? The answer is obvious. If limited cooperation with us can eliminate ISIS more quickly and effectively and stabilize the situation in Iligo, then acquiescing to our gaining some influence in the northwest is an acceptable price for them. This is about cutting losses, it's a matter of realpolitik."

"As for Moscow..."

Song Heping paused slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "Leave this matter to me. I will use the 'cook' as an intermediary to personally go to Moscow and meet with the core decision-makers in the Kremlin."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice: "I will explain the advantages and disadvantages to the Russians at that time. First, our operation in northwestern Iligo has the core objective of fighting ISIS and opening up the corridor. This will not harm Russia's core interests in Syria. On the contrary, it can indirectly support the Syrian battlefield by enhancing the stability of the Syrian government's rear."

"Second, this limited, regional cooperation with the Americans is a strategic use, not a strategic shift."

"Third, and most importantly, we can assure Russia that all the geopolitical and political gains from this action will be shared and coordinated within a more robust Russia-Iran strategic partnership. I believe that the Russian leadership, with its pragmatism and understanding of the overall situation, will make a wise judgment."

Afanti fell into deep thought once again.

Song Heping continued to escalate the situation, clearly outlining the specific benefits of cooperation for both Persia and himself—from easing sanctions and gaining legal status and resources to controlling oil fields, and even his own vested interests in targeting the US military logistics in Afghanistan.

This is Song Heping's negotiation skill.

If this matter doesn't mention his own interests at all, Afanti might become suspicious.

After all, no one would do something like this for nothing, even if he and she are old friends.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

If one lays out their own interests and makes no secret of how this benefits them, then a seasoned veteran like Afanti will believe that this sincerity is not hypocritical.

In closing, he concluded: "General, cooperating with the Americans is a means, not an end. The goal is to exploit their current predicament and needs to accelerate the realization of your long-cherished strategic objective—the complete closure of the 'Shia Crescent.' This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The current frenzy of ISIS and the anxiety of the United States have created unprecedented conditions. Once this opportunity is gone, it will be gone forever. You need to think it through carefully."

A long silence fell over the meeting room once again.

Afanti's gaze lingered between the faintly visible "corridor" on the map and Song Heping's resolute face.

His expression shifted, a mixture of shock, doubt, weighing options, and excitement at the grand vision being outlined.

He could hear the powerful pounding of his own heart. This was not just a military cooperation, but a geopolitical gamble that could influence the landscape of the Middle East for years to come.

Finally, he slowly raised his head, and all the hesitation and struggle in his eagle eyes were replaced by a do-or-die determination.

He gave Song Heping a deep look and said in a deep voice, "Song, your idea... is audacious, but the strategic insight behind it... is indeed undeniable. This matter is too significant, far exceeding my authority."

He stood up and walked to the encrypted communication device: "I need to immediately give an urgent report to Tehran, to the Supreme Leader's office. But you must ensure that the Americans agree to your idea and that they extend an olive branch to us first; otherwise, I believe the higher-ups will hesitate due to a matter of dignity..."

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Song Heping laughed and said, "Is there anything you're hesitant to say in front of me? I know—"

He reached out and gently patted his cheek.

"Face! Isn't it just the face of you higher-ups? Fine, leave it all to me!"

Upon arriving, he couldn't resist mocking Afanti: "I say you Persians sometimes live a pretty tiring life. Before judging a policy, shouldn't you consider the real long-term interests? Are you just concerned with your pitiful, worthless pride?"

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)