Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1192 Within the Deep Palace
The Persian Plateau, a secret camp.

Compared to the luxurious cold of Moscow, the atmosphere here is an extreme of tension and solemnity.

Inside a reinforced command post in the center of the base, Jiang Feng had just finished a call with Song Heping.

He put down the encrypted satellite phone, the same model as Song Heping's, stood up, and walked to the huge tactical map.

On the map, Sulaymaniyah and its surrounding areas have been highlighted with a red marker.

Next to it are densely packed troop deployments, route plans, and logistical supply nodes.

"Communications Officer!"

Jiang Feng's voice instantly echoed throughout the command post.

"To!"

A young officer from the "Liberation Forces" immediately stood up to respond.

"Pass on my orders immediately!"

Jiang Feng's gaze swept over everyone in the command post: "Effective immediately, the camp is on Level 1 combat readiness! All unit commanders, assemble in the operations conference room in half an hour!"

"Yes!"

The order was quickly relayed, and a huge rock was thrown into the calm lake, instantly causing the entire base to boil over.

Jiang Feng stood in front of the map, staring at the point in Sulaymaniyah for a long time.

He knew that the "Broken Blade" plan was not a simple military occupation; it was related to the future strategic space of the entire "Liberation Force," to whether it could leverage the power struggle between major countries, and even more so to the fate of tens of thousands of militiamen who followed Song Heping and himself.

It's a big gamble.

The eldest brother, Song Heping, had already pushed all the chips to the center of the table.

"Sulemania..."

Jiang Feng muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping the edge of the map, "America, are you ready to pay the price?"

……

After waiting in the hotel for forty-eight hours, Song Heping finally received new news.

Petrovich's secretary called and informed him in the most concise language: "The highest levels are willing to give you fifteen minutes. Be prepared. A car will pick you up at two o'clock this afternoon."

There were no superfluous words; it was concise, cold, and devoid of any human touch.

That's very much in line with the Russian style.

Song Heping understood the importance of those short fifteen minutes.

Whether they can finally get a clean slate and return to the legitimate stage of the defense industry, or continue this life hidden in the underground world, all depends on this one move.

"Jiang Feng, how's the situation on your end?"

For the past two days, Song Heping has been calling Jiang Feng three times a day to keep track of the situation in northwestern Iligo.

If my guess is correct, Bakdadi should take action soon.

Jiang Feng called yesterday, reporting that according to a spy lurking near Erbil, the 1515 armed group has been constantly mobilizing and gathering troops in recent days, and the atmosphere in the Kold's controlled area is also very tense, with troops being moved southward into the controlled area.

As Song Heping predicted, the number of troops stationed in Sulaymaniyah has decreased significantly.

Everything seemed to be going in the direction we had anticipated.

"Just as you predicted, sporadic fighting has begun south of Erbil. According to reports from our spies, at least 1515 armed personnel and a large amount of heavy firepower have gathered on the southern front. It seems that Bakdadi really wants to go big."

Jiang Feng's report made Song Heping feel refreshed.

It's like someone just handed you a pillow when you're about to fall asleep.

These past two days have actually been quite tough.

If the 1515 militia and the Kold's militia hadn't clashed before he was summoned, his plan would be subject to some scrutiny.

Therefore, he could only continue to delay until the war with the Kolds broke out in 1515.

If war hadn't broken out, and Bakdadi had actually swallowed his anger, the Americans probably wouldn't have felt the pressure, and Simon wouldn't have been able to confidently propose a cooperation plan with him.

The Americans have no intention of cooperating, and Russia and Persia certainly won't agree either.

In this way, my trip to Moscow would have been a complete waste.

If I miss this opportunity, I have no idea when the next one will come.

Of course, Song Heping was not without a contingency plan.

Even if this collaboration falls through, it's not like there's no way out.

With over 10,000 people trained for nearly a year, he was able to establish himself in northwestern Iligo and, relying solely on the Persians or leveraging the "cook's" connections within the Kremlin, could carve out his own territory.

However, the Americans control the skies, and if the relationship remains hostile by then, they'll probably be bombed every day.

Being bombed is no fun.

This is no small-scale special operations operation; it's a battle where over 10,000 people have to survive amidst the 1515 militia, the Kold'd forces, the Iligo government forces, pro-government militias, and the Americans, carving out a piece of territory for themselves in the wolves-infested Northwest.

The loss of life and the amount of money invested will be enormous.

Song Heping, a former special operations specialist, disliked achieving maximum effect with minimal cost. Using human lives was a last resort, never the preferred option...

“I’m going to the Kremlin this afternoon,” Song Heping said, taking a deep breath. “If the time is right in Sulaymaniyah, you can make your move now.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand to look at his watch.

The time was 11:10 a.m. "I hope to hear news of your victory before 4 p.m. this afternoon."

……

That afternoon, under extremely tight security, Song Heping emerged from the hotel and got into an unmarked black sedan, which took him to the architectural complex that symbolized the pinnacle of Russian power.

After passing through numerous checkpoints guarded by the presidential guards in crisp uniforms with sharp eyes, and walking through a long corridor with a scarlet carpet and huge crystal chandeliers that still felt dark and cold, he was finally led into a conference room.

The conference room wasn't particularly spacious, but every detail exuded the empire's heritage and majesty.

The dark mahogany table gleamed, and huge oil paintings depicting historical battles hung on the walls. Heavy velvet curtains hung down, isolating the outside world from disturbances.

The air was filled with a peculiar smell, a faint mixture of disinfectant and cigar aroma.

The table is long, oval-shaped, and white.

At the end of the long table sat three figures who could influence the Kremlin's decision-making.

One of them was someone he had met before, Petrovich, whom he had met at the manor. However, here, his position was on the left, indicating that he was not in charge.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man with meticulously combed hair and gold-rimmed glasses—Ivanov, the president's foreign policy advisor. Song Heping had reviewed his file and knew him well for his keen insight and pragmatism.

On the right is a soldier with general stars on his shoulder insignia, Zhao Yigu, the number one figure in the Ministry of National Defense.

The middle space is empty; no one is there.

An electronic screen hangs on the wall, displaying a huge sand table of the Middle East.

The borders and territories of Syria, Persia, and Iligo are clearly visible.

There were no routine greetings, not even polite eye contact.

When Song Heping sat down at the designated spot at the other end of the long table, he felt three cold and precise gazes, like scalpels, as if they wanted to dissect him from skin to bone.

"Mr. Song."

Petrovich spoke first, his voice remarkably clear in the empty room.

"Time is precious. Please begin your presentation."

He made a brief gesture, indicating that the electronic sand table in the corner of the room was ready.

Song Heping glanced at the middle position.

He felt there should be someone there.

Otherwise, Petrovic wouldn't be sitting on the left.

Maybe……

Is that person lurking in the shadows?
Given his status, if my explanation isn't convincing enough, I probably won't even have the chance to meet him.

But there's no time to think about it now.

He took a deep breath, suppressing all the distracting thoughts in his mind.

He stood up, walked steadily to the sand table, and calmly met the gazes of the three decision-makers.

He knew that any hint of cowardice or hesitation could render all his previous efforts futile.

"Respected Mr. Petrovich, Advisor Ivanov, General Zhaoyigu."

His voice was not loud, but exceptionally steady, carrying a sense of calm and certainty.

"Thank you all for taking this opportunity despite your busy schedules. Please allow me to skip all the unnecessary embellishments and get straight to the point."

He manipulated the sand table, and the topographical map of Ilig and northern Syria was clearly displayed. The dense red dots marked the controlled areas of the 1515 armed group, which was shocking.

"The current situation in the Middle East is at a delicate and dangerous turning point. Russia's rampant expansion and brutal rule in northwestern Iriego in 1515 not only poses a huge threat to regional stability, but also directly undermines Russia's strategic interests in the region—including but not limited to the security of energy routes, geopolitical influence, and the effectiveness of its support for allies such as Persia and the Hafez regime in Syria."

Foreign policy advisor Ivanov leaned back slightly, his fingers interlaced on the table, his gaze sharp behind his glasses: "Let's get straight to the point, Mr. Song. We are well aware of the dangers of 1515. Your 'liberation forces,' according to our limited understanding, are not large in scale, and their background is... quite complex. What makes you think you can be the key to solving this problem?"

"Because we are the only armed force on the ground in Nineveh Province that has been repeatedly proven to be able to effectively strike and defeat the main force of 1515, rather than the Kold'd people who are still retreating with air support or the demoralized Ilig government forces."

Song Heping answered without hesitation. He switched the sand table display to highlight several key battle records of the "Liberation Force" recently.

"The effectiveness of air strikes by the U.S. military and its allies is limited and cannot eradicate ground threats. What we need to do is combine this ground combat capability with more powerful resources."

He switched the sand table again, displaying a diagram of his envisioned cooperation model.

"Therefore, my proposed 'limited cooperation' with the Americans is by no means a compromise or surrender, but an extremely realistic strategy. By utilizing their funds, intelligence, and some weapons and equipment, combined with our ground troops who are familiar with the terrain and have a tenacious fighting spirit, we can eliminate the 1515 forces in the Nineveh Plain and even the wider area as quickly as possible and at the lowest cost."

The Ministry of Defense's representative, Zhao Yigu, scoffed, "Sounds wonderful. But the result is that the Americans' forces returning to northern Iriego are strengthened, and what do we get besides the promised relief from pressure on the Syrian battlefield? It sounds more like, Mr. Song, that you're taking advantage of Moscow's tacit approval to snatch chestnuts from the fire for yourself, and perhaps Tehran as well. In the end, the biggest beneficiaries may be the Persians, who have always wanted northwestern Iriego as a springboard into Syria."

This is the most pointed criticism, directly addressing the core issue of the distribution of benefits in the cooperation.

Song Heping met Kuznetsov's scrutinizing gaze without fear, his fingers tracing a clear path on the sand table—from western Persia, through northern Iligo, all the way to the Mediterranean coast of Syria.

"No, General Kuznetsov. What you see is only the surface."

His tone was resolute: "Please allow me to point out that the ultimate byproduct of all this action, or rather, its strategic value, will be the opening of this crucial land route connecting the Persian Plateau with the eastern coast of the Mediterranean! Once 1515 is eliminated, this route will be under the actual control of our 'Liberation Forces'."

He pointed emphatically to the location in Nineveh province: "My armed forces and I are not vassals of Tehran. We are an independent armed political force seeking space for survival and development. Our cooperation with Tehran is based on common interests, but is by no means subservient. By controlling this passage, Russia's influence will, for the first time, be able to truly penetrate the northern shore of the Persian Gulf in the lowest cost and most direct way, and ensure that the Hafez government you support in Syria will at least not be threatened by armed forces from the east, because any attempt to occupy territory in the east and attack the western coastal cities of Syria and Damascus will be threatened from behind by us."

He paused, allowing the prospect to settle in the minds of the three decision-makers, before continuing with greater emphasis: "The power structure in northern Iriego will inevitably be reshaped after the war. With our 'Liberation Forces' firmly rooted in this strategic location, Russia will have a far more reliable and flexible key foothold than relying on the fickle Baghdad regime or the scheming Kurds! This is far less costly than a head-on confrontation with the Americans and their supported opposition forces in Seria, while potentially yielding greater strategic benefits!"

Advisor Ivanov leaned forward slightly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: “A very tempting blueprint, Mr. Song. But the risks are equally enormous. First, how can you guarantee that the Americans will cooperate with you as you wish? After all, you are on their blacklist; they could easily continue to arm the Kurds, or even reach some kind of temporary agreement with 1515 to deal with you. Second, how can you guarantee that after obtaining American resources and legitimacy, you won't side with Washington? After all, their bargaining chips seem more substantial, at least enough to clear your name. Third, and most importantly, how will you explain to Tehran that you are cooperating with their strategic enemy?”

These questions were increasingly pointed, each directly addressing the feasibility and potential risks of the plan.

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)