Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1236 The Fleeting US Military Observation Group
The morning after Hurmatu was captured.

Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, kicking up clouds of yellow sand, landed amidst the ruins of the central square of Hurmatu town.

The hatch slid open, and eight fully armed U.S. special forces soldiers jumped out first, quickly establishing a circular perimeter.

Then, a middle-aged officer wearing desert camouflage combat uniform and carrying the rank of major bent down and walked down.

He brushed the dust off his shoulders, his sharp eyes quickly scanning the surroundings—among the ruins, soldiers from the "Musician" defense were clearing the battlefield, collecting weapons, and escorting prisoners.

Everything was in perfect order, and the efficiency was astounding.

This is Major Miles, the "eyes" sent by Colonel Kurt.

Song Heping, accompanied by two guards, stood in the shadow of a relatively intact building not far away, calmly watching this scene.

"Mr. Song."

Miles strode forward, extended his hand, and forced a formulaic smile. "Congratulations on your great victory at Hurmatu. Colonel Kurt sent me here specifically to congratulate you and your warriors, and to assist in assessing the damage and coordinating the aftermath."

"Thank you for your concern, Colonel, and welcome to the Major's presence."

Song Heping shook hands with him, thinking to himself, "Congratulations my foot! He's just here to try and sow discord between me and others!"

However, he still politely said, "There has just been a battle here, so the conditions are simple and the hospitality is inadequate. Please forgive us."

"Understood, understood."

Miles also smelled the lingering stench in the air, couldn't help but rub his nose, and then waved his hand.

His gaze, however, passed over Song Heping and landed on the soldiers who were busy behind him.

“Mr. Song, could you arrange for my people to conduct a preliminary survey in the town as soon as possible? We need to understand the actual situation here, especially the extent of infrastructure damage, and... potential security risks, in order to submit an accurate report to our superiors and coordinate subsequent material and air support.”

Song Heping sneered inwardly. The so-called "reconnaissance" and "assessment" were nothing more than an attempt to find out the deployment, equipment, and morale of his troops, to see if Song Heping was really "severely injured," and whether he still had the ability, or rather, the willingness, to immediately carry out the next order.

"of course can."

Song Heping showed no sign of distress. He gestured to Jiang Feng beside him, "Jiang Feng, make arrangements to accompany Major Miles and his team on an inspection tour of the town's safe zone. Make sure the major's safety is guaranteed."

"Yes, Commander."

Jiang Feng agreed calmly.

Over the next few hours, accompanied by Jiang Feng, Miles strolled through the ruins of Hurmatu.

He saw the "Liberation Front" militia setting up checkpoints and constructing machine gun positions at key intersections; he saw the logistics unit counting the mountains of captured weapons and ammunition—mainly Soviet-made AK rifles, RPG rocket launchers, and large quantities of ammunition; he also saw some mercenaries from the "Musicians" defense responsible for maintaining order and moving supplies.

Everything seemed in order.

“Mr. Jiang,” Miles asked casually, pointing to a fortified position, “it seems you intend to stay here long-term?”

Jiang Feng smiled, his tone gentle yet impeccable: "Major, Hurmatu is a strategic location. Having just been captured, it's natural to solidify our defenses to prevent a counterattack or infiltration by the remnants of the 1515 force. This is basic military common sense."

Miles nodded and said nothing more, but his doubts deepened.

He came here on a mission; Colonel Kurt had sent him to investigate Song Heping's true intentions.

Now, he was almost certain that Song Heping had no intention of heading south immediately.

After the inspection, the two sides held their first formal meeting in a room that had been cleared out next to the temporary command center.

Mr. Song,

Miles got straight to the point, spreading out the map and saying:

"Your fighting prowess is impressive. Hurmatu is the gateway to Titrick, and you've taken it in just a few days. The gates are open. Colonel Kurt and the Pentagon hope you can press your advantage and advance south to capture Titrick in the shortest possible time—say, within seventy-two hours—completely sealing off 1515's westward retreat route. We will do our utmost to coordinate air support and necessary logistical supplies."

The atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy.

Song Heping sat across the table, his hands clasped on the table, looking calmly at Miles: "Major, thank you Americans for your trust and support of my unit. However, I'm sorry, I cannot carry out the order to immediately march south and attack Titrick."

Miles frowned: "Reason?"

"Although we won the battle of Hurmatu, we suffered heavy casualties, especially at the beginning when we were attacked by truck-mounted guns modified from the 1515. The troops are now extremely fatigued and urgently need rest."

Song Heping's reasons were sufficient and well-organized.

"More importantly, during the offensive, our heavy weapons ammunition, especially mortar shells and man-portable anti-tank missiles, have been used up in huge quantities and our stockpiles are almost empty. The infantry's light weapons ammunition also needs to be replenished. To hastily attack Titrick, which has strong defenses, without adequate supplies and rest is to play with the lives of my soldiers."

“Mr. Song!” Miles’s voice rose a few decibels, carrying an unquestionable tone.

"Opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting! The defeat at Ozam in 1515 has already begun. If we cannot close the pass at Titrick in time and allow their tens of thousands of main forces to safely retreat to the northwestern mountains and towns, the subsequent mopping-up operations will become extremely difficult and will cost ten or a hundred times more! I believe you should overcome the difficulties for the final victory..."

"Major!"

Song Heping interrupted him, his eyes suddenly sharpening:

“I understand your eagerness and the preciousness of this strategic opportunity. However, command of the battlefield is in my hands. My primary responsibility is to the lives of the thousands of brothers who trust me and follow me. I cannot and will not carry out the order to attack Titrick until we have received adequate supplies and rest and have achieved effective control of the current theater of operations. This is my final decision.”

Song Heping's tough stance silenced the meeting room, with only the faint sound of vehicles roaring outside the window.

Major Miles's face turned extremely ugly. He stared at Song Heping, who met his gaze without flinching.

There seemed to be electric sparks flashing in the air.

A few seconds later, Miles took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his anger. He knew that there would be no benefit in completely breaking ties with Song Heping here.

"Alright, Mr. Song."

Miles' voice became stiff, as if there was something stuck in his throat.

"I will report your situation and the decision to my superiors as truthfully as possible. I hope you can complete your resupply and rest as soon as possible."

After saying that, he got up and put on his hat.

"Farewell."

"No delivery."

Song Heping said calmly, without a hint of trying to persuade him to stay.

Miles paused for a moment, stared at Song Heping for two seconds, and then left with his men.

Watching them leave, Jiang Feng walked up to Song Heping and whispered, "Old squad leader, we've really offended them now."

Song Heping walked to the window and looked at the ruined streets outside, which were dyed golden red by the setting sun.

Several locally recruited auxiliary militiamen were squatting in a corner smoking, while the sounds of donkeys braying and children playing could be heard in the distance.

Everything seemed calm, but he sensed an unusual sense of danger in the air.

"Do you think the Americans will let us off the hook if we don't offend them?"

Song Heping's voice was very soft, "Americans only like to keep dogs, they don't like people who don't keep dogs."

A dozen minutes later, in the two-story building at the other end of town, which was temporarily assigned to the U.S. military observer group, Major Miles, who had just entered the room, picked up the encrypted radio communicator and, with a gloomy expression, connected to Colonel Kurt's call line.

"Colonel, the meeting has just ended. Song Heping once again firmly rejected the request to march south immediately, citing the same reasons: troop fatigue and insufficient ammunition."

Miles spoke quickly, his voice laced with suppressed anger.

"However, I personally toured the town. His troops were well-controlled and in good morale. More importantly, they captured a large amount of weapons and ammunition left behind by the 1515, including many heavy weapons. Their replenishment capabilities were not as poor as he claimed! I believe all his reasons are just excuses! He is deliberately delaying to create conditions for Ozham's main force of the 1515 to withdraw westward. This is exactly the same tactic he used in other battles, where he would 'dawdle' once he gained a favorable position! He is replicating his 'nurturing the enemy to enhance his own power' model; he wants to turn this war into his long-term meal ticket!"

"It seems everything is pretty much as I predicted!"

Colonel Kurt felt a sense of triumph, as if his prediction had been confirmed, but also a hint of anger.

"I knew this guy surnamed Song was no good. He's an ambitious man, an ungrateful wolf!"

“So what do we do now?” Miles asked. “There seems to be no point in staying here.”

"We'll retreat to Bakhta first thing tomorrow morning."

After a moment's thought, Cortez gave the order.

"Take more photos of that place; you'll need them when you give your report back."

"Okay, Colonel."

As soon as Miles finished speaking, Kurt on the other end of the line hung up.

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)