Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1278 A Brief Reunion

The encirclement of the 1515 armed forces on the west side was torn apart in just twenty minutes, and Song Heping did not order the pursuit of the fleeing soldiers.

His goal was crystal clear—to rescue the brother unit in town that was on the verge of collapse!

Without pausing, the mercenary battalion's armored convoy, like a red-hot blade, sliced ​​through the chaotic battlefield and charged into the entrance to Kiri town on the west side, a path littered with wreckage and craters.

Inside the town, the scene was even more devastating than what was seen in drone footage.

The pungent smell of gunpowder, the strong stench of blood, and the acrid smell of burning objects mixed together to create a nauseating, battlefield-specific odor.

Broken walls and ruins are everywhere, and the walls are covered with countless bullet holes.

Broken weapons, empty shell casings, burning tires, and corpses lay scattered across the streets.

There were 1515 militants dressed in haphazard clothing, as well as government troops and Abu Yu Brigade soldiers dressed in uniform but now covered in blood and dust.

Almost every building that was still relatively intact was emitting black smoke.

When Jiang Feng and Samir saw the familiar armored command vehicle break through the billowing dust and screech to a stop in front of the ruins in front of the police station, the two tall, burly men almost burst into tears of joy.

The car door opened, and that familiar figure jumped out.

"Old squad leader!!"

Jiang Feng was the first to react. Dragging his injured leg, he limped over and almost tripped over the broken bricks on the ground in his excitement.

Samir stumbled and ran after him.

Three men embraced tightly on the battlefield, which was surrounded by ruins and corpses!
Jiang Feng pounded Song Heping's back hard with his fist, his voice choked with emotion: "I almost thought I would never see you again in this lifetime!"

Samir held the two of them tightly, repeatedly thanking God in Arabic.

Song Heping hugged them back tightly, feeling the heartbeats coming from his comrades' chests.

A thousand words stuck in their chests ultimately turned into the heavy breathing of three men and their slightly reddened eyes.

At this moment, no words are needed; this embrace speaks louder than anything.

"If you had arrived an hour or two later, we would have been left only to collect your corpses!"

Jiang Feng let go of his hand and wiped his face.

Song Heping's gaze swept past the two men and quickly over the exhausted militiamen around them.

He was deeply moved.

The devastation here far exceeded expectations.

He suppressed his turbulent emotions, grabbed Jiang Feng and Samir, and led them to a relatively intact section of broken wall. His voice was urgent and low:
"This is not the time to be happy. Listen, we've stirred up a hornet's nest, a big one!"

He quickly pulled out the reinforced tablet, brought up the electronic map, and pointed to a huge red arrow that was moving on it:

"Just received intelligence: Az is frantic! He's mobilized all 15,000 of Titrick's main forces! They're rushing here at full speed! They'll arrive soon!"

"Ten... fifteen thousand?!"

Jiang Feng gasped, feeling his relaxed nerves tighten instantly again. "Holy crap! What do we do now..."

He looked at the troops Song Heping had brought; although they appeared strong and well-equipped, their numbers...

"We only have three thousand people."

Song Heping interrupted him:

"I only brought about three thousand reinforcements. Here... those who can still move, plus the wounded, can only muster a maximum of four thousand. That means we have less than seven thousand men in total!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the wounded soldiers and the militiamen who had also endured a long march. "Our chances of winning a direct confrontation with them are almost zero."

Samir's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Song Heping continued, "Right now, these 1515 troops are only temporarily stunned by our attack, but they are not fools. Once they recover and the 15,000 fresh troops arrive, Az's total force will exceed 20,000! Or even more!"

He pointed to the vast desert and low hills surrounding Kiri town on the map, "Look at this godforsaken place, there's no natural defense! It's all flat! If more than 20,000 people surround us from all sides, even if our 7,000 soldiers have Kiri town behind them, we won't be able to hold out. The outcome will be dire."

Jiang Feng and Samir were not new to the battlefield, and they immediately understood the seriousness of the situation.

The glimmer of hope that had just been ignited by the arrival of reinforcements was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over its head, leaving only a bone-chilling cold.

Kiri town is simply not defensible!
They can't even hold their ground and wait for reinforcements!
Jiang Feng suddenly looked up, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Old squad leader, what do you say we do now? We'll listen to you!"

Song Heping said without hesitation, "Withdraw! We must withdraw immediately! While they are still stunned, before the new encirclement is completed and the command system is in disarray, we still have a chance to break out! Retreat to Baiji immediately! Only by retreating to Baiji and relying on its fortifications and reserves can we have a glimmer of hope!"

retreat!

Retreat immediately! The order was relayed like a whirlwind.

Everyone who can still move, take action immediately!

The lightly wounded helped the seriously wounded, and those who could walk on their own never caused trouble for others.

The militiamen frantically collected the ammunition and rations scattered on the battlefield, and then, under the cover of the fresh troops and officers brought by Song Heping, the retreat order was quickly formed.

The mixed force of mercenaries and soldiers from the Abuyu Brigade was responsible for rearguard action and flank cover, while the wounded and command post were in the center. The massive force began to move eastward toward Baiji, like a wounded but still orderly behemoth, along the western road.

The wheels kicked up dust again, but this time, it carried a sense of tragedy and urgency.

Meanwhile, about ten kilometers northeast of Kiri town.

Beside an armored vehicle, Az was roaring madly into the radio.

"...Useless! A bunch of useless trash! We were about to take them down! Who are they? Where did this army come from?!"

He roared into the microphone, spittle flying everywhere, "...West? Are you sure it's the west?!...What?! Song?! Say that again, you bastard? It's Song Heping leading the team personally?!"

When he heard the name "Song Heping" clearly coming through the receiver, Az's voice suddenly rose, filled with disbelief, and even a hint of fear that he himself was unaware of.

The person on the other end of the phone confirmed the information again.

Az remained silent.

Song Heping's appearance means things are in big trouble. This nut is a million times harder to crack than imagined. If the fighting continues, the losses may exceed what we can afford...

But just as fear and reason were about to prevail, another, even stronger emotion arose—

Greed, anger, and a venomous desire to completely wash away the shame gnawed at his heart.

He forced himself to calm down and quickly analyzed the situation:
The number of reinforcements brought by Song Heping is definitely not large!

Otherwise, instead of a flanking attack to relieve the siege, they would have launched a full-scale counterattack to try and wipe out his besieging forces!
The garrison in Kiri Town was exhausted and easily defeated.

Although we suffered considerable losses, our main force is still intact, especially our most elite guards.

more importantly……

He also has 15,000 reinforcements that are about to arrive on the battlefield.

Just then, an unusual tremor came from the ground.

In the distance, the roar of engines grew even louder!
On the horizon, an incredibly thick, yellow dragon of smoke and dust was sweeping toward his command post with unstoppable momentum!

"Boss! Boss!"

His adjutant scrambled over, his face flushed with excitement, his voice trembling: "They've arrived! Titrick's reinforcements! Fifteen thousand men! The vanguard has already arrived!!"

As Az watched the massive army, comprised of countless pickup trucks, off-road vehicles, and even a few captured old tanks and armored vehicles, getting closer and closer, his face instantly filled with ecstatic joy!
The last trace of hesitation and fear was completely crushed by the overwhelming power!
Instead, they felt a sense of triumph and a frantic thirst for revenge!
The balance of power has been completely reversed!

He now commands an army of over 20,000!

The troops are strong and well-equipped, and their morale is soaring!
And what about the opponents?

It was just a mere 7,000 exhausted troops, wounded and short of ammunition, exposed in open terrain with no cover!
This was simply God's gift to him—the perfect opportunity to eliminate his greatest threat in one fell swoop!
He turned abruptly and grabbed the radio communicator:
"The whole army obeys the order!!"

"Can you hear it? Allah is calling us! Victory is beckoning to us!"

"That damned heretic, that devil Song Heping! He's right ahead! He's scared! He's trying to run away like a coward!"

"Can we let them get away?!"

Az waved his fists, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"cannot!!"

A thunderous response came from below.

"Pursue! Give them all the speed they need!!"

Az's eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to bleed. "With your speed! With your courage! With your faith in Allah! Crush them! Cut off Song Heping's head to commemorate our fallen warriors! Let their blood stain the road to heaven!"

"Allahu Akbar!!"

"Pursue! For Allah, pursue—!!"

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

　　
　
(End of this chapter)