The Fourth Disaster Begins at the Dawn of the Millennium

At the same time, the "Wahhabi sect" in Chechnya, an Islamic extremist force, is rising. Chechens have always believed in Islam. Before the first Chechen war, Dudayev used religion as a weapon to call for the establishment of an Islamic alliance. Now, under the influence of various factors such as religion and economy (disputes over interests in Caspian Sea oil), Islamic extremist forces are stepping up their infiltration into the North Caucasus region.

With the inaction of the Russian government in the Kosovo War and the intensification of the serious economic crisis caused by the financial crisis, these have provided soil for Chechnya to go to extremes, and the moderate Maskhadov has basically lost control of the country. In 1999, Maskhadov announced that Chechnya would be built into an Islamic country and governed by "Sharia law".

As Maskhadov's ruling power was weakened and the Chechen Islamic forces expanded, the relationship between Chechnya and the Russian Federation changed and almost returned to the state before the outbreak of the first Chechen war. In August, the tranquility of terror was finally broken. Basayev and Khattab led thousands of militants, crossed the Chechen border and sneaked into the southwest of Dagestan, and joined hands with local Islamic extremist forces. The militants announced the establishment of the so-called "Dagestan Muslim State" independent of the Russian Federation.

A simply decorated room, with a few faded landscape paintings hanging on the walls and an old carpet on the floor. The ceiling fan slowly turned on the ceiling, taking away a bit of the stuffy air, but it still couldn't completely dispel the summer heat. A young man wearing Adidas sat on a wooden chair, which made a slight creaking sound. Standing in front of him was a young man with a crew cut wearing a sailor shirt and jeans. He looked a few years older than the young man sitting there, with a few shallow scars on his face.

Makarov (player's game ID) wearing Adidas asked the former GRU captain wearing a sailor shirt to sit down and talk slowly, but when the captain started talking, Makarov lost his temper first because the content was too unexpected, and he stood up instead. The captain said that the team in the field training had a firefight with a team suspected to be Chechen armed forces, and rescued a group of civilians and three cooks from his own team. Makarov's first reaction was: "Ah? Firefight? Didn't you carry blanks?" Then he quickly asked: "Are there any casualties?"

The former GRU captain replied: "No one in the team was killed, only two unlucky guys sprained their ankles! We set up a successful ambush. Although everyone brought blanks, I have dozens of live rounds. The enemy is not numerous. As long as we inflict them with a lot of damage, they will retreat."

Makarov nodded, praised the captain's wit, and asked again: "Now, the live ammunition has been distributed, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Makarov, the live ammunition has been issued. The Chechen armed forces are not well equipped with heavy weapons, and they are mainly light infantry. Our team is more than capable of protecting itself. In addition, I have already mobilized everyone according to your daily teachings."

"Well, that's good. After all, I still have to send you to Africa. I don't want any of you to die before you take up your posts. You must try your best to ensure the safety of the soldiers. With this as the premise, you can do what you can, but don't force it. After all, fighting Chechen armed forces is the business of the Russian government, so we shouldn't get involved," Makamarov asked casually while pressing the button on the remote control to change the TV channel, "Oh, what do you mean by taking action..."

Suddenly, the sound of security personnel arguing with a stranger was heard at the door of Makarov's room. The other party claimed that he was the local mayor and wanted to meet the commander of the army.

"Did he find the wrong person?"

However, just as Makarov opened the door and was about to take a look, he saw a burly bearded man rushing in. The retired GRU captain next to him turned pale and almost instantly drew his gun and pointed it at the stranger. After all, this image was too "Chechen"! The captain subconsciously wanted to fire all the bullets in his pistol.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I really am the mayor here, and I need to see the military commander here." The other party said while raising his hands high, looking very funny.

After searching him, they confirmed that this guy was indeed not a threat, but the captain still looked unhappy. What if this guy was carrying explosives and exploded the moment he opened the door?

The mayor extended his hand enthusiastically, shook the player's hand, and asked in a slightly flattering tone: "What is your name?"

"Makarov."

"Hello, General Makarov......"

"Oh, I misunderstood you, I am just a..." "Colonel Makarov?"

"

.Why do you think...

9

"Commander Makarov, I'm here to thank you. Thank you for your team helping us maintain order in the city. Otherwise, I might have been beheaded by those religious extremists. In addition, here is a check, and there is some goodwill from everyone in the car outside... We ask you not to take the team away from here..."

The player was confused. Makarov looked at the captain, who suddenly showed a proud expression. Makarov probably understood what "action" meant. The mayor was also unclear about what the man in front of him was thinking. He was speechless for a moment, and then he heard the voice of the news anchor on TV:

The Russian government and Prime Minister Stepashin called on both sides to immediately cease fire and start peace talks as soon as possible. In order to express sincerity, the Russian army will exercise restraint and not expand or escalate the conflict.

"ah?!! ! !"

Chapter 181: Standing before the Storm (—)

The sun shines through the thin clouds onto the land, and the lush mountain forests appear particularly quiet under the sun. However, this tranquility hides endless dangers. Alexander, a retired GRU officer, knows that this tranquility is just a brief respite before the storm. Alexander needs to lead the team through the dense forest silently. When everyone turns their backs to the Chechen armed forces and flees, their reconnaissance team will move towards the position of the Chechen armed forces.

Alexander walked at the front of the team, directing the team members to avoid possible dangerous areas. The team members followed closely behind him, with light steps and almost no sound. The chirping of birds echoed in the distance, and the rustling of leaves by the wind, these natural sounds seemed particularly harsh at this moment. Every bird song and every trembling of leaves could indicate the approach of the enemy.

"What does Makarov want us to do?" a soldier asked in as low a voice as possible.

"Intelligence, the first priority is of course intelligence. If there is a chance, we'd better ambush the vanguard of the Chechen armed forces, disrupt their deployment, and buy time for the brothers behind. Of course, obtaining intelligence is still the highest priority task."

The reconnaissance team avoided the main roads and chose paths and places covered by grass and trees as their routes to avoid being exposed in the open wilderness. Their target was a Russian border outpost, which had an excellent view and could overlook two nearby roads. If the Russian troops stationed there were still there, they could discuss cooperation. If they had already fled, they could take over the outpost.

Led by Alexander, the reconnaissance team quietly crossed the primeval forest and climbed to a location where there were only sparse bushes. Not far away, a Russian outpost was clearly visible.

“We’re almost there!”

Just as they were about to walk out of the forest and approach the outpost, Alexander suddenly raised his hand and signaled everyone to stop. He squatted down and carefully observed the terrain ahead with a telescope.

After about half a minute, his face became serious, and Alexander muttered softly: "We may be late..."

Alexander saw that the walls of the outpost were covered with bullet holes and the windows were broken. It was obvious that it had experienced a fierce battle. The Russian Federation flag on the outpost had been taken down, but the team members could vaguely hear people talking in the outpost.

"Chechens... Soldiers, we have been walking for so long, I almost thought we would return empty-handed today. Our mission is to gather intelligence. Those Chechens must know something. There is really no reason not to go..."

"But, Captain, the location of this outpost is too good. It is impossible for us to sneak up on it quietly..."

"Well, let's go up openly! I have an idea. Look, our uniforms are very mixed, Russian camouflage, Guoka, oh, by the way, Artyom, come here quickly, I remember Mr. Makarov said that you can speak many languages, do you know Chechen?"

"Chechen? Wait a minute (At this moment, the player with the game ID Artyom was searching for the in-game voice pack)", after more than ten seconds, Sergeant Artyom said, "Chechen, right? Ok, no problem!"

The Chechen militants in the outpost were killing time in boredom. Some were cleaning their weapons, some were playing cards, and some were chatting. Their laughter and shouting were particularly harsh in the silent forest. There were several bottles of cheap vodka and some moldy bread crumbs scattered on the table, and the air was filled with a strong smell of alcohol and sweat.

Just a few meters away from them, the bodies of several Russian prisoners were piled up there, their heads cut off and thrown aside, the blood had already coagulated, emitting a disgusting stench. However, these Chechen militants seemed to care nothing about these bodies, as if they were just some insignificant garbage.

Suddenly, a slight sound broke the silence of the sentry post. Several Chechen militants raised their heads alertly and pricked up their ears to listen carefully. The sound seemed to come from outside the sentry post, as if someone was approaching.

"There's movement!" A young Chechen militant from the jihadist organization was the first to shout, his hand already on the trigger of his rifle. The others also quickly took action, picking up their weapons and preparing for battle. Several people carefully poked their heads out to find out what was going on. Then, they saw several Chechen soldiers escorting a Russian captive towards the outpost. The Russian soldier looked very embarrassed, with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth and staggering. The Chechen soldiers escorting him seemed relaxed and at ease, talking and laughing.

The Chechen militants at the outpost looked at each other in confusion, not knowing how to react. They instinctively remained alert, but then someone heard an escort walking in front shouting in fluent Chechen, "We caught a Russian! This guy got lost in the forest and was running around like a headless fly. We caught him easily!"

The Chechen local in the armed team occupying the outpost understood immediately, and he quickly explained to the jihadist members who did not understand Chechen: "It's one of us!" As the tension eased, the other Chechen armed elements in the outpost also became excited. They gathered around and looked curiously at the Russian prisoner who was being escorted over.

"Look at this poor fellow, he is not a man at all," a bearded Chechen laughed, "maybe he got in through the backdoor."

The escorts also joined in the laughter, and the atmosphere became more and more relaxed. The Chechen militants in the outpost completely let down their guard and even began to discuss how to deal with the prisoner, especially those from the jihadist organization, who were particularly enthusiastic about slitting throats and chopping heads. They were quite different from the mercenaries in Europe and the United States. The mercenaries in Europe and the United States valued money more, while the jihadist organizations preferred to chop heads. Even if you increase the wages of the jihadist mercenaries in exchange for not chopping heads (if you do this too much, it will easily make the Russian army fight to the death), they will not do it, and will even leave the team directly because they find it boring.

Just when the escorts had brought the Russian prisoners to within one or two meters of the outpost, the Chechen militants in the outpost came out in twos and threes, surrounded them excitedly, and prepared to receive this "gift".

But, at this critical moment, things suddenly took a dramatic turn.

The Russian "prisoner" walking in front suddenly turned over and quickly lay on the ground. At the same time, the "escorts" behind him raised their assault rifles as fast as lightning and fired bullets about one or two seconds faster than the Chechen armed forces.

"Da da da da!" The dense gunfire rang out instantly, breaking the silence of the valley.

The Chechen militants who walked out of the post fell down in droves like wheat being harvested. The whole process was incredibly fast. When the gunfire stopped, the outside of the post was already a mess. All the Chechen militants who walked out of the post fell in a pool of blood, while the raiders were unscathed.

But there were still three militants in the outpost, one of whom seemed to be their small leader. Artyom, who was rushing in the front, dropped the rifle in his hand at a dazzling speed, switched to a pistol, calmly and accurately shot at the other two militants in the outpost while moving, and then used the last bullet in the pistol magazine to hit the palm of the small leader's trigger hand.

Chapter 182: Standing Before the Storm (Part 2)

In a hotel suite in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, the dusk light shines through the heavy curtains, casting mottled shadows in the room. The decoration in the room is slightly luxurious, with geometric patterns on the thick carpet and several landscape paintings on the walls, trying to create a tranquil atmosphere. However, the atmosphere in the room at this moment has nothing to do with tranquility.

Mr. Makarov leaned on the sofa, still wearing his iconic Adidas sportswear. After listening to his subordinates' report, he immediately flew to Makhachkala by private helicopter, not daring to delay for a moment, so he didn't even change his clothes. Sitting on the armchair opposite was a burly middle-aged man, a colonel of the Russian army, wearing a straight military uniform, with golden stars on his shoulder straps. He looked a little tired, his brows slightly wrinkled, as if he was thinking about something.

The colonel did a lot of business with Makarov for his pension and his son's tuition in Europe. Not only did he sell the weapons, ammunition and supplies of the "scrapped" troops to Makarov, but he also acted as a middleman and engaged in "labor dispatch" to supply talents for Mr. Makarov (because there were kickbacks). As the commander of an independent motorized brigade, the colonel was able to use his power to let his men draw up a list, and then check the list to find suitable military talents for Mr. Makarov. Once he found a suitable one, Makarov would arrange someone to communicate with the other party.

If the other party is also willing to go out and make money, then everyone is happy, and the colonel will immediately help him apply for retirement. If the other party does not want to retire, then the colonel will immediately arrange the hardest and most tiring work for him, and deduct his allowance, so that he will understand how good it is to find a job outside the army. Of course, the colonel must be the good guy, and Mr. Makarov is here to play the bad guy, after all, he is paid!

Because the two sides had a pleasant experience of cooperation, when Makarov came to the door, he asked the colonel to keep the heavy equipment of the troops and sell it to him. This was not to buy mortars, mines, and machine guns, but tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, trucks and self-propelled artillery..........

"Mr. Makarov," the colonel finally spoke, "You know, I have sold you all the heavy equipment I can, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. But I need the troops to hold up the final facade, Mr. Makarov, you need too much equipment. I command a motorized brigade, and I can't say that my troops don't even have a vehicle, right? If that means we are not even as good as the infantry brigade, and I can't explain to Moscow."

Makarov smiled and said, "How do we explain this to Moscow? It's simple. Just give me money. I came to buy weapons and equipment from you. You can say that those weapons and equipment were consumed in the battle with the Chechens. As long as you bribe me, it won't be a big deal. What's more, I came to buy weapons and equipment from you just to fight the Chechen armed forces. Those weapons and equipment do have legitimate uses." As he spoke, Makarov took out a box of premium cigars and handed them to the colonel, then lit them for himself and the colonel, and said,

"I have quite a few professionals in my team, but I'm worried that it's not enough. My fighters told me that there are thousands of Chechen armed forces crossing the border, 2500 of whom are heading towards Botlikh, and the follow-up reinforcements are unknown. But I only have 400 men... Take a look at who else in your team is willing to work part-time...'

"Mr. Makarov, you should have watched TV. Moscow has asked the Russian Federation's troops to exercise restraint. If the 'loss' of weapons and equipment can be an excuse, then letting a group of regular soldiers who have not officially completed the discharge procedures to participate in the battle... Mr. Makarov, I can't..."

"I realized that our conversation was a joke!"

Makarov suddenly said this, which stunned the colonel. Then Makarov said with sarcasm on his face:

"I, a profit-seeking businessman, am trying to mobilize resources to resist the attack of Chechen terrorists. The reason is that a stupid and greedy mayor mistook me for an officer of the Russian army. He wanted to bribe me not to leave the border town with his troops because all his gray industries are in that town. When I hurriedly crossed the street to catch a helicopter, some veterans who had participated in the Afghan war and some who had never touched a gun in a day saluted me and said they were willing to join my troops as militia! A city with a population of tens of thousands (some small cities have such a small population) put its hopes on a businessman like me and 400 mercenaries!"

Then, Makarov changed the subject and said to the colonel:

"And you, a soldier of the Russian Federation, what are you and your troops doing? I think the basic duties of any country's army include 'defending the country', but you are cowards, and you did nothing when the Chechens attacked! Well, I understand that you need to obey the orders of your superiors, after all, it is Moscow that wants you to lose the honor that supports your appearance. So, as a middleman, a warmonger in people's eyes, I will give you advice so that you can make money while preserving the last bit of honor. All you have to do is provide some convenience. After that, you can proudly tell your descendants that on the day when the Chechen armed forces attacked, I contributed a little to the cause of defending the country!"

The colonel was silent for a moment, his eyes wandering around the room, as if he was weighing the pros and cons of this deal. After only a minute or two, the colonel said hesitantly to Makarov: "Try not to let too many soldiers who have not yet completed the discharge procedures die or get injured. If the number is too large, I will not be able to explain it."

"Most of what I need are technical talents. After all, the technical equipment I bought can only work if someone is operating it. Facing the Chechen armed forces who mainly use light weapons, their safety is still relatively high. I can guarantee you this!"

The room fell silent again, with only the clock on the wall making a slight ticking sound, as if urging the passage of time. The colonel's eyes fell on Makarov again, and there was a hint of complex emotions in his expression. Perhaps he was helpless about the current situation, or perhaps he was moved by Makarov's proposal, he finally nodded.

"Okay, okay, Mr. Makarov, I promise you. My motorized brigade is almost emptied by you. But this may be their best destination. To be honest, since the day I joined the army, I never thought that there would be a situation like today. When terrorists are rampant in our country, those who sit in Moscow and give orders ask us to exercise restraint. Oh, by the way, Mr. Makarov, you said one thing wrong. You are definitely not a profit-seeking businessman, at least not a businessman who is greedy for small profits."

Chapter 183: Standing before the Storm (Part 3)

The air was filled with dust and unrest, with a few crows occasionally flying by. The morning light penetrated the clouds and sprinkled on the quiet streets, but the people here had no time to enjoy the sunshine. Led by the police and volunteers, they were busy preparing for the city's defense.

On both sides of the street, the bodies of several religious extremists were hung on electric poles and under trees, swaying gently with the breeze, as if silently telling the tragic events of last night. On the electric pole, the hands of the body were tied behind his back, his head drooped helplessly, and his face was frozen with a look of fear and despair. His clothes had long been tattered in the fierce conflict, and his exposed skin was covered with scars left by the battle. The sun shone on his body, casting a narrow shadow that swayed on the ground with the wind. Not far away, under an old tree with lush branches and leaves, a body was hung by a thick rope. The face of the body was covered by the shadow, but the stiff limbs and silent silence made people shudder.

Under each of these bodies, there was a wooden sign that read: "This is the answer given by the people of Dagestani to the Chechen armed forces."

In terms of geographical relationship, Chechnya and Dagestan are both located in the North Caucasus region and have close historical relations. Just by looking at the name "Dagestan", you can tell how much this place has to do with Islam. Most Chechen armed members believe in Islam, and some armed elements have introduced more radical ideology and tactics on this basis, and seek to establish a country based on Islamic law that is united with Dagestan. Some people in Dagestan also hold the same view on this point.

It is not surprising that when the Chechen armed forces marched, they were able to inspire a group of extremist religious elements lurking in Dagestan to try to seize control of the city before the Chechen armed forces arrived.

However, believing in Islam and believing in extreme Islam are two different things, just like liking "Red China" and liking "Khmer Rouge" are two different things. No matter what it is, if it goes to extremes, fewer people will welcome and like it. The situation in Dagestan is the same. Even among Muslims, most people don't want to live in a country based on Islamic law.

So, when the Chechen armed forces excitedly thought that their neighbors next door would happily welcome them as friends, they did not expect that the neighbors would pick up guns and regard the Chechen armed forces as wolves with bared fangs and claws.

On the street, the police were standing next to an abandoned truck, directing a group of volunteers, who were pushing abandoned vehicles to the center of the street, adding concrete blocks and abandoned furniture to build temporary roadblocks. Not far from here, Makarov's men were busy hiding heavy machine guns and mortars behind buildings. At the same time, the city's high-rise buildings and hidden places were also undergoing intense deployment, and the selection of each sniper point was carefully considered to ensure that every corner where the enemy might appear could be covered.

Makarov chose the city as the location for the battle instead of taking the initiative to attack, because Makarov only had 400 men he trusted, and the rest were "scattered soldiers". If you let them hide in the streets and buildings they are familiar with and shoot them from behind, they will have a great advantage, but if you take them to the wild, they may scatter halfway.

As for armored units, that hasn't arrived yet.

As soon as Makarov flew back from the capital of Dagestan, he issued orders in the name of the top leader of this border city and called everyone to a meeting. When the Chechen armed forces attacked and the enemy was at hand, who could have a better say than the "military chief"? Well, although in theory Makarov, a businessman, had no legal power to issue orders, who cared about the law now? After all, the serious Russian army was a turtle, so other capable people had to fill the vacancy.

Just let him keep up appearances and keep the city from falling into chaos.

As soon as Makarov came back, he gave everyone another reassurance that a motorized brigade stationed in Dagestan had already begun operations and was repairing vehicles, replenishing ammunition and fuel. Once preparations were ready, they would come to support here.

"But everyone should understand that Moscow's request is that the troops should exercise restraint, so I have to convince the colonel to agree to send troops, which will cost a lot."

Everyone knew that Makarov would have to spend a lot of money for this, which was not surprising. The greedy mayor and a group of officials were not surprised at all. In today's Russian officialdom, if you want to do something good, it is impossible not to spend extra money. But they thought that this was Makarov's bribe money, but they didn't expect that this was actually Makarov directly "hiring" the Russian army.

Of course, Makarov couldn't just pay for this, everyone had to share the cost! After all, Makarov was a businessman, and if he didn't make any money, why would he pay for the subsidy out of his own pocket?

Makarov came to the street again. This time, he finally changed his outfit a little bit. He added a bulletproof vest on top of his Adidas jacket, and then walked on the street with an assault rifle in his hand and a helmet. The specific city defense deployment was handed over to the officers under his command. Makarov did not have any ability to command city operations. After all, the player in front of the screen was just an ordinary person in life. How could he have the experience of commanding 400 people to fight a defensive war? When he was in school, he couldn't even manage 40 people in a class...

If you really want him to command, he can only say a few words: "Brothers, follow me!" "Fight the enemy!" "Hold firmly, there is a way!" After all, players can't stand in the God's perspective to overlook the overall situation like playing "Red Alert" and "Company of Heroes", and can also micro-manipulate all NPCs in time. But the players in front of the screen still have a lot of FPS experience, and some experience in playing shooting games in teams, so Makarov decided to give the battlefield command to his subordinates and be a commando captain on the front line!

Just like Artyom, the player in the reconnaissance team deep behind enemy lines, he left the brain-burning tasks like micro-management to the NPC, and after deciding the general direction himself, he went directly to the front-line combat troops to shoot, cool!

Makarov, with a rifle slung over his shoulder, walked leisurely on the street, scanning the busy people around him. Seeing Makarov passing by, the volunteers stopped their work and greeted him enthusiastically. Or they tried to pretend to be a real soldier, with their chests and heads held high, and raised their hands to salute and report their work progress to Makarov. Makarov responded in a formulaic way without exception, with a smile of approval on his lips, saying: "Good job, keep it up."

The people who got the response were very happy. Some people even curiously asked Makarov what he was going to do with the gun. Makarov replied: "To go to war, of course!"

"Sir, you want to fight with us?"

"Of course, I'm a good shooter!" Makarov answered affirmatively, without hesitation. After all, the work that needed to be arranged had been arranged, so of course he had to go shoot and have some fun. After all, even if he died, it would only be a 24-hour cooldown.

At the same time, Makarov's subordinates who were standing in front of the map thinking about the city defense deployment were stunned when they heard that Makarov was going to the front line to fight with a few guards.

"What? Makarov said he's a good shooter and will be very useful at the front... Sukabile, go and bring our boss back!"

"But, he is the boss, how can we bring him back........."

"You also know that he is the boss! Then you should know that if Mr. Makarov accidentally dies in the battle, the contract we signed will be invalid! Mr. Makarov obviously does not know his position in a battle... So, you need to bring Makarov back by any means! I will take the responsibility!"

Chapter 184 Storm Gate (━)

The scorching sun scorched the earth, and the air was filled with a suffocating heat. The Chechen armed scouts lurked on the outskirts of the border town, their eyes fixed on the city, like hunters staring at prey they were about to catch. The outline of the city was a little blurry in the sun, and the buildings in the distance were slightly distorted in the heat wave, as if they were trembling silently. They hid in a sparse forest, and the leaves rustled in the breeze, providing them with natural cover. The leading commander raised an old telescope and carefully observed the movements in the city. His brows were slightly wrinkled, and his eyes showed a bit of caution and disdain.

Through the telescope, he saw bodies hanging from telephone poles and trees. They were probably the Wahhabis who were supposed to help him capture the city. Apparently, they failed. Barriers were set up at several important entrances and exits of the city. They were made up of abandoned vehicles, sandbags and barbed wire. At every intersection, there were people in police uniforms and some armed civilians in various clothes patrolling and standing guard.

The Chechen militants were somewhat surprised by this. They did not expect the residents of this city to stand up and resist so boldly. After all, in their impression, these civilians should be terrified and helpless, just like the Chechen militants had been when they had launched several terrorist attacks deep into Russian territory before. But at the same time, the Chechen militants also expressed disdain for such a stubborn resistance. The leader of the scouts said:

"Do they think they can stop us with these temporary obstacles and a bunch of rabble? Even the Russian army doesn't dare to interfere with our operations, so what can these civilians do?"

The other armed men nodded one after another, with a look of disdain and confidence on their faces. They thought that these temporarily armed civilians were nothing to be afraid of, and some even began to imagine the scene after conquering the city. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves on their faces, reflecting the young and unruly faces.

However, due to his years of experience fighting on the battlefield, the scout leader did not take it lightly. Although he spoke with disdain, his body still honestly chose "caution first". He raised the telescope again and carefully observed the patrolling civilians, trying to capture any possible flaws from their movements.

"It is really strange that a group of civilians and police dare to resist us. Don't they know that this will lead to the most brutal revenge? Where does their confidence come from? Is it really themselves? Or is there something else that gives them such courage............"

The air is filled with the summer heat. An occasional breeze blows by, but it cannot take away the tense atmosphere.

The vanguard of the Chechen armed forces has arrived near this border town. The leader of the reconnaissance unit reported to the commander of the vanguard unit everything he observed. At the same time, he also raised his own doubts, thinking that there must be something hidden inside the city. Perhaps a Russian army was unwilling to obey Moscow's orders and voluntarily stayed to resist.

"But this is just your suspicion, isn't it? Can the signs you observed in the periphery prove your guess?"

"I can't testify, sir. This is just my speculation."

"General Basayev ordered us to control the entire territory of Dagestan as soon as possible, before the Russian Federation realizes that our 'goodwill for peace talks' is a falsehood, and before the Russian army reacts. Since we can't draw any conclusions from observing from the outside, we can only order the soldiers to launch a tentative attack. The answer is very easy to get. If our tentative attack directly captures the city, it means that the city has no secrets. If we suffer a heavy setback, it means that the defenders of this city are not only police and civilians."

Chechen militants began their offensive.

After several rounds of fierce gunfire, the police and civilians guarding the intersection fled. The Chechen armed forces felt that they did not hit any of the opponents, and they ran away. However, it was difficult to determine whether it was a trick or whether they were trying to lure the Chechen armed forces deeper into the encirclement... Because the untrained mob behaved like this, and when the gunfire sounded, they were scared to death and then fled...