Chapter 1464 - 1213: Strategic Lying Flat

On a high ground near Hulmatu, Ahmed, the observer of 1515, put down his binoculars, rubbed his eyes which were almost bulging out of their sockets, and looked at the distance in disbelief.

"By... By Allah! They've... They've retreated?!"

Just half an hour ago, Ahmed's heart was still caught in his throat.

Daguge fell, Ozham was attacked by the government army, the Russian army along with Wagner Mercenaries and Hafez's government forces launched a fierce counteroffensive in the direction of Syria, Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa...

Early this morning, a series of terrifying news arrived.

It seemed as if overnight, all forces hostile to the 1515 Armed had united to launch an attack against the 1515 Armed within the two countries.

Just two hours ago, Ahmed was dispatched by his commander to this high ground a dozen kilometers from Hulmatu to monitor enemy movements.

He spotted a large number of militiamen appearing in his view and had already reported the situation in a timely manner to his superiors.

He originally thought they would face a fierce battle next.

But to his greatest surprise...

These terrifying heretics...

Actually left on their own?

They retreated!

Really retreated!

Those surging militia forces and mercenaries turned their vehicles around within half an hour, kicking up a cloud of dust, and eventually disappeared to the north...

He quickly picked up the radio handset, babbling as he truthfully reported the situation here.

The message was reported layer by layer, finally reaching the ears of Hulmatu's top commander, Basmo.

"Are you sure?!"

Basmo asked excitedly and slightly surprised: "Are you sure they didn't stop advancing, but rather retreated?!"

"Sure, boss!"

Ahmed swore: "I swear on my family's honor! They've retreated! Heading north!"

"It seems it's really not a trap."

Basmo's mouth uncontrollably cracked open, his eyeballs bulging out an inch, his heart pounding like a drum.

Excitement uncontrollable enough to make his dopamine crazy secreted.

Allah assists me!

He almost shouted out loud to vent his joy.

Indeed, just as his lieutenant had previously speculated.

"It's internal strife! The Americans have fallen out with them! These heretics will never learn to unite!"

He slammed the table hard, his voice hoarse yet filled with excitement.

"Opportunity! Allah has bestowed upon us an opportunity! Immediately pull out all maneuverable reserves along the Hulmatu-Titrick line! Send them east at the fastest speed to reinforce Ozham! Let those arrogant Americans taste our true elite!"

He dared not, nor had ever considered pursuing Song Heping's troops.

Even if that army was retreating, he lacked the courage.

Previously, Song Heping once confronted the 1515 Armed with 300 militiamen, resulting in the opponent suffering nearly a thousand casualties.

The battle made everyone in the 1515 Armed aware of Song Heping's reputation.

They gave Song Heping a name—the Demon of Illiguo.

Pick soft persimmons to squeeze.

Unable to handle Song Heping, but handling the Illigo Government Army in the Ozham direction, Basmo was full of confidence.

Ozham originally already had over four thousand people from the 1515 Armed, he pulled out two thousand elite with heavy weapons to support, those garbage soldiers and officers of the government army probably couldn't last a day before retreating.

Moreover, he might seize the opportunity to continue advancing eastward, expanding "Levant Country's" territory by several hundred square kilometers!

More importantly, as the regional commander, Basmo was also considered a high-ranking commander within 1515.

The retreat of "Demon" Song Heping not only meant the crisis of Hulmatu was removed but also activated the previously restrained massive 1515 troops in the Northwest, as if a death row prisoner, once noosed around the neck, suddenly found the rope snapped, and the restraints binding the hands and feet also came off...

This excitement was like being reborn!

He immediately went to the radio, ordered the signalman to connect to Buckdadi command channel: "Connect me to Emir immediately, I want to report this great news to him personally!"

...

Song Heping's move to "throw down the towel" and retreat was like suddenly pulling out the most critical piece of a domino set, causing the coalition frontline to quake instantly!

The first to suffer was the government army in the Ozham direction.

That evening, the forward lines of the government army in Ozham were counterattacked by the 1515 Armed.

Like a tide, extremists and armed pickups mixed with suicide trucks and some armored vehicles began attacking the government forces' lines from different directions, like African hyenas smelling blood.

"Son of a bitch! Did they grow out from the ground?!"

Sayif, the commander of the 9th Armored Division of the Illigo Government Army, the overall commander of "Furnace" operation in the Ozham direction, was hiding in his command post, furiously roaring into the radio, "Tell the Americans! I need air support! More air support! Right now! Immediately! At once!"

Just eight hours after Song Heping withdrew, the Illigo Government Army on the Ozham frontline felt what "the hell level" difficulty upgrade was.

The 1515 lines which had originally been battered into disarray by heavy artillery and air support suddenly seemed injected with a shot of adrenaline.

Resistance became extremely tenacious, and moreover...

The level of tactics improved by more than one notch!

What's even more terrifying is that the enemy started launching platoon-level counterattacks!

A group of armed militants wearing black combat uniforms, moving swiftly and shooting accurately, emerged from seemingly nowhere, utilizing the complex terrain of the town's ruins to launch quick assaults against the government army's flanks and logistics convoys.

They were well-equipped and coordinated, even managing to approach the government army positions several times, leading to brutal close-quarters firefights.

The communication channels were flooded with screams of various units requesting support, calling for artillery fire, and reporting casualties, almost overwhelming the channels.

Not just the government army, but simultaneously, the Kurd Armed responsible for flanking attacks in the northwest direction of Elbil had an even rougher time.

"Ammunition! Who still has rifle rounds?!"

Veteran Ma Mu leaned against the crude trench of his own company and shouted towards the back.

His answer was a few sporadic voices and the deafening sound of mortar explosions further away.

1515 seemed to pour all the fury "saved" from Song He onto this "soft target."

The intensity of the offensive surged several times! What was originally harassment attacks transformed into battalion-level wave assaults.

Lacking heavy weapons, their old AKs and PKM machine guns seemed powerless in the face of the opponent's suddenly increased mortars, recoilless rifles, and even homemade rocket launchers.

Multiple front observation posts and positions fell under waves of fierce attacks, with communication constantly transmitting the grim news of friendly positions being breached.

The original attack plan was utterly ruined, with the southward-advancing Kurd Armed falling into the crisis of being encircled from three sides, unable to extricate and retreat.

1515 Armed set up ambush circles every few kilometers along their retreat path.

This time, the Kurd people dispatched a force of ten thousand, now squeezed onto a ten-plus kilometer battle line like a clumsy snake struggling to cover its ends, forced into a fully defensive, hard supporting position battle.

Every minute, someone falls, every inch of land soaked in blood.

The "Furnace" operation has now reached a predicament, seemingly close to entire failure.

Even the Russian Army armed groups attacking toward Deir Ezzor and Raqqa in Syria vaguely sensed the change.

"Ivan, did you notice? These bandits are unusually excited today, and they seem to have grown in number."

A Wagner veteran shouted to his squad leader, "Did these guys take DU? They're not like they were yesterday?!"

Reports from front-line commanders were continuously summarized to the Russian Army Command—the faced 1515 armed groups seemed to have gained reinforcements in manpower and firepower; not only had their resistance will strengthened, but their combat skills and coordination capabilities noticeably improved, showing signs of more experienced, better-equipped small force activities.

Intelligence analysis indicates these reinforcements likely came from the relieved pressure in Northwest Illigo.

Song Heping's move of "abandonment," landed precisely on the crotch of the whole Alliance Army system, causing everyone to grimace in pain.

Just when other armed groups were all chickens with their heads cut off, flustered and smeared, the most leisurely in this entire battle zone was Song Heping.

"Old squad leader, Baghdad has sent a 'cordial greeting' again, asking when we can 'recover' and rejoin the attack."

In Daguge City, Jiang Feng walked up to Song Heping with a telegram, his tone laced with mockery, flicking the telegram in his hand.

Song Heping was lying comfortably on a deck chair in the backyard of the Daguge Command, wearing sunglasses, enjoying a rare sunbath.

A half cup of iced juice was placed on the small table beside him.

"Reply to them: Our army has suffered severe damage, morale is low, needing psychological counseling. Hulmatu's enemy situation is unclear, defense systems are like steel, suspected of having weapons of mass destruction. Until your side achieves a decisive breakthrough in Ozham and shares all crucial intelligence, our side, to avoid needless sacrifice, is temporarily unequipped for attack conditions."

He took a sip of juice and slowly added, "Keep the tone polite, but make the content firm."

"Understood!" Jiang Feng smiled knowingly.

Song Heping has the confidence and capital to posture.

After years of warfare and management, his "Musician" defense subordinate mercenary group had long ceased to be mere mercenaries.

They firmly controlled the strategic city of Sulaimaniyah, occupying Daguge, the transportation hub, in the south, and in Northern and Northeast Illigo, along the Persian Border, created a stable territory exceeding two thousand square kilometers!

Here, there's its own system, tribal people supporting them, arms supply channels from Persia, and intertwined defense works.

To put it plainly, Song Heping is now a warlord, and a big-time warlord with strong soldiers and a stable territory!

Even now, if he completely fell out with the United States, he has enough capital to establish himself here, develop, and even...

Wait for others to offer a higher price to court him!

This is his confidence.

After the troops retreated to the Daguge defense zone, Song Heping issued a strict order: Work day and night to build fortifications!

The anti-tank ditches must be able to defend against the newest armor-piercing rounds; machine gun bunkers must be constructed into permanent fortifications; cover nets must be fully extended!

Simultaneously, logistics supplies should be open; eat when needed, drink when needed; injured soldiers receive the best treatment, and soldiers take turns on vacation, bringing the whole troop into a relaxed yet vigilant "vacation-style" combat readiness.

As for himself, upon returning to that fortress-like transformed command center, the first thing he did was—sleep.

"Listen, Jiang Feng."

He took off his smoke-scented jacket, directly tossing it onto a chair.

"Next, no matter what means the Americans use—phone, radio, or sending a three-star general—all orders, urgencies, inquiries, block them all outside! Right now, I need a sleep! Don't wake me even if the sky is falling unless 1515's tank has rolled up to my command post!"

Having said this, he lay directly on the marching bed, pulled the slightly moldy military blanket over his head, and within ten seconds, rhythmic snoring started.

He was indeed tired, the continuous high-intensity command and wits wrestling with various forces had drained far more mental energy than ordinary people could imagine.

But this slumber was also a kind of stance, a disdainful declaration!

The night outside the command was as dark as ink.

Inside the command room, the encrypted radio directly linked to the Baghdad Alliance Army headquarters; its indicator light stubbornly blinked red, again and again.

Jiang Feng moved a chair, sitting straight in front of the communication desk like a guardian deity.

All calls were blocked by him using cold yet impeccable reasons: "Commander overworked, enforcing rest, unable to take the call."

He knew, Song Heping's sleep wasn't for fatigue; it was strategy, confidence, a resounding slap to all those pulling strings behind the scenes!