Chapter 1761 - 1362: The Art of the Deal (Part 3)

Outside the cabin was the pitch-black night sky, with only the dashboard emitting a faint blue light.

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Twenty million US Dollars annually.

The number flashed through his mind.

The price was fair. For "leveraging" his reputation and the deterrence of the "Musician" company.

Old Masoud was a shrewd politician, knowing exactly where to spend money and who to spend it on for the best value.

As for the military reform, internal purge, and faction balance of the Kurd people...

That was their own business.

He would provide "recommendations" as required by the contract but would never get deeply involved.

That was not his battlefield, nor was it the role he was meant to play.

The helicopter began to descend, and Baghdad's lights spread out ahead.

In that city, more meetings, more negotiations, more deals awaited him.

But, at least in this game with the Kurd people, he found his position—

An expensive yet distant consultant, an endorser providing deterrence but not interfering with internal affairs.

This role, he could play.

This is the taste of victory.

Complex, multi-layered, even somewhat bitter.

On the battlefield, victory is clear: the enemy surrenders, flags fall, gunfire ceases.

But off the battlefield, victory is a never-ending negotiation: distribution of benefits, balance of power, tests of loyalty, appeasement of ambitions.

The Kurd people leaned towards him because Old Masoud saw an opportunity to use his influence to consolidate power internally.

The Sunni Sect leaned towards him because Hashimi saw political realities and future benefits.

Samir submitted to restructuring because he obtained his long-desired regular army status and legal standing.

Abu You was willing to cooperate because he believed following Song Heping would yield him tangible benefits, the most significant being Kirkuk's defense authority, which meant millions per month in oil field security fees.

Everyone got what they wanted from this victory, or at least saw the possibility of obtaining it.

And this, perhaps, is the essence of politics: not who is right or wrong, not moral superiority, but who can create a win-win situation in a complex relational web for as many people as possible, and then occupy the most advantageous position within that situation.

The phone vibrated with an encrypted message from Little Masoud:

"Mr. Song, my father asked me to tell you that the Kurd parliamentary caucus will formally propose the motion to support the restructuring of the Border Defense Tenth Division tomorrow in parliament. Also... thank you. For everything. What I learned in Nasur is more than the past twenty years combined."

He simply replied with two words: "Take care."

Ten minutes later, the helicopter landed at the temporary helipad in the Green Zone.

Several armored vehicles were parked beside the helipad.

Jiang Feng was already waiting by the car.

"Old squad leader, Saeed has been waiting in the meeting room for an hour."

Jiang Feng took over Song Heping's backpack.

"I skimmed through the contract; the terms are very favorable but... the authority is also large. Kurdish Autonomous Region Government's Special Security Advisor, consultant fee of twenty million US Dollars per year, right to attend Military Committee meetings, right to view non-confidential military documents, right to establish a permanent office in Elbil and equip it with secure communication equipment directly connected to the President's Mansion..."

The two walked towards the command center building, their footsteps sounding particularly clear in the empty airport.

"What do you think?" Song Heping asked.

Jiang Feng hesitated: "The terms are good, but the responsibility is also huge. Special Security Advisor... This almost means deep involvement in the Kurd people's internal affairs. Military reform, security purge, faction balance... These are hot potatoes. And once we accept, it publicly aligns us; any internal issues with the Kurd people in the future will drag us in."

Song Heping smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.

Jiang Feng still hadn't grasped the essence of the matter.

Entering the office building of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region's Baghdad office, the hallway was adorned with landscape oil paintings of the Kurd region and portraits of leaders.

The deep red carpet absorbed the sound of footsteps, creating a solemn and formal atmosphere.

At this moment, the office was unusually quiet.

Most staff had already left, with only a few offices still lit.

The largest meeting room at the end of the hallway had its door ajar, letting out a warm light.

In the meeting room, Saeed stood up.

This over fifty-year-old, graying, seasoned aide looked exhausted, with heavy eye bags, but his suit remained impeccably neat, and his tie was perfectly knotted.

The wall of the meeting room displayed the flag of the Kurdish Autonomous Region and the Iligo Country flag, with the long meeting table adorned with exquisite copper kettles and glass cups.

"Mr. Song, congratulations on your victory." Saeed extended his hand, "Chairman Masoud insisted I personally deliver this contract to you."

The two shook hands and sat down by the meeting table.

Jiang Feng took teacups from the nearby tea cabinet, poured three steaming cups of red tea, and then sat beside Song Heping.

Saeed took out a thick contract document from his briefcase, three copies in total, each with dozens of pages, neatly placed on the dark walnut meeting table:

"This is the final version, already reviewed by legal advisors. Chairman Masoud particularly mentioned that if you have any objections to any clause, we can modify it on site."

Song Heping nodded and finally picked up a contract to peruse.

The terms were indeed as Jiang Feng mentioned, favorable but with significant responsibility.

The authority of the Special Security Advisor nearly encompassed all security affairs of the Kurdish Autonomous Region, from military reform to intelligence system reconstruction, from border control to internal security purge.