At the edge of the camp, the low roar of engines shattered the night's tranquility.
Two elite mercenary camps under the banner of "Musician" Defense had completed their assembly.
The entire unit enforced strict light discipline, leaving no unnecessary lights, only the red lines traced by vehicle taillights slicing through the darkness and the occasional beam from tactical flashlights as soldiers checked their gear.
The two mercenary camps were organized by Song Heping according to the PLA structure. After completing a six-month devil training at the Hunter School established by "Musician" Defense in South America Venezuela, they were deployed to combat units as the elite of the company's operations in Africa.
The manpower was sparse, totaling only about 900 people.
These individuals, professional soldiers from various countries, gathered here for money or merely seeking thrill and survival amidst wartime chaos. Under Song Heping's leadership, they had been forged into a disciplined iron fist.
Song Heping jumped onto a command off-road vehicle equipped with armor and communication antennas.
"Move out!"
The order swiftly reached each soldier's ears through the individual radios.
The convoy sped away along a pre-scouted secret route, heading northeast towards Bayji.
The dust kicked up by the wheels formed a long dragon of smoke under the moonlight.
Inside the vehicle, Song Heping spread out an electronic map, the dim blue light reflecting his furrowed brow.
He picked up the transmitter of the encrypted radio, adjusting it to a specific frequency.
"01 calling West Wind, 01 calling West Wind, come in."
After a brief burst of static noise, a familiar voice quickly responded: "West Wind here, go ahead 01."
"West Wind has set off, estimated arrival at target area, H+24." Song Heping spoke using the pre-arranged code. "According to the operation plan, your unit must reach the predetermined attack position before H-time. Repeat, before H-time, you must be in position."
Over 200 kilometers away, in Mosul.
In his command post, Abu You, the commander of the Abu You Brigade, had been waiting for a long time. Hearing Song Heping's order, excitement spread across his rugged face.
"West Wind understands! All preparations are complete, we will immediately move towards Bayji, ensuring arrival at the predetermined attack position before H-time."
Ending the call with Abu You, Song Heping leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes.
In his mind, three forces, like three sharp arrows, were piercing through the night, aiming at two different targets.
In the direction of Tetric, there were Jiang Feng and Samir's six thousand militia, headed towards Bayji from the east to the west, along with himself and the two mercenary camps, and from Mosul headed west to east, the Abu You Brigade with three thousand elite Kurdish militia advancing.
If his speculation was correct, the 1515 Armed force in the Bayji region was currently at its lowest strength in recent years, the most fragile moment, making it the perfect time to seize the vital oil refining town.
The next day, as the first rays of sunlight cast down in the morning.
Samir and Jiang Feng stood on a slightly elevated sand dune, watching the large advancing force of the "Liberation Forces" below.
Six thousand militia, with a stretched-out formation, vehicles and personnel kicking up dust everywhere, viewed from above, undoubtedly a formidable attacking force.
"Is the drone airborne?"
Jiang Feng asked over his headset, inquiring the technical reconnaissance team.
"Report, 'Falcon One' and 'Falcon Two' are patrolling 10 kilometers ahead, no enemy reconnaissance units detected."
"Stay alert, especially watching out for potential enemy ground reconnaissance teams and low flying drones."
Jiang Feng ordered.
He knew well that information confidentiality was the key to this operation's success or failure.
Meanwhile, Samir was busy directing artillery and logistics units: "Set up all those extra tents! More cooking smoke, lots of cooking smoke! Make the trucks run back and forth a few more times, create more noise!"
Thus, over the next two days, the "Liberation Forces" camp outside Tetric presented a scene of bustling preparation.
During the day, dust billowed, and vehicles moved back and forth non-stop.
At night, the camp was brightly lit, with bonfires dotting the area, and occasionally they conducted small-scale artillery test fires, shells whistling as they fell in the no-man's-land outside Tetric, the explosion's light exceptionally noticeable in the night.
Inside Tetric City, the regional commander of the 1515 Armed, Az, just as Song Heping predicted, was mired in anxiety and hesitation.
Frontline observation posts kept reporting the massive scale and active attack preparations of the "Liberation Forces".
"What on earth are they planning? A frontal assault?"
Az paced in the command post, his mind a jumbled mess.
"Song Heping... that madman, he never plays by the rules, he has pulled the dividing trick before, perhaps this time..."
"Commander, based on reconnaissance, the enemy forces are estimated over six thousand, and appear better equipped than before."
An adjutant reported.
"How many waves of recon units have we dispatched?" Az asked. "Why hasn't any of them reported back with specific information? I need to know Song Heping's exact movements! I need eyes on him!"
"We've sent out five waves... only one returned, and the other four lost contact. The enemy has strong counter-surveillance capabilities, with aerial drones constantly monitoring the perimeter, any deeper approach encounters artillery attacks, no way to get through..."
The adjutant said with difficulty: "Only a few teams reached the outskirts, engaged in firefights, from the firepower assessment, this is surely Song Heping's main force."
The unknown brought fear.
Az recalled the painful experience of previous encounters with Song Heping's forces, the feeling of helplessness against precise strikes and tactical deception surfaced once more.
He dared not take risks.
Thirty thousand troops seemed formidable, but scattered across Tetric City and its outlying posts, if they launched an attack and fell into an ambush, or the enemy exploited a weakness to invade the city...