"Wait!"
Cutting off the call with Angel, Song Heping felt more assured.
His prediction was not wrong.
The movements of Americans both domestically and in the Middle East, as well as various meetings of Congress, seemed to indicate one thing — the Americans' tolerance for the 1515 armed group had reached a critical point.
Song Heping didn't forget why he came here.
If he were to fight desperately and lead these thousand men under Samir to aid the Iliko Government Army at Haddid, it would merely be taking bullets for the Americans.
Moreover, from a tactical standpoint, it would be meaningless, as the fruits of their efforts could easily be reaped by the Americans.
From a strategic perspective, it holds even less meaning.
Preserve the land and lose the people, and you lose both the land and the people; preserve the people and lose the land, and you preserve both the land and the people.
The strategic thoughts of past instructors were forever ingrained in Song Heping's mind.
He became more determined to carry out his previously envisioned plan.
"Samir, if you're still willing to follow my command, then do nothing, listen to me, wait here, just wait patiently!"
He looked at his watch.
"Our equipment will arrive soon, let's arm ourselves first, otherwise we can't even protect ourselves, let alone talk about contending with the 1515 for control of Illiguo?"
"I understand..."
Samir ultimately suppressed his tumultuous emotions.
He knew that Song Heping was always good at strategizing, his strategic foresight was beyond many levels higher than his own, what Song saw, he might not be able to see.
Since he chose to call him "Boss," he had to listen to Song Heping.
At the very least, when he was under Song Heping's command, he never encountered failure once.
This was ironclad proof.
An unquestionable authority.
Of course, not everyone could understand Song Heping's decision.
In the time that followed, many soldiers in the camp privately discussed, saying that this newly arrived easterner seemed powerful but was actually cowardly.
Many had great doubts about Song Heping's command ability.
Of course, there were also soldiers who supported Song Heping's view.
Thinking that this easterner was right.
Rushing to confront the 1515's army of thousands now was simply seeking death.
That night, the situation in the direction of Tikrit worsened.
Various information flowed continuously into the "Liberation Forces" camp from different channels, the infamous reputation and atrocities of the 1515 armed group after capturing cities spread like a plague across the silent faces of soldiers.
In Song Heping's tent, the only light source was the encrypted laptop linked to the satellite signal.
The screen's content was not entertainment, it was the harsh reality Henry dug out from the Dark Web:
A blurred video: Abandoned checkpoint at Haddid's outskirts. Several government soldiers were pinned down, black-hooded militants brandishing swords.
A flash of cold light, a spray of blood mist, heads rolling. The camera cruelly zooms in, capturing the shooter's sinister grin.
Scarlet title: "The Fate of Allah's Enemies — The Purification of Haddid."
Another shorter video: A burning village. Terrified civilians — the elderly, women, children — being herded into the open area.
Cold AK muzzles erupting with fire, people falling like stalks of wheat, cries abruptly silenced. Piles of bodies, black flags waving in the thick smoke.
Title: "Eradicating the Nest of Infidels — Gift to the Caliphate."
The last segment slightly clearer: The western outskirts of Tikrit City. Scattered sandbag fortifications, the burning wreckage of a Hummer.
The excited roar of the voiceover: "The gates of Tikrit have been breached! The demise of the puppet government in Baghdad has arrived!"
These pieces of information were released by the 1515 armed group, they filmed them themselves.
Normal armed organizations would not dare to do something like this.
After all, such inhumane actions would undoubtedly be condemned by any normal nation and its people.
But 1515 is not a normal armed organization.
They seem to have become infatuated with using such brutal methods to intimidate their opponents.
By uploading anti-human videos to the Dark Web and distributing them through some unmonitored channels, they let them ferment on the Internet, and then let others spread them.
There is a natural fear human beings have towards cruel matters.
These videos are deadly to those with weaker willpower.
It's very easy to have one's will to fight dismantled.
Over the past year, the 1515 armed group has been continuously doing the same thing.
As a result, many in the Iliko Government Army and tribal militias developed a natural fear of the 1515 armed group because of these videos, losing three-tenths of their morale before they even see the enemy.
However, for Song Heping, this had no effect at all, as he maintained a blank expression, his fingers gliding over the touchpad: fast-forward, pause, zoom in on details. His gaze like a cold probe, penetrating the bloody scenes to analyze the equipment, tactics, morale, and terrain.
No anger, no avoidance, only the focus of a hunter evaluating his prey.
After watching all the videos, he turned off the computer, stood up and stretched his neck.
Suddenly, the roaring engines and suppressed commotion outside the tent shattered the atmosphere of despair.
"Boss! The goods have arrived!"
Samir burst through the tent flaps, the dust on his face uncleaned, his eyes astonishingly bright.
"Arrived?!"
Song Heping couldn't help but glance at his watch.
This Avanti is reliable!
It actually arrived ahead of the estimated time.
"Let's go! Follow me to check the goods!"
With that, he marched out of the tent decisively.
Crossing the camp, he walked out of the valley, guided by Naxin and Samir for more than five hundred meters until they reached an open area.
Over a hundred heavy trucks, covered with thick tarpaulins, just came to a stop, engines still roaring.
More than two hundred plain-clothes Persian soldiers standing guard around the cars, the leading officer stepped forward, silently handed over a sealed file and a codebook.
Song Heping quickly verified the codes, tore open the seals, skimmed the inventory — this was the initial core equipment prepared for arming two thousand people: