Currently, there are numerous branches of the anti-government forces in Siria, and Song Heping discovers that they have not formed an effective alliance among themselves.
These branches include, but are not limited to, the Siria Freedom Army (FSA) backed by countries like Camel and Turkey, the YSL Army, the Rahman Brigade, and the Nusra Front, and even the 1515 Armed which is the most aggressive in the east.
The armed organizations do not favor each other, and many intelligence reports indicate that the 1515 Armed have attacked the Freedom Army, the Rahman Brigade, the Nusra Front, and other anti-government forces. After capturing prisoners, they would employ the same tactics as they do with government soldiers—decapitation.
This means that they are not united.
Given that, there is an opportunity for a counterattack...
His brain operates like an overloaded supercomputer, processing mountains of chaotic information that keep updating in real-time.
He goes through countless assumptions, deductions, verifications, and reversals.
For a moment, he focuses on the northern line, attempting to find a way to secure the remnants of Aleppo by using the city's ruins for a prolonged attrition war, but the calculated speed of troop, equipment, and especially ammunition consumption, along with the endless external supplies the enemy receives, quickly deemed this approach a slow suicide.
He then analyzes the expansive desert area on the eastern line, seeking opportunities for a counterattack using the mobility of armored assaults, only to find that the government army available armored forces are scarce, and they severely lack aerial cover and reliable battlefield intelligence support. An impromptu attack could be easily ambushed and annihilated by terrain familiar enemy guerrilla forces, who hold anti-tank advantages.
The complexity of the southern line is the highest; this area primarily consists of anti-government forces led by the Nusra Front, with the background being the most intricate, involving lords from the Middle East and Turkey. Mishandling could trigger chain reactions...
The options seem to all lead to dead-ends.
"Damn!"
Song Heping couldn't help but curse.
It's indeed a total mess.
This invitation from the Chef is practically a seven-day trip to Hell.
A breakthrough is needed.
It's really hard…
But there's no surrender.
The harder it gets, the more competitive Song Heping becomes.
"I just don't believe there's no way…"
He vigorously rubs his face, gulps down a bottle of mineral water, and buries his head back into analysis.
Finally, after repeatedly comparing all major skirmishes' timings within the past 72 hours, the intensity changes of enemy attack waves, and a series of marked as "abnormal" or "origin unknown" signal activities, his eyes fix on a few seemingly inconspicuous data packets.
An incredibly bold, even almost insane reverse-thinking plan begins to take shape dimly in his information-packed mind.
The breakthrough for this plan is in the south!
Yes!
The gate of life is in the south!
Plan!
He needs to establish a plan!
Open the breakthrough from the south!
Moreover, it's not just the south; the east's aggressive 1515 Armed is also a fatal threat.
But…
The most ferocious beast often has a fatal weakness.
Song Heping's gaze slowly shifts from the southern edge of the map towards Eastern Siria, crossing the border finally resting on Western Illiguo...
During the enclosed 24 hours that Song Heping works on devising the breakthrough strategy, outside the intelligence analysis room's door, the scales of war accelerate their tilt.
The Chef roars at the communication device, mixing Russian with crude curses, trying to stabilize a collapsing eastern defense line.
His apron lost somewhere long ago, veins bulging on his forehead.
A young Russian Army staff officer, bearing traces of gunpowder on his face, holds a freshly received telegram as he briskly walks up to him, his voice urgent yet deep, "Colonel! Bab Region fell! The Levant Front's assault team received...received suspected external forces strengthened artillery support, the 116th Brigade's line completely collapsed, retreat turned into a rout! The government army lost five T-72s!"
The "Colonel" rank is given by the Cilia Government, a rank within the Cilia foreign mercenary corps.
The Chef snatches the telegram, his eyes swiftly scanning the contents, his face becoming sullen immediately.
He abruptly crumples the telegram into a ball, fiercely throwing it to the ground, "Damn it! Another precise artillery strike! Where the hell do they get so many shells?! Tell the 116th Brigade's useless commander to either lead his men to counterattack the position for me or I'll blast him and his group of deserters to the sky with tank cannon!"
The staff officer turns pale, whispering, "Colonel...116th Brigade's Commander...was killed in action. He attempted to organize a counterattack at the last moment, hit by a sniper bullet to the head."
The Chef's roar abruptly halts, his chest heaves violently a few times, finally, he just weakly waves his hand.
The staff officer salutes and silently withdraws.
The Chef's gaze fixates on the analysis room.
But the analysis room's door remains tightly shut...
An hour later, another subordinate arrives with a report.
This time it's one of the Chef's confidants brought from Russia, Major Vasily.
He even disregards etiquette, leaning directly to the Chef's ear, with his voice altered by tension, "Boss, southern line! Deraa direction! Those lunatics from the 'Islamic Front' launched a large-scale night raid! They used at least six armed pickups equipped with heavy machine guns and recoilless rifles, plus suicide car bombs! Our junction with the government army's 5th Armored Division was completely breached! They're rapidly advancing towards the Syria–Israel border's Kuneitra direction! One of our Wagner squads and a government army company…lost contact, the situation looks grim!"