I work as a mercenary in northern Myanmar.

Chapter 553: Impossible to Escape
Chen Chen certainly knew that it was impossible to completely eliminate the JD elements in those "dangerous places" in Raqqa by relying solely on long-range firepower strikes, but in fact, what he wanted was not elimination, but deterrence.

Compared to letting the team progress and then pulling out a few elite squads to clean up one by one, which might not necessarily kill them all after suffering heavy casualties, blowing up a house with a few shots and clearly expressing one's "irreconcilable" attitude is really too efficient.

After all, after witnessing the JD elements' great defeat, the flies in the city had already restrained themselves.

At this time, Chen Chen added fuel to the fire and the effect was surprisingly good.

After a round of bombing, the entire city of Raqqa was in shock.

Those opposition parties who had originally had doubts about the Tiger Group all shut up, and the crowds that had gathered on the streets to protest also dispersed like birds and beasts.

However, Chen Chen would not let them go so quickly, nor would he let go of this city so easily.

Because he knew that with the full involvement of the United States, the pressure faced by the government forces would be incredibly great, and similarly, he would also face a tough battle.

Therefore, it is not enough for the situation in the city to be merely "stable".

What Chen Chen wants is "absolute stillness".

Without his order, no one is allowed to act freely; without his order, no communication or exchange beyond the limit is allowed; without his order, all "natural reactions" need to be stopped.

In this state, he was like a tyrant who had never appeared before, and a tyrant whose desire for control reached the extreme.

He gave a series of orders to Laplani, and after hearing his orders, Laplani was stunned.

"Sir, are these martial law measures too strict?"

“The situation in Raqqa is relatively stable and there are many residents who can be won over.”

"They will help us fight against JD militants in the future. We should"

"They may be a help, but more likely they will be a hindrance."

Chen Chen interrupted Laplani without hesitation and said:
"Believe me, I know more about the current situation in this country than you do."

“This is Raqqa, not Damascus.”

"The problems here can be traced back to 1916."

"I don't have the confidence to unify everyone's thoughts in such a complex humanistic and social environment, let alone rely on them to fight against those enemies who appear weak but are actually extremely powerful."

"What I want is very simple. Just one sentence: they can't cause trouble for me until the battle on the main battlefield of the government army is over."

"So, what I am doing now is the only effective and feasible solution."

After hearing Chen Chen's words, Laplani was silent for a few seconds, as if he agreed with Chen Chen's point of view.

But soon, he spoke again:
“I think this approach is too extreme.”

"Maybe you don't understand the ZJ environment here, but you close QZS on the pretext of martial law."

“They can worship in their own homes.”

Chen Chen spoke again, showing no intention of giving in to this seemingly unreasonable and irrational strategy.

Because he knew that this was definitely one of the most effective and necessary means to organize illegal gatherings.

Perhaps many people would think that it is quite outrageous to restrict political activities in public places in a country where the government is dominant, but in fact, Chen Chen knows that he is definitely not the first person to do so.

When the civil war broke out between North and South Sudan, the North Sudanese government immediately cut off power to all ZJ venues. And in every conflict since 2019, whenever there was a riot in the capital, the first place to be closed was the QZS.

If the government of a black and green country dares to do this, what else should we not dare to do in Syria?

Of course, facts have also proved that the control of ZJ places can greatly reduce the level of local chaos.

From a sociological perspective, the loss of a gathering place will immediately reduce the cohesion of some organizations. Coupled with poor information transmission, any organized activities will be stillborn.

From a psychological perspective, the “invisibility” of “idols” will weaken the faith of some people and make them escape the control of the JD state to a certain extent.

Therefore, Chen Chen must do this. If someone objects, he will carry out this plan even if he has to use force to suppress them!
Laplanie could no longer utter any objection. An hour later, the Tiger Corps, having cleared the battlefield, began to enter the city.

The principle of "not entering private homes" is simply impossible to exist. As soon as the team entered the city, they began to cooperate with the local garrison and police forces to conduct a large-scale search of the entire Raqqa.

In order to minimize equipment losses, all armored vehicles will not drive into narrow alleys, but will be dispersed at various commanding heights in the city to threaten every corner of the city.

Gunshots rang out one after another, and many people were arrested from their homes and taken to police stations for further interrogation.

Similarly, many people were shot dead on the spot while resisting arrest, and their bodies were dragged and discarded on the spot.

The thunder-like means once again intensified the tension in the city, but it is undeniable that under the tremendous pressure, the city finally began to move from chaos to stillness.

Standing in the command center, watching the intelligence coming in from the front, Li Bang, the battlefield commander, said with a sigh:
"If it were in Pubei, you would probably never resort to such means."

Hearing his words, Chen Chen nodded, and then replied:

"of course not."

"The situation in Syria, especially in Raqqa, is fundamentally different from that in Pubei. To put it simply, most of the residents in Pubei are unconvertible 'troublemakers'."

"But here, most of the residents are 'bandits' who can be converted."

"They don't accept soft policies. If you want to suppress them and make them convinced, you can only use the highest intensity of authority."

"This is a hidden danger left by the French. To be honest, the French also played an indispensable role in Syria's current state."

"French?"

Li Bang asked subconsciously:

“Do they have a history here?”

"Of course there is - this was the most important battlefield before and after World War I."

"You think the Syrian civil war is the first? Wrong, this is just history repeating itself."

"There is nothing new under the sun. What changes is only the so-called 'form'."

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

"Help me contact Suhail and see what the situation is like over there."

"understand!"

As soon as Chen Chen finished speaking, Li Bang immediately turned around and carried out the order.

Chen Chen turned his head and looked at Xia Xing, and said:
"Two things."

"First, our equipment needs to be replenished and repaired."

“Second, the airport needs to be renovated.”

"These things need to be completed within three days, because the opponent's offensive is likely to start within three days."

"Three days?"

Xia Xing asked subconsciously, and Chen Chen frowned slightly and said:

"Is there a problem?"

"No."

Xia Xing shook his head and replied:

"Your request is fine. My question is, how can they launch another attack within three days?" "Their main force was almost wiped out by you. It's probably not that easy for these people to reorganize, right?"

"They don't need 4000 people anymore."

Chen Chen sighed softly, then said:
“The reason why so many JD elements were organized to confront us head-on was because the United States and Syria were still in a ceasefire period.”

"They must actually capture a city, so that they can consolidate their position before the battle on the main battlefield ends."

"But now that the United States has intervened, why should they be in such a hurry?"

"As long as the government falls, the entire Raqqa and the entire Hasakah land will belong to them."

"So, intensive harassment and small-scale conflicts are the mainstream."

“They will try to capture all the towns outside Raqqa and gradually surround us.”

"And what we have to do is to break their strategy."

".That sounds familiar."

"More than familiar."

Chen Chen shook his head with a hint of amusement and said jokingly:

"Didn't you hear that joke about the street vendor? The Taliban have read your book."

"Of course, ISIS probably read it too."

"Stop it. It would be an overstep to say anything more."

Xia Xing quickly interrupted Chen Chen, who immediately shut up, turned around and walked to his map to study the subsequent tactics.

His strategy is very simple, in one sentence, each village fights on its own.

There are nearly 20 important towns and villages around Raqqa.

None of these towns can be lost. If one is lost, a chain reaction will occur.

Therefore, all of his more than 1,000 troops must be deployed, led by the elite troops of the Dongfeng Corps, to fight a massive blocking war.
-
If it was before the battle of Ahashiri, Chen Chen would never have chosen such a strategy.

Because as long as the enemy gathers together, they can easily annihilate the defenders one by one.

However, the situation on the battlefield is so magical.

The heavy blow dealt by the Dongfeng Corps in Ahashiri completely shattered the possibility of the JD armed forces organizing large-scale operations in the short term, and also won Chen Chen a broader strategic choice space.

This time, as long as the Dongfeng Corps can withstand the opponent's harassment, its mission will be basically completed.

As for the final "cleaning", it will be up to Suhail to launch an offensive from the rear, from the "inside" of the enemy.
Meanwhile, inside the JSOC office.

Craven looked unusually relaxed, still smoking a cigar while listening to his deputy's report. But this time, he rarely interrupted and listened quietly to the end of the report.

".So overall, our offensive in Syria has achieved the desired results."

"The enemy's air power has been almost completely destroyed, and the battle in northern Aleppo is moving in the direction we hoped."

"The only thing that surprised us was that Tabka Air Force Base did not suffer a fatal blow and their aircraft were still able to take off and land normally."

"From the satellite images, it seems that the other side completed the repair of the runway within an hour after the attack. I don't need to say anything about this speed. You know which side it belongs to."

"Indeed."

Craven nodded slowly, then asked:

"So, the other party is determined to leave?"

"That's not enough."

The deputy quickly shook his head. Regarding this sensitive issue, he would never dare to make any "emotional" judgment, even in front of his own people or behind closed doors.

After coughing, he continued:

“Although some new types of equipment have indeed appeared on the battlefield in Raqqa province, the sources of these equipment can basically be determined.”

"They have done a good job in terms of 'formal compliance', and we cannot use this as evidence to question anything."

"However, having said that, after the arrival of this batch of new equipment, the strength of the enemy we are concerned about has also been greatly enhanced."

"They can control the air force of Tabka Air Force Base and are supported by Russia. At the same time, they have a large number of light and heavy weapons, armored vehicles, and have gained command of the Tiger Corps, which has expanded to more than a thousand people."

"In the future, once they clear out the JD forces in northern Syria and gain various 'rights' over the region, their influence will be incomparable to what it is now."

"It's hard to imagine that three years ago, they were a mercenary group that no one would even look at."

"And now, their momentum is even stronger than Hamas and Ansar Allah."

"You know, both groups have political aspirations."

"It is incredible that the Dongfeng Corps has achieved this without any government, political demands, or even a program."

“That’s what’s so clever about them – they only make black gloves, and they do it really well.”

Craven sighed with emotion, and then said:
“I hope they continue to do this.”

"I'm not worried about them becoming another Wagner, I'm only worried about them becoming the next AA."

“Because of our strategic setbacks in Syria, the AA has taken full control of northeastern Yemen two years faster than we expected.”

"Amran, Al Jawf, Hajjah, the Red Sea. It's a headache."

"If we lose Raqqa and Hasakah, this game will really be unplayable."

“So maybe the French are right.”

“At some point, they really were more farsighted than we were.”

Craven finished speaking, and the adjutant nodded silently.

In fact, he was very clear about the deal he had made with France, and he was also very clear about why the "mistakes" made by the other side could be easily forgiven.

Of course, from a personal point of view, he really doesn't have much good face to give to such "compromise".

But apart from compromise, what other options do we have?

At the very least, we must first overcome the current difficulties and resolve the Syrian issue as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if things drag on for longer and longer, when all the anti-American forces in this land rise up, we will be in real trouble.

Hamas has begun launching large-scale rocket attacks on Israel, and the AA is threatening to blockade the Red Sea.

Not to mention the recently famous Holy City Brigade. Taking advantage of the "vacuum period" after Andrea's death, they have organized various assassination operations without stopping for a moment.
The entire Middle East has become a mess.
-
The root cause of the rapid deterioration of the situation was the mercenary group.

The adjutant sighed and closed the report in his hand.

He knew that the decisive battle between the two sides was imminent.

With the cover of ISIS, a large special forces force has once again entered northern Syria.

This time, he believed that the commander of the Dongfeng Corps would not be able to escape again.
(End of this chapter)