I work as a mercenary in northern Myanmar.

Chapter 569 Reasonable Plan

After the follow-up plan was determined, the mission of the Dongfeng Corps was finally finalized.

The large-scale battlefield has nothing to do with the Dongfeng Corps. Chen Chen’s work is precisely divided into three parts.

The first part is the recruitment and training in Tell Tamir.

The Jackal, who had followed Suhail before and had some experience, got the hang of it quickly. Although there was a language barrier, with the help of the translator left by Suhail, there was basically no problem with communication.

The work that Chen Chen was most worried about, such as value output and emotional incitement during the conscription process, did not exist at all. After all, in the current environment in Syria, the enemy's bombing and artillery fire were the best political commissars.

In two days, the number of militiamen under the Jackal has reached more than 100, and the speed of increase is still accelerating.

The momentum was good, so Chen Chen simply became a hands-off boss and stopped interfering.

He focused most of his energy on the second part of the job, which was to look for opportunities to fight.

According to Suhail's feedback, the first batch of Conqueror missiles will arrive in Syria within three days and land in Damascus.

How to use this batch of missiles to exert the greatest deterrent power has become a problem that must be solved.

The stuff was bought by Chen Chen, so of course Chen Chen can launch it onto the battlefield at will, hit the city of Raqqa, and throw it over the heads of the Turkish army, letting them also taste the feeling of being bombed.

This will definitely deal a heavy blow to them, but the problem is that the "deterrent effect" of doing so will definitely not meet the minimum standard set by Chen Chen.

War is a matter of great cost and hidden costs, so missiles obtained at great cost should be used to their full potential.

Therefore, Chen Chen did not make a decision based on his own thinking. Instead, he buried his head in the temporary command center for more than ten hours, studying the war situation in Syria while considering specific attack plans.

".The current situation is relatively clear."

"Syria can be divided into three main battlefields. The first main battlefield is Aleppo; the second main battlefield is Raqqa; and the third main battlefield is Damascus."

“Although Damascus has seen frequent conflicts and fighting, and has attracted considerable international attention and influence, in reality, the fighting here is mainly sporadic fighting between government forces and the opposition, including the Free Army.”

"It looked like a lively fight, but in fact the intensity was very low. According to our standards, it was at most the level of the armed police force being deployed."

"So, we don't need to consider this battlefield at all. It should be eliminated first."

"Then there are only two options left."

“Aleppo, or Raqqa.”

Having said this, Chen Chen paused for a moment, and Li Bang on the side continued:
"The situation in Aleppo has become clearer. The defense line of Tell Rifaat is stable, and the Free Army has retreated to the border. The next step is probably to have a long-term confrontation with the government forces, and then rely on Turkey to try to open up the situation."

"If we were to use missiles here, it wouldn't make much sense."

"Be conservative. Fighting on this side of the border will have no deterrent effect."

"If we act more radically and attack Turkey, it may trigger a massive retaliation from them."

"Turkey is different from the United States. They are under too much domestic pressure. Coupled with the previous anti-Iranian film incident, their emotions urgently need an outlet. If they are pushed to the limit, they will really send a large army to the border."

"After all, there are voices on the Internet saying that the incident was actually directed by Syria."

“They’re right to say that.”

Chen Chen shook his head with a hint of amusement and replied:

"We did it, but it was done for the benefit of Syria, so they have to take the blame."

“However, the main consideration for whether to use it in Aleppo is not Turkey, but the Free Army.”

"The key point is, how long can they continue to roam around, and whether they are worth a few missiles to persuade them to retreat."

"My personal judgment is that it is not worth it. Fundamentally speaking, these people are just chess pieces, and they are the pawns that are sacrificed to start the game."

"After Turkey joined the war, the situation has already opened up. It doesn't make much sense for us to target this pawn."

“So, the final decision still has to fall on Raqqa.”

“The struggle here is the most complex, with the most forces involved and NATO’s involvement the deepest.”

"If they have seven inches, then the seven inches must be here."

“The question is how do we find it?”

After the words were spoken, everyone in the temporary command center fell silent.

After a moment, Yang Shu said:
"From what I understand, their Achilles' heel definitely cannot be the Turkish army."

"DEVGRU, outside the law, 1er PRIMa, is their Achilles' heel."

"If we have to fight, we're going to fight them."

"So the most critical task is to identify their activity area and carry out a precise bombing?"

"Yes."

Chen Chen nodded with satisfaction. He could feel that most of the members of this old team under him had begun to grow up.

Even Yang Shu, who has never entered the core decision-making level, already has the ability of macro analysis.

This is a good sign - if I continue to develop, I might really be able to retreat to the second line.

So he continued to ask:
"If you were asked to find it, where would you start?"

Hearing Chen Chen's words, Yang Shu frowned slightly.

Then he replied:
"Resupply."

"It's impossible for these teams to be active outside all the time. When the war progresses relatively steadily, they will definitely have to report to the base for supplies."

"And the quality of supplies they need is definitely different from that of the Turkish army."

"This could be a breakthrough - but we need more nuanced intelligence."

"Damn, if only we had a mole to use."

“It doesn’t have to be a ghost.”

Li Bang suddenly spoke, interrupting Yang Shu.

"If you can't get closed-source intelligence, you can try open-source intelligence."

"The core issue is that we don't need to deliberately pursue too high accuracy."

"Because this is not a one-time deal."

"We can launch at least 12 missiles at a time. As long as one of these 12 missiles hits the real target, our mission will be accomplished."

"So, let Jiang He try."

"His talent in this area is absolutely unmatched. Transferring him over here might be helpful to us?"

"I think so too."

Chen Chen let out a long sigh and continued:
"Go contact Peng Xucheng and Lao Zhu and ask them to find a way to send Jiang He over."

"Understood, I'll do it right away."

"Also, let Peng Xucheng continue to confirm that the route he took to land in Somalia is available."

"Suhail is already communicating with the Russians."

"From their initial feedback, they are very interested in this plan."

"In this case, we have to do some work in advance and not give them the opportunity to regret it."

"Okay, leave it to me!"

Meanwhile, in Khartoum, Sudan.

Inside the presidential palace, then-President Omar al-Bashir sat behind a large desk. On his side was an astonishingly large floor-to-ceiling window, and outside the window was the slowly flowing Nile River.

Bashir stared at the river surface that was glittering like golden scales in the setting sun. After a long time, he finally withdrew his gaze.

Then he turned to the man sitting opposite him and said:
"Mr. Nikonov, I think our negotiations can come to an end for now."

"The price you offer is too high, which is totally unacceptable to me." "To be honest, at this price, instead of purchasing your Su-25, I might as well continue to purchase the Q-5 from the north."

"After all, this aircraft is sufficient to meet our current combat needs. It can even be said that it exceeds our needs."

“And the price they offered was very fair—even including maintenance and production lines, it was less than a third of yours.”

"So, if you really don't intend to continue to lower the price, there is really no need for us to continue talking."

Hearing his words, the Russian named Nikonov nodded slightly and replied:
“It is true that our prices are a bit higher.”

"But, Mr. President, you should know that compared with the Q-5, the Su-25's advantages are obvious."

“Longer range, higher payload, more complete electronic system, and greater scalability.”

“All those advantages aside, we just consider the range.”

"The theoretical range of the J-2000 is 300 kilometers, but in the case of low-altitude penetration, the actual combat radius is only kilometers at most."

"Perhaps in the early stages of a conflict, this range would be sufficient to combat insurgents within the country."

"But now, North and South Sudan have been divided, and the battlefield you are facing has also changed."

"From now on, every action you take will be a 'foreign combat operation'."

“Your battlefield cannot be limited to Malakal, it cannot be limited to Darfur, but will continue to extend southward.”

"Mr. President, when you need to bomb Juba, do you think the Q-5 will be enough?"

“This is a very real problem and one you have to consider.”

As Nikonov finished speaking, Bashir's eyes instantly became sharper.

He did not answer immediately, but looked Nikonov straight in the eye and said:
"You are such a warmonger."

"Mr. Nikonov, if what you said today is recorded, the next day you will be on the American sanctions list like me."

"Indeed."

Nikonov nodded slowly and replied:

"But I believe that these words will only come between you and me."

"Otherwise, a simple equipment trade wouldn't give me the chance to talk to you face to face."

".You are very smart."

Bashir's expression relaxed a little. After deliberately pausing for a few seconds, he continued to ask:
“Is there no room for further price reduction?”

“I mean, we can buy in large quantities.”

"And, on some issues, we can also make concessions."

“Ports, oil fields, and more long-term benefits.”

"You should have a good talk with your real boss about these things, right?"

Bashir's tone was slightly questioning, and it was obvious that he did not fully trust the authority of the "arms dealer" in front of him.

But Nikonov was not at all disturbed by such doubts. He just nodded slightly and replied:

"In fact, I've already talked about it."

"Based on the conditions you can offer now, there are only so many goods we can deliver."

"If you want more, you must show greater sincerity."

"If you are sincere enough, we can provide not only the Su-25, but also the Su-27."

As soon as the words "Su-27" came out of his mouth, Bashir's eyes lit up for a moment.

But in a very short time, he quickly suppressed his emotions and asked:
"What do you want? A port?"

"The port can be used as a trade-off for cheaper Su-25s."

"What about the Su-27?"

“That requires more sincerity.”

"Oil fields? If we can reclaim the land in the south, I can promise you exclusive rights to operate more than 20% of the oil fields there."

"Not enough. Mr. President, from an economic point of view, you should be very clear that the exploitation value of the oil fields there is not as great as most people think."

".We have nothing else to exchange."

There was a hint of obvious disappointment in Bashir's tone, and he didn't even try to hide it.

This is actually not difficult to understand.

In Sudan, he is indeed a strong man, but in front of Russia, he can only be an inferior who begs for "alms".

Even in front of an agent, he cannot take the absolute initiative.

After seeing his reaction, Nikonov's eyes flashed with relief.

He knew that his fish had been hooked.

Next, it’s time to really get down to business.

So, he opened his mouth and said:
"In fact, you have something to exchange."

"what?"

Bashir asked immediately.

"position."

"Your position is worth much more than the oil fields."

".You want me to completely abandon my relationship with the United States?"

"That's not the case."

Nikonov shook his head and continued:

"But within limits, we need you to do something to show your resolve."

"Mr. President, please note that everything I say next does not exist."

"But if you can be a little more proactive, I can guarantee that what you gain will definitely exceed your imagination."

".I see."

Bashir sat up straight and looked like he was listening attentively.

Nikonov did not keep the question secret, but went straight to the point:
"I need you to launch an attack from the Red Sea against the USS Eisenhower carrier formation."

After the words fell, Bashir was stunned.

He stared into Nikonov's eyes for a long time, until he was sure that the other party was not joking, then he asked in disbelief:
"Are you guys crazy?!"

"We can't do such a thing, no matter what!"

"That would be suicidal, us."

"Of course you can't."

Nikonov interrupted Bashir and said:
“It could have been an accident.”

“The AQTN (Al-Qaeda in the Two Niles) training camp is still near Wadi Halfa, isn’t it?”

"They have killed USAID diplomats and bombed American warships."

"Now, if they accidentally grab a few missiles from you..."

"It makes sense to try to bomb the carrier, right?"

(End of this chapter)