I work as a mercenary in northern Myanmar

Just as the signal flag was launching the final campaign against 24 STS, tens of thousands of kilometers away, in the JSOC office, the expression on McRaven's face was so gloomy that he could almost drip with water.

He had just received a battle report from the front line. What he never expected was that this special force that he was so proud of would actually be trapped in that city and unable to get out!

The Free Army's armored assault has failed. The attack from the 104th Airborne Brigade cut off the Free Army's team in the middle, cutting the relatively fast armored troops and infantry into two parts.

Only a small number of infantrymen who followed the battle at close range entered the city, but the role they could play was too limited.

War still has to be fought by people.

In many cases, what this sentence means is not that "the weapons used in war need to be controlled by people", but that "no battle can exist without infantry."

Yes, after entering the 21st century, the presence of light infantry on the battlefield is getting weaker and weaker.

What everyone sees are advanced stealth fighter jets, heavily armored tanks, powerful artillery, and missiles that can defeat enemies thousands of miles away.

But in fact, in order to completely destroy an army's resistance ability, in the final analysis, infantry units must be used to clear the field.

the reason is simple:

All heavy weapons cannot be accurate enough to kill people. An elephant may easily destroy an ant nest, but it is impossible to trample all the ants inside.

But now, the government troops in Tal Rifaat have become ants that cannot be trampled to death.

The "Guards" under the leadership of Issam showed a fighting will and determination that was absolutely different from other ordinary teams. Even though they had suffered more than 20% casualties, they did not show any signs of collapse, and even became worse and worse as they fought. fierce.

By the time he read the battle report, the soldiers of the 104th Armored Brigade who had lost their vehicles had already begun charging with rocket launchers.

Under such crushing military morale, the Free Army quickly began to retreat.

Although they have not completely given up the positions they have gained and have not withdrawn from Tal Rifaat, the focus of their operations has changed to "holding the position and insisting on defense."

This was completely different from McRaven's plan.

Are you kidding?

The reason why I provide air cover for your attack is so that you can quickly enter the city in a blitzkrieg manner and assist the members of 24 STS in the evacuation!

Now, you relied on air strikes to gain territory in Tal Rifaat, but you started to stop moving forward, and you just closed in when you were good? !

Where are my people? Just leave my people there and ignore them?

McRaven had seen many people who took money and did nothing, but this was indeed the first time that this happened to him.

Taking a deep breath, McRaven looked at the intelligence adjutant waiting aside, and then asked:

"What's the current situation of 24 STS?"

"It is still relatively stable. The government forces are tired of dealing with the attacks by the Free Army and have no plans to shrink the encirclement for the time being."

"They retreated into cover and are safe for now."

"However, they also face the biggest risk, and that is the signal flag that has just joined the battlefield."

"These people are different from the Syrian government forces. They have sufficient, advanced and applicable equipment, and they also have a lot of experience in urban street fighting."

"More importantly, they know us very well and understand our support methods and air strike targets."

"So, it's hard for me to say that air strikes can cause much resistance to them, unless the entire area is flattened, otherwise."

"But our people are still inside."

McRaven interrupted the adjutant, who sighed and continued:

"Yes, our people are still inside."

"And what's worse is that the drone has completely lost sight of the signal flag. Like the STS, they are hiding and waiting for an opportunity."

"In this case, it is impossible for our team to try to make any unnecessary actions that may be exposed, because once exposed, the signal flag will bite them and then start attacking at any cost."

“These Russians really don’t seem to take their own lives seriously.”

After the words fell, McRaven sneered, shook his head, and replied:

"It's not that they don't take their own lives seriously, it's the KGB that instilled in them the concept that the mission is above all else."

"FUCK, this is our creed, but for some reason, we just can't do it as well as they do!"

At this point, McRaven's expression became a little helpless, but after a moment, he continued:

"Maybe it's because we've always been too successful."

"This team has not encountered any major setbacks since its establishment. This has caused many recruits and even many veterans to have misconceptions."

"Seriously, we have to get them used to sacrifice."

".You mean, we have to give up the STS members who stayed there?"

The adjutant spoke in shock, but McRaven immediately shook his head.

"How can it be!"

"If we do that, the basis for our mission to be carried out will completely collapse."

"We not only have to rescue them, we also have to do whatever it takes, use all our power, and try to ensure the survival of as many people as possible."

“Maybe it’s time for us to make recommendations to Congress to escalate our ‘engagement’ in Syria.”

"If there are one or two B-52s to assist in the attack, STS will not have such a difficult fight."

"But it's too late now."

The adjutant frowned and continued:

"If you want to apply for an upgrade, the approval process alone will take several days, and the president may not approve it."

"After all, the current situation has reached a certain 'borderline'. If we continue to escalate, we risk falling into a full-scale war."

"No."

McRaven interrupted the adjutant again and then said:

"Your conclusion is right, but your argument is wrong."

“It’s really impossible for Congress and the president to approve an upgrade, not because of Russia, but because of the North.”

"How can Russia fight a full-scale war with us? They are no longer the Soviet Union during the Cold War."

"The problem now is that the people in the north have not made too radical statements on the Syrian issue so far, and we don't want them to do so."

"In short, the situation is very complicated and we have to think of other solutions."

“Let the Department of Defense speak out?”

The adjutant asked coldly, and McRaven raised his head suddenly and stared into his eyes.

"You'd better not think so."

"The situation has not yet developed to the point where we must declare war. Blindly using political means at this time will send our soldiers to death."

"No matter what, let's try to communicate with the Free Army first."

"We can't make a deal with the Syrian government forces, and they won't make a deal with us at this time, but maybe the Free Army can."

On the other side, Tyler Rifat.

The six-man Dongfeng Corps, which had completed the task of blocking the Free Army infantry, had separated from Suhail's Lion Corps and returned to the city of Tal Rifaat.

However, they did not return directly to the shelter at this time, because Chen Chen knew that his mission was far from over.

His purpose is to kill the STS and make the United States truly feel the pain on this land. At this time, 24 STS are not dead yet, how can he let go?

Therefore, even after a high-intensity battle, the six people still rushed to the front line of the battle immediately.

Following the route taken by the signal flag, they successfully bypassed the fighting area between the Free Army and the government forces and entered the besieged area.

They successfully occupied a high-altitude observation point, but unfortunately, the 24 STS had completed their retreat at this time and hid their whereabouts again. Without modern aerial reconnaissance methods, the Dongfeng Corps had no chance of discovering them. traces.

Putting down the thermal imaging telescope in his hand, Chen Chen shook his head slightly disappointedly, and then he said:

"The United States is still the United States. The signal flags were fired fast enough and fiercely enough, and the STS was still able to escape."

"Modern warfare cannot rely solely on a single force. Under the premise of systematic operations, their error tolerance rate is too high."

Hearing Chen Chen's words, Li Gang also frowned.

After a moment of silence, he asked:

"Do we still have a chance to kill 24 STS?"

Chen Chen shook his head slightly and replied:

"There's no answer to that question."

"It should be said that judging from historical experience, there have been cases of U.S. special forces being surrounded and annihilated."

"However, those cases often have certain particularities and cannot be used as a basis for judgment."

"Most of the time, no matter what the situation, their troops can still withdraw smoothly."

"Previously in Iraq, there was even a case where hundreds of militants surrounded four Rangers, and they finally escaped."

"So, if you ask me if there is a chance, I can only tell you that there is a chance, but the chance is not great anymore."

"We have already tried it. When intelligence, firepower, and even the number of high-combat personnel are fully dominant, the damage caused by signal flags to them is extremely limited."

"That means we've almost hit the ceiling."

"Next, unless the Syrian government forces really become ruthless and drive them out like rats at any cost, all we can do is wait."

"Wait until the next time they make a mistake, the next time they act out of impulse."

"Only then can we possibly kill them."

As soon as the words fell, everyone present felt an inexplicable emotion in their hearts.

This emotion should not be said to be "disappointment" or "powerlessness", but a sense of relief after seeing the facts.

Yes, the Dongfeng Corps has done everything it can to the extreme, but even so, it can only barely tie with STS.

This made them realize their "weakness" for the first time, and they saw more clearly the direction that the Eastern Corps should choose.

——

Of course, the more this happens, the more eager they are for this victory.

It's like a top boxer who is still in the lightweight category is eager to use his skills to defeat heavyweight opponents.

So at this moment, no one wants to back down.

On the contrary, after Chen Chen clearly expressed the judgment that "the chance is slim", their brains became more active.

"Can we predict the other party's subsequent plans in advance? Will the United States continue to organize rescues?"

The first person to speak was Yang Shu. As an experienced veteran of the Dongfeng Corps, he had begun to learn to think about problems with predictive thinking.

"It is certain that we will continue to organize rescue operations, and it is very likely that within a short period of time, the other party will upgrade its rescue methods."

"Now, they are only dispatching the air force owned by the Turkish military, but next, they are likely to dispatch B-2, B-52, and other more advanced ground armor forces."

"At that time, they will not only be trying to 'save 24 STS', they will work directly towards the goal of winning Tallifat."

"Then what can we do to stop it?"

Yang Shu continued to ask.

"There is no way."

Chen Chen shook his head and replied:

"Once the B-52s appear, we don't need to hesitate. We will immediately withdraw from Tal Rifaat and retreat to Aleppo. Do you understand?"

"clear."

Yang Shu nodded solemnly, and then said with some emotion:

"It's really difficult to find their location. Even if we find them, we can't annihilate them quickly. And if time goes by and their air support arrives, our whereabouts will be exposed, and we may die faster than them." ”

"This is like a deadlock. We have to compete with them for speed, find them as soon as possible, and kill them as soon as possible. But no matter how we think about it, we don't have the ability."

"What a pity, why is this Syria?"

"It would be great if it was Pubei."

"It's a besieged area of ​​less than 3 square kilometers. If it doesn't work, I will burn it all with one fire."

"But here, even if you want to set a fire, it's unlikely that it will burn."

His words revealed a bit of disappointment, but Chen Chen's eyes suddenly lit up.

Yes, the two biggest problems facing our side now are actually nothing more than "discovery" and "annihilation".

With their own equipment level and conventional combat methods, there is no way they can achieve these two conditions.

but

What if it is not a conventional means of combat?

What if there was a way to directly bypass the "discovery" condition and focus only on "annihilation"?

Just like Yang Shu said, if it were in Pubei, people like the Dongfeng Corps would undoubtedly choose to simply burn this place to a scorched earth.

There is indeed no condition for setting fire in Syria, but "setting fire" is not the only way to achieve the same effect.

Thinking of this, Chen Chen took a deep breath.

Then, he spoke:

"I know what to do."

"We can really think of other ways - more efficient ways."

"But before that, I have to talk to Xiaoyu first."

"Yes, I still have to talk to the signal flag people, and maybe the SVR people."