Chapter 1338
: Take action personally
Chapter 1338: Take action personally
After finishing his call with Major General Duke, Song Heping did not put the satellite phone back on the table.
All the fragments of information were quickly pieced together, reorganized, and analyzed in his mind, leading to the only feasible course of action.
The US military could not intervene directly, the CIA lacked sufficient resources, and the internal situation within the Kold's Army was unclear.
To stop this impending patricide coup that could ignite the entire northern region of Iligo, he must personally intervene and utilize his core resources to carry out a precise rescue.
But first, he needs to move from Baghdad to the tactical front line close to the operational area as quickly as possible.
Time is the most precious and urgent resource at this moment.
Without hesitation, he picked up the satellite phone again.
The phone was picked up quickly.
Duke's voice came through: "Song? What's up?"
Song Heping called back as soon as he hung up the phone, and he seemed a little surprised.
"I need to get to Hurmatu immediately; this has to be done personally. I must be there within an hour. Can you arrange that?"
"No problem, I will provide all the resources you need without reservation, as long as I have them."
Duke didn't hesitate at all.
“MH-60M ‘Pave Hawk’, a ‘grey’ crew from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, fifteen minutes later, at the North Point Helicopter Landing Pad in the Green Zone.”
"Tell the crew I will arrive on time."
"Understood. I'll coordinate. They'll be waiting for you at the H1 landing pad. Best of luck, Song."
"give it to me."
After ending the brief but information-rich call, Song Heping immediately began packing his few personal belongings.
A tactical backpack contains a portable command terminal, a multi-band encrypted radio, a spare battery, a basic set of personal survival gear, and a Glock 19 pistol with a silencer.
Just as he zipped up his backpack, there was a rhythmic knock on the door—three short knocks followed by one long one.
It's one of our own.
Song Heping went over and opened the door.
The door slid open, and Samir appeared in the doorway.
"boss."
Samir walked in, closed the door behind him, and lowered his voice.
"Outside... the atmosphere seems off. The US military communications center is brightly lit, and patrols have increased. I heard that in Erbil..."
He paused, not continuing, because he saw the backpack on Song Heping's bed.
"Barzani is about to take action against Massoud, or he is about to take action soon."
Song Heping did not hide anything. He returned to the bedside, stuffed the last piece of equipment into his backpack, and told Samir the situation in the simplest language.
"The coup is happening today. The location is a hilly area near Kirkuk along Highway 1."
Samir gasped, immediately realizing the gravity of the situation.
"If Massoud dies..."
"Kold will be engulfed in civil war, Kirkuk will be a sea of fire, your reorganization plan and that of your troops will be put on hold indefinitely, and you may even be made a scapegoat."
Song Heping picked up where he left off.
"Therefore, he cannot die. I must go to Kirkuk to handle this personally."
"You're going yourself? That's too dangerous! Barzani definitely has a large force in that area..."
“It is precisely because he has a large force that a large-scale mobilization would alert him. I need a small but precise ‘scalpel’ to cut out the tumor before anyone can react.”
Song Heping slung his backpack over his shoulder, walked up to Samir, and patted him on the shoulder.
“Samir, after I leave, you'll be on your own in Baghdad. Stay calm and act like nothing happened. Continue to deal with Yusuf and the Interior Ministry, and push forward your reorganization agenda. Pay special attention to the movements of those fence-sitters in Parliament. If… I mean if, I succeed on my side, and Massoud is safe and sound, then your biggest political obstacle will be gone, and the chances of your major general rank and the formal incorporation of the ‘Liberation Forces’ will greatly increase in the Iligo Parliament.”
Samir straightened his back, his eyes brimming with gratitude.
“I understand, boss. I'll keep a close watch on Baghdad. Please… be extremely careful. Should I contact Abuyu in advance?”
"No need. I will contact Jiang Feng directly. Your current task is to play your role as the 'local armed forces commander who is about to be incorporated' well, and do not have any unusual contact with Kirkuk to avoid arousing suspicion."
Song Heping glanced at his wristwatch.
"It's time. Take me to the H1 landing pad."
Fifteen minutes later.
Baghdad Green Zone, H1 landing pad.
This is one of the few hardened areas in the Green Zone that can accommodate the take-off and landing of medium-sized helicopters. It is usually used for the rapid transfer of senior coalition officials.
At this moment, most of the lights along the edge of the field are off, with only a few low-intensity trackside lights providing a dim, yellowish light that is barely enough to see the ground.
The night wind, carrying the moisture of the Tigris River and the coolness of the desert, swept by.
A black Chevrolet Suburban SUV with no markings silently glided to a stop at the edge of the landing pad.
Song Heping and Samir got off the bus one after the other.
Soon, a black silhouette that almost blended into the night appeared in the low sky.
The arriving aircraft was an MH-60M Pave Hawk special operations helicopter.
It nimbly entered the field sideways, hovered steadily several meters above the ground, and then gently landed in the designated parking position.
The downdraft stirred up by the rotors whipped up a cloud of dust, making it almost impossible for people to open their eyes.
The Pave Hawk is entirely matte black, with its short wings on both sides of the fuselage empty, but the weapon hardpoints are clearly visible.
The multi-mode radar dome under the nose and the antenna arrays throughout the fuselage demonstrate that it is not an ordinary transport helicopter.
The cabin door slid open, and a crew member dressed in a dark flight suit and wearing night vision goggles leaned out and gestured in Song Heping's direction.
Song Heping turned to Samir.
The two stared at each other amidst the howling wind and swirling dust.
"Leave it here, Samir."
Song Heping raised his voice so that the other party could hear him clearly.
"boss!"
Samir stepped forward and shook Song Heping's hand firmly. His palm was broad and strong, but it was a little damp at the moment.
"May God bless you! I await your good news!"
"Take care of yourself, and consult with Yusuf if anything happens. You're good at fighting, but your cousin Yusuf is better at politics than you."
Song Heping shook hands with Samir in return.
"Remember, no matter what news you hear, stay calm. The winds of Baghdad always blow towards the side with the strongest."
After saying that, he didn't hesitate any longer. He turned around, bent down, and rushed towards the open door of the helicopter, braving the strong downdraft.
The crew members inside the cabin reached out and pulled him up. Almost as soon as he boarded, the cabin door closed quickly.
Samir retreated to a safe distance and watched as the black Pave Hawk gracefully took off, climbed rapidly, then nose-down and sped into the dark northern night sky, quickly disappearing into the vast darkness.
Inside the cabin of the MH-60M "Pave Hawk".
Local time: 01:30.
The cabin has undergone simplified modifications; the standard seats have been removed, and folding canvas stools are placed on both sides, with the central space used for loading cargo or personnel.
The bulkhead is covered with sound-absorbing material, making the noise level inside the cabin much lower than that of a regular Black Hawk.
Apart from Song Heping, there were only two pilots and a machine gunner on board. Everyone was silent and focused on their duties.
Song Heping put on the noise-canceling headphones provided by the crew, and the pilot's calm announcement came through: "SIR, heading 035, estimated flight time is one hour and ten minutes. If you feel unwell, please let us know."
"Understood. Thank you, I don't get airsick."
Song Heping gave a brief response.
He fastened his seatbelt, secured his backpack at his feet, then took out his ruggedized tablet and connected it to the temporary tactical data interface provided by the helicopter via a physical data cable.
The screen lit up, and using the port, password, and temporary ID provided by Duke, after a brief handshake, the real-time intelligence data stream provided by the US military began to pour in.
Despite the flight, the data link maintained a relatively stable connection thanks to the helicopter relay.
The screen is divided into several windows:
Window A (Real-time Satellite Imagery): Displays the helicopter's approximate current location and planned flight path. Window B (Target Area Surveillance): Focuses on the hilly area along Highway 1. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery is overlaid with infrared imagery.
On the cliff tops on both sides of the canyon, the red heat source signals representing the ambushers were still clear and relatively still.
No new troops or unusual movements were detected.
Window C (Masood Residence Area): Heat signals indicate that the engines of several vehicles near the residence's garage are continuously in a low-power preheating state, but the vehicles are not moving.
Inside the main building of the official residence, the distribution of thermal signals of people differed from the usual nighttime pattern, suggesting that more people were concentrated in a few rooms.
Window D (Barzani's troops' movements): About 30 kilometers west of Kirkuk, a mechanized column of about battalion size is resting at a temporary field camp, but the engines are not completely shut off and it is ready to depart at any time.
The situation did not worsen further, but the crisis was not over.
Everything depends on the time difference.
Song Heping closed the general intelligence screen and retrieved the professional terrain analysis data stored on his local device.
He focused his research on the cliff face on the west side of the hill.
According to the data, the western cliff is the steepest, with an average slope of over 65 degrees, but it is not completely smooth.
Millions of years of weathering and rain erosion have left countless vertical cracks, protruding ridges, and small platforms on the rock face.
Some of the deeper cracks even provide partial cover.
The rock is mainly composed of limestone, which is relatively solid, but there may be loose gravel on the surface.
He needs a route that can lead a team of thirty people, each carrying about 25-30 kilograms of equipment, to secretly climb to the top of the cliff at night.
This requires excellent climbing skills, physical strength, and prior knowledge of the route or precise real-time guidance.
At the same time, he marked several points that he thought could be used.
A preliminary climbing route gradually became clear in his mind: starting from the bottom of a relatively lush ravine on the west side of the canyon, using a zigzag rock fissure system to ascend, resting and adjusting at three larger platforms along the way, and finally climbing to the top from a cliff edge obscured by boulders.
The total elevation difference is about 45 meters, and the climbing time is estimated to be around 30 minutes.
But this is only Plan A.
He must prepare Plan B: if he is discovered during the climb, or if there are hidden sensors or sentries on the cliff top, then it may be necessary to have a sniper carry out a precise long-range elimination, or a small team to launch a strong attack.
Plan C: If the climb fails, or the enemy ambush position is located beyond expectations, it may be necessary to find an approach route from the bottom of the canyon or other directions on the flank, but that means longer exposure time and greater uncertainty.
A good special forces commander never develops fewer than two backup plans.
Just as he was going over the details again, the pilot's voice came through the headset again: "Sir, we are about to enter the Hurmatu area. We will descend in five minutes and proceed to the designated landing site. Please prepare for landing."
After an unknown amount of time, Song Heping finally finished collecting and reviewing the data. He put away his tablet, rubbed his eyes, and looked out the porthole.
In the distance, a faint, regularly flashing infrared beacon appeared on the horizon—that was the landing site guidance signal set up by Jiang Feng.
The Pave Hawk began to descend, and the roar of its engines grew deeper.
The helicopters nimbly weaved through the hills, making full use of the terrain for cover.
Song Heping could feel obvious overload and jolts.
Two minutes later, the helicopter made a light side slide and landed steadily on a flat sandy area in Hurmatu.
The rotor slowly stopped spinning, and the loud noise quickly diminished into the sound of wind.
The hatch slid open, and a dry, cool desert night breeze rushed in.
Song Heping unbuckled his seatbelt, picked up his backpack, nodded to the crew, and then jumped off the helicopter.
The hatch closed swiftly behind him, the engines started up again, and the Pave Hawk quickly took off and disappeared into the night sky it had come from, as if it had never existed.
ten minutes later.
The temporary command post codenamed "Sandstone" in the Hurmatu region.
Local time: 02:50.
"Old squad leader, had a safe journey?"
Jiang Feng came forward and took the bag from Song Heping's hand.
He was wearing standard desert camouflage combat uniform, his face was covered in camouflage paint, and his eyes gleamed with excitement in the darkness.
"Everything's going well. Has the situation changed?"
As Song Heping walked, he asked questions, and the two quickly headed toward a semi-underground command post nearby, where a faint light shone through.
"No major changes. The main force of the Abuyu Brigade is still on the southern defense line of Kirkuk, and Barzani's troops are still gathering, with no signs of an attack for the time being. The 'rats' (referring to the ambush squad) on the other side of the canyon haven't moved either."
Jiang Feng quickly reported.
"As per your instructions, the initial screening of personnel has been completed. I selected twenty of the best from the First and Second Battalions, and Abuyu sent fifteen from his 'Mountain Eagle' company, making a total of thirty-five people. They are currently undergoing further evaluation and equipment adaptation. Abuyu himself is also here, waiting for you to start the meeting."
The temporary operations command center is quite spacious and has been divided into several functional areas.
Inside the largest cavern, more than thirty soldiers were sitting or standing, the atmosphere solemn. They wore different types of combat uniforms; some were checking their weapons, some were talking in hushed tones, and some were silently wiping their equipment.
Upon seeing Song Heping and Jiang Feng enter, everyone stopped what they were doing, stood up in unison, and focused their attention on Song Heping.
Abuyu stood up from beside the sand table.
"Boss! We've been waiting for you!"
"Time is of the essence, so let's skip the pleasantries."
Song Heping walked straight to the sand table.
The sand table is a miniature terrain model created based on the latest intelligence. It is highly accurate and even uses different colors to mark the rock hardness and vegetation distribution.
"How are your men's morale and equipment?"
"They are all veterans who have followed me for many years and have fought tough battles."
Abyu's tone turned serious: "Boss, is Massoud really in danger? Barzani dares to betray us..."
"He not only dared to do it, but he already did it."
Song Heping interrupted him, his finger slamming heavily into the red thumbtacks on the sand table that represented the ambush points.
“A elite squad of twelve to fifteen men, all dressed in the uniforms of your Abuyu Brigade, equipped with Soviet-made Kornet anti-tank missiles and sniper rifles, are waiting for Massoud’s convoy to pass by. Once they succeed, you will be the murderer of the Chairman, and Barzani will use the pretext of ‘suppressing the rebellion and seeking revenge’ to call on all of Kold’s armed personnel to fight you. Then he will take the opportunity to declare a state of total war and seize supreme power.”
Abuyu's face turned ashen, and veins bulged on his forehead.
"That vicious jackal! He's Masoud's nephew, after all! How dare he frame me!"
"In the face of politics and power, family ties are sometimes worthless."
Song Heping said coldly, "Anger won't solve anything. The only thing we can do is smash his gun before he pulls the trigger. Call over the people who know this area best; Jiang Feng and I will choose them ourselves."
The next ten minutes were a highly efficient selection process.
Ultimately, Song Heping and Jiang Feng jointly selected 24 people, and together with the two of them and Abuyu, a total of 27 people, formed the core assault team for this operation.
The remaining personnel serve as reserves.
After the selection process, Song Heping gathered the twenty-seven selected individuals in front of the sand table and gave them their first mission briefing.
Our mission codename: 'Silent Dawn'.
Song Heping tapped the ambush points on the sand table with his finger.
"Objective: Before dawn, infiltrate this hilly area, silently eliminate the ambush squad deployed there by Barzani, and then wait for Massoud's convoy to arrive before intercepting it."
"From the moment we leave this base until the mission is completed, we must not be exposed. Any unnecessary noise, light, or communication could lead to mission failure."
"The operation is divided into three steps: First, move to the infiltration point on the west side of the canyon; second, climb the western cliff face to reach the top; third, clear the enemy positions on the eastern cliff top. Jiang Feng commanded the sniper and support teams to provide long-range cover and battlefield surveillance. I led the main assault team to complete the climb and clearing. Brigade Commander Abuyu accompanied the assault team."
"Now, check your watch. Current time: 03:25. 04:00, collect your equipment and do a final check. 04:30, depart on time."
There were no grand pronouncements, no inspiring mobilization.
Only a clear task, stringent requirements, and a tight timeframe.
The selected soldiers had calm eyes and silently processed the instructions. They knew they were about to step onto a death stage where no mistakes were allowed.
After the briefing, everyone immediately dispersed and headed to the equipment storage area.
Song Heping, Jiang Feng, and Abuyu conducted a more detailed tactical simulation, determining the details of the climbing route, communication codes, emergency plans, and how to identify and contact the Masoud convoy if the mission was successful.
Outside the command post, the wilderness of Hurmatu remained shrouded in the deep darkness of night.
A sharp "scalpel" has been sharpened, and there is less than an hour before departure.
First update, 5,000 words.
(End of this chapter)