After contemplating life and death, the couple continued their journey, only stopping when they reached the last monastery, Deir, built high up on the ground.
Similar to the Treasury, this place was once a royal mausoleum before being converted into a monastery by the Romans. It was also a filming location for the movie "Transformers 3" a few years ago.
As a Roman-conquered territory, such architecture was not unique to Joshua in the Middle East.
Standing on the cliff, Xia Yu looked north towards the direction of the Silya, and the Balmila they were trying to capture was also a famous ancient city.
During the repeated tug-of-war between government forces and Essex, numerous temples, theaters, and towers on the ruins were damaged to varying degrees by these extremists.
Since the Arab Empire seized Syria from Byzantium, and through numerous dynastic changes, these ancient buildings have maintained a relatively good degree of integrity. However, in the 21st century, with the outbreak of war, they were destroyed by the Black Army.
One can only lament that extreme theocracy is even more barbaric than feudal theocracy, so the Central Defense Force must take strong measures and send them down to meet the Pearl.
"Splash splash"
Instead of returning to Anman, the group boarded a Black Hawk and went back to Aqaba to reunite with the port staff who remained behind.
They are about to embark on their official journey to Syria to face the challenges of blood and fire, to earn the flowing black gold, to expel the heretics who are incompatible with modern civilization, and to bring stability and peace.
After resting for one night, Xia Yu unfolded the Super Frelon's tail rotor and main rotor the next day, confirmed that the transport helicopter was in good condition, started the engine, and controlled the fuselage to take off from the ground, flying straight towards the northeast of Yue Wei.
Andrei followed closely behind in his Mi-24V. He hadn't brought his Chinook with him on this long trip, and the Super Frelon was sufficient for his needs. Xia Yu also took this opportunity to upgrade the aircraft's avionics.
It was an older model CH-47D, so its flight hours weren't many, but the cockpit hadn't been upgraded to the modern standards of the CH-47F.
So, like the Super Frelon, upgrading to Airbus standards (the manufacturer of the Caracal) would be a good option.
Standards need to be unified!
Helicopters, whether American, Soviet, or old French; whether attack helicopters or transport helicopters, all meet the modern French standards when they arrive at Jihuo Defense.
Fighter jets and transport aircraft tend to use Chinese standards, while both types of tanks are used in ground forces. Infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns tend to be German-made, but the strengths of various systems are also incorporated to improve overall combat effectiveness.
There's no way to provide artillery support for now, because currently only the Soviet Union offers the cheapest prices to its customers.
Otherwise, given the choice, who wouldn't want to use high-end goods?
"Splash splash"
The two aircraft formation flew over the Syrian side of the border, with only endless yellow sand in sight.
When Xia Yu first did his research on this war-torn country, he thought it was similar to the Qing Dynasty, where a small ethnic group ruled a large country, co-opting Christians and ruling over the Sunni population, which made up 80% of the population.
After gaining independence from the colonies, the upper echelons refused to redistribute the benefits, leading to a protracted civil war after decades of accumulating numerous contradictions.
That may have been the case at the beginning, but over the years, the influx of foreign forces and extremist organizations has gradually complicated matters.
Russia, Persia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and the Arab countries led by Shah, none of them have avoided getting involved in this mess.
Some personally participated, while others provided funding and venues to help train the opposition forces. Their only apparent consensus was to beat up Ace's Black Army.
Why do I say "appears"? Because some people are only going through the motions, and this is the case with Lao Mei and the People's Defense Army (YPG) that he supports.
Over the years, they have recently shown some unusual toughness, but their goal is nothing more than the Omar oil field in the hands of extremist groups.
That was the largest oil field in Syria. Before the war, it had a daily production capacity of 80,000 barrels of crude oil, or more than 10,000 tons per day, making it a veritable money-printing machine.
In the years since the Omar oil field fell into the hands of Essais, it has generated huge profits for these extremists, giving them enough financial resources to purchase weapons and equipment, and keep the battle line deadlocked to this day.
Well, to solve the problem, we need to focus on the main contradiction. If we can't take back the oil field ourselves, and it falls into the hands of the old magnesium and the Kurds, some of the crude oil might be sold off, but that would be better than constantly giving Ace Ace a lifeline.
This is also the origin of the meme "Old Magnesium steals oil." The government forces and Russia tacitly acknowledged this, but sorry, we have to spread it around for you.
What does it matter if I lose face a little? The real benefits are what I actually gain.
Of course, there are also voices defending it, saying that the US is an oil-exporting country and has an unknown amount of shale oil!
No matter how much oil is produced domestically, it belongs to the capitalists; no matter how little oil is produced in Syria, it goes into their own pockets.
Honestly, they live life with great clarity. Xia Yu also enjoys dealing with such pragmatic people because as long as you follow their logic, they are truly capable of getting things done.
Why were those Persian F-14s still able to fly? Wasn't that because they were stealing from their own crew?
Therefore, a qualified soldier must not be a businessman and must be subject to strict discipline.
The Chinese people laughed at the stories of the Osaka Division doing business, but from another perspective, it was an absolute tragedy for the Japanese.
After flying for less than 200 kilometers, they finally arrived at the T-4 base near Balmira.
This former government air force base is now the home of the Russian Air Force and also serves as a temporary base for Ghana, located approximately 60 kilometers from Balmira.
Before successfully capturing the civilian airport near Barmira, the fighter jets and transport planes of the Central Fire Defense Force will be deployed here.
However, an hour's drive is still quite far, so there is an outpost camp between the two places for Ghana and the government forces.
Xia Yu and his team came to T-4 to familiarize themselves with the place. The fruit bat and fox bat crews had all moved in, and the ammunition and supplies that the transport convoy brought from Aqaba Port were also unloaded here.
"The first batch of equipment will be prioritized. There are also more than a dozen containers at the port, which can all be transported over within three days."
Flipping through the documents in his hand, Kuhn, who had made multiple trips between the T-4 train and the port of Aqaba over the past few days, briefed Xia Yu on the current situation.
The more equipment you have, the more logistical supplies you can provide.
For example, in this intercontinental deployment by Jihuo Defense, nearly a thousand tons of supplies and equipment were delivered.
This figure was only reduced because all fuel was supplied by the other side. The logistical pressure on heavy combined arms units is just that great. Not to mention ordinary companies, many countries can't manage it.
Xia Yu also relied on cheat codes, management, spending money, and support from his hometown to build the framework and gradually fill in the details.
"No rush. We need at least a week to gather intelligence. During this time, we will only launch probing attacks at most. Keeping everyone in good condition is the most important thing."
He indicated to Kuhn that the shipping schedule could be slowed down.
The defense team doesn't fight unprepared battles; they need to figure out the specific deployment of these Ace's headquarters personnel within Balmira City.
The Afica Sahel branch, the Az faction, has not performed as well as the Al-Qaeda faction, although its main branch has earned a notorious reputation in Syria in recent years.
Besides repaying Old Ye's favor, Xia Yu also wanted to compete with him; making money was the last thing on his mind.
"It's getting late. Let's lead the team out tomorrow morning. We'll head to the outpost camp first."
Looking at the time, Xia Yu realized it was already 4:30 in the afternoon and began to speak.
Although Russia's air force deployment in Syria in recent months is less than the peak of 69 aircraft two years ago, it is still far more than the single-digit number of Mirage-2000Ds that the Russians have deployed in Oga.
The T-4 base is noisy not only during the day but also at night, while the outposts that are not located on either side are much quieter.
Old Yefu had the same idea, so he was on the front lines, and Xia Yu was preparing to go there as well.
"Splash splash"
Two helicopters took off again, flying to the outpost camp more than 30 kilometers away.
Here, the desert doesn't have ton bags filled with sand to form walls; instead, there are only rusty oil drums filled with sand and gravel, stacked one on top of the other.
There was no video surveillance anymore, only soldiers with binoculars on the tower, taking turns on guard duty.
Xia Yu, who had just arrived at the outpost camp, glanced at their faces. They were either old or young, all with unshaven beards and unkempt appearances.
The country's population, which once numbered over 22 million, has now dropped to just over 18 million. Apart from the hundreds of thousands who died or were injured, the majority of those who have left are refugees, many of whom are young and middle-aged adults.
This further reduced the quality of the remaining soldiers, not to mention that the opposition forces also took a large portion of them, which led to the scene Xia Yu witnessed.
Apart from a few elite units that had survived countless battles, the combat effectiveness of these soldiers was such that a platoon couldn't even defeat a squad of the second-line fire defense team; they were essentially just there to assist Gna.
Xia Yu had doubts about how long they could survive, but those who survived were all elites. The battlefield was also a school, the only downside being the low graduation rate.
He landed in front of two rows of container barracks, and before he even got off the plane, he saw a bald man.
“Mr. Yevgeny, this is the first time I’ve seen you dressed like this.”
After the propellers stopped, Xia Yu greeted the staff and told them to check into their pre-assigned rooms. He then hugged one of them and commented.
Bulletproof vest, chest suspenders, knee pads, and six magazines crammed in—more than Xia Yu.
The AK-104 in his hand was equipped with a silencer and a scope. He was dressed very tactically, and if you didn't know better, you would really think he was the first one to charge!
"As the company boss, you have to set an example! Even if the guys know I can't be relied on, my outfit can still boost their morale."
Old Ye replied with a smile.
He was honest and shared his experience after entering the PMC industry. However, Xia Yu went even further and was really dedicated as a boss and technical employee!
“You’re right, morale is very important; it affects whether a battle can be won. Intelligence is the same. Can we talk about the situation in Balmira?”
Xia Yu changed the subject, which was also the most important thing.
"Of course, a few months ago, Ace Ace gathered 4,000 men and completely captured Balmira. This outpost was established two months ago, and we were deployed here afterward. We launched several probing attacks and have been observing their movements in the city."
When the conversation turned to business, Old Ye Fu got into the swing of things.
Initially, he may have been a novice, but through long-term exposure, his military knowledge has grown rapidly, and now he can talk about the situation with great expertise.
"They have gradually withdrawn nearly 2,000 people over the past two months because the offensives in the Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor directions have put pressure on them."
For the sake of the oil field, the old magnesium and the Kurds were really going all out. They tied down the Black Army's forces, which in turn created a relative vacuum in the enemy's forces in Barmira.
Fighting 4,000 people in urban warfare is incredibly intense, especially when the enemy is an extremist organization strong enough to form an army.
These guys are all fearless, and with the fighting over the past few years, they are even more difficult to deal with than the rebels led by Sasu back then.
The fact that the opponent's manpower has been reduced by half is a major advantage for Xia Yu.
He would rather attack two cities in succession and deal with 4,000 men separately than risk a single, decisive battle that would choke him to death.
“We have deployed 1,000 men in this direction, along with two battalions of government troops. With you all, we are confident that we can recapture Balmira while inflicting as much damage as possible on the enemy.”
Old Yev concluded by discussing the balance of power.
Leaving all 2,000+ people alive is unrealistic, but taking out 1,000 or so is not a problem, which will definitely make Ace feel the pinch.
Recapture the city and maximize casualties among extremist members—that is the mission that Focus Fire Defense has come to Syria.
This strike contract will be worth hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil.
The government forces couldn't afford to pay, and because of the disparity in strength, they had to hire PMC, so they could only offset the contract payment with commodities like crude oil.
Old Yev signed a profit-sharing contract with them, as Gna preferred to operate the oil industry here long-term, rather than just taking a paycheck and leaving like Jihuo Defense.
This is the difference that comes with different scales; Xia Yu currently doesn't have the manpower to take care of the business in the Middle East.
As for Gna, whose size is constantly expanding, if they can reach into Afica, they will certainly reach into it as well.
He was rather calm about this, because the people of the Philippines would be the most anxious at that time.
This army, disguised as a company, has an alarmingly large appetite. Once it enters the Sahel region, the first thing it will do is encroach on their ecological niche.
So, Afika will only get really lively in a few years!
Xia Yu, that witty fellow, will have endless gossip to share. As for business competition, his vision is far broader than that of the man in the white hat.
Moreover, neither he, the peacekeeper of the region, nor Yevgeny could bring true peace to Afika.
Chaos is the dominant theme of the world. Only by understanding this can we keep up with the times and create dynamic peace and relative stability.
"I think so too. I wish us a pleasant cooperation."
Xia Yu extended her hand as she spoke.
"It's a pleasure to work with you."
Their right hands clasped together.
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