"Dinner's ready."

At eight o'clock in the evening, Morins brought over two dinners and, after sitting down beside Song Heping, gave one to him.

"I didn't ask for this."

Song Heping was somewhat irritated at the moment.

The day had passed, and it was now nighttime, but he still hadn't received what he wanted from Fer.

The pressure was not only from Fer's side not getting things done, but also from the whole conflict, which was moving in a direction increasingly disadvantageous to the ELN armed group as time went on.

To the north, the AUC armed force, numbering over ten thousand, had broken through two defense lines.

To the south, the situation was even worse.

The defense lines at San Jose and San Rita had been breached, and the southern defensive zone was almost split in two.

Once breached, the AUC armed forces could complete the encirclement of the southern ELN troops.

Because the entire ELN defense zone was actually a narrow strip of land next to the Venezuela border, it looked like a youtiao (fried dough stick) on the map.

In its early years, when the ELN armed group was establishing bases and occupying territory, it always prioritized these areas: firstly, because there were many oil fields here; secondly, they could run to Venezuela if anything happened.

In many places along the border, the rainforest was dense and scarcely populated, making escape easy.

This line of thinking by the founders of the ELN armed group wasn't wrong.

Initially, when the organization was weaker, survival was the first priority – fight if you can win, run if you can't; this very much fitted the essence of guerrilla warfare.

However, as they slowly grew and expanded, the thinking of the successors didn't keep up with the changes.

After so many years, they're still using the old mindset of struggle, still thinking of running off to Venezuela if they can't win the fight.

Hence, the land now has this peculiar shape.

Such a territory is like a snake – actually, it has far too many vulnerabilities.

If it were a guerrilla mindset with small groups and small arms, that might be okay.

But having developed into the third-largest anti-government armed force within Colombia, it's surprising they haven't expanded their territory logically. Being so established and sticking to the thinking of their guerrilla roots is what has created the current awkward predicament of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

To say they can't win and should retreat: now that they have grown larger, with many more assets, it's not just something you can walk away from.

In the past, being barefoot, of course anything could be lost.

Now, although there are no leather shoes on, at least there are rubber shoes to wear.

If you truly don't want the rubber shoes, returning to the barefoot state is unacceptable to anyone.

This is why Morins, as the group leader, stubbornly refuses to choose between shrinking the defense line at either end of the northern and southern territory.

Put simply, it's all about saving face at the cost of enduring hardship.

In fact, Song Heping had many grievances with Morins and even the ELN armed group's high-level officials.

These people were simply more trouble than they were worth.

A long defensive area, hundreds of kilometers from north to south, had at most, just under five thousand men.

How could they defend?

No matter how high Song Heping's level of tactical command was or how smart he was, there was only so much he could do with what he had.

The AUC armed group was using multi-pronged attacks, over ten thousand men split into several groups, ferociously tearing at different points of the Long Snake Formation. If they could break through one point, the snake's body would be severed, unable to cooperate with the front and rear, and would eventually be easily surrounded and divided.

This basic knowledge of tactics, Song Heping understood, and of course, Morins too.

But they were powerless.

As soon as they talk about giving up some territory to shrink the defense line, those high-level decision-makers would react like the incompetent old officials in the Late Qing dynasty, wailing and lamenting as if the ancestral family business was about to be ruined.

In the afternoon, Song Heping had a phone meeting with Morins and those others, ending in a discordant split.

At the time, Song Heping was so angry he nearly quit his position to return to Venezuela to be a tranquil school principal.

But then he thought that, in the midst of intense battle, to simply let go and leave Morins behind for Venezuela would be highly unprofessional, so he stayed.

"You can still eat?"

Song Heping, looking disdainfully at Morins wolfing down food beside him, couldn't help but say sarcastically, "If your spies don't step it up, this might be your last dinner."

He pointed to the map in front.

"By tomorrow night, given the current rate of advance, I predict there will be gunfire near the headquarters."

"I trust my people, they will find the evidence."

Morins seemed unfazed, with his appetite still robust, devouring his meal as if he hadn't eaten in ages.

"I've deployed all my undercover agents implanted within the military, one of whom is at the Special Operations Division base, and the military command center for this operation is there, though he's not a core member, so he can't get close to that command center yet, nor has he captured anyone inside. But I believe he will find a way."

Hearing this, Song Heping had no choice but to refrain from any further complaints.

After all, being undercover was extremely risky.

As the leader of the ELN armed group, Morins was surely more anxious than himself.

After this battle, Morins would have nothing left.

For me, at worst, I'll just go back to Venezuela, only losing a client and an opportunity to tap into the South American arms market.

"Morins, I used to have little respect for the person leading you."

Song Heping looked at the composed Morins and couldn't help but see him in a new light.

"I used to think you were incapable and I couldn't understand how you became the leader of an armed group. Now it seems I was wrong. One must remain calm in the face of major events, unshaken even with the mountain crumbling before them. You truly do have a leader's poise."

Taking the last piece of bread, Morins dipped it into the remaining sauce on the plate, then stuffed it into his mouth. While swallowing, he spoke indistinctly, "I joined ELN at sixteen and have been through no fewer than ten encirclement campaigns. I've had close brushes with death no less than twenty times. Do you think the government hasn't put a bounty on me? How many have coveted this head of mine..."

He put down the plate, pointed to his head, and picked up a bottle of mineral water.

"Song, I've been the leader for three years. Traitors, targeted cleanups, encirclement pursuits. Including that time you were with me, each one claimed they wanted to finish me off, but I have good fortune. Every time I've managed to escape, even killing those who wanted to send me to meet God. Without real skill, I couldn't hold on to my position."

Song Heping sighed and nodded, saying nothing.

Because what Morins said made sense.

Whether it was luck or capability, Morins's ability to ascend to the top chair and to still be alive was a skill in itself.

He picked up the plate, eating as he walked in front of the map, examining the strategic situation and the markings of various forces, his mind brewing strategies for tomorrow's response.

"Get in touch with Anthony."

Song Heping's gaze fell on the Tame Region.

Shortly after, the radio operator made contact with Anthony, who was far off in the Tame Region.

"Principal, what do you need me for?"

"Anthony, the deployment of your two battalions is incorrect. Move them immediately, pull out a battalion and set up an ambush by Route 86, execute this command at once."

Route 85 is a border road that traverses the entire Tame Region, leading directly inside Venezuela; there's a border crossing over there, and past that is the San Camilo Nature Reserve in Venezuela.

"Set an ambush at Route 86?"

Anthony sounded puzzled, "Principal, do you think they'll come from Route 86 tomorrow? Impossible, right? Today, during the day, according to your orders, we already ambushed them there, taking out half a platoon of theirs. Would the government army still dare to come that way?"

"Day is day, night is night. At the start of the daytime battle, how many troops did you have? Now, look at your two battalions, how many are left? You need to understand, who's the big boss organizing this operation."

Who?

Anthony thought, of course, it's the Americans.

Ostensibly, it was the government army fighting bandits, but in reality, it was an operation directed by advisers from the US Military for a tripartite joint annihilation of the ELN forces.

For the entire day, the two battalions led by Anthony had fought hard.

The government army kept calling in the Air Force. As soon as ground forces engaged the ELN, within half an hour, bombers were sure to come and drop bombs.

Fortunately, Song Heping had anticipated this, and his instructions to Anthony had only one point—fully utilize the essence of mobile warfare: short engagements and quick withdrawals, destroying the enemy on the move.

These were the very essentials of PLA combat.

At the Special Soldier School in Venezuela, what Song Heping taught most was tactics, rather than focusing so much on physical training and individual combat.

Anthony was the top student; he had a talent for command, so even though the government army dispatched two regiments, they were still stuck near the second line of defense, and the Air Force bombers weren't very effective. Dropping bombs over dense forest wasn't accurate, and following Song Heping's instructions, Anthony would precisely time their engagements. Half an hour was the minimum time for aircraft to take off from a nearby military airport and reach Tame.

As long as they pulled out within half an hour, the enemy would not be able to accurately bomb and cause significant casualties.

Route 86 was originally a breakthrough point for the military, where Colonel Lawrence from the US army had planned for a government army regiment to rapidly advance using mechanized vehicles, cutting through and then spreading out to fight.

But Anthony had set a beautiful ambush there, laying mines and explosives directly destroying a mechanized platoon of the vanguard forces. After that, they dared not attempt to cut through there again.

However, after a day of fighting, there were many casualties in Anthony's two battalions, over three hundred wounded, with more than sixty killed in action.

He had fewer than five hundred fit soldiers left; even pulling at straws, he could only muster a reinforced battalion.

Withdrawing a battalion meant leaving only a little over two hundred men.

"Principal, it's night now, they should be afraid to move in the dark. Here, we are more familiar with the terrain than they are," Anthony explained the reasons for his reluctance to obey the order.

"Besides, the brothers are all very tired now. If we set up another ambush, I'm afraid the men will be exhausted to death."

His words infuriated Song Heping.

In his view, a soldier's duty is to obey orders.

Where would you find a situation where subordinates negotiate after a superior officer gives an order?

He wanted to curse, but after a thought, he suppressed his anger.

Just a Colombian guerrilla force, can one demand so much?

He couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, patiently explaining to Anthony why he wanted them to set up an ambush at Route 86.

"I asked who was commanding the operation because the Americans will definitely send government troops through Route 86 at night for another breakthrough. The Americans surely equipped the strike force for this mission with plenty of night vision equipment; they can operate in the dark. Don't think you're familiar with the terrain; at night, it's a disadvantage for you. Trust me, set the ambush there, plant more mines, and create more IEDs. Aren't you good at making bombs? Then show your skill, tightly seal off Route 86. Otherwise, when you wake up the next day, you'll find yourself outflanked by government troops!"

"Okay..."

Anthony seemed shocked by Song Heping's analysis, taking a while to respond from the other end of the radio, "I'll arrange it now, but..."

He hesitated.

Song Heping cut him off firmly, "No more 'buts.' Remember, on the battlefield, don't tell your superior about the difficulties, just execute the commands given to you!"

With that, he removed the headset, no longer continuing the conversation with Anthony.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com