Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2388 - 2364: Knives in Hand

After hesitating for a moment, Salim still revealed a big secret to Gao Yang.

"We will launch an attack on the Presidential Palace as early as tomorrow!"

The street battles had started long ago, and Gao Yang was definitely aware of this. However, the progress of the Houthis Armed Forces wasn’t that fast. The fighting occurred in every corner of Sana’a, but some key areas remained in the hands of the Government Forces. This meant that although the battlefield was vast, it was still a back-and-forth situation, far from reaching a decisive victory. Once Iran’s elite troops arrived, they would immediately launch an attack on crucial locations such as the Presidential Palace.

Launching an attack was fine, it was good news for Gao Yang.

It was certainly a good thing that Iran sent more people. The only problem was that the old scoundrel Lavagani was causing trouble again. Gao Yang felt that Salim coming to say these words was not just giving him a heads-up, but was essentially a final ultimatum. Lavagani was definitely going to seize his artillery, and Abdullah would certainly not be able to withstand the pressure from Iran.

After a long silence, Gao Yang nodded and said, "If Lavagani insists on taking away our artillery, then let him take them. However, without the cover of artillery, we are not going to go to battle. Fortunately, Iran has sent enough troops, so they don’t need us now."

Salim said anxiously, "But without any action, how will you increase your influence?"

Gao Yang replied with a smile, "That depends on when you get us some new artillery, or even tanks. You guys have tanks, right?"

Salim gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "We have tanks! If you need them, I’ll get you a few!"

Gao Yang was truly surprised; Salim was willing to invest in him. Although Salim was doing it out of self-interest and not just because he liked him, Gao Yang is a person who gets really moved when people are kind to him.

Patting Salim’s shoulder, Gao Yang jokingly said half-seriously, "Thank you, brother. You’re so thoughtful, I’ll definitely be thoughtful too. Alright, that’s it for now. You definitely have to go back and discuss with Abdullah. If there’s anything difficult, just let me know, I won’t let you be troubled."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for considering the big picture!"

After saying a few words hurriedly, holding Gao Yang’s hand, Salim turned to leave. He indeed needed to rush back to discuss with Abdullah, but after walking a few steps, he returned to Gao Yang and said, "Do you need additional recruits?"

Gao Yang quickly waved his hands, "No need, no need. We have enough people for now. Unless we face a large number of casualties, we don’t need to replenish troops. I’m a small special operations unit, not meant to fight frontal battles, not necessary."

Last time, Abdullah brought over one hundred and fifty people to join the Dagger Assault Team—young people, recruits, almost like blank paper. Though overly naive, they were chosen according to Gao Yang’s requirements.

However, after the people were sent, Gao Yang kept eighty and returned the remaining seventy, because the returned ones were no older than fifteen years, with the youngest being only eleven or twelve.

Why did Abdullah send child soldiers to Gao Yang? Because these child soldiers didn’t chew Khat. In order to find troops who didn’t chew Khat, Abdullah and Salim made painstaking efforts.

But Gao Yang was adamant about not using child soldiers. He wasn’t so heartless; he couldn’t change the world, but he could preserve his own principles.

The remaining eighty people ranged from twenty-two to sixteen years old, just the right age for soldiers. They were handed over to Peter, who spent three or four days drilling them on marching.

Salim asking Gao Yang if he wanted new recruits was probably because he felt bad that the artillery was being taken away, so he offered some new recruits to compensate.

Salim left, and shortly after he left, someone else came to visit Gao Yang.

This time, it was one of his own, a subordinate of Grand Ivan in Yemen. Yemen had always been a key market for Grand Ivan. Though they didn’t sell major items, rifles and bullets here were controlled by Grand Ivan over half of the market. Previously, Polovich was in charge of Yemen, now it’s Uriyangko.

The visitor was a thirty-something white man, accompanied by a dozen Yemeni locals. He had called for Gao Yang’s location and drove up the mountain in three cars.

Upon meeting Gao Yang, the white man respectfully said, "My name is Komov. I know you are Mr. Ram. I have followed Polovich once and met you. Thank you for saving my boss’s life; it is crucial for me to thank you in person because it’s really important for me that Mr. Polovich is alive."

Gao Yang smiled and said to the fierce-looking man, "We’re all brothers here, no need for formalities."

Komov pointed to the cars behind him and said gravely, "My boss said these supplies are extremely important and has sent them to you as fast as possible—two hundred and sixty military swords, four hundred sets of black combat uniforms. We prepared more of the most common sizes since they don’t come in specific sizes."

Gao Yang was delighted and laughed, "Thank you, mates. These supplies came at just the right time. By the way, who’s in charge of Yemen now? Has Polovich returned? His injuries should be nearly healed."

Komov smiled, "He has returned, but not in Yemen now. My big boss is Mr. Uriyangko currently, but I still work with Polovich. After all, he knows this place well."

Grand Ivan eventually forgave Polovich, thanks to Gao Yang and Uriyangko pleading on his behalf, especially due to Gao Yang’s influence, which Grand Ivan had to acknowledge. So, although Polovich had no chance to be the head of Asia District again, he did not have to live his days shrinking in Baghdad’s Green Zone. Without authority, he could still not waste his remaining years, which was the best outcome for him.

After gratefully smiling at Gao Yang, Komov suddenly whispered, "Additionally, I’ve brought some gifts for you from Polovich to you and your brothers. They’re in the box in the last car. Be careful not to let the locals see them. They may not say anything, but the people here are mad, so it’s better to be cautious."

Gao Yang winked and said, "Liquor?"

Komov gave a tacit smile and nodded, then said, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll unload the things and leave. I have a lot of work to handle urgently. As you know, business is going well, haha."

Gao Yang waved his hand and shouted, "Turtle! Get your men to unload the cargo!"