97: Chapter 97 The Gathering of Jackals: The Eagle's "Plan B"

Thai-Myanmar border, a hidden villa deep in Chiang Rai.

On the surface, this was a high-end resort with beautiful scenery, but in reality, it was a crucial intelligence node and black ops command center for the CIA in Southeast Asia. At this moment, the villa's conference room was thick with smoke, and several massive military maps were spread casually across a precious teak table, covered in shocking red arrows and circles.

"That Zhang Cheng is quite arrogant at the press conference."

The speaker was a middle-aged white man with blond hair and blue eyes named William. He was a senior CIA intelligence officer and the actual mastermind behind this operation against Northern Myanmar. He swirled a glass of whiskey on the rocks in his hand, his cold eyes fixed on the large screen on the wall, which was frozen on Zhang Cheng's stern face from the press conference.

"'Considered a hostile act'? 'Chopping off claws'? Hmph, a warlord who rose to power by luck dares to challenge America?" William sneered, downed the drink in his cup, and slammed the glass onto the table. "Since the 'decapitation' failed, let's change the game. Doesn't he want to engage in construction? Doesn't he want to be a local emperor? Then we will make fires break out all around him and trap him alive in that mountain ravine of Pangkham!"

Sitting opposite him were several men of different skin tones with greedy expressions.

One of them, wearing a dark green military uniform, thin, with eyes like a poisonous snake, was the Commander-in-Chief of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Gan Shuang. He had always been seeking independence and was both envious and jealous of Zhang Cheng's rise.

Another guy with dark skin, a gold Buddha amulet hanging around his neck, and a face full of excess flesh, was a powerful warlord of the Shan State Army (SSA) named Zhao Yaoshi. He was a typical opportunist who would help anyone who paid him.

As for the timid man wearing an ill-fitting suit, he was Colonel Mao Ang, a special envoy sent by the military government in Naypyidaw.

This was practically a meeting of the "Avengers," except the "Avengers" here were a pack of jackals, each harboring their own ulterior motives and willing to sell their souls for profit.

"Mr. William," Gan Shuang tapped the table, his tone filled with dissatisfaction and worry, "Zhang Cheng's momentum is too strong right now. In that battle in South Wa, he wiped out Bao Youxiang's American-equipped division, which was a force you had armed previously. Although we in the KIA have some assets, if we go head-to-head with him... this trade is not worth it. We cannot stop his tanks."

"That's right," Zhao Yaoshi chimed in, twirling two walnuts in his hand, "Although we also want that territory to the east, the group of black-clad soldiers under Zhang Cheng is too wicked. I heard they don't fear death when fighting, and their marksmanship is absurdly accurate. If you want us to touch this bad luck, our American friend must offer some 'sincerity,' right? Just talking won't cut it."

William looked at these warlords who wouldn't scatter the eagle until they saw the rabbit, feeling full of contempt. These people were like dogs that couldn't be fed to loyalty, but he needed these dogs to bite people now.

"Gentlemen, rest assured. America never lets its friends suffer."

He snapped his fingers, and his assistant immediately distributed several thick documents to everyone.

"This is the first batch of the aid list." William pointed to the documents, his tone filled with temptation, "In addition to conventional firearms and ammunition, there are two hundred 'Stinger' anti-aircraft missiles, five hundred 'javelin' anti-tank missiles, and... thirty million US dollars in cash as startup capital."

Upon hearing "Stinger" and "javelin," the eyes of Gan Shuang and Zhao Yaoshi lit up instantly. These two things were artifacts for dealing with Zhang Cheng's mechanized unit and helicopter fleet! With these, they would have the confidence to wrestle with Zhang Cheng.

"But that's not all." William lowered his voice and dropped a bombshell, "We have already made preparations at the U-Tapao Air Base in Thailand. Once the war begins, we will provide all-weather satellite intelligence support, and even... if necessary, 'unidentified' electronic warfare aircraft will help you paralyze Zhang Cheng's command system."

"Furthermore," William looked at Colonel Mao Ang, "As long as you can trap Zhang Cheng, we will propose at the United Nations to recognize your 'legal jurisdiction' over your respective control zones, lift all sanctions on the military government, and recognize the legitimacy of your regime."

After this combination of punches, the warlords present were breathing heavily. This was offering money, offering guns, and even offering legitimacy! The temptation was too great!

"Good!" Gan Shuang slapped the table fiercely, his eyes revealing a fierce light, "Since our American friend is so generous, I have nothing more to say! That brat Zhang Cheng has robbed us of quite a few jade mines; it's high time we settled this score! I will send twenty thousand troops to press in from the northwest! Cut off his supply line!"

Zhao Yaoshi also nodded with a grim smile: "Leave the east to me. I will unite with several mountain factions over there, scrape together over ten thousand people, and block his eastern gate! Although our equipment is a bit worse, that area is all mountains; let's see how his tanks can drive in! I will make him unable to move an inch!"

Colonel Mao Ang quickly stated his position: "The Commander-in-Chief has already ordered the assembly of five divisions on the south bank of the Salween River, ready to cross the river and counterattack at any time! Even if we have to pile them up with human lives, we will crush him!"

William nodded with satisfaction, drawing a circle on the map with his finger, trapping Pangkham tightly in the middle.

"That's right. Northwest, due south, due east, a three-sided encirclement. I don't believe that Zhang Cheng has three heads and six arms and can block attacks from three directions simultaneously!"

"Remember, you don't need to fight a decisive battle with him. Your mission is to harass, blockade, and destroy. Make it impossible for him to produce, impossible to build, make his people panic, and make his capital chain break. When he is exhausted..."

William made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes like a demon:

"We will then take action together and divide his corpse. By then, the entire Northern Myanmar will be yours."

...

Pangkham, headquarters.

The cool breeze of late night blew over the terrace. Zhang Cheng looked at the top-secret intelligence emergency-transmitted through the "Wang Wu" channel, which detailed the contents of the Chiang Rai meeting.

"Three-sided encirclement? Besiege a point to strike reinforcements?" Zhang Cheng casually handed the intelligence to Old K behind him, his mouth curling into a disdainful sneer, "These Americans are still using the same old tricks; not a shred of originality."

"Master, the enemy's intention is very clear." Old K finished scanning the intelligence quickly, his voice cold, "They want to use their numerical advantage to stretch our battle lines and consume our resources. If we split our forces to defend, the defensive line will become very weak."

"Split forces? Why split forces?" Zhang Cheng turned around, his gaze piercing, looking at the red arrows on the map, "They want to make dumplings, so I will burst the dumpling skin!"

Zhang Cheng looked toward the east, where the sun rises, and also the enemy's weakest link.

"That mob of Zhao Yaoshi dares to join in the fun? Perfect, since they want to play big, we will play with them. Old K, have the special forces get ready; once they dare to reach out, chop it off for me! I want to use this fire in the east to burn through their encirclement!"

Across the ocean, Washington, White House.

It was late at night local time, but it was still brightly lit here.

That iconic blond old man—the President—was sitting behind a large desk, holding a huge cheeseburger, eating with gusto, with a bottle of consumed Coca-Cola on the side. On the TV screen in front of him, Zhang Cheng's previous domineering press conference was playing.

"Look at this guy, look at him!" The President pointed at the screen, chewing beef in his mouth, complaining vaguely to the Chief of Staff and the CIA Director in front of him, "He said he wants to chop off our claws? No one dares to talk to me like that! Never! This is not only an insult to America but also a provocation to me personally!"