Mercenary's War

Chapter 2430 - 2406: Divergence

Although the Houthis Armed Forces and Iran are closely connected, they are ultimately not one and the same. No matter how deep their entanglement, they can’t be completely aligned, and each has to consider its own interests.Gao Yang was just puzzled as to why Abdullah and Saeed would argue in front of him. Here, the Houthis Armed Forces and Iran are like brothers, even if they are breaking bones, they are still connected by tendons. It’s hard to imagine them arguing incessantly in front of him, an outsider representing Russian interests.

However, after observing for a moment, Gao Yang understood. It wasn’t that Abdullah and Saeed were putting on a show for him, nor were they harboring any complex thoughts. It was merely that the Saudi airstrike had left everyone a bit panicked, and they were hastily trying to come up with a plan to respond, yet couldn’t agree on one.

Saeed urgently said, "Saudi Arabia won’t deploy ground troops so quickly. We can capture Aden in just two days, and everything will be over before Saudi Arabia reacts!"

"Who can guarantee that? What if we get bogged down in protracted urban warfare in Aden? What if the situation in Aden provokes Saudi Arabia to deploy troops quickly?"

"But if we don’t capture Aden, combined with the threat from Saudi Arabia, we’d be facing enemies on two fronts. Even if Saudi Arabia does decide to deploy ground troops, it won’t happen in a few short days, and we have enough time to capture Aden!"

"How can you guarantee that? Who dares to ensure the swift resolution of the Hadi issue? What if we can’t capture Aden quickly and this stimulates Saudi Arabia to deploy troops rapidly?"

Abdullah first assessed the damage from the airstrike and then gathered the Houthis Armed Forces leadership to discuss countermeasures. Only after did he invite Saeed and Gao Yang to discuss plans, so he and Saeed hadn’t communicated before, nor did they have the time.

Gao Yang felt that the Houthis Armed Forces had already come to a conclusion internally, which is to immediately dispatch troops to the Northwest Border. Abdullah was determined, and meeting him and Saeed was merely about announcing an already made decision, not seeking their input.

Of course, Saeed might think that without his approval, the Houthis Armed Forces shouldn’t act independently. But Gao Yang was self-aware enough not to think about influencing the decisions of the Houthis Armed Forces.

As for Abdullah and Saeed’s thoughts, to Gao Yang, both have pros and cons. He pondered for a long time and couldn’t figure out whose side to take.

According to Saeed’s plan, provoking Saudi Arabia to deploy ground troops would actually be most advantageous for Gao Yang, since the involvement of Saudi ground forces could allow the Solar System Company to profit. Air force deployment alone wouldn’t provide any opportunities for the Solar System Company’s airstrikes.

However, if Saudi Arabia deploys troops too quickly, time would be too tight. Currently, the Solar System Company lacks major contracts, and putting aside whether Saudi Arabia would use mercenaries extensively, even if they did from the outset, it wouldn’t involve the Solar System Company, a scenario Gao Yang desperately wanted to avoid.

Abdullah and Saeed grew more agitated, with many matters beyond their control, but at their first meeting, their plans were completely at odds — a bad sign.

Today’s meeting was merely to express stances and air their plans and objectives. Abdullah representing the Houthis Armed Forces still needed to decide on the final route based on circumstances, and Saeed needed to report back to his home country. Iran’s think tank had to propose a suitable plan before deciding Yemen’s next course of action.

The best outcome would be for Abdullah and Saeed to first reach a consensus. This would offer Abdullah and his followers a clear direction, and allow Saeed to propose his suggestions to his country, influence Iran to make decisions according to his plans. It is crucial for Abdullah and Saeed to reach an agreement to avoid a confrontation between the Houthis Armed Forces’ intentions and instructions or orders from Iran.

Both are representatives of major forces. It’s okay for representatives to have differences and conflicts. However, if the collective will of the two major forces reaches conflicting decisions, then it becomes problematic. Therefore, Abdullah and Saeed need to argue it out and not pass the difficulty to the large groups they represent.

Gao Yang estimated that Abdullah and Saeed wouldn’t reach a resolution in a short time, and no matter whose will ultimately prevails, it didn’t matter to him. After all, Saudi Arabia’s direct intervention had already fulfilled his wishes.

Just at this moment, Gao Yang finally spoke, saying loudly, "I won’t comment on where to attack first. I believe it’s crucial to raise our vigilance around the Northwest Border. How about this: let’s go to the Northwest Border to monitor Saudi Arabia’s movements."

Abdullah and Saeed, both red-faced from their argument, stopped bickering when they heard Gao Yang, and they both looked at him.

Gao Yang spread his hands and said, "Whether it’s concentrating forces to attack Aden first or urgently moving troops to the Northwest Border, both make sense. However, I believe the most important thing right now is to quickly dispatch a mobile, experienced, and combat-ready, but most importantly, a reconnaissance-capable force to the Northwest Border."

Holding up two fingers, Gao Yang said solemnly, "This is the minimum response measure. First, we always need someone monitoring Saudi Arabia’s ground troop movements. If Saudi Arabia does decide to deploy ground troops, we can get early warning. Secondly, this shows Saudi Arabia that the Houthis Armed Forces are willing to fight to the end, and not surrendering after one airstrike."

Moved, Abdullah said, "Makes sense, we need to quickly dispatch troops to the Northwest Border to monitor Saudi Arabia’s movements."

Saeed also nodded and said, "It’s indeed necessary to send a reconnaissance-capable team to the Northwest Border. We lack high-tech reconnaissance methods, so sending a reconnaissance force is the most effective and safest surveillance method."

Gao Yang said seriously, "We don’t have many people, so we can’t contribute much on the front lines. Meanwhile, the Dagger Assault Team is well-suited for reconnaissance work. So, regardless of whether you decide to concentrate forces at the Northwest Border or intensify the attack on Aden, just let me know once you’ve made a decision."

The relationship between Saeed and Gao Yang is currently quite good. Ever since Gao Yang lent a helping hand to Lavagani, Saeed, who succeeded Lavagani’s role, maintained a good relationship with Gao Yang. Now that Gao Yang, representing Russian interests, was going to the front lines to take action, rather than staying in Sana’a to exert political influence, this was exactly what Saeed was pleased to see.

As for Abdullah, Gao Yang’s proposal solved his immediate problem, and he had no reason to oppose Gao Yang’s suggestion.

After a brief consideration, Abdullah said, "Very well, then let’s have Mr. Peter Ram lead the Dagger Assault Team to the Northwest Border first!"

Saeed also nodded, "What Mr. Peter Ram said makes sense."