Whetstone Edge Volume 1 Fierce Tiger Leaves Its Leash Chapter 19 Worries Ahead (Part 2)

  Western Military Region Special Forces Headquarters Commander Zhou Guohui slept only four hours in three days. Now, hundreds of officers and personnel from the intelligence department are analyzing photos and images transmitted by reconnaissance satellites and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft outside. Three days have passed, but there is still little clue, even some veteran intelligence officers have to admit that they encountered a very tricky problem.

  "Judging from the intelligence obtained so far, it can be roughly determined that this is an attack carried out by a resistance organization." The intelligence officer pointed to the dense crowds on the screen. "These are armed personnel, in other words, the Taliban's statement is not a problem."

  "So how do you explain those few photos from before?" Zhou Guohui rubbed his temples. The current situation was like a train on the verge of losing control, with unpredictable consequences at any moment.

  Several enlarged infrared photographs and synthetic aperture radar images appeared on the screen. The bright red dots in the infrared photograph are vehicles, and the slightly darker red dots are personnel. A person with some experience can see at a glance that this is an army and a well-trained army. In the following photos, even brighter red dots appear, which are all infrared radiation generated by explosions and fires. That is to say, this army was suddenly attacked.

  Zhou Guohui's gaze was fixed on the two red dots surrounded by that army, which were two people. Zhou Guohui had been looking at this infrared photograph for three days, and although there was no way to confirm it and no one mentioned it, he was very clear in his mind that the person being besieged was Ling Tianxiang, but who was the other person? The slide projector projected the next photo onto the screen, and the bombing quickly reached the point where the image was already quite chaotic and blurry, making it difficult to make an accurate judgment. And those two people who were initially surrounded quickly became three, and then disappeared at the edge of the US military base, not far from the bombing point. So did Ling Tianxiang escape or get killed in the bombing? And who was that third person who suddenly appeared?

  Too many questions were bothering Zhou Guohui, and the situation had already become quite chaotic. What was even more frustrating for him was that in the past, if the US military encountered an attack from a resistance organization, the US military would quickly release relevant information to clarify things. However, this time, three days had passed, and all major media outlets had already sensed something fishy, yet the US military still hadn't come forward with any public statement. Had Ling Tianxiang fallen into the hands of the US military? Was America trying to expand the situation or use it as leverage against the Republic? Thinking about this made Zhou Guohui's head ache even more. At first, when he was assigning tasks, he had never thought things would escalate to this point.

  "The general will hold a press conference at 2 pm. The communications officer, who had just received the message, hadn't even hung up the phone yet 'There's still half an hour.'"

  Zhou Guohui immediately stood up and listened to the US military's statement without any harm.

  Thousands of miles away, Wang Yilin's secretary turned on the TV for him and he put down the documents in his hand, walked to the sand and sat down. Since receiving the message from Zhou Guohui three days ago that the US military base in Sanglirichi was attacked by a resistance organization, Wang Yilin felt that this attack was suspicious, so he immediately asked his secretary to send all intelligence on the Afghan resistance organization's attacks on the US military over the past two years.

  Wang Yilin soon realized where the problem lay. Within two years, more than a dozen resistance organizations, including the Taliban, rarely launched proactive attacks on heavily guarded US military bases, and it was even less possible for hundreds of people to launch a surprise attack at once. They usually just fired mortar shells or rockets from a few kilometers away, hiding in nearby areas, and never really attacked the US military base. In other words, the attack in Sangin was very unusual. What's more unusual is that the resistance organization's attack clearly achieved significant success, with fewer than 30 armed militants killed in the battle, including subsequent air support, while over 100 US soldiers were injured or killed. Within five years, the ratio of casualties between the US military and Afghan resistance organizations was 1:38, meaning one US soldier for every 38 armed militants, but this time the number of US casualties was more than three times that of the resistance organization.

  If it's said that this is a resistance organization attack, probably not many people would believe it. There are no walls without cracks, the news of heavy casualties among US military has been leaked out and reporters from major media around the world have swarmed into Afghanistan like flies smelling blood. The US government has also come under tremendous pressure. So how will the US government and the military respond to this attack and external doubts after three days of silence?

  Wang Yilin rubbed his forehead, the press conference had not yet begun, and he hadn't rested well in several days. He ate and slept in the office, with his bedding and pillow placed in a corner. What made him most suspicious was that the US ambassador hadn't come to disturb him in three days. So what was the US government thinking or planning? The more Wang Yilin thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. The Americans had also learned to be silent, and this silence might be a prelude to a full-scale counterattack. Would this lead to an all-out confrontation between the two great powers?

  "Wang's assistant called from the US embassy and said he wants to have a talk with you."

  Wang Yilin immediately released her hand supporting her chin and secretly rejoiced in her heart. "Get the phone call."

  When Wang Yilin walked to the side of his desk, the person in front of the Pentagon on TV had already arrived at the front desk and was making final preparations for the speech. The phone rang three times before Wang Yilin picked up the receiver, not wanting the US ambassador to think he was eager to make contact.

  "I am deeply sorry for the incident in Sangrel and saddened by the casualties of your soldiers," said Wang Yilin, after exchanging some pleasantries with Ambassador Schreiber. "The policy of my government remains unchanged: we will not interfere with your military actions in Afghanistan and will provide all possible assistance."

  "Regarding the matter of visiting your country's troops that Mr. Wang mentioned last time, I think I can accept this invitation and I will have time the day after tomorrow. I wonder if it is possible for Mr. Wang to arrange it?"

  Wang Yilin was inwardly shocked and thought that trouble had found its way to his doorstep. He couldn't refuse the US ambassador's request, but at the same time, he realized that the US side didn't have any evidence pointing to the Republic.