"Uh—three armies in chaos! What should we do now? Should we retreat back to China?" Shawn Young had no battlefield command experience and didn’t know how to handle this situation, so he could only ask Jade Swann.
"We’re not retreating! This place isn’t far from the southwest border of China. The civilians fleeing the war will probably head toward China. If we let that many refugees flood into our country, things will get even messier! And more innocent people will die. We need to hold an emergency military meeting and make proper arrangements! Let’s make full use of the resources on Raveneye Mountain!" Jade Swann said calmly.
"Alright, let’s do as you say!" Shawn nodded, got up, and together with Jade Swann, put on their clothes and left the hot spring, heading outside.
As soon as they stepped outside, they saw a huge crowd on the plaza, divided into three distinct groups: one led by Max and several mercenaries—the Raveneye Mountain surrender faction—sitting on the ground unarmed; one led by Yang Zhongtian and his Hung Society brothers; and another led by Fiona Tang, Han Feng, and Xiao Wanquan—the Chinese special forces. Each group had its own stance, but on the surface, they seemed to get along.
Especially the Hung Society group led by Yang Zhongtian—they were the most numerous and surprised Shawn the most. All wore dark green camouflage combat uniforms, standing in squads of nine, with American-style helmets. Their weapons were all 44a 5.56mm carbines and SR-47 assault rifles, plus 6+2 grenade launchers and 24,2 sniper rifles—the standard firepower of a US Army infantry squad. These men were strong and imposing, faces painted like special forces, eyes cold and fierce, radiating deadly energy. Clearly, this was a powerful fighting force.
Yang Zhongtian was also in full battle gear, a Desert Eagle from Israel at his waist. When he saw Shawn and Jade Swann come out, he immediately stepped forward, greeted Shawn with a respectful bow, and said loudly, "Reporting to Senior Shawn, I’ve brought 55 Hung Society brothers to the mountain, ready to follow your orders. We’ve temporarily taken over Raveneye Mountain. What should we do next? Please instruct us!"
"Good—" Shawn nodded, then turned to Jade Swann, who encouraged him with a look but didn’t speak. She knew Yang Zhongtian and his men only followed Shawn’s orders, and her identity was sensitive, so she kept quiet.
At that moment, Max also came out, looking anxious as he said to Shawn, "Boss—the situation down the mountain is a mess! The troops defending the perimeter were defeated by the Kachin army, most of them are dead, and the survivors are retreating here. Plus, there are tons of refugees—at least ten thousand people. It won’t be long before they all flood up the mountain with the fleeing soldiers. Boss, should we take in those soldiers and refugees? Also, the Kachin army might attack Raveneye Mountain soon—the Kachin are fierce. Should we fight them?"
"Oh, I see. By the way, who are these refugees mainly?" Shawn asked Max.
"Half of those refugees are local natives from northern Myanmar, and some are ethnic minorities. But at least around two thousand are Chinese who came to Myanmar for herbal medicine business, mining, or infrastructure projects," Max explained.
"Uh—everyone listen up: Take in all the refugees coming up the mountain, especially the Chinese ones. As for the fleeing soldiers, if they’re willing to surrender to us, accept them. If not, don’t let them up—let the Kachin army deal with them. For now, we won’t fight the Kachin army, but we won’t let them take the mountain either. I’ll send someone down to negotiate! We must unite our forces to handle this complex situation. I’ll take the lead—everyone on the mountain, gather for an emergency meeting to sort out the details!" Shawn said calmly.
"Oh! Alright, we’ll follow the boss’s orders!" Max felt reassured after getting Shawn’s instructions.
"Let’s go to that building over there and have a meeting! Zhongtian, have your men help Max’s team defend the main pass to Raveneye Mountain, then join the meeting. Fiona, Brother Han, and Deputy Captain Xiao, you all come too." Shawn waved them over, taking Jade Swann with him to a conference room on the first floor of a nearby building.
Everyone sprang into action after Shawn’s orders. These were all well-trained fighters, so they moved quickly. Inside the conference room, Shawn and Jade Swann shared what they’d seen through the "Heaven’s Eye" with the group, and everyone began analyzing the situation.
"Senior Shawn, negotiating with the Kachin army shouldn’t be too hard. They’re being chased by the Myanmar government forces, so things aren’t looking good for them. It’s a tough spot. Northern Myanmar is poor and remote, but it’s rich in natural resources, so the government and all sides have been eyeing this fat piece of meat for ages. There are two main problems: first, the flood of refugees coming up the mountain—space is limited, so we can’t take them all. If this drags on, handling the refugees will be a huge headache. Second, the government army might use this opportunity to wipe out both us and the Kachin forces, since they have reinforcements and even air support. With our current strength, we probably can’t handle them," Yang Zhongtian, used to big storms, quickly pointed out the crucial issues.
"Uh—right, the government army is very likely to attack both us and the Kachin forces now. That’s the biggest problem. Once they solve that, the refugees won’t be an issue for them—they can just label them as ‘rebels’ and deal with them however they want! In a remote place like this, they could kill or imprison them at will. We have two choices: stay and resist the government army, which doesn’t mean much, or retreat to China and stay out of this war—since it’s not really ours," Xiao Wanquan added his thoughts.
"Uh—I disagree with retreating. If we leave and do nothing, most of the refugees will probably die in this conflict—over ten thousand lives! And two thousand of them are our own people. If the government army attacks, our only option is to unite with the Kachin forces and resist. The border is only dozens of kilometers away, so we can seek support from China under the pretense of taking in refugees. If our government gets involved diplomatically, the Myanmar army will have to reconsider. Then the authorities can negotiate and redraw the power map in northern Myanmar, and the problem will basically be solved!" Fiona Tang said slowly.
"Good idea, Fiona. Let’s do that! Zhongtian, go negotiate with the Kachin army—try to form an alliance. But make sure they know they need us, so it benefits our development!" Shawn liked Fiona’s plan and had his own ambitions, since he saw that northern Myanmar, especially Raveneye Mountain, was prime real estate for a base—he planned to seize this fat piece of meat.
"Got it!" Yang Zhongtian replied excitedly, having understood Shawn’s intentions, which matched his own.