Chapter 1784 - 1370: Reaching Consensus

At 2 p.m. the next afternoon, Baghdad's "Green Zone."

Song Heping's convoy arrived at the outermost layer, also the most heavily guarded "Assassin Gate" checkpoint.

The inspection process was cumbersome and rigorous.

Full car scan, all personnel getting off to undergo hand-held metal detector checks, repeated verification of documents, biometric identification comparison, registration of accompanying weapons with security seals…

Under the guidance of a young US Army Lieutenant, Song Heping finally arrived at the outer office of Major General Duke.

"Mr. Song, the General is expecting you."

The secretary was a competent civilian female officer in her forties who pushed open the heavy solid wood door to the inner office.

Major General Duke stood in front of a map, with his back to the door.

Upon hearing the door open, he turned around, revealing a smile.

"Song, welcome back. Was your trip smooth?"

He did not step forward to shake hands, merely gesturing to the chair opposite his desk, then circling back to sit on his large high-back chair.

"It was relatively smooth, General. Thank you for your concern."

Song Heping sat down with dignity, calmly meeting Duke's scrutinizing gaze.

"I heard you went back to your country? How is your homeland now? There should be quite a bit of change, I suppose."

Duke seemingly started the conversation casually, but his fingers meaningfully tapped lightly on the polished desk.

"There's indeed a lot of change, happening rapidly."

Song Heping discerned the underlying probing tone and tactfully replied with a smile:

"However, no matter how big the change, it seems it's not quite up to the 'new plots' unfolding in Baghdad every week. I heard that last week, the parliamentary building was 'visited' once again by Mr. Sadr's followers? It seems to have become a sort of regular program."

The muscles at the corner of Duke's mouth twitched slightly, a trace of annoyance fleetingly flashing in his eyes, but quickly concealed.

This is precisely one of the most troubling issues currently facing Iraq's politics.

Although Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has made some progress in combating the 1515 Armed and promoting partial reforms, the domestic political deadlock remains severe, with constant disputes between factions and parties.

Within the Shiite faction, the group led by populist religious leader Mukhtar al-Sadr often organizes large-scale demonstrations, even storming government agencies (including the Green Zone), protesting corruption, and demanding reforms, thus making the already fragile government operations more difficult.

Economically, the global low oil prices severely impacted Iraq, a country almost entirely dependent on oil revenue, leading to state financial distress and declining people's livelihoods, with high unemployment fueling extreme ideologies and turmoil.

"The democratic process in Iraq always progresses amidst twists and turns."

Duke coughed lightly, offering a tactful reply and then, cut to the chase:

"Let's discuss more pressing matters. Your personnel submitted a very… ambitious plan outline. It entails a comprehensive cleanup of Tikrit's 1515 Armed, with a strict timetable set."

He raised his eyes to Song Heping, seemingly wanting to see through Song, to understand what he was truly thinking.

"Song, based on my past observations and understanding, the interests you represent have always adhered to a 'controllable pressure' strategy. You utilized the presence of the 1515 Armed in the northwest to balance Baghdad's Central Government's authority, restraining certain… regional forces' excessive expansion, while also ensuring your indispensable status in that region. Tell me, why the sudden strategy change? What prompted your decision to uproot the 1515 Armed now? It seems… inconsistent with your usual 'cost-benefit' calculation."

The question was sharp and astute, directly pointing to the motives behind Song Heping's actions.

Duke needed to discern if this was a trap or if there was a deeper calculation behind it.

Song Heping was well-prepared.

He relaxed back into his chair, smiling as he spoke:

"General, you're correct, situational assessment is based on costs and benefits. And when costs and benefits change, strategies naturally need to adjust."

He paused, organizing his thoughts in his mind.

"In 2014, when the 1515 Armed initially rose, Prime Minister Maliki's government exhibited strong sectarian exclusivity, with oppressive policies towards the Sunni Community as one of the key reasons for the 1515's growth."

"But now, Prime Minister Abadi is relatively moderative and pragmatic, also attempting to promote national reconciliation—despite significant challenges. More importantly, the nature of the 1515 Armed has fundamentally changed."

Song Heping's tone turned serious.

"It has evolved from a rebel/terrorist organization mainly active in Iraq and Syria into a 'semi-state' terrorist entity with global appeal and attack capability. Their terror attacks in Europe, Turkey, Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia, etc., have resulted in massive innocent civilian casualties, including citizens of the United States and other Western countries."

"Just last month during Ramadan, they claimed to have executed over 390 attacks worldwide. General, this fire has reached everyone's doorstep, no longer merely a regional Middle East issue. Continuing to allow them to exist at core strongholds like Tikrit is not only nurturing a threat but also tarnishing the reputation of all counter-terrorism forces."

Duke listened quietly, revealing no sign, but was inwardly shocked.

Song Heping is truly not a simple Mercenary Leader.

He is well-versed in international politics and geopolitics, the Middle East situation, and more.

This is completely different from some contractors he knew before.

With someone of Song Heping's caliber, if he weren't a Lord Dong, not a person of yellow skin and black eyes, but an Anglo person born in the United States with a bit of family background, he wouldn't say becoming a national defense contractor, but directly running for congress could be possible.