Chapter 1025 I Can Also Love Zhongzhou War Zone
Gao Zhikai walked silently through the bustling construction site, his hawk-like eyes scanning every detail: the smoothness of the runway, the wiring of the lighting system, the construction of fortifications, the order in which supplies were stacked...
When the colonel commander bravely and carefully introduced the progress and plan of the project, Gao Zhikai not only listened extremely attentively, but even nodded slightly from time to time.
"Well, the runway foundation is very important, especially for heavy-load takeoffs and landings. Any unevenness can be a hidden danger."
"Nighttime navigation is crucial. The weather in the northwest can change rapidly. How many redundant backups have you made?"
When encountering some professional details or things he is not clear about, he will take the initiative to ask, with a steady tone and precise wording, showing a pragmatic attitude of dealing with the matter at hand.
This look is completely different from the one he had just seen outside the cordon, with a murderous look on his face as if he wanted to crush the enemy right in!
It was as if the hero who had previously launched an expedition to punish the invaders was just an illusion, and the current gentle, rational, and even somewhat "studious" inspection leader was the real person.
However, the more normal and reasonable he was, the more the accompanying colonel felt a creepy abnormality!
Even low-level military officers could hear some rumors, let alone him, a regimental commander?
The friction and secret rivalries between Gao Zhikai and the top brass in the war zone were almost an open secret at their level.
The strategic significance of this airport was so great! The theater bypassed the enemy and directly sent its rival, the Lanzhou Corps, to build a large-scale project here. This was tantamount to driving a nail under Gao Zhikai's nose!
With his vengeful and controlling personality, how could he be so calm?
"This smiling tiger... is definitely planning a big move!" The colonel's heart was ringing with alarm bells, and cold sweat almost dried on his back.
He would rather Gao Zhikai take action right now, even if it means flipping the table and cursing, than this unpredictable silence before the storm!
This unknown feeling of being silently scrutinized by a hungry beast is simply a mental torture.
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. While Gao Zhikai was looking at the distant lighting installation, the colonel gave a subtle look to the regimental staff officer following behind him. With a slight movement of his lips, he ordered in an almost inaudible voice: "...Immediately...report the situation to the deputy commander..."
He thought his little movement was covert, but it was completely seen by Gao Zhikai out of the corner of his eye.
This made Gao Zhikai's mouth curl up in an extremely faint, sarcastic arc, almost imperceptibly.
report?
Asking for help?
alert?
He sneered in his heart. A small regimental commander, a border defense regiment, and thousands of guns were not chess pieces worth moving on Gao Zhikai's chessboard.
Their fear, their vigilance, and their pitiful response measures were as transparent as a mirror in his eyes. They didn't even cause the slightest emotional fluctuation in him, and he didn't care about them.
His calmness is not a pretense, but comes from an absolute and commanding confidence.
He came here in person not to argue with a regiment commander, nor to stop the construction of this airport!
He knew very well that the reopening of this airport was the will of the two major theater-level forces, the Central Plains Theater and the Western Theater. It could not be stopped, and it was unwise to resist.
In fact, in the past week, Gao Zhikai has been thinking about where his way out is.
As a warlord entrenched in the northwest who could carve a bloody path out of a sea of corpses and blood, Gao Zhikai's arrogance and wildness were only superficial. Deep in his bones was a political sense that was more cunning than a fox and more acute than a poisonous snake.
When the giant Zhongzhou War Zone appeared in the northwest geopolitical landscape with an almost crushing posture, he had already smelled the breath of extreme danger.
Then, the fragmentary contents of the "Sino-Western Talks", the unusual deployment of the Lanzhou Corps, and the airport under frantic construction before his eyes... all these fragments came together, piecing together a clear picture in his mind:
He keenly felt that the Central Plains Theater and the Western Theater were forming a rapidly tightening steel cable around his neck!
If he doesn't adjust and react quickly, even if he considers himself the Goshawk of the Northwest, he will never be so arrogant as to think that he can face two major war zones at the same time!
He indeed holds in his hand a strategic trump card that can be called a "national treasure."
But Gao Zhikai is a hero, not a madman! What he seeks is power, not to drag everything down with him!
What's more, even if he was crazy enough to press that button, he was not sure that they could truly "die together". The biggest possibility was that his destruction would become a sacrifice for the other party to establish their authority and rally people's hearts!
As for conventional military confrontation? That's even more of a joke!
During this period, the Western Theater Command had deliberately leaked news about the Central Plains Theater Command possessing fourth-generation aircraft, strategic bombers, and strategic transport aircraft. Each piece of news was like a heavy hammer, hitting his already tense nerves.
He knew very well how terrifying the modern air supremacy that the United States had demonstrated to the world during the Gulf War was!
The 76th Legion under his command is brave and powerful, but it is just a pure army!
Just like no matter how strong and heroic a rooster is, when facing its natural enemy, a bird of prey like a falcon, the only thing it can do is to wait for its neck to be slaughtered!
The same thing happened to the 76th Army. Facing overwhelming and unreachable air strikes, there was only one outcome:
They were slaughtered unilaterally in desperation and couldn't even organize a decent counterattack.
He could even foresee that there was no need for the Zhongzhou Theater to actually kill his opponent. All he needed was a few high-intensity air threats and precise decapitations, and his army, which was brought together by interests and power, would collapse from within!
He really understands human nature.
When the wind is favorable, everyone can follow him and charge into battle for him; but once they are in absolute headwind and face a catastrophe, the so-called loyalty will be thinner than paper!
How many of his division commanders and regiment commanders truly obeyed him? They were merely oppressed by him or bound by his own interests.
Once they see a force they cannot contend with, they will not hesitate to turn against themselves, using their own lives in exchange for forgiveness and the opportunity to advance!
Compared with the control he had taken over for less than two years, the righteousness and order represented by the two words "Zhou Bang" have a stronger appeal in desperate situations.
"Hu..." Gao Zhikai exhaled imperceptibly, as if he was completely expelling the last bit of hesitation and luck from his body.
All retreat routes are blocked, and all options for confrontation lead to destruction.
Then, he only has one choice left - to put his head in before the noose is completely tightened, but... he has to negotiate conditions!
Yes, surrender! Surrender to that more powerful, more irresistible force—the Zhongzhou Theater!
He, Gao Zhikai, can also love the Zhongzhou War Zone!
