Chapter 389: Expansion (End)

Yuri had been operating in La Paz for some time, so it took him less than a day to confirm that Colonel Numar had not met with any mishap.

Thus, a meeting proceeded as scheduled.

"Colonel, you really had me worried for quite a while..."

The meeting was held in a private villa within the city of La Paz. As for who the owner of the villa was, Yuri did not care; what he cared about was how much power this somewhat bloated white fat man before him still held in his hands.

"Oh, Yuri, my dear friend. It is truly wonderful to see you again!"

Colonel Numar was an obese elderly man of Indian descent. At sixty-two years old this year, he was originally one of the few active-duty generals in Bolivia.

Unfortunately, a year ago, he was implicated in an unsuccessful military coup.

If not for the current president considering that he belonged to the same Indian descent and believing he could be won over, he would have only been stripped of his military post and demoted to Colonel as a disciplinary measure.

Otherwise, one only needed to look at the previous Minister of the Interior; that white politician, who was also involved in the incident of assassinating the president, had now become a predecessor.

Yuri could not be bothered to continue these hypocritical pleasantries with him. After the Colonel personally poured him a glass of red wine and the two clinked glasses and each took a sip, he restrained his smile.

"Colonel, what exactly is the situation on your side? La Paz is currently full of intelligence agencies and internal security personnel; is it true that word has leaked out?"

He was naturally asking a question to which he already knew the answer. Colonel Numar sighed lightly, set down his wine glass, and nodded slightly: "Yuri, my friend. The situation in La Paz is even more dangerous than you can imagine. The minions of that madman who is now hell-bent on reviving communism have already arrested an ally I was in contact with. If I hadn't immediately kidnapped his family and had someone pass on the message that if he dared to expose anything, I would send his family to hell first, I fear I would have already been exposed by now!"

He looked at Yuri irritably, his face full of fat trembling, "... However, although the intelligence I received indicates that the guy hasn't dared to reveal any information yet, people have already started to suspect me. My phone was found to be wiretapped today, Yuri, the plan must proceed as soon as possible!"

Yuri narrowed his eyes and asked: "How many men can you still mobilize?"

"One thousand... no, maybe only seven or eight hundred left... but in the police system, I have a subordinate currently training reserve police officers. If we push for it, we should be able to get a few hundred more police!"

Many South American and even Central American countries have quite poor control over their militaries.

This is also why one often sees news of military coups frequently occurring in Central and South America, overthrowing elected governments or governments that also came to power through coups.

Yuri, who came from the CIA, although he looked down on Colonel Numar's forces, he was also very clear that if these people really launched a sudden military coup, they would actually have a chance to control La Paz and overthrow the current government.

After all, limited by national strength, Bolivia's military power has never been very good. With a territory of over one million square kilometers, it only has about forty thousand regular troops, the vast majority of whom are stationed on the border lines with Chile and Paraguay, where Bolivia frequently has border friction, leaving the internal defense very empty.

However, what he needed was not a 'possibly successful' military coup, but one that was certain to succeed.

At this moment, Yuri pointed out the problem quite bluntly: "Colonel, I cannot trust a group of reserve police officers who might not even be able to hold a gun steady, and as for how many of your men are actually willing to follow you, I'm afraid even you yourself cannot guarantee that!"

His finger tapped unceremoniously on the coffee table nearby, his voice cold.

"So I need to increase the stakes to ensure the plan definitely succeeds... but..."

Colonel Numar's expression changed slightly, and some greasy sweat could be faintly seen on his forehead.

"You want to raise the price..." His voice was somewhat displeased, but he soon recovered, shaking his head and waving it: "... My friend, your quote is already very high. Thirty million US dollars in military expenses, plus two thousand Bolivian military service records; even if my coup succeeds, this country might be entirely under my control in the future!"

Although he said it this way, Colonel Numar did not completely refuse.

Clearly, he also knew his current dangerous situation. Once his involvement in the military coup was exposed, this time, his Indian descent would absolutely not be able to protect him, and the best outcome awaiting him would be spending the rest of his life in prison.

Yuri just sneered at him, saying nothing, staring at Colonel Numar until the sweat on his forehead kept rolling down his cheeks.

The two stared at each other for a good while, and Colonel Numar was the first to give in.

His throat moved constantly, and he spoke again, dryly: "... Fine, I agree to increase the reward... but... I can't come up with any more money. Don't you want to get Bolivian military service records? I can add another one thousand... As the price, the mercenaries you promised to participate in the coup must be doubled from the original five hundred."

After speaking, he stared intently at Yuri, but what he waited for was an unsatisfied shake of the head.

"Military service records? No need... Compared to that, I am now more interested in the future Minister of the Interior of the new government..."

Ignoring Colonel Numar's ugly expression, he took a recorder out of his pocket and placed it on the coffee table.

"Old rules, just one word from you. Two Reinforced Battalions of about seventeen hundred mercenaries who have received regular military training will arrive in La Paz through various channels within five days... I can guarantee that these soldiers will be fully armed, from Heavy Machine Guns to armored vehicles and even tanks, everything you could want... I guarantee I can overthrow this government for you and send you to the throne of your country's president..."

"Two Reinforced Battalions... fully armed..."

Colonel Numar kept swallowing, his face full of temptation.

As one of the highest military commanders in this country, he knew all too well the role two fully armed Reinforced Battalions would play in a military coup.

At the thought that he could soon leap to become the most powerful person in this country, Colonel Numar felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

But...

The bargaining chip was the Minister of the Interior!

He suddenly felt it was difficult to choose!

Bolivia's military force is only about forty thousand people. Because the regular army is stationed in border areas for long periods, only a very small number are responsible for guarding important domestic cities like La Paz and Sucre. In this situation, the importance of the Bolivian police is highlighted. There are about thirty thousand police officers in the country responsible for security across the nation, and the Minister of the Interior is the highest official of the police system.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Minister of the Interior is the third most powerful figure in Bolivia after the President and the Defense Minister, and because of the friction between the President and the Defense Minister over military power, the importance of the Minister of the Interior might be even greater.

His gaze could not help but linger on the recorder on the coffee table, and Colonel Numar began to think with difficulty.

He knew that once he said those words, unless he could eliminate Yuri and all his mercenaries, and even the forces behind him, at the first moment after the coup succeeded, this thing would be a time bomb that could blow him to smithereens at any moment.

But...

The supreme power of a country was constantly beckoning to him, and this power within reach was something he simply could not refuse.

After hesitating for a long time, the Colonel finally made a decision, his mouth trembling slightly as he agreed, "Fine, I agree to your terms!"

Yuri immediately stood up, beaming with joy, and raised his red wine to toast him slightly, "Mr. President, you will not regret your decision today!"

This change in address immediately made Numar, who was originally somewhat reluctant, show a slight smile on his face.

He smiled and raised his glass to toast with Yuri. As the glasses clinked with a clatter, a flash of mockery and indifference crossed Yuri's eyes.

"... Enjoy laughing while you still can. You will soon realize that you are nothing more than a pawn pushed to the forefront by others!"