"Why…" Ahmed muttered to himself, his face full of doubt. "Song Heping went to all that trouble to take these two places, held them for less than ten days, and suddenly abandoned them? That makes no sense."
The staff officer said cautiously, "Commander, maybe it's just like we analyzed before—Song Heping doesn't have enough troops. He's holding Bayji, Western Mosul, parts of Kirkuk, and still has to guard against us. His front is stretched too long. Giving up Tuz and Feihate and shortening his line is a reasonable choice."
"Reasonable?" Ahmed sneered. "Song Heping never does things just based on what looks reasonable on the surface. Every move he makes might have three more moves hidden behind it."
He walked to the map, his finger moving from Tuz and Feihate to Bayji, then to Hulmatu.
"If he really is short of troops, then by retaking Tuz and Feihate, we can stabilize our flank again. And then…"
In the end, his finger stopped on Hulmatu.
