All the advisors of these troops were high-priced hires, professionals and military veterans, including even a retired American Brigadier General.
Guzman made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
Just the direct forces alone exceeded 100,000 men, damn, the pressure looked immense, it wouldn't be surprising if some Latin American country decided to declare independence.
Victor's Mexico, have you asked for his opinion?
Apart from that, one of the three big bosses of the Gulf Group, Abrego, was making contacts with the indigenous farmers in Chiapas.
This state... was extremely dissatisfied with the government, its basic rights not guaranteed, the authorities repressed the Indians with high-handed violent acts, ignoring their demands for land ownership, education, and the use of their native language.
Furthermore, local tribal forces and large manor owners often violated and plundered the indigenous people's ancestral lands, causing ethnic and social conflicts from time to time.
The modernization of Mexico hadn't benefited the Indians in Chiapas; rather, it had exacerbated the existing land issues and intensified poverty.
This group of traditional Indians numbered almost a million people.
Of course, Guzman couldn't possibly recruit them all, but according to the plan, he could induce them to engage in an armed insurrection!
The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
You've been exploited so miserably, I provide you with weapons, you attack the authorities, posing a threat to the Mexican Government.
Guzman was cunning indeed.
"I order! The 17th Battalion to move near Chihuahua State, the 16th Battalion to take over their defensive duties; they bomb us, we bomb them back, call the artillery battalion from Fuerte River to blast them!"
Even his tone had changed.
Before, he had been howling from being attacked, but now he had heavy artillery battalions.
This was thanks to Ochoa of the Medellin Cartel, whose arms dealer was very reliable.
Guzman proposed to buy weapons, and the other side readily agreed, saying that as long as you pay, I can transport T55s to you even within the United States.
He had spent 900 million US dollars and bought a bunch of stuff.
The first batch included 12 B-4 heavy howitzers, 203mm caliber, that were given as a bonus...
That's right, a complimentary gift.
The old relics from World War II were unsuited for use by Africans, and being able to distinguish north from south was already an achievement for those from Niger.
And other civilized countries looked down upon them, the howitzers were almost rotting away in storage units, so Victor Bout, seeing how readily Guzman had transferred the two hundred million dollar down payment, decided to generously throw in the B-4 heavy howitzers.
There were also 12 2A36 "Hyacinth B" towed howitzer-guns, caliber: 152mm.
These 24 guns formed the first heavy artillery battalion of the Mexican drug traffickers.
This fully signified that the level of intensity in Mexico's War on Drugs had escalated, transitioning into localized warfare, and drug traffickers had gone from being a "paramilitary organization" to a counter-government force with "rebellion capabilities".
Was spreading gifts across the world.
Upon hearing Guzman's order, the underling immediately responded affirmatively and ran outside to convey the command.
The former though for a moment and then picked up the phone to dial out.
"Hey, Mr. Guzman, why are you calling me so late?" a cheerful voice sounded from the other side.
"Bout, how long for the rest of the goods?"
"About three days, they're already cruising in the ocean. Don't worry, as for the six MiG-29 fighters in your shipment, they're ready too. Approximately in six days, an airshow team from the Soviet Union will arrive in Cuba, and then this batch of weapons will be transported to your turf by land. I've also arranged for four engineers, you don't need to worry about a thing, and there are no extra charges."
Now that's what I call service.
Dammit, they deliver planes with shipping included and engineers on the spot, and you're still haggling over selling seafood.
In fact, Victor Bout too felt that the business was challenging.
The Russian Bear's regular army was 4 million, with reserve forces reaching 12 million, 193 heavy mechanized divisions, 89 mechanized infantry divisions; he was serving some people.
He needed his big orders to keep the higher-ups pleased with him.
Clients like Guzman were certainly his favorites.
Did he care where they went?
You could shove tanks into the White House for all he cared.
Victor Bout could sense serious trouble brewing in the country, and perhaps, it wouldn't be long before it disintegrated.
The AK47 had become cheap; now, for only 72 rubles, approximately 2 US dollars, you could buy one.
Guzman, pleased with the reply, said, "Bout, I want to place another order, but I need it fast, I don't want to wait one or two weeks."
"Oh ho! Of course, what do you need? Now that weapon prices have dropped, if you buy six tanks, we'll give you a command tank for free. Aside from nuclear weapons that I can't 'directly' sell, you can have anything."
Victor Bout's eyes lit up.
Guzman was in a good mood and threw out, "Can I include weapon-grade enriched uranium as well?"
He had been paying more attention to weapon types and could spout some professional terms and knew about pricing.
This stuff was incredibly precious. To put it mildly, throw it in Europe, and many would clamor for it.
The other party hesitated, but only for two or three seconds, "How much do you need?"
Guzman's eyes widened; holy shit! Could he actually get it?
"I... I was just joking, buddy, haha," he said with an awkward laugh.
Victor Bout sounded disappointed.
He had thought he'd be able to sell off those worthless items.
"Send me seven hundred million dollars' worth of goods. You decide on the weapons, but I need both anti-air and ground equipment, OK?"