Their conversation was laced with deep meaning.
Morins had also run a background check on Song Heping.
He had some understanding of Song Heping's rise in Illiguo, but of course, he didn't know the details.
He knew that Song Heping was at odds with the CIA, but he was unaware that at this time, Song Heping had actually smoothed things over with Simon, the CIA station chief in Illiguo.
Meanwhile, Song Heping had thoroughly investigated Morins, focusing mainly on whether there were any connections between the armed organizations in Colombia and the CIA.
Previously, the CIA mostly controlled the South American arms market, and they did so through a proxy model; cultivating compliant arms dealers, and allowing them to traffic arms in South America.
This was done to prevent Russian arms dealers from entering the market. After all, if you don't do it, someone else will, just like the drug trade—even if a major drug lord like Pablo is taken down, other drug lords will rise.
The CIA later realized it's better to control than to suppress.
The advantage of this control model is like a water supply system - whoever holds the valve controls where the water flows, which can be adjusted to weaken or support as needed.
On the surface, the United States usually harbors a strong aversion toward leftist armed organizations due to ideological conflicts with American positions. Therefore, Colombia's two main armed groups, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), are not favored by the United States. In fact, these two armed groups also hold hostility towards the United States.
In light of this, the United States Government decided to provide funding to the Colombian Government to assist them in their fight against drug trafficking organizations and to eliminate the ELN and FARC within the country. These organizations were listed as terrorist groups by the United States, making their situation quite difficult. However, the matter was not so simple.
Although the United States publicly fought drug crime, the CIA was covertly involved in controlling the drug market in South America. This practice meant that the drug trafficking organizations in South America could never be completely eradicated, creating a situation akin to "the grass that regrows with the spring wind after a wild fire". Whenever these drug trafficking groups rose again, they would often collude with local armed organizations because only through such alliances could they establish a foothold.
For example, the FARC had a close relationship with local drug trafficking groups in Colombia, benefiting from mutual exploitation and growing strong together. The drug traffickers gained the protection and safety from the armed groups, while the armed groups received funding and weapons. This interdependent relationship allowed both parties to grow and strengthen.
Although the CIA tried to control the drug market in South America, their efforts often ended in failure.
The compliant drug traffickers they supported would often become less obedient as they grew stronger, much like the past Agaida Lamp Brother.
After all, no one wants to be a pawn forever.
Logically, the CIA should be fully committed to assisting the military or agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in cooperation with the governments of South American countries, tackling the drug problem once and for all—that would be a long-term solution.
However, the CIA seemed unable to give up the drug trade, as if they too were addicted to the narcotics.
Through drug trade, the CIA was able to obtain large amounts of operational funds unregulated by Congress, used to execute secret operations, and even to subvert the governments of other countries.
For instance, in 1979, a revolution erupted in Central America's Nicaragua and the pro-American regime was overthrown.
The Americans couldn't tolerate a government in their own backyard that opposed them, so the CIA decided to support the pro-American anti-government armed forces in Nicaragua and provided them with continuous funding and arms support.
However, war is an enormous drain that requires sustained financial support. The Nixon Government originally planned to request funds from Congress, but was rejected.
After all, the United States, as wealthy as it is, had many financial demands, and even the landlord's house had no excess grain. Moreover, once these expenses were made public, the United States would face criticism from the international community.
Therefore, the CIA had to figure out a way to raise funds themselves. They quickly found a clever method—drug trafficking. The CIA used planes flying direct to Nicaragua to deliver weapons and intelligence personnel, while bringing back tons of drugs from this chaotic country into the United States.
They would then sell the drugs through various covert channels and used the money earned to support pro-American forces.
From that time on, the drug war between South America and the United States fell into a strange cycle—the more drugs were banned, the more they proliferated; prohibition was simply ineffective.
It was for this reason that ELN and FARC, two armed organizations, had been trading with arms dealers who were actually CIA agents through various secretive means, or purchasing weapons from drug trafficking groups to pass on to themselves.
As time passed, these armed groups, armed with newly acquired weapons, seized territory, captured weapons from the government army, and even colluded with corrupt elements within the military to obtain some of the weapons supplied by the United States to help the Colombian government fight drug lords.
However, the situation had recently changed. An extraditable drug lord that the United States government was very keen on, Silverto, had been released from prison, and to extradite him, the Americans and the Colombian government had started negotiations again. To show sincerity, the United States provided not just funding, but also sent Special Forces members to assist Colombia in training their troops, help suppress the increasingly powerful ELN and FARC armed organizations, and began cutting off the supply of arms to these two groups via the CIA.
It was also for this reason that lately Morins had been having a tough time, which is why he wanted to cooperate with General Rama and purchase arms from them.
However, they didn't expect their first trade to be disrupted by the United Self-Defense Forces (AUC).
Song Heping guessed that Morins would definitely have to find new arms dealers to purchase weapons from, or else, without replenishment, his troops would hardly be able to survive the encirclement and suppression by the Colombian government army and AUC—it was likely just a matter of time before their downfall.
Therefore, Song Heping was actually quite calm inside. The armed organization leader sitting across from him with a darkening face didn't dare to, and didn't want to, do anything to him.
Indeed, after a long time, Morins across from him let out a sigh and said leisurely, "Alright... I can try to make another deal with General Rama, but as you said, payment upon delivery."
"Done." Song Heping said, "Then, Colonel, your first order of business..."
"Wait, I have one more condition." Morins interrupted Song Heping, "If we establish a long-term cooperative relationship in the future, you must provide military training for my men. Money is not an issue!"
"Provide military training!?" Song Heping pointed towards the door, "You don't expect me to send people here to train you, do you? No, that's too risky. By doing so, my identity will be completely exposed. Colonel, it's not that I don't want to make your money, but have you not thought that by now ELN is on the terrorist list of the United States government? Although I know that list is nonsense, I am still mixing in under the Americans' roof, so aren't you asking me to court my own death? Our cooperation must remain secret. Even after establishing a trade channel, I won't come into direct contact. You and General Rama will have to communicate one-on-one."
Upon hearing this, Morins' face changed again.
He was rarely rejected so directly and candidly.
But he had to admit that Song Heping's words were not false.
He certainly couldn't ask someone to risk their life and fortune for his money.
After all, one needs to be alive to spend money.
Before Morins could respond with a new answer, a burst of dense gunfire was heard from outside.
Ratatatatata—
Followed by someone shouting in Spanish—
"Attack!"
Song Heping was suddenly startled, a terrifying thought flashing through his mind—the camp was under attack!
Morins, sitting opposite him, stood up swiftly, his face ghastly pale as he drew his pistol and aimed it at Song Heping: "Are you with the government army?!"
Song Heping wanted to say he wasn't, but then he thought about it and realized, indeed, it was too much of a coincidence.
Now it really was like a streak of yellow mud on his pants—it wasn't shit, but it might as well have been!