Half an hour before Song Heping and Admiral Miller reached a deal, in the northwest direction of Titrick, the desert and hilly area, the 1515 army was advancing steadily northward.
The scene here was vastly different from the orderly Bayji, filled with the noise of victors and the desolation of those defeated.
The dry hot wind stirred up dust but could not dispel the pungent mix of strong gunpowder, blood, and diesel exhaust.
The sight along tens of kilometers of road was distressing.
Abandoned or destroyed vehicles were everywhere; mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles (MRAP) marked with Thunder Defense symbols were overturned in road ditches, still emitting black smoke from burnt wreckage; some Kurd Armed pickup trucks lay with wheels upturned, others burned down to the chassis; scattered ammunition boxes, personal gear, and even torn flags covered the road and sand on both sides.
