Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 101 Sour Cream and New Clothes

Major General Cohen has received news from within the city that the defensive lines he has set up are gradually collapsing under the offensive of the Northern Expeditionary Force of Shuangzhi.

Meanwhile, Zion did not have an advantage in air superiority, so it seemed that the defeat of the 45th Division was inevitable.

"This must be the United States pulling the strings behind the scenes!"

Major General Cohen slammed his fist on the battle map, causing the markers on it to fall off. He cursed, "They must have provided Shuangzhi with high-tech weapons in order to suppress Zion and use Arab countries to compete with the colonial empire!"

The chief of staff hesitated, as if the United Kingdom and France were the same in this respect.

And they did it even more blatantly.

After Major General Cohen calmed down a bit, the Chief of Staff offered his advice: "Judging from the current situation, Garnam is definitely not going to hold. We can move north and retreat to Hitt. This way, at least we can preserve the integrity of our main force."

"Isn't there any other way?" Major General Cohen was a little irritated; he really couldn't bear to retreat like this.

Ghanam is the largest city west of the Euphrates River in Al-Iraq and the capital of the Anbar Governorate, holding an important position as both a transportation and commercial center.

As long as he manages the oil trade with the Kurds well, he can be considered the local tyrant.

Although Hit was not bad, he was definitely much worse than Garnum. What could he do? Sell asphalt?

Just then, the air raid siren suddenly sounded, and Major General Cohen instinctively hid under the table. The distant explosions made the windows of the command post rattle.

"Major General, we must evacuate immediately!" the chief of staff urged. "If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"

Looking at the retreating defensive lines on the battle map, Cohen understood that the situation in the city was irreversible.

The best course of action is to make a clean break when necessary.

"Organize an immediate retreat!" Major General Cohen gave the order without hesitation.

As for the reasons for the fall of Garnam, he could later attribute it all to Brigadier General Eugene of the 45th Brigade.

A captured general is destined to become a disgrace to the Zion military.

He then reminded his staff, "When you're taking notes later, remember to remind the commander that Major General Amir of Shuangzhi is a troublesome fellow. Find an opportunity to take him out!"

The Chief of Staff nodded solemnly: "I have already reported the relevant intelligence to the General Staff. Given Amir's demonstrated military talent, he will surely become a major threat to Zion in due time."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In Garnam, Lu Lin was using his eagle-like perspective to survey the entire situation from the air.

To his dismay, the commander of the opposing 45th Armored Brigade was overly cautious and never showed himself throughout the entire battle.

Otherwise, I'd be playing "whack-a-mole" myself.

At this moment, Ibrahim came to report the situation: "The vanguard has advanced to the West City Tire Factory. As long as we complete the encirclement from the eastern suburbs, we will soon be able to annihilate the remaining enemy forces."

Furthermore, reports from the front lines indicate that the number of Zion tank crews encountered is decreasing, suggesting that the main enemy force has begun its retreat. It is estimated that we will be able to completely control the city within ten hours.

"It's about restoration," Lu Lin reminded him.

“Okay, liberation.” Ibrahim nodded.

At this moment, Taimiye said from the side, "Major General, don't you have any other ideas?"

Lu Lin thought to himself, "Are you trying to incite me to make some terrible decision?"

In the Arab worldview, there has never been a tradition of deference between brotherly nations.

Moreover, the Al-Ilag government had previously voluntarily relinquished Ghanam, so it seems only natural to seize the opportunity to acquire it now.

“The United Nations will not allow us to occupy this city,” Lu Lin said. “Besides, the war has only just begun. If we do something like this, the Arab League will be internally divided first.”

At present, everyone's top priority is still fighting Zion, and even if others don't say it, Lu Lin knows that Ant will definitely not allow him to do this and will most likely intervene.

That could easily turn into a situation where the United States is backing up the Twins, versus Al-Irag, whose mechanical abilities have been rapidly enhanced. "Alright, alright," Tamie shrugged. "I was just saying."

Subsequently, the expeditionary force moved its command post into the city for the first time. After the battle, almost a quarter of the houses in Canam were reduced to ruins.

After looking around, I discovered that the most complete building was actually a temple.

So they decided to use this place as their command post. The imam in the temple had been taken away somewhere, and all the ancient books about Muslims had been burned by the Zionites.

"Want something to eat?"

At this moment, Yehena asked. She had just returned from logistics, with a basket slung over her forearm, covered with gauze, and the smell of sour cream wafted out from it.

"Yes, yes!" Lu Lin raised his hand; he hadn't eaten all day.

Yehena laid out the food from the basket on the table: wheat cakes, various kinds of dried meat, beef and camel meat, dates (which were always present), and a large bowl of sour cream.

Lu Lin beckoned Ibrahim, who was looking through documents, to come and eat with him. He first scooped up a spoonful of sour cream and licked it twice.

It's both salty and sour.

But it's very appetizing, and it goes perfectly with the bland wheat cakes and dried meat.

In Arab countries, sour cream is like a versatile condiment, used not only for dipping sauces but also for stews, and it has a rich, fermented flavor.

Lu Lin put the wheat cake dipped in sour cream in his mouth and chewed it heartily.

"You haven't showered for days, have you? You smell weird." Yehena suddenly frowned and took a half step back without making a sound.

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin lowered his head and sniffed, but unfortunately he was eating sour cream and couldn't smell anything.

However, his guess was pretty accurate: Middle Easterners have a strong odor, and after so many days of fighting, it's normal for them to have a bit of a smell.

"When you're fighting a war, you can't pay attention to these details." Lu Lin didn't care much.

What's wrong with men being a little rough around the edges?
Then he saw the girl take out a neatly ironed change of clothes. "I just prepared a change of clothes for you. Go take a shower."

The girl complained, "You almost suffocated me inside the tank!"

“That must be Al-Khali!” Lu Lin argued, “I’ve been in command post the whole time, and I haven’t broken a sweat!”

When the M60A1 was in combat, the engine cooling was a major concern. Combined with the desert environment, the driver's cab was like a sauna. To ensure that the soldiers would not suffer from heatstroke, Lu Lin also provided them with saline solution and glucose.

Yehena leaned closer to him and asked him a question, then wrinkled her nose.

Lu Lin scratched his head: "Then what about the clothes I'm wearing?"

"Give it to me, I'll wash it for you."

Lu Lin suddenly remembered something his mother had once told him: when a woman is willing to do your laundry, either she's raising you like a son, or you've entered her life.

Ibrahim, who was eating, hesitated for a moment, picked up a piece of oat cake, and left this place of trouble.

He smelled something even more sour and pungent than sour cream.

"Oh." Lu Lin immediately started taking off his clothes.

"What are you doing?!" Yehena was extremely embarrassed, her face turning red to the roots of her ears.

"I'll take off my clothes for you."

Watching the other person flee with their clothes in their arms, Lu Lin burst into laughter.

　Chapter Two will be released later; it may need some revisions.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)