Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 110 Fighters
"Prince Muhammad will leave the decision to you."

Brigadier General Ali's voice came through the phone: "Yesterday morning in Navant, Suriya, Commander Hafez convened an emergency meeting with high-ranking officials from other Arab countries. General Nayef from Shuangzhi attended as their representative."

"The original purpose of this meeting was to unify the Arab countries' war strategy, but in the end the countries were at odds. Masr supported waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, hoping that the victory in the Sinai Peninsula would prompt Zion to sit down at the negotiating table to negotiate with them, but Commander Hafez of Suriya advocated a strong offensive to take back the lost territory by force."

As you can see from the battle reports, Surria has now lost the ability to resist, and Masr can only passively defend on the east bank of the Suez Canal.

Brigadier General Ali's tone was tinged with sarcasm. "Neither side convinced the other, and in the end, they shifted the blame to their ally. Al-Ilag probably didn't attend the meeting because he was afraid of losing face. On the other hand, Hashim was scolded by Commander Hafez for doing nothing throughout the meeting. King Setis, who was present, couldn't stand the insult and stormed out of the room."

Lu Lin's first reaction after hearing this was, "As expected of the Arab world, they never miss their classic blame-shifting contest."

He then said, "I suspect that the Hashim have sided with Zion. This time, the supply lines have been cut off, and I feel there is a big problem."

Brigadier General Ali paused for a moment, then said, "Possibly."

After all, Hashem has a history of such actions; at the last UN General Assembly, he was the first of all participating Arab countries to vote neutral.

If it weren't for Prime Minister Ferdinand's act of "showing his resolve by sacrificing himself" and uniting all Arab countries, Hashim probably wouldn't have confronted Zion head-on.

When Hashim learned that Masr and Surria had been utterly defeated, he probably became restless. If Zion offered him a way out at this point, they might secretly reach an agreement.

“If things don’t look good, come back immediately,” Brigadier General Ali said. “The royal family will arrange a private jet for you.”

“I have to stay with my troops,” Lu Lin said. “However, I will evacuate earlier if things don’t go well.”

Brigadier General Ali remained silent for a while before replying, "His Highness the Prince said that your survival is the most important thing; otherwise, just be careful."

After finishing the call, Lu Lin hung up and turned to Ibrahim, asking, "When will our supplies arrive?"

Ibrahim thought for a moment: "Ante might be faster. Their An-22 is the largest transport plane in the world. It can fly directly from Oktiabuskoye Airport in Crimea to Latakia in Surya. It should be delivered in one or two days."

But the United States can't do that; they need to find a stopover airport, which would conservatively take three or four days.

"This number is a bit tight," Lu Lin frowned. They were in dire need of artillery shells and replacement parts for tanks.

Moreover, even if supplies are delivered, they can't be used immediately.

“It only took us less than two days to move from Sergei to Ghanam, and that was just a night march.” Lu Lin roughly calculated Zion’s marching speed: “If we don’t consider losses, we will be able to see Zion’s vanguard armored forces in the suburbs the day after tomorrow.”

“I’ve already had the outposts plant anti-tank mines along Highway 53 in advance. We can also try to blow up the bridges and roads along the way,” Ibrahim said.

“It’s not enough. Whether we’re retreating or deploying defenses, we need time.” Lu Lin said, “I need to go check on the tank unit’s situation. Maybe I can come up with some solutions.”

Ibrahim: "I'll go with you."

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 an abandoned repair shop in Garnam West, sappers covered the entire steel structure roof with waterproof plastic sheeting, turning it into a makeshift tank warehouse.

Lu Lin's jeep was parked on the side of the road, and then he strode inside.

Upon seeing Lu Lin, the battalion commander immediately ran over and saluted: "Major General!"

“Hmm,” Lu Lin nodded, “I’ve come over to take a look.”

From a distance, he saw two new recruits fiddling with the air intake of an M60A1. Lu Lin walked over and asked, "What are you doing?"

The two recruits turned around and snapped to attention. After saluting, one of them explained, "Major General, the sand and dust filters originally provided by the United States were really ineffective. The engines would still frequently overheat during combat. So we came up with a solution: we put some nylon stockings over the air intakes. This effectively prevents sand and dust from getting in."

Another recruit quickly added, "Don't let the thinness of these stockings fool you, they're really effective at preventing dust! The only downside is that you have to change them every day, maybe even more frequently during combat."

Lu Lin nodded: "This is a great idea. We can prepare more storage compartments on the side of the tanks so that the accompanying infantry can change things quickly and easily."

Lu Lin had seen this idea of ​​using "nylon stockings" for dust protection in the United Kingdom's "Armored Forces Magazine" in his later years. Although it was not as effective as an oil bath filter, it was much cheaper and easier to replace.

"It seems that young people have more clever ideas!" Lu Lin said to the Third Battalion Commander, "We'll spread this method around and have all the crews find a way to prepare some."

He then looked at the two new recruits: "What are your names?"

"Tammim bin Hamad!"

"Antara ibn Orwo ibn Zubair!" The two recruits stood tall and proud.

Lu Lin nodded: "By the way, tell the others that this great idea was come from Tamim and Antara of the Third Battalion!"

The two new recruits immediately beamed with joy.

The battalion commander laughed too: "Now the stockings in the city are going to sell out, and the ladies on the street will all be walking barefoot."

"If we come up with any other good ideas, we must promote them after they have been tested in actual combat," Lu Lin said. "This is the accumulation of our troops. As long as we can accumulate and pass on these experiences little by little, one day we will become an elite force like Zion!"

At this moment, the new recruit named Antara interrupted, "Major General, how can you boost the morale of others and diminish our own?"

Tamim chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, we defeated the Zionist forces twice in a row! They're nothing special!"

It seems that winning battles is indeed a good way to improve the cohesion of the army. At least his troops will not "surrender" like the troops of other Arab countries once Zion gains the upper hand.

"Having confidence is a good thing, but we must not underestimate our enemies because of it."

Lu Lin said quite seriously, "Zion is a powerful and cunning opponent. Their entire population is armed, and their military achievements over the past twenty years have proven their military strength. We must learn from their strengths and analyze their weaknesses in order to defeat them."

The two children immediately nodded, for the major general's words were the most important.

Lu Lin then pulled the Third Battalion Commander aside and said to him, "The vanguard of Zion's armored forces is coming from the west. I need to set up defensive echelons to slow their advance."

Such a mission requires the team to have a tenacious fighting spirit, and can only be entrusted to his trusted subordinates.

The battalion commander's face was solemn: "Then you can leave it to me!"

Lu Lin nodded: "I actually have an idea, which is to have you pretend to be the armored forces of Zion. I will give you all the chieftains and centurions I have captured, which should be enough to form a tank company."

Third Battalion Commander: "I also want Sheridan, the kind equipped with anti-tank missiles."

Lu Lin: "Sheridan tanks won't work. There are hardly any operational tanks left in the entire unit. However, I can give you twenty anti-tank rocket launchers for infantry."

"Let's leave it at that then."

"Is there anything else you want?"

The battalion commander thought for a moment and said, "Cola, I hope there's enough cola for everyone!"

“No problem,” Lu Lin patted his shoulder, “Go find Baksh, I’ll get you a note, take as many Cokes as you want!”

Upon hearing the major general's straightforwardness, the third battalion commander immediately grinned.

“Oh, right,” Lu Lin suddenly remembered something. He took out a red notebook from his breast pocket, which contained the names of the soldiers who had died for him in Nukshir.

He said to the battalion commander, "Before you leave, write everyone's names down here, and remember to return them to me when you're done."

The battalion commander took the notebook and quickly went to carry out the orders.

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.

Lu Lin returned to the command post in a jeep. On the way, he saw an old man waving at him, so he ordered Fahd to stop the car.

"Old man, you should seek refuge now. The Japanese devils from Zion are about to attack," Lu Lin said to the old man.

“I know, General,” the old man said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, “that we will defeat them again just like last time, won’t we?”

Lu Lin pursed his lips, ultimately unwilling to deceive the old man: "It's hard to say. The Zionians are coming with great force this time, and our supplies haven't arrived yet. It might be even more devastating than last time."

"I see." The old man's eyes showed a hint of disappointment, but he quickly handed a metal box to Lu Lin.

Lu Lin opened it and found a few thin banknotes, which should be the old man's only remaining savings.

He asked in surprise, "You've given us all the money, how will you live from now on?"

The old man said, “My son joined the guerrillas, was captured and tortured to death. His body was hung on a lamppost and burned to death by flames.”

My daughter-in-law ran away with my grandson, and I don't know where they went. I have nothing left to hold me back.

Lu Lin was immediately silenced. He wanted to say "please accept my condolences," but felt that the words were too weak.

"General, I'd like to buy some weapons from you. I can't be a good shot with guns, but I'd like a few hand grenades."

The old man's eyes were resolute: "I recognize the six-pointed star on their tanks. In a critical moment, it's worth it to take a few Zionist devils with me to the grave!"

“Alright,” Lu Lin did not refuse the old man’s suggestion, and made an exception by turning to Fahad and saying, “Give this man, Rafik, two grenades!”

Fahd immediately went to the trunk to rummage: "Sir, do you prefer Ant or the United States?"

Which one is more powerful?

"This, the Ant F-1, has a kill radius of fifteen meters, and its damage is equivalent to two M67s!" Fahad reminded him, "When you use it, try to throw it far away so you don't hurt yourself!"

The old man tucked the grenade into his pocket as if it were a precious treasure, then handed the box containing the money to Lu Lin.

But Lu Lin refused, saying, "We don't need the money. You should keep it for yourself."

Lu Lin knew that some people, once they made up their minds, would disregard life and death, but he still held a glimmer of hope that the world would treat these brave and fearless people kinder.

Lu Lin then got into the car, and behind him he heard the old man shout, "It doesn't matter if we can't win! General, you must survive. If all else fails, we can retreat first and not worry about us!"

Lu Lin pretended not to hear, but just watched the figure in the rearview mirror get smaller and smaller until it disappeared.

The car drove off into the distance, kicking up clouds of dust.

(End of this chapter)