Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 126 Leisure Time (Part Two)

Lu Lin felt that the other person was hinting at something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Any prince with a right to the throne would probably lose his temper if he heard the Great Mufti say such things to him.

But he was wondering what the church could gain from this deal.

Furthermore, Shuangzhi now possesses abundant oil resources and has secured the support of the United States. It can develop rapidly even without much effort. If religion crosses the line, it will only destroy all of this.

Could it be that you want to use me to overturn the succession system from brother to brother?
"Alright, enough chit-chat for now." Grand Mufti stood up, supporting himself on his chair. "I still need to go back for a medical check-up."

"I also wish you a speedy recovery; the war isn't over yet."

Lu Lin was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that there was an important thing he had forgotten to ask: how long he had been asleep.
After the Mufti left, Lu Lin asked Sultan, "What's the date today?"

"Uh, it's the 24th."

Lu Lin was taken aback. So, six days had passed since he left Garnham?

"How is the situation at the front?" he pressed.

Sultan's expression suddenly became quite interesting. After thinking for a moment about how to explain to Lu Lin, he said, "In the first three days, with the help of the United States and Ant, we temporarily added an armored division and a mechanized infantry division to our forces, barely managing to stabilize our position. We fought back and forth with the 210th Division attacking Zion, and both sides suffered heavy losses."

But the turning point came on October 21st when Surria assembled his remaining armored divisions and launched a forced advance from Deir ez-Zor. First, he launched a surprise attack on Hitler, then cut off the supply lines of the 210th Division in Zion, completely reversing the situation.

The current situation is that the 210th Division, having missed its best opportunity to retreat, has no choice but to temporarily retreat to Sergiad, but surrender is only a matter of time.

Good guy.

Lu Lin remembered that Surya had only 1,400 tanks in total, and more than 800 of them were destroyed in the early stages of the war. This time, it was a gamble that risked the fate of the nation.

What a perfect description of "only attacking and never defending, unparalleled in the world"!

However, Zion's plan to seize Ghanam has at least fallen through, which means that the oil embargo is still in effect, and the cooperation between Zion and the Kurds has essentially broken down.

“Good news.” Lu Lin nodded. “This way, we can use this army as leverage to exchange more land from Zion, such as Damascus.”

Of course, a prisoner exchange is more likely, depending on how the Arab countries calculate the costs.

"I'm afraid it will be a bit difficult; Zion has already made an offer."

Sultan smiled wryly: "On the 16th, their General Yesavishin personally led the 143rd Armored Division and the 166th Division, taking advantage of the gaps in Masr's defenses at the Suez Canal, and forcibly advanced, not only encircling the Third Army, but also pushing the armored forces to the vicinity of Cairo."

Their current demands are for the 210th Division in exchange for their withdrawal from Cairo and the release of the captured Third Army.

Lu Lin's expression froze instantly.

This ally is so rotten it's refreshingly unique.

He quickly analyzed the current situation and soon guessed what would happen next: "So now Masr wants us to agree to Zion's conditions, but Surria refuses?"

"Yes."

Sultan wore a matter-of-fact expression: "After all, these two countries completely broke up early in the war. They not only pointed fingers at each other and hurled insults, but also dragged half of the Arab world into taking sides. Besides, Suriya has even lost its capital. How could it possibly help Masr solve his problems? It's already good enough that it didn't kick him when he was down!"

Ten years ago, during Ferdinand's rule, the two countries were as close as brothers, but now they have become enemies.

Wait a minute.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Lu Lin's mind: the most powerful army in western Al-Irag was actually Shuangzhi's Northern Expeditionary Force. In other words, the 210th Division of Zion was also his spoils of war. The power of life and death over these Zion soldiers was in his hands.

"Is Zion's real target for negotiation me, or rather, the Twin Emperors behind me?"

Lu Lin immediately understood.

At least for now, he is still the commander of the Northern Expeditionary Force, and theoretically has the right to directly command the frontline troops. "This might be another of Zion's schemes, even if the situation is very passive for them."

However, it seems that Shuangzhi can only choose to support either Masr or Surria, and whichever he chooses will lead to a rift within the Arab League.

Lu Lin felt somewhat helpless. In fact, whether Zion or the Arabs won, the outcome would be straightforward and decisive.

However, as the war has progressed, the situation has become chaotic. On the first front, Masr and Surria, which were initially riding high, are now shrouded in gloom. On the second front, Al-Irag, who was originally the victor, has twice lost his composure, resulting in the land west of the Euphrates being taken over by his allies. On the third front, Hashim, after wavering, has finally chosen to compromise with Zion.
Meanwhile, other Middle Eastern and North African countries that were providing support had suffered Masr's betrayal and disastrous defeats on the front lines. The only region they had won in had nothing to do with them, which was even more unpleasant than swallowing a fly.

"When can I return to the front lines?" Lu Lin felt as if a fire was burning in his chest.

“Going back now won’t do you any good,” Sultan said. “Your father is assembling a new staff for you, but it’s hard to find people with rich combat experience who can keep up with your command pace.”

Lu Lin paused for a moment, then asked, "Where is my former chief of staff?"

He subconsciously wanted to avoid this question. He wished he could jump to two months later, so that either the other party would officially return to his combat ranks, or he could find a place to pay his respects.

“Ibrahim al-Sudari?” Sultan thought for a moment and replied, “He was seriously injured and was transferred here first. The good news is that his condition is under control.”

"He was also sent here for treatment?" Lu Lin was both surprised and delighted.

"Yes, not only him, but also your orderly. Her condition is more serious; she is still not out of danger."

Sultan said frankly, "That girl was very brave, and our whole family is very grateful to her."

Seeing Lu Lin's eyes gradually brighten, Sultan smiled and said, "I think you definitely want to see it for yourself."

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 pushed open the door to the ward and saw Yehena lying on the hospital bed, surrounded by various instruments.

At that time, there were no fairy tales depicting Sleeping Beauty.

The girl wore a breathing mask and her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were having a nightmare.

Lu Lin walked over to her, found a stool to sit down, and then took her hand.

He spoke as if to a girl, or perhaps to himself: "Today I received some good news. I finally know the designation of the Zion forces that attacked us from the west of Canam – the 210th Armored Division, and their commander is David Laden, a distinguished lieutenant general."

Now they are trapped in Sergiad by our troops, like fish in a barrel.

Zion wanted to exchange them for Zion, and in return, the prime minister was willing to make concessions and end the war.

He paused, then said, "But I feel this is wrong. They slaughtered so many civilians and caused so many of our soldiers to bleed and die, and now they want to stop the war just like that."
Why?

Arab countries have lost their dignity, their territory, and millions of civilians, while Zion still wants to unilaterally control the pace of the war. This is essentially a humiliation of the weak by the strong.

And this isn't the first time we've faced this situation; as it turns out, compromise only gives the enemy the leverage to make a comeback.

Defeat is defeat, and victory is victory!
Either fight the Arabs until they bleed to death, or completely annihilate Zion!

Whenever I think of those who died for me, and of the opportunities they gave me to choose again, I become increasingly clear about one thing—

Blood debts must be repaid with blood.

After saying all that, he felt much better.

"I know you will always support me."

Lu Lin stood up, looked at the girl who was still unconscious, and said softly, "Also, if you recover, I hope you can come back to my side."

(End of this chapter)