Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 148 Arriving at the front line
Two weeks later, as he prepared to depart, Lu Lin enjoyed one last cozy night at home.

Prince Muhammad did not come today. With war imminent, there are still a lot of things waiting for the old prince to handle.

"You shouldn't have to go to the front lines this time, right?" Sultan asked. "After all, you're now the commander of an army group, and you can command the entire army from the rear."

"That's about right,"

Lu Lin nodded, but added, "However, I also have to go to the front lines from time to time to inspect and boost morale. But this time it will definitely be much safer than the one in Garnam. The command post is surrounded by troops, so my location is definitely the safest."

He didn't make any guarantees, mainly because if his "eagle's perspective" was too far back, he would easily lose sight of the area, which forced him to set up his command post in a relatively forward position relative to the army group.

However, he didn't want Musta and the others to worry too much, so he deliberately downplayed the risks.

Sultan felt a little relieved. He knew that His Majesty had high hopes for his younger brother, who might very well be the next Minister of Defense in Shuangzhi after their father.

In fact, many people within the Sudri faction were worried for Amir, because the aura surrounding this young man was simply too dazzling.

In his early twenties, he held real power in the Arab allies, possessing both military prowess and the ability to win over the hearts and minds of the people.
Therefore, they believed that Lu Lin could "retire successfully" after winning the "Summer Campaign". They thought that he would become a pillar of the country and a backer of the Sudri faction for the next thirty years, and even covet the position above his head in the future.

Even if the Arabs prepare to send troops again, they can just give him the title of Chief of Staff.

As for the Commander-in-Chief... although the probability is very small, what if... what if he really does win again?

Sultan could hardly imagine that scene.

If that's the case, then his younger brother would become a figure like Saladin or Mu'awiyah!

At that time, how will the Arab countries view Amir, and how should Ant and the United States treat this suddenly rising young lion?

Just as Sultan was lost in thought, Lu Lin picked up the last piece of mulberry cheese from the plate and stuffed it into his mouth. The process was unusually smooth. After finishing, he looked at his sister and asked, "Why do you seem to have no appetite today?"

Sheila listlessly picked at the vegetable leaves in her plate.

Musta gently took over the conversation: "We are discussing your sister's future plans. Your brother and I both feel that Sheila is of age and should find a suitable family to settle down with, but she herself wants to study abroad and doesn't want to get married so early."

There was a moment of silence at the dining table.

Sheila remained silent, Sultan shook his head slightly, clearly finding his sister's idea somewhat naive, while Musta's gaze carried a hint of worry and helplessness.

Lu Lin put down his knife and fork.

The time traveler's soul made him almost instinctively reject this traditional arrangement. In his mind, life should not be bound by age and gender, and the pursuit of knowledge and self-realization is everyone's right.

“Studying abroad is a good thing,” he said, his gaze sweeping over his mother and brother before finally settling on Sheila’s face. “I will talk to Father about this.”

Sheila blinked.

He ran right behind Lu Lin and made a face at Sultan.

“Amir!” Sultan was somewhat taken aback, as if he wanted to say something.

Lu Lin raised his hand to stop him and continued, "The world is vast, not just the palace in Riyadh and the desert of Shuangzhi. Sheila wants to see it and learn from it. This is her courage and her foresight."

He looked at his brother and mother, his tone gentle yet firm: "Times are changing, and our way of looking at the future should change too. A woman's value in life should not be defined solely by marriage. She can have a much wider world."

He turned to Sheila, his eyes encouraging: "If you've really thought it through, then go for it. Choose the path you want, and then walk it firmly. That's what I told Yehena too."

Finally, he seemed to be talking to himself: "If I can't even make this kind of decision, then what's the point of being the Allied Commander?"

"hey-hey."

"Hey, could you please stop rubbing against me?"

Musta looked at his youngest daughter's expression, then at his son with a determined look in his eyes, and smiled helplessly, "Anyway, you're the one who spoils her the most in the family."

Sultan looked at his brother and gave up trying to persuade him: "As long as you can convince Father, that's fine."

He paused for a moment after saying that, because he realized that it might be easier for Amir to persuade the old prince than to persuade the mother and son.

Seeing Sheila's renewed smile, a unique and complex emotion welled up in Sultan's heart.

He always felt that Amir was more like an elder brother than him at times, not in terms of age or generation, but in terms of being able to support the family.

The heavy responsibilities that originally rested on his shoulders as the eldest son were being naturally taken over by his younger brother. But strangely, Sultan found that he didn't feel much resistance to being overstepped; instead, he felt relieved.

In fact, this is quite good.

He suddenly had a strange thought: what if he were Amir's brother?
However, the moment this thought crossed his mind, the scene before him made him realize that he had been thinking about something unnecessary.

He watched as the brother and sister, who had just been all lovey-dovey, suddenly became entangled, and then, for some reason, slowly grew angry and started pulling each other's hair.

The sentiments about "the eldest brother's responsibility" that had just been expressed were immediately shattered, and Sultan, unable to bear it any longer, slammed his hand on the table:
"Can't you two act like members of the Muhammad family at all?!"

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.

Five days later, in Amman, the capital of the Hashim Empire.

Lu Lin arrived here with his large staff and met up with Ibrahim, who had arrived earlier.

Ibrahim reported, "The reconnaissance brigade has already surveyed the terrain of the valley and drawn up a map, along with aerial reconnaissance photos. This is the data and report compiled by Tamim, at the cost of several of our good lads."

Lu Lin took the file folder and carefully reviewed the documents.

Typically, each division and brigade under an army group is equipped with a division-level reconnaissance battalion responsible for tactical intelligence. However, the reconnaissance units directly under the army group are completely different—they are at a higher level, brigade-level, and report directly to Lu Lin's headquarters. Their mission is to conduct in-depth reconnaissance at the operational level, covering the entire army group's operational area and even penetrating deep behind enemy lines.

Tamim is the commander of this elite brigade. He is also a veteran who followed Lu Lin during the Nukoshir campaign. Back then, when Lu Lin was just a battalion commander, he served as the platoon leader of the reconnaissance platoon. Now he has risen to the position of brigade commander.

This kind of rapid promotion is not uncommon in the Middle East; many officers in Zion were also quickly promoted from the ranks during the war. "Looks like we're in for a tough battle," Lu Lin said, looking at the huge, east-west oriented, sunken valley in the photo.

Ibrahim nodded solemnly: "This valley is the natural border between Hashim and Zion, with a maximum width of twelve kilometers and a minimum width of five kilometers. Currently, Zion controls the western highlands, while we occupy the eastern highlands."

The valley floor is a dried-up, seasonal riverbed. The problem is that the riverbed is composed of deep layers of sand and soil, making the soil exceptionally loose. Heavy armored units would easily get stuck and struggle to maneuver if they went down there.

(Topographical map; the area is dry during the summer months of May to October, and rainy and flooding season is from November to April of the following year.)
He pointed to several relatively flat areas in the photo: "Our attack route is very passive. We have to dive down to the bottom of the valley first, and then attack the western plateau under enemy fire. This process is tantamount to a suicide charge. The troops will be exposed to the enemy's firing range for a long time, and the casualties will probably be extremely heavy."

This high-altitude terrain gives the defenders a huge advantage, not to mention the "muddy pool" debuff at the bottom of the valley, making it a nightmare for armored troops.

In situations like this, there is basically no other solution than overwhelming the enemy with firepower.

Lu Lin asked curiously, "Then how did Zion manage to break through Hashim back then? They must have had to cross the river to attack, right?"

Ibrahim recalled for a moment and replied, "I have studied the battle reports from the Six-Day War. Zion also took advantage of the summer drought window, when the riverbed was at its hardest, and concentrated overwhelming air power to blast open a passage, barely managing to break through Hashim's defenses."

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin couldn't help but sigh, "It seems we can only pray that this summer comes earlier and more intensely."

"High temperatures are not good for armored units either, and mud will increase the burden on tanks."

Ibrahim paused, then changed his tune, saying, "But you're right, the mud is having a greater impact on us. We need time for the scorching sun to completely dry and harden the mud."

But the Zionians must have anticipated this as well; they have already constructed numerous fortified firing positions and anti-tank positions at the river crossings and bridge areas where we might choose, in the presence of relatively hard geological terrain, effectively locking down all key passages in advance.

Finally, Ibrahim concluded: "Therefore, the General Staff's recommendation is that when the campaign begins, we should use large-scale artillery firepower to conduct long-term, comprehensive, and precise suppression of the detected enemy strongholds, thus opening a path for our armored assault group."

And this is also your specialty, Commander.

Lu Lin rolled his eyes in annoyance.

So, in your minds, I, the army group commander, am just a mobile artillery command center, right?

He pondered for a moment: "I have a question. What if we encounter an ambush in this kind of terrain? Once the passage is blocked, the troops following behind will all become sitting ducks."

Ibrahim stated, "Our staff is only responsible for providing you with advice; as for what tactics to implement, that is up to you to decide."

River valley, hard terrain, attack method... several keywords collided rapidly in Lu Lin's mind.

Suddenly, a bold idea flashed through his mind.

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.

The following day, the royal family of Hashim sent an envoy to invite Lu Lin to meet the new king.

Having come to someone else's territory, it was only right and proper to pay a visit. Lu Lin accepted the invitation from the Hashim royal family and said to the envoy, "Understood, I will be on time."

For some reason, he sensed that the messenger had breathed a sigh of relief.

The Kingdom of Hashim has experienced severe turmoil over the past six months. The successive deaths of the moderate old king Setis and the radical new king Taric have plunged the country's political situation into unprecedented chaos.

In the palace hall, Lu Lin met the newly enthroned king—Hussein, the eldest son of the late King Tarek.

The new king had just come of age, and when he saw Lu Lin, his eyes revealed an undisguised tension and awe.

Throughout the meeting, the young king stayed carefully by Lu Lin's side, his posture excessively humble, which made Lu Lin feel somewhat awkward.

Am I MacArthur?

Lu Lin sighed and softened his tone, saying, "Your Majesty, you don't need to do this. We are allies, brothers who are fighting together against foreign enemies."

Unexpectedly, this reassuring remark only made the new king more apprehensive, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement.

He remembered the minister's instructions: no matter what the commander says, you must agree with him, even if he is wrong.

Seeing this, Lu Lin had no choice but to emphasize the bigger picture: "Hashem is under threat from Zion. My army and I have come here for only one purpose: to help the people of Hashem defend their homeland. Please believe in our sincerity."

Upon hearing these words, the young king's tense expression eased slightly, and his smile became more genuine.

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.

After a brief meeting with King Hussein, Lu Lin was led to a conference room where the de facto representatives of the Arafat organization were already waiting.

Lu Lin cut to the chase: "Are you planning to sideline the Hashemite royal family?"

Arafat's representative stated bluntly: "You have also seen the current situation, Marshal. Our true long-term goal is to establish a modern, secular state, where the Hashim belongs to all the people. But all of this is contingent on winning this war first. The current arrangements are merely a stopgap measure."

Lu Lin nodded. He didn't care about political systems or power shifts within the other country, as long as it didn't interfere with his attack on Zion. He then cut to the chase: "My reconnaissance troops have already scouted the valley's terrain. Zion has built a strong defensive line on the western highlands. If we force a crossing and attack from above, the Allied casualties will be enormous."

Arafat's representative nodded in response: "We understand the gravity of the situation. Hashim will fully cooperate with the Allied forces and mobilize all available manpower and resources. Whatever you need, as long as we have it, we will give priority to meeting your needs."

Lu Lin had been waiting for these words. He leaned forward slightly and said, "In that case, I need your immediate assistance in doing something for me."

"Please show me."

“In the name of the Allied Commander-in-Chief,” Lu Lin said in an unquestionable tone, “I want to requisition all available heavy trucks and tractors within Hashim, immediately and completely.”

The representative was visibly taken aback, clearly not fully grasping the significance of a large number of civilian vehicles in a high-intensity war. Despite the difficulty, especially during the spring planting season, he quickly understood and readily agreed: "Yes, Your Excellency Marshal. We will issue orders immediately and fully cooperate with your mobilization efforts."

Lu Lin nodded and leaned back slightly.

Although it was only a rough plan, he had already figured out how to break through Zion's defenses in the valley.

(End of this chapter)