Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 150 Battle of the Valley (Part Two)

Lu Lin was using his eagle-like perspective to survey the entire landscape of the Great River Valley. With the automatic marking function, he had a clear view of all of Zion's exposed positions.

He picked up a piece of paper, quickly wrote down a few coordinates, and handed it to the communications officer: "Go and notify Tamim of the reconnaissance brigade, and have him send a squad to these locations to conduct reconnaissance and assess the feasibility of the armored forces passing through."

Everyone in the command post was used to the commander staring blankly at the sky and then suddenly issuing orders, simply interpreting it as the commander's unique way of thinking.

Just then, the sound of an engine came from outside the command post. The curtain was lifted, and then a man in a white robe, Tamiye, walked in, complaining, "This place is so hard to find. Even Mossad would get lost!"

Lu Lin looked up at him and asked, "You know the whole situation?"

"We have a general understanding now. Our troops have completed their initial assembly, and morale is stable. All that remains is to allocate logistical supplies."

Taimiye seemed to have recovered and continued his routine report: "I've also contacted the nearby temples, so at least they can provide a place for the soldiers to pray when they're on duty."

"very good."

Lu Lin nodded and continued studying the map information.

Taimiye stood there for a moment, feeling somewhat awkward.

"Uh"

He looked at Ibrahim, who simply gave him a helpless look.

"Major General, there are some things I need to be frank with you," Taimiye coughed before finally speaking.

He specifically used the title "Major General" instead of Lieutenant General or Commander.

Lu Lin finally raised his eyes but did not speak.

Taimiye gave a signal to the surroundings, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer.

Lu Lin looked at Ibrahim: "What do you think?"

Ibrahim shrugged: "I'm just a civilian employee. If we really got into a fight, I might not be a match for the Grand Imam."

Upon hearing this, Taimiye broke out in a cold sweat.

I came here to pledge my loyalty, how did I become a traitorous ninja?!

Joking aside, Ibrahim still let his staff go out first, while Fahd and two other tall soldiers guarded the door.

It is worth mentioning that these two soldiers were Lu Lin's bodyguards at the United Nations General Assembly, who knocked down King Setis's guards.

While Lu Lin could get away with assaulting the king unscathed, they might not be. Lu Lin knew this well, so afterwards he recruited the two into his guard battalion to serve as his personal guards.

Seeing that everyone had left, Taimi sighed and opened a pack of cigarettes, handing them to the two of them.

Lu Lin and Ibrahim held their cigarettes between their fingers, but didn't light them.

Seeing this, Tammy didn't press the matter. He lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, and then slowly said, "The church did indeed give me two tasks this time."

He hesitated as soon as he opened his mouth.

Lu Lin stood up: "If you don't want to talk, I'll call all the staff officers back."

"No!" Tamiya quickly raised her hands in surrender: "I was just trying to say that this is something I find hard to talk about."

"Oh?" Lu Lin narrowed his eyes, not expecting there to be something going on.

Taimiye sighed: "The church gave me two tasks. The first is that all military orders from now on must be approved by the religious representative before they can be executed. This is actually written in the rules and regulations of the theocracy. But didn't we agree at the beginning that we would not interfere with each other's work? I will not interfere in military affairs, and you will not interfere in life."

Ibrahim frowned upon hearing this.

He was well aware that once this standard was implemented, the entire command system would become completely rigid.

Not to mention that they will be commanding army group operations next.

"And what about the second one?" Lu Lin asked.

Taimiye didn't hide anything and simply said it all: "The second thing is for me and my subordinate Ulima to record your inappropriate words and deeds with your trusted officers, as well as any issues with your conduct, especially any violations of the doctrine."

The tent fell silent for a moment, and even Ibrahim, who was standing to the side, felt a chill.

At this critical juncture, what exactly are those people trying to do?
Lu Lin remained expressionless and simply asked, "Is the domestic church planning to infiltrate and influence the military? Are these two orders related to the Grand Mufti?" "The orders came from a high-level circle within the Holy Land Church. As for whether the Grand Mufti was aware of it, my teacher did not say explicitly, but he neither agreed nor disagreed."

Tamiyah then blurted everything out: "Furthermore, I also speculate that if we lose this time—and this is just a hypothetical—the Church will use the evidence I've gathered to pin the blame on you, claiming that you are stubborn and have strayed from God's will; if we win, they will declare that it was all guided by God."

Ibrahim looked at Lu Lin: "Has the power struggle between the Church and the Royal Family already affected the military?"

Lu Lin did not answer.

After two meetings, he originally thought that the Grand Mufti should be on the side of the royal family or neutral, but now it seems that he was too naive.

As the religious leader of Sunni Islam in a country and even the entire Arab world, the Grand Mufti must be multifaceted, and this time the other side chose to safeguard the interests of the Church.

This also illustrates some issues from another perspective.

Having confessed everything, Taimiye resumed his nonchalant attitude, plopping down in a chair nearby: "I've told you everything, Major General. Do with me as you please."

After saying that, he took out a seal symbolizing religious oversight and placed it on the table: "Now, the right to rule Ulima is also handed over to you."

Lu Lin toyed with the seal and asked one last question: "Then why did you choose me?"

"Of course, it's for the sake of progress!"

Without hesitation, Tamiya replied, "If you really succeed, then those seats in the council should be given to me, a young man!"

Lu Lin nodded inwardly; this reason was indeed very down-to-earth.

It also fits Taimiye's character design very well.

"Let's leave it at that for now." Lu Lin returned the badge to Taimiye: "Remember what you said today, let's proceed as before, and pretend nothing happened."

Tammy nodded.

Actually, he had another reason in his heart that he didn't say aloud.

As a member of the clergy who was instilled with scripture from childhood, he always longed to hear the words and miracles of God.

And now a "great undertaking" is laid out before him.

For a religious scholar, this is a desire far more ultimate than power and status.

Walk with God and practice your faith.

"Whether it's Gibrald or an apostle."

Taimiye gazed at Lu Lin's retreating figure, her eyes lowered: "God, please bear witness."

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.

"We have news from the Phoenicians."

Ibrahim handed a document to Lu Lin: "An armored assault team from Surria suffered heavy losses in the Beirut border conflict. They reported that Zion deployed a new type of tank that they had never seen before."

Although they failed to capture the tank, they managed to describe its appearance.

Lu Lin took the document, which described a low, wedge-shaped turret, a unique front-mounted engine layout, heavy side skirts, and a distinctive collective armor design...

Merkava?
Lu Lin stroked his chin. Now that tanks are out, does that mean explosive reactive armor has also been developed?

Surria is probably in for a rough time now!
"Tell Commander Hafez that if there's any enemy tank wreckage, ship it back immediately; we're willing to pay for it."

At this moment, Lu Lin felt that the sunlight outside the tent seemed a bit brighter. He lifted the curtain, and with the hot wind stirring up dust, the air was filled with the unique smell of sand baked by the high temperature.

The only thing missing is the dampness of the past few days.

He looked up; the sun was blazing overhead, and the sky was cloudless.

"What perfect weather for war!"

He turned to face Ibrahim, his eyes blazing: "Tell the commanders of all units that the final operational meeting will be held in one hour."

"We're about to begin."

(End of this chapter)