Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 152 Battle of the Valley (Part 4)

"Well done. Do not continue to advance rashly. Set up defensive lines where you are and wait for the main force to arrive."

Upon receiving the news, Major General Bandar issued new orders to Lieutenant Harry at the front.

Then, he turned to his adjutant and said smugly, "See? The lieutenant general has the most ingenuity! With just a few cartloads of thistle and pebbles, he transported our tank unit to the other side!"

The adjutant chuckled, "Once we break through at one point, it proves that Commander's tactics are correct. The rest is just about expanding our gains and gradually tearing apart Zion's entire defense line!"

Lu Lin deployed more than one similar special engineering unit. He specifically chose areas with relatively weak defenses and seemingly unfavorable terrain to carry out "road paving" operations.

It now appears that this simple and crude method is entirely feasible. Under the cover of artillery, a simple road capable of carrying heavy equipment can be paved to the other side in just a few hours.

"Once the landing zone is completely secured, the next step is to conduct a deep penetration operation!"

Bandar seemed very excited, rubbing his hands together, "Just like last time in Ghanam, let's shove the armored forces right into the face of the enemy command!"

The adjutant cautioned, "General, you'd better take it easy. Don't forget that your 'base-swapping tactic' almost got you killed last time."

"Do not worry!"

Bandar waved his hand dismissively, "This time the lieutenant general is heavily guarded. Besides, he entrusted me with this most elite armored division precisely to make the most of my strengths, didn't he?"

"Really?" the adjutant asked with a hint of doubt.

“Of course,” Bandar shrugged. “The lieutenant general had already foreseen everything.”

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.

Zion Front Command Post.

"...Yes, we have already engaged the vanguard of the Arab allies." Commander Shmuel was communicating with the general headquarters in Tel Aviv, and on the other end of the phone was General Yeshavishin.

"The Prime Minister means that you need to hold out for at least seven days."

Yeshavishin's voice came through the phone: "The situation in northern Phoenicia is going relatively smoothly. Once the 122nd and 177th Armored Divisions have dealt with the forces in Surria and the Arafat Liberation Organization, they will immediately move south to support your unit."

"Are there any other troops available to be mobilized within the country?" Shmuel asked.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Without a nationwide mobilization, that's it. To prevent a repeat of the Yom Kippur War, we've deployed a considerable number of troops in the Sinai Peninsula."

Furthermore, the garrisons in Jerusalem, Damascus, and the Golan Heights are also forbidden to move; you should already know the specific reasons.

Commander Shmuel couldn't help but say, "If it weren't for His Excellency the Prime Minister insisting on ordering the 210th Division to launch a forced attack on Ghanam, we would have at least four more brigades of troops now."

That was a fully-fledged heavy armored division, including three of the best armored brigades, a mechanized infantry brigade, and an artillery brigade, with more than 8,000 men, all of whom are now prisoners of Shuangzhi.

This is Zion's most devastating loss in all these years.

General Yeshavishin warned, "Don't say such things! You should know that with your qualifications, you were fully capable of being promoted to general. But now, do you also want to go home and retire early like Bar-Lev?"

"Promoted to general?"

Shmuel sneered, "You mean like bin Laden, getting a general's medal airdropped to you?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "But don't worry, Yeshavishen, a military order is a military order, and I know what I'm doing."

General Yesavishin sighed: "I know you're under a lot of pressure. I'll try to squeeze out some more reserves and send them to the front lines to support you as soon as possible. I wish you all the best."

After hanging up the phone, Commander Shmuel took a deep breath, then turned to the Chief of Staff and asked, "What's the situation at the front now?"

The chief of staff, who was on another phone call, looked up, his face blank and incredulous: "Commander, we just received news that the defensive line held by the 403rd Infantry Brigade in the north has been breached!"

"what?!"

Commander Shmuel's eyes widened suddenly, and he felt a rush of blood to his head, his blood pressure spiked, and he almost fainted.

He barely suppressed the urge to draw his gun and shoot the bunch of idiots spouting nonsense in front of him, his voice trembling with extreme anger: "What the hell is going on?! Didn't you assure me that this line of defense was absolutely 'foolproof'?!"

The chief of staff swallowed hard, feeling the commander's raging fury. He explained, "What we encountered head-on at Jericho and Fogonum was likely a feint attack by the enemy, intended to draw our fire and attention."

Their main force, however, sneaked through the valley from the 403rd Brigade's section, taking advantage of the moment when our troop movements were at their weakest..."

Shmuel laughed angrily: "Didn't you fucking plant kilometers of landmines there?!"

"We don't know the specifics either..."

The chief of staff's voice trailed off as a possibility suddenly occurred to him: "I suspect that a mole has leaked the detailed blueprints of our minefield layout!"

"I think you're the prime suspect!"

Commander Shmuel said coldly, and with a wave of his hand, the military police outside the door immediately stepped forward and firmly grabbed the chief of staff's arms on the left and right.

"In my capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Zion Front, I have determined that you are suspected of treason and serious dereliction of duty, and you are hereby detained and immediately handed over to a special military court for investigation!"

"Innocent! Commander! I am loyal to Zion..." the chief of staff cried out, his face pale.

But the military police did not hesitate at all, removed the chief of staff's sidearm and identification, and then quickly dragged him away.

The command post was deathly silent. All the staff officers were frozen in place, staring at the scene before them, speechless with fear.

Commander Shmuel's stern gaze swept across the faces of everyone present: "What are you all standing there for? Get back to your posts!"

The headquarters sprang into action again, and everyone knew that this time the commander was serious.

"Communications officer! Immediately connect me to all brigade commanders and the entire army's communication channel!"

Shmuel approached the massive battle map and immediately began issuing new operational orders: "Order the 181st Armored Brigade to immediately abandon its original counterattack plan! At all costs, move north to block the gap left by the 403rd Brigade! Even if you lose the last tank, you must close the gap!"
"Order all divisional and brigade artillery to concentrate all firepower and conduct a saturation bombardment of the 403rd Brigade's riverside positions and beaches! Don't be stingy with ammunition; I want to turn that place into a sea of ​​fire!"

Shmuel thought for a moment and added, "At the same time, inform the entire army that the command post is still functioning effectively, and I am personally in command at the front! Any troops that retreat beyond the defensive line without authorization will be court-martialed!"

Shmuel felt a splitting headache just thinking about the orders Yeshavishin had given him.

He knew very well what it meant if the defense line was breached, and all he could do now was to do everything in his power to make up for the mistake he had made.

The war had only been going on for a few hours, but it had already entered a heated phase.

Looking at the opening, a thought inexplicably popped into Shmuel's mind.

Damn it, am I going to become Zion's second laughingstock after Bar-Lev?

(End of this chapter)