Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 160 "Propaganda"

West bank of the Hashim River, a coalition supply depot.

Major Faris Kadi, the battalion commander of the 9th Armored Battalion of Lirvia, was leading several of his T-62 tanks in a line to wait for refueling. Although the refueling was efficient, the sweltering heat and the smell of fuel in the air were unsettling.

At that moment, he noticed the Shuangzhi Army supply depot not far away. A convoy consisting of three M60A1 tanks and several M113 armored vehicles drove straight up to them and cut in without any hesitation.

Major Faris was already somewhat dissatisfied with this disorganized and undisciplined behavior, but since it was someone else's unit after all, he didn't say much, only glancing at it a few more times.

To his surprise, the Shuangzhi tank crews who had been cut in line did not complain when they saw the other tanks; instead, they took the initiative to direct their vehicles to make way.

This greatly surprised him.

Is it the car of some high-ranking official? Or the son of some royal family?

"Who are they?" Major Faris couldn't contain his curiosity and pulled aside a Shuangzhi logistics corporal who was coordinating supplies to ask.

The corporal looked in the direction he was pointing, and upon seeing the hammer-like markings on the tanks, he immediately adopted a matter-of-fact expression: "Oh, they're from the Hammerhead Battalion, Major."

"Hammerhead Battalion?" Major Faris repeated the designation.

“Yes.” The corporal lowered his voice, his tone filled with awe and reverence: “They are the elite of the elite! A tank commander who comes out of that unit would at least be a deputy company commander or even a company commander in other armored units! They are always sent to take on the toughest challenges, fight the most brutal battles, and always suffer the greatest casualties. Privately, we all call them the commander’s ‘angels of death’!”

Major Faris was visibly stunned when he heard "Angel of Death".

Seeing his interest, the corporal leaned closer mysteriously: "That's not all. I heard that the commander has a little red booklet, and only the bravest, most fearless martyrs and heroes are qualified to write their names in it with gold ink and a quill pen! In many people's eyes, it's a shortcut to heaven!"

These words might seem a bit ridiculous if spoken elsewhere or to people of different faiths.

But this is Arabia, a land ruled by religion for thousands of years, so it sounds different to the locals.

It's important to know that almost everyone here uses the Quran as their primary source of knowledge.

This mysterious and enigmatic explanation, coupled with Amir's already widely known and illustrious military exploits, immediately imbued Major Faris's mind with a sense of mystery and nobility.

“But isn’t that inappropriate? Especially since he’s a general from another country…” A complex expression appeared on his face, a mixture of wanting to understand more and being slightly resistant.

Seeing his expression, the corporal simply pulled him to sit down next to an ammunition box: "Anyway, everyone's queuing up now. If you're interested, allow me to introduce you to our commander, His Highness Amir ibn Muhammad ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud, the 'Sword of Sumer,' the 'Eagle of the Desert,' the 'Liberator of Ghanam,' and the 'Wallbreaker of the Hashim River'!"

He had barely begun speaking when another private, Shuangzhi, who was filling his water bottle, immediately chimed in, "Hey! You missed something! His Highness is also 'God-given Eye of Perception'!"

Then more soldiers from Shuangzhi gathered around, and for the next half hour, Major Kadi was surrounded by these enthusiastic soldiers as they recounted Commander Amir's heroic deeds.

These included claims such as "tearing apart dozens of Chieftain tanks in Nukhosir," "possessing eyes given by God that can see through all illusions," "being able to give all soldiers an aura of fearlessness," and "Major General Bandar being his first angel, with El-Hali being his second angel." Each claim was described in great detail, with witnesses and physical evidence.

Major Faris was truly shocked. His most immediate impression was that this unit possessed a terrifying, almost fanatical cohesion, and Commander Amir's status in their hearts had long surpassed the level that ordinary military ranks could represent.

He also noticed another phenomenon: the Shuangzhi troops, especially the grassroots units, were equipped with Ulima.

These clergy not only oversaw the soldiers' religious lives but also seemed to be involved in ideological work. This allowed the Shuangzhi Army to cleverly blend American modern equipment systems with the core tenets of Islamic tradition.

On this basis, the soldiers built a kind of personal, almost religious worship of their commander—this was not to replace faith in God, but to shape the invincible commander, who seemed to be forever protected by God, into a more concrete and tangible guardian deity.

But this was still somewhat of a revelation for Major Faris.

Because Islamic doctrine explicitly forbids anyone from deifying themselves or claiming to be an apostle, which is the so-called "there is no god but God".

So he couldn't help but whisper to one of the soldiers, "Aren't you afraid that Ulima will hear you talking about your commander like that and get you into trouble?"

The soldier shrugged indifferently: "Ulima? They don't care about that! When they preach, they say that fighting for His Highness and following His Highness's wise commands is the way to practice God's will!"

"Oh God..."

Upon hearing these words, Major Faris immediately prayed. His first reaction was disrespect, but his second was a kind of indescribable shock—a complex feeling of being overwhelmed by strong leadership, caught between doctrine and reality.

He then couldn't help but think of his country's "brotherly leader," Joseph.

He was a man who deeply admired the strong. At first, he idolized President Ferdinand, who initiated Pan-Arabism, but now he often talks about General Shuangzhi, who defeated Zion four times.

When introducing General Amir to others, he often referred to him as "my best brother".

He wondered what Joseph would think if he saw the Shuangzhi army in this state.
Major Faris suddenly realized that perhaps this Amir was the idealized version of himself that Joseph had in 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 1st Armored Division and the Ghost Division were now approaching the Yamuk River Valley, where the terrain was becoming steep and treacherous.

During the march, they maintained radio silence throughout.

Bandar leaned out of the turret and used binoculars to observe the terrain.

The Yarmuk River Valley, serving as the "gateway" to the Golan Heights, features steep slopes and rocky inclines on both sides, making it a terrain that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Any troops passing through this valley would have to attack from the lower riverbanks, exposing themselves to the superior firepower of the defenders.

“The terrain here is unfavorable to us,” the staff officer whispered. “A frontal assault would likely just send our soldiers to their deaths.”

"No, we can only fight now. Zion hasn't established a firm foothold on the Hashim River defense line yet. They definitely didn't expect us to advance directly towards the Golan Heights!" Bandar asserted. "By the time they realize what's happening, it will be too late!"

"Order all units to take cover on the spot, rest and recuperate, and wait for nightfall."

Bandar retreated back into the turret and immediately ordered, "We must launch a surprise attack in the dead of night. Tell the Ghost Division to use their camouflage and enemy uniforms to get as close as possible to the front lines, seize advantageous positions, and mark passageways and firing points for the main force. The 1st Armored Division will follow closely behind, using the night and night vision advantage to tear through their defenses!"

"We must take advantage of the enemy's sleep, climb the mountain in one go, and try to capture this valley before dawn!"

(End of this chapter)