Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 171 The undercurrent is surging
"Who told you to do this?! Who?!"

Among the Sudri faction, the youngest prince, Suleiman, rode atop the assassin who had fired the shot, his eyes practically spitting fire.

The guards around him hurriedly pulled the prince away. Although the assassin had been disarmed, he was still a dangerous person.

To prevent the other party from committing suicide by poison, Gypsy's mouth had already been forcibly gagged. However, even so, he still gave Suleiman a provocative sneer, and then received a heavy punch to the face.

"This person must be handed over to us for interrogation."

Prince Abdul looked at Prince Muhammad, "Mudi, what should we do now?"

With the fate of King Shams now unknown, the leadership of the Sudri faction has fallen on the shoulders of this second-eldest brother, the prince.

Prince Muhammad first turned to the accompanying physician: "How is His Majesty's condition?"

The doctor's face was pale, and his voice trembled slightly: "The bleeding is heavy, and the injury is very serious."

"Immediately summon the nation's best surgeons and medical teams, spare no expense, and bring in top trauma specialists from the United States as quickly as possible. Utilize all resources; His Majesty's life must be saved!"

Prince Muhammad gave the order decisively.

He was keenly aware that Shuangzhi was facing the most severe political crisis since the founding of the nation.

His sharp gaze swept over the brothers and princes of the Sudri faction. "You will immediately lead yourselves to form a protective circle to absolutely ensure the safety of His Majesty's medical environment and not allow any unauthorized persons to approach."

Until His Majesty is out of danger, all information must be kept under wraps, and no details regarding the King's injuries must be revealed to the outside world!

The other princes looked grave and nodded in agreement. They knew that as long as King Shams was alive, the Sudri faction would remain in control.

At this delicate and dangerous moment, any information about the King's health is top secret and must be kept tightly under wraps until their faction has complete control of the situation.

“Immediately send someone to notify the head of the Riyadh Security Bureau, the Minister of the Interior, and the Garrison Commander,” Prince Mohammed continued, his tone steady, “instructing them to immediately strengthen security in key areas, control media channels, and ensure order and stability in the capital.”

"Contact Brigadier General Ali and Amir, inform them that His Majesty has been attacked and the situation is unclear, and request that the army maintain a state of high combat readiness, especially the front-line troops, who must hold their ground and guard against any enemy counterattacks in the chaos."

Prince Mohammed issued one clear and decisive order after another. He knew that at this moment, he had to stabilize the power core and armed forces in the country and not let his subordinates fall into chaos first.

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.

On the periphery of the crowd, Prince Mursad exchanged a knowing glance with several other princes and ministers, and the group quietly slipped away from the chaotic scene.

Prince Talal lowered his voice and asked urgently, "Are you sure His Majesty is beyond saving?"

Prince Mursad calmly replied, "I saw Gypsy's shots hit Shams in the chest. The amount of bleeding was so great that even a young man, let alone an old man, couldn't withstand it."

"Are you sure that Gypsy won't betray us?"

"Don't worry, he's a member of Shamar's family, he knows what to do."

Prince Mursad turned around, glanced at Ziad who was still sitting on the ground looking lost, and said in a low voice, "Family members are always more reliable than outsiders."

Upon hearing this, Prince Talal breathed a long sigh of relief.

Just now, in the crowd, his heart almost jumped out of his chest, filled with unprecedented panic.

It should be noted that assassinating the king was a first since the founding of Shuangzhi.

But at that moment, the panic was quickly replaced by an uncontrollable ecstasy.

Once the king has truly passed away, their era will begin!

According to the tradition of succession by brother, the next king will be succeeded by a crown prince, and this crown prince is not from the Sudri faction.

This power shift will completely disrupt the existing situation.

At that time, their long-planned scheme will be fully implemented, and the interests of the various factions will be redistributed.

This was also a promise made by the founding emperor to everyone.

Mursad glanced at Prince Mohammed, who was surrounded by people and trying his best to maintain order, and a cold, mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Shuangzhi is a nation comprised of thousands of tribes. Even if you temporarily wield immense power, how can you possibly oppose the will of the vast majority of the people in this entire nation?"

The group exchanged glances, preparing to leave first. They needed to quickly move on to the next step of their plan before everyone had recovered from the panic.

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.

Just minutes later, the Prime Minister's office in Zion received news of King Shams' assassination.

Mossad's intelligence network has demonstrated astonishing efficiency, with information spreading even faster than it does within the country.

Prime Minister Hilbert convened a meeting of senior officials to discuss countermeasures in light of the current situation.

"What?! The King of Shuangzhi has been assassinated?!"

Upon hearing the news, General Gorodish's face was filled with disbelief, and he then turned his gaze to the face of Mossad Director Yitzhak Khofi.

Director Itzhak Hoffe's face twitched almost imperceptibly.

Everyone who heard the news looked at him with the same expression.

It's as if all the shady conspiracies in the world are the work of Mossad.

Director Yitzhak Hofie remained silent, neither confirming nor denying the allegations.

Hilbert looked at his senior officers, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. If we use it properly, we can not only break the current stalemate, but also severely damage the Arab coalition!"

Everyone is welcome to freely express their ideas.

"We should use this news to demoralize Shuangzhi and break their offensive momentum!"

Chief of Staff Lazars asserted, "I suspect Amir will try to suppress the news of the King's assassination. We can use the air force to drop leaflets and broadcast the news from the front lines to create panic among their soldiers!"

General Gorodish seconded: "We can also strengthen our air force and seize the military initiative to recapture one or two symbolic hills or villages, further demoralizing the enemy and creating chaos."

“Moda, what do you say?” Prime Minister Hilbert turned his gaze to his Minister of Defense.

Commander Morda pondered for a moment: "After the king's assassination, the kingdom of Twinsail must be in chaos. Perhaps we can send a message to the other factions in Twinsail, telling them, 'It's time to stop this pointless war. If the attack continues, Zion's retaliation will be devastating.'"

The Sudri faction is a typical radical faction; if a more 'rational' leader comes to power, we can negotiate.

Yitzhak Hofi also spoke up: "Mossad can activate its intelligence agents and proxies embedded within Shuangzhi to plan some small sabotage activities, incite conflict between tribes and factions, and cause them to fall into internal strife, greatly reducing the efficiency of Shuangzhi's internal agencies."

Everyone started discussing it animatedly, and Hilbert nodded repeatedly as he listened to the endless stream of ideas.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, Major General Ger just reported that the 38th Armored Division has withdrawn from Phoenicia and is currently en route to Nassal, ready to enter Galilee to join the battle at any time!" the intelligence officer reported.

"Okay!"

Upon hearing this good news, Hilbert couldn't help but smile. The arrival of the 38th Armored Division meant that the Arab coalition forces had virtually no chance of continuing their advance towards Galilee. He quickly summarized and approved several newly proposed tactics, firmly stating:

"This is the crucial moment for us to turn the tide of the battle. Everyone, execute this immediately! May victory be with us!"

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.

King Shams was sent back to the royal palace in Riyadh.

After that, the entire palace was completely sealed off, and all news was cut off.

Prince Muhammad also temporarily moved into the administrative hall of the new palace and began to take over all the affairs of the country.

As the king's deputy, he was already quite adept at handling these tasks, but the constant ringing of telephones, encrypted telegrams, and hurried footsteps from all over the country never stopped.

"Listen, Riyadh is now on Level 1 alert. Checkpoints will be set up at all entrances and exits from the city. Foreign embassies? Under the pretext of martial law, their entry and exit will be restricted. Everyone else will be refused entry. Everything will be subject to the announcements issued by the royal family."

Prince Muhammad ordered the Minister of the Interior to issue the order.

Then he made calls to many people according to their urgency, some to comfort, some to give instructions, and some to give cold reprimands.

The assassination of the king signifies the official start of the war for the throne. These phone calls are not only for stabilizing the situation but also for assessing who remains their allies.

Every phone call is a weighing of options, a test of loyalty.

Just then, the prince's administrative secretary knocked on the door and came in, reporting in a low voice, "Your Highness, the princes are holding an emergency high-level meeting, and they have chosen the Sifang Palace as the venue."

Prince Muhammad put down the phone, straightened his robes, and noted that the other party had not even chosen to break into the sealed-off new palace, but instead chose the old palace—this in itself was a strong signal.

"Prepare the car."

Prince Muhammad rose, knowing that if he wanted to win this war, then everything that followed was inevitable.

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.

When Prince Muhammad arrived at the meeting with several of his brothers from the Sudri faction, almost all eyes were immediately drawn to him.

The cramped reception room of the old royal palace was almost full.

The founding king had a total of thirty-six sons. Apart from a few princes who died young or were seriously ill, as well as the King of Shams, almost all of the remaining thirty princes who were still alive were present.

They symbolize the pinnacle of this country's power system.

King Shams was the eldest son of the founding king, while Prince Muhammad was the eighth son.

There were originally six older brothers among them, but the second and third princes, one of whom had passed away due to illness, and the other was bedridden due to old age.

Therefore, the one with the highest priority in line now is the fourth son of the founding emperor, Prince Walid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is also the current crown prince of Shuangzhi.

Prince Walid sat to one side of the main seat, but he did not look well. His face was withered and his eyes were somewhat unfocused. Although he was about the same age as King Shams, he exuded an air of impending death.

Logically, as Crown Prince, Prince Waleed should wield enormous influence, but in reality, his power has long been undermined by the Sudri faction's years of maneuvering, and he is now more like a "mascot" within the royal family.

"Please take a seat, Moody,"

Prince Mursad spoke first, his face showing just the right amount of worry and concern: "We are all here waiting to see how things are going with Brother Shams. May God bless him."

Prince Mursed comes from the powerful Shamar tribe, controls the National Guard, one of the three major violent institutions of the Shuangzhi, and possesses astonishing oil wealth.

At the same time, he was the old emperor's seventh son, even earlier than Muhammad.

As soon as Prince Mursed spoke, the other princes from his brother's faction immediately chimed in: "We must severely punish the murderers. Such behavior is unheard of and is the greatest provocation to the monarchy!"

Prince Fawaz added with certainty, "There must be someone behind this; it might even be a Mossad conspiracy!"

Prince Muhammad watched this with indifference and took his seat with his brothers.

After a round of pleasantries, Prince Talal steered the conversation straight to the heart of the matter: "While it is important to find out who is behind this, we must also face reality. What if, I mean, what if Brother Shams really is called by God? What should we do next?"

He spread his hands: "Shuangzhi cannot lose its king; this country needs someone to lead it!"

There was a burst of discussion at the scene.

A prince belonging to another brother's faction immediately chimed in, "Is there anything to discuss? According to the system of succession by brothers established by Father, the new king should naturally be the crown prince."

Upon hearing this, everyone's attention immediately turned to Prince Walid.

Upon hearing his name called, Prince Walid sat up straighter and a smile appeared on his lips.

In fact, for those older princes, they had already given up the idea of ​​succeeding to the throne. It was just that Shams was too strong. If nothing unexpected happened, he might outlive half of the princes present.

But no one expected the change to happen so suddenly.

Crown Prince Walid coughed twice, about to say something, when he was interrupted by another prince, Bald, who supported the Sudri faction. Bald angrily rebuked the prince who had just spoken, saying, "His Majesty is still in critical condition! Only a few hours have passed, and you're already discussing the succession to the throne. What are you up to?!"

“That’s not how it works, Bald,” Prince Talal retorted slowly. “We all saw when Brother Shams was attacked. To be shot in the chest at such close range, based on my past experience on the battlefield, I’m afraid his chances of survival are slim.”

Even if God protects me and I survive, I estimate I won't be able to handle national affairs for a very long time. Right now, we must consider the interests of the entire nation.

Prince Bald said coldly, "Then we should at least wait until His Majesty wakes up, or returns to the embrace of God."

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense, and the two sides exchanged glances silently.

Just then, Prince Mursad turned his gaze to Prince Muhammad and spoke gently:

"Moody, what do you think we should do now?"

In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.

One of these two men was a conservative prince representing traditional tribes and numerous fraternal factions, while the other was the core leader of the Sudri faction, who held real power.

Their attitude will determine whether to maintain the status quo or to completely break off relations.

"Wait," Prince Muhammad said succinctly.

Prince Mursad smiled: "We are not discussing replacing the king, but rather, in this critical moment, deliberating who should temporarily assume command in place of Brother Shams."

"Are you that free?"

Prince Muhammad interrupted him, his casual remark shattering the false politeness like a cold whip.

Prince Mursad's smile vanished.

Muhammad's gaze slowly swept over each of the princes present. Wherever his gaze fell, some lowered their heads to avoid it, some tried to remain calm, and some felt an invisible pressure coming at them.

"Are you all so idle now that you can meddle in other people's duties?"

These words, spoken lightly, sent a chill down the spines of many princes whose hearts were filled with ambition.

They suddenly remembered who the man in front of them was.

He was the second-in-command appointed by the King of Shams.

He is also the Minister of Defense, and his son is leading the most powerful force in Shuangzhi's history, fighting on the front lines.

A seemingly casual question serves as a reminder to them who is truly keeping the country running at this moment.

Prince Mursad's gaze at this moment appeared calm, but it concealed a sharp edge.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze. Just then, an official rushed in and, without even a bow, reported some good news: "His Majesty Shams' vital signs have stabilized!"

The news exploded like a thunderclap.

"what?!"

Many princes stood up abruptly, and Prince Talal and others looked on in astonishment.

"Is the news true?"

"Absolutely true!" The steward brought the report.

Upon hearing the news, Prince Morseid was taken aback for a moment, then stood up, sighed, and smiled, saying, "This is indeed good news."

Finally, he gave Prince Muhammad a long look before leaving the meeting hall.

Then a large group of princes got up to take their leave, and the crowded room suddenly became empty.

Prince Muhammad remained silent.

Prince Suleiman cast an inquiring glance at his own brother, but still received no response.

Only when the last prince from the outer faction disappeared outside the door, leaving only the Sudri brothers in the room, could Suleiman no longer contain himself. He quickly stepped forward and asked urgently in a low voice, "Brother, is this news true? But didn't we already order a complete news blackout, forbidding anyone from revealing His Majesty's true situation?"

Prince Muhammad then slowly turned his head to look at his simple-minded younger brother.

"So that person wasn't one of ours."

(End of this chapter)