Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 177 Conflict Escalation
Move forward a little bit in time.

Shuangzhi, Eastern Province, Daman City.

The government's control over food supplies for several days left the people anxious. Durach, holding up a banner that read "We want to eat our fill!", asked his brother Idris, "Will this really get us food?"

Idris nodded affirmatively: "That's what I did last time. The team leader would give out vouchers, which could be used to buy discounted food at designated places!"

After hearing this, Durlach felt somewhat relieved.

Initially, their marches took place only on the city streets. Most of the people following behind, including the Idris brothers, were simply moving along with the crowd in a daze, placing their hopes on the power of the collective.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the front of the line.

"Look! They're loading our grain onto the trucks!" someone shouted, pointing to several military trucks that were being loaded with grain and vegetables.

The leader waved his hand: "Follow them! See where they're taking our grain!"

The crowd's emotions were instantly ignited, and they all echoed each other, turning the procession to follow the truck.

Idris didn't know how the leaders knew the route, but after walking for about half an hour, they arrived at a place surrounded by high walls and barbed wire.

A group of soldiers in foreign military uniforms stood guard at the entrance, their eyes wary. Machine guns gleamed coldly behind the sandbag fortifications, and sentries on the watchtower coldly surveyed the area below.

Durah immediately shrank back, sensing something was wrong. He whispered to his brother, "Shouldn't we go back?"

Just then, a sharp-eyed person in the march shouted, "I see their trucks transporting grain! These foreigners are taking our grain without spending a single penny!"

These words instantly ignited everyone's anger, the protests surged, and the crowd began to surge forward.

The United States soldiers quickly raised their guns and shouted in Saxon, "Back off! Back off immediately! This is a military no-go zone!"

Unable to communicate with each other, a United States lieutenant, sensing the danger, immediately turned and ran back to his post to report the situation and request instructions from his superiors.

However, from some corner of the crowd, a Molotov cocktail suddenly flew out, tracing an arc, and accurately smashed into a jeep with a machine gun mounted at the entrance.

"boom!"

The fire spread instantly, engulfing not only the jeep but also igniting a soldier who was unable to dodge in time.

The soldier's piercing screams touched the most sensitive nerve of the soldiers present.

"We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack!"

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers began firing warning shots into the air, and the crowd scattered like birds and beasts. Acrid smoke filled the air, and cries, coughs, shouts, and trampling sounds filled the air.

The brothers Idris and Durah were also terrified by the sudden violence and took advantage of the chaos to flee with the scattering crowd.

However, the incident did not subside; the news was embellished and spread like wildfire throughout Daman.

"United States soldiers are stealing our food!"

"They opened fire on civilians!"

"."

Then, more people, their anger ignited, poured in from all directions, carrying torches and banners that read, "Western robbers get out!", "Defend tradition, reclaim sovereignty!", and "We want food, not colonizers!"

Tens of thousands of people rallied into a wave of anger, illuminating the night sky outside the United States base.

They chanted slogans, continuously escalating the public's anger to a fever pitch.

The adjutant looked at the night sky, brightly lit by torches, and swallowed hard. "Sir," he said, "what should we do if they really break in?"

Colonel Heisenberg coldly replied, "This land is leased to us by the royal family of Shuangzhi. Legally, it belongs to the United States. Tell me, what would you do if a mob tried to storm your home and harm your comrades?"

The adjutant gripped the cold pistol tightly, feeling his palms sweating, but the answer was self-evident.

Just then, a bus that appeared out of nowhere, like a wild horse, crashed through the thin wire fence with a loud bang!

This sudden turn of events stunned both sides, and the scene fell into a deathly silence.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Charge in! Take back our food!"

This statement was like a clear instruction, and the angry crowd surged towards the breach created by the bus, like a flood breaking through a dam.

The soldiers of the United States tried to fire warning shots, but to no avail.

So they could only use the butts of their guns to knock the oncoming crowd to the ground, but there were just too many people.

When someone tried to take the soldiers' weapons, the soldiers of the United States finally reached their breaking point.

"boom!"

As the first person fired a shot, the moral compass in the hearts of the United States soldiers began to crumble.

An inevitable bloody conflict thus began, setting the stage for a brutal conflict.

———— Riyadh, Execution Square.

Gypsy, the assassin who sought to kill the king, was brought in by two burly executioners, his eyes blindfolded.

The execution platform wasn't high, but it was high enough for everyone watching to see everything on it.

The audience was filled with richly dressed princes, ministers, and nobles. Regardless of their true feelings, they had to outwardly express their anger and hatred towards the murderer.

A religious and legal scholar dressed in black robes stepped forward, faced the nobles, and loudly pronounced his verdict in a clear and cold voice:

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and Merciful, I accuse Gypsy of the following three major sins;
Firstly, he murdered the monarch of the Shuangzhi Kingdom, a crime punishable by death under religious and national laws!

Secondly, it would cause national turmoil, which is a grave crime that would bring disaster to the country and its people!
Third, it blasphemes the peace and order bestowed by God and defiles the sacred faith!
In conclusion, the evidence is irrefutable, and the crime is unforgivable! With God and all witnesses, we hereby sentence the sinner Gypsy to be beheaded!

Execute immediately!

“Now the matter can't be traced back to us at all.” A prince muttered to Mursad, a hint of relief in his voice.

Prince Mursed gave him a cold glance, and the latter immediately shut his mouth.

With the establishment of the Provisional Supreme Council, the conservatives had almost taken control of the situation, except for the Crown Prince who had not yet officially ascended the throne.

However, just a few days ago, news of a great victory at the front reached Shuangzhi.

No one could have imagined that Muhammad's son would win such a tremendous victory in the distant Golan Heights.

The Church was the first to step forward, claiming responsibility for the victory in the war and stating that Amir's victory was guided by God.

This directly thwarted Morseid's previous attempt to smear Amir and portray the father and son as "militaristic and aggressive."

Prince Talal leaned close to Mursad's ear and whispered, "This morning, Mohammed proposed in Parliament that the checkpoints in the provinces be opened to improve the efficiency of aiding the front lines and to replenish supplies to the front lines as soon as possible. This is not going to be good for us."

Upon hearing this, Prince Mursed's expression showed a mixture of anger and helplessness.

What else can be done?

Who could have predicted that this Amir would turn a war from a national policy into a glorious war for the entire Arab nation?

This has long transcended conflicts between factions, systems, and even nations.

Today, the entire Arab world is contributing money and effort. If the conservatives dare to make any decisions that are detrimental to the war, they will be drowned in the spittle of the entire Arab world, not to mention their own people and the church!

After a moment's thought, Prince Mursad made a decision: "Issue an order that all checkpoints cease obstructing supply convoys heading to the front lines. At the same time, issue a nationwide announcement in the name of Parliament to congratulate the nation on the great victory at the front."

He paused, then added, "Afterwards, we will initiate a vote in parliament to propose the promotion of Amir to General of the Army."

A look of resentment flashed in Prince Talal's eyes. He watched helplessly as this young man gradually surpassed him, and now even his military rank far exceeded his own.

“But we must still push for Prince Walid’s accession,” Mursed’s tone hardened. “The progressive reforms must end, and the tradition of succession by brother must not be broken in our hands…”

Just then, the executioner raised his blade and brought it down, and the assassin's head rolled off.

A gasp of surprise immediately erupted from the crowd outside the arena.

Blood gushed from the severed neck, quickly staining the tabletop red.

Prince Mursed couldn't help but smile with satisfaction; now the last remaining threat had been completely eliminated.

Before he could even feel happy, a trusted subordinate hurriedly made his way through the crowd and whispered something in his ear.

"What kind of behavior is this, rushing around like this?" Prince Mursed said with some displeasure.

But his subordinate's next words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Mursad's ears and freezing the smile on his face instantly.

"Your Highness, a large-scale conflict has broken out in Daman City. Our civilians and the United States troops have clashed, resulting in dozens of deaths, including United States soldiers! Thousands of people are now gathered at the Daman City Hall to protest and demand the expulsion of all United States troops!"

Upon hearing this, Prince Mursed's expression suddenly turned extremely serious.

He has been carefully controlling the scale of the struggle between conservatives and progressives to prevent the situation from getting out of control.

And now it has actually developed into a diplomatic incident.

"Prepare the carriage and return to the official residence immediately," he ordered in a deep voice, deciding to leave the execution ground first and to understand the detailed cause and course of the incident as soon as possible.

Although the incident was beyond his expectations, the consequences were obvious.

This bloody conflict will undoubtedly greatly incite anti-Western sentiment among the public, and more civilians and neutral families may turn to the conservative camp as a result.

The Sudley faction, which has always relied heavily on the United States and promoted cooperation with the West, will find itself in an extremely passive dilemma—either risking losing popular support to defend the United States, or cutting ties with its allies. Either choice will severely weaken its influence.

From a certain perspective, this has greatly promoted the process of "anti-Western" and "return to tradition".

Prince Mursad's heart skipped a beat; he realized this might be an excellent opportunity to significantly weaken the Sudri faction.

(End of this chapter)