Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 181 Focus on the heart
Lu Lin established the new operational command headquarters in Quneitra, which overlooks the entire Galilee region and the plains of Qudafah. It is a strategic location, offering both offensive and defensive advantages, although the cold wind makes one shiver.

"Zion's troop and equipment deployment around Damascus is very interesting."

Ibrahim stood inside the room wrapped in a coat, while the other senior officers stood to the side. Bandar, with his balding head exposed, stood there like a wall, wrapped in a coat.

He said, "Almost all the remaining Centurion tanks in Zion are in the 166th Armored Division under Yukustov. Of course, they have a lot of chieftains, but the proportion is definitely lower than in other units, and the whole division is basically made up of veterans."

Bandar interjected, "It was probably around the time of Yom Kippur, before the United Kingdom's support arrived. Later, the 210th Division that Laden used to attack Ghanam was basically composed entirely of chiefs. However, using centurions was more than enough to counter Surria's T-62 and T-55."

Do veterans carry out old-fashioned equipment?
That's a bit interesting.

Because the Centurion appeared relatively early, many of its accessories were also relatively complete, such as explosion-proof grilles, mine-clearing plows, or flamethrower kits.

It's like a Lego toy where you can change modules at any time.

Lu Lin now remembers the centurion-modified flamethrower tanks he saw in Canam, their armor piled high with sandbags, each carrying three or four soldiers—they were mobile fortresses that struck fear into the hearts of guerrillas.

"Although we were preparing to implement a siege tactic, I felt that the sooner we could liberate Damascus, the sooner we could."

Lu Lin said, "The key to achieving this condition lies in whether we can break down the enemy's psychological defenses in the early stages and keep them on the defensive."

Ibrahim and Bandar exchanged a glance.

“You mean, to take several important towns with lightning speed? The closest ones to us right now are Duma, Daraya, and Yarmouk. That sounds like a good idea,” Bandar said.

Because he had always been by Lu Lin's side, Ibrahim felt that his lieutenant general must have other good ideas.

“We need to conserve our ammunition; new supplies haven’t arrived at the front yet. A frontal assault would result in heavy losses,” Lu Lin added. “However, Bandar is right; we need to capture these key military towns and turn them into a noose around the necks of the Damascus defenders. But I plan to use a few tricks.”

"Like when we besieged the Black Gate Mountain position?" Ibrahim quickly followed Lu Lin's train of thought: "By constantly harassing the enemy to lower their morale and force them to surrender?"

"That's pretty much what it means."

Lu Lin nodded: "Didn't we requisition a lot of tractors and trucks from Hashim? I plan to install wedge-shaped metal frames on them. Of course, we also need to mix in some real ones. Every night, we'll move around the outskirts of the Zion position to create the illusion of an attack, forcing them to maintain a high level of tension. During the day, we'll bombard them sporadically with howitzers to give them a break."

"Once Zion is completely off guard, we'll take these key cities in one fell swoop!"

This tactic has a crucial prerequisite: they need to maintain absolute offensive initiative.

Lu Lin's expression was serious: "The first encounter must be a resounding victory! Only in this way can we intimidate the enemy's morale!"

Ibrahim laughed, then remarked, "I thought you would plan a frontal assault like you did in Ghana."

"Is there anything wrong?"

"No, this just shows that you've grown up."

Ibrahim shook his head: "Your tactics have become more flexible, your thinking has become more mature, and you have begun to consider how to achieve victory while minimizing the bloodshed of your soldiers."

Lu Lin said solemnly, "My first task is always to lead the troops to win the war and expand the advantage in the war, and only then can we reduce the number of soldiers who die. But if we can win the war and let more soldiers go home alive to hug their families, these two things are not contradictory."

Ibrahim agreed, "We also captured quite a few Zionian vehicles in Quneitra, even snowplows, which might come in handy."

Taimiye, who was standing to the side, had already started taking notes in a small notebook.

Bandar tilted his head to the side and asked, "What are you writing down?"

“Quotations.” Tammy Yeh summed it up succinctly.

Bandar saw a line written in the notebook: "The general once said: 'Victory is my duty, but I also devote myself to minimizing the loss of every single soldier.'"

Bandar: "You seem like a bootlicker."

Taimiye simply smiled slightly.

Just wait and see.

When Your Highness returns in triumph, or even ascends to that position, all the meritorious officials will be prominently listed, and then you will know who should stand at the front.

— Damascus, the Zion flag flies atop the former government building.

Lieutenant General Yukustov sat in the marshal's chair, his brow furrowed in worry.

"Any news from headquarters?"

The adjutant bowed and said, "Not yet, Your Excellency Marshal."

Yukustov sighed and said with a wry smile, "What I'm afraid of now is that they'll airdrop a scepter onto me and promote me to the second general."

"The Arabs haven't even entered Damascus yet, when did our Zion general learn to speak such discouraging words?"

At that moment, a handsome and rugged young man walked in. He had thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a hooked nose, and a head of black curly hair, and he didn't look very approachable.

The man's name was Benjamin Gantz Galant, and he was the leader of the General Staff's reconnaissance team, directly under Prime Minister Hilbert.

Because Damascus was so large, with a population even larger than Tel Aviv (referring to Tel Aviv-Yafo, which had approximately 34 people at the time), Zion devised a "Trinity" to take over this old capital of Surria.

The three refer to the military, the new political system, and the General Staff Reconnaissance Team, respectively.

The military was responsible for protecting Tel Aviv and the entire Kudaf plain, while the new regime was responsible for maintaining order in the city and implementing the Damascus Law.

The main tasks of the General Staff Reconnaissance Team are "internal surveillance" and the protection of Zion's ideology.

Even Lieutenant General Yukustov had some trouble dealing with Benjamin Gantz Galant, because this young man was deeply loved and trusted by Prime Minister Hilbert, even beyond the usual superior-subordinate relationship.

“If you want to tell me what to do militarily, you’re not qualified,” Lieutenant General Yukustov said coldly.

“I don’t know what you’re afraid of.” Benjamin raised his chin. “Our soldiers have never lost a battle against the Arabs. Our system is superior to theirs, and our weapons are superior to theirs! We will defeat the Arab army again, defeat that Amir, just as we have done countless times before!”

Lieutenant General Yukustov looked at the enthusiastic young man in front of him and remained silent for a moment: "If you are talking about weapons and equipment, unfortunately, the battle reports show that the 'TOW' anti-tank missiles that the United States equipped Shuangzhi with have a much higher hit rate than our SS.12. This means that our advantage is being gradually eroded."

Benjamin looked at the other man with disbelief. "Cowardice before the battle even begins! Do you think you deserve to be called the Iron Wall of Zion?"

“You can report my situation to Hilbert,” Lieutenant General Yukustov scoffed. “If he can relieve me of my duties or airdrop me supplies, I’ll apologize to you immediately.”

Benjamin shut his mouth.

He then thought for a moment and said, "If a war really breaks out, our General Staff reconnaissance team will be the first to fight for Zion. Moreover, we have hundreds of thousands of Arab civilians in our hands, who can be used as our bargaining chips. It is not time to give up now, General."

"I know."

Seeing that the other side had given in first, Lieutenant General Yukustov breathed a sigh of relief: "We have two divisions at our disposal, and we have also stockpiled a large amount of military supplies. We can hold out for at least half a year."

Tel Aviv will not abandon us; after all, they represent one-fifth of Zion's entire military force. Furthermore, the fiercer our resistance, the easier it will be for His Excellency to negotiate with the Arabs.

"They might already be in talks," Lieutenant General Yukustov thought to himself.

At first, Lieutenant General Yukustov thought that while the Surrian forces were tied down by the Phoenicians, he could take the opportunity to attack Latakia and perhaps completely destroy the Surrian government.

But when he learned that the Golan Heights had been lost, Lieutenant General Yukustov's thoughts shifted from turning defeat into victory to losing with dignity.

To give an example, if Amir were to throw a few pebbles from the Golan Heights, they would almost hit his feet.

The key issue is that he can't do anything about them, so how can he fight them?
Benjamin's jawline was taut, and his gaze toward Lieutenant General Yukustov was slightly scrutinizing, as if he were confirming that the other party still had the will to fight.

Finally, he slowly nodded: "These days, the General Staff reconnaissance team will be responsible for arresting all suspicious persons in the city—we must prevent a repeat of the Canam guerrilla uprising."

After saying this, the young man left the hall.

There are just too many people in Tel Aviv, and the "suspicious person" standard is completely vague. It is unknown whether innocent Arabs will be implicated.

Lieutenant General Yukustov was not angered by Benjamin's rudeness. This group of loyalists were Zion's "black gloves" and had the right to question anyone's purity toward Zion. They wielded terrifying power, and it was said that officers were often taken away for interrogation in the middle of the night.

The existence of these people could be tolerated during Zion's prosperous period, but now they seem more like vengeful demons.

Lieutenant General Yukustov sighed. When exactly did Zion begin to falter so suddenly?
(End of this chapter)