Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 207 Bandar

Tamiya witnessed this heart-stirring scene and was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.

He's been canonized.

For a long time, there has been a subtle ambiguity regarding Lu Lin's title in both the public and the military.

The veterans who first followed him in Nukhoshir privately referred to him as the "Prophet," believing that he seemed to have received divine revelation because he understood the trajectory of war and victory, which indeed coincided with some of the descriptions of the Prophet in the Quran.

However, as he liberated Ghanam, amidst the cheers of the crowd, another voice began to spread—that he was the reincarnation of "Gibrald".

These two terms are worlds apart theologically.

In Islamic doctrine, the Prophet Muhammad is revered as the "Sealed Prophet," meaning he was the last prophet, and no new prophet will appear after him. To call oneself a "prophet" inherently crosses a fundamental line of Islamic doctrine.

But angel reincarnations are different.
Angels are ancient spiritual beings who serve as mediums for conveying God's revelations.

Moreover, there is a precedent for this, namely Jesus (who is called "Isa" in Arabic).

Therefore, positioning His Highness the Prince as the reincarnation of the angel Gibraltar cleverly bypasses the barriers of doctrine, thus establishing his sanctity and legitimacy.

As for Taymiyah, the highly respected Grand Imam in the army, he made a great contribution to the promotion and theological interpretation of this matter.

He gazed almost greedily at the man before him, who seemed to be enveloped in light, wanting to engrave this sacred image deep in his heart, like scripture, down to the very depths of his soul.

O God

He murmured to himself, an indescribable sense of happiness and immense relief welling up from the depths of his heart, as if he had already accomplished an ultimate mission bestowed upon him by God.

He bowed deeply in the crowd and prayed with the utmost sincerity:

"Praise be to the Lord who commands his servants and sends his angels. O Lord, with the mission of Gabriel, be a guide to the right path, and make this sword a shield against evil. Make His words wise, His silence majestic, and His victory a testament to Your mercy on all beings."
"Merciful Lord."

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.

Riyadh, Faisal's residence.

Even in his private residence, Bandar was still dressed in a crisp military uniform.

This is because, given the current situation, he must be prepared at all times to deal with any unexpected military incidents.

In terms of lineage, Bandar's grandfather was the younger brother of the founding king, and he was born with the title of "prince".

However, members of the collateral branches like him will be given certain important positions, but they will not be allowed to access the core of power.

It's similar to the main family and branch families in a clan.

The main family symbolizes the direct line of the royal family, while the branch families exist to protect the main family.

Therefore, princes like Bandar were often sent abroad to study various subjects when they were young.

After returning, they will become grassroots cadres in various departments, assisting their trusted subordinates.

These numerous branch families, together with the relatively small number of main families, constitute a dual-spirit pyramid-like power structure.

And this is also a default fact.

As one of the families designated by the founding king to manage the royal guard, Bandar was sent to the United States military academy for further studies after he came of age.

Upon returning to China, he was directly awarded the rank of lieutenant and sent to the army, which was then the "Royal Guard," where he was appointed as the platoon leader of an infantry platoon.

This is a standard procedure, and Bandar has no complaints about it.

Later, the Suez Canal War broke out, and Arab countries began to purchase weapons. Shuangzhi also acquired a large number of "advanced" equipment from the United States.

Because of his experience studying in the United States and his youth, Bandar naturally joined the newly established armored forces and was promoted from captain to field officer.

Following a normal life trajectory, he would have likely spent several years being promoted to lieutenant colonel, serving as the brigade chief of staff or deputy regimental commander, and beginning his transition to campaign planning and headquarters operations.

But it's very difficult to rise further. Perhaps with the help of a local governor, he could be promoted to colonel and become a brigade commander, but becoming a general requires a huge opportunity, usually involving large-scale wars and factional conflicts. It's basically impossible to do so in less than ten or twenty years.

However, the turning point in their fate occurred two years ago.

His superior sent him to Nukoshir to assist a young, incompetent prince.

In Bandar's view, this was a "death sentence" order. The superiors probably wanted a prince of noble lineage to die on the front lines, so that they could both inspire the people's enthusiasm for the war and obtain aid from international allies as a victim.

From a political perspective, this is undoubtedly a worthwhile deal, since princes of the direct line are not uncommon and are plentiful in the royal family.

Bandar was also very clever; he saw this when he received the order. But seeing the Arab armies collapsing like a house of cards, he just thought that someone had to fight a brilliant battle, and even if they died, they had to die a glorious death.

Unexpectedly, the good-for-nothing prince thought the same thing.

Moreover, the opponent not only wanted to play beautifully.

He still wanted to win.

Then--

They actually succeeded.

After the war, the good-for-nothing prince was promoted to major general, and he himself was promoted two ranks to colonel.

Bandar finds it somewhat unbelievable every time he thinks about it.

The truly incredible part was yet to come.

With resistance to Zion's invasion becoming the main theme and the liberation of occupied territories becoming a national policy, Arab countries sounded the clarion call for a counter-offensive.

Bandar also began to follow the prince in his campaigns.

Their journey took them from Sumer to the banks of the Euphrates River, and from the Hashim Valley all the way to the Golan Heights.

He watched as Zion's army was defeated time and time again, and the foolish prince gradually became a figure revered by thousands.

He rose from major general to lieutenant general, and then from lieutenant general to general, concurrently serving as commander-in-chief of the Arab Allied Forces.

Now, he has become the reincarnation of an angel.

And he has now become a lieutenant general in the army.

“Bandush (nickname), my brother has something he wants to talk to you about,” Bandar’s wife said softly to her husband, nestled against the doorframe.

His wife came from a small tribe, and they had five children together.

Bandar snapped out of his daze and nodded: "Let him in."

He knew why the other party had come, but he had no choice but to deal with it. This was probably what the so-called bond between families was all about.

Bandar strode into the main living room.

Soon, a man in a khaki military uniform walked in; the rank insignia on his shoulders indicated that he was a lieutenant colonel.

This is considered quite high for Shuangzhi.

However, compared to Bandar now, he is not much of a match.

"Lieutenant General!" The lieutenant colonel put down the gift in his hand, saluted, and spoke with a joking tone.

Bandar frowned upon hearing this address.

To be honest, he doesn't really like being called that.

"Speak, what is it?" "I've come to congratulate you on your triumphant return and your promotion to lieutenant general." The lieutenant colonel said with a smile.

Bandar's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. "I accept the gift. If there's nothing else, you can go back now."

The lieutenant colonel's face froze, then he chuckled awkwardly, "Actually, there's something else."

Bandar picked up the warm water glass on the table, took a sip, and gestured for him to continue.

The lieutenant colonel began, "My two younger brothers have been arrested."

"What crime?"

"Well, it's nothing serious. It's just that when they were in office, they weren't exactly clean. You know, that's normal. But after the new king ascended the throne, he issued a strict anti-corruption order, and they were arrested as examples. I heard they're going to be severely punished."

"Oh."

"."

Perhaps because of the gift he had just received, Bandar calmly said, "Just pretend you don't have these two younger brothers."

Lieutenant Colonel: "."

After a moment of silence, the lieutenant colonel's smile faded, and his expression became earnest: "You really have no other way?"

"Have."

The lieutenant colonel was about to speak when Bandar interrupted him: "But I don't want to help."

After all, those two were his younger brothers, waiting for him to save their lives.

The lieutenant colonel patiently waited for the rest of the story.

Do you think this cleaning was a mistake?

Before the other person could answer, Bandar muttered to himself, "I think that's quite right."

Bandar thought this purge was very good.

Those parasites who climbed to high positions through nepotism are eroding the foundation of the nation. This great purge is precisely to replace the entire country from top to bottom, allowing truly capable people to take power.

These days, he is in charge of leading troops to suppress those nobles who have rebellious intentions, and just as he thought, none of these people are innocent.

The amount of money they embezzled and the people they killed—each and every one of those accounts is shocking.

Despite the nobles' pitiful cries, Bandar knew that the new king had shown mercy.

Otherwise, the country's nobility would have been slaughtered without exception.

"The people are the mirror; they will tell you whether what you are doing is right or wrong."

Bandar recalled that his major general had said these words to him back in Ghanam.

Now, as he walks down the streets of Riyadh and sees the smiles on everyone's faces, he knows he did the right thing.

The lieutenant colonel's expression was not good, although he managed to control himself well.

Bandar said such things to his face without any regard for his feelings.

He took a deep breath and asked in a firm but not overly harsh tone, "They are, after all, my family. If I may be so bold as to ask, if it were your son who had been arrested, would you have pleaded with His Highness Amir to show leniency?"

"do you know?"

Bandar began, “Your Highness’s maternal clan was also not spared in this purge, and was treated without any leniency. At the time, I thought to myself, how heartbroken Your Highness must have been.”

If necessary, I will personally deliver my son and the gun to His Highness, hoping only that he can vent his anger and feel a little better.

The lieutenant colonel stared in astonishment.

"So, what about you?"

Bandar's lips curled into a cold smile: "In my eyes, you are not even worth a hair on His Highness's head."

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.

Muhammad led Lu Lin to an unnamed public cemetery, where countless tombstones of Muslim citizens stood.

No one would have guessed that this was the final resting place of a king.

Of course, this was not a deliberate arrangement, but rather a adherence to Islamic law and ancient royal traditions.

Wahhabi opposes the worship or excessive veneration of any person's tomb to prevent "associating objects with God," while also demonstrating that in God's eyes all believers are equal.

Lu Lin's gaze fell upon the tombstone, where he saw the inscription: "A great king has fallen, but a new future has begun."

Muhammad spoke behind him: "After your uncle was assassinated, he had a period of lucidity, and he tried to stay upright until he saw you defeat Zion."

Lu Lin was silent for a moment before replying, "He told me before that he wanted to go to Black Gate to see the snow. After taking the Golan Heights, I specifically preserved some of Zion's defensive fortifications. If he wants, he can also fire a few shells towards Galilee to have some fun."

As the epitaph says, although Shams fell, the nobles and tribes that symbolized the ills of the old Shuangzhi era also fell with him.

A new era is slowly unfolding.

The chief royal attendant held up the sword with both hands. Muhammad reached out and drew the sword, a symbol of royal power. The soft hum of the sword being drawn was particularly clear in the cemetery.

"Follow orders."

He said softly.

Lu Lin understood immediately, deftly turned to the side, and knelt on one knee before the king.

Muhammad gently placed the cold blade of the sword on Lu Lin's shoulder, then called out loudly:
"In the name of Muhammad ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of the Two Holy Lands and Guardian of the Two Holy Sites, I hereby declare—"

Given that Amir ibn Muhammad ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud defeated the Zion Wall in the Hashim Valley, recaptured the Golan Heights, and liberated Damascus, his illustrious achievements, courage, and wisdom are the sword and shield of the kingdom and the soul of the army.

Therefore, he is promoted to General Shuangzhi, concurrently serving as the Kingdom's Minister of Defense, with the rank of Marshal, and commanding the six armed forces.

The six branches of the military here refer to the Army, Air Force, Navy, Air Defense Force, Royal Guard, and Strategic Missile Force of the United States.

The navy and strategic missile forces are in the early stages of construction, especially the strategic missile forces, which are still in their infancy.

Muhammad then moved the blade of his sword from Lu Lin's right shoulder to his left shoulder, and finally touched his back three times with the spine of the sword.

This symbolizes power, responsibility, and protection, which has been officially bestowed upon the new commander-in-chief by the king.

Normally, Lu Lin is now Gibril, and even when facing the king, he doesn't need to kneel down, but he feels that it wouldn't hurt to bow down at this moment.

After the ceremony, Muhammad sheathed his sword, patted his uncle on the shoulder, and said, "Actually, your uncle wanted to preside over the ceremony for you himself, but now, I have to do it on your behalf."

Lu Lin stood up and sighed with a smile, "He's thinking a lot. After we won the battle in Al-Iraq, he made me parade through the streets twice, just in case there were still people in Riyadh who didn't recognize me."

"He's paving the way for you in his own way,"

Muhammad stared at the tombstone and then said, "But he was indeed a man who enjoyed excitement."

"I see."

Lu Lin said calmly, "In the future, I will bring more Zion prisoners of war here for a tour, and perhaps even the prime minister of Zion. It will be quite a lively occasion then."

(End of this chapter)