Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 212 Son

The following morning, Lu Lin was summoned to the palace.

The newly appointed garrison commander came to greet him and immediately bowed upon his arrival, saying, "Your Excellency, His Majesty is waiting for you."

Having walked through so many times, Lu Lin knew every corridor of the palace like the back of his hand. In fact, an administrative hall had always been reserved for him on the west side of the palace, but he rarely used it.

"Speaking of which," Lu Lin asked casually, "does your city's garrison belong to the Ministry of National Defense or the Royal Palace?"

The garrison commander replied, "In response to your question, we belong to the Ministry of Defense, but we are directly responsible to the King."

"Oh? So, will you listen to me, or to His Majesty?"

"Uh..." The garrison commander realized he had misspoke, and fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. "Your Excellency, our primary responsibility is always to ensure the absolute safety of the Royal Family. If necessary, we will protect the King and His Highnesses even at the cost of our lives."

Lu Lin stopped making things difficult for him and turned his gaze to the scenery along the way. He saw that many courtyards were sealed with black tape, and many palace guards were constantly going in and out, carrying things out.

"How is this going?"

The garrison commander breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained, "Princess Sur previously lived here, but her family was investigated for serious corruption, and His Majesty Muhammad announced a divorce from her. She will no longer live in the palace."

Islam stipulates that a man, regardless of his social status, can only marry a maximum of four wives at the same time.

But the founding king, in order to unite other tribes through marriage while circumventing the law, devised a plan.

That means divorcing his longest-married wife while simultaneously marrying a new one.

At that time, even the most beloved Queen Sudri, the founding king's favorite, had been divorced twice.

He also passed this custom on to his sons, such as Shams and Muhammad, who repeatedly "married" for political alliances.

Even Lu Lin's biological mother, Musta, had previously divorced Muhammad and had given birth to Sultan, Amir, and Sheila.

However, Princess Sur will likely never have the chance to return to the palace.

Upon seeing Lu Lin, the guards along the way all stopped their work and bowed in greeting: "Your Highness."

"You all continue with your work." Lu Lin waved his hand and walked straight into the depths of the palace.

Soon after, the two arrived at the door of the King's office. The garrison commander bowed to Lu Lin and said, "Minister, I shall take my leave now."

Two guards pushed open the door from either side, and Lu Lin strode in.

This impressive office, which King Shams rarely used during his lifetime, became the busiest place in the palace after Muhammad moved in.

Upon seeing his son, Muhammad looked up from the pile of documents and gestured for him to sit down.

"what do you want to drink?"

"It will be all right."

Muhammad instructed the palace attendant beside him, "Bring him a glass of iced cola and me a glass of hot water."

Soon Lu Lin received a cup of dark brown beverage that was slightly frosted and bubbly.

He downed the cola in one gulp, feeling the bubbles burst in his throat.

King Muhammad looked at his son and said, "Drink slowly."

Lu Lin licked his lips: "This kind of drink is best enjoyed by gulping it down in one go."

“I also read the report you sent. It turns out that besides prayer and cigarettes, there are other simple ways to help soldiers recover from mental fatigue.”

Mohammed looked at the clear Coca-Cola bottle: "But soon, the United States will build a Coca-Cola factory in Riyadh, and then sell it throughout the country, and even the entire Arab region and countries, via the railways and highways we are building." "It sounds like this will require a lot of workers."

"Yes. It's not just about road construction and Coca-Cola production lines. We also need urban development, food processing, hotel services, commodity distribution, and service providers in all walks of life. Perhaps the population of Riyadh alone is not enough."

Lu Lin paused his movements slightly.

Muhammad suddenly asked Lu Lin a question: "How would you describe the current state of Shuangzhi?"

Lu Lin was silent for a moment, then uttered two words: "Very hungry."

The burgeoning industrial development, the national pride brought about by the victory in the war, and the wealth generated by the oil boom.
When a country's development potential far exceeds its actual development speed, it creates a terrifying siphon effect.

He will absorb everything around him.

Population, resources, and focus.
Muhammad's lips curled slightly: "That description is quite apt."

Despite the nationwide cleanup campaign in full swing, urban populations are experiencing a surge.

A large influx of people from rural towns and cities began seeking job opportunities.

At the same time, there are also workers from other Arab countries, including those from Masr, Surya, and Hashim, who are attracted by Shuangzhi's generous salaries and stable environment.

They automatically began to fill positions in industries with labor shortages, becoming the cornerstone of the city's development.

In just two weeks, tens of thousands of people have flocked to Riyadh, and the number continues to rise.

Perhaps at this moment, these Arab countries have not yet realized the seriousness of the problem, and may still be fantasizing that they can obtain a steady stream of foreign exchange from Shuangzhi through their own people.

Perhaps in the near future, they will realize just how terrifying this will be.

A city with both religious and economic cores will gradually become the center of the Arab world.

But by then it was too late.

"The United States wants us to be a power in oil and military, but that's not enough."

Mohammed seemed to be muttering to himself: "Oil resources will eventually run out, and we must plan ahead. To break free from the control of these great powers, we must diversify our economy and bind the entire Arab world to the chariot of Shuangzhi."

Since those world powers all want to see the Arab states split up, what if we weren't the ones actively seeking unity, but instead other Arab states were actively aligning themselves with us?

Lu Lin was slightly shaken—especially hearing the phrase "the oil will run out," which was quite unusual for the leader of a country that had just embarked on a fast track thanks to the oil boom.

My father is indeed quite impressive.

Muhammad looked at his own son and saw not confusion in his eyes, but rather shock and a sense of recognition.

Although I didn't say anything, I know you're right.

What he can think of, the other party will definitely understand.

Muhammad smiled; he was indeed his own son.

What he didn't know was that his "own son" was actually a time traveler from decades in the future, whose vision and experience far surpassed that of this era.

Lu Lin pondered for a moment and said, "I'm afraid this is not something that can be done in a short time; it will take more than ten or twenty years."

Muhammad looked at him, slightly surprised:

"But what about you?"

(End of this chapter)