Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 214 "An Unknown Soldier, or a World-Renowned Figure?"

When Lu Lin returned to his office at the Hafbar military base, he found a familiar figure sitting in the reception room.

The man was wearing a faded, plain suit, had dark skin, and a full head of white hair that stood up straight.

"Ahmed, my old friend!"

"Your Excellency, Major General!"

Ahmed, the former captain of the Ghanam guerrillas and now the "first citizen" of the Sumerian government, stood up with delight and extended his hands to greet them.

Their hands clasped tightly in the air as Lu Lin carefully examined the man who had given everything for the liberation of Ghanam.

He has now traded his tan vest and camouflage pants, which symbolized his guerrilla days, for a slightly worn white shirt and tie.

Although his face showed signs of fatigue from hard work, it also radiated a sense of satisfied joy.

"You must have been through a lot during this time. Judging from your appearance, it doesn't seem like we haven't seen each other for five or six months, but rather like we've been apart for five or six years."

"No matter how hard it is, it has never lessened your hard work and struggle for the Arab nation on the front lines."

Yehena smiled and said, "You guys chat first, I'll go make some coffee."

Ahmed watched her retreating figure and asked curiously, "When do you plan to get married?"

"Let's talk after the war is over," Lu Lin said with a smile, changing the subject. "Let's find somewhere else to talk."

Upon entering the office, the two old friends began to chat about the war, with Lu Lin recounting in detail the course of the war and the details of the battles over the past few months.

After thoughtfully bringing over the coffee, Yehena gently closed the door.

Lu Lin took a sip of coffee and asked, "How is Sumer recovering now?"

“Not bad,” Ahmed said with relief. “Most of the upstream land has been restored to cultivation and is able to produce grain, and a large number of people are also returning. Although industries that rely on raw materials, such as rubber and asphalt, have been affected, textiles and fisheries have basically returned to normal.”

Lu Lin nodded: "That's good."

Shuangzhi is now vigorously promoting modernization and industrialization, which requires the establishment of a complete economic system.

This means that Shuangzhi not only needs to develop the core manufacturing industry in the upstream, but also needs supporting downstream industries—such as a stable supply of raw materials, basic processing, and a sufficient labor force.

Placing these downstream processes in neighboring countries can reduce production costs, boost regional economic development, and strengthen alliances.

Lu Lin pondered to himself that King Muhammad might have sent him to make contact with Sumer for this very reason.

After all, in terms of loyalty, Sumer far surpassed other Arab countries—except for not being formally incorporated into the Shuangzhi territory, he was practically given the title of "Father of the Nation."

After a brief chat, Ahmed said seriously, "Marshal, Sumer is willing to contribute at this crucial stage to assist the Arab countries in their fight against Zion. We will always remember who helped us gain our freedom."

"But can you do it now?"

Lu Lin hesitated for a moment, not out of sarcasm, but because he asked, "Your economy has only just recovered, don't overexert yourself."

Ahmed shook his head firmly: "Some things must be done, even if it means gritting your teeth. The Sumerian people are willing to do everything in their power to fight Zion."

Lu Lin pondered for a moment: "Then how much grain can you produce now?"

Ahmed gave a number.

“Alright,” Lu Lin nodded, “I will find a way to recommend you to join the Arab League.”

Ahmed breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out slightly.

Although it was separated from Iraqi territory, Sumer has no oil resources on its own and is extremely dependent on imports. In addition, as a landlocked country, it does not have its own ports, so any trade must first be conducted in cooperation with other Arab countries.

However, the attitude of neighboring countries toward Sumer was quite subtle: Masr, Surya and other countries remained silent, neither recognizing nor denying it; Al-Iraq explicitly opposed Sumer joining the Arab League or even establishing a state.

Therefore, this matter still needs to be driven by Shuangzhi.

Ahmed then made another request: "Your Excellency Marshal, I hope to send support troops to join the coalition and participate in the great cause of conquering Zion! Just like last year when we fought together against the Zionian invasion!"

But after careful consideration, Lu Lin still refused: "What you need most right now is to recuperate and rebuild. War is not the only outcome. The Sumerian people have already lost too many young people in the fight against Zionism. Now, these precious young lives should be used to support the new nation, not to raise battle flags on the battlefield."

Ahmed stared at Lu Lin for a long time before finally nodding: "You're right, you're right."

He sighed softly, "But I still miss the days when we fought side by side; that was an honor for many people of Ghana."

"Victory in war is not the ultimate goal; the happiness of the people is."

Lu Lin stood up and smiled, "However, we can go and see how the young men are training, and reminisce about that unforgettable time."

Ahmed also stood up with a smile: "That's wonderful."

The military base has clearly undergone a large-scale expansion, far exceeding its previous size.

The square was filled with young soldiers in olive-green training uniforms, running and training in platoons, shouting slogans in unison, their voices deafening.

Just then, a Willys Jeep sped by, kicking up dust, and a lithe figure jumped out of the back seat.

"Marshal!" Al-Khali jogged up to Lu Lin and gave him a standard military salute.

Lu Lin chuckled and patted his shoulder: "You ran pretty fast, were you thinking that if you came back early you could be the first to pick out some good seedlings?"

Al-Khali scratched his head: "We have no choice but to pick! After this battle, our 1st Mechanized Guards Infantry Battalion suffered heavy losses, especially in the Battle of Damascus, where our battalion was always at the forefront and was almost wiped out!"

Lu Lin deliberately put on a stern face: "You wiped out all the units, do you think I don't read battle reports? At most, you only lost a company!"

Al-Khali resorted to shamelessness: "We are your old unit, the face of the entire army! You can't let other units outdo us, can you?"

Looking at him always reminded Lu Lin of another familiar figure.

However, Al-Khali was right. The First Mechanized Guards Infantry Battalion was like Lu Lin's iron fist, always charging ahead in every battle and suffering the heaviest losses. The loss of veterans also pained him greatly.

After a moment's thought, Lu Lin said, "How about this, I'll go and talk to the General Staff's Personnel Allocation Department and ask them to prioritize assigning some of the best-performing soldiers from each echelon to your battalion."

Upon hearing this, Al-Khali immediately stood at attention excitedly, his voice booming, "Yes, sir! Thank you, Marshal!"

Just then, from a nearby training team, a young man in military uniform with fair skin waved his hands and rushed towards Lu Lin.

"Cousin! Cousin!"

Al-Khali was the first to stand in front of Lu Lin, and then a guard team seemed to appear out of thin air, instantly surrounding the marshal.

A dozen veterans rushed forward and subdued the young man.

The whole process took only a few seconds, and this sudden scene caused the surrounding training teams to stop and look in this direction.

The young man immediately gave up resisting and shouted repeatedly, "Cousin! I'm from the Sheikh family! They've arrested the wrong person!"

The entire square fell silent.

"That man is Amir ibn Mohammed? The angel of God that Arabs talk about?"

A young Zionist prisoner named Isaaclias was digging training trenches and bunkers on the edge of the square. He and many other ragged prisoners looked up.

Despite the blinding sunlight and the stinging sweat, they strained to keep their eyes open, trying to see clearly what the man who had defeated them looked like.

Haidev quickly explained, “My aunt is Sarah Sheikh, and she married your father, King Muhammad! And your fiancée, Yehena, is also a distant relative of our family!”

Lu Lin gently pushed aside Al-Harry, who was blocking his way, and walked towards the young man.

“Marshal…” Al-Khali hesitated, followed closely by Yagub.

At this moment, Lieutenant Khalid rushed over and saluted Lu Lin: "Reporting to the Marshal! These are my men; it's my fault for not disciplining them properly."

As he spoke, he was sweating profusely and tried to drag Haidev away.

However, Lu Lin had already approached, and he leaned down to stare at the young man's face: "What did you just call me?"

"Cousin! Cousin!" The young man cried out as if grasping at a straw.

Lu Lin asked again, "You really don't want to join the army?"

"They've arrested the wrong person! We're brothers!" the young man pleaded.

Ahmed watched from the side, frowning.

This young master of the Sheikh family is too stupid. According to military regulations, such egregious behavior deserves to be executed.

But in full view of everyone, this person was a relative of the marshal, and not far away stood hundreds or thousands of noble sons who had been sent to serve.

Killing him would certainly establish authority, but what about the consequences?

How should the new recruits view the "Gibrill" in their minds?
Lu Lin straightened up, then turned around and waved to Al-Haril and Ahmed.

Although the two didn't understand, they still jogged over to his side.

Lu Lin put his arm around Al-Haril's shoulder, his gaze sweeping across the entire area. Addressing every pair of eyes fixed on him, he declared loudly, "This man fought alongside me from Nukhhil to Ghanam, from the Hashim Valley to Damascus! We fought side by side dozens of times, and he destroyed more tanks than all the tanks in the entire square combined! The comrades he saved are as numerous as grains of sand in the desert! This is the kind of man who is my brother!"

Then he put his arm around Ahmed: "And this man is a staunch Arab national liberator! We fought side by side in Ghanam for four days and three nights, and he led the guerrillas to save tens of thousands of Arab compatriots! He never flinched in the face of enemy fire. This is the kind of man who is my brother!"

Then he pulled out a small notebook from his chest and held it high: "This book records the countless warriors who fought alongside me! Their bravery made the people of Zion kneel before our tracks time and time again! Their sacrifice and blood forged our victory. These are the men who are my brothers!"

He lowered his head, looking down at the pale-faced Heidev, and gave him only a bland glance.

Then, facing the enthusiastic gazes of the crowd, Lu Lin poured cold water on their enthusiasm:
“And you!” he paused, “I must say, you are nothing!”

He continued loudly, "I don't care where you come from, whether you are royalty or shoemaker's sons, it doesn't matter. In my eyes, you are just a bunch of burdens on the battlefield who will only drag your comrades down!"

Khalid listened very attentively.

The soldiers around him listened attentively.

Even the prisoners of Zion listened attentively.

"but."

Lu Lin paused: "But everyone has a first time."

"When I first went to the battlefield, I was so nervous that I almost peed my pants."

He patted Al-Harry on the shoulder: "This guy couldn't even tell which way to go the first time he drove a tank."

"So today, I'm giving you a chance—not because I pity you, but because I was once just as afraid as you are."

Now tell me, do you want to continue being cowards who are ridiculed, or are you willing to stand tall and become warriors worthy of the title 'brothers'?!

After a brief silence,

I don't know who shouted "Allahu Akbar!" first.

The next moment, thousands of young voices roared out the same sound at the same time, merging into a wave of sound that swept across the entire square.

Countless hats were tossed high into the air, and loud shouts rang out in unison, young faces flushed red with fervent conviction.

Even the Zion prisoners who were digging trenches in the distance were deeply shocked by this scene.

Amidst a boiling sea of ​​olive green, Lu Lin turned and left, never looking back.

"I think I know your answer now."

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.

Two months passed in a flash.

Lu Lin stood by the window of the Ministry of National Defense office, watching the afterglow of the setting sun gradually sink into the horizon of Riyadh, his breath forming a light white mist in the cool air.

It's almost November now, which means winter has arrived for Shuangzhi.

Fortunately, winter in Riyadh is not too unbearable. Although it gets colder after sunset, the daytime temperature is generally between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius.

The nationwide purge that swept across the country two months ago did not cause serious damage to Shuangzhi as the outside world had expected, and the state apparatus continued to operate efficiently.

The reason is quite simple: before Shuangzhi entered modernization, the country's management was actually very "flat," which stemmed from a single economic structure. As long as oil was not affected, the country would not be greatly affected.

This is like a large blood vessel covered with a lot of fat, and the previous purge was like scraping all that fat off, not only reducing the weight of the previously redundant and flawed system, but also making the country run more smoothly.

During this time, Lu Lin was not idle either. He kept traveling between Hafbar and Riyadh, and even took the time to go back to the front line twice.

Ibrahim is based in the Golan Heights and has stockpiled a large amount of ammunition in Quneitra in preparation for the next phase of military operations.

The First and Second Armored Divisions, which had previously been transferred back to China for rest and reorganization, have also returned to the front lines with some reserves, as has Al-Khali.

Everyone knows that the current ceasefire is merely a lull in the storm, far from lasting peace.

"Jingle Bell--"

Just then, the telephone on the desk rang suddenly.

Lu Lin picked up the receiver: "This is the Ministry of National Defense of Shuangzhi. This is Amir bin Mohammed."

On the other end of the phone was General James from the United States: "Your Highness Amir, the helicopter procurement you proposed last time has been approved domestically."

The general's voice came through, but unsurprisingly, it carried a hint of difficulty: "However, even our own troops haven't fully equipped themselves with this 'Cobra' yet. If it weren't for our staunch ally status, it wouldn't have passed Congress at all. So, the price might be a bit tighter than expected."

However, Lu Lin had already filtered out the fluff in those words and responded directly: "Thank you for the United States' strong support for the cause of Arab national liberation. Price is not a problem, as long as you can deliver on time."

Armed helicopters represent an asymmetric "dimensional reduction attack" against ground armored forces, and Lu Lin believes that he must acquire them even at a premium.

General James was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone before finally saying, "Then I wish you a successful start."

(End of this chapter)