Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 226 No prisoners!
When Shmuel on the west bank saw the river surface shattered by artillery fire, his heart sank.

Fell into a trap.

The saturation bombardment, spanning several kilometers in width, precisely covered the area where they were preparing to cross the river, blasting all the pontoon bridges to smithereens. Now, even if a new passage were to be laid, it would be destroyed instantly.

"Desert Eagle!!"

Shmuel, enraged, smashed the binoculars in his hand to pieces.

However, no amount of anger will help; the most urgent task now is to immediately withdraw the troops from the east bank.

Shmuel told the chief of staff, "Organize an artillery counterattack immediately, suppress the enemy's artillery positions, and then rebuild the bridge!"

The chief of staff smiled wryly: "But we don't even know the exact location of the artillery positions on the other side, and the MK.2 counter-battery radar can't lock onto the firing point."

The MK.2 was originally a tactical weapon provided to Zion by the United Kingdom in the early days. It could reverse-engineer the enemy's position by analyzing the trajectory of the ballistic missiles and destroyed artillery positions in Masr and Surria many times during the Yom Kippur War.

However, the MK.2 also has a fatal flaw: it becomes ineffective when subjected to saturation fire because it cannot lock onto a single shell.

Shmuel turned to the map, looking at the eastern bank of the Hashim Valley, and proposed another plan: "Then let the troops move to the Gulf of Jacob, and at the same time request the Second Army to provide support!"

“The distance is too far,” the chief of staff said, pointing to the map. “It’s a full two hundred kilometers from here to the Gulf of Jacob. If we fight a chase like this all the way there, not to mention how many tanks we’ll have left, our infantry will definitely be wiped out.”

Shmuel gazed silently at the opposite bank.

He saw his two most elite armored divisions struggling amidst the artillery fire.

These were not only his soldiers, but also the backbone of the Third Army.

Once these people are gone, the Third Army will completely lose its offensive capabilities.

Shmuel asked, "Who is the highest-ranking commander on the other side now?"

The chief of staff checked the communications log and replied, "Major General Ben Pilie, commander of the 35th Armored Division, has lost contact. The only person we can contact at the moment is Colonel Moses Cohen."

Shmuel took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind: "Order Colonel Cohen to lead the remaining troops in an immediate general offensive toward Amman, sparing no effort to deplete the enemy's manpower!"

The chief of staff was shocked to hear this: "This could wipe out their entire army!"

"This is their duty as soldiers!"

Shmuel said coldly, "Remember this: if we fail on our way to attack Amman, it can be attributed to a strategic mistake! But if we surrender en masse because our retreat has been cut off, that would be an act of absolute cowardice!"
Rather than leaving equipment to the enemy, let's eliminate as many Arabs as possible before we run out of fuel!

The chief of staff was also taken aback by the coldness in Shmuel's eyes, and stammered, "That's more than 20,000 lives."

"Excuting an order!"

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.

On the east bank of the Hashim River, amidst the raging artillery fire, Colonel Cohen, inside the makeshift command post, was struck dumb upon receiving orders from headquarters to "break out with all their might."

Looking at the hopeful eyes of the officers, the colonel didn't know how to speak.

Just then, a group of officers escorted an officer into the command post.

The man was tall, and although his uniform was covered in gunpowder and dust, the general's stars on his shoulders were still conspicuous.

"General Abraham!" Everyone saluted.

The visitor was Brigadier General Reed Abraham, commander of the 188th Armored Brigade.

"What instructions does headquarters have?" the brigadier general asked in a deep voice.

Colonel Cohen then repeated the order, and the command post fell into a deathly silence.

This is tantamount to sentencing them to death.

"These bastards want to use our sacrifice to cover up their tactical command errors!" the brigadier general cursed.

The colonel saluted Brigadier General Abraham: "You are now the highest-ranking officer here, and we all obey your orders!"

The brigadier general looked at him, but he didn't say much. After all, from the perspective of the manual, what the other party said was not wrong.

After a brief internal struggle, Brigadier General Abraham sighed and gave the order: "Assemble everyone and prepare to surrender to the Arabs."

Our war is over; there is no need for further unnecessary sacrifices.

Colonel Cohen and the other officers breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as you're alive, that's better than anything else.

After issuing the order, the brigadier general chuckled self-deprecatingly: "I'm afraid from now on, I'll become a complete laughingstock, just like those captured Zion generals like Kustov and Yudin."

Colonel Cohen saluted him solemnly and said seriously, "You are the truly brave one who dares to face failure."

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.

Colonel Lev of Antwerp observed the battlefield situation map and keenly noticed that the Zion Line was contracting and the density of firepower was gradually decreasing.

"report!"

The messenger quickly entered the command post and saluted the officers present, including Ant and Al-Irag. "The forward observation post confirms that Zion forces have displayed a white flag in front of their positions and have sent a surrender request via radio in plain text."

Won!

A chorus of praise immediately erupted in the command center.

"The colonel truly deserves to be called Ant's future star general!"

One of the Al-Iraq division commanders exclaimed, "He led us to such a great victory right from the start!"

"Whether it's combat command or timing, you are in no way inferior to those long-established commanders in Zion," another staff officer added. Everyone's face beamed with joy.

At this moment, a telegram arrived from the communications officer. In his congratulatory message, Al-Iraq Prime Minister Kozonie wrote: "To Colonel Lev of the Al-Iraq Front: I am delighted to learn of your unit's major victory in the Hashim River campaign. This battle fully demonstrates the achievements of our army's modernization and its superior tactical skills. The heroic performance of all participating troops will surely be recorded in the annals of Middle Eastern military history."

This should have been prepared in advance, just waiting to be sent over once we win.

Colonel Lev's expression softened considerably. Capturing over 20,000 prisoners on the battlefield was far more difficult than annihilating 20,000 enemy soldiers, especially against a notoriously tenacious opponent like Zion.

However, what puzzled him was that, given the Zion army's performance in holding the Plain of Qudaf during the Fourth Middle East War, this surrender seemed to have come too quickly.

Could it be because he was not facing Zion's main force?

Or perhaps the years of war have caused the quality of Zion's soldiers to decline?

“Tell the troops in Zion that we accept their surrender,” Colonel Lev said. “Let them disarm themselves and wait for the Arab troops to take over.”

Just as they were discussing the plan for dealing with prisoners of war, the adjutant came again to report: "Major General Ali Sur, commander of the 11th Artillery Division of Shuangzhi, has arrived."

"Invite him in."

A moment later, a slightly overweight general with a mustache walked into the command post.

The two shook hands, and Major General Ali smiled and praised, "Your armored assault was quite outstanding."

"This is all thanks to your army's artillery fire, which precisely cut off the enemy's retreat, allowing us to wipe out the entire army of Zion," Colonel Lev replied modestly.

After exchanging greetings, Lev said solemnly, "I must apologize for my previous misjudgment of Marshal Amir."

Whether in the Middle East or on other battlefields, commanders who can accurately predict enemy movements and mobilize their own troops are first-rate and outstanding military strategists, such as Marshal Zurki's deep battle theory or Manstein's "Sickle Plan."

Major General Ali responded with a smile: "This is just the tip of the iceberg of a marshal's talent. You will see much more in the future."

Colonel Lev had long heard that the Shuangzhi troops had an almost fanatical loyalty to Amir, but he didn't think much of it and got to the point: "As is customary, all prisoners of war will be handed over to the Allied forces for unified disposal."

Upon hearing this, the Al-Ilag officers standing nearby hesitated to speak.

Those are all Zion's weapons and equipment; it would be a lie to say I'm not heartbroken. Even if I sold them, they would bring in a considerable sum of money.

However, due to Lev's status, no one raised any objections.

"Thank you for your understanding," Major General Ali nodded, "This way I won't need to consult the Marshal anymore."

Colonel Lev said it was nothing to worry about, then pressed on, "But I'm curious, how does your army plan to deal with these prisoners?"

Major General Ali replied, "You'll find out soon enough."

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.

On the east bank of the Hashim River, Zion soldiers who had just surrendered were orderly piling their weapons in a designated area.

The officers maintained discipline, and the soldiers spontaneously formed several square formations, piling their weapons on the perimeter, waiting for the Arab coalition to come and take them over.

White flags were hung on all the tank antennas, the main gun and coaxial machine gun were kept in an unpointed position, all hatches were kept open, and the crew members raised their hands high above their heads.

Ali Sur led Lev toward the prisoner-of-war camp.

At this point, Ali asked the latter, "After World War II, how did Ant deal with the prisoners of war from Japan and Prossen?"

"I'm not too sure about that, since I was just born then."

Lev shook his head. "But I heard that most of them were sent to Siberia. When I visited, I saw many military industrial bases. It's hard to imagine that they were all built by manpower."

Major General Ali nodded thoughtfully.

At this moment, Colonel Lev noticed that Shuangzhi's tank unit was slowly advancing.

This is unusual, because usually only lightly armored vehicles are needed to receive prisoners of war.

The atmosphere around them remained tense and somber.

The Shuangzhi troops were on high alert, their expressions completely unlike those of a victorious army; a serious and tense atmosphere permeated the air.

The disarmed Zion soldiers were equally bewildered, their faces filled with fear and confusion as they watched the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles slowly approaching.

"Major General Ali, what's this?" Lev had already noticed something was wrong.

Ali Sur replied, "Didn't you just ask me what I planned to do with these prisoners? Now I'll tell you the answer."

He picked up the walkie-talkie and issued orders to the entire army in a clear and cold voice:
"The Marshal has ordered that the sword not be sheathed!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Amidst the resounding responses, the entire Shuangzhi Artillery Division sprang into action.

The artillery was leveled and fired, the soldiers loaded their bullets, and the tanks' main guns were all aimed at the unarmed Zion prisoners of war.

"Fire freely!!"

To Colonel Lev's horrified gaze, the main gun of the M60A1 tank spewed out scorching flames, instantly engulfing his vision.

Amidst the deafening roar of gunfire, soldiers in Zion who had surrendered fell in droves, turning the entire prisoner-of-war camp into a living hell.

(End of this chapter)