Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 27 The Lieutenant Colonel's True Identity

"I have indeed paved the way for a clear victory for you."

Arabs typically celebrate war through prayer.

At this moment, Imam Qalim was leading all the soldiers in a prayer of thanksgiving in the open field, reciting the Quran and praising God.

Even the wounded were moved to the side, their expressions serene.

After the prayers, the preaching team began distributing sweets and coffee.

Lu Lin wasn't particularly interested in these rituals, but Muslims considered the five daily prayers very important. Even soldiers on the front lines would put down their guns and pray to Allah when it was time to pray.

"I must suggest that prayers during special periods be postponed, and made up for later."

He muttered to himself, just then Bandar walked over. He thought Bandar was there to reprimand him, but instead, Bandar asked impatiently, "How did you do that? Lieutenant Colonel, you personally commanded a light tank and destroyed four Chieftains!"

At this moment, the driver, who had been standing by, interjected, "Not four! Eight! The lieutenant colonel destroyed eight tanks!"

Lu Lin couldn't remember how many vehicles he had blown up, only the soldiers who had risked their lives for him: "It was all thanks to the cover provided by the soldiers and a tiny bit of luck."

"Yes! And divine revelation from Allah."

Lu Lin glared at the driver, who immediately shrank back and went to drink his coffee.

"Apocalypse? What apocalypse?"

Major Bandar was somewhat curious.

Uh, Lu Lin changed the subject, jokingly saying, "Where's Ahmed? Shouldn't he jump out at this time, warn me not to personally charge into the front lines again next time, and then grumble a bit?"

Major Bandar was silent for a moment, then told him the truth: "The tactic of using smoke for cover was Ahmed's idea. He was also the one who went first. His M3 was hit by the Chief's main gun."

After saying that, he took out a gray epaulette.

Bandar handed him the cigarette pack as well: "Want one, Lieutenant Colonel?"

Lu Lin took the epaulettes, stroked the two silver stars on them, and fell silent.

Despite having anticipated the sacrifices, reality still delivers a devastating blow; war is just that cruel.

"Is there anyone else in his family? I personally conveyed the message to his family."

Lu Lin thought to himself that this was the only thing he could do for this veteran.

“Oh, he does have two sons and two daughters, but they probably don’t have time.” Major Bandar shrugged. “After all, their father was just sent to a hospital in the rear, and someone has to take care of him.”

Lu Lin's eyes widened, and he had a curse on his lips.

I was feeling so sad just now, turns out this old guy isn't dead!

"He's a seasoned veteran; he jumped out of the vehicle as soon as the main gun was aimed at him. But he still lost both legs in the explosion, so there won't be anyone to do your paperwork anymore."

Bandar patted Lu Lin on the shoulder: "Lieutenant Colonel, if you feel guilty about those soldiers who volunteered to sacrifice themselves, consider this your punishment."

On the reconnaissance platoon, many were still reminiscing about the battle that had just taken place. Then someone started mocking Lieutenant Saleh:
"Salikh, didn't you say before that Lieutenant Colonel could drive armored vehicles into swamps and couldn't even identify the different types of mortars? What do you think now?"

Saleh argued, "Everything should be based on reality. Maybe Major Amir was just researching the off-road capabilities of armored vehicles back then. As for the type of mortar, it's not important at all. Accuracy is the only thing that matters!"

The more he explained, the happier the atmosphere became in the reconnaissance platoon.

A lieutenant couldn't help but sigh: "Amir had a bad reputation in the circle before, because of what happened..."

But today, when I saw him commanding the tanks in a charge, I knew all those rumors about him were just that—rumors! A lieutenant colonel is not the kind of person who would desert his post!

"You're right."

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the reconnaissance platoon leader, Tamim, walked over and his gaze swept across the soldiers' faces.

Everyone instinctively stood at attention.

In the eyes of his soldiers, Platoon Leader Tamim was like a devil, but on the battlefield he was a reliable leader with high prestige in the reconnaissance platoon.

"Lieutenant Colonel Amir has issued a new mission: to collect tanks, weapons, and ammunition left behind by the enemy on the battlefield. These are all evidence of the Zionians' invasion of us!" Platoon Leader Tamim swept his stern gaze across the faces of each soldier.

“Maybe this evidence will end up in a museum, and when you bring your kids to visit, you can brag: ‘This is proof that your father defeated the Zionians!’” “Yes, sir!” The soldiers puffed out their chests.

In the center of the camp, Al-Khali was surrounded and vividly recounted the entire process of fighting alongside Lieutenant Colonel Amir.

Al-Khali was the pilot who drove Lu Lin's AMX-13, and at this time he also became a "combat hero" and was sought after by everyone.

"I saw the lieutenant colonel get onto the tank with my own eyes, saying that he was preparing to retreat. Why are you back? Is this some kind of flanking maneuver by the lieutenant colonel?" an artilleryman asked impatiently.

“No, not at all,” Al-Khali denied. “Initially, Lieutenant Colonel Amir was prepared to retreat, but when he found that no other vehicles were following, and when Talod said that ‘the others would hold the outpost to the death,’ the lieutenant colonel suddenly became furious.”

He recalled: "The lieutenant colonel held a gun to the head of the tank commander Talod and ordered him to turn around immediately, saying, 'Those behind are my soldiers. If you dare make me abandon them, I will kill you!' But the tank commander did not agree, so the lieutenant colonel directly relieved Talod of his post, threw him off the tank, and became the tank commander himself."

He added, "The prophet Yehena can testify to this."

A gasp of amazement rippled through the crowd.

Al-Hali took a sip of water and continued, "Then the lieutenant colonel led us back! He pointed out the way while singing, and that's how we sent all the Zion scum to their God!"

“Wait, sing?” a corporal interrupted.

"I think he was singing, but I'm not entirely sure." Al-Hariya scratched his head. "I didn't understand a single word of the song the lieutenant colonel sang, but it was quite nice."

"So how did the lieutenant colonel sing it back then?"

Al-Khali tried to imitate it, but couldn't quite get the tune right. Just then, someone suddenly suggested, "Could it be the lieutenant colonel praying?"

Al-Hali's slightly confused eyes instantly cleared, a jolt of electricity ran through his brain, and he connected everything.

He slapped his thigh, remembering a detail he'd overlooked: "You're right! The lieutenant colonel also said, 'Allah will guide us!' before he started singing!"

He repeated, "That's right, the lieutenant colonel said God will guide him!"

After these words were spoken, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

According to the history recorded in Shuangji, the founding king was said to have received a sword "chosen by God," thus beginning his great undertaking of unifying the Arabian Peninsula.

Historical records abound with accounts of generals praying during wartime and receiving miracles; almost all Shuangzhi people grew up listening to these stories that combined reality and religion.

“The prophet Yehena can testify!” Al-Khali said with certainty, “She didn’t object at all!”

The soldiers present were all shocked. It sounded a bit too incredible, but upon closer inspection, they couldn't find any fault with it.

Because that Lieutenant Colonel Amir was indeed a direct descendant of the founding king, and not only did he not lose his way in the fog, but he also annihilated an enemy force several times his size.

With even the church's prophet giving his approval, the eyes of the other soldiers became as clear as Al-Harry's.

A soldier suddenly remembered something and muttered to himself, "One of the men who covered for the lieutenant colonel came back alive, named Fahd. He used to be the lieutenant colonel's bodyguard, and he still has a feather, which is said to be a talisman given to him personally by the lieutenant colonel."

This detail ignited everyone's imagination like a spark, and now everyone understood each other implicitly, becoming even more certain of their own thoughts.

Al-Khali added in a low voice, "But the lieutenant colonel later denied it and forbade me from talking about it anywhere."

The soldiers understood perfectly well that the lieutenant colonel was unwilling to admit it just to avoid causing them unnecessary trouble!

So the group's conversation shifted from the battle to "how many tanks the lieutenant colonel destroyed." Al-Khali said eight, but that was quickly refuted.

“It’s definitely more than eight. When I was clearing the battlefield, there were tank wrecks everywhere. You’d be more like eighteen!” another corporal said, patting his chest.

"That shouldn't be the case. I heard Major Bandar say in the staff room that the total number of tanks used in Zion's attack wasn't that many," a staff officer speculated. "However, the Zionites like combined arms warfare, so based on this ratio, the lieutenant colonel should have wiped out four platoons of infantry!"

Al-Hali nodded, realizing he had indeed misremembered.

"And the artillery!" someone else interjected. "Don't forget the lieutenant colonel's incredible ability to command the artillery! On the first night when we went to scout, the lieutenant colonel blew the tracks off fifteen Chieftain tanks! These should all be counted; the reconnaissance platoon can testify to that!"

Half the soldiers on the field participated in the discussion, and each put forward their own opinions and justifications.

Although they didn't reach a conclusion about exactly how many Zion tanks Lieutenant Colonel Amir destroyed, they eventually reached a consensus—

That is, Lieutenant Colonel Amir successfully destroyed at least two enemy tank companies, and the actual number of tanks destroyed should be far greater than eighteen.

(End of this chapter)