Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 37 Cheers to the General

The soldiers' quarters of the First Army of Shuangzhi.

The 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the 1st Armored Division, which had been withdrawn from Nukoshir, is currently resting here in preparation for attending the King's investiture ceremony tomorrow.

"Oh, I smell sour cream!" Fahad swallowed hard. "Finally, something other than salty!"

"And beef! We've finally gotten rid of those crunchy flatbreads and chewy camel meat!" Sergeant Halivet cried tears of joy.

"Line up properly before eating! What kind of order is this, all slouching like this?!"

Major Bandar, his face grim, reprimanded the grinning soldiers: "Line up! At ease! Squad leaders, lead your squads to line up for lunch!"

Everyone obediently lined up in two rows, craning their necks to watch the cook bring out large buckets of steaming hot food.

"Thank God! It's Mansaf!"

Fahd's eyes lit up as he stared at the large plate the cook brought over. Golden rice was topped with tender mutton, so tender that it could be easily cut with a spoon, and a rich yogurt sauce gave off an enticing aroma.

Sergeant Halivet couldn't wait to scoop a spoonful into his mouth and mumbled, "It's not as good as my grandma's, but at least there's enough meat."

"This is just enough? I used to only get to eat this at home during Eid al-Fitr; the meat was reserved for guests!" Fahd picked up a piece of sambusa and exclaimed in surprise, "It's all filled with mutton!"

Although the food at the Nukoshir outpost was relatively plentiful, don't expect too much happiness; you'll be eating dry rations that are so tough you'll feel nauseous all day.

Meat was basically only available before and during the war.

The cook laughed and said, "Pure mutton filling! His Highness the Prince ordered that you be treated well. We've been busy since this morning, slaughtering a whole cow and several sheep! As long as you want to eat, there's plenty of meat!"

Now everyone in the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion knows that their lieutenant colonel is the son of the Minister of Defense. Without Prince Muhammad managing logistics, they would probably all be buried in the sand long ago.

"It's just a pity it's a bit spicy; I can't handle spicy food." Fahad gasped from the spiciness, but still ate with gusto, his mouth greasy. "If only I had some Coke; that stuff helps with the spiciness."

The thought of Coke made Halivet's mouth dry, and he shouted, "Cook, do you have any Coke?!"

"Yes, His Highness the Prince has prepared everything for you!" The cook pointed to the freezer in the corner. "Go get what you need!"

Fahd and Khalil exchanged a glance: "Long live His Highness the Prince!"

"Oh no, I mean, long live the Lieutenant Colonel!"

A large hand smacked them on the head, and Major Bandar said sternly, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Halivel made a face, got up and went to get a Coke.

"It's even chilled!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Why is the packaging different?"

"This one is mint flavored, and this one is cherry flavored," a cafeteria employee who was moving drinks explained.

"Cherry? I don't even know what cherry tastes like!" Halivet happily picked out a bottle of each flavor of cola.

A cafeteria worker couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of getting diarrhea?"

"It's worth it even if it gives me diarrhea!" Halive chuckled. "I want to try every single one!"

Back in his seat, Halivet, like a judge, opened all the Coke bottles, tasted each one, and finally concluded, "The original flavor is the best."

Then, on a whim, he mixed cola and yogurt together, took a swig, and almost threw up.

Lieutenant Baksh, sitting to the side, frowned. "Don't waste food!"

The soldiers nearby were cheering, "Halavi, kill it!" Major Bandar sat among the soldiers. Despite his burly appearance, he ate slowly and deliberately, and his every move was full of manners.

Just then, a group of soldiers in crisp uniforms walked over. The epaulets of the lieutenant colonel at the head of the group were dazzling. When Bandar saw that the newcomers were old acquaintances, he laughed and said, "The brothers from the 3rd Guards Division have come here to freeload."

"Don't be so formal, Bandar!" Lieutenant Colonel Abdul acted very familiarly and sat down next to Major Bandar. "We're old classmates, you don't mind if I join you for your victory celebration, do you?"

Major Bandar laughed heartily.

Lieutenant Saleh asked in a low voice, "The 3rd Guards Division? Is that someone Major Bandar knows?"

Lieutenant Omar of the artillery regiment, Prince Talal's nephew, shrugged: "Probably a classmate he met while studying abroad."

Because domestic educational resources are limited, wealthy people in Shuangzhi prefer to send their children abroad to study at universities.

Sending children to prestigious overseas universities is not only a symbol of status and prestige, but also allows them to be exposed to different environments and higher-level networks.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdul and Bandar were classmates at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. As they both came from the same school, they had a good relationship.

“I still remember lying on the lawn behind the school building after playing rugby on Sundays, watching the St. Mary’s girls’ school students who came to visit the college by bus.” Lieutenant Colonel Abdul patted Bandar on the shoulder, reminiscing about his school days: “Looking back now, it was all youth.”

Major Bandar interrupted him, saying bluntly, "Abdul, you didn't come to me to recall how short the skirts of the girls at St. Mary's School were, did you? Tell me, what is it?"

Lieutenant Colonel Abdul wasn't embarrassed by being exposed; he used the opportunity to get to the point:

"You know that military reform is imminent. I bet you guys must be feeling really stifled working under a cowardly playboy, right?"
I happen to have a deputy commander position under me, Bandar. How about considering coming to work for me?

Major Bandar's smile vanished.

In fact, all the soldiers nearby fell silent, and the once bustling mess hall was now eerily quiet.

Lieutenant Colonel Abdul said earnestly, "Believe me, working under me will definitely give you a better future than working under a boss who only knows how to steal credit from his subordinates!"

"The playboy you mentioned, could it be Lieutenant Colonel Amir bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud?" Major Bandar glanced at him.

“Unless you have other military commanders.” Lieutenant Colonel Abdul shrugged. “I’ve heard the news. One man took down more than a dozen Zion tanks. You know better than I do. Is he really an apostle of God?”

Lieutenant Colonel Abdul thought he had told a joke, but no one laughed, including all the soldiers present.

A soldier was about to get up when he was held down by two hands.

Everyone stared at him with angry eyes, as if he had been greatly insulted.

If it were the former Major Bandar, given his fiery temper, he might have resorted to violence. But now that Ahmed is gone, someone must take his place, he said calmly.
"Give up your idea, Abdul. I will not leave this unit, nor will I leave anyone here."

"Wherever the general goes, we will go!" someone shouted.

"Yes! That's right!"

"You are not allowed to insult the general!" The soldiers' voices were deafening.

Abdul was taken aback. Had he guessed wrong before?
Seeing the group of soldiers about to rush up and beat him up, Lieutenant Colonel Abdul obediently shut his mouth, tucked his tail between his legs, and left.

Watching his former friend's departing figure, Major Bandar felt no reluctance whatsoever, because he felt that he had just made the right choice, and that even if he repeated it a hundred times, this choice would not change.

He stood up, raised the glass bottle of cola, and shouted, "Cheers to the General!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately raised their glasses: "Cheers to the General!"

(End of this chapter)