Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 98 We Are United as One (Part 7)
Ahmed drove his tank across the bridge spanning the Taino River, damaging many of the bridge piers in the process.

Through the periscope, he saw the anti-tank positions opposite him. Shuangzhi's troops were on high alert, their dark cannons all pointing in that direction.

“Signal with them quickly!” Ahmed shouted.

If you finally manage to steal a tank, only to have it blown to bits by friendly forces, that would be a real disaster.

The guerrilla fighter wearing a green turban quickly opened the hatch, raised his arms and shouted, "Don't shoot! We're on the same side!"

Ahmed had a flash of inspiration: "Raise the white flag! Raise the white flag now!"

The guerrillas all had white strips of cloth wrapped around their right arms, which came in handy at this moment. The three men quickly tore off the strips of cloth from their shoulders and handed them to the vehicle commander.

The guerrillas wearing green headscarves immediately began to wave them.

Then they saw the light tanks on the other side of the bridge, which were shaped like steamed buns and had huge main guns, opening fire, but not at them, but behind them.

Ahmed only heard a series of deafening thuds behind him. Since the chief had only designed a forward periscope and window for the driver, he had no idea what was happening behind him.

However, the green-turbaned guerrillas on the roof saw the anti-tank missile hurtling into the narrow street with an almost straight trajectory.

The first "Oakstick" missile struck the front of the chieftain's turret, and the metal jet exploded the instant it penetrated the armor.

With a deafening explosion, the chieftain's turret swelled from the inside out like an overinflated balloon, the welds bursting open and thick smoke and flames gushing out from every crevice.

"Allahu Akbar!!"

The green-turbaned guerrilla fighters roared excitedly, still waving the white cloth strips wildly in their hands.

The pile of burning scrap metal also hindered the chiefs behind it, and anti-tank missiles detonated one after another in the street, forcing the remaining chiefs to take emergency evasive action.

Ahmed pressed hard on the pedal, and the Chieftain tank roared across the last section of the bridge, almost sliding to the other side.

The steel behemoth finally came to a slow stop, and the green-turbaned guerrilla fighter was the first to climb out of the turret, followed by cheers from outside.

Exhausted, Ahmed leaned back in the driver's seat and, through the cracked periscope, saw countless figures surging toward the tank.

Before he could react, several strong hands had already pulled him out of the car.

The deafening cheers instantly drowned out the distant artillery fire, and rough hands kept patting their shoulders and backs.

Ahmed vaguely saw countless familiar smiling faces, but in the blink of an eye, some of them disappeared.

Someone brought them a water jug, and Ahmed realized that his lips felt like they were burning. He took the jug, tilted his head back, and drank deeply, then poured the remaining water on his face.

The icy liquid brought him fully awake; the resolute warrior had returned from hell.

"How exactly did you come up with this plan?"

An old soldier with a full beard couldn't help but ask, "It's like you've been on the verge of death, but you all came back unscathed!"

Ahmed replied, “Luck, improvisation, and a little bit of courage.”

He suddenly remembered something and asked, "What about the government building? Have you received our message?"

"Of course!" The veteran nodded vigorously. "We informed the general immediately, and the Shuangzhi people organized artillery bombardment right away. By now, that place should be nothing but burning iron frames!"

Ahmed was astonished; the efficiency was incredible.

At that moment, a soldier from Shuangzhi walked over and asked, "Are you Ahmed? The leader of that guerrilla group?"

Ahmed nodded: "Yes, that's me."

The soldier said, "Then come with me. Our major general wants to see you."

Ahmed paused slightly, then said calmly, "Then please lead the way, Rafik." ————

Ahmed followed the soldier through the makeshift camp, which was called the command post but was actually just a slightly larger field tent with two guards standing at the entrance.

The soldier leading the way stepped forward and whispered a few words. One of the guards lifted the tent flap, gesturing for Ahmed to go inside.

Just then, a burly man emerged, almost bumping into him. The man's forearm was almost as thick as a cannon barrel, with clearly visible muscle definition.

"Major General?" Ahmed instinctively saluted.

"Who?" The burly man looked at the soldier. "Who is he? What does he want with the major general?"

The soldier said, "This is Ahmed, the leader of the guerrillas. The major general was looking for him."

"Oh, okay." Bandar nodded. "Then you can go in. The major general is inside."

After saying that, he strode out.

Ahmed looked at the burly man's imposing back, which reminded him of the image of Saladin in armor in the museum.

Then a guard lifted the tent flap, gesturing for Ahmed to go inside.

The light inside the tent was much dimmer than outside. A map was spread out on a folding table, and several wireless devices were placed next to it, with antennas sticking out from the gaps in the tent.

Behind the table, a young and handsome military officer was talking to a man in a white robe.

At this moment, the officer noticed him and asked, "Ahmed?"

Before he could speak, the young officer extended his hand to him: "I am Amir bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Major General of the Northern Expeditionary Force of Shuangzhi."

"You are the Desert Eagle?"

Lu Lin felt a little embarrassed. Why did he feel ashamed to have someone call him by his nickname to his face?

“I have long admired your name,” Ahmed stepped forward, grasped his hand firmly, and shook it up and down. “Thank you for your help to Ghanam. The people of the city will never forget your kindness!”

After a brief exchange of greetings, Ahmed got straight to the point: "What brings you here?"

Lu Lin first asked him a question: "What is your reputation like in Garnam?"

Ahmed hesitated for a moment, but still gave an affirmative answer: "It's alright."

Lu Lin and Taimiye exchanged a glance, then Lu Lin said, "The Zion forces are about to be defeated by us, but the war is not over yet."

As a hub of the Euphrates Front and an important city connecting western and northern Al-Ilag, our troops will be stationed here for no more than six months.

I hope that during this period, you can serve as a bridge for communication, ensuring our internal unity and stability.

Is this an attempt to turn the guerrillas into puppets of the new government?

Seeing that Ahmed seemed hesitant to speak, Tamiya said gently, "Shuangzhi will not establish a government in Ghanam. All our actions are subject to the supervision of the United Nations and the Arab League."

But we need a joint statement to avoid misunderstandings and friction between the public and the military.

He then produced a badge with two crossed swords and said, “As the Great Imam, I assure you that all of this will be done under the watchful eye of God.”

Upon seeing the badge that symbolized the religious status of Islam, Ahmed's expression changed instantly.

There's really nothing to hesitate about; this is how things should be done.

So he nodded: "Okay, I promise you, I'll figure something out with the residents."

(End of this chapter)