Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 29 Mission
The next morning, a special guest arrived at the Nukshir outpost.

The rotor blades of the H-19 helicopter kicked up dust as a man in a yellow-green military uniform bent down and crawled out of the cabin. He was not tall, and his brigadier general's epaulets gleamed gold in the morning light. His neatly trimmed mustache trembled slightly in the wind.

Lu Lin squinted as the sandstorm blew in. He had initially thought it was Major General Talal who had arrived, but then he realized that if it were the border region commander, he should be the one reporting to the Tabuk base in person.

"Lieutenant Colonel Amir bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud?" The news was so loud that the brigadier general had to raise his voice.

"Yes." Lu Lin raised his hand in salute.

“Ali Sull.” The brigadier returned the greeting and handed him a telegram, revealing an expensive wristwatch as he reached out. “This is the ceasefire agreement that took effect at midnight today. The Zionians have retreated to the border.”

The war is over, Lieutenant Colonel.

Upon hearing these words, Lu Lin felt as if he had been transported to another world, as if it were not real. After a moment, he nodded and turned to the side: "Although the outpost was bombed, there is still a clean room and a cup of coffee. This way, please, Brigadier General."

Brigadier General Ali straightened his uniform and, led by Lu Lin, entered the sentry post.

Along the way, the brigadier looked around at the charred tank wreckage and the dark red blood pooling in the shell craters, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "God above, you have won a great victory in Jahannamri."

Jahannam is the Islamic term for hell, the place where disobedient and evildoers are punished after death.

In the outpost, which is now almost entirely ruins, soldiers sing folk songs as they work:
"Girl, the most beautiful girl."

Let me whisper something to you—

Your hands are as red as pomegranate seeds.

Your cheeks are like flames, scorching away the passage of time!

Ali paused to listen for a moment, then said, "Your contribution of keeping the Zionians at bay with your ironclad defenses is something everyone is deeply grateful for."

“And the flesh and blood of the soldiers,” Lu Lin added.

"Yes," Major General Ali nodded in agreement, "and the sacrifices of the soldiers. Let them sing; this is the time they deserve to enjoy."

In the makeshift meeting room, Yehena brought over coffee: "Your coffee, no sugar, no milk." She then took out a paper bag wrapped in a napkin, inside which were plump loaves of bread, camel meat sauce, and salted dates: "Eat more, you must be hungry."

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin realized that his stomach was empty. After fighting for a day and a night, the cook hadn't even had time to start cooking. He was also genuinely curious about what camel meat sauce would taste like.

"Add some milk, and plenty of sugar." Ali smiled and took out an exquisite cigarette case. "Would you like a cigarette, Your Highness?"

Lu Lin noticed the change in how the other man addressed him. He calmly accepted the cigarette and guessed the purpose of the other man's trip.

He guessed that the other party was either representing the royal family or his father, who was the Minister of Defense, and wanted to inquire about the details of the battle and who was in command.

After all, just two weeks ago he was a spoiled brat, and probably no one would believe that a royal prince would actually fight a war.

Brigadier General Ali, sipping his coffee and puffing on his cigarette, said after seeing that Lu Lin had almost finished eating:

"Although it may be presumptuous, I would like to confirm whether you were indeed in command of the battle at the Nukoshir outpost in the past few days?"

"Yes, it was the battle I commanded," Lu Lin replied decisively.

Brigadier General Ali sat up straight: "Then please tell me in detail how you led the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion to repel the attack of the Tin Armored Forces."

Lu Lin ordered someone to bring paper and pen, and skillfully drew a deployment map of the sentry post.

His experience as an armored battalion commander in his previous life allowed him to explain things with ease, from the deployment of anti-aircraft positions to artillery command, each step interconnected. Soon, Brigadier General Ali could no longer keep up with his train of thought, but this was not surprising, as it was quite common among generals of dual ambition.

“Wait a minute,” Ali switched back to his formal address, “Lieutenant Colonel, is Zion’s equipment really as advanced as rumored?”

"It's even more powerful than you can imagine." Take the Chieftain tank as an example: it achieves a kill ratio of one to ten against Shermans or M48s. Tests show that its 120mm main gun can penetrate 400mm of armor at a range of 2000 meters, its armor-piercing capability is four to five times that of the Sherman, and its range is three times greater. Not to mention its fire suppression system, hydropneumatic suspension, and advanced observation and aiming equipment.

Upon hearing this, Brigadier General Ali fell silent. Not only him, but all the generals of the Shuangzhi Army had never imagined that the gap in equipment would be so vast.

It's nothing short of a miracle that Shuangzhi could still achieve victory under these circumstances.

"But the Zionians are not invincible."

Lu Lin: "They emulated the blitzkrieg of World War II. Major General Yeshavishin, commander of the Southern Zion Military District, was a master in this field. He occupied 60,000 square kilometers of the Sinai Peninsula in just four days, while the advance continued in the north. This speed was even faster than that of the Prosenians back then."

However, the rapid advance of the armored forces has led to logistical vulnerabilities. The Zionian armored forces rely entirely on tanker trucks for fuel. If we can maintain air superiority, we can organize guerrillas or local armed groups to specifically attack their fuel supply lines.”

Lu Lin stopped talking. He actually wanted to tell Brigadier General Ali that in modern warfare, the air force has become a decisive factor in guiding the course of war.

As the United States has already demonstrated well on the battlefield, an F4 carrying Maverick missiles can easily destroy six Chieftain tanks.

Without anti-aircraft weaponry, ground armored forces are virtually powerless against aerial threats.

However, even if the United States wanted to buy these dual-classes, it might not be willing to sell them.

Brigadier General Ali seemed to understand: "So, during the counterattack, we should focus on attacking the supply lines?"

Lu Lin replied, "This tactic is effective in the early stages, but its effectiveness will begin to decline as we get closer to Zion's territory, and..."

And you don't have any cheats.

Only he could perform such a precise firepower coverage operation with the M115 howitzer.

The military equipment of traditional Arab countries is not simply inferior to that of Zion, but rather inferior in every aspect, and this cannot be remedied in the short term.

Brigadier General Ali rolled up and put away the drafts Lu Lin had drawn on the table, and then said, "I believe in Your Highness's command ability, but I still need to explain it to the staff of the Ministry of National Defense again, so that His Highness can be sure to entrust you with these two important tasks."

"What mission?"

"The Royal Family has decided on a comprehensive military reform." Ali revealed the true purpose of his trip, "We plan to establish three new forces: a mechanized army, a modernized air force, and an air defense force. The armored force will be modeled after your First Mechanized Battalion. At the same time, we need your assistance in evaluating the new equipment procured from the United States."

He looked directly at Lu Lin: "Prince Mohammed hopes that you can return to the country to serve as a military advisor."

"Are we leaving now? My troops haven't received any supplies yet," Lu Lin asked in astonishment.

“Yes.” Ali was prepared. “But Your Highness, please rest assured that all the soldiers who participated in the war will be promoted and become the backbone of the new army. The fallen soldiers will be awarded the ‘Warrior’ Medal, and the foreign soldiers will also receive compensation.”

This promise made Lu Lin waver. As a commander, what he cared about most was giving his subordinates an explanation.

“Okay.” He finally nodded.

Brigadier General Ali smiled and said, "In addition, Your Highness should perhaps prepare to accept the rank of general."

(End of this chapter)