Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 16: Stay with me to the end
Brigadier General Gol, commander of the 38th Armored Division in Zion, was shouting into the phone, "What? The offensive plan has been canceled?"

After several days of intense gunfire, the brigadier general on the front lines inevitably suffered some hearing loss and it would take some time for him to recover.

His adjutant asked from the side, "Then should we still prepare to attack Shuangzhi's armored forces?"

"No need!" Brigadier General Ger, a bald man, shouted, "The Air Force squadron said they photographed United States tanks in Shuangzhi. If that gets to the ears of those old men in Congress, they'll probably wet themselves!"
Forget about preparing for a dual-wielding attack; the guys are probably preparing to apologize for the bombing raids of the past two days!

"Lieutenant Colonel, I must say, your move is quite daring."

Major Bandar's expression was quite interesting as he watched the enemy plane circle around on radar and then fly back.

He never expected that a pile of mud and sticks would intimidate the Zionites and buy the outpost valuable time.

“Find a few more soldiers who can speak Saxon. Our radios might be monitored in the next couple of days, and we can’t let Samod find any weaknesses,” Lu Lin said. “The Zionians are cunning, and they will definitely test us more than once. We need to be fully prepared, or we’ll be met with destroyer shells.”

“I will personally take charge of this matter.” Major Bandar nodded.

Just then, Khalid walked over: "Lieutenant Colonel, a UN journalist has come to visit."

reporter?
Lu Lin's first reaction was how the other party got up here, since this was the front-line border area. His second reaction was whether they were Zion spies.

When he saw the blond, blue-eyed foreigner, he couldn't help but pause for a moment.

“Your Excellency, Lieutenant Colonel.” The reporter spoke in fluent Arabic: “I am Armani Press, a UN correspondent. I have been granted permission by your royal family to come here. This is my press pass. I am honored to have come to ask you a few questions and will not take up too much of your time.”

Lu Lin silently summoned Enqidu in his mind. He switched his perspective to look at the reporter, and only after confirming that there were no enemy red markers did he lower his guard.

He first checked the press pass and the document stamped with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Military Region Permit, then turned to Khalid and said, "Go and call Radar, uh, Yehena over."

Yehena's special ability to sense the psychological and emotional changes of targets at close range is like adding another layer of insurance, so Khalid immediately took action.

"I must say, you've come at a very inopportune time." Lu Lin thought to himself, what was this reporter's name again, Armani? He said, "It's not that I don't welcome you, but just now, a Zion fighter squadron flew over our heads. We were probably just a hair's breadth away from death."

Let's just call Armani Press the reporter. In Lu Lin's eyes, this reporter from the United States had eyes that lit up like light bulbs.

Uh, it seems like we've touched on his sensitive spot?
Press, the reporter, thumped his chest and said, "Lieutenant Colonel! I'm here to expose the war atrocities committed by Zion! If death can deter journalists, then justice will never be served!"

Lu Lin thought to himself that this guy was quite passionate, and said, "I thought you all believed in Jesus and would support Zion."

Press replied, "We are actually progressive Democrats. While we support Zion's right to exist, we criticize their expansion and 'segregation' policies in recent years."

That sounds pretty advanced.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. If the journalist was on Zion's side, the Shuangzhi royal family wouldn't have granted him an interview permit.

Lu Lin agreed to his interview request.

"So, the first question," Press reporter pulled out a small notebook and began to take notes, "is: What is your view on the gap in military strength between Zion and the Arab countries? In what specific areas is the difference?"

Press's assistant was holding a small square box, which Lu Lin had seen his friend play with before; it was a classic Leica camera.

"Sorry, taking photos is not allowed inside the military base," Lu Lin reminded them.

“Without photos, it’s hard for us to convince our readers,” Press reporter advised. “Photos are much more appealing! Besides, you’re very photogenic; you might even be able to raise war bonds for Shuangzhi!”

Lu Lin thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright then, but you have to get my permission before taking photos, and the developed photos also have to be reviewed by my people."

Press reporter reluctantly agreed.

Lu Lin stated his viewpoint: "Arab countries have a large population and great strength, but Zion's army is more elite. Although only a little over twenty years have passed since World War II, the concept of war has completely changed. In modern warfare, the air force has become the decisive force, and 'the first battle is the decisive battle' and high-intensity rapid decisive battles have become possible."

"But this does not mean we will lose. What we lack is combat experience. If this war can drag on longer, our new recruits will quickly be trained into veterans, and international aid will allow us to gradually close the equipment gap with Tinsuk. At that time, the balance of power will begin to tilt in our favor."

Lu Lin's words were rather mild. In fact, from a later perspective, the outcome of the Six-Day War was already decided on the first day. The price for the Arab countries to completely relinquish air superiority was that all their ground armored forces became easy targets for slaughter. This was a gap that no amount of manpower or tactics could bridge.

Press reporter furiously wrote down an even more pointed question:

"If you had to choose one, do you think the main issue is equipment or personnel?"

"Well, if I had to say, it's a combination of both. We lacked coordinated operations and were deficient in intelligence work, failing to anticipate the enemy's attack."

Just as Lu Lin was answering Presley's question, Khalid walked in with Yehena, who was dressed in red.

When Pres saw the girl, his eyes lit up, and he ignored Lu Lin.

"Oh! May I take a picture for you?"

Yehena ducked behind Lu Lin, who coughed twice to understand, "Please keep your distance." Yehena then looked at Lu Lin, puzzled, "You asked me to come here just to take pictures?"

“They are UN journalists who came to publicize the war crimes committed by Zion,” Lu Lin had no choice but to explain.

Yehena was skeptical, but she didn't realize that Lu Lin was lying to her.

"How about we take a photo together with the lieutenant colonel? I have a feeling this photo will cause a huge sensation!" Press reporter rubbed his hands excitedly.

There is no way, appearance is justice.

Those photos depicting the suffering of war were already worn out during World War II. People would feel sorrow for those cruel photos, but would soon be drawn to the next one.

But there are very few handsome men and beautiful women in war, making them as dazzling as timeless classics.

Just like that white horse general, a single photograph made war bonds sell like hotcakes.

"For Shuangzhi!"

The reporter from Press looked eager.

"Alright then." Yehena hesitated for a moment, but still agreed.

So she put on a veil, revealing only her eyes, and stood to the left and right of Lu Lin. With a "click," the moment was captured on film.

"Bravo!"

Press looked at the newly acquired photos with satisfaction and then said, "You don't mind if I interview the soldiers at the checkpoint, do you?"

"can."

Lu Lin summoned his personal guards. After the last incident of capturing the pilot, Fahd was promoted to corporal and was now a member of the guard platoon.

"Lieutenant Colonel!" Fahd came over and saluted. Lu Lin instructed, "Show the reporter around."

Just then, a group of soldiers happened to pass by the command room. Upon seeing Lu Lin, they immediately stood at attention and saluted.

“Why don’t we interview them?” Press said to Lu Lin, taking out his notebook. “What do you think of Zion’s army?” Press asked.

“Zionists?” The young soldier in the lead scratched his helmet. “Their tanks, uh, they’re pretty fast. During the last exercise, our company commander said we should ambush them on the flanks.”

"So do you think your army can defeat Zion?"

The soldier's eyes revealed a clear-eyed stupidity.

"Yes, we will win."

Another soldier realized what was happening and quickly tried to salvage the situation.

Lu Lin realized that Shuangzhi's soldiers hadn't fought many battles and their assessment of the enemy's strength was insufficient.

This worried him. What if Zion really attacked? Would their morale collapse?

So he stepped forward and shouted at the entire platoon of soldiers, "Are you even soldiers with a sense of duty? Where is your courage and dignity?!"

The soldiers lowered their heads in shame.

Lu Lin paused, seemingly speaking from the heart, and then loudly addressed everyone:

"We don't want war, but we're not afraid of war either."

"If Zion insists on waging war against the Twins, we are not afraid."

"If they want to fight for ten years, we'll fight them for ten years."

"If they want to fight for half a century, then we'll fight with them for half a century!"

"If they insist on forcing war on us, then we have no choice but to steel ourselves and fight to the bitter end!"

"Fight until we achieve complete victory!"

Pres's pen was practically smoking from writing.

Yehena blinked, looking at the man who seemed to be burning with passion, and realized that what he said was from the bottom of his heart.

(End of this chapter)