Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 30 Yehena's Request
"Jianxing?"

Lu Lin was somewhat surprised, but upon reflection, it wasn't too unexpected.

After all, in Shuangzhi, the royal family ruled everything. In later generations, he had heard many stories of princes who had never fought in wars or even attended military academies, yet were still directly promoted to major general.

Compared to them, my resume is quite impressive.

Following his conversation with Brigadier General Ali, plans to return to Riyadh were quickly put on the agenda.

It was only at this moment that Lu Lin realized he knew almost nothing about the "home" in this world.

"This is troublesome." Lu Lin rubbed his temples.

If I go back like this, I won't even recognize all my family members, and my identity will probably be exposed immediately.

He recalled the scene when he first met Khalid, and how he almost had his identity exposed.

Lu Lin was actually a bit face-blind to Arabs because, according to Muslim tradition, most men usually wear white robes and white headscarves. In addition, Europeans are naturally hairy and adult men have a habit of growing beards, so it was not easy to tell them apart at first glance.

Although he had memorized the daily prayers by following the preaching group over the past two weeks, details like family relationships couldn't be made up for in a short time.

"If you really have to ask, just blame it all on PTSD left over from the war."

Lu Lin steeled his resolve, deciding to use the excuse that he hadn't recovered from the trauma of the war. This kind of psychological illness was common among soldiers who had experienced war, and it would buy him at least a few months.

During the defense of Nukoshir, his staff was blown to bits by naval gunfire, and Ahmed lost both legs in the subsequent cover operation. Now he has to take charge of the handover of the outpost himself.

"Lieutenant Colonel."

A woman's voice interrupted his work. Lu Lin turned around and saw Yehena, dressed in red, standing gracefully at the door. Her hands were still wrapped in bandages, and the sunlight gilded the edges of her red robe.

"What's up?" Lu Lin put down the documents in his hand.

Yehena said, "I want to apply for a military rank... and the same combat medals as other soldiers!"

“The combat medal is no problem.” Lu Lin readily agreed. He remembered Brigadier General Ali’s promise to him. If those brave civilians from other countries could also receive it, there was no reason why the prophet of the propaganda team couldn’t. Besides, this girl had helped him destroy several Zion tanks.

“But military ranks can only be obtained by enlisting soldiers,” Lu Lin recalled the girl’s behavior over the past few days and suddenly understood something. “You want to stay in the army?”

"I don't want to get married," Yehena said quickly and softly.

Lu Lin joked, "But you warned me with your fiancé before."

"That's because your reputation was so bad before, Lieutenant Colonel."

Uh?
Lu Lin took another look at Yehena. Putting aside the fact that she had saved his life on the battlefield, he did indeed admire the girl in front of him.

She is resilient and strong-willed, without the spoiled airs of a noblewoman. What is even more admirable is that she demonstrated a willingness to die for her beliefs on the battlefield.

Of course, her outstanding appearance is also an objective fact.

As a time traveler, Lu Lin did feel some empathy for Yehena's words.

He still remembers his first relationship when he was in college. He dated a girl from Sichuan and Hunan for four years, but they broke up in the end because of his parents' strong opposition.

Because he comes from a military family, his parents hope that he can marry someone who is also a member of the military.

Although Lu Lin's life wasn't exactly unhappy afterward, he couldn't help but feel some regret when he looked back.

Traditional Muslims impose many restrictions on women, but Lu Lin felt that women her age should be free to fall in love, rather than being arranged to be tools for procreation or appendages of men.

"The war isn't over yet!" With that thought in mind, Lu Lin made his decision: "I will apply to my superiors to allow more church members with special abilities to join the combat force and give them the corresponding ranks."

Although there are differences from the past history, Lu Lin believes that the trajectory of some events will not change.

In the previous life, just a few years after the Six-Day War, Arab countries launched the famous Yom Kippur War, aiming to reclaim the territories lost during the Six-Day War.

This war is known to later generations as the Fourth Middle East War.

Yehena's eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly lowered again: "The Church won't agree."

"Who knows? Perhaps they'll be glad they did, otherwise Zion's cannons would have been raining down on Medina."

Although Lu Lin didn't know much about Islam, and couldn't even distinguish between the concepts of the Grand Mosque and the Mosque, he was clear about the status of the Medina in the hearts of Muslims.

It's estimated that once the detailed battle situation is reported, the church might be the first to wholeheartedly support it.

"You must stay true to your beliefs," Lu Lin encouraged. "Stick to what you believe is right, and no matter the outcome, strive for it. At least you won't have any regrets."

Every day you don't dance is a day you betray life.

Lu Lin sighed inwardly, "Old Ni, I hope your philosophical thoughts can also blossom beautifully in this closed country."

"Stick to what you believe is right."

Yehena murmured.

Just then, there was another knock on the door, and Fahd, one of the bodyguards, came in and handed Lu Lin a notebook: "Lieutenant Khalid has woken up. This is what he instructed me to give you."

Lu Lin took the notebook and flipped through it, discovering it appeared to be a personal collection of poems. "The morning light reddened her veil,"
But I had lead poured into my waist.

The wind in the dueling arena
It took away half of my longing.

Lu Lin was somewhat surprised; this seemed to be the original owner's diary.

In the Royal Hospital in Tabuk, Ahmed awoke in excruciating pain, the pungent smell of disinfectant making him cough.

"woke up?"

A somewhat familiar voice came from beside him. Ahmed pulled back the gauze curtain separating the hospital bed from the unfortunate man lying next to him with his head wrapped in bandages.

However, he recognized those distinctive blue eyes; they belonged to the young lieutenant who always followed Lieutenant Colonel Amir.

Ironically, he served diligently in the army for thirty years, but he was only a lieutenant.

Ahmed tried to sit up, but found that he couldn't get any strength in his lower limbs. So he lifted the blanket, but was stunned.

Where there should have been calloused feet, now only smooth bandages remain.

Ahmed slammed his back heavily onto the pillow behind the chair, the restraint he had cultivated over thirty years of military service crumbling at that moment.

The two remained silent for a long time. Khalid thought for a moment, then turned on the Fusang-made radio by his bedside. Sure enough, the station was broadcasting news of the victory:

"The 1st Armored Division of the Royal Army of the Two Wise has successfully repelled the once-invincible Zion army, and the Zionians have now withdrawn beyond the border."

Seeing that the veteran remained silent, Khalid continued, "According to the wounded soldiers brought down from the outpost yesterday, Amir led his infantry company in a charge, jumped out of the trench and cut the chief's tracks, scaring the enemy into a frenzy. Along the way, they not only wiped out two tank companies, but also captured four battalions of infantry alive!"

Hearing Ahmed's snicker, Khalid breathed a sigh of relief and joked, "I thought you'd be devastated by losing your legs."

The veteran simply stated, "It's just another war."

Khalid didn't know how to respond to that, so he changed the subject: "I've always been quite curious, why would an experienced veteran like you be sent to the Nukoshir outpost to clean up the mess for a noble young master?"

Ahmed recalled: "I joined the army the year the country was founded and have served the royal family for more than 30 years. This time, it was Prince Muhammad's idea to come to the outpost to assist His Highness Amir in handling military affairs."

To be honest, when I first received this task, I was actually quite desperate.

"Uh," Khalid said, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"And yours?" the veteran asked. "Are you His Highness the Prince's childhood friend?"

“One of them,” Khalid explained. “He is a direct descendant of the royal family; his grandfather was our founding king, while I am just a collateral branch. I went to school with Amir when I was little, but we didn’t become roommates until college.”

“Then you should know His Highness better than I do,” Ahmed said with some curiosity. “Is the lieutenant colonel’s military talent innate?”

Khalid was speechless for a moment, and then made up a reason: "Maybe it has something to do with family. After all, not everyone has a father who is the Minister of Defense."

Ahmed recalled the day on the battlefield when he commanded tanks to charge into the enemy lines, and said softly, "Sometimes I feel like His Highness is a different person, but that's not so bad, because we won in the end."

"Yes, yes," Khalid nodded vigorously.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to return to the battlefield in the future. It seems the task of assisting the lieutenant colonel can only be entrusted to you." The veteran smiled.

Unexpectedly, Khalid shook his head: "Actually, I don't plan to stay in the army anymore."

"Why?" Ahmed was somewhat surprised. This moment of victory was a perfect opportunity for him to rise to the top.

Khalid said, “From childhood to adulthood, I have always been used to hiding behind people who are stronger than me, but this time I understand that following Amir will only make me a burden to him.”

He may be a gift from God to Shuangzhi, and I don't want to hold him back.

Ahmed immediately understood his thoughts. He also saw something different in the blue-eyed young man in front of him. The man's clarity and gentleness were very rare, but they were not suitable for the cruel battlefield.

But some people are born for this purpose.

“Indeed, perhaps this is a good opportunity,” Ahmed said.

Just then, the ward door was suddenly pushed open, and Khalid's family rushed in, filling the small space with laughter and joy.

Khalid's father was a middle-aged man with graying temples, but the smile on his face showed that he was very proud of his son.

The sight of the family enjoying themselves touched Ahmed, and then he heard Khalid's mother address her son as "Dear Harry".

Harry?

This title made Ahmed suddenly realize something. In Arabic, "Khalid" is a nickname for the name "Khalid," and it is usually only used by close friends or family.

After the nurses had persuaded everyone to leave, he remembered something amiss that he had overlooked and couldn't help but ask, "When did the lieutenant colonel change how he addresses you?"

"Who knows? Maybe it was when he gave up being a deserter."

Khalid shrugged: "Back then, he looked like a general who could save Shuangzhi."

(End of this chapter)