Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 56 General Ant

A secret meeting between Arab countries took place in Masr's embassy.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Carthage's foreign minister spoke first under the watchful eyes of the crowd: "We, Carthage, are a small country, but we are the closest to Zion. We do not wish to stand against the Arab countries or Zion."

Some time ago, representatives of the Zionist faction contacted us, saying they would provide Carthage with funds for reconstruction and development, on the condition that we remain neutral at the conference.

There's another point the Foreign Minister can't mention: Zion also demanded that Carthage expel Arafat's refugees and prevent them from entering the country.

"This is blatant betrayal!" Masr's Vice President Duleva said coldly. "If you trust Zion, you will be devoured, leaving not even bones behind!"

“Zion must have contacted you too. Didn’t Hashim agree to Zion’s compensation and abstain from voting at the conference?”

Carthage's foreign minister shifted the focus: "They didn't even attend today's Arab conference!"

Arab leaders searched for their ally, but as the Carthaginian foreign minister said, Hashim was nowhere to be found.

“I have a pretty good idea of ​​what Zion will promise the Hashim.” The Surria Foreign Minister sighed. “They will probably return the land on the east bank of the Hashim River and encourage it to continue annexing Arafat’s territory.”

The Hashemite lands are barren and far less strategically important to Zion than the Golan Heights, but for the Hashemite, it's different; they can proclaim to their people a victory in the war against Zion!

Everyone fell silent, knowing that what the other person said was absolutely right.

The Zionists have seized control of Hashim's lifeline, returning the territories he had conquered. If they can also release the hostages they have held, then given Hashim's consistent style, he will most likely withdraw from the Arab League.

At present, the relationship between the entire Arab League seems solid, but in reality it is like a piece of porcelain full of cracks.

It was precisely because of the powerful external pressure from Zion that they came together.

However, if Zion exploits the various contradictions within them and sows discord, then the Arab League's alliance will become precarious.

“Zion’s methods against us are different from yours,” the Al-Irag Foreign Minister said in a somber voice. “They are plotting to start a civil war in Al-Irag. The power struggle within the Ba'ath Party has reached a fever pitch, and the political situation is in complete chaos.”

Lu Lin noticed that Al-Iraq's side was missing a lot of people, probably because they had gone back to their country to stabilize the situation. Among them, Kozonie, the leader of the Cairo Ba'ath Party whom he had met once, had also left.

"I didn't expect the 'Great Purge' to be brought forward," Lu Lin thought to himself.

"Zion has also spoken with us these past two days."

Following this, various Arab countries also spoke about their contacts with Zion over the past two days. Zion offered economic incentives to smaller countries, namely, a larger share of oil revenue.

When faced with a large country like Shuangzhi, the first priority is to protect its monarchy, exaggerate the "threat of Ferdinand's secularism to the Wahhabi" and sow discord between the monarchy and the republican system (Note ①).

After the discussions, the leaders of all countries felt heavy-hearted.

Zion thoroughly analyzed their weaknesses, targeting their religion, ideology, political system, and people's livelihood and economy, preparing to completely divide them.

It seemed that overnight, the situation in Arab countries took a sharp turn for the worse.

"I also received news that Western countries have received an olive branch from the United Kingdom. They promised to 'trust' some oil fields to neutral countries such as Prosperity and nominally share the profits. At the same time, they also promised Ant to curb Zion's continued expansion in the Middle East."

"They're being generous with other people's money!" Foreign Minister Al-Irag slammed his fist on the table in anger. "The bargaining chips that the colonial empires used to bribe the West were all taken from Al-Irag!"

"Could it be that Zion's strategy is orchestrated by the United Kingdom behind the scenes?"

“There is such a possibility”

Despite heated discussions, the Arab high-ranking officials were unable to come up with an effective solution. Compared to the United Kingdom, they lacked not only strength but also experience in dealing with such situations. Even the public opinion trend they had previously cultivated was suppressed by the United Kingdom's media, which, with the BBC—comparable to the New York Times—possessed considerable global influence.

"In short, all we can do now is stand on the same side and never be tempted by the sugar-coated bullets offered by the Zionists!"

So the various Arab countries made their vows and left with trepidation.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the second round of voting at the United Nations meeting arrived as scheduled.

The bill concerning the withdrawal of troops from Zion was passed by three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, with two abstentions.

Among the member states, there were 63 votes in favor, 22 votes against, and 32 abstentions.

The vast majority of countries still support sanctions against Zion. Although the passage of the bill in favor of sanctions appears to be a foregone conclusion, some new Arab countries have chosen to abstain.

The shift in the balance of power and the betrayal of allies have undoubtedly cast a shadow over the Arab League countries.

"Major General, a general from Ant has come to visit, and His Highness the Prince requests your presence." The attendant knocked politely on the door.

Lu Lin guessed that they were here to discuss matters related to weapons procurement. The old prince was right; his brother, who was also a prince, was a big mouth and couldn't keep secrets.

However, Ant Group recently proposed selling weapons to Arab countries, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

"Tell His Highness that I will be there immediately."

Ten minutes later, Lu Lin arrived at the reception room of the presidential suite, where old Muhammad was chatting with an Ant general, and the two were having a pleasant conversation.

Lu Lin noticed that General Ant had a large five-pointed star on his shoulder, below which were crossed marshal's scepters and a saber, indicating that he was indeed a general.

The other person had a distinctive "brush mustache," which made him look calm and experienced.

"I wonder which general this is, Ivan Ignatievich Yakubovsky? Or Alexei Alexeyevich Yepishev?" Lu Li asked curiously.

"Amir, come over and say hello to the general," old Muhammad said with a smile.

Lu Lin stepped forward and extended his right hand: "Hello, I am Amir bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, currently serving as Major General Shuangzhi."

"Hello, young general."

Ant's general grasped his hand, his eyes sparkling: "My name is Vasily Ivanovich Petrenko, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Huh? Does Ant have a general named Vasily?
Maybe I remembered it wrong.

He replied, "I am also honored, Your Excellency General."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

① Pan-Arabism: After World War II, Arab countries remained under the control of British and French colonial powers (e.g., Egypt was subjected to British intervention, and Algeria was suppressed by France). Egyptian President Nasser regained control of the Suez Canal in 1956 and defeated the combined British, French, and Israeli forces, becoming an "anti-colonial hero."

He proved that Arabs could defeat the West on their own, inspiring national pride throughout the Arab world.

Ideologically, Nasser advocates for "Arab unity from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf" and calls for the elimination of artificial borders from the colonial era (such as the Middle East as defined by the Sykes-Picot Agreement). Yemen, Libya, and other countries have applied to join.

However, Pan-Arabism was resisted by the Saudi Wahhabi faction because Egyptian President Nasser supported the Yemeni republicans in overthrowing the monarchy (which is also why Masr was mired in the war in Rahuaa, as mentioned earlier). This is the opposition between monarchy and republic, and also the historical gap between Shuangzhi and Egypt.

(End of this chapter)