Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 60 Are You My Master?
"Does it still hurt?"

Yehena is applying ice to Lu Lin's head.

“Of course, that’s homogeneous steel! Even a machine gun can only scrape off a layer of paint when it hits it, let alone my head!” Lu Lin closed his eyes: “Go easy on me.”

"Oh."

Yehena rolled her eyes and increased the pressure in her hand.

Lu Lin shuddered in pain.

"Sir, there's a letter from the church." The newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defense, Ibrahim, knocked on the office door, but stopped when he saw what was in front of him: "Did I come at the wrong time?"

"No, just tell me what's on your mind." Lu Lin sat up.

Ibrahim was formerly Prince Muhammad's secretary. He was also of royal lineage, wore glasses, had a refined appearance, but was physically strong.

Upon hearing this, he stopped at the door and began his report: "The additional personnel sent to you by the church have arrived, along with a personal letter from the Grand Mufti. I have already settled them in the mosque near the military base. This document still needs your signature."

Upon hearing that it was a letter from the Great Mufti, Lu Lin dared not delay. He extended his hand, and Ibrahim immediately stepped forward and handed the document to him.

In Muslim countries, the Grand Mufti holds a position similar to the head of the state religion, comparable to the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church or the Pope of the Catholic Church.

Lu Lin unfolded the letter, which was mostly in official language. The gist of it was "to send faithful followers of God to His army to bring victory to the world and to give glory to God." It was signed solemnly at the end.

Lu Lin stroked the envelope in his hand. The Grand Mufti's status in Islamic countries was, in some ways, no less than that of a king, so he asked, "Is it still necessary to kneel?"

Ibrahim paused for a moment, then knelt down before the letter.

Lu Lin: "."

Lu Lin: "I'm talking about myself, not you."

Yehena: "You are an apostle of God, and your status is higher than that of the Muf. He should be the one kneeling before you."

Lu Lin: "→_→"

Yehena: "Okay, okay."

After the military reform, Shuangzhi's troops officially implemented a "political-theocratic system," and the troops had a position called Ulima, which was similar to a military chaplain.

Their role is to ensure that military operations comply with Islamic law, but they do not have actual command authority.

After Lu Lin signed the letter, he handed it back to Ibrahim and said, "Let's go and meet the comrades sent by the Great Mufti. Hopefully, they're not a bunch of stubborn fools."

Ever since witnessing the piety of Islamic countries towards Allah, Lu Lin's biggest fear has been the presence of extremists in his troops. Although Ulima has no actual command authority, if he were to say "For Allah" at a crucial moment, it could really cause him a lot of trouble.

Ibrahim brought Lu Lin to the temple, where soldiers usually came to pray on weekends.

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting diamond-shaped patches of light on the carpet.

A man in a white robe knelt on the stone steps under the corridor, an open ancient book in front of him, his eyes half-closed, as if he were dozing.

The sound of military boots slamming on the ground was extremely jarring. Lu Lin asked, "Are you my Ulima?"

The man opened his eyes and looked at the major general in military uniform before him, who possessed a rare air of nobility. "Your Highness Amir?"

Lu Lin nodded: "It's me."

“Then that’s right. My name is Muhammad Amin Taymiyeh, an Ulima sent by the Church. I was the Grand Imam before.”

The man introduced himself: "If you don't mind, I'll be living here from now on. Just send someone to find me if you need anything."

Lu Lin sized up the church member in the white robe, his intuition telling him that this guy was not easy to deal with.

So he spoke first: "Let's talk about the rules first. From now on, I'll be in charge of military affairs in the army, and you'll be in charge of ideological work." "Okay."

"And you must guarantee that the soldiers are loyal to the royal family first and foremost, not to the church."

"no problem."

Lu Lin raised an eyebrow: "I have one more request, which is that in emergency situations, such as wartime, the soldiers' prayers can be postponed and made up when things are less busy."

Previously, there were even reports from the battlefield in Masr that soldiers would put down their guns and begin to pray halfway through a battle in the trenches.

Lu Lin initially found it absurd, until on the first day of the battle against Zion, he saw that his soldiers had actually done it.

Therefore, he had to add this clause no matter what.

Taimi nodded: "Of course, you're right."

Lu Lin was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the other party would agree to everything he said without any bargaining.

“To be honest,” as if sensing Lu Lin’s reaction, Taimiye sighed, “Your Highness, I know nothing about warfare either. My teacher insisted on sending me here.”

However, I at least have some self-awareness. If you need me to approve a document or something, just ask. If all else fails, I'll leave the stamp with you.

After listening, Lu Lin fell silent for a moment. Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Tai Miye took out a pack of Marlboros from her pocket: "Would you like one?"

Lu Lin paused for a moment, not expecting this guy to be so down-to-earth. So he took the cigarette from Taimiye's hand and said after a while, "Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

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.

On the 22nd of the sixth month of the Islamic calendar, the results of the third UN vote on the bill "demanding the withdrawal of troops from Zion" were finally announced, with 3 of the five permanent members voting in favor and 2 abstaining.

The remaining member states voted 87 in favor, 16 against, and 14 abstentions, resulting in the bill being passed by an overwhelming majority.

This also shows the world once again that Arab countries are standing on a united front. When faced with the powerful enemy Zion, the Arabs have not compromised and will never surrender.

However, Zion President Hilbert publicly rejected the UN resolution, declaring that "Jerusalem is Zion's 'eternal and indivisible capital' and rejecting any commitment to withdraw or halt construction."

Hilbert gave a public speech: "In the coming days, Zion will build new Jewish communities in East Jerusalem, and we will also relocate people through housing subsidies."

Parliament is drafting the Jerusalem Bill, which would merge East and West Jerusalem into a single administrative entity, effectively completing a legal annexation.

Zion responded to the UN resolution with its consistent approach of “countering international pressure with fait accompli.”

Everything seems to have returned to its original historical trajectory.

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.

A rare downpour swept through Hafbar, and the office was shattered by the piercing sound of telephones ringing.

"This is the Northern Border Region Command. Please speak."

A moment later, the operator covered the microphone and shouted, "Chief of Staff!"

Ibrahim strode over and picked up the phone. The voice on the other end of the line was brief and forceful, with the chief of staff responding occasionally with "okay" and "understood."

"I will inform His Highness Amir to return immediately."

Ibrahim hung up the phone and summoned the guards on duty: "Go and call the major general here. Tell him that Prince Muhammad has returned to the country and that all the generals of Shuangzhi are to assemble."

"Prepare the chartered plane; we're returning to Riyadh tonight."

　My article was reviewed this morning. I had to delete and edit it a lot, and it feels a bit disjointed now. Some sensitive fields can't be used anymore, like "qz 寺" (qz temple), but there's not much I can do about it. I guess I'll just have to respect the review process.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)