N-M Chapter 8 Then let my army talk to them.
Chapter 8 Then let my army talk to them.
middle East.
Yemen!
There is no autumn wind in September here, only endless scorching sun and yellow sand.
The air was so hot it felt like it would scorch your skin, and heat waves rose from the ground, distorting and warping distant scenery.
But on this scorching land, a war is burning even more fiercely than the weather.
In a desert outside the city, hundreds of mortar barrels, each as thick as a water bucket, were lined up, their dark muzzles pointing towards the city more than 20 kilometers away.
These cannon barrels are two full sizes larger than those of conventional mortars, and their walls are thicker.
The inner wall is engraved with four precise right-hand rifling grooves.
Each cannon barrel was fitted with a gas cylinder.
This is no ordinary gas cylinder.
Instead, the tail section was fitted with a tail fin and a simple guidance device.
The can is sprayed with a number and a line of small print: MADE IN CHINA · Civilian Product.
Not far behind the artillery position, hundreds of armed men wearing slippers and headscarves were busy unloading gas cylinder shells from trucks.
Meanwhile, on the artillery positions, many other simply dressed armed personnel were adjusting firing angles and checking fuses.
Their movements were skilled and swift, clearly indicating they had practiced countless times.
The commander stood on the high ground, holding a red flag in his hand.
He glanced at the digital watch on his wrist, then at the distant city skyline, and took a deep breath.
Then, he suddenly waved the red flag down.
"put!"
Hundreds of cannons fired simultaneously.
In that instant, the world changed color.
Hundreds of gas cylinder shells, trailing long plumes of flame, soared into the sky, their sharp whistling sounds tearing through the air, like hundreds of fire dragons rushing towards the distance at the same time.
The shells drew graceful arcs in the air.
It flew over deserts and hills, roaring towards the city more than 20 kilometers away.
Seconds later, a sea of fire exploded over the city.
The first gas cylinder shell landed precisely on the roof of a building, and the violent explosion instantly blew the entire top floor off.
Flames shot into the sky, and concrete fragments scattered like raindrops.
Then came the second, the third, the tenth...
Hundreds of gas cylinder shells rained down like a storm.
It crashed onto buildings, onto streets, and onto battlefields.
Each time a gas cylinder shell explodes, a small mushroom cloud rises.
The shockwave spread outwards with overwhelming force, tearing everything in its path to shreds.
A twelve-story building was hit by three gas cylinder shells in succession. The entire building exploded from the inside, as if it had been crushed in the middle by a giant, and collapsed with a bang.
Thick smoke and dust billowed into the sky, obscuring the sun.
The entire city was engulfed in flames.
Explosions rang out one after another, and flames illuminated half the sky. Even artillery positions more than 20 kilometers away could feel the ground trembling.
This city is the largest city in Yemen.
It is also the capital of the country.
— Sana'a.
This seemingly backward armed group has captured most of the country's northern territory.
The city of Sana'a is now surrounded on all four sides.
As long as the capital is successfully captured.
Then this armed group would no longer be a rebel group, but the legitimate ruler of the country.
The President once said a profound truth
Failure is rebellion; success is revolution.
Obviously.
This armed group, known as the Houthis, is only one step away from success.
The Middle East region has an excellent matching system.
Although it's as chaotic as the neighboring African region, resembling the Warring States period, its overall combat strength far surpasses that of the African region.
However, the Middle East region has a very obvious characteristic.
The poorer you are, the more fighting power you have; the richer you are, the weaker you are.
Give a chestnut!
The Houthi rebels' biggest adversary is not the domestic government forces, but the Saudi Arabian "spoiled soldiers" next door.
Because their beliefs, political demands, and other interests are completely different.
Therefore, Saudi Arabia has always maintained a "get rid of them as soon as possible" attitude towards the Houthi rebels.
However, the Yemeni government forces supported by Saudi Arabia proved to be ineffective, so the Saudi "spoiled soldiers" had to intervene directly.
Just started.
Saudi Arabia successfully turned the tide of the battle by using its advanced, mixed-use weaponry.
But a few months ago.
The Houthi rebels seem to have had their "Ren and Du meridians opened up," not only giving them a completely new combat capability but also acquiring a large number of outdated and rudimentary weapons and equipment.
These weapons and equipment look like a joke.
But he's exceptionally good at fighting.
For example, these hundreds of shells were converted from gas cylinders.
One shot is enough to almost collapse a building.
It's okay if the accuracy is a little off.
The power is enough.
What is the cost of a gas cylinder shell?
Tens or hundreds of dollars.
How much does a single guided artillery shell cost in Saudi Arabia?
Several thousand to tens of thousands of US dollars.
Not only are the costs vastly different, but the actual battle losses incurred are also vastly different.
So these past few months.
The battlefield situation has been completely reversed.
The Houthi rebels launched a full-scale counterattack, routing the Saudi "spoiled soldiers" and mercenary groups.
They even advanced to the outskirts of the country's capital.
The capital city of Sana'a was completely surrounded.
If the Houthi rebels capture Sana'a, the group will become the new regime in northern Yemen.
The king's flag changes atop the city walls.
Whoever occupies the capital is the legitimate ruler.
Artillery position.
A commander with a large beard and a turban looked through his binoculars at the distant city of Sana'a, which had been reduced to a sea of fire, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
He put down his binoculars.
He took the walkie-talkie from his deputy.
The new order was issued succinctly: "All-out attack."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Hundreds of "flying motorcycles" took off from behind the position with a buzzing sound.
These "flying mini-motorcycles" are not much bigger than the drones commonly found on the market.
However, it carries two small "airborne bombs" modified from small mortar shells under its belly.
The nose of the aircraft is equipped with a high-definition camera and a simple fire control system.
The "flying motorcycle" is like a gas canister cannonball.
It highlights the "rustic" aspect.
But now it has become a deadly weapon.
The "flying scooters" are lined up in a neat formation.
Like a flock of migrating birds, they buzzed and flew towards the distant city.
A few minutes later.
A swarm of drones arrived over the city.
The aircraft quickly dispersed.
Drones began to traverse the city ruins, with cameras transmitting real-time images of the ground back to the control center.
Sana'a city.
When the defenders heard a buzzing sound overhead.
They were all terrified, their faces turning ashen.
Obviously.
These "flying motorcycles" have caused them a lot of psychological trauma.
About 100 kilometers away.
The drone operator sits in a mobile control room converted from a shipping container, with a control panel on the screen that looks like a video game interface.
He skillfully adjusted the drone's angle to search for targets.
Soon, a drone spotted a squad of defenders hiding in a small alley.
The drone operator immediately steered the drone to dive down.
The airborne bomb, trailing a plume of flame, detached from its rack and landed precisely in the middle of the armed group.
boom!
A burst of fire erupted, sending seven or eight figures flying.
After completing the dive attack, the drone pulled back up and hovered over the city, searching for its next target.
Hundreds of drones buzzed overhead, like a flock of tireless falcons.
Once armed personnel are spotted, immediately dive and attack.
It's not just the defending troops that are targeted by drones.
Even armored vehicles and tanks were not spared.
The swarm of drones, like locusts, almost filled the sky over Sana'a.
At this time.
The ground offensive has begun.
Hundreds of armed men, arriving in pickup trucks, motorcycles, and captured tanks and armored vehicles, poured into the streets from all directions around the city.
However, the guns held by these armed men wearing slippers looked rather strange.
It looks like an AK, but not quite.
The barrel is longer, and the stock can be folded.
It looks a lot like the toy guns sold in China.
However, the bullets fired can easily take a life.
On the side of the receiver of these guns, there is also a line of small print: MADE IN CHINA·Civilian Steel Pipe·Custom Made.
However, no one would consider these guns to be civilian products.
Gunshots rang out on every street in the city, as densely as popping beans.
The street fighting was extremely fierce.
The defenders relied on every building, every window, and every alleyway to resist.
The attacking side fought house by house, advancing block by block.
But the defenders discovered that they were facing more than just the attackers' soldiers.
There are also quite a few clumsy robot dogs.
A quadruped robot, resembling a dog, but carrying a small weapon on its back, equipped with a light machine gun and a grenade launcher.
They trudged along the streets on mechanical legs, their steps slow and even somewhat clumsy.
However, their advantage lies in their small size, powerful firepower, and fearlessness.
Whenever the robot dog encounters a defensive firing point, it will lie down and suppress it with a machine gun, or blow up the firing point directly with a grenade.
The robot dog is not afraid of bullets.
Ordinary rifle bullets only leave a dent when they hit them; they cannot penetrate the armor at all.
Occasionally, one robot dog is destroyed by a rocket, but more robot dogs will immediately take its place from behind and continue moving forward.
The attacking armed personnel followed behind the robot dogs, using them as mobile cover as they advanced step by step toward the city center.
Just a few hours later.
The last defensive firing point was eliminated.
The gunfire gradually subsided, and then fell completely silent.
Smoke filled the air above the city, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and burning.
Amid the ruins, the attacking forces began clearing the battlefield, counting prisoners, and confiscating weapons.
A flag is raised on the roof of the parliament building.
It was an ordinary cloth flag, fluttering in the wind.
At the entrance of the Parliament building.
The bearded man who had previously been issuing orders from the artillery position was now standing there proudly and arrogantly.
The man was dressed in traditional clothing, with a pistol at his waist and a pair of ordinary flip-flops on his feet.
His beard was thick and messy, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, gleaming with the light of a victor.
He looked up at the flag rising from the rooftop, and a satisfied smile slowly spread across his face.
the city.
It's his.
After several hours of fierce fighting, we finally won.
In the city.
The gunfire had gradually subsided.
Instead, the cheers of the victors filled the air.
More and more slipper soldiers crowded outside the parliament building, raising their guns and cheering at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man took a deep breath, preparing to deliver a passionate victory speech.
But just then...
His satellite phone suddenly rang.
The bearded man frowned.
I picked up my phone and looked at it.
It is an encrypted number originating from overseas.
"General Hassan, congratulations on capturing the city."
A cool female voice came from the other end of the phone. Although she was speaking English, it had a distinct Eastern accent.
The bearded man's brows relaxed, and he laughed loudly, "Ms. Cheng! Your information network is truly impressive! I've only been here for less than five minutes, and you've already called!"
Cheng Yihan chuckled softly on the other end of the phone: "General Hassan, I've been following your battle progress closely. The capture of this city means that the entire Northern Theater Command is now under your control."
"Yes," the bearded man said confidently, "but our war is far from over, because Nanyemen is still under the control of puppets and foreign colonists. I will continue south until I unify the entire country."
"Then I congratulate General Hassan in advance."
"But our ammunition stockpile is running low. When will you ship the goods, Ms. Cheng?" Hassan asked.
"The shipment went smoothly, but I encountered a small problem on my end."
"What's the trouble?"
"Our plenipotentiary representative to Yemen, your old friend Gu Qingzhou, has been arrested."
"What???"
Hassan's voice suddenly became serious, carrying the ruggedness and boldness unique to desert men, "Why were you arrested? All the products you sold to us were legal and compliant civilian products."
"I understand. Someone's watching you. Tell me who it is—Americans? Saudis? Or those damn international organizations?"
On the other end of the phone.
Cheng Yihan remained silent for a few seconds.
He then replied, "It doesn't matter who it is."
"The important thing is that our cooperation is illegitimate and indeed very dangerous."
"So if we need to continue our cooperation, I have a small request."
Hassan immediately said, "You speak."
"We will only cooperate with legitimate governments, organizations, or businesses, General Hassan, do you understand what I mean?"
Hassan paused for a moment, then cursed, "Those punks in suits! What do they know? All they do is sit in their offices and point fingers!"
He took a deep breath, his voice low and firm: "Ms. Cheng, rest assured, a legitimate Yemeni government will be visiting your country for a friendly visit within a few days. They will also be discussing post-war reconstruction with you. Post-war reconstruction requires a large number of civilian products, and you are our best partner. Therefore, we will only place orders for the civilian products we need with you."
"As for those sons of bitches, what if they dare to sabotage us behind our backs?"
Hassan's eyes narrowed, a hint of murderous intent in his voice. "Then I'll send my army to talk to them."
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.
P.S.: The increase in collections is particularly poor. Does no one like this kind of novel?