"Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, has our reconnaissance over the past few days yielded any results?" Qusay asked Muhammad.
Nearly ten days had passed. July was fast approaching, and the famous Swamp Battle, as he remembered it, was less than ten days away. However, they still hadn't found any trace of the enemy, which was not a good sign.
Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win battles. Now, they didn't know where the enemy was or how many there were, making the battle difficult.
Although he saw the Thirty-Fifth Brigade starting to set up defensive positions near the swamp, Qusay felt little comfort. Could these hastily constructed positions withstand the charge of the enemy's armored group? One must remember that offense is the best defense. To properly defend this area, they needed to prevent the enemy from reaching it. Destroying the enemy inside the swamp was the wisest choice.
The swamp was definitely the nightmare ground for the Chieftain Tanks.
"I have a strong premonition that the cunning Persians will be coming soon. We don't have much time left, Your Excellency, Brigade Commander. Please dispatch most of the armored vehicles into the swamp to search for traces of the Persians. We must find them as soon as possible. Also, I will consult the Military Region again to see if they can send helicopters for reconnaissance," Qusay said.
"Alright, I will arrange it immediately," Muhammad replied. He had an almost blind trust in Qusay. Could His Excellency Qusay, who accurately predicted the Jewish planes bombing the Nuclear Reactor and foiled their conspiracy, fail to uncover the Persian plot? The last time he went to the swamp, they encountered the enemy's helicopter, which proved that there was indeed a problem in the Susangerd Swamp, even if he hadn't discovered it yet.
Qusay picked up the phone on the desk and called Ibrahim again.
"Hello, dear uncle, how have you been these past few days?" Qusay became enthusiastic again.
When Ibrahim heard Qusay's voice, he wasn't pleased. Every time, this nephew presented him with many difficulties, which he fortunately managed to resolve one by one. What did he want this time? He had even managed to get the SVD Sniper Rifle cherished by the Military Region.
"I have a combat meeting to attend immediately. Get straight to the point," Ibrahim said. He worried that if he didn't keep it brief, he might get drawn into Qusay's schemes again.
"Uncle, I want to report a secret to you," Qusay said.
"A secret? What secret could you possibly have?" Ibrahim said. "If you have nothing important, then stay properly at the Thirty-Fifth Brigade, train up your... whatever unit that is, and let them show their faces during the Military Region Competition."
"Uncle, inside the Susangerd Swamp, there is a ruin of the Ancient Babylon Empire, and it is said that many treasures are buried inside..."
Around 2200 BC, a branch of the Semitic Amorites from the Syrian steppe captured a small city in Mesopotamia and established a kingdom. The valiant and militaristic Amorites used this city as their center, conquering north and south, fighting everywhere, and eventually established a powerful Babylon Empire, historically known as the "Ancient Babylonian Kingdom." The Amorites were thus called Babylonians. The Babylonians inherited and developed the civilizations of the Sumerians and Akkadians, bringing Mesopotamian Civilization to its peak.
And this small city was the legendary Babylon City, located somewhere in Mesopotamia, which many scholars suggested might be in the Susangerd Swamp.
Qusay threw this out, hoping to catch Ibrahim's attention. If he sent helicopters to search, they might inadvertently find the Iranian armored group.
He had no choice. Whenever he mentioned that the Iranians might break through the Susangerd Swamp, Ibrahim would show an impatient expression, as if everyone knew that Iranian tanks absolutely could not cross the swamp, making Qusay's idea wishful thinking. Thus, Qusay resorted to this desperate measure.
Upon hearing about the treasure, Ibrahim's eyes did light up. However, being older, he no longer had the impulsiveness of a youth. After a moment's thought, he realized his nephew was joking with him. It was simple: if there really was treasure, he would have hired people to dig it up already; why would he need Ibrahim?
Wasn't this just a trick to get him to send helicopters to fly around the swamp? It was a pure waste. Currently, the fighting near Abadan was intense, and even the President was inquiring about the matter. Failing to take Abadan after a year of fighting had caused President Saddam Hussein to fly into rages several times. Recently, he had been mobilizing troops and preparing to launch another offensive.
Don't cause trouble for me right now! It was good enough that he left him a resting Armored Brigade to play with; now he wanted a helicopter too?
Forget it!
However, Qusay, as he remembered, was a deeply reserved and taciturn youth. When did he start doing things like this?
"The treasure of the Ancient Babylon Empire belongs to our great People of Iraq. Qusay, report this matter to the President, and he will immediately send people to excavate it," Ibrahim said. "How about I contact the President for you?"
Damn it, this Ibrahim isn't easily fooled either. It seems he played his little trick in the wrong place this time. Qusay chuckled dryly, "Since Uncle isn't willing to get rich with me, I guess I'll go solo. Ah, what a pity!"
After speaking, Qusay quickly hung up the phone. Now, he could only rely on himself.
He put down the phone and found Muhammad staring blankly at him. "Your Excellency, Brigade Commander, why are you staring at me?"
"Your Excellency Qusay, should I send some men to follow you and dig for treasure?" Muhammad asked.
"Dig your head!" Qusay snapped. "Those words were just me fooling the Military Region Commander. How could there be treasure there? There are plenty of Persian iron lumps, though!"
Fooling the Military Region Commander? Muhammad finally understood. He would never dare to do such a thing. Seeing His Excellency Qusay's excited expression just now, he had actually believed it was true.
This was akin to making a false military report. If he spoke to the Military Region Commander like that, the Enforcement Team would come for him tomorrow. His Excellency Qusay certainly had guts, but then again, was this even considered a military matter?
Looking at the Staff Officers around him, Qusay said, "This call I made to the Military Region Commander today must remain confidential. If anyone leaks this, don't expect to stay in the Thirty-Fifth Brigade anymore."
The Staff Officers nodded their heads like chicks pecking rice: "We won't, we won't."
"Bring the map over," Qusay said. This group truly consisted of rigid soldiers, completely inflexible.
Qusay was actually wronging them. President Saddam Hussein had only been in power for a few years, but he had already firmly controlled the army, occasionally carrying out purges. In the military, discipline was paramount. Who would dare joke with a superior?
As for Qusay, a Post-90s Generation soldier, although he came from Special Forces, he wasn't constrained by so many rules and regulations. No matter what, achieving the final objective was the most important thing.
Once, they were air-dropped by helicopter deep into the mountains and needed to return to the base within three days. All they had were Field Rations meant to last one day and Individual Equipment. However, their rifles had no bullets, their grenades were dummies, and only their daggers were real.
As a result, Qusay unexpectedly encountered a local driving a four-wheel-drive tractor. Qusay immediately negotiated with him, paid a hundred yuan, and comfortably left the mountains.
Making up a lie just now was merely a small tactic. The frustrating part was that his uncle didn't take the bait.
Is giving me a helicopter that difficult? I am thinking of the Southern Military Region, after all.
However, in a few days, when Iran's Chieftain Tanks swarm out of the swamp, you will regret ignoring me now.
Since there were no helicopters, there was only one method left: armored vehicle reconnaissance.
The armored vehicles had failed to yield any results several times, possibly because the Persians had not yet deployed, or because their reconnaissance direction was incorrect.
The Staff Officer spread the map out in front of Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang scrutinized the map for a long time and suddenly noticed a problem: "Is the terrain in this swamp area higher in the north and lower in the south?"
"Yes, that's right," the Staff Officer confirmed.
"We have been searching along the east-west centerline recently. Since the northern side of the swamp is higher, meaning the path is easier to traverse, could the Persians be infiltrating through the northern part of the swamp instead of the centerline?" Qusay asked.
This was such a simple principle that everyone immediately realized it when Qusay pointed it out, yet no one had thought of it initially.
"Have the armored vehicles search this area thoroughly, maintain constant contact with the Brigade Headquarters, and keep one battalion of the Tank Regiment ready to engage at any time," Qusay ordered.
"Yes, I will issue the order immediately," Muhammad said. Ever since His Excellency Qusay arrived, he had become completely convinced and was willing to obey Qusay's command.
"Wahrih, Marwan, take the Sidewinder Unit, we're setting off together." Qusay left the Brigade Headquarters and spoke to the two men waiting outside for orders.
The Sidewinder Unit was the name he gave his small detachment, hoping they could strike fear everywhere, just like a sidewinder.
"Yes, sir!" the two replied.
After training, fourteen people were eliminated. Qusay divided the remaining men into three teams, led by Wahrih, Marwan, and himself, respectively. Each team had thirteen members and could fit into three armored vehicles.
Marwan, needless to say, already possessed strong combat skills. As for Wahrih, although he started in Anti-Aircraft Artillery, his physical fitness was excellent, and surprisingly, he was a University Graduate—a significant advantage in an army with many illiterates. Both were rare talents.
After all these days of training, it was time for a practical test to see how effective their training had been.
"Your Excellency Qusay, are you going to conduct the reconnaissance personally?" Muhammad asked.
"Yes, I'm worried about it," Qusay replied.
"In that case, I will send a few tanks to protect you." Muhammad was extremely cautious. If anything happened to His Excellency Qusay in his defense zone, let alone the President, even the Military Region Commander would never forgive him.
"No need. A larger target is more conspicuous. We'll take a few armored vehicles into the swamp, treating it as both reconnaissance and training. Besides, even if we encounter Iran's Chieftain Tanks, we have ways to deal with them." He thought of his Portable Missiles, which were enough to counter all sorts of Iranian weapons. Even helicopters in the sky could be shot down using the SAM-7.