Chapter 277: Episode 8: National Treasure

Syria’s northern plateau only had an annual rainfall ranging from 200 to 300 millimeters. It was hard to find lush forests due to the lack of water. The soil, which was too weak for weeds to even grow, suffered accelerated weathering symptoms. Bedrocks had developed, and organic matter became scarce. There was a vicious cycle of vegetation shortage in the barren land. The symptoms in the Kunera area were particularly severe. It was desolate, with a few sparse shrubs. It gave one a good view, but it was easily exposed to attacks.

The hill, where several sparks were hiding, was located on a ground higher than the Kunera basin. The tank battalion’s entire front was visible beneath their eyes. There were infantry battalion barracks to the left and right of the tank battalion.

Night-vision goggles were unfamiliar objects to the Kurd tribe warriors, who had never encountered them before. When the tank battalion emerged clearly before his eyes in shades of blue, they couldn’t hide their surprise. Once the target was confirmed, Black Mamba called for their attention.

“Listen, warriors. The extent of our purpose is to start a fight between the wolf and the lynx. We only need to light the fire. It doesn’t matter if it’s the tank or the infantry battle truck. We’re leaving immediately after attacking the targets, regardless of the results.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Kurd tribe warriors immediately understood Black Mamba’s intentions. Although the bedrock was advantageous for cover, it did not protect them from the sky. Nothing could be done if a helicopter flew over. They were likely to turn into meat soup if they didn’t attack and run quickly.

“Jamal, you’ll be in charge of the mortar gunners and Ahmad, the ammunition supplies. Flares!”

“Yes, sir!”

Ahmad shoved two flare shells indicated with a red dot into the barrel.

Pheeeee—

Boom—

50,000,000 Kendal lights illuminated above the two battalions of the Third Tank Brigade in the Kunera basin camp.

“Shoot the marked targets!”

Ibrahim pushed the trigger up and placed a T-62 into his scope. Once, without a scope, he’d blown apart an armored vehicle with the antique Panzer 100. A large target stationed under bright lights was too easy.

Boom—

When fired at night, the M2CG’s flare was attention-grabbing. A long streak of fire brightened up the launching point. A funnel-shaped gunpowder capsule erupted the moment the shell landed. Combustion energy reaching thousands of degrees poured out toward the empty area. A metal jet, which flew at a speed of 8,000 meters per second, drilled a hole through the armored tank just like a welding machine. The remaining impact swept through the vehicle’s interior. The T-62, which didn’t have a composite metal plate, was knocked out by one shaped charge.

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

The Kurd tribe warriors started shooting immediately afterward. The speed of an M2CG Panzer was 700 meters per second. It landed on the target tank the moment it was launched. Like pressing a finger through paper, the metal jet pierced through the armored plates.

The unrestrained flames swept inside the tanks.

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

Intense explosions rang. The targeted tanks and armored vehicles soon burned in red flames.

“Hit! Hit! Hit!”

Jamal flailed his right hand in excitement. A rocket had pierced the front of the BMP-1, which was stationed close to Jamal. The armored vehicle flew and landed loudly.

Bang—

The 30-millimeter armored vehicle was too weak to withstand the 84-millimeter shaped charge.

Combustion energy from the metal jet, which had pierced the armored vehicle’s front, was overflowing. It flowed through the cockpit and cabin and then swallowed the rear oil tank.

Boooom—

An overpowering roar sounded. The flames, which had swallowed the oil tank, caused a second explosion. The BMP-1, which turned into a fireball, spiraled and flipped over.

“Eeeee!”

Aishe, who had exploded the armored vehicle, screeched. No matter how brave she was, it was hard to fight with antique weapons. The horrible memories of soldiers chasing her up the cliffs with frostbitten fingers disappeared instantly. Sparks from the fire had swept past her entire body. She even peed a little.

She glanced at Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa. He was smiling at her. Aishe was left dazed. He was someone strong and beautiful, therefore realms apart. Aishe glared down at her hands, with skin that was as hard as turtle shells. She suddenly grew sad.

Boom—

The armored vehicle caused consecutive explosions. The upper gun turret flew up at least 10 meters in the air. Flares that found their escape rose toward the sky. It was an unlucky tank attacked by a high explosive with metal jets.

“1, 3, 4 tanks hit. 5, 7, BMP-1 hit. Those brats can’t even land a hit on stationary targets. Do they even know how expensive M2CG Panzers are? Damn brats who don’t even measure up to Aishe.”

Ibrahim glared. The warriors, who were in charge of the second and sixth tanks, lowered their heads. Black Mamba couldn’t help but smile. Even if they had experience with launching Panzers, they had lived as farmers for decades. A 70 percent hit rate was an impressive achievement. They deserved praise.

“Good job. We’re leaving at once.”

“Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa, we still have four shots left,” Ibrahim protested.

“Ibrahim, did you forget my warning? We’ll be surrounded by explosives if our position’s revealed. Run.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

Beeeee—

The siren rang before they could end their conversation. The tank battalion woke up to the surprise attacks. Sirens rang annoyingly, and lights began to illuminate the entire camp. Soldiers jumped out of their tents, and the BMP-1’s roared to life.

“What is it?”

Startled by the explosions, Commander Ali Diav of the tank battalion jumped out of his tent. The parking lot was burning in flames. The tankers were running frantically toward the tanks.

“Wha…what’s happening? Those damn Ottoman swine!”

Diav’s sleep wasted away. The Turkish Armed Forces were attacking. They’d finally revealed their true colors after a long period of silence. Diav ran back into the camp.

“Commander, it’s a surprise attack!” An officer ran into the tent, his uniform still in disarray.

“I know, you b*astard. Connect me to the infantry battalion’s commander, and call the gunner units over!”

Surprised, the officer ran back out of the camp. Diav started screaming once he got his hands on the radio.

“All company leaders should move immediately! Report the losses!”

“First company, two tanks and one BMP.”

“Second company, one tank.”

“Third company, two tanks and one BMP.”

There was silence.

Like a devil, Diav’s face creased once he received all the reports.

“Ughhh, those b*stards, I’ll kill them! Prepare to move immediately. Load shells at point three.”

Vrrrm—

The tanks roared to life altogether. The supply trucks with shells started driving frenziedly. The Syrian Army guarding Hatay’s border was always prepared to launch an offensive defense. They regained their composure at a surprising speed.

One had to punch twice after receiving a single blow.

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

Whoosh—

At once, 10 heated 106-millimeter howitzers started firing toward their registered coordinates. Their target was the Turkish 12th Division Tank Regiment stationed in Hassa.

The sparks, who had landed a square punch, escaped the location in a frenzy. Jamal and Ahmad, who had moved 300 meters beyond, set up the mortars like lightning. Jamal, whose bones were almost buried because of the guerrillas’ warfare, moved automatically.

“Hehehe. There’s nothing better than an angered beehive. I’ll have them regain their senses.”

Ahmad shoved a high-explosive shell into the mortar barrel as he laughed. Ahmad’s laughter and words mirrored Black Mamba’s.

Boom—

Whoosh—

Bang—

The shell landed near the drill ground.

“Two, three, zero.” Black Mamba decided on the coordinates.

Boom—

Two shells landed near the tanks, which were covered by camouflage tarps. The tanks that were covered with debris remained fine, but the stationed gunpowder charges exploded.

Boom—

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Flames enveloped the entire place.

“Two, two, zero.”

Boom—

The bombed truck folded like a crumpled tissue paper. Unless it was Jang Shin, high explosives would be used for wide-area suppression. There was no need to adjust the angle and coordinates as long as the shell landed nearby.

“Good. Continue.”

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

Ahmad shoved the high-explosives shell into the barrel, working his back to the point of it snapping. The maximum firing rate of the 81-millimeter Brandt mortar was 20 rounds per minute. Five shell containers were emptied in two minutes. The 81-millimeter Brandt mortar differed significantly from the 60-millimeter light artillery. The Syrian troops who were stabilizing descended into chaos again.

“Move!”

Black Mamba, Jamal, and Ahmad moved quickly. The attack ended five minutes after the flare launched. It was the classic hit-and-run in which attacks poured in before the victim could find their launching position.

“They’re here. Now!”

Ibrahim clenched and shook his fist. Dozens of falling stars crossed the sky from the northwest. It was the Turkish Armed Forces’ field artillery attack.

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

The large-caliber artillery shells landed all around the basin.

Booom—

One of the shells landed near the area where the sparks were hiding.

“Run!”

The area caught on fire. Their roles as sparks were over. Overwhelmed by the Turkish Armed Forces’ shell attack, there would only be unfortunate accidents if they remained. Black Mamba moved the group 500 meters to the back. It was a scene that they won’t be able to see again.

The shells launched by both the Syrian and Turkish armies flew across the night skies like falling stars. The sky above the Kunera basin blazed in red. Sounds of explosions disrupted the night.

“Hehehe, good, good!” Ibrahim clapped his hands.

He didn’t recall ever being that happy since he was born.

“Huh, that’s one sharp-witted guy. Why is it coming over? Ibrahim, it’s a BMP. At a distance of 700 meters, shoot once it climbs the hill.”

Broom—

A BMP-1 climbed the hill.

Boom—

Ibrahim, who was waiting in anticipation, pulled the trigger once its bottom plate was revealed.

Bang—

The BMP-1 moved backward after its rear was kicked at a short range. Soon, smoke and flames spewed out intensely. The rear cabin door opened, and soldiers popped out.

Tap tap tap—

Tap tap tap—

Black Mamba’s three-tap firing sequence began. The soldiers who escaped the cabin received holes in their heads and chests in the blink of an eye. They didn’t even have the time to resist. Jamal, who had raised his Barrett, lowered it with a sigh.

They would’ve felt extremely indignant. They hadn’t been able to contact the rear artillery unit beyond the line communications. The BMP-1 was en route to request for reinforcements when it had unfortunately caught Black Mamba’s attention. The encounter with the cruel guy was the tanker’s fault.

Jamal had witnessed Black Mamba’s ability plenty of times, but the Kurd tribe warriors could only drop their jaws in surprise. It hadn’t taken him three seconds to shoot down 12 people. Ibrahim raised both of his arms.

“Look, brothers. He is Mahdi Ddu-bai-buru-pa, who will lead us all! All praise, Mahdi Ddu-bai-buru-pa! Allahu Akbar!”

The Kurd tribe warriors kneeled together and shouted at the top of their lungs.

“May Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa be praised! Allahu Akbar!”

“Brothers, stand. There’s no time. The flame has been lit. I don’t know how far it will spread. We need to capitalize on the moment when the Syrian border guards move to support Kunera. Let’s head to Camuzkışlası.”

“Yes, of course! We can’t abandon treasures.”

The Kurd tribe warriors rushed forward to retrieve the Syrian soldiers’ weapons. Ibrahim ran toward the coaxial machine gun, which was connected to the BMP-1’s turret.

“Ibrahim, don’t make our master wait!” Jamal yelled.

“Hm, it’s a pity!”

Ibrahim shifted his lingering gaze and jumped down the tank. His eyes were filled with regret. He’d wanted a machine gun so desperately. If he had one, he wouldn’t have lost his siblings.

“Ibrahim, don’t pick up such measly weapons. I’ll prepare whatever you want later.”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you.”

Ibrahim lowered his head. He wasn’t a farmer. The soul of a warrior had awakened within him since he met Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa.

“Whoo, they’re really going at it.”

The explosions grew louder. The Jeep shook.

Clang—

Clang—

The friction between the wheels of the moving tanks and the track sounded. It was the tanks coming to support Kunera. It didn’t matter who had hit whom first. They were archenemies currently in a frenzy trying to swallow each other. No one knew how far the flames would spread.

Dawn passed, and the sun hung above the horizon. The very people who had thrown the sparks returned.

“Oh, God, it’s Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa!”

“The Mahdi has returned!”

The locals, who had been facing the north while the explosions took place, screamed a cheer.

“Mohammad, create five groups of 100 each.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Major Ecjose, you’ve done well.”

When Black Mamba patted his shoulder, Major Ecjose lowered his head.

“Advisor, I didn’t know there would be such an exciting and rewarding day in my life. It’s an honor to know you, advisor.”

“What an honor. If you need my help, ask for it.”

“Thank you.”

“You guys did well. I won’t forget your help.”

Black Mamba shook hands with each of the DGSE members. He had to cross the border on his own now. Their roles ended here.

“Mohammad, I’ll return after scouting the enemy camp.”

Black Mamba disappeared in a flash. A narrow, long erg and hills appeared once he ran down the steep path. It was the place called the Nahob Hyrang. The border passed through the center of Nahob Hyrang.

“Funny b*stards, they’ve all disappeared and left the house empty.”

Black Mamba smiled. A few guards were protecting the fence with personal firearms. The main battalion and firearms had already moved to Kunera.

Clang—

Clang—

Voom—

The sound of friction continued. The reserve unit’s tank was heading north. Trucks filled with infantry followed the tanks in a line.

Syria had fought a tank battle with Israel over the Golan Heights in the Third Middle East War. Despite their strong military and geographical advantage, Syria was defeated by Israel. The reason was the difference in power concentration. Israel systematically crumbled Syria’s forces, who were obsessed with defense, using their concentrated tank power.

Having learned from the Third Middle East War, Syria adopted the military doctrine of strategic choice and concentrated power. They used the tactic of deploying power in high terrain with strategic positions and assembled all tanks during a battle.

Syria’s doctrine of strategic choice and concentrated power ended up in vain during the Fourth Middle East War. Battlefields were like living beings. If battlefields moved according to a manual, even cows and dogs would have been a general on the field.

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