103: Chapter 100 Chess Game

On December 8th, Reza flew to Tehran to attend a meeting of the Supreme Defense Council.

Bani-Sadr presided over the meeting. He was wearing a military uniform—this was his habit; he wore a uniform to every military meeting, despite never having fought in a war.

"Your Highness," Bani-Sadr said, "Your plan involves forty thousand men attacking Basra. I want to ask one question—is forty thousand enough?"

Reza looked at him and replied calmly, "It's not enough. Under normal circumstances, forty thousand is not enough to take Basra. But I'm not fighting under normal circumstances."

"What kind of tactics then?"

"Feinting in the east while attacking in the west."

Reza stood up and walked to the map on the wall.

"The Iraqis believe we will attack Basra from the north because the north is land where tanks can traverse. But our main direction of attack isn't the north—it's the south."

"To the south is the Shatt al-Arab," Montazeri said. "How will you cross the river?"

"Cross from the Fao Peninsula. First, we take the Fao Peninsula. After capturing the peninsula, we use pontoon bridges to transport tanks and artillery across the Shatt al-Arab and attack Basra from the south."

"How many forces do the Iraqis have on the Fao Peninsula?"

"One brigade, about three thousand men," Reza said. "Plus some militia. The total force does not exceed five thousand."

"Five thousand men. Are we going to fight?"

"We fight. We use the strength of one division to take the peninsula within twenty-four hours. Then, we leave one brigade to hold the peninsula while the main force crosses the river to attack Basra."

Bani-Sadr was silent for a moment, then asked, "Where is the risk in this plan?"

"The risk lies in Iraqi reinforcements. If we cannot take Basra within forty-eight hours, the Iraqis will deploy reinforcements from Baghdad. At that point, we will be caught in a two-front war—fighting the defenders inside Basra on one side and the reinforcing troops on the other."

"How do we deal with this risk?"

"Set an ambush on the Iraqi reinforcement route," Reza said, pointing to a highway west of Basra on the map. "This is the highway from Baghdad to Basra, the only path the Iraqi reinforcements can take. We use one brigade to set an ambush here, wipe out their vanguard, and delay their reinforcement speed."

"Can one brigade stop a division?"

"It can't stop them, but it can stall them. Stalling for twenty-four hours is enough. Within twenty-four hours, Basra will fall."

After the meeting, Rafsanjani sought out Reza privately.

"Bani-Sadr will oppose your every step," Rafsanjani said. "How do you plan to deal with him?"

"Let him oppose it," Reza said. "But the Ayatollah has already approved the plan. His opposition is meaningless."

"Do not underestimate Bani-Sadr," Rafsanjani warned. "He can cause you trouble at the execution level. For example—slowing down troop movements, withholding supplies, or replacing your commanders."

"He would dare?"

"He would. Because he knows that if you take Basra, your prestige in Iran will exceed anyone else's."

Reza was silent for a few seconds.

"Then before he acts, I'll make it so he can't."

"What do you mean?"

"Give him an offer he cannot refuse."

On December 10th, Reza took the initiative to find Bani-Sadr.

"Mr. President," Reza said, "I have a proposal."

Bani-Sadr looked at him warily. "Speak."

"I will not serve as the Commander-in-Chief for the Battle of Basra."

Bani-Sadr was stunned.

"What did you say?"

"I said, I will not be the Commander-in-Chief. I recommend that you take the position."

Bani-Sadr's eyes narrowed. He was trying to judge whether Reza's words were true or false.

"Why?"

"Because the political significance of the Battle of Basra is greater than its military significance. Taking Basra is not just a military victory, but a political one. As President, you should stand at the forefront of that victory."

Bani-Sadr remained silent for a long time.

"Then what will you do?"

"I will be the Frontline Commander. You will be the Commander-in-Chief above, and I will execute below. The victory will belong to you, and the responsibility will belong to me."

Bani-Sadr looked at Reza, trying to find a trap in his expression.

"Are you truly willing to give the credit to me?"

"It's not giving it away," Reza said, "it's sharing it. Without your support, I cannot take Basra. Without my command, you cannot obtain victory. We both get what we need."

Bani-Sadr was silent for a while longer.

Then he said a single word: "Good."

When Karimi learned of this, his face changed.

"You're giving the credit to Bani-Sadr? He does nothing and takes all the glory of the victory?"

"What he takes is a hollow title," Reza said, "What I take are the actual benefits."

"What actual benefits?"

"First, once Bani-Sadr takes the title of Commander-in-Chief, he can no longer trip us up from behind. He must support this campaign with everything he has, because the success or failure of the battle is now tied to his political future."

"And the second?"

"Second, after Basra is taken, the eyes of the whole world will be focused on the front line. Who will they see commanding the battle? Me, not Bani-Sadr. The title is his, but the battlefield is mine."

"And the third?"

"Third, and most crucially—if anything goes wrong with the Battle of Basra, who takes the blame? Bani-Sadr. The title is his, and so is the responsibility."

Karimi suddenly understood. "You're setting a trap for him."

"It's not a trap, it's giving him the freedom to choose," Reza said. "He could have chosen not to accept the position of Commander-in-Chief. But he took it because he wanted the credit. Once a person wants credit, they become greedy. And greedy people are prone to making mistakes."

December 15th, Ahvaz.

Good news came from Fatima's weapons factory.

The production line for the Milan Anti-Tank Missiles had been installed. The first batch of samples had come off the line for testing, showing a hit rate of eighty-five percent and a penetration depth of seven hundred millimeters—enough to pierce any part of a T-72.

"Where is the Milan better than the RPG?" Hassan asked.

"Range," Fatima said. "The Milan's effective range is two thousand meters, while the RPG is only three hundred meters. At a distance of two thousand meters, tank crews won't even see who hit them."

"And the Milan is wire-guided," Reza added. "The trajectory can be corrected after launch. Unlike the RPG, where once it's fired, you're just leaving it to fate."

"How many in the first batch?" Hassan asked.

"Two hundred missiles. We can produce three hundred next month."

"Not enough," Reza said. "The Battle of Basra needs at least a thousand. The tanks aren't the biggest trouble; the Iraqi fortifications are. How effective is the Milan against fortifications?"

Fatima said, "The Milan is designed to hit tanks, but it's also effective against concrete fortifications. With seven hundred millimeters of penetration, it can punch through half a meter of reinforced concrete."

"Then that's enough," Reza said. "One thousand missiles must be in place by the end of March."