160: Exchange oil for safety, and look to Longguo as the big brother!

October 14th.

In just two days, the Iraqi Defense Forces recaptured the Shatt al-Arab's sovereignty with overwhelming force!

They also occupied Khorramshahr, a crucial Iranian military town north of the Shatt al-Arab!

The Iraqi army quickly built military defenses in Khorramshahr to prevent an Iranian counterattack!

And with the Shatt al-Arab, a vital shipping lane for both Iran and Iraq's oil exports, now recaptured, it signifies Iraq's regaining control over oil transportation and its economic lifeline!

Meanwhile, news of the war's success was also relayed back to Baghdad, the capital of Iraq:

"Our forces breached the Iranian defenses across the board within 48 hours, successfully reclaiming sovereignty over the entire Shatt al-Arab basin and occupying the enemy's key military town of Khorramshahr, thus completing the first phase of the operation!"

At the cost of fewer than a thousand casualties, the Iraqi army destroyed 587 Iranian tanks, 54 helicopters, and 19 artillery positions!

In the underground command center of the Ministry of Defense, Iraqi President Saddam's fingers, clutching the battle report, trembled slightly, his hawk-like gaze repeatedly scanning the casualty figures!

"Annihilating four Iranian armored divisions, destroying nearly 600 tanks, with our own fallen soldiers numbering fewer than 300, and total casualties under a thousand!"

He gasped, then slammed his hand on the table, rising abruptly!

"The Dragon Country's combined arms brigades are truly this formidable?"

"48 hours... We really took back the Shatt al-Arab!"

When the staff officer presented a photo of the Iraqi flag flying over Khorramshahr, the iron-fisted president uncharacteristically murmured to himself!

Saddam gazed at the flashing battle lines on the electronic sand table, the Iraqi flag flying over Khorramshahr standing out prominently in the image!

The Iraqi Minister of Defense quickly stepped forward and whispered:

"Mr. President, the morale of the frontline troops is high, and the heavy combined arms brigade has advanced 40 kilometers into Iranian territory."

"Should we order them to continue the offensive and crush the Persians' will to resist once and for all?"

The command hall immediately fell silent, and all the generals' eyes focused on Saddam.

At this moment, everyone held their breath, their faces excited, awaiting the President's order.

"No!"

Saddam slowly shook his head, his fingertips tapping the edge of the sand table, his voice as steady as iron.

"Annihilating four Iranian armored divisions and reclaiming the Shatt al-Arab is enough to show the world our strength."

"But continuing to advance will only make the Iranians unite against us and give the Soviet Union and the West an excuse to intervene!"

He turned and scanned the crowd, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

"The leader of the Arab world does not need to prove himself by slaughtering neighboring countries!"

"What we need is wisdom, and the prestige that makes other Gulf states willingly follow us!"

As Saddam spoke, he grabbed his military cap, put it on, and strode towards the communication desk.

"Prepare the plane. I want to fly to the Dragon Country immediately. This victory is a victory for Dragon Country equipment and the Beidou system, and Iraq's future..."

He paused for a moment, a knowing smile playing on his lips, and said:

"We need the Dragon Country's support in the UN Security Council, we need their J-10E fighters and the 'Sky Net' system to build a true aerial Great Wall for us!"

"And we need more Dragon Country weaponry to arm our million-strong army!"

"We may not have that many US dollars for now, but we can deepen our ties with the Dragon Country, trading oil for security!"

"Now the Dragon Country is rapidly rising, and if we, Iraq, want to gain the support of a future world superpower and become the leader of the Arab world, now is the time to place our bets!"

As the staff officer hastily recorded the instructions, Saddam pushed open the blast door, and the morning light streamed in!

He knew that neither the USA nor the Soviet Union wanted to see a unified Arab world emerge!

In fact, if Iraq dared to expand the battlefield, a superpower would definitely step in to deal with him!

Iraq had now secured the oil transportation lifeline it desired and could export large quantities of oil internationally to make money!

Therefore, the most important thing at this moment was to find an ally or a backer for himself internationally!

And the only one likely to support Iraq in becoming the leader of the Arab world was the Dragon Country!

In the past, the Saudi royal family had traded oil for security, thereby gaining the protection of the USA!

If even the Saudi royal family possessed such vision and courage, how could he, Saddam, be any less?

Saddam's purpose on this trip was to secure the support of a sufficiently powerful big brother for Iraq in the future on the international stage!

...USA, Pentagon conference room.

In the satellite footage, as the Iraqi army's iron torrent rolled over the scorched earth of Khorramshahr, the USA's Defense Secretary's coffee cup slammed onto the table with a "bang," brown liquid splattering across the Iranian frontline deployment map.

"48 hours..."

The throat of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Pentagon bobbed, his voice as dry as sandpaper!

On the screen, Iran's M-60A1 tank clusters turned into burning scrap metal under a tungsten alloy storm of "Guardian" rockets, and "Cobra" attack helicopters were blown out of the sky like headless flies by the Wuzhi-10's Sky Swallow missiles.

The electronic sand table continuously flashed red alerts, and the icons representing Iranian units were rapidly disappearing at a rate of three per minute.

This was the first time American equipment had been completely overwhelmed!

"Gentlemen..."

"We need to re-evaluate the Dragon Country's military threat level!"

The Pentagon's Defense Secretary said with a somber expression.

Iraq's success in its conflict with Iran, stemming the expansion of Iran's Islamic revolutionary forces, was consistent with the USA's strategic layout!

However, the Pentagon absolutely could not accept that Iran's entirely American-equipped forces were overwhelmed by Dragon Country equipment!

Even if the army itself was the weakest link among the USA's three branches of military, it was absolutely unacceptable!

As a world superpower, the Pentagon now felt a crisis emerging from the Dragon Country's development!

"Immediately apply to Congress, requesting the expedited launch of the next-generation army tank project!"

"Additionally, accelerate the army's 'division-to-brigade' reform process, and at the same time, once again request Congress to increase next year's defense budget to launch new air force and navy research and development projects!"

The Pentagon's Defense Secretary said solemnly... Meanwhile.

Dragon Country Ministry of Defense, Fifth Floor Conference Room.

When Iraq's combined arms brigades crushed Iran's American-equipped army, all the senior generals in the conference room erupted!

In the satellite footage, was that scrap metal American equipment?

Everyone was somewhat incredulous!

Thirty years ago, a war left the Dragon Country's army with a phobia of insufficient firepower!

Thirty years later, the Dragon Country's Guardian rocket artillery turned USA tanks into scrap metal!

"The system designed by Peng Lin..."

"Beidou + Sky Net + Combined Arms Brigade, this isn't warfare, this is a dimensionality reduction strike!"

Army Commander Zhou Zhenbang excitedly slapped the table, knocking over his teacup.

Even in this war, he saw some immature tactical plans and many flaws in the Iraqi commanding officers!

If it were the Dragon Country's combined arms units, their combat power would definitely be even stronger!

But even so, Iraq's combined arms units still decisively crushed Iran's American-equipped armored forces!

While this doesn't represent a true engagement between the Dragon Country and USA armies, such an overwhelming victory has already exposed the gap in equipment and systems between the two armies!

The Dragon Country's army has caught up with and surpassed the USA's army!

"Thirty years ago, we were still filling battle lines with flesh and blood, now..."

"Our Dragon Country army has crossed an era!"

"In this process, Peng Lin's contributions are immeasurable!"

Marshal Xu Yong'an said excitedly!