Chapter 10: Meeting Saddam

  When Zhang Feng returned to the Osirak nuclear reactor, everything was over. The adjacent factory had caught fire, but the nearby nuclear reactor was intact, and several fire trucks were extinguishing the flames.

  At this time, the nuclear reactor had not yet been loaded with nuclear fuel and had not started operating, so there was no risk of a nuclear leak. Moreover, the opponent's bomb did not even hit the nuclear reactor. So it can be said that the Israelis did not achieve their goal this time.

  History will be rewritten from now on, Zhang Feng is full of confidence.

  Zhang Feng suddenly found that the eyes of the soldiers beside him were filled with admiration!

  "Mr. Kusakabe, you're amazing!" Varikh exclaimed, looking at the person in front of him with great excitement.

  This time, being able to shoot down the Israeli plane and protect the nuclear reactor, Waleed knew that Khossein was absolutely the first to deserve credit. Without his command, ambushing the enemy's planes by the lake, the reactor would probably be engulfed in flames by now. And as for the soldiers responsible for guarding it, they would probably all have been hanged by the furious President.

  The timing and method were both very appropriate. If the anti-aircraft artillery position was still here, even if there were thousands of anti-aircraft guns firing at the sky, it would not have had much effect. The planes diving down from the air were too difficult to aim at, and those guys in the missile battalion were not around either. Deploying the anti-aircraft guns to that location really played a huge role.

  Zhang Feng looked at the soldiers who were putting out the fire. As the water cannon descended from the sky, a large amount of black smoke rose up, and he suddenly thought of something again.

  "Warich, find some hay and burn it around the base so that thick smoke can cover the sky above here," Zhang Feng said.

  "Yes, Lord Kusatsu." Warikku, although unaware of Lord Kusatsu's purpose, had already begun to unconditionally obey his commands.

  "Second Master, the President requests your presence." Basser suddenly came over and said.

  Now find me? If it were earlier, it would be better. Those Israeli planes that entered Iraqi airspace, not one could escape. Zhang Feng felt a little regretful, he had to let those arrogant guys know that Iraq's airspace was sacred and inviolable.

  "Alright, we'll head back to Baghdad immediately," Zhang Feng said.

  Zhang Feng drove a dazzling sports car, taking Basar and other guards with him towards Baghdad.

  Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, the provincial capital of Baghdad Province and a historical cultural city in the Islamic world. The name "Baghdad" comes from Persian, meaning "God's gift". Baghdad is located in the central part of Mesopotamia Plain, spanning both sides of Tigris River, only 30 kilometers away from Euphrates River, with convenient transportation conditions, and is the political, economic, cultural and transportation center of Iraq.

  Here has a long history and culture, as early as over 4,000 years ago, Baghdad was established as the city-state of Sumerians. In the 19th century BC, the Babylonian Kingdom, one of the "Four Great Ancient Civilizations" in the world, stepped onto the historical stage. For centuries, it was not only the capital of the Arab Empire and a famous Islamic city but also the center of economy, trade, culture, and transportation in Western Asia and the Middle East. Baghdad has been the capital of the Arab Empire for over 1,200 years. It became the most important cultural and trading center in the vast Middle Eastern region at that time, along with Chang'an (the capital of China's Tang Dynasty) and Constantinople (the capital of the Byzantine Empire), known as one of the three greatest cities in the world at that time.

  Baghdad, known as the hometown of "One Thousand and One Nights", is the birthplace of ancient Mesopotamian civilization and one of the oldest cities in the Arab world. However, it now shows signs of exhaustion due to the Iran-Iraq War.

  Zhang Feng knew that Saddam had a strong ambition to unify the Arabs. He once described his Iraq as:

  Either stand on the peak of a high mountain or sink to the bottom of a deep valley, but never be in a flat plain!

  Such a person is destined to be arrogant, lonely and violent. The Iran-Iraq War was actually a wrong choice.

  Zhang Feng entered Saddam's official residence, the Presidential Palace of Iraq - the Republican Palace with a nervous heart.

  This is the center of power in Iraq, originally known as the Hashemite Palace. The palace covers an area of approximately 17 square kilometers and was Saddam Hussein's main place for work, receiving foreign guests, holding meetings and living quarters. The Presidential Palace represents national sovereignty and dignity and is a symbol of the state of Iraq.

  Treading on the marble corridor, Zhang Feng was guided by the guards into a conference hall while marveling at the luxury of this place.

  In front of the oval conference table, Zhang Feng's gaze first looked at the very center, the "Ace of Spades" on the poker card, a portrait also hung in his bedroom, his old man, the ruler of Iraq: President Saddam Hussein.

  In the impression of Zhang Feng in later generations, Saddam was a controversial figure; after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, people's evaluation of him became more scathing and sharp. Some called him "Hitler of the Middle East", "brutal dictator"; while others praised him as "Hero of the Arab Nation", "A Sharp Sword of Arabs".

  Zhang Feng looked at Saddam in front of him and gave him the impression that he was an iron-blooded president.

  Sadam's body was robust, with a small black beard and piercing eyes that were fixed intently on Zhang Feng as he walked in. However, his gaze was also somewhat intimidating, making Zhang Feng feel slightly uneasy.

  People who stand at the pinnacle of power are probably like this!

  Saddam's subordinates, several people sat down, Zhang Feng took a glance, on the left side were three military personnel, wearing green berets, dressed in Baath Party military uniforms. Zhang Feng did not recognize them, only glanced at their ranks, either lieutenant general or major general.

  A few people sitting on the right side were wearing traditional Iraqi costumes and headscarves. Zhang Feng took a look and knew that this should be a civil servant.

  And the person at the bottom right, however, had an expression of playing with the world, although sitting down, it can be seen that he is tall and has a strong physique, with a goatee beard and a handsome face.

  "Great meritorious official has arrived!" This person said with a strange tone: "Kusay, this time you have made great contributions, we are all here waiting for you, preparing to announce nationwide and widely publicize your achievements!"

  "Udai, stop joking, look at your brother being stunned!" Saddam said: "Kusay, we all know about the Osirak nuclear reactor, this time, you did a good job!"

  The person beside him was actually his own brother, Uday. Zhang Feng still had memories of Qusay in his mind. Although the two were brothers, Uday was two years older than himself and was already being deliberately cultivated by Saddam to enter the power core and participate in high-level meetings before he was even twenty.

  "It's really amazing, I didn't expect that you, still a university student in the Law and Politics College of Baghdad University, could achieve something so great today, it makes me feel happy!" said a Major General wearing military uniform.

  He is the Iraqi Minister of Defense and head of military security, Adnan Khairallah. He is the brother of Saddam's mother-in-law Sajida Khairallah, making him Saddam's uncle by marriage.

  The two men beside him are General Hazzaa Al-Majali and Major-General Rashid, who are the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and Commander of the Republican Guard respectively.

  These three can be considered important figures in the military.

  Those in Arab headdress are, from left to right, Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti and Barzan Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti, Saddam's half-brothers; Watban was the Minister of the Interior, while Barzan headed the Mukhabarat (Intelligence Apparatus); the others are Oil Minister Sharaf and Taha Yasin Ramadan, the number two man in the Ba'ath Party.

  These people are high-ranking officials of the Iraqi regime and decide on the operation of this country.

  Saddam opened his mouth to praise Zhang Feng, and the others also congratulated Zhang Feng. This time it was really too dangerous. After receiving the air defense warning radar report, which was transmitted layer by layer, the enemy plane had already flown over the sky near Baghdad. Saddam immediately judged that these planes must have come to raid the nuclear reactor, and the planes came from the west, not Iranians, but Israelis!

  Adnan immediately contacted the nuclear reactor, but was informed that most of the troops responsible for guarding it had gone to Baghdad city today, Sunday! Even the highest official in the base could not be reached.

  Adnan knew that if the reactor was blown up, under the furious President, a large number of people would be waiting to lose their heads, including him, the Minister of Defense, who might have to take responsibility.

  Who would have thought that the second son of the President, who had been calm and commanding at the base, shot down the incoming enemy planes, and the nuclear reactor was safe and sound! Immediately, Aden reported to the President, who was also overjoyed, and asked his son, whom he hadn't seen for several months, to come to the Presidential Palace immediately to receive praise.

  This is a first in the history of the country, everyone knows that Mr. President's favorite child is his eldest son Uday.