A sudden heavy snowfall has turned the entire Iranian plateau into a world covered in snow, and people living in desert areas will definitely have a sense of joy and surprise if they suddenly see this kind of heavy snow.

However, for the advancing Iraqi army, this heavy snow has brought them no joy at all, they have never had the experience of living and fighting in this kind of weather, and this natural condition is against them.

When the German army besieged Moscow and Stalingrad in World War II, it was subjected to severe cold, because it was not adapted to this climate, resulting in a large number of soldiers being frostbitten, and the iron hooves of the German army were completely frozen in the severe cold weather.

Now, the situation is so similar that Lieutenant General Hazraj's heart is half cold.

In this weather, although they have been prepared, there are still many soldiers who suffer from frostbite, and what is even more terrifying is that those elusive Iranians, who are currently showing signs of mass build-up, are waiting for the Iraqi army to launch a counterattack when the morale is at its lowest.

Less than a hundred kilometers from Bakhtalam, and, soon, out of the mountains into the valley, Lieutenant General Hazraj was quite sure that the Iranians must be waiting for them there.

Although there were planes airdropping supplies, the supplies they received were simply not enough, and the mood of the soldiers was also very low, as if what awaited them was not victory, but death.

Lieutenant General Hazraj's urgent telegram for help had already been sent back and was waiting for a response from Baghdad.

"I think that at present, it seems that the resistance of our army to advance further is very great, and it is better to withdraw to West Islam Abad and wait until the spring of the following year to attack." Maj. Gen. Rashid said.

"We are already so close to Bakhtaran, it is not appropriate to withdraw now, we should continue to move forward and spend the winter in Bakhtalan." Taha said.

Zhang Feng looked at these people, and he didn't say anything.

After receiving the news, President Saddam immediately convened an emergency operational meeting, and since Zhang Feng was also at a meeting just now, he was called to attend the meeting together, but Zhang Feng knew that he was only attending the meeting as an observer here, and he had no right to speak.

This is the matter of the Northern Military Region, and it has nothing to do with me, and my identity here is a guest secretary, and I must not take the lead, otherwise, I will be suspected of exceeding my authority.

You know, Daddy is the most disgusted by this.

Of course, if Dad himself asks him to speak, he also needs to pay attention to the way he speaks.

The meeting was divided between those who believed that the offensive should continue and those who believed that it was necessary to retreat to the defense and wait for the cold to pass.

Zhang Feng listened to their words, and sure enough, these high-ranking officers did not see the current problem, no wonder the Iran-Iraq war would be fought as it was in history.

What is the problem now? Supply! As long as there are sufficient supplies, there will be absolutely no problem for the army to hit Bakhtalam!

"Qusay, tell me what you think." Saddam Hussein suddenly spoke.

In normal times, Saddam Hussein has already come up with his own opinion at this time: go back first! However, this time, when he saw that Qusay was here at the meeting, he suddenly said this.

This son will always have all kinds of surprising means to win, this time to see what he has to say.

"Yes, the sudden heavy snow of the troops attacking this time is a test of Allah for them, and I believe that they will definitely withstand this test." Zhang Feng said: "If they retreat, then the advantage they have gained now will be lost, and their morale will be even lower, and besides, West Islam Abad is too small, and our tens of thousands of troops will not survive the winter there." However, if they advance, there is a risk that they will be ambushed by the Iranians, who are already accustomed to the weather, while our army is completely absent, and we will most likely suffer heavy losses if we are ambushed by the Iranians in heavy snow. ”

These words seemed to summarize the views of both sides just now, and everyone nodded their heads and said them very much in line with the facts.

"The crux of our problem now is that because the bridge was bombed, the logistics supply could not keep up, and the morale of the front-line soldiers was low, which has a lot to do with this, so if we can provide sufficient supplies to the soldiers, then they will definitely be full of fighting spirit." Zhang Feng continued.

This is the most crucial place, and it is precisely at this time that Iraq's strike force has turned from prosperity to decline.

"However, the bridge has been bombed, and in this weather, it is very difficult for us to take the mountain road to transport supplies over." Adnan said.

Ever since the bridge was bombed, Adnan has been thinking about how to solve the problem, but until now, there has been no solution.

"We can ship it by air." Zhang Feng said.

Airlift? "We don't have enough transport planes at the moment, and even if we do it with all our might, we can't guarantee the supply of tens of thousands of people," Abid said. ”

Also, it would be nice if it were the United States, and the American transport planes are enough to transport the strength of several divisions to the war zone at one time.

And Iraq's transport aircraft are simply not enough to perform such a task.

"Then at least give each fighter a snow combat suit first." Zhang Feng said.

Snow combat suits? None of us here knew what this Kusai was talking about, and they had never heard of the words snow uniforms.

"Our fighters, wearing ordinary green military uniforms or camouflage uniforms in the snow, are very conspicuous, and they are easily spotted by the Iranians in the snow, and they need to wear white clothing to better protect themselves." Zhang Feng said: "This matter is getting better and better, even if there is no clothes, it is a white sheet, and everyone needs to be given one piece, which can effectively reduce our casualties." ”

Saddam Hussein nodded, yes, this statement is very correct.

However, as for how to de-escalate the current situation, Qusay still did not say.

In the end, the meeting did not come to fruition, and Saddam Hussein gave an even more stupid order to put the soldiers in place.

After leaving the Palace of the Republic, Adnan finally came out with Qusay, and he quietly asked, "Qusay, why didn't you suggest that the army continue to attack just now?" ”

Zhang Feng knew that Adnan advocated continuing the offensive, and only in this way was the correct way to solve the current situation, but unfortunately, the president did not make up his mind at all. The president asked the army to stop, in fact, he still wanted to continue the attack, but he was afraid of failure due to bad weather, and he was unwilling to retreat, so it was more dangerous to stop like this.

"Uncle, I'm not from the Northern Military Region, it's not good for me to intervene in this kind of thing." Zhang Feng said.

Adnan nodded, yes, the higher you are, the more you have to pay attention to these problems, because Saddam always likes to doubt the people around him.

"But, you say, if you were in command, what would happen to our current army?" Adnan asked.

"Uncle, in our current situation, we must attack with all our might, otherwise, we will only fail even more." Zhang Feng said: "It's time for us to make a desperate bet!" ”

This is also Adnan's idea, to fight, sometimes, it is necessary to have the courage of a gambler, and that army, since it has come to this point, can only continue to go.

What the army lacks is the courage to fight to the death!

Looking at Adnan's figure leaving, Zhang Feng also got into the car, although he knew that those troops were experiencing risks, but he didn't help, is this really the right choice?

Zhang Feng has always doubted his decision, those soldiers are all Iraqi soldiers, they are all precious Iraqi lives, they are being delayed by the indecision of the supreme commander, for their own future, in order to please their father, is it completely right for them to do this?

"Your Excellency Qusay, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq is here to visit." Gasal opened the car door and said to Zhang Feng.

Before I knew it, I had returned to my residence.

U.S. ambassador to Iraq? Zhang Feng was a little surprised, what were they doing here?

"Let him see me in the parlour." Zhang Feng said.

"Your Excellency, your reputation has already resounded throughout the Middle East, and it is a great honor to meet you today." This was stated by the US ambassador to Iraq, Brightman.

"Where, for the selfless help to your country, we in Iraq are very grateful, and the United States is our true friend of Iraq." When Zhang Feng said this, his face was filled with a warm smile, but he knew in his heart that the credibility of what he said just now was zero.

After the greetings, Zhang Feng said, "I don't know if you need my help with anything when you come this time?" ”

Turning to the topic, Brightman said: "Your Excellency Qusay, you must have heard about the Iranian hijacking, right?" ”

"Of course, I heard that we are resolutely opposed to this kind of terrorist act, which is a naked violation of international laws and regulations, and a blasphemy against Allah."

Hearing the angry accusations, Brightman had some confidence in the conversation that followed, and he continued: "We in the United States have received definite information that Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini has a close relationship with these hijackers, and now they have hidden the hostages near Tabriz. ”

"Wasn't the hostage on that plane in Tehran?" Zhang Feng asked puzzled.

"There's something going on here." "Under strong pressure from us, Khomeini was finally willing to release the hostages, but he played another trick and the hostages disappeared again on their way back to Turkey in Tabriz," Brightman said. ”

"This guy Khomeini," Zhang Feng said hatefully, "the person who most blasphemed our Islamic teachings is him, he is completely a villain in a sacred cloak!" Dare to take even innocent hostages! ”

"In order to prevent accidents from happening to the hostages, we ask Your Excellency Qusay to help you rescue the hostages." Brightman said.

It turned out that I was asked to save the hostages, but they didn't know, were the hostages already in my hands? Zhang Feng replied solemnly on his face: "It is my duty to rescue the hostages, but the current war situation is very unfavorable for Iraq, and the war between our Northern Military Region and Iran has reached the most dangerous time, and we need your country's assistance." ”

(To be continued)