Chapter 44

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With cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written inside.

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As the helicopter spun and crashed to the ground, even with the fire suppression system activated, it was unable to extinguish the raging fire. When it fell, the entire helicopter was engulfed in flames. The pilot, who was about to be burned alive, looked at the Soviet soldiers and guerrillas ahead, who had stopped chasing and were now mingling amicably as they approached. Damn, it was a trap! The pilot's eyes were filled with regret as he realized that everything was a setup.

Durani ran the fastest. He saw that when the female helicopter fell, one of its short wings broke off, and the two rocket launchers were ejected and landed on the distant ground.

"Second Lieutenant Muhammad, can you use this portable missile?" James asked Muhammad.

"Watch you operate it, and I will learn," Muhammad said. Without further conversation with James, he ran forward.

"Durani, don't move, those rocket launchers are always in a ready-to-fire state!" Muhammad said. He ran to the site and carefully removed two wires from the broken wing, then cut them. "Alright, we can take this half of the short wing back and install it on the donkey cart."

James felt like an outsider, watching the guerrillas act quickly. The donkeys were herded back, and the weapons that were moved out of the cave last night and hidden were loaded back onto the donkeys. They continued to move quickly through the mountains.

Within two hours, the Soviets would send more troops. After ambushing the Soviet SP special forces and two female helicopters, the gains were already substantial. Now, the most important thing was to transport these weapons back, and it was not advisable to stay here for too long.

James followed the group, his mind completely shocked.

"Second Lieutenant Muhammad, tell me, how can we hit a helicopter head-on?" James asked Muhammad.

This was a technical issue. Even in aerial combat, attacks were usually from the rear, as the heat from the rear engine was the best target. A head-on attack with ten missiles would likely only hit by chance.

"Mr. James, this is something you should tell us. You are the instructor teaching us how to use these weapons," Muhammad said. "Can this missile only hit the side of a helicopter?"

"Of course not, our American weapons are the most advanced," James said.

The group disappeared into the mountains, leaving no trace. When the Soviet reinforcements arrived, they only found the remains of two helicopters.

Kabul.

This is the capital of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country, at the foot of the Hindu Kush Mountains, at an altitude of 1,800 meters. The terrain is rugged, surrounded by mountains in a U-shaped basin. It is a famous city with a 3,000-year history, a key point on the Silk Road between the East and West. In 1773, it became the capital of Afghanistan. When the Afghan government changed, the Soviet paratroopers first occupied the city, and soon after, the Afghan army was quickly occupied by the Soviet army, establishing a puppet regime. Since then, Afghanistan has been in turmoil.

The resistance of the guerrillas has never stopped, and to deal with these guerrillas, the Soviets have used various means.

In the central street of Kabul, the headquarters of the 40th Army was heavily guarded.

In an ordinary office, a man in black coldly looked at the person in front of him.

This person had a good figure, always giving a sense of the desire to conquer. The swallows trained by the KGB were physically excellent, but unfortunately, their heads seemed to have been drowned in the Volga River.

"Kurnaeva, the intelligence you provided was really excellent," the man said, taking a puff of his cigar and looking at the woman in front of him.

The woman's clothes were dirty from walking in the mountains for several days. She was Aisha, the woman who followed Muhammad, whose real name was Kurnaeva.

After providing the intelligence, she chose to leave and was brought to Kabul by helicopter. However, the subsequent developments were completely unexpected.

"The intelligence I provided was correct. It was the SP forces who were too foolish and fell into Muhammad's trap," Kurnaeva said. "This Muhammad is a significant threat. With his command, the Afghan guerrillas will grow rapidly."

Kurnaeva, of course, heard the dissatisfaction in the man's words. She felt she was not at fault, having told the SP forces the location of the guerrillas, and it was their own stupidity.

"We also lost two helicopters!" the man said. "You KGB are trying to wash your hands of it. Do you know that Moscow is furious? The helicopters that were just replenished in Jalalabad are now lost again!"

"This has nothing to do with me. I only provide intelligence," Kurnaeva said. "How to fight is the responsibility of the 40th Army."

"You!" The man angrily stabbed his cigar into the ashtray. "Fine, I order you to return to the north of Jalalabad and continue to gather intelligence on the guerrillas!"

"You have no authority to order me. The KGB and the 40th Army are in a cooperative relationship," Kurnaeva said. "Do you think I am stupid? I have already been exposed to Muhammad. If you send me back, you want me to be captured and executed by the guerrillas?"

"You!" The man stood up in anger. "Then I will report to Moscow and suggest to your KGB leaders!"

"Whatever." Kurnaeva stood up, swayed her hips, and walked out. After a few steps, she stopped and said, "Actually, dealing with the Afghan guerrillas is not so difficult. Why don't you try a scorched earth policy?"

Scorched earth policy? The man looked at Kurnaeva's back, paused, and finally picked up the phone. "Connect me to Jalalabad."

...

After several days of trekking, the guerrillas, covered in dust, returned to their base. When the weapons filled the entire cave, everyone's face was filled with joy.

The Soviets seemed to have calmed down recently, with no major actions. During this time, they could practice using the weapons.

There were originally ten Stinger missiles, but two were used on the way back, leaving only eight. One was taken out of the packaging for the guerrillas to train with.

There were also TOW anti-tank missiles. With these, they no longer had to get dangerously close to use RPGs to take out the enemy.

The arrival of these weapons made the guerrillas feel like they had upgraded their equipment. They took turns practicing, and although James, the American, looked fierce, he was very detailed in his explanations. Under his guidance, each guerrilla became more familiar with the weapons.

Many RPGs were also brought, which were simple to use and effective.

What Muhammad was most interested in was not the Stingers or the TOWs, but the half of the short wing with the rocket launcher that was captured.

During World War II, what the Germans feared most from the Soviets was the Katyusha rockets. These were powerful area-denial weapons.

For example, if they had this weapon last time, Muhammad wouldn't have had to risk entering the airport. He could have set it up nearby, fired, and all the rockets would have covered the area, rendering the helicopters on the ground useless.

Muhammad improvised with local materials, modifying a donkey cart. The wheelbase was shortened to fit the launcher, making it easier to move in the mountains. The cart also served as a simple launch platform, ready to fire when set up.

James, during his spare time, watched Muhammad modify the launcher and was impressed.

This Pakistani instructor was a genius. How could he know everything? James only demonstrated the TOW anti-tank missiles once, and Muhammad mastered it, performing all the actions perfectly. James couldn't help but admire Muhammad's ability to operate weapons. Last time, Muhammad watched him operate and could immediately fire the Stinger, which was no accident. Muhammad's skills were exceptional.

"Second Lieutenant Muhammad, I am no longer needed here," James said to Muhammad. "I should return."

James came here to train the guerrillas to use the weapons. Now that they were proficient, he had no reason to stay.

"Mr. James, thank you for your help. The friendship of the Americans with Afghanistan will always be remembered," Muhammad said.

Friendship? Even if it existed, it was as thin as a piece of toilet paper. However, James had indeed been helpful to the guerrillas, and Muhammad's gratitude was sincere.

"Mr. Muhammad, I wish you success in taking out more Soviets and hope that Afghanistan can soon drive out the invaders," James said to Muhammad.

"This still requires help from the American side," Muhammad said. "When you return, I hope you can inform your country that the Stinger missiles are very valuable here and that we need more. We also need some other weapons, listed on this paper."

Muhammad handed James a piece of paper with a list of weapons and ammunition written in English. Seeing the dense list, James felt a bit overwhelmed. These guerrillas really didn't hesitate to ask for more.

Also, what were the 107mm rockets for?

"Second Lieutenant Muhammad, rocket launchers are too heavy and not suitable for mountain combat. Let's skip this weapon," James said.

"No, these are 107mm rockets, very light and easy to carry. One person can easily carry two and run in the mountains," Muhammad said. "Your side can contact the Eastern countries. Only they produce this weapon. If you can't get the launchers, just the rockets will do."

Without the launchers, what good were just the rockets? James was about to ask more when he saw someone running over from a distance.

"Enemy attack, warning, Soviet planes!" Durani shouted loudly.