Chapter 72

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"Since ancient times, this place has been the birthplace of warriors," Muhamed said, "armor is essential equipment for a knight."

In the face of modern machine gun fire, large-scale cavalry charges have long disappeared. Only in the mountains of Afghanistan, where mechanized forces cannot fully deploy, has the cavalry been given the space to reassert its power.

Although Muhamed spoke seriously, James knew that Muhamed was mostly joking. This Muhamed was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

"James, what brings you to the guerrillas this time?" Muhamed asked James.

"To better eliminate the Soviets," James replied. "Our American side is willing to provide some advanced weapons. Besides the Stinger and TOW, we also have some special warheads that we can provide to you."

Special warheads? Upon hearing James' words, Muhamed stood up. At this moment, Lillith had already started cutting the pieces to make a vest.

Muhamed took James to a secluded corner and asked, "What kind of warheads?"

"For example, after detonation, they can release a special gas," James explained to Muhamed. "Just one can destroy a Soviet base."

Hearing this, Muhamed immediately shook his head. "No, that would escalate the war to an uncontrollable level."

The Afghans needed conventional weapons, but providing such special gases, which were essentially chemical weapons, was a different matter. This would escalate the war. The Americans were not acting out of good intentions; they were likely testing new chemical weapons. Muhamed would not agree to this.

"This is just a suggestion," James said. "Since Mr. Muhamed is unwilling, let's consider it as if I never mentioned it."

James chuckled dryly and said no more.

"Why are there no Stinger missiles in this batch of weapons?" Muhamed asked James. He had already inspected the weapons: the 107mm rockets were the main attraction, along with plenty of shells, bullets, mines, grenades, and rifles. Everything was good except for the Stinger missiles, which Muhamed needed most.

The last batch of ten Stinger missiles had been almost depleted after several battles.

"Through your use on the battlefield, we have identified several issues," James explained. "Now, the engineers at General Dynamics are working to improve the missile, enhancing its target acquisition capabilities and eliminating the problem of chasing the sun."

Improvements so quickly? This was completely different from historical records. Muhamed was unsure if James was telling the truth and did not want to contradict him.

"When will the next batch of missiles arrive?" Muhamed asked. "Without the Stinger, it's difficult for us to effectively strike the Soviet Hind helicopters."

"Once the snow melts, the second batch of missiles will be delivered," James said. "We are deeply concerned about the struggle of the warriors against the Soviets and will not delay."

It was the harsh winter, and large-scale battles were unlikely, so the need for Stingers was not as pressing.

Muhamed extended his right hand to James. "Thank you very much for the support of our American friends. Liberating Afghanistan will be a long and arduous process, but no matter what difficulties we encounter, we will overcome them. We firmly believe that victory will belong to Afghanistan."

James also extended his right hand. "We will stand firmly behind our friends. It is an honor to be united with the Afghan people."

Their hands met, but each had their own thoughts.

Muhamed suddenly remembered something. James had just shared confidential information, but he had not avoided Lillith!

The heavy snow had completely sealed the mountains, and no one would be traveling in such weather. The warmest place was by the fire at home.

On a mountain path, a group of people were walking, leading donkeys. The donkeys carried two bags, which contained the much-needed food for the Afghan villagers.

"Sir, you don't need to come. I can take this food back myself," said Rameel, walking in the snow with Muhamed. Rameel had led a group of young men from the village to transport the food.

In such cold weather, no one wanted to venture out. When the food arrived, Rameel had gathered a dozen young men to bring it back.

Muhamed had come with them.

Rameel was deeply grateful. With this food, the village would no longer fear the winter. Muhamed's presence made him even more excited.

Rameel now knew Muhamed's identity. Muhamed was not a Pashtun but an instructor from the country to the east!

No wonder he was so skilled in combat and so kind to the Tajiks, providing them with so much food. The Tajiks were grateful to him from the bottom of their hearts.

Muhamed was not just visiting Rameel's village; he also wanted to see the young men there. If they were suitable, he would recruit them into his own forces.

Friendship formed in battle naturally erodes ethnic prejudices. The integration of these ethnic groups in Afghanistan would ultimately lead to a stable and strong nation.

"Winter is no problem. I'll just take a walk and enjoy the scenery," Muhamed said.

The surroundings were covered in snow. In ancient Eastern wisdom, there is a saying: "A heavy snowfall foretells a bountiful year." Was this snow a sign of a good harvest next year?

Bagram.

A fighter-bomber taxied from the apron to the runway. Its long fuselage and wide tail wings were distinctive. At the root of the main wings, special equipment was visible, indicating a variable-sweep wing aircraft.

In the Soviet military, the only variable-sweep wing aircraft was the MiG-23. The one on the runway was the MiG-23BN, a fighter-bomber variant of the MiG-23, primarily used for bombing missions.

Variable-sweep wings were a unique product of the era. The sweep angle of the wings affected the aircraft's performance. A smaller angle was better for low-altitude maneuvers, while a larger angle was better for high-speed dashes. If the sweep angle could be changed, the fighter would be perfect.

The Soviets built the MiG-23, and the Americans built the F-14. In practice, the theoretical advantages were offset by the additional weight and complexity of the mechanism to change the sweep angle.

Now, the aircraft was ready for takeoff. Under the wings, four prominent bombs with special black skull markings were attached.

A ground crew member waved a small flag, guiding the fighter-bomber to the main runway. The pilot aligned the aircraft with the runway and pressed the rudder pedals.

Pressing one pedal turned the aircraft in the air, while pressing both pedals simultaneously braked the wheels.

As he pressed both pedals, the aircraft's nose dipped forward. He calmly said, "Bagram, Black Bear requests takeoff."

His voice was transmitted to the control tower. Belgrade looked at Kulikov, who nodded expressionlessly.

Belgrade knew there was no turning back; the division commander had made his decision.

"Clear for takeoff, proceed with the planned bombing," the control tower responded.

Black Bear released the pedals and gently increased the throttle. The massive fighter-bomber's engines roared, and it accelerated rapidly.

The horizon on both sides passed quickly. Without looking at the instruments, Black Bear felt the speed had reached the takeoff threshold. He gently pulled back on the control stick, and the MiG-23BN lifted off.

Immediately after takeoff, he turned east and adjusted the wing sweep angle to 47 degrees, preparing for high-altitude cruise.

Compared to the F-14's computer-controlled automatic wing sweep, the MiG-23's system was primitive, requiring manual adjustment by the pilot.

As Black Bear flew, he glanced at the images bound to his knee. These were satellite photos, with several circled areas marking his targets—Afghan villages! The people in these villages supported the Afghan guerrillas, and striking them was a way to punish the guerrillas.

The skies over Afghanistan belonged to the Soviets. Black Bear felt no psychological burden and even began to hum a tune.

He did not know that on the ground, a few people in the know were anxious.

Using chemical weapons! If the news leaked, what trouble would it bring to the Soviets? Belgrade knew this was beyond his responsibility and even beyond the division commander's. The chemical weapons were stored at this base, but their use required approval from the bigwigs in Moscow.

A wrong bomb? This excuse was too weak. After the aircraft took off, Belgrade could no longer remain calm. He decided to report directly to higher authorities, bypassing the division commander.

After the aircraft took off, Kulikov left the control tower, waiting to be notified when it returned.

Belgrade stood in front of the satellite communication equipment and instructed the communications officer, "Channel 3, connect me to Moscow."

The Afghan sky in winter was clear, with a blue sky visible. Flying in such weather was a pleasure.

Soon, Black Bear reached the target area and began the final preparations for the attack.

The landscape was a continuous range of mountains. He had to find the pre-determined landmarks to accurately locate the targets and avoid accidental strikes.

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