The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 155: Flattery and Foreshadowing

The Iraqi army mobilized a large number of aircraft to carry out air strikes on 15 cities and air bases including the Persian capital, which marked the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War.

Soon, Liu Tao received the news that just one day later, at 2 a.m., the Iraqi army dispatched five divisions and two brigades of ground forces, with more than 5 tanks, to launch an attack on Persia from the north, center and south.

The whole world was shocked by the sudden outbreak of war and also by the strength of the Iraqi army.

After all, there are more than 1200 tanks, and there are not many countries in the world that own so many tanks.

Even in China's 'Roar of the Red Dragon' last year, only about 600 tanks were deployed!

The first thing to react was the price of oil!
As soon as the news came out, all oil traders began to frantically raise prices, causing the international oil price to immediately break through $40 per barrel.

Liu Tao returned to Panshan Machinery Factory and convened a meeting of the entire factory leadership, requiring that all efforts be made to produce weapons and equipment in the future.

The weapons and equipment produced can be exported to Iraq or Persia, even if the troops do not need so many for replacement.

In this era, he is not worried at all about not being able to sell weapons and equipment.

Afterwards, Liu Tao went to the capital and visited No. 25 Xiushui North Street, where he sat down with Al, Rashid and others to drink tea and chat about feelings.

"Saddam is a great hero. He will definitely beat the Persians and take back Khuzestan province!" Liu Tao showed strong confidence in the Iraqi army.

Khuzestan Province, located in western Persia, is the main gathering place of Arabs in Persia. Historically, the province belonged to the Iraqi province of the Ottoman Empire. The Arabs in this region have also rebelled against Persian rule many times.

This region is also Persia's main oil and grain producing area and has an important strategic position.

Saddam considered himself a hero of the Arab world and had his eyes on Khuzestan Province. He made many public speeches calling for the rescue of the Arabs there. One of the important reasons for launching a war against Persia was to recover the lost territory and bring it under Iraqi control.

Al smiled and said, "Liu, you are worthy of being our good friend of Iraq. You will definitely receive our friendship."

"The weapons you exported to us this time have very good performance, and the soldiers' response is very good." Rashid smiled, "These weapons and equipment have greatly improved the combat effectiveness of our soldiers."

"It would be great if your self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and tanks could be delivered earlier," Rashid said. "It's possible that the war can be ended in just one week."

"In a month at most, we can defeat Persia and make the Persians face up to reality. Their combat effectiveness has declined significantly and they are under blockade. They are definitely no match for us. If they do not agree to our conditions, let alone the Khuzestan Province, even the destruction of their country is not impossible!" Al said.

Al Rashid showed great self-confidence.

However, it is also true that the Iraqi army is full of martial virtues. It has been continuously strengthening its military over the years and spending a lot of money on purchasing weapons and equipment, which has enabled the Iraqi army to have a very strong army. At least in terms of armored strength, based on paper data, it is definitely the fourth largest military power in the world, or even the third largest military power in the world.

The Iraqi army has a million strong men, and its weapons and equipment include nearly 10000 tanks, 7500 armored vehicles, more than 3700 artillery pieces and more than 700 fighter jets!
Looking back at Persia, the Islamic Revolution in Persia had just overthrown the Pahlavi dynasty. Although the Persian army had a rich legacy, including more than 1700 American and British tanks, 80 ships, more than 500 aircraft, and even advanced third-generation fighters like the F14 'Panda', the outstanding officers who were originally loyal to the royal family in the Persian army were purged, and the overall quality of the army dropped significantly. The internal purge of the army and the serious shortage of American equipment parts have greatly affected Persia's once powerful military strength.

It can be said that Persia is a weakling to Iraq. This point is also vividly reflected in the battlefield situation in the past few days. The Iraqi army is attacking like a tide, and the Persian ground forces are constantly retreating, unable to stop the Iraqi army's fierce attack.

Al Rashid cannot be unconfident and optimistic because his strength does not allow it!
Liu Tao laughed secretly in his heart, it is too early to talk about victory now!
Probably no one expected that it would take the Persians only one month to block the Iraqi army's full-scale attack.

"My friend, whenever you need weapons and ammunition, just tell me. Our arsenal is open to you," said Liu Tao.

Iraq may not make any more purchases now, but he has to make his attitude clear.

Attitude is often more important than anything else.

In this way, when people want to purchase weapons and ammunition, they will think of him first.

Liu Tao believes that this day is not far away!
"No problem, Liu, you are our best friend and you can help us a lot. If we need weapons and ammunition, we will contact you the first time!" Al said with a smile.

The Iraqi army prefers Soviet-made weapons and equipment, with more than 2700 Soviet tanks alone. If they purchase ammunition from the Soviet Union, not only will the price be high, but they will also often have to agree to certain conditions. However, it is different when purchasing from China. The price is much lower, and without those conditions, delivery is also very fast.

Who wouldn't like to save some money?

However, Al does not think that the Iraqi army needs to purchase weapons and ammunition now, because the pre-war preparations are enough to support it until defeating Persia and ending the war!

Everyone was drinking and chatting, and they were having a pretty good time.

Slightly drunk, Liu Tao left No. 25 Xiushui North Street. The driver from Al drove him to the courtyard. He wrung out a towel and wiped his face to make himself look more sober.

It was already dark at this time. Liu Zhenbang and Chen Fang were both there. Chen Fang was cooking while Liu Zhenbang was watering the flowers.

"How was it? How did the talk go?" Liu Zhenbang asked. He knew that his son was going to No. 25 Xiushui North Street today.

"They were optimistic that the Persians would soon give in to the pressure and end the war," Liu Tao said.

"Isn't that normal? The gap between the two sides' military strength is too great. Persia used to have a strong military, but the army experienced a major purge and the overall quality of the army dropped significantly. Our people in the foreign affairs department in Persia are not optimistic about the situation in Persia." Liu Zhenbang said.

China and Persia established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level in 1971. China also has an embassy in Persia, and relevant information is transmitted back to the country as soon as possible.

Liu Zhenbang said: "Some professionals have analyzed that Persia is in a bad situation now. It is very likely that it will not be able to withstand the fierce attack of Iraq. The gap in strength between the two sides is too big. The terrain there is suitable for mechanized warfare. How can human flesh and blood stop tanks and armored vehicles!"

Liu Zhenbang himself is not optimistic about the future of Persia, because the gap in strength between the two sides is so great that Persia even has to deploy heavy troops on the border with Afghanistan to prevent the polar bear from suddenly marching westward to open up a passage to the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.

(End of this chapter)