Chapter 104: Split

  "We can wage a guerrilla war! We can turn Jalalabad into the graveyard of the Soviets!" Nikubdin said: "Our fight in Jalalabad will inspire all Afghans to join the struggle against the Soviets! We will surely win!"

  "What if the Soviets deploy their air force? The Soviets won't engage in street fighting, they'll use large incendiary bombs to turn Jalalabad into a sea of fire, they'll use thermobaric bombs to turn Jalalabad into ruins. Then, their armored units will be able to crush us easily, and Jalalabad will become the graveyard for all our guerrilla forces!" Muhammad shouted.

  The sentence stunned everyone, including Masood, and even Muhammad himself hadn't expected it.

  "Mr. Mohammad, if the Soviets do this, won't all the citizens of Jalalabad suffer?" Masood said: "The Soviets will not do this!"

  "The Soviets will do it, and we, the Afghan guerrillas, will be the ones who brought this disaster upon the people of Jalalabad!" Muhammad said.

  "No! Absolutely impossible!" Masood shouted.

  "Our guerrilla base for survival is in the mountains," Mohammad said. "Until our forces have grown stronger, or until the Soviets decide to withdraw, we simply do not have the capability to overthrow the current government! Gentlemen, if you believe me, then please stay in the mountains with me and strike at Soviet transportation convoys, weakening their war-fighting capabilities! If you go to besiege Jalalabad, it will be meaningless."

  Muhammad then said to Osama: "Osama, let him go, he is just a messenger."

  Osama poked Nikoubtin twice with his gun barrel before releasing him. Then Muhamed walked forward.

  Pan Jihui's guerrilla force cleared a path, allowing Muhammad and Osama to come out. As they walked, Muhammad shouted: "Believe in me, follow me!"

  Many people's eyes showed a restless and eager look, but they didn't move.

  Muhammad sighed. These people, after all, were closer to Masood's relationship, Muhammad walked back to his own team and said to Durani: "Let's go, we're going back to our guerrilla zone."

  Muhammad's guerrilla team started moving along the mountain road, and after a while, they didn't hear anyone following them. Although this ending could have been predicted long ago. Still, there was some disappointment. Masood, that guy, thought he was an excellent guerrilla commander, but now it seems he doesn't have any overall concept at all. At most, he's just a tactical-level commander who can't see more strategic things.

  "Mr. Mohammad, these are the heads of Nik Mohammed and Massoud. They have been kicked by a donkey." Osama walked alongside Mohammad and said to him: "Without them, we will continue to win victories. These people are unreliable, humph, when they get their heads broken in Jalalabad, they will regret not listening to your advice."

  Mohammad shook his head: "Anyway, they are the strength of our guerrilla forces. They are the main force fighting against the Soviets, and their losses are the losses of all Afghan guerrillas."

  Muhammad looked at Osama and said: "Osama, do you still remember our three major disciplines?"

  Muhammad urged to regularize the guerrilla, last year, emphasized three disciplines, Osama immediately replied: "Of course, the first is to obey discipline and listen to command."

  Osama is a university student with high IQ, and he can remember things almost at a glance.

  "Then why are you always acting on your own? Not listening to orders?" Muhammad said.

  At this remark, Osama's face suddenly turned red with embarrassment: "Comrade instructor... I was also for our guerrilla team, that Nikubdin is a scourge, at the time I wanted to get rid of him."

  "Remember, we are a team, not bandits. In battle, if you don't follow orders, I can shoot you at any time. This time, your unauthorized action almost caused infighting between our two guerrilla teams, which had a very negative impact on our entire war of resistance against the Soviets." Muhammad said.

  "Sir, I know I was wrong," Osama said.

  "After going back, write a 5,000-word self-criticism," Muhammad said.

  Five thousand words? Osama was shocked again, this punishment measure... left a deep impression on Osama.

  ………

  Under the dim oil lamp, Masud's eyes were bloodshot.

  "Captain, this operation is very risky." Fahim said to Masood: "Mr. Muhammad is absolutely right."

  "Fahim, are you with me or with Muhammad?" Masud's sharp gaze was fixed on Fahim, making him unable to lift his head.

  Fahim didn't dare to look into Masood's eyes, he lowered his head and said: "Captain, our roots are in the mountains, attacking a big city, we are not well-prepared. If our actions lead to the destruction of Jalalabad, then we will also become sinners."

  "Fahim!" Masud bellowed: "This is what the alliance means, the alliance wants to use a big victory to boost the morale of the entire north, how can this be wrong? Your vision is too short-sighted, without a broad perspective!"

  "Captain! I, Fahim, have no grand vision. All I know is that Mr. Mohammad spoke the truth! The alliance has no right to command us. We are making our greatest contribution to the war by attacking the Soviet transport convoys here." Fahim lifted his head steadily and looked at Masood, his eyes now filled with determination.

  "I want you to obey my orders, otherwise I will kill you." Masood's tone became cold and he raised his AK-74 rifle, which was captured from the Soviets during the last guerrilla war in Badakhshan Province.

  "You may kill me, but you cannot kill the truth." Fahim said: "If we leave the mountains, it will be our own loss."

  Having said that, Fahim walked out with big strides.

  Masood's body trembled, and he tried several times to pull the trigger, but for this person who had been following him from the very beginning, he really couldn't bring himself to do it.

  So he could only watch as Fahim walked out of the cave.

  Fahim let out a long sigh, Masood didn't make a move, this shows that he still values himself, and at the cost of his own life, wants to stop Masood from making a mistake, but the effect is still not great.

  His footsteps stopped abruptly. The cave was surrounded by guerrilla fighters outside, and the quarrel between the two had been heard by the guerrillas outside.

  "Whoever thinks Mullah Mohammad is right, follow me. Whoever thinks it's correct to attack Jalalabad, stay here." At this moment, Fahim's footsteps were heavier than ever before. His actions represented the split of this guerrilla force that had been fighting in the Panjshir Mountains for several years.

  Some people wanted to leave but stopped in the end. Only a handful of twenty or so people followed Fahim.

  "Masood Sahib, shoot Fahim immediately, he has betrayed!" Nikhub Deen said with a gloomy face, his arm was fixed on the wooden board, inside which the bone was fractured and pain kept coming from the wound, even his tone of speaking had changed.

  Masood didn't say anything and just continued staying there.

  "Masood Sahib, shoot Fahim at sight! This is the order of the alliance. Whoever disrupts this operation will be a traitor!"

  "Get out of my alliance orders!" Masood suddenly also got angry and said to Nikubuddin: "You speak again, I'll kill you first before speaking!"

  Having said that, Masood pointed his gun at Nikhubuddin, and Nikhubuddin was instantly dumbfounded.

  In the second half of the night, the wind grew stronger. Behind a mountain slope that blocked the wind, the guerrilla fighters sat quietly, taking a temporary rest for a few minutes.

  They have already taken the team away, now the most important thing is to safely bring the team back. What Muhamed is most worried about is that the worst situation will occur and Masood will jump into desperation and ambush himself.

  Leave this place of right and wrong first. As for the alliance's attack on Jalalabad, it is impossible to stop it, so I can only provide some help at critical moments.

  Just then, "Cuckoo, cuckoo." A distant bird call came.

  Upon hearing the sound, all the guerrilla fighters immediately picked up their weapons and looked for a suitable position. It was the advance warning voice of the guerrilla fighter who had been sent to keep watch in the rear.

  Has he really come? A cold glint flashed in Muhammad's eyes. If Masood was going to launch a sneak attack, then...he could only fight back.

  Muhammad held an AK-74, crouched and ran lightly to the back, the sentry pointed at a vague figure in the distance, indicating that a team of people appeared there.

  It was indeed a group of people, with more than twenty of them, walking along the same road they came from, only... their vigilance was not high, and it didn't seem like they were here to ambush me. Besides, if they were going to ambush me, there would be too few of them.

  Only in his early twenties, he didn't seem like an ambush. Muhammad had doubts in his heart and said, "Give the order, don't open fire."

  The other side is getting closer and closer, Muhammad can also see more clearly that the person who leads the way, when walking, still keeps trembling with every step, which is because the wound on his back has not healed yet.

  Fahim? Muhhamad stepped out from his hiding position and walked over, what did Fahim come for? Definitely not to ambush himself!

  "Mr. Muhammad!" Fahim finally caught up with Muhammad, looking at the tall and majestic figure in front of him, Fahim felt a surge of emotions: "We think what you said is right, we've decided to fight alongside you."