Chapter 155: Chapter 154: At a Disadvantage??
Chapter 155: Chapter 154: At a Disadvantage??
Joe Ga still underestimated the efforts he had put into Central Africa!
Not to mention those mercenaries, but the helicopters alone were enough to "shock both the court and the field" in Central Africa.
It appeared grand when Mary Ainola flamboyantly dispensed 200 million US Dollars in Tunisia, but in reality, that was not the money of the Central African Republic, it was the fund provided by the African Union to combat drug trafficking.
Mary Ainola quickly spent the entire 200 million, not only sharing armored cars with several countries involved in the drug trade but also establishing a transportation route, securing a thousand sets of brand-new squad weapons, and incidentally roping in Joe Ga, the big sucker.
Then, this big sucker, for two mining sites, truly started investing in Central Africa, this unfortunate place, how could they not come.
The formidable military force was only one aspect, the determination displayed by Joe Ga was the most important.
The President of Central Africa was not afraid of Joe Ga being too strong, as he couldn't control a military contracting company like Joe Ga's anyway, and with nearly ten thousand Peacekeeping Troops stationed in Central Africa, Joe Ga couldn't afford to mess around, as killing a president would only bring him trouble and no benefits at all.
However, the determination shown by Joe Ga's substantial investment really made these people look forward to it.
Fighting drug traffickers was just one aspect, once Joe Ga established a peaceful area, not only would his mines need investment, but the surrounding resources would also become valuable.
You could call these African politicians greedy, but when things indeed benefitted national development, they were willing to do something about it.
It's really pointless to talk with these countrified black folks, because apart from Mary Ainola, only their president knew some English; the others simply couldn't understand what Joe Ga was saying.
After greeting his own people, Joe Ga was pulled by Mary Ainola into a room to talk with her president brother for several hours.
After promising a lot of conditions, they received some commitments from Joe Ga and then left Joe Ga's base contentedly by car.
It was only after seeing off these people that Joe Ga slowly realized that he should not be involved in the child's play-like politics of the Central African Republic as just a military contracting company boss.
The image of Chinese in the eyes of African politicians was too favorable, Joe Ga, a Chinese armed with guns, was seen by these people as a lifesaver.
If rebels come to attack me, brother, you must help me.
If the opposition wants to stage a coup, brother, you can't stand by and watch me die.
As compensation, the president "generously" transferred another massive iron mine to Joe Ga, allowing him to connect two iron mines together.
He even simply signed a security employment agreement, transferring the security management rights of a commercial town 'Sangha,' radiating between the two mines, as well.
This was not just about giving the mine, even the miners were prepared for Joe Ga.
Just waiting for this big shot to drive away the drug traffickers, then transport the mining equipment, and mining could begin; everyone would thrive together.
After sending off the "big guns," Joe Ga finally relaxed, he missed the dinner Nis and the others had prepared for him, and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep immediately.
He had really been too tired over the past three months, he slept for a whole 20 hours, and when Joe Ga woke up, it was time for dinner again.
After some modest renovations to the suite at the base, when Joe Ga stepped out of the room, he saw Nis and Karman sitting on the sofa in the small living room waiting for him.
The lawyer Jori Amon sat in the corner of the living room, looking a bit awkward under Karman's gaze.
Seeing Joe Ga finally come out of the room, Jori Amon immediately stood up to greet him respectfully, then came over with several thick folders in his hand and said, "Boss, here are the memorandum of cooperation and the formal contract with the Central African Government.
I'll be departing tomorrow toward the Capital Bangui, to handle the transfer procedures for the new iron mine…"
While speaking, Jori Amon looked at Joe Ga, who seemed a bit distracted, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Boss, the terms you gave were too high, you might have taken a loss!"
Joe Ga paused for a second, then helplessly shook his head...
According to Western economic models, he was indeed a big sucker!
Additionally, he had a conversation with the president the previous day and realized he had underestimated the chaos and poverty of the Central African Republic.
He had truly regarded this country as a 'state'!
Joe Ga considered himself knowledgeable about Africa, but he could never have imagined that Central Africa, which had demanded 1000 sets of squad weapons from him, had a regular army of less than 5000 people.
The entire country had only four airplanes, all old-fashioned propeller passenger planes.
Their military had two helicopters, but if it weren't for the help in maintenance from the Peacekeeping Troops, the helicopters would already be unable to fly.
This damned place had the mightiest equipment in the entire country consisting merely of 51 armored vehicles, with more than half of them not even roadworthy.
Mary Aenola handed Joe Ga 200 million US Dollars, which not only got him 25 brand-new, more advanced armored vehicles but also swiftly upgraded his own troops. The remaining funds significantly boosted the combat capability of their tribal militia, achieving integration and persuasion of the military forces.
At the start of his career, Joe Ga had dreamed of becoming a significant figure who could change a nation's defense; but until yesterday, he could never have imagined he had already accomplished it.
Jori Amon's warning was right, by normal business standards, Joe Ga had made a loss.
However, this Western-educated brother would never guess that Joe Ga wasn't after a simple transaction; he was preparing for long-term engagement and needed to make the industries of Central Africa profitable.
To prepare for a protracted conflict, Joe Ga had already messaged mine bosses in China, looking to sell or co-develop two mining properties in Burundi.
He could provide security services and let those mine bosses handle the mining investment, afterwards splitting the profits fifty-fifty.
In Joe Ga's perspective, Central Africa was the real crescendo!
Now with two iron mines and one gold mine under him, as long as the security situation stabilized and the mines started production, it would become a stable, long-term income.
If the business in Central Africa succeeded, this model could be replicated elsewhere—not only could it solidify his footing, but also create a unique company unlike any other military contractor.
Then, he would be able to use this differentiation in competition to arm wrestle the corporate giants.
Initially, Joe Ga suffered from a lack of experience and was dazzled by the 200 million in cash from Mary Aenola. However, this didn't hinder his subsequent development.
His fists were tougher than the president of Central Africa. As long as he showed the drug traffickers that he was much tougher than them during encounters, he could secure his own interests while gradually gaining more concessions.
Time was on Joe Ga's side. As long as he could cripple the drug traffickers and secure safe zones, he'd be able to ask for loans from the African Union Development Bank and slowly begin to develop. The longer time passed, the more he would earn.
Given Central Africa's poor national strength, Joe Ga thought he could give himself five years; by then, when he controlled a large portion of the locals' livelihoods, whether their president could still maintain his position would depend on whether he nodded or not.
Joe Ga didn't share these thoughts with others. Karman and Nis didn't even bother to ask.
Jori Amon had performed well, but Joe Ga didn't want to discuss his grand ambitions with him. Instead, he slapped the lawyer's shoulder and smilingly said, "I know I took a loss, thank you for the reminder, but I have my plans. Just do as I told you.
Hurry up the paperwork, then head over to Chad to meet with their Air Force Commander. I've secured his aviation fuel quota. Rent a few fuel tankers and fill up our base's fuel reserves as quickly as possible."
After sending Jori Amon off, Joe Ga stretched his stiff body vigorously, then said to Nis with a smile, "I slept in. Let's go eat. I've heard good things about the base's mess hall. I need to try 'Iron Shovel's' cooking; it's been a long time since I had authentic Chinese food."
Upon hearing this, Nis laughed and nodded, "Now 'Iron Shovel' is the most popular guy in the entire base. He really is incredible. I also want to learn how to cook from him."
Joe Ga subconsciously nodded, "Then give it a shot. Once you've mastered it, you'll be our chef at home, so we won't always have to make do with hotpot when we want a feast."
Nis's face turned inexplicably red upon hearing this, then he lowered his head and muttered softly, "I'll definitely make it," then turned and pushed the room's door open, waiting for Joe Ga to join him.
Joe Ga did not notice Nis's odd reaction and turned to Karman with a smile, "Let's go together. I heard you recruited some new people, making those old Seville veterans find it a little hard to manage them. Where are these new guys from?"
Karman, following behind Joe Ga, spoke lightly, "Boss, your time is tight, so I took the liberty of bringing in some guys with basic skills.
A few Tanzanians, some from the Cthulhu Tribe, and a few Rwandans.
None of them have had formal military training, but they are skilled, and they mesh well with those Seville soldiers."
For Karman to call them 'skilled,' they must indeed be exceptional. However, Joe Ga didn't ask further because as they reached the mess hall, he saw that group of fierce-looking brothers.
About a dozen formidable black men were obediently queuing up to get their food.
Nicknamed 'Iron Shovel', Old Ni, full of vigor, was wielding a large spoon, happily dishing up meals with his young brother Tony for the soldiers.
Unless you smiled showing more than eight teeth, his large spoon would shake a bit and there'd be a little less in it.
As Joe Ga approached, one black man with half a nose missing and his face full of scars grinned with an extremely flattering smile, pleading with Old Ni for an extra spoonful of beef and potatoes.
Perhaps disgusted by this ugly character's appearance ruining his mood, Old Ni reluctantly gave him another spoonful and then waved him off impatiently.
When Old Ni saw Joe Ga entering the mess hall, he excitedly waved and handed his large spoon to a young black apprentice, then pulling Tony aside, he said, "Quick, our big boss is here. Serve up everything I've prepared.
We need to make sure our big boss is well taken care of if we are to continue enjoying these regular meals!"