King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Joe Ga also didn't know why Leonel was determined to drag him into this mess?

P·B's power was actually only a bit exaggerated near Central Africa because P·B had armed helicopters and the Super Albatross, whose air superiority combined with local ground advantages made them unstoppable.

But in Niger, it just didn't work, not because P·B's tactical assault teams couldn't beat the terrorists, nor because the fighter jets were ineffective, but because the Foreign Legion was stationed there, equipped with fighter jets, anti-aircraft missiles, and armored vehicles.

This was why Joe Ga was adamant about 'contracted warfare'; without this procedure, P·B's Super Albatross carrying missiles could easily be shot down while hovering nearby.

Being 'unreasonable' is not exclusive to the Americans; it's a habit of the powerful!

Compared to the Americans' core oil interests in the Middle East, France stubbornly clung to Africa, not merely because it was once their colony, but more importantly, North Africa is one of the world's largest uranium-producing regions, and nearly 60% of France's electricity supply comes from nuclear power.

Moreover, without these semi-colonial infusions, France couldn't sustain its high domestic welfare.

Many overlook the fact that not only does oil exist in the Middle East, Africa also has a significant amount!

In terms of core interests, the military force France deployed in Africa is actually not less than what the Americans have put into the Middle East.

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In the past, many people from China somewhat looked down on France because they always seemed to be a step lower when facing the United States, and some even attributed the war in Liberia to the Americans, but that's not the case at all.

In Africa, France is the leading force, except for Liberia, where France can bully anyone it wants without having to involve NATO like the Americans do; they can handle it on their own!

Right now, the primary interest of the United States in the western and northern parts of Africa is only 'counter-terrorism' because they can't get involved under any other pretense and can only stealthily establish a few small military bases and then accept invitations from some countries to help train their militaries in counter-terrorism.

Honestly speaking, even though the contexts and locations are different, the things the United States Army does in Africa are actually quite decent.

Of course, the main reason is that the baseline of this unfortunate place is too low; no matter what they do, it can't get any worse.

Joe Ga had no choice but to use the most legitimate means of employment and even pull the African Union in for endorsement to ensure he wouldn't be mistakenly bombed by the Foreign Legion as an 'enemy threat'.

And in the current contract, only two targets were specified, and P·B would withdraw immediately after achieving those targets.

The fact is, when your combat capabilities reach a certain level, without any significant backing, the attentions of major powers make you anxious, while mercenaries on the ground don't have such worries.

Joe Ga's strategic tips to Leonel weren't entirely out of concern; he had other ideas in mind.

Permanently stationed in Niger is not practical, because the Foreign Legion and the French Blue Helmets are not the same, and competing with them for influence is not exactly suicidal, but definitely asking for trouble.

However, it's fine to accept one or two stints of employment. If Leonel really proceeded with the setups as he thought, there's great potential in the play.

After discussing it briefly with Leonel, Joe Ga shared his general thoughts, which were about strategically giving up some towns with complete supporting facilities during combat to attract terrorists to gather within the towns.

The terrorists in Africa are generally not smart; in fact, worldwide, apart from their leaders, the rest are mostly controlled by emotions and hatred.

When most people think a place is suitable as a base, they will not leave; in addition, providing them with complete living facilities and fortifications will definitely make them consider a long-term stay, and even thinking of establishing an MSL state like their 'ISIS' elders is not impossible.

For modern warfare, elusive guerrilla squads are harder to deal with than organizations with bases.

The towns that have been fought over repeatedly have turned into hell, an understatement to say the least, and if this continues, more anti-government forces may emerge.

After discussing with Leonel for a while, Joe Ga smiled and signed his name on the military contract confirmed by Jori Amon, then exchanged contracts with Leonel and signed again, marking the completion of this rather hasty contracting ceremony.

From this moment, P·B's military actions in Niger were legal!

After the signing of the contract, the person named Saidi and Jori Amon boarded a commercial airplane waiting for them, traveling together to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, because a battle was about to happen nearby, Leonel secretly left the airport on a helicopter. He would go to the more heavily fortified Agadez army camp to wait for news, leaving a lieutenant colonel and a team of 200 armed soldiers to coordinate with Joe Ga's actions.

Once Leonel left, the forces of Niger seemed more relaxed.

The lieutenant colonel was a young Hausa officer, who spoke fluent English, making communication with Joe Ga and his team seamless.

He commanded his subordinates to dismantle the makeshift signing venue, then had an electric vehicle tow Joe Ga's private plane into the hangar.

Then the lieutenant colonel, watching Joe Ga adjust his equipment, said enviously, "Sir, your gear looks even more advanced than the Americans'."

As he was organizing his tactical vest, Joe Ga paused, then habitually gestured for Dorian and Ayu to take down the gifts he had prepared to distribute to the lieutenant colonel and his soldiers, then curiously asked, "There are Americans in Niger?"

Colonel Joe Ga held a Tactical Vest with bulletproof inserts, fondling it adoringly; he then nodded and said, "Our Ministry of Defense invited the special forces of the United State Army to help us establish our own, and I am one of the command trainees."

Upon hearing this, Joe Ga understood right away: the United States Army here was similar to the Russians in Central Africa, both invited to help train the troops and registered with the United Nations as fulfilling the obligations of a major country.

From this, one could see how strong the 'decolonial tendency' in the Africa region was!

Every year, France infused hundreds of millions of Euros into these countries to support the local regimes and stationed troops there, yet their relationships remained awkward.

Joe Ga did not speculate about the big countries' strategic games, but it served as a reminder to him that the situation in Niger might be a bit more complex than he anticipated.

Looking at the colonel's envious gaze at his equipment and his forced composure, Joe Ga smiled and said, "My transport plane will arrive this afternoon. If you need, you can certainly pick some for your people to use first. I believe Minister Leonel won't mind.

After all, transport always entails some loss, don't you agree?"

The fact that the colonel was left to cooperate with Joe Ga's operations indicated he was a trusted individual of Minister Leonel, but faced with Joe Ga's enticement, the colonel hesitated a moment, then glanced at his subordinates' shabby appearance, gritted his teeth, and nodded, saying, "Thank you!"

Joe Ga knew what the colonel was up against; he hesitated a moment, then said, "After the arms arrive, during the transport trucks' journey to the barracks, the front and rear are the most dangerous.

We have a complete strike plan, which can basically ensure their safety, but the people in the convoy still need to be psychologically prepared, you understand what I mean?"

The colonel nodded heavily and said, "I understand, thanks for the warning. I'll make arrangements.

Most of the convoy drivers are pulled from the locals, and those with potential issues will all be assigned to the head of the convoy.

Our people will cover you as you exit mid-route…"

As he spoke, the colonel hesitated a moment, then said, "Sir, actually, you don't have to take the risk."

Joe Ga shook his head, not speaking.

There were terrorists' informants inside the airport, and Joe Ga had to be on the move in a vehicle to stir them into action, thus creating an opportunity to catch all the operatives sent by the Glorious Society in one sweep.

This time, Joe Ga temporarily pulled together Team B and Team E, two teams combining for only 14 men, plus Joe Ga's own squad, the P·B ground team totaled just 20 men.

Among these people, only Antar had aerial reconnaissance capabilities, and Joe Ga could not possibly set Antar in the field and keep to the rear himself.

Moreover, this operation primarily relied on the Air Force; the ground team's main duties were to carry out reconnaissance and sweep the area. As long as the coordination was proper, the risk would not be too high.

Looking at the colonel's earnest expression, Joe Ga smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about me. You just need to make sure you protect the surprises I've prepared for those terrorists here.

Honestly, I spent a lot of money to kill them. If you really want to help, go back and tell your boss to buy the 'surprises' I've prepared. That would be the biggest help to me."

The colonel, surprised, asked, "What surprises?"

Joe Ga grinned and said, "To take down a large, armed convoy, you need at least 500-800 people. I always like to estimate that my opponents are a bit more formidable, so let's say they have 800-1000 people.

In order to annihilate them, I borrowed a squadron of artillery and six 152mm howitzers...

My men surveyed the kilometers of terrain along the route, and there are only two places suitable for an ambush.

Coincidentally, both are within the firing range of the 152mm howitzers, not exceeding 15 kilometers."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As he spoke, Joe Ga looked at the colonel's astonished expression and, patting his shoulder, said, "Buddy, consider it a favor for me. You get to experience the power of the howitzers, then convince your boss to get yourself some new toys.

These babies are real killers. One costs a million, and the extended-range high-explosive shells cost $5000 each.

I'll show you what they can do. If you decide to get them, I'll arrange for someone to train your people so that you don't have to use human lives to fill gaps against fortified terrorists."

Watching the fully geared Joe Ga patiently explain the details of the howitzers like a salesperson, the colonel blinked in disbelief and said, "Cannons?"

Joe Ga spread his hands and laughed, saying, "Yes, cannons. The active-duty 152mm howitzers from Seville, 80% new, excellent quality and enough quantity to go round.

I'm just borrowing them for now; if you like them, take them, if not, I'll return them."

The colonel looked at Joe Ga as if he were a deity and said, "Return them? Is that even possible?"

"Yes, we're a mercenary company, you know. For such expensive stuff, of course, we rent whenever we can, don't you think?"