"Crackling and popping"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
Watching his wife livestreaming fireworks and firecrackers being set off in the countryside on the other end of her phone, Xia Yu felt as if he could smell that familiar gunpowder smoke.
He opened the double-glazed soundproof window of the main office in the museum building.
"Knock knock knock"
"Boom boom boom boom"
The roar of machine guns and tank guns from the distant firing range was also very loud.
The Lunar New Year has arrived, and the regulations banning fireworks and firecrackers have been officially implemented in my hometown.
Of course, it doesn't matter if they can't release them in the city; they can release them back in the countryside, which is the same thing.
There is a 7-hour time difference between Konluga and China. After nightfall, the São Paulo will hold a limited-time New Year's air defense event.
Xia Yu specially selected four Shilka River quadruple anti-aircraft vehicles, originally intended for the Cold War-themed pavilion, to be deployed on the ship. After several days of pre-launch promotion, the slots he released on the official website were snapped up instantly.
It has to be said that quite a few people like this thing.
The key point is that the 23mm shells he sells are really cheap. With a base quantity of 2,000, the unit price is reduced to 100 yuan per shell.
For just $200,000, you can be the most dazzling person on New Year's Eve—what a great opportunity!
As for those who want the Tunguska and the Cheetah, they'll have to wait until the second half of the year when Xia Yu goes out to collect some junk and gathers almost all the vehicles for the Cold War exhibit.
There's definitely no such thing at this stage; just enjoy the Shilka River.
"Put-put-put"
That night, amidst the sharp roar of four-barreled cannons firing in unison, several dark red streaks of fire swept across the sky, a breathtaking sight.
"Boom!"
In the sky, a piston-propeller target drone was mercilessly blown up, turning into a ball of firework even more dazzling than the daytime.
Seeing this scene, the children and adults on the beach, who had been covering their ears, felt their blood boil with excitement.
This is Afica's improved version of the Chinese New Year. Thanks to my friend for the cannonballs.
Holding such limited-time themed events may only increase daily revenue by a few million, but it's enough to bring joy to visitors.
Xia Yu, whose family is not with her, spent a happy Spring Festival with everyone on the St. Paul cruise ship today.
The New Year's atmosphere lasted for a week until Lao Huang and his group, who had returned to Konglujia, packed their personal belongings and boarded flight C-160 home.
Having completed their final shift, they fulfilled their one-year contract. Although many of them were injured, they all managed to board the transport plane unharmed.
After saying goodbye to the 12 people one by one and watching the C-160 fly away, Xia Yu waited for the second batch of 17 people going abroad to work two days later.
In addition to the original 1 tank, 1 infantry, and 1 digital team, a tank crew and a dual-pilot attack helicopter crew have been added.
The frontline forces of concentrated fire defense have been further strengthened, becoming a basic lineup of 3 tanks, 3 infantry, and 1 heavy armored vehicle (1 rescue, 1 repair, and 1 sweeper) on the ground, 3 fighter jets, 2 weaponry, 2 transport aircraft, 3 light aircraft, and 2 unmanned aerial vehicles in the air, and the sea surface has not yet been deployed.
There are no specialized artillery units yet, such as self-propelled howitzers. The situations requiring fire coverage are mostly where fighter jets drop precision-guided munitions from the air, while multiple rocket launchers fill in the gaps on the ground.
Well, a fully-strength combined arms battalion's artillery company only has 6 cannons; only brigade-level artillery battalions have more artillery units.
Despite the massive expansion of Gnat's workforce, old Yev only had a reinforced howitzer battalion with a total of 24 D30s, deployed in different directions.
Therefore, Xia Yu will not consider purchasing dedicated self-propelled howitzers until the number of armored units doubles again.
Not to mention that Busan had previously purchased truck-mounted artillery, spending 90% of its budget on equipment procurement. With training funds squeezed to the extreme, it was impossible for their artillery to perform at the level their equipment should have.
Xia Yu is now supplying artillery shells and training their key personnel in actual combat; he's a good person wherever he goes.
And so, things were settled after he went to Busa. A truck-mounted howitzer and a self-propelled howitzer would be temporarily assigned to the village protection team for this deployment in the Sahel region.
Anyway, apart from a few foreign instructors, the artillery crew members were all black, so changing clothes wouldn't make them stand out at all.
The two cannons have already been loaded onto the ship and sent to Niri Liya, but not a single cannonball was brought. The cannonballs that Xia Yu mentioned were actually supplied by the people of Fa Guo.
That's right. As export products, both of these howitzers fire NATO 155mm shells that are launched from propellant charges.
The Germans, who wanted to save every penny, decided to provide shells for their own use directly, only willing to pay a usage fee of 500 euros per shell.
Calling them stingy is absolutely true; they already have a profit of 1,000 euros, and now they have to cut it in half again.
Go ahead and fire, but don't deplete your own 155mm shell inventory, or you won't have anywhere to replenish it.
Clever arms dealers have already started stockpiling artillery shells, while Xia Yu chooses to utilize the wasted time in the system to print 10,000 155mm shells this month and another 10,000 152mm shells next month.
Shells, even if they're ten or twenty years old, don't expire. And even if they do, they're easy to refurbish.
If he hoards them for four or five years, he can have a stockpile of five or six hundred thousand large-caliber artillery shells.
All Xia Yu had to give up was a series of bulk materials such as more than 20,000 tons of steel, copper, fertilizer, and pesticides.
With the ample cash flow provided by the museum, he can afford to stockpile these supplies. As long as he is careful not to be tracked, it doesn't matter if the price is a bit higher.
But anyway, I still hope for world peace!
If peace cannot be achieved, it might be better to stay out of it and add fuel to the fire, since a short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one.
…………
"Golden Monkey, your tanks have been delivered to Niriliya. We'll be able to see them when we get there tomorrow."
After helping the instructors settle the new employees in, Xia Yu spoke to the commander of the T-80U crew.
The other two crews inherited the codenames of the Giant Panda and the Cosmos Weasel crews.
In the newly added crew, the old commander, whose personality seemed very stable, immediately reminded him of another national treasure, the golden snub-nosed monkey.
And so, Lao Hu's code name was decided, while his gunner and driver were given the code names of Tibetan antelope and Père David's deer, respectively.
They're all national treasures, right? To be honest, it's not impossible.
In contrast, the two captains chose rather simple code names: one was called Flying Squirrel, and the other was called the Cold-Weather Bird.
The flying slug sounds just like the marsupial glider, a small mammal that can fly.
As for the cold-weather bird, it sounds like a bird, and most Chinese people who have studied this text think so too, since it is associated with magpies in the fable.
But its scientific name is actually *Sinosaurus chinensis*, or flying squirrel.
Yes, it is still a flying mammal, but it got the nickname "cold-weather bird" during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties.
This captain, who was born in a forest farm in Northeast China, saved a Siberian pheasant when he was a child. He never expected that he would have to give himself a code name when he went abroad to work, so he inherited the code name of his childhood friend without much thought.
"Cold-weather bird, your armed helicopters are here, but all our large items have been shipped out. You two will have to fly to Niriliya yourselves."
Xia Yu turned to the captain surnamed Han and said.
"A direct flight to Mari is a bit far, but transiting through Nirilya is fine. Don't worry about it, leave it to us!"
Long-range deployment of attack helicopters is also a mandatory course for the Army Aviation Corps, not to mention that they have two pilots who can take turns.
Xia Yu didn't have these conditions back then; flying over a thousand kilometers by himself was still very tiring.
"It's not just a transit point; you will also undergo acclimatization training in Nirilya. The main force will not be deployed to the Sahel region until mid-March."
Xia Yu then discussed the upcoming arrangements.
It's early March now. Newcomers should first experience real combat at Niriliya before venturing into more challenging desert regions.
He will lead an advance force into Niger to gather intelligence for the subsequent formal strikes.
"clear!"
The Siberian Flying Squirrel and the Flying Squirrel responded in unison.
They had long yearned for real combat; firing at targets 100 times wouldn't be as memorable as one actual battle.
But without 100 repetitions of rigorous training, they wouldn't be qualified to stand here.
More importantly, the millimeter-wave radar on the masthead can see more accurately and farther than traditional photoelectric heads.
The Longbow Cross Deer's combat power will be just like the Longbow Apache is stronger than the regular AH-64, possessing a greater overall combat capability than the Deer Tiger.
And so, the new employees, who had only been settled for a few days, put down their luggage that they didn't need for the time being, changed into the uniforms provided by the company, picked up their weapons, and boarded the C-160.
"Splash splash"
The Hanhao Bird crew took the lead, with all four heavy pylons loaded with auxiliary fuel tanks, and only the 30mm cannon turret was fully loaded.
For self-defense, a few hundred rounds of machine gun ammunition would be enough. Xia Yu, along with Lao Ke and Lao Hu, rode in a C-160.
The Fisher was left in China for the mother and daughter to use for transportation, but even here, he had to stay with his crew.
"Buzz"
Two turboprop engines provided enough lift to propel the transport aircraft into the sky, and Jihuo Defense officially began its new deployment mission, which will last for one quarter to six months.
The specific timeframe depends on the progress of the task; Xia Yu signed a contract with a relatively high degree of flexibility.
Jihuo Defense's combat capabilities deserve such treatment; other PMC companies don't offer such lenient terms.
As for overall profits, he always says that the French are too stingy, but apart from not making money from weapons and ammunition, the normal profits are far higher than what the black guys are asking for.
The problem is that while the United States has a robust logistics system capable of supplying ammunition, these countries in the Sahel region still face insufficient equipment and ammunition.
With the trust established during the last deployment, Xia Yu should be able to sell more weapons this time.
If you don't have money, you can use mineral deposits as collateral. He used to prefer cash over mineral deposits.
With a steady cash flow from its museum, Xia Yu has developed a greater fondness for various minerals, especially in the Sahel region.
The previous plan was to use the uranium mine in Chungfibilah to expand its influence throughout the Sahel. Now, the plan has been to directly plant a stake in the desert and establish a suitable outpost mine to prepare for the Afika gendarmes to take over after their decline and withdrawal.
For this reason, Xia Yu is now very willing to accept such barter transactions.
"Boss, you're finally back!"
The tail door of the transport plane opened, and Hans, who looked much more haggard, came forward to greet them.
Is this guy just tired, or just exhausted?
Xia Yu's gaze darted back and forth between his face and Dorothea's face behind him.
"The aircraft carrier museum is on track, of course I had to come back. Hua Mingtu, you look great!"
After he finished speaking, he greeted Dorothea again.
"Yes, as long as we take precautions against infectious diseases, I really like Afica's climate."
The other person didn't understand Xia Yu's meaning, but her radiant appearance clearly indicated that she was enjoying more than just the climate of Afica.
"By the way, boss, where's my nephew?"
Hans then asked about Xia Yu's little pomelo.
“He went back to China with his mother. Although he is still breastfeeding, you have to come with me to Maryland to earn money for baby formula.”
He seized the opportunity to speak.
As the child gets older, breast milk becomes less nutritious, so you either have to switch to formula or supplement with various complementary foods.
"Alright, alright, let's set off for Mali the day after tomorrow."
Even billionaires are short of money for baby formula, but he, a multi-millionaire, has plenty. However, at this crucial juncture, he really can't let Dorothea get pregnant.
It's unrealistic to expect a company to hire a field medic only to have one of them get pregnant, especially since we're currently in a period of rapid growth for concentrated firepower defense.
Hans felt it was necessary to keep a close eye on the company's ground armored forces for Xia Yu, and that it wouldn't be too late to have children in a few years.
"These are the new recruits replacing the giant pandas."
With that in mind, his attention shifted to the group of Asians who were walking out of the cargo hold, and he tried to memorize their faces.
"They are the new giant pandas and marsupials, oh, and this time there are golden snub-nosed monkeys too."
Xia Yu corrected Hans's grammatical error and formally announced the arrangements for the next phase.
“They are all top-notch selected personnel, and they are better prepared. Language is not a problem; they can communicate directly. This time, you will lead them to wipe out the remnants of the Boko Holy Land, while I will take the Leclerc UAE and the Mole Rats crew to Niger first.”
The integration of new and old drivers is very important. Hans and Kuhn are both unavailable, and they need to ensure a smooth handover between the three new crews.
Xia Yu, the boss, directs ground troops through them, without micromanaging specific vehicle crews.
In that case, it would be more appropriate for him to be in charge of scouting ahead in the Sahel region.
"Yes, boss, be careful!"
Hans knew the priorities and accepted the assignment without hesitation.
He then walked over to the new employees, greeted them in broken Chinese, and asked others to help with their luggage.
Large items were loaded onto the vehicle, while smaller items were carried directly onto the Chinook truck.
After they had finished their work, the Longbow Cross Deer, which had attacked first, also came into view.
This is Afika. Apart from the radar at the main airport, the old-fashioned air defense missile radar is never turned on, so there is no air defense to speak of. Aircraft, whether registered or not, are mostly invisible.
"Boss, this is our new doe."
Without anyone noticing, Andrei was standing behind Xia Yu.
"Yes, if our old Hind is the gunner, then it is the most accurate sniper. With its large-caliber machine gun and more accurate missiles, and rockets with eyes, its destructive power against vehicles has more than doubled."
Xia Yu praised the Longbow Cross Deer without reservation.
Even the weakness in killing personnel was made up for by the machine gun pod. From all aspects, this is a perfect product.
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