"Therefore, you wish to hire Concentrated Firepower to seize all enriched uranium left over from the Gaddafi era at Libya."
While Bali police were conducting a cleanup operation in Section 15, Xia Yu, who had just returned to Virakupurai Air Base, only drank a glass of champagne before chatting with the Malaysians about their upcoming business.
"And there's the armory that guy left behind. Besides conventional weapons and chemical weapons, there might also be stockpiled yellowcake."
"This is what the Chief of the Defense Staff, François, who had previously dealt with Xia Yu, replied to Xia Yu."
"The reason why the Azawad Coordination Movement has caused such a big commotion is because the Tuareg people obtained one of their arms depots. In order to prevent a second such organization from emerging, we need to find all of their old military equipment."
Yes, the main offensive of Operation Barkhane in 2018, which captured Kedar and drove the Azawad Coordinating Movement from the Tinkbatu line into the desert, cost the military nearly 600 million euros in its own expenses and the budget for hiring concentrated fire defense.
Instead of wasting so much money, why not take this opportunity to allocate a special fund to address both the proliferation threats of enriched uranium and conventional weapons?
Of course, this money cannot be entirely paid by Libya; the conventional weapons Libya uses to expand into the Sahel region are aimed at their troops.
Weapons smuggled into Europe are also brought in along with illegal immigrants.
Libya lacks weapons, but it lacks heavy equipment. AKs, both new and old, are in ample supply, so a considerable number of illegal light weapons are continuously flowing into Europe.
According to survey data, 3,600 criminal organizations in the Greater America and Western Europe possess weapons originating from Libya.
Now that the Chinese have taken the lead, other EU countries will naturally follow suit and contribute money.
Small and poor countries can contribute less, but for a powerful country like Germany, whose GDP exceeds that of Japan, contributing less would be a loss of face.
As for the UK, they held a referendum to leave the EU two years ago, and even if the formalities take a few more years, they can no longer be considered EU members.
Most of the smuggled weapons circulating in their country also come from Eastern Europe, so they definitely can't afford to pay that amount.
However, as the gatekeepers of the five philanthropists, they cannot escape the fundraising for the eradication of enriched uranium, and the other three also have to contribute a few million as a token.
Consider it an extra quarterly fee to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The root cause of this terrorist attack is that the IAEA has a limited budget and is unable to handle the legacy of enriched uranium in Libya.
It's a case of better late than never, but the bulk of the funding still falls on Europeans who are closer to the Philippines.
"The cleanup of enriched uranium and legacy weapons would cost around 1 billion euros combined. Would Focusfire Defense be willing to take on this contract?"
The old Buddha smiled and asked Xia Yu.
"Yes, of course we are willing. It would be an honor for Jihuo Defense."
Xia Yu said without hesitation.
This is a whopping 1 billion euros! Mr. Huang is definitely going to become the famous detective of the PMC and animal kingdoms.
It's just about finding Colonel Gaddafi's secret arms depot. We can dig up the old Gaddafi family's ancestral graves for you. Besides, he had previously refused business there because he didn't want to get involved in the situation in Libya, which was too complicated.
Now, Firepower Defense, operating under the guise of the EU and the UN, can openly enter Libya to clear out enriched uranium and legacy weapons.
It also allows the company's influence to extend to the North Philippines, which is what Xia Yu values most besides money.
Modern Chinese people don't engage in the struggle for supremacy, but from the Cape of Good Hope to Tripoli, from Nirilya to Thomson, the vast Afica will all whisper the name of Sherlock Holmes.
One day, through his own efforts, he will be crowned the chief of the entire private military contracting zone... well, chieftain!
"That's great. I hope we can continue to work together happily. This matter needs to be pushed forward gradually."
François continued.
"It will probably be next year by the time it's finalized, but we hope your company can start operations in Libya next month. We are willing to make an advance payment."
The Germans are truly terrified this time. Their capital has been attacked and cannons have been fired upon. How can they possibly have the face to continue leading Europe?
In the past, whenever we did anything, Congress would scrimp and save on budget approvals, which was very unpleasant.
This time, the money was prepared in advance, and we must search every corner of Libya thoroughly.
Of course, they could search for it themselves, but getting involved in Libya again would be too high-profile, and most importantly, it would be very uneconomical.
The Germans are willing to spend 300 million euros and get involved themselves; this amount of money is definitely not enough to stop them.
But if I contribute 300 million, you contribute 200 million, and he contributes 100 million to make a total of 1 billion, hiring a third-party company to go to Libya would be incredibly cost-effective.
"The Jihuo Defense team will be able to complete the deployment of the first batch of personnel and equipment by mid-next month."
It's already the end of September, and two weeks of rest is more than enough. This deployment to Europe is not long, but all the employees in the company, including him, are on high alert.
Given that their vacation was interrupted, it's normal to make up for it with extra work now.
Xia Yu could also return to Mecklenburg to spend time with his wife and children, but before that, they still needed to settle the payment for this deployment.
That 1 billion euros is for the next phase of the business. In this phase, we need to act quickly and prioritize getting the job done first, and then we'll discuss compensation.
This matter was not Lao Fo's responsibility. After Xia Yu took a nap, a special working group was formed the next day to coordinate with Ji Huo Defense.
“Money is important, but for Jihuo Defense, it’s not the most important thing. We hope to exchange some of the cash for physical goods, some future physical goods.”
Xia Yu set the tone for today's negotiations.
As before, he prefers to offset contract payments with physical goods. What's special this time is that he doesn't want physical equipment; he wants "futures equipment."
Because at this stage, the concentrated fire defense is not really lacking in combat readiness. Even if it is to cooperate with the T-80BVM to expand the French main battle tanks, it will be to get the Leclerc UAE from the UAE.
At most, we can find some French people to upgrade the fire control system, and then it can fire HM3M programmable grenades.
So this "futures equipment" was prepared for the Afica War Museum.
"Please be more specific, Mr. Sherlock, so that we can give you an accurate answer after submitting our assessment."
The head of the working group said politely to Xia Yu.
"Then I'll be frank. Your country's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier officially entered service in 2001 and has been in service for 18 years. Meanwhile, the next-generation nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Pang, will begin construction in 2026."
Xia Yu steered the conversation toward the Charles de Gaulle.
He wasn't after the aircraft carrier. The French had a well-thought-out plan: the Pangong Treasure would undergo sea trials in 1937. But they couldn't even guarantee construction would begin in 1926, so it wouldn't be surprising if the sea trials were delayed for 1940.
Therefore, it is not realistic to salvage the Charles de Gaulle's junk, but the C-13-3 steam catapults from the aircraft carrier would be very suitable to be removed and installed on the São Paulo.
Even after some modifications, the performance of the original BS5 steam catapult was still mediocre.
To launch an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet with a full load of missiles, the internal fuel must be reduced to a minimum before refueling in the air.
If we replace it with a twin-engine heavy fighter jet with a maximum takeoff weight of 30 tons, such as the Mirage 4000, the BS5 cannot be used for catapult launch at all. It must be lightweighted and then replaced with the C-13-3.
Moreover, it has to be a special edition of the 40,000-ton Charles de Gaulle. The American C-13-3 catapult has a longer acceleration stroke, and forcibly installing it on the São Paulo would not only be a huge engineering project, but also visually incongruous.
Buying a brand new short-range special edition is too expensive and doesn't fit Xia Yu's style, but getting a used C-13-3 from a Taiwanese person and refurbishing it is the best solution.
Steam catapults, like tank gun barrels, have a design life. They can launch even beyond this lifespan, but in some cases, their performance indicators will fail to meet the standards required for actual combat.
In this situation, the aircraft carrier must replace its catapults, but commercial operations will not involve the full-capacity launches seen in actual combat.
Logically, Xia Yu's needs make sense. So, when the Charles de Gaulle needs to replace its steam catapults or switch to electromagnetic catapults more than a decade later, what's wrong with selling the obsolete C-13-3 steam catapults to the other party?
This is what is known as "futures equipment." He first uses the payment to reserve the equipment, and it's not too late to hand it over once his hometown has thoroughly studied the Mirage-4000 and come up with a shipboard modification plan.
As for unforeseen circumstances, such as whether the French would back out, Xia Yu was not worried.
No one owes him anything. Even though it was his first business venture that bankrupted the client, we successfully got our revenge. However, Xia Yu no longer cares about those hundreds of thousands; he left them to his parents as pocket money.
From his current perspective, he no longer needs to worry about the client defaulting on their payment. As the esteemed system host, Xia Yu has plenty of ways to make up for it.
The key now is that the Germans agree to this futures deal and reserve two catapults (one for installation and one for disassembly).
"So, Mr. Xia, do you need the two C-13-3 steam catapults from the Charles de Gaulle? We will report this to our superiors."
The person in charge took notes while replying.
"The next thing is the Rafale M carrier-based aircraft. We hope to import 3 to 6 Rafale M aircraft to match the catapult system."
Xia Yu continued to offer a price.
The land-based Rafale is very popular in the second-hand market, but the carrier-based version is impossible to sell second-hand. If India were to switch to China, at most they would buy General Electric's electromagnetic catapult after the MiG-29K crashes, install it on the aircraft carrier, and then purchase a batch of brand-new Rafale M carrier-based aircraft.
They only get kickbacks on new machines; they don't care about the meager profits from used machines. Besides, doesn't a major South Asian country have any pride?
We must buy new ones, brand new ones.
In Xia Yu's hands, a second-hand machine is just as good as a brand-new one. He doesn't mind. It's just a bit troublesome to convert a single-seat aircraft into a two-seat one, but it's still simpler than converting a Mirage-4000 into a carrier-based aircraft. He has faith in the strength of his hometown.
"Okay, 3 to 6 Rafale M aircraft. The Navy does have a plan to phase out the first batch of Rafale M aircraft in the next 10 years. I believe the higher-ups will definitely approve it."
The person in charge continued taking notes.
His words seemed a bit too confident, but the fact that Jihuo Defense thwarted Ace's terrorist attack on Bali yesterday is not something that can be settled simply by exchanging money for services.
Besides money, the people of the Fa Kingdom also owed Xia Yu and Ji Huo Defense a favor. They devised the Libya clearing plan partly to eliminate their own hidden dangers and partly to repay some of the favors owed.
Now that the other party has taken into account their equipment replacement cycle and ordered steam catapults and Rafale M carrier-based aircraft 10 years from now, both morally and logically, they have to carefully consider the other party's needs.
"On this basis, we are willing to pay an additional 100 million euros in cash and select a castle in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region as the European office of Firepower Defense."
After considering the value of Xia Yu's two requirements, the person in charge added a quote.
France has many castles, and their scenery is just as beautiful as Germany's. Since Jihuo Defense holds a French business license, why not set up a branch office in France?
Just because his wife is German
That's one reason, but it seems the Koreans are jealous.
Xia Yu also understood the implication in the other party's words. The self-proclaimed leader of Europe, the Gallic Rooster, had been soundly defeated by the United States in World War II. Now that the economy had recovered, the United States still looked down on the Hansmiao, who was stationed in the United States.
The same applies to the military contracting sector; the problem is that the entry of Concentrated Firepower has disrupted this balance.
Now that they have such a good opportunity, the other party will definitely want to turn the tables. They won't necessarily let Xia Yuqian Company move, but they will need to have an office in China that is the same size as their European branch.
Moreover, while it's still a castle, its location has changed from northern Germany to near the Mediterranean Sea, allowing for faster communication with the Philippines.
"this…"
"Sherlock, please rest assured, the two VBCI infantry fighting vehicles are a gift to your company for use in Europe. However, the Germans probably won't welcome our big eight-wheeled vehicles from Germany, so we'll need a place to park them within Germany."
The other party's words made perfect sense, and Xia Yu couldn't refute them.
The company only uses one type of wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, the BTR-82S, in Afica, and it is also equipped with a VBCI caliber. It is not very convenient to use, so it is only suitable for leaving in Europe to carry out counter-terrorism operations.
The world is slowly becoming chaotic, and terrorist attacks in Europe will only increase. Having a branch office and an office can help take care of both directions in Europe.
Not to mention that the venue was provided for free; the parent company only needed to invest in construction costs and then recruit staff…
Um
Could that 100 million euros be the budget for these expenses?
Xia Yu astutely connected the two: the construction involved hiring local laborers, and the personnel were recruited locally. Once he accepted the site, he could truly earn and spend money locally, without taking a single penny back to Afica.
It doesn't seem bad, after all, it's a castle!
Besides the underground bunkers and palaces, Xia Yu is most drawn to ancient stone buildings like castles.
These foreigners had clearly studied his preferences, and now they were directly catering to them, which he simply couldn't refuse.
"This, this isn't quite right!"
Xia Yu declined somewhat insincerely.
"It's just a castle. We have plenty of those in our country. The surrounding land is worth at most tens of millions of euros. It's worthless."
The person in charge also naturally offered some advice.
He was telling the truth. Castles aren't expensive in Europe, but the holding costs are quite staggering. But with 100 million euros in cash attached, the holding costs are offset.
The other party was quite sincere, and if Xia Yu refused again, it would seem heartless, so he could only reluctantly accept it.
"Then let's go take a look."
After expressing his willingness to set up such an office, Xia Yu wanted to conduct an on-site inspection to see how it should be renovated.
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