For several hundred to a thousand dollars a night, you don't have to worry about water or power outages, which are common in Afica. You can enjoy the most attentive and thoughtful service, with decorations and facilities on par with the world's mainstream five-star hotels.
As long as you're not too strapped for cash, this is the best choice for those with a comfortable or middle-class lifestyle.
Their numbers far exceeded those of the rich man. During their stay in Konglujia, aside from museum expenses, everything else—food, lodging, and transportation—cost money.
Xia Yu felt that the project had great potential, but Jihuo Defense alone could not afford the hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, after all, the third phase of the project had already cost several hundred million dollars.
He took the lead, investing $50 million to secure a 40% share, and raised $150 million from external sources for the remaining 60%.
Yes, you need to pay a premium to enter the market.
These supporting projects are not the business center of Jihuo Defense, so there is no need to be concerned about the 51% shareholding. Xia Yu also gave 10% of the 40% to the employees for subscription.
Because of the generous benefits and the fact that they've already bought RVs and don't have many expenses, they have spare cash but lack investment opportunities. Investing in this is definitely a sure-fire way to make money.
Not only was there no risk, but the returns were also higher than those of financial products, so employees naturally participated enthusiastically, and $18.75 million was quickly raised.
Compared to the 100% premium of external capital, the internal price has a 50% discount. However, the hotel shares are not for life; after employees leave, the company will repurchase them and resell them internally.
This is also because Jihuo Defense employs a significant number of short-term staff.
We should allow them to enjoy the benefits of the policies, but we also shouldn't let them make mistakes. It's perfectly fine for them to earn a reasonable and compliant income while they are employed.
In this way, Xia Yu spent more than 30 million yuan to secure the supporting facilities for the museum's high-end hotel.
Holding 30% of the shares is enough; the cash flow he saves can be invested in other projects.
Xia Yu always kept in mind the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
Due to the importance of uranium mines, the company adopts a direct operation model for its mining sector. However, for less sensitive projects, cooperative development can achieve the same or even greater profits with less manpower and effort.
For example, the gold mines that he has never been involved in!
The profits from seizing those illegal mines are quick money, but they are unstable and wasteful.
After the withdrawal, the new crops grew too slowly, and with the development of the concentrated fire defense system to this point, it's time for Xia Yu to personally get involved, even if it's through cooperation.
In Afika, the Sahel region is also a well-known gold mining area. As long as more than 20 mines can be operated, Xia Yu can assemble more than 20 Weasel S3 or BTR-82S vehicles to be stationed at the mines, depending on the size of the operation.
Several mines share one armed AS550. The Little Antelope Xia Yu is still for sale, but it has become a substitute for the Fennec Fox, just a product to make friends with poor guys.
For those guys who have a little bit of ability but can't afford a new machine, Jihuo Defense is now strongly recommending used Fennec Fox and old female Deer.
They come in both large and small sizes; you can choose the one that best suits your specific needs.
The stock of Mi-24V and Mi-24P aircraft in Xiayu has remained at around 20 aircraft for most years, while the AS550 is relatively scarce.
Excluding the 6 helicopters used by the company, he has less than 10 in stock, as they are new light helicopter platforms that are replacing the Gazelle.
Similarly, this is also why fennec foxes can fetch a high price.
Whenever he has free time, Xia Yu will travel to more than a dozen countries that are equipped with this helicopter, or chat with the locals.
Their AS550s were the first to be deployed, and after so many years of use, it's time to retire them and replace them with new ones. If you don't switch to Eurocopters, where will you get the orders?
The Tiger and NH-90 are so bad, yet so expensive, isn't it just because there are too few orders?
The reason why the Russian Mi-17 series can be sold so cheaply is because of the terrifying production capacity accumulated over decades.
Buying more new aircraft is the best support for businesses.
Even retired second-hand vehicles can be sold to recoup losses, allowing poor guys to enjoy top-of-the-line military light helicopters.
The Americans still have the Little Bird to save face, while the Russians' Ka-26 series is not well-known, and their home country's red Dolphin is a heavy aircraft among light aircraft (4 tons).
Only the old European light helicopters weighing around 2 tons made the best, balancing firepower and protection, which led to the production of nearly 2,000 Gazelle helicopters.
When dealing in secondhand military equipment, one can't avoid mentioning Chinese people.
However, just like the A-400M, it's hard to say how many more years we can rely on this legacy.
…………
Just as Xia Yu was watching the squadron training and talking about the Germans, the Germans started talking about him too.
"General, this is a message from Bacoma."
In the Balal neighborhood of Bali's 15th district, in the hexagonal building (the Ministry of National Defense of the United States) that Xia Yu had visited before, a lieutenant colonel handed a document to a general behind a desk.
In their language, Bakoma, the capital of Mali, specifically refers to the command headquarters of Operation Barkhane, and this document is the message sent back home by the Sahel garrison.
"It's gotten chaotic again. These extremist groups and opposition armed groups are increasing despite our efforts to suppress them, and our troops have no deterrent effect whatsoever."
As the general flipped through the documents, he couldn't help but mutter complaints under his breath.
These are things that can be criticized, such as their plundering of local mineral resources and hindering their economic development. As the number of Black people increases, hunger and tribal conflicts (resource allocation) have spurred the development of extremist groups and armed opposition groups. These are issues that cannot be discussed.
Yes, no one who becomes a general is a fool; it's just that you have to say what you're supposed to say depending on which side you're on.
Perhaps when he retires and they are forced to leave Afica, he will finally be able to speak out about the many things he has been holding back.
They now need to find ways to maintain their influence in the Sahel region.
Yes, under the guise of counter-terrorism.
There's nothing wrong with fighting terrorism; we can't leave extremist groups and opposition armed groups that commit murder and arson unpunished.
Even if the Koreans leave, the local area can only develop its economy in a stable manner after cleaning up its houses.
However, the military's counter-terrorism efforts are more like a facade; they only put in as much effort as the government allocates for specific budgets.
Limited by their own combat capabilities and considering casualties, it is common for companies to outsource strike and patrol operations to PMC companies.
"Should we launch a new offensive, just like last year?"
The lieutenant colonel asked the general.
"Of course, but we'll have to wait until next year. It's not advisable to launch military operations during the Christmas season. After the New Year, we will formulate a three-phase strike and cleanup plan."
The general gave an affirmative answer.
They crack down on it every six months, and each crackdown lasts for six months.
The Sahel region has fewer than 5,000 troops stationed there, and they simply cannot sustain fighting every day. Therefore, their daily duties mainly consist of defense, patrols, and training of the local government forces.
They concentrate resources on intensive strikes, only once or twice a year.
Each strike is further divided into three phases, with the initial and final phases being handled by the strikers themselves.
This is easy to understand. When they personally get involved, they choose the easier tasks and outsource the more difficult ones.
During the period when the military, opposition armed groups, and extremist organizations were at peace, they weren't idle either. The data and intelligence they collected enabled them to achieve a good start in the initial stages of the attack.
But once all those goals were achieved and the situation reached a stalemate, they became like headless flies, unable to find their objective.
Or they might feel they'd definitely suffer losses if things escalated, so they simply leave these tough nuts to the PMC companies.
Therefore, the main force in this second phase is private military contractors, while the military is only responsible for supporting them and providing some equipment support.
Once these PMC companies received their compensation, they also achieved their goals, and the military operation entered its third phase—the final stage!
The risk was minimal, and it was convenient to bring reporters along for publicity, so the military naturally agreed without hesitation.
As for military weak countries like Nizhiliya, they couldn't even clean up the mess properly. After a few days of rest, Hans and his men were still running around in the forest with the enemy!
Fortunately, the intensity wasn't too high, and the absence of Xia Yu, the ace boss, didn't affect his performance.
"For the first phase, let Bacoma provide a plan. As for which companies to cooperate with in the second phase, I don't care about anything else, but this concentrated fire defense is indispensable."
The general emphasized the importance of concentrated fire defense.
He was deeply impressed by this PMC company; although the number of employees was not large, their equipment was absolutely top-notch.
The other side even had their Leclerc tanks, which used the power pack of the German Leopard 2, not purebred German vehicles.
Purebred German cars are fine elsewhere, but they're guaranteed to break down in the Sahel region. Not only do they not have any deployments there, but they've also never sold their original SACMV8X1500 supercharged diesel engines to outsiders.
"I heard they've reinforced their air power again."
The general then inquired of the lieutenant colonel.
"Yes, they purchased two F-16s from York and have completed their modernization!"
The lieutenant colonel gave an affirmative answer.
"What's so great about American fighter jets? They should buy Mirage 2000s."
The old general was very patriotic and wanted more countries and PMC companies to use their country's fighter jets.
Xia Yu's achievements were all from shooting down Chinese-made fighters. Delta-wing fighters were not his top priority in his collection, let alone being equipped with them.
Or we could consider getting a used Rafale!
Capable of air combat, ground attack, and carrier catapult launch, the Rafale is truly a perfect multi-role fighter jet, except for its relatively high price.
There are many countries where you can buy the equipment, but there isn't a single PMC company that actually uses the Rafale.
The high price is only one aspect; another is that the US does not sell this fighter jet to private military contractors.
"However, this way, they can take on more ground attack contracts."
The general then asked.
Taking into account public opinion, the military limited the number of fighter jets operated by troops stationed in the Sahel region, and this year one of them was shot down by an extremist group.
Another Mirage-2000D was transferred from China, but the number was still not enough.
Thus, every single fighter jet operated by PMC, a company they collaborate with, is taken into consideration by them.
"Yes, General, the F-16's payload is quite good, even better than the Mirage F1, but its operating cost per unit hour is also higher."
The lieutenant colonel implied to his superiors that the cost of concentrated fire defense would be very high.
"Then they should operate more Phantoms."
When it comes to money, the general no longer dwells on the Mirage-2000, which, like the Mirage F1, is an old aircraft, but the F-4K is cheaper and has a larger payload.
But if they're this conscientious, Jihuo Defense's profits will be reduced.
Only by switching to the red Fighting Falcon can we increase the price. One Spey Phantom is enough to support the poor guys in Afica; having more is pointless.
"They operated several Phantoms, and even our Super Etendard, but it seems they were all used for the aircraft carrier museum project."
Thinking of the rare sight of the Brest Naval Shipyard, the lieutenant colonel mentioned it again.
"Right, right, I almost forgot, this guy is really good at making money!"
"Thinking of their Foch (Saint Paul) returning to its home port," the general couldn't help but say.
"It's precisely because they can make money that the other party prefers to use military equipment to offset contract payments. A lot of their equipment is obtained through trade, and of course, there are also Germans rushing to deliver new cars."
The lieutenant colonel said with a hint of sourness.
If he can't afford to give it to others, he won't allow others to sponsor it either. No wonder Grandet is a Frenchman.
"The Germans are quite good at business, but it's good to be able to offset costs with equipment. Getting budget approval is much more troublesome than retiring equipment."
The general, however, offered a different opinion.
It's just that it's not sensitive equipment; they can replace anything, and the freed-up positions can be replaced with new ones.
“Bakoma’s authority to locate the other party is too low. We should have him come directly to the Ministry of Defense.”
After reviewing the documents, the general concluded.
"I'll go ask!"
The lieutenant colonel turned and left the office.
They are from the Ministry of National Defense, not the Bureau of External Security, so they were unaware that Xia Yu was currently in the country.
…………
"I understand about the operations in the Sahel region, let's do it this week!"
A week later, Xia Yu, who was taking a nap in the presidential suite of the São Paulo, received a satellite phone call.
It was his contact person calling, let's hear it!
The other party expressed their willingness to meet with him, which indicated that they were finally going to take action—the annual clearing operation.
A single deployment could not wipe out Boko Haram, a force of less than 10,000 people, and the same would be true for the tens of thousands of armed groups in the entire Sahel region.
The Chinese only intend to crack down on two or three thousand people each year as a show.
With the assistance of concentrated fire defense, they have exceeded their mission targets this year. Now that the year is drawing to a close, they are planning their strike operations for next year.
Having ended her room stay early, Xia Yu quickly got up, went to her desk, and turned on her computer.
If the other party takes the initiative to contact him, he should also make some preparations in advance to see what other interesting things they have to offer.
Once the third phase of the project was operational, it was as if a money-printing machine had been turned on. Therefore, Xia Yu was not interested in money at the moment. He only wanted to take this opportunity to acquire some things that were hard to buy even with money, in order to improve the combat effectiveness of Jihuo Defense.
"boom"
Xia Yu had been working on the document for over an hour when the noise of a fighter jet taking off from the window interrupted his train of thought.
This is what daily life is like on an aircraft carrier!
After the aircraft carrier museum officially opened, the wealthy men living on the ship could only rest during fixed time periods. It was fine at night, but they couldn't sleep in during the day, and they couldn't take a nap all afternoon either.
Having lost his train of thought, Xia Yu closed his computer screen and took the elevator to the flight deck.
He was going to the hotel; Liv had always lived on the shore, where it was quiet.
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