Over the next two days, Xia Yu traveled to many more places until Kuhn and his group arrived in Oga.
"Tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored ambulances converted from infantry fighting vehicles, Thomas, do you really think this is necessary?!"
Watching the scene of the fire defense unloading trucks, a soldier said to his companion.
"Lance, don't you think this is cool and makes you feel safe?"
My companions expressed a different opinion.
“That’s true, but what if they get stranded in the desert? Think about why we didn’t bring Leclerc.”
The two men were from the 7th Armored Brigade, but this deployment only included a mechanized infantry battalion; the adjacent tank battalion was not mobilized.
"It's probably because that SACMV8X engine is too bad; everyone in the Arab world knows that."
Thomas couldn't help but complain.
It's really terrible. An 8-cylinder engine that's supposed to produce 1,500 horsepower would have to be designed to be compact and tight. If it breaks down on the battlefield, there's nowhere to get it repaired.
Although the entire power pack can be replaced, its power reduction is very noticeable in tropical and high-temperature environments.
This is also why the Allianz version of the Leclerc uses the MTUMT-883 engine and the HSWL-295TM automatic transmission.
Yes, the European power pack for the Leopard 2 is still more reliable.
The people of the country themselves knew this, so they simply didn't need to use any of Afica's deployments.
"That's only one reason. More importantly, we have VBCI, and our opponents don't have tanks, so it's the strongest."
It's clear that Lance really likes their big eight-wheeler.
Who wouldn't love a new car? Although the VBCI has an aluminum alloy body, titanium alloy add-on armor can be installed on all sides of the vehicle, including the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom.
It's RPG resistant, assault resistant, and mine resistant—isn't that much better than those weasels?
Looking down on weasels
The young man was clearly unaware that the weasels of Jihuo Defense were also covered in titanium alloy armor.
Xia Yu is serious about protection; even if VBCI is a new car, it can't be used for staged accidents.
However, letting them know that the concentrated fire defenses are also equipped with Leclerc missiles might make them even more vulnerable.
If you ask why, it's because Xia Yu has the Tiger Style.
After unloading the truck, he told Kuhn and the others to go wash up and rest, and then he, the boss, went to Monier's office.
It doesn't matter that the yellow weasel crew hasn't all arrived; they can carry out their combat zone patrol contracts first.
This is an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the Oga combat environment; everyone needs to get into the swing of things as quickly as possible.
"Sector D, you guys go patrol Sector D."
Monier pointed to the map and said.
“We’ve cleared out the area several times in the past year, but because it’s so close to the border, they come back soon.”
The D area on the map is about 150 kilometers from the camp, which is very close to the border between Kinabalu and Niger.
"This geographical location is too special. Only by making war zone patrols a regular practice can we stop them from continuously entering Mari."
Xia Yu also frowned as he spoke.
Jihadists are not active in one country, and the Tuareg are scattered in many places.
"Yes, the domestic budget for this area has increased."
It won't work if we don't add money; if we don't add money, we'll have to send more equipment and more soldiers.
In comparison, it would be more appropriate to subcontract the extra work to PMC companies.
"The standard rate for soldiers on patrol is 2,500 euros per day. As for tanks... you are the only contractor who brought tanks. Based on the standard for infantry fighting vehicles, let's say it's 30,000 euros a day!"
Monier and Xia Yu discussed the price.
Because of the mismatch between weapons, ammunition, and logistical maintenance, the French could only contract for fuel and transportation, so the price was not low.
The S30 Weasel is also worth 30,000, while the S3, which is a level weaker in firepower, is only worth 25,000. The K1 is only worth 15,000. And this is the exclusive clause for concentrated fire defense, since they have their own medical services and do not need the base's resources.
The Tiger armored vehicle is even cheaper, priced at only 5,000 euros per day, in the same price range as the VABs like the Golden Oak.
All these factors combined mean that the basic income for a single combat zone patrol is 180,000 euros.
For example, the VBCI infantry fighting vehicle, which is used to replace the AMX-10P, costs the military 3.5 million euros per vehicle. The money saved from one of these vehicles is enough to hire concentrated fire defense zone patrols (once every three days) for two months.
That's too cheap. The Tiger tank in the museum generates more than that profit every day, yet it's only this price without firing a single shot.
Other PMC companies wouldn't be able to get this level because their equipment is too inferior.
The same goes for people; their standard of care is generally between 1,800 and 2,000 euros per day, and a single Tiger gun can hire four people to work a day.
However, prices cannot be compared so simply. This is just the minimum income. If a battle breaks out during the patrol and the attackers are killed, the price can increase several times depending on the intensity.
Then there are the real money-burning machines: helicopters and fighter jets.
The female Hind patrol, armed with missiles, costs 100,000 euros per launch. Clearing out rocket pods and machine gun turrets costs 450,000 euros (prices have increased). The HOT-3 is domestically produced and has old stock. Xia Yu just charges a platform launch fee, about 8,000 euros per rocket!
Actually, they really want to ask you, since the Mi-24V can already fire HOT3 missiles, could you upgrade it to a 22-cell Sneb 68mm rocket pod? We'd offer a cheaper price for that.
It's possible, but wouldn't Xia Yu be at a disadvantage? They're definitely not a good match!
We can only use fewer expensive rockets and consume more of our old missile stockpile, since these are military expenditures from the last century, which is equivalent to only about 8,000 yuan.
Using this money to buy a pickup truck is better than spending $100,000 on a Hellfire; the Chinese are still very thrifty.
The same applies to fighter jets; an F-4K flight costs 200,000 euros, and the original $500,000 package of 18 iron bombs has been reduced to 90,000 euros.
Precision-guided bombs are better; GBU-12 (500 lbs) costs 20,000 yuan each, GBU-16 (1000 lbs) costs 35,000 yuan each, and GBU-10 (2000 lbs) costs 50,000 yuan each.
The GBU-10 inside is just for show; a 2,000-pound bomb weighs almost a ton and is used for demolishing buildings, while there are no buildings in the entire Oga that exceed five stories.
Although the price wasn't as high as the one we gave the Black guy, the Chinese have a stronger desire to consume and a higher frequency of consumption. A steady stream of business is still a good thing!
Secondly, Xia Yu's purpose in coming here this time wasn't solely to make money; he planned to find opportunities to get things that were difficult to obtain even with money.
The turnover should be able to reach an average of seven or eight million euros per month, and it's not impossible to break ten million with a little effort.
After all, the battlefield is the entire Sahel region, and this battle is far from over!
After completing this deployment, the withdrawal will not be a complete withdrawal; Xia Yu will leave half of his people here.
When he returns after the New Year, he will be able to recruit new employees and expand the business again.
We aim to be able to operate on two fronts and deploy resources in multiple locations.
There was no way around it; he played brilliantly. The French were reluctant to let him go, but developing new markets was equally important.
All good things must come to an end, and no action lasts forever. Operation Barkhane will eventually come to a close.
Therefore, in Xia Yu's view, this was just a mid-term meal ticket.
Of course, with the Germans gone, the middlemen are eliminated.
At that point, it wouldn't be right for the Black brothers not to pay extra; how could they prove their friendship without paying extra?
"Then I'll be going now. I'll leave tomorrow morning."
After signing both contracts and taking his copy, Xia Yu got up to leave.
"Okay, if all goes well we'll see you next week. Have a safe trip."
Monier's blessing on the concentrated fire defense road.
After all, the pressure on their side can be reduced if the opponent plays well.
He didn't want the camp to keep flying its flag at half-mast every week and making the news every month.
No, making the news is good too, but it has to be about how many enemies were killed and how many of our side suffered no losses.
What's a little money to spend on this?
Nothing more was said that night, and Kuhn and his companions, who had just arrived at the camp, set off on their journey again.
It's only 150 kilometers, and a helicopter can get there in just over half an hour.
All the containers and other equipment were left behind, and all the vehicles in the three Renaults belonging to Jihuo Defense arrived at the border outpost before noon.
A low wall surrounded the area, made of ton bags filled with gravel. The airport camp's walls are two-layered, but here there is only one layer, enclosing a larger ring of diagonally placed shipping containers inside.
Further inside, the containers were stacked two layers high, and Xia Yu also saw solar photovoltaic panels.
That's true. Given the noise level of the generator, it's impossible for it to work continuously, and Afica has no shortage of sunlight.
A platoon of infantry, totaling 39 men, is stationed here, while the container barracks here can accommodate at most a company.
Because of the sandstorms, no one lives in tents here. In addition, it is a temporary outpost, and it is not convenient to set up prefabricated houses. Container houses are the easiest to transport, and they can be set up and evacuated quickly.
The cave sub-base didn't have time for interior and exterior decoration, so Xia Yu directly built container villas, using three vehicles to create six containers. The functionality is very complete, the only drawback is that the lighting is not very good.
If all else fails, let's do the same with that uranium mine on the Philippine-Chongqing border; at least it's better than tents.
After finding Dominic, the platoon leader in charge of the outpost, Euro made arrangements, and all the men moved into nine newer barracks.
Apart from Xia Yu and Li Fu who stayed in single rooms, most of the others stayed in four-person or six-person rooms, but these were mainly for sleeping; they were there to work.
"Meow meow"
As soon as Mimi was taken off the helicopter, she struggled to get down to the ground, but as soon as her four feet touched the ground, the scorching sand burned her so much that the whole leopard clung to Xia Yu's leg.
The desert isn't fun; she wants to go back to the grasslands.
In fact, there are cheetahs in the desert, called Sahara cheetahs. They are nocturnal, thin and pitiful, and their population has dwindled to 250, making their lives even more difficult than their grassland relatives.
Xia Yu grabbed Mimi by the scruff of her neck and handed her to Liv.
"Dominic told me there are rats here. Mimi just finished weaning these past few days, so it's time for her to learn to support herself through work."
“Xia, you should be called Shylock, not Sherlock.”
Liv was petting the cat while complaining.
“I am not Jewish, nor do I lend money at exorbitant interest rates.”
Xia Yu retorted.
Furthermore, he does not cut off a single pound of flesh from a person.
"But to be honest, were people already criticizing those people back in Shakespeare's time?"
Xia Yu remembers that Shakespeare was from the 16th century.
"That's right. I remember we rehearsed the play 'The Merchant of Venice' in junior high school. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye."
Liv said with emotion.
Their extracurricular activities are quite rich. Xia Yu is always sitting in the audience; you can only catch him during things like choral singing.
"Let me guess, our smart and beautiful Liv is definitely playing Portia, isn't she?"
"Hans must have told you, right?"
Liv was surprised that Xia Yu guessed it right away, and quickly asked.
“I am Sherlock, the Sherlock Holmes, but I should change my name to Antonio. Only a philanthropic and generous wealthy merchant can marry the witty and intelligent Portia, can’t he?”
I'm so grateful that back in my school days, I spent one or two hundred-yuan bills to buy the new curriculum's required reading list!
Although the book had long been sold as scrap, the general plot was still in Xia Yu's mind, and he could still pick up on the gist of it.
"Who wants to marry you? I'm leaving."
After saying that, Liv fled in panic. Aren't Chinese people supposed to be shy? Why is she like a wolf?
One can only say that weasels shouldn't be underestimated, but unfortunately, people whose native language is alphabetic will find it difficult to understand this point.
"Boss, what are the plans for tomorrow?"
The Yellow Weasel crew consisted of only Xia Yu, and Kuhn was unsure how to arrange things for him.
"Let the lynx take over and get S3 up and running first. After I find out about the situation near Dominic, we'll deploy three-vehicle crews with single-machine crews tomorrow."
Rob had studied special driving and was a driver in the instructor group. It wasn't difficult for him to drive the Weasel S3; the challenge was to make it combat-ready.
But on the first day of patrolling, they were observing, as were the jihadists and Tuareg people; everyone was very patient.
"Yes, boss!"
After parting ways with Kuhn, Xia Yu went to find Dominic.
This veteran sergeant is only one year away from being promoted to sergeant major, and he was assigned to the front line because of his reliability.
A newly graduated second lieutenant, unless he is exceptionally outstanding, will not be respected by many ordinary soldiers. Therefore, the French army in Marie needed sergeants and sergeant majors who had served in the army for more than ten years to serve as the backbone of the grassroots.
Of course, Dominic was also very good at getting along with people. He not only got along well with his colleagues and subordinates, but also had a good relationship with the villagers of the tribes near his post.
There was no other way; Afica was located inland, where material resources were extremely scarce. Any small items like needles, thread, pots, or pans could win their favor.
Xia Yu also had a clever idea, but he wanted to hear what his senior had to say.
"Actually, these villagers are all quite simple and honest. Their faith has at least made them hardworking and self-reliant. It's just that some of them are too extreme and hate believers and non-believers of all other faiths."
Having just received a favor from Xia Yu, Dominic only spoke of what was useful and didn't ramble on.
"Will the villagers protect those extremists?"
This is the most crucial point, and it's the first thing Xia Yu needs to figure out.
"It's hard to say. You know, this is a matter of teaching him to divide things. Each tribe has different beliefs, and when you add in the conflicts over water sources and pastures, they sometimes fight amongst themselves."
Dominic said with a furrowed brow.
“I’ve helped with arbitration a few times, which has helped to resolve the conflicts. There were a few that seemed quite extreme. I asked the villagers, and they said they went out to work, but I guess they probably went to find their accomplices for further training.”
Yes, people can't be extreme from the start. There's always an evolutionary process, a gradual transformation. And no matter how much they develop, these people will always be a minority.
"When they come back from their advanced studies, they're bound to pull off something big."
Xia Yu sensed something was wrong.
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