Chapter 153: Chapter 152
Watching his arms being unloaded from the cargo ship, Joe Ga felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
It was too smooth, so smooth that Joe Ga found it a bit surreal!
Large groups of port workers gathered in the distance to watch the excitement as Kenya's military logistics had arranged for personnel to receive the customized uniforms and kits, as well as the most important ten armored vehicles.
No procedures, no customs clearance, nothing of the sort; a logistics department major simply gave a document to a port official, and then everything was taken care of.
'Cannon' arranged for soldiers to help drive all the armored vehicles onto flatbed trucks, then handed the logistics department major a training invitation, which made the major smile broadly.
Initially, Joe Ga did not understand what was happening, but after he listened to 'Cannon's' explanation, he understood that 'Professor' had become famous in one battle in Africa, and after returning to headquarters, his treatment skyrocketed.
In order to help his business partner Joe Ga better start the war business, he not only took out all the armored vehicle inventory to supply Joe Ga, but also secured 'training spots' for Joe Ga's clients.
This was supposed to be an accompanying service, but Africa's armies rarely enjoyed such treatment. It's usually the arms suppliers who arrange for someone to come and guide them, and there's an extra charge for that.
Mary Aenola from Central Africa hadn't mentioned this, and Joe Ga had no such concept at all, so he never thought about it.
'Professor' was more considerate than Joe Ga; he not only sent 'Cannon' with a dozen 'instructors' to assist Joe Ga in training his clients,
but also secured 50 invitations for Kenya, Uganda, Central Africa, and Congo, allowing them to send soldiers to the Seville factory for training.
This was like going abroad to study, with all expenses covered.
Any soldier from Africa who enjoyed such treatment would be promoted upon return, so the logistics department major was overjoyed.
Those 50 spots were in his hands, and although they would definitely be distributed by higher-ups, as the first handler, he would surely get a few spots, which would be a big favor he could convert into resources.
Once he understood the situation, Joe Ga felt the major's attitude warm up by several degrees, so he called the enlightened 'Professor' to express his gratitude and then, watching the assembling old soldiers, he smiled at 'Cannon' and said, "I wondered why there were so many people? Turns out we have instructors sent by the 'Professor' as well.
"I must host you well, but before the delivery of the armored cars in Burundi, everyone needs to put in a bit more effort."
Upon hearing this, 'Cannon' hurriedly waved his hand and said, "This is what we should do, you are a generous boss, and my guys are very willing to work for you."
With that, 'Cannon' brought Joe Ga in front of the old soldiers. Looking at the group with tired faces and seemingly low spirits, he loudly said, "This is the boss I've been telling you about, Hu Lang!"
Right after 'Cannon's' words fell, a strapping man in his forties stepped forward and shouted, "Attention, salute!"
Joe Ga watched as a group of retired old soldiers saluted him in unison. After he subconsciously returned the salute, he said, "I've heard of the reputation of the 63rd Brigade. Relax a bit, I know that anyone who has served until retirement in the 63rd Parachute Brigade must be a fine soldier.
"Since you've decided to join my company, I can't guarantee anything else, but I'll definitely not shortchange you on treatment. We're a legitimate company. Shortly, lawyers will come to you with a P.B. military contracting company employment contract in hand.
"Take a good look at it. It contains a series of details about salary, benefits, insurance, and more importantly, it defines your scope of work.
"I don't ask for anything else; I only require that you unconditionally follow my commands within the defined scope of your work."
As he spoke, Joe Ga looked at the old soldiers, whose expressions were a bit surprised, and said with a smile, "Please have some confidence in me, I'm not running a small workshop.
"Talking too much now is meaningless. You can keep your eyes on me.
"I promise, if you work hard and stay loyal, I will provide a future you could never achieve in your hometown!
"It will be tough, but I assure you that years later, when you look back, you will be grateful for the choice you made today!"
After saying this, Joe Ga paused, allowing the old soldiers to digest what he had said. He then puffed out his chest and said loudly, "You are excellent, but you still need to show me your excellence!
"Don't give me the chance and the excuse to fire you. I expect that one day you will walk into my office and demand a raise loudly!
"Believe me, as long as you are willing to make the effort, you will surely get that chance!"
After Joe Ga finished speaking, a little stir arose among the old soldiers. These men harried by poverty looked at each other, the fatigue seemed to vanish from their faces, and the mood in the ranks began to grow excited...
"Commander, Second Lieutenant Platoon Leader Belic from the 63rd Brigade reporting to you!"
"Commander, ..."
"Commander, ..."
Joe Ga watched as the morale of the veteran soldiers lifted; he shook hands with each one of them in turn and then directed them to go sign contracts with Jori Amon.
Actually, Joe Ga wasn't sure if his approach was right or wrong. These veterans were extremely valuable to him, yet he was unfamiliar with military protocols and could only motivate them with benefits.
But judging from the effects, providing ample salary while maintaining sincerity was exactly what these veterans needed.
The veterans willing to come to Africa to make a living were mostly those who had been let down by life; they needed money, but even more so, they needed respect.
Those rough-and-tumble mercenary outfits couldn't provide them with enough security; the more complicated Joe Ga made the hiring process, the more at ease they felt!
In fact, these veterans didn't know that Joe Ga was also taking a risk, because what determined whether his company could make a big splash wasn't merely the arms trade. He needed to cripple the drug traffickers in the jungles of Africa to secure enough funds to keep his company running smoothly for the coming years.
Until those minerals were sold, they were just stones!
To cripple the drug traffickers that had taken hold, he needed top-notch soldiers and powerful firepower.
He had the soldiers; now, Joe Ga needed to retrieve the useful equipment from Colonel Ka's arms depot and then set up camp on the border between Central Africa and Congo.
To transport a large quantity of arms from the depot, relying on just the three of them was unrealistic. Once these veterans had signed their contracts, he would take them to Ad-Damazin and use helicopters to drop them into the valley at night.
In the dark comings and goings, no one could pinpoint the valley's location.
When the time came, with Mary Aenola's help coordinating in Central Africa, Joe Ga could take a detour through Chad, airlift most of the arms to land in Chad, and then proceed to his base in Central Africa.
Colonel Ka's legacy was the capital Joe Ga needed to start his business, and this time, he decided to utilize that legacy to the fullest.
Karman and Nis had a share in this arms depot. Joe Ga currently had over 80 million US Dollars lying in his account. Once the funds from Burundi were received, this sum would balloon to over 90 million, with at least half coming from Colonel Ka's legacy.
But Joe Ga's expenses were massive at this time. With 26 mercenaries, aside from Lao Niu and Tony handling the canteen with an all-inclusive price of 100,000 dollars, the rest chose the smart salary package of 50,000 plus combat commissions.
Just the annual salaries of these mercenaries would cost 1.2 million dollars. According to Joe Ga's initial promise, this amount might double by the year's end, totaling close to 2.5 million dollars.
The salaries for the 50 soldiers from Seville were 30,000 plus combat bonuses, averaging about 40,000 a year, which added another 2 million dollars.
With three pilots each earning at least 150,000 dollars annually, Joe Ga needed about 5 million dollars just to sustain these people.
And that didn't include the costs of food and lodging...
If you consider recruiting 500 militiamen later on and maintaining a base equipped with guns, artillery, helicopters, and fighters, with a force exceeding 600, the annual expense was a frightening bottomless pit.
The most troublesome part was that even though the base and surrounding land were gifts from the Central African Government, the houses, hangars, and even the runways inside had to be built by Joe Ga himself; he had to invest at least 5 million dollars just in the construction of the base.
The compatriot, Old Zhu from Ad-Damazin, had completed the construction of the resort, and now he had already taken his team to Central Africa.
With the incentives of money and the full support of the Central African Government, Old Zhu, like a hero from Liangshan, was making calls everywhere, issuing 'heroes' invitations' to gather a large number of robust construction workers to head to the Central African Republic, vowing to build a high-standard base for Joe Ga within three months and pocket that satisfying 5 million dollars.
At this time, Joe Ga hadn't forgotten his uncle Qing who had brought him to Africa. With the business now secured in personal safety and financial settlement, he recommended uncle Qing to Old Zhu. He didn't make an appearance himself but firmly helped Uncle Qing earn a substantial amount to start his own business back home.
The large investments put great pressure on Joe Ga, so he could only transfer 5 million dollars into the accounts of Karman and Nis respectively and then offered each of them a 5% stake in their military insurance company, making them his entrepreneurial partners!
They were the people Joe Ga trusted the most, also those who had started from scratch with him. He could not let them down under any circumstances and also needed their help.
Joe Ga wasn't quite sure what Nis thought, but as of now, Karman had already sold his life to Joe Ga.
This old man begged Joe Ga to find Eric and use the 5 million dollars to buy a trust fund for his son, Muto, in Europa. Once he was certain that his son would never have to worry about food for the rest of his life, even if he did nothing, the old guy's entire disposition changed.
Joe Ga couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the old man's spirits were lifted; his once dull eyes began to sparkle, and he became much more proactive.
Sometimes Joe Ga would catch Karman making phone calls behind his back, but when asked, he would say nothing, just telling Joe Ga to wait and see the results.
Joe Ga was curious, but with Karman remaining silent, he could only wait.
......
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