King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer
Chapter 963 - 864: The Weary Pierre

In Iraq, Joe Ga had been closely following the news from Sangha Town.

The various reports from Africa kept him on edge; the overstretched battle lines meant that P·B's manpower was becoming increasingly insufficient.

But after the Su-27 proved its capabilities, many problems started to be solved with ease.

With Sangha Town as the core, a 1500-kilometer range came under the coverage of P·B's air power.

Within a 1000-kilometer radius, there were F-16s, within a range of 600-800 kilometers there were Griffin-1s, and within 100-300 kilometers, there were the "Hind" and "Gazelle" helicopters.

Although this approach would increase logistical pressure, it was also true that P·B's control area had expanded to a terrifying extent.

No country in Central Africa had the power to stop P·B, and what was particularly bizarre was that these countries never had clear regulations prohibiting private companies from possessing fighter jets.

Central Africa and Congo didn't care at all; they had already outsourced the most critical parts of their national defense to Boss Qiao.

With the backing of Central Africa and Congo, P·B was able to use jet fighters for cross-border operations under pressure, even before the combined air force had any clear direction.

The bosses of the two countries didn't mind having a verbal spat with South SD at all; after all, the hat-wearing president there didn't have much clout.

Bombing the poachers in South SD was just an intentional trial arranged by Joe Ga...

After all, you pick on the softest ones, right?

This low-intensity combat was perfect for pilots to warm up and incidentally shut Eric and Sayram up, who were constantly calling to ask him to send more special forces to Ad-Damazin.

These two guys viewed Ad-Damazin as more important than anything else, blabbering incessantly to the point where Boss Qiao nearly wished he could fly there and sew their mouths shut himself.

Now, after the bombings, the world suddenly went quiet!

The hat-wearing president of South SD turned to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and began lodging constant complaints.

And somehow, in their discussions, a temporary ceasefire was reached in the disputed area of the Southwest Kordofan Region between North and South SD; a Malaysian oil company got kicked out and a Chinese energy company took over the exploitation of an oil field there.

Apart from some tribes on both sides still entangled in hatred, large-scale warfare had astonishingly ceased!

A couple of months of fighting saw fewer deaths than caused by the 4 cluster bombs dropped.

The strike by Ad-Damazin's guiding company really put both sides in their place!

And this was just the beginning; soon the Su-27 carried out its second cross-border strike operation.

They were invited to cross Chad and enter Niger to support a Colombian squad and the Nigerien Government Forces in their siege on a terrorist base.

The cluster bombs once again reaped hundreds of souls; the outstanding striking capability of the Su-27 even made the powerful Algeria to the north nervous, prompting them to issue a statement asking Niger to explain the situation.

Meanwhile, the French were green with envy and eventually, as the fighting in Mosul, Iraq, was drawing to a close, they finally sent an invitation to Boss Qiao...

Jean-Pierre, the head of the France Internal Security, secretly flew to Iraq and met with Joe Ga in Baghdad to discuss the possibility of P·B joining the "Red Moon Dune Plan".

The Red Moon Dune Plan is a key project started by the French in '14 to control the situation in West Africa.

A crescent-shaped dune area that spans through Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger is precisely the anti-terror frontline envisioned by the French.

But now, the more they fought terrorism, the more terrifying it became; the enemies seemed to multiply.

The French deployed not a small number of troops in this region, but they are becoming increasingly strained due to limitations in deployment and long-distance supply capabilities.

This area is really too far from mainland France, and they had never considered deploying Rafale fighters in West Africa since having too few would be useless and too many would drive them insane with airport maintenance and fighter maintenance costs.

As a result, the more the French counter terrorism, the more terrified they become!

Extreme MSL factions left the French feeling very frustrated because their advanced tactics could not be deployed effectively, so they could only rely on ground forces to keep fighting.

As the fighting in Mosul steadily wound down, P·B's soldiers began to slowly pull back.

The 15-day Mosul decisive battle plan was completed at 80% in just ten days under Donahue's command.

The remaining 20% was the toughest nut to crack, but as civilians started to evacuate from the city, United States Army fighters could finally begin bombing uninhibitedly.

Securing the remaining areas was just a matter of time.

Boss Qiao didn't stay long in Gaiyara; Donahue's aggressive tactics resulted in heavy losses for both the NATO coalition and the mercenary group...

Gaiyara was now fraught with gloom and anxiety; staying there risked unwanted entanglement for Joe Ga, so he simply took off for Baghdad after receiving the invitation from the French.

Joe Ga met with Jean-Pierre in the presidential suite of a hotel; this guy had risen from deputy minister to minister due to the terror attack in Monaco and was in high spirits.

However, as the head of the French intelligence services, he felt a great deal of pressure from recent issues in Mali.

Counter-terrorism is a systematic project; relying solely on ground forces is futile. Sufficient intelligence support is needed to achieve any long-term effective strikes.

But building an effective intelligence network in the impoverished Africa is really hard. The French have controlled the West African elite through various means, yet their control over the lower class and terrorists is negligible.

They have the power to pressure or even overthrow a defiant president, but they are powerless to root out terrorists.

The Americans, with the world's strongest army and the largest CIA, are already worn out in the Middle East. How could the French expect any advantage facing extremist ISIS-affiliated YSL factions?

Arms dealers like Aaron, who provided very powerful weapons to those terrorists.

And the French, without even air support—the only decent helicopter squadron they had was grounded several times over the past two years due to high-intensity usage.

In both war and anti-terrorism, the key to victory lies in who can withstand the attrition.

The terrorists don't take salaries; they just pick up guns to fight, and when they put them down, they can go home to herd sheep. They can sustain themselves for a year and a half just by warring.

But look at the cost of combat for France...

It can't be detailed—at one glance, it's enough to bring tears to one's eyes!

Joe saw the hollow-eyed Pierre in the presidential suite, and with a smile, he approached for a hug, saying, "Buddy, what do you need me for?

Your people's arms have all been delivered, but you still owe 3 million in final payments."

Jean-Pierre let out a weary sigh, saying, "Hu Lang, let's talk about something cheerful. You've made a fortune in Iraq..."

Joe, pointing at his own nose, said, "Do I look like I've made a big fortune?

I've put in more than 80 million over at Mosul, more in the safe zones, and what happened... America came and picked the ripe fruits!

You see, I have an oil field, but based on my investment, it won't start turning a profit until two years later, and by the end of the third year, my profit share will be reduced."

As Joe spoke, he looked at the incredulous Jean-Pierre and said, "Buddy, seriously, if I were really rich, why would I bother messing around in this broken place?

Tell me what you need, but let me say in advance, if the previous payments aren't settled, I will not deliver goods to your people in Syria."

Upon hearing this, Pierre shook his head in resignation and said, "The final payment will be in your bank by this afternoon. I came to you because the situation in Syria is too terrible.

The government forces and the Kurdish are constantly fighting, and their firepower has affected our base several times.

The Americans are waiting for the election results and are unwilling to take any action, so I need your help to supply some heavy artillery..."

Joe looked at Pierre as if he were an idiot, and laughed, "Buddy, you know how special the safe zones are. The soldiers there absolutely cannot go out, and I cannot possibly bring howitzers to the periphery of the safe zones to cover your people.

Once the Kurdish or the Syrian Government Forces complain to the UN, the safe zone's position will be immediately in doubt.

No, no, absolutely not, not for all the money..."

Pierre, seeing Joe's firm stance, gave a sigh and said, "Then let's find another way. I know you have Gazelle helicopters here.

We'll pay for four at three million each. You deliver them to the Syrian base for me, and also provide enough maintenance tools and a batch of anti-tank missiles, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Upon hearing this, Joe decisively nodded and said, "No problem, we're all friends. I'll take 10 million, another 2 million can go where you want it to."

As he spoke, Joe stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, pointing to the Baghdad Base not far away, saying, "Actually, I can rent you the runway inside the Baghdad Base for your use.

I have plenty of facilities for fighter maintenance there; it can handle F-16s and Soviet series fighters, so your Rafales should also be manageable.

We are allies after all. Such a prime location as Baghdad, if you bring four Rafales to cover the Syrian base, and occasionally help me out, I might even waive the rent."

Pierre, facing the grand promises from Joe, sighed involuntarily...

There were many things he couldn't outright say, as the armaments of France were not as formidable as the outside world imagined.

Four Rafales seemed easy to say, the planes themselves were indeed nothing much, but flying them over for use and maintenance would cost a great deal.

Now, France's 'Horizon-class' destroyers only dare to carry half their load of missiles when they leave port.

This is like a bank robber counting bullets when making a heist.

It's all because of being strapped for cash!

The NATO group has gradually grown accustomed to America being the big brother, taking on two-thirds of the defense spending.

Even if France was more assertive, they would inevitably cut back on defense spending to fund projects that more easily translate into votes.

The current President of France has already decided not to run for re-election, so he has no intention of holding meetings to solve the problems of the French forces and just wants to drag it out and hand over the mess to the next administration.

Because in everyone's mind, neither Syria nor the Kurdish would dare to blatantly attack the French base.

The situation there probably hasn't reached its worst yet.

Only those inside the French military know just how miserable life is for the French forces in Syria.

Turkey only thinks of its own interests and completely disregards the French plea for help, making the position of the French forces in Syria increasingly difficult.

This time Pierre came not only with helicopter pilots but also brought a team of 100 paratroopers from outside France, plus a 40-person helicopter ground crew.

Getting so many people into Syria would be best done through the humanitarian corridor opened by P·B.

Facing Joe's 'invitation,' Pierre shook his head helplessly saying, "Hu Lang, you know we can't deploy the Rafales to the grounds of a private company, and the Iraqis wouldn't allow it.

Let's solve the problem of the Syrian base first, then we can talk about Africa."