King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

"A small token of appreciation, President Qiao. Please don't mind!"

Joe Ga glanced at the jade gourd hanging on his son's delicate wrist, stepped back, nodded in acknowledgment, and said with a smile, "You're too kind!"

Then, Joe Ga turned to Carmen not far away and said with a smile, "Hey, beautiful, can you help get us something to drink..."

Shortly after, Carmen brought a few cups of tea under Old Bull's guidance, then, carrying the full-bellied Igor, gently patting his back, she walked toward the balcony...

Joe Ga looked at the two in front of him and said with a smile, "What brings you both here to see me?

If I can help, I certainly will!"

Li Weiguo and Joe have been through hardships together, forming a bond akin to comrades in battle. Without beating around the bush, he directly said, "Honestly, it's not my place to take the lead on this, since I'm responsible for the drone business, but seeing as we're acquainted...

You just let slip downstairs that many are intrigued by the United Arab Emirates' military procurement deals.

We want in on the action too..."

Joe Ga glanced at President Jin who was smiling without speaking. After a moment of silence, he slightly shook his head and said, "We're all on the same side, so I'll skip the preliminaries with you.

There's a high probability that the UAE order will land in the hands of the French—they're burning money and likely won't even consider a third-generation fighter like the JF-17.

I was actually just casually suggesting Mikoyan to go and waste money, considering my budget is limited, and I've been using my own fighter jets throughout the Yemen conflict, which is wearing me out.

And to be honest with you both, my ultimate goal isn't focused on fighters..."

Li Weiguo and Jin Kaiyang exchanged glances, then smiled at Joe Ga, saying, "Hu Lang, securing the order might not be the most crucial thing. We need the JF-17 to make an appearance in actual combat.

Don't worry, whatever others do, we'll do the same. We won't make things difficult for you."

Li Weiguo then leaned in with a smile and said, "Hu Lang, what exactly is your ultimate goal?

Could you tell us? We're all on the same side, and we're definitely willing to assist you."

Seeing Li Weiguo and the others didn't mind being dragged along, Joe Ga naturally didn't care...

Faced with the question, Joe hesitated for a while before saying, "Regarding Yemen, I have a big plan..."

Li Weiguo, hearing this, asked curiously, "Hasn't the Mukalla issue been settled?"

Joe Ga waved his hand and said, "That's something agreed upon by a few major players; ultimately, the dirty work still falls on me.

To be frank, leveraging the UAE order to send a few jets over is just icing on the cake.

Shah initially only provided an $8 billion budget—I've got to be frugal to deal with the al-Qaeda surrounding Mukalla.

You should know about P.B.'s situation; my manpower has always been insufficient.

Initially, I plan to dispatch 200 Kurdish fighters and P.B.'s artillery from Iraq to Yemen, but for stabilization operations once we gain a foothold, I'll need to employ mercenaries.

To extend the battle line, control the areas around Mukalla, and protect all resource points, at least 3,000 soldiers are required.

Even at the minimal logistics requirement for mercenaries, 3,000 soldiers demand 1,000 frontline logistics and 2,000 regular logistics personnel to maintain their fighting capacity over time.

Regular logistics can be recruited locally, but the equipment for these 4,000 men, along with their sustenance, will burn through $8 billion pretty quickly.

So I need to figure out how to raise funds and equipment externally!

You know about the UAE's air force order, but you probably don't know Qatar has nearly $50 billion in army equipment orders.

A few months ago, I just signed a 4-year, $4 billion defense contract with Qatar, conveniently having some allies in there."

President Jin immediately straightened his back, astounded, and said, "Qatar just signed an $80 billion arms contract with America, how can they..."

Joe Ga shrugged and said, "Paying protection money, it's just empty promises; how much of that $80 billion will actually be delivered is dubious.

This $50 billion is the real deal; they need advanced air defense systems and ground control systems...

These definitely exceed my capabilities, but to some extent, I can influence Qatar's ground weapon procurement plan, which isn't insignificant."

Hearing this, President Jin's eyes immediately lit up as he looked at Joe Ga and asked, "What's President Qiao's plan?"

Seeing President Jin's eyes gleaming, Joe Ga smiled, shook his head, and said, "My funds are limited, so I plan to recruit 3,000 experienced soldiers from Brazil and Colombia, forming six battalions.

I have some Colombian ex-cavalry guys under my command, from which I've selected two special forces teams, while the rest are working in Liberia currently.

Their combat effectiveness isn't weak, and they are resilient, expecting modest salaries—just $2,000 a month for them to serve.

However, outfitting these 3,000 men in one go according P.B.'s standards is unrealistic.

Hence, I'm planning to seek sponsorship...

You all know Seville's Yuginebert Company; they will lend me a batch of Milos armored vehicles and Lazar armored personnel carriers.

However, their production capacity is insufficient; these vehicles can only equip 500 men, essentially one battalion.

These items I can sell when done using them and settle the accounts with them later.

In Liberia, my collaboration with Italians has been quite smooth; their LMV armored vehicles are easy to handle. I previously discussed with their defense group, they're willing to provide enough vehicles at a low price to equip one battalion for my use..."