King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Joe Ga had no idea what had happened in Tubruq...

He had been waiting at Baghdad Base for two days, not only for the arrival of "Avenger" but also for the selected P·B recruits.

The number of new recruits wasn't very high, just under three hundred, but among them were over forty high-level experts earning Grade 10 salaries.

What Joe Ga hadn't expected was that every member of Rabbit Squad, all seven of them, had passed the diving training, completing the full 37-day course.

Joe had thought that after his sky communication with the old rabbits, these youngsters would stay in Tubruq to help fight the terrorists and protect the safety of the refinery.

Unexpectedly, having passed their diving training, they had followed the transport plane over at the first opportunity, and they had even brought along a military dog, while that Three Chickens commando group had sent "Three Yellow Chickens."

There was no refusing them now...

Anyway, if Rabbit Squad was to be sent to die, it would be "Three Yellow Chickens" giving the orders, so Joe Ga didn't care. If they had come, he would put them to use.

Without making any effort to greet them specially, he introduced the slightly overweight and always-smiling "Three Yellow Chickens" to Steven, letting him act as the liaison officer between himself and the command center.

Then Joe had his men arrange for the special forces team and the regular soldiers to rest and recuperate, waiting to move out with him to the Gaiyara forward base in a few days, and possibly get a chance to clash with ISIS.

After arranging everything, two Su-25s made difficult landings at the military base's runway.

It was indeed a difficult landing; the two Iraqi pilots emerged from their aircraft, their legs were so weak they sat down at the edge of the runway, revealing the immense psychological pressure they must have been under while flying.

The tarnished paint on the planes caused Joe Ga to wipe a tear of hardship for them; the aircraft looked as if they were dragged out of a junkyard. Where was the demeanor of aerial sharp blades?

The "Professor's" disciple, bespectacled Andre, rushed over with a group of engineers dug up by the Belgrade Group to the two Su-25s and towed them into the hangar.

Acting on the principle of not risking the lives of "Cobra" and "Archerfish," for the first time Joe Ga seriously assumed the role of "Mechanic."

The Su-25 was a ground attack aircraft, theoretically the counterpart to the United States' A-10 Warthog.

Its advantage was a high take-off weight and devastating firepower, but in terms of aerial maneuverability, it might not even be a match for the MiG-21.

Joe had to ensure they were kept in the best condition; the rest was up to the two veteran aces!

After a thorough examination of the two aircraft, confirming there were no obvious issues with the airframe or engine, Joe finally breathed a sigh of relief...

The two battle-scarred Su-25s, looking as though they had been shot down several times, had no major issues. It was only some aging parts that needed maintenance or replacement, and some of the electronic equipment required updates.

Joe had not expected that maintaining a fighter jet was not much different from maintaining a modern car. The Iraqi Su-25's cockpit looked like a clock shop; in comparison to the Super Albatross, it was like the difference between a quantum computer and a 486 PC.

A regular aircraft, once connected to an onboard computer, could quickly diagnose problems based on trouble codes, and then it was just a matter of replacing parts.

But these two Su-25s, without Boss Qiao's help, would require experienced engineers for a meticulous inspection.

Luckily, the people Andre brought were very reliable; they were extremely familiar with Russian-made aircraft...

However, upon seeing Andre's initial maintenance checklist and the subsequent price, Joe nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

He had always thought that the United States sold fighter jets with the intention of making money on maintenance. But now he realized, Russia was no better; they boldly asked for tens of thousands, in US dollars, for an inconspicuous small part...

Compared to them, Audi's dealership methods were child's play!

Joe decisively refused Andre's request to purchase parts from Russia, informing him that new parts would arrive within 24 hours and instructing his men to proceed with other tasks in the meantime.

For example, repainting the planes. Right now, they were covered in rust and no one would dare fly them without nerves of steel.

In contrast to Joe's anxiety, "Cobra" and "Archerfish" appeared quite calm.

"Archerfish" had lost his usual roughness and impetuousness. He inspected the aircraft back and forth and then, caressing the plane's patchy fuselage, said with a smile, "I bet, the Iraqis have never really used them in combat.

The Su-25 is a good model, very suitable for the current P·B."

Seeing Joe's face filled with refusal, "Cobra" nodded with a smile, "That's right, Andre's aftersales service for planes is quite ready. You're capable of maintaining it...

This little fella can carry nearly 5 tons of bombs into the sky; it's a true air sweeper."

Joe honestly didn't see anything good about the Su-25. It was neither fast nor had a long range; even with auxiliary fuel tanks, its combat radius only reached 700 kilometers at most.

Carrying that much ammunition was indeed impressive, but where in P·B would one find opponents of such caliber?

And considering the plight of Iraq, these two "big guys" were just too cumbersome to maintain!

However, the pitiful appearance of the two old men, who at retirement age had come to join in battles, and their repeated requests to fly a jet, always being refused, was not right either.

Joe hesitated for a moment, then lamented, "Gentlemen, you play with them for now. As long as they don't fall apart at the end of the Iraqi war, I'll ask the Iraqis about the price."

As soon as "Cobra" heard this, he exchanged glances with "Archerfish," then pulling Joe aside, he said, "Ask them if they can sell the L-159 light attack jets?

That's a good plane from Czechia; 'Archerfish' once served as a test pilot for Vodochody Company with the L-159. She's definitely a good plane.

The L-159 is at most a generation 2.5 fighter jet; France certainly wouldn't mind you having it."

After listening for a long time, Joe finally nodded, "I've heard of that aircraft; it's said to be a 'trainer aircraft,' which is perfect since Andre's pilot training center also needs it.

Taking down those planes was not hard, but to sustain them, we needed a bit of strategy.

Don't rush. If you really like them, I'll have the Iraqis drag over an L-159 for you to play with.

War won't end anytime soon, so once I figure out a foolproof plan, we'll consider taking them down.

It's really just a money issue. It isn't that I'm reluctant to spend money, but that my money should be used in more important places.

P·B is not only tough to sustain but also comes with a lot of trouble, so I have to find a few partners to raise them together."

Seeing Joe Ga's attitude, 'Cobra' knew the deal was set!

Because Boss Qiao said he was going to "figure out a way," that meant he was serious about carrying it out.

The old guy rubbed his hands excitedly, finding the Su-25 in front of him no longer appealing, and with a shameless face, he said, "Then fly the L-159 over here. Even though we're old, fighting MiG-21s with an L-159 is like playing."

Joe Ga looked at 'Cobra's eager state and pointed at the Su-25, asking, "You don't want this anymore?"

'Cobra' waved his hand and said, "I've called 4 of the base's fighter pilots here, only leaving two behind in Tubruq to help.

Let the others fly the Su-25 and Griffin. Those things don't require any skill.

'Archerfish' and I will fly the L-159...

Hu Lang, I trust you, you can definitely get it done!"

Joe Ga watched 'Cobra's fickle nature with amazement, gave a thumbs-up in admiration, and said, "Just for your guts to PUA the boss, you deserve to stay in the sky for a lifetime!"

Joe Ga sighed, then turned to call the Iraqi Prime Minister's office...

The guy was in a state of desperation because the supposed NATO collective action to recapture Mosul ended up with the big brothers standing him up, and now Northern Iraq was a total mess, with the government forces struggling to move forward.

Iraq's air force actually had a decent number of planes, but they didn't have enough pilots, and poorly maintained fighter jets were basically metal coffins ready to drop at any moment, so Iraq's air force didn't dare to fly their jet fighters.

They had 32 F-16s which now just sat in the warehouse gathering dust, as Iraqi pilots were long used to flying US-sponsored Super Albatrosses and an AC-280B propeller-driven airborne reconnaissance aircraft.

Unfortunately, due to corruption in the military and the unstable situation, their American daddy didn't dare to give them nice stuff like Hellfire.

Fearing that they would sell the things to terrorists the moment they turned around or that some radical-minded pilots would fly the planes to attack the Prime Minister's Office, the Iraqi air force's striking ability equated to none.

Now, out comes Joe Ga saying give me the planes to use, I'll take care of maintenance and fighting ISIS, and the people at the Iraqi Prime Minister's office agreed without a second thought.

With oilfield contracts as leverage, along with the recent massive arrival of supplies, the Iraqi government was at Joe's beck and call.

Just two planes, take them!

After hanging up the phone, Joe Ga realized he was now the big boss of all three branches of the military—land, sea, and air.

And all three branches were pretty formidable. If this were the World War II era, he could have made a splash in Europe!

Thinking about those guys who wanted to embarrass him with just a MiG-21, Joe right then wanted to burst into laughter...

You're dead!

............

'Three Yellow Chickens' voluntarily approached Steven for an interview, and then was taken to the mercenary coalition's command center...

To 'Three Yellow Chickens' surprise, he was assigned the role of 'logistics chief'.

Having participated in the sorting, organization, and transportation of P·B's supplies in Tubruq, he managed the mostly Chinese supplies coming into Iraq quite skillfully.

However, it wasn't long before 'Three Yellow Chickens' attention was captured by the advanced equipment.

After fiddling with the device before him under the guidance of a sister with a sweet smile, 'Three Yellow Chickens' was amazed to find that this wasn't some logistics system, but the United State Army's logistics management system.

He not only had to manage the entire coalition's supply transport but also had to 'calculate work points' for the mercenaries under the assistance of two sisters, record the contract performance of the mercenary companies, as well as the civilian staff's attendance, to facilitate the final settlement.

This position seemed to be one that people definitely wanted to cozy up to...

The shrewd 'Three Yellow Chickens' decisively maxed out his two 'mistresses' work points, enjoyed their happy pouting, agreed to their request to have a drink together that evening, and then started his work beaming with pride...

What's the difference between spending a month here and a month at a United State Army command center?

This was far more important and meaningful than tasks like letting special forces see some blood!

To get a real look at their readiness process, understand their basic organizational structure, understand how their intelligence operations worked...

At this moment, Rabbit Squad was no longer important. You can go hang out with those P·B special forces teams. You take the tough beatings; don't hold me back from promotions and raises!

.........

After a week of intense activity, Joe Ga finally stepped out of the Baghdad Military Base.

At the entrance of the expressway, he said heartfelt goodbyes to the people from the Iraqi Government, in front of the media cameras, pounded his chest promising he wouldn't let the brothers at the front go hungry, then got in the car and left with a convoy heading north...