King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Joe Ga finished listening to Qiao Liang's account and couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder...

This kid has grown up now and doesn't always come to his older brother for everything.

Placing the shipyard in Bangui not only brings substantial benefits but also makes it more convenient for the shipyard's expansion and growth.

Bangui's geographic location speaks for itself, as the Ubangi River is part of the upper reaches of the Congo River.

By heavily developing the shipping industry, a freight corridor can be established from Kinshasa to Bangui.

Once this artery is unblocked, goods landed in Congo can be continuously transported to Central Africa.

If the port project progresses smoothly, the goods can pass through one port node after another, reaching Congo and Congo Braze's territories.

In fact, the best location for the shipyard is in Kinshasa, Congo, but unfortunately, the Congolese, embroiled in internal strife and unrest over President Kabila's reelection, are squandering an unparalleled opportunity.

Qiao Liang's ideas are excellent; anyway, such things can't be accomplished overnight, so start with the immediate tasks—build the shipyard first, and let the Congolese witness results.

When more transport vessels are running on the river, they will naturally feel envious.

Going with the flow is always gentler and more effective than using tough measures to change the status quo.

By then, when the Congolese see the benefits, advancing the port plan won't be as challenging as it is now.

Qiao Liang has discovered the right approach to maximizing "Jia Liang Trade"...

Selling goods isn't just about meeting existing needs—sometimes you have to learn how to create demand.

The port project connects Congo's interior. Once control of the ports is secured, the transportation lifeline of Central Afrika falls under control.

This is similar to the logic behind Joe Ga's Iraq Humanitarian Corridor!

The difference is that in Iraq, there are ready-made oil fields immediately convertible into cash.

The Congolese don't have such conveniences, but they possess abundant mineral resources. Yet these extracted resources have simply been stuck due to transport issues, leaving most of their population impoverished.

If Qiao Liang's plan succeeds, river transport can enable the Congolese to first sell their resources and then provide them with commodities.

Qiao Liang's vision is massive, but he is far more patient than his brother Joe Ga.

With Northern Industrial backing him with technology and funding, combined with Joe Ga's authority in Central Afrika, he can act more freely.

For instance, with Kinshasa's instability, I've come to Bangui—no need to rely on my brother's military might to push forward. Instead, choose the less costly, more practical option, avoiding unnecessary waste of manpower and funds.

Compared to Joe Ga's impulsiveness, Qiao Liang is steadier and more composed!

Joe Ga feels great pride in his younger brother's growth. Initially, Joe Ga thought "Jia Liang Trade" would shrink over time, and he even prepared for its closure within 5 to 8 years.

But now it seems Joe Ga underestimated the domestic demand and determination to develop new markets, as well as Qiao Liang's capabilities.

Qiao Liang possesses a caution far beyond what his wealth would suggest. Compared to Joe Ga's aggressive push for quick collection of resources and consolidation of benefits, Qiao Liang prefers a gradual approach...

Joe Ga looks from the top down, capturing core interests and ensuring broad compromise and benefits.

Qiao Liang, however, looks from the bottom up, advancing with localized interests as the core focus.

Step by step, steadily—winning small victories and accumulating them into larger successes.

"Jia Liang Trade" has stitched together domestic material channels on an unimaginable scale.

Young Boss Qiao hasn't meddled in specific affairs but has introduced brand-new demands for suppliers.

One of Qiao Liang's key initiatives was purchasing trucks to revive a dying truck manufacturing enterprise, ultimately establishing a massive logistics company with 2,000 vehicles—an operation that continues to expand.

Then he brought in his classmates and professors, together developing a logistics management system.

Using Jia Liang Trade's orders, he rejuvenated portions of the industrial and rural sectors in the central and western regions.

Through prepayment for orders, he helped them upgrade equipment, supply chains, and product quality.

Leveraging the 'Mysterious Force,' he secured subsidies for logistics, breaking through high-cost transportation barriers.

Anywhere Jia Liang Trade's transport vehicles go, costs are waived, and fuel is discounted by 20%.

A large amount of unsold agricultural produce and fruits were collected from production sites, sent for processing to nearby factories, and then packaged aboard ships bound for the Middle East and Africa.

Jia Liang Trade's canned fruits and dehydrated vegetables have sold like hotcakes in Iraq because of their fair pricing.

An enterprise seemingly indifferent to profits has generated unimaginable cash flow and created incredible economic ripple effects.

When Joe Ga first proposed starting Jia Liang Trade, even he didn't anticipate the company's rapid and vast expansion.

It's been smooth sailing—everything coming to fruition effortlessly!

Qiao Liang's understated demeanor hasn't drawn envious eyes but rather earned recognition from a group of mysterious elites.

That's because he demands so little!

Using the oil dollars and commodity markets orchestrated by Joe Ga, he conjured trade out of thin air, subsidizing relatively poorer regions within the country.

The mysterious elites were only responsible for slashing transportation costs and giving Jia Liang Trade's 'procurement travels' a free pass en route—creating a 'trade miracle.'

With Liberia and Iraq already stabilized, the Congo River is Jia Liang Trade's next chapter!

Congo's capital Kinshasa has a dense population, but there are even more people and untapped regions along the Congo River.

This time, Joe Ga doesn't need to invest money; he just needs to maintain stability while major conglomerates throw their funds into Jia Liang Trade's name, slowly building a commercial route that benefits the entire Congo River valley.

Qiao Liang is the project leader this time!

He doesn't need to handle much since professional teams take care of specific tasks. All he must do is make decisions and spend money, spend money, spend money...

This time, it won't even be Joe Ga's oil dollars being spent—it'll be the conglomerates' money.

Qiao Liang's calm and reliable character has instilled confidence in certain parties. As long as Joe Ga's side remains stable, African resource output can maintain consistency, granting the conglomerates limitless confidence!

Money? It's nothing but paper stamped with some numbers!

Compared to stable resource supply and market demand, those 'papers' are worth little!

Joe Ga comprehended his younger brother's recent achievements and vision...

Delighted, Boss Joe pulled Qiao Liang along as they walked back to the estate...

He shared his vision for Sangha Town with Qiao Liang and posed the question that had long been on his mind...

"Xiao Liang, do you still want to farm?"

Qiao Liang, overjoyed, replied, "Brother, are you agreeing to let me invest money in agriculture in Central Africa?

My technical knowledge is still a bit lacking, mainly in validating the classification management of various crops, but when it comes to grain farming, our technology is sufficient for large-scale experimentation."

Joe Ga glanced casually at the sneaky Lenore trailing behind them, shaking his head and laughing while saying, "I can get you some land to bring your smart farming system over...

With Sangha Town's growing population, I won't compete with them for grain in the market; P.B.'s farm needs to achieve self-sufficiency within two years."

As he looked at Qiao Liang, lost in thought, Joe Ga laughed and added, "If you really want large-scale agriculture, then go to Brazil or Argentina.

The Hunting Company's resort in Brazil is nearly complete, and the land prices there are still relatively low. Try experimenting here for a year or two, then use your own money to buy land and invest over there."

"Why?"

Hearing that Boss Joe intended to send the considerably wealthy Xiao Qiao to South America, Lenore anxiously stepped forward and asked, "Boss, why can't Xiao Qiao invest in agriculture in Central Africa?

We've got vast fertile lands here. If fully developed, the agricultural produce can supply northern countries like Chad and Niger.

Surely it'll be profitable!"

Joe Ga looked at his younger brother, Qiao Liang, who wore a peculiar expression, and laughed while explaining, "Your brother plans to settle roots here. Do you really know why I don't want to heavily invest in Central African agriculture?"

Qiao Liang is no longer the naïve college student he once was. Having gone through a series of trials, his understanding of commerce has matured...

Seeing Lenore's anxious expression, Qiao Liang gathered his thoughts and replied, "Central Africa is an agricultural nation still at its rudimentary stage.

It's not that my brother doesn't want me to invest in Central African agriculture; it's about the risk of large-scale modernization displacing significant numbers of farmers.

Excessive agricultural modernization results in land consolidation.

Without alternative industries to absorb employment, it leads to severe instability.

Central Africa only has a modest cotton textile industry apart from Sangha Town; you're simply not ready!"

Glancing at his brother, Qiao Liang noticed Joe Ga nodding in agreement, and so he continued, "My brother likely wants me to invest in some innovative agriculture as a foundation for you, giving you some buffer against risks.

You need to encourage your farmers to adopt standardized cultivation, avoid excessive modernization, and develop smallholder farming. This way, they can all afford to eat.

It's not impossible for Central Africa to achieve industrialization, but it could take decades.

You must protect the foundation of being an agricultural nation, maintain stable agricultural prices, ensure farmers' interests, and meanwhile maximize agricultural surplus—this guarantees long-term stability.

Over-pursuing agricultural modernization ends up like Brazil, except lacking an industrial framework—producing plenty of grain but leaving its own people hungry.

To achieve national prosperity, it's not about building a few grand projects or focusing on one or two industries.

You've got to find ways to mobilize everyone—labor itself creates value.

I can support you in setting up several state-owned farms to secure a portion of land for P.B.'s grain demands.

But let me tell you, the primary significance of state-owned farms is using output to regulate agricultural prices.

The intricacies behind this are complex; you'll need extensive learning and time to handle it effectively.

Only by stabilizing agriculture can you attempt to channel your funds toward mining local resources, using mine revenues to fill development funding gaps and ultimately leveraging your natural advantages to develop tourism.

My brother has already carved out your future path. He's decided to lay his roots here and has invested enormous effort.

Don't disappoint him!"