Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1317 - One thousand three hundred Concession

Chapter 1317: Chapter One thousand three hundred Concession

Gao Yang sat in the wheelchair, and Yelena pushed him to the outdoor lawn. The early spring evening was still a bit chilly, so Gao Yang covered his legs with a blanket, experiencing a retired senior’s lifestyle in advance.

After pushing Gao Yang to his favorite spot, Yelena handed him the satellite phone. Gao Yang took the phone, dialed a number, and quietly waited for the call to connect, while Yelena stood silently behind him.

As the sun set in the west, on the quiet and beautiful lawn, the sunlight filtered through the branches budding with new leaves, casting long shadows behind the two. A beautiful, graceful, and serene girl smiled like an angel, creating a very beautiful scene.

However, the content of their conversation was not beautiful at all.

"Hey, Old Ma, how’s it going? Have you taken Berbera?"

On the other end, Maide responded in a slightly anxious tone, "We took it, but couldn’t hold it. Somaliland got support from the British. We managed to push into Berbera with considerable casualties, but not long after, their reinforcements arrived, and we had to withdraw from Berbera again."

The expansion of the Skull Gang had reached its limit. The situation in Somalia is very complicated. The Skull Gang, facing west, is bordering the de facto independent Somaliland and, to the south, the territory of the Somali Youth Party. The current situation is that the Skull Gang can defend itself well but lacks offensive capability.

The advantage of the Skull Gang lies in its elite unit, unrivaled in Somalia. The Instruction Platoon from the Satan Cult remains the most combat-effective force in Somalia, and the training by Li Jinfang’s comrade Jiang Yun has been commendable. However, their foundation is too weak, and the cultural level is too low. Nearly two years later, having an over one-thousand-strong capable force is the limit for the Skull Gang.

Elite troops are meant for offensive operations, to serve as the vanguard. With the current territory under Skull Gang control, scattering these forces across the towns would only negate their greatest advantage. Hence, Maide insists on keeping the elite forces, led by the Instruction Platoon, under his control, deploying them wherever needed.

Maide’s ambition is to unify Somalia, and he’s been working in that direction, with a solid foundation. The remaining tasks will be easier to handle.

Hearing Maide’s response, Gao Yang said in a deep voice, "What about what I mentioned to you last time? How have you considered it?"

Maide sighed and replied, "Ram, we are friends, real friends. But some matters can’t be judged solely by friendship. My decision will affect the future direction of the Alliance of Fairness and Justice and even the fate of Somalia in the long run. I must be cautious. I hope you understand, my friend."

Gao Yang exhaled lightly and said, "Then, are you planning to refuse me?"

Maide sighed, saying, "Ram, if you establish a base in Somalia, I have no doubt that your base will become a country within a country in Somalia, a lawless zone. I really don’t want to see that situation arise, my friend. While in Huaxia for my studies, I learned one thing: it’s easy to invite a god but hard to send one away."

Gao Yang chuckled lightly, saying in a deep voice, "Old Ma, you’ve thought about the downsides of me setting up a base there, but have you considered the benefits? The Skull Gang’s expansion capacity has reached its limit, and you’re facing enemies on two fronts. Putting aside friendship, how long do you think the Skull Gang can hold out like this? With the Skull Gang’s model, how much more time do you think you have for development? Now is your strategic opportunity. Just because no one cares about you now doesn’t mean no one ever will.

Yes, by establishing a base in Somalia, it will inevitably become a lawless zone. But Old Ma, I can’t stay in Somalia forever. I need a foothold, a bridgehead. Somalia doesn’t have the infrastructure to make me plan for a long stay, so you don’t have to worry about us not leaving. Frankly, the infrastructure in Somalia is so poor that I don’t dare to plan for long-term occupation. We could sign an agreement with a time limit, say ten or twenty years, however long you deem appropriate, and once the time is up, we withdraw. If you think your country can’t deal with a mercenary group, then you’d be lacking confidence.

Lastly, let me speak about the benefits the Skull Gang will receive. First, we’ll train your people for free, and I promise to have plenty of personnel working to train your teams continuously. My people will also assist in combat. I need to train my soldiers, and I’ve always believed that real combat is the best training. We will fully support you. With me, you will have a powerful but not overwhelming backing that lets you rapidly expand yet lacks the ability to control Somalia. Think about it, Old Ma, really think about it. Besides the mercenary group, besides me, who else meets these criteria? We have no political ambitions; we just need a foothold, and it’s only temporary."

Maide sighed and said, "Ah, I understand what you’re saying, and I’ve thought about it too. But I’m afraid that what’s agreed upon now might be different when it’s time for you to leave. What should I do then, Ram? Actually, I didn’t plan on rejecting your proposal entirely. I just have one requirement now: you can choose any place within our controlled territory to establish a base, free of charge, no rent, not even symbolically. But it cannot be public; it must be a secret base. I’m really worried you might bring us an unbearable disaster. Also, you must guarantee that when the time is up, you will leave. We can first sign for ten years. Once the time passes, the agreement can be renewed, but if we refuse, you’ll have to move out."

Gao Yang chuckled and said, "Very well, I can completely agree to your conditions. I’ve thought of where I want the military base to be, just in Berbera. There won’t be too many people going there for now; I think about three to four hundred. If you agree, allocate me a piece of land in Berbera, and I’ll start arranging personnel there."

Maide smiled wryly and said, "We haven’t even secured it yet."

Gao Yang laughed, "No problem, we’ll help you take it. My people will be deployed within two months, and once the deployment is complete, we’ll launch the attack immediately."

Maide sighed and said, "Alright, then this place will be leased to you. But one question, are we stationing troops there? Berbera is a westward transport hub, but if we all station soldiers there, I’m worried there will be friction."

When military forces from two sides are together for an extended period, even if they initially coexist peacefully and amicably, conflicts are bound to arise over time. The people Gao Yang intends to deploy in Somalia are the kind that can’t be exposed in his line of business, mercenaries used for executing secret missions, none of which can be considered good characters.

Moreover, Gao Yang needs to occupy Berbera but doesn’t want to allocate a large number of personnel for management and defense, nor does he want unpleasant incidents to occur.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Yang said in a deep voice, "What do you think about this? You station troops in Berbera, and the defense work will be your responsibility. But if Berbera is attacked, my men will assist in the defense. Your soldiers will be stationed in the west of the city, and my people in the northeast corner’s area. We’ll have a buffer zone in between, and soldiers from both sides can’t cross the line for no reason. We’ll both share the port. How does that sound?"

Maide thought for a while and said, "Okay."

Gao Yang felt relieved, pumped his fist slightly, and then said with a smile, "Great, we’ve reached an agreement. Now, is there anything the Skull Gang needs help with? You know, I’m happy to help."

Maide immediately said, "What the heck, you finally asked about the main issue. Uriyangko has disappeared, no news from that guy. We have been using our stockpile for a while, and we’ve run out of shells; bullets aren’t scarce at the moment, but after two more battles, there will be problems. Rockets, mortar shells, Uriyangko’s guy just suddenly vanished, and the goods can’t be sent. What does this mean? My brother, you must think of a solution quickly."

In a hurry, Maide slipped into a regional dialect, leaving Gao Yang slightly puzzled despite his amusement, prompting him to say with a wry smile, "Hold on, speak Mandarin. Uriyangko had some issues, but his subordinates should still be able to deliver the arms. How can the supply be cut off? What about other supplies? Any shortage of food or medicine?"

Maide coughed lightly and helplessly said, "No shortage of food and medicine at all, just short of ammunition. Cough, cough, if Uriyangko’s underling had any problems, he should have said something. We’re fighting as fiercely as before; had I known, I would’ve used it more sparingly. Now Abu complains to me daily; we ran out of shells for the Berbera fights."

Gao Yang asked urgently, "Did you owe Uriyangko’s men any money? Otherwise, it shouldn’t be like this. Uriyangko is not showing up, but his men should still maintain the arms channel."

Maide hurriedly said, "How could we be in debt? Every deal is settled in cash upfront, never defaulted once. Now we have eighty million in cash! We don’t even have a place to spend our money, all right? Ram, you must think of a way, quickly send a batch of arms, the faster the shells the better! Right now, our southern pressure is very high, the Young Party has intentions to attack us, and without heavy weapons, we’ve lost a significant advantage."

Gao Yang coughed lightly and said, "Alright, I’ll think of a way to send a batch over to you as soon as possible. As for the price, how about we go with the original pricing? If you agree, I’ll go discuss it with the arms dealers."

Maide immediately said, "No problem! Uriyangko’s pricing is quite reasonable. We once found an arms dealer, but they asked five times Uriyangko’s price. I didn’t buy from them. If you can find something at a flat rate, say, seventy million—no, eighty million US Dollars worth, you know what we need, you decide, I trust you."

Gao Yang laughed and said, "Alright, I’ll get in touch right away; we’ll talk later." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)