Zhao Qiang said, "Others may not be able to, but we can. Let them continue fighting, and it would be best if they both died. Then we can reap the benefits."
Yang Shiqi thought for a moment and said, "This is simply not feasible. How can we, with just a few people, extract and transport crude oil? It's even more impossible to ask the country to send troops and staff. We are willing but unable to do so."
Zhao Qiang said, "Africa doesn't lack people, as long as there is food. With our strength, it's no problem to defend dozens of oil wells. What I'm worried about now is the United States causing trouble. If they sabotage us openly or covertly, it will be very troublesome."
Yang Shiqi said, "But you know we can't stay here forever. Even if Bazafi and the government forces are wary of us now and don't dare to touch our oil wells, what happens after we leave? Are we going to stay here forever?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Once we gain a foothold, we can deploy a force here. The fighting strength of this force only needs to be on par with Bazafi and the government forces. At that time, both sides will have to curry favor with us, and we will gain a great advantage by balancing them in the middle."
Yang Shiqi gasped: "Raising troops outside without authorization? And it can't be related to the country, this is a major incident!"
Zhao Qiang said, "That's why I said it would alert your grandfather and the others, making them think we have some ulterior motive."
Yang Shiqi said, "I need to discuss this with my grandfather. I don't want you to be threatened in China because of this."
Chen Xinyu was also alarmed. No ruler in any country wants a military force that is not under his control. If this force also controls a portion of the country's energy imports and has strong equipment and combat capabilities, it is a very unsafe factor.
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, go ahead and make the contact. You can tell your grandfather that assassinating Bazafi is no easy task. If he doesn't believe you, he can try it himself. Besides, the chaotic situation in S country has been going on for more than just a day or two. Bazafi's rebellion is no accident. Even if we assassinate him, there will be a second or third Bazafi. At that time, the country's investment in this area will be a bottomless pit. So assassination is not the most reliable solution. Moreover, blindly appeasing the government forces may not be a good thing. Letting them keep some enemies will make them feel a sense of crisis and cling to our coattails more tightly."
"I understand." Yang Shiqi got up and left Zhao Qiang's room.
Chen Xinyu didn't say a word. After Yang Shiqi closed the door, she hugged Zhao Qiang tightly, but her own body was trembling. "Zhao Qiang, you can't let anything happen to you, or what will I do?" They were still out of Africa, so it was not unreasonable for Chen Xinyu to be worried and scared. If Yang Shiqi or Li Zhongyuan came back and detained Zhao Qiang, she would be in big trouble.
Zhao Qiang patted her back and said, "What are you afraid of? Just do what I tell you to do, and don't worry about anything else."
Chen Xinyu nodded, "Okay, anyway, this life is yours, but I still have superiors to review it, so I can't just spread rumors."
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "You've got the wrong idea. You think I'm trying to make some kind of declaration of independence? I had absolutely no such intention."
Two hours later, Zhao Qiang finished all the food, his belly bulging high, filled with a large amount of undigested food, and his waistline was several layers thicker with fat. Chen Xinyu was stunned by the rapid digestion and conversion into fat. She became even more convinced that Zhao Qiang was no ordinary person, and her admiration for him deepened. It was probably impossible for anyone to shake her confidence in Zhao Qiang.
Yang Shiqi hurriedly pushed the door open and entered. Zhao Qiang, on the other hand, remained calm, but Chen Xinyu was breathing rapidly, staring at Yang Shiqi with a nervous expression in her eyes.
Yang Shiqi plopped down: "The higher-ups have approved it."
Chen Xinyu breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally at ease. She didn't want the country to have any reservations about Zhao Qiang because of this.
Zhao Qiang said, "I'm afraid it's just a temporary test to see how it works."
Yang Shiqi asked in surprise, "How can you guess everything?"
Zhao Qiang said, "A little reasoning will lead to the conclusion. The central government doesn't have a better solution right now. Both we and Li Zhongyuan have done our best in the assassination of Bazafi. Even if we succeed, the rebels won't disappear all at once, and the chaos and production stoppage won't disappear immediately either. So, restoring crude oil production and exports is the most important thing. The central government can't reach us. Right now, the only piece we have left in Africa that can play a role is us. So, the method I suggested works. The key is to prevent others from seizing the fruits of victory after everything is arranged."
Yang Shiqi said, "Don't worry, my grandfather is still on my side and would never side with someone else."
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "Anyway, it's your Yang family's business. I'll do my best to support them, and I won't get involved in the rest. I'm not ambitious; I just want to live a happy and peaceful life."
Yang Shiqi rolled her eyes at Zhao Qiang: "You make it sound so high and mighty, making us run ourselves ragged for you."
Chen Xinyu asked Zhao Qiang, "Then what kind of report do I need to do?"
Zhao Qiang said, "No need for now. Just report the battle situation truthfully. Right now, we need to find an oil well that is rich in crude oil, easy to extract, and easy to transport. Then, whether we seize it or buy it, we must take control of it."
Yang Shiqi said, "We need to ask someone who knows the relevant stuff, since neither of us is a professional in this area."
Zhao Qiang said, "There's no rush to do this today, because we need to wait for Li Zhongyuan to come back and figure out what the government army is thinking. Let's rest for a while first, otherwise we won't have the energy to do anything."
Zhao Qiang walked towards the bedroom, Yang Shiqi followed, and Chen Xinyu naturally didn't want to be left behind. The three of them entered the bedroom, and Zhao Qiang lay down on the bed and fell asleep. Yang Shiqi glanced at Chen Xinyu, then lay down next to Zhao Qiang. Chen Xinyu lay down on the other side of Zhao Qiang without giving way, glared at Yang Shiqi, and whispered, "Why did you, a man, come in here? Zhao Qiang doesn't like these things."
Yang Shiqi grabbed Zhao Qiang and said defiantly, "What's wrong with men? How do you know he doesn't like it?"
Chen Xinyu snatched the knife from Zhao Qiang: "I just knew he didn't like it. Have you ever seen a man who likes another man?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Aren't there homosexuals too?"
Chen Xinyu said, "Zhao Qiang isn't one."
Yang Shiqi retorted, "How did you know?"
Chen Xinyu pulled Zhao Qiang's hand and placed it on her chest: "Because he likes women, he's definitely not gay."
Yang Shiqi reached for Zhao Qiang's other hand: "He likes men too."
Unable to bear the noise any longer, Zhao Qiang used both hands to pull Chen Xinyu and Yang Shiqi into his arms, one on each side. Before they could say anything, Zhao Qiang shushed them with a "Shh." "Sleep," Zhao Qiang commanded. The two women were indeed sleepy, so they each took up half of Zhao Qiang's body and fell asleep, resting their heads on his arms.
...
"Battalion Commander Li, you really can't go in. Instructor Zhao is resting..."
Bang! Li Zhongyuan kicked open the bedroom door. Lu Yuming couldn't stop him in time. Li Zhongyuan didn't see Zhao Qiang in the living room, so he kicked open the bedroom door. Inside, Zhao Qiang was sleeping soundly with two women in his arms. Fortunately, none of them had taken off their clothes, so there was nothing inappropriate. However, the two women were hugging very tightly, especially Chen Xinyu's breasts, which were slightly deformed from the pressure. This made Li Zhongyuan swallow hard. He pounded on the door twice, and only then did Zhao Qiang open his eyes.
Yang Shiqi was also startled awake. She was furious: "Commander Li, are you out of your mind? Do you enjoy watching other people sleep?"
Chen Xinyu immediately nestled in Zhao Qiang's arms, her hand covering her chest—a classic woman's posture. Zhao Qiang asked, "Battalion Commander Li, is something urgent?"
Li Zhongyuan said, "I originally wanted to find Company Commander Yang, but I know she listens to you, so I'll just tell you directly."
Zhao Qiang got up from the bed, pointed to the living room and said, "Go over there and let them rest a little longer."
Li Zhongyuan returned to the living room and sat on the sofa. In fact, he was even more tired. He had gone straight to the Presidential Palace without eating breakfast after returning early in the morning. Afterwards, he had a secret phone call with Old Master Chen for nearly two hours. Later, he reported the battle situation to the troops and received new orders before coming to find Yang Shiqi.
Zhao Qiang lit a cigarette. "Tell me, what's going on?"
Li Zhongyuan said, "The president of country S first praised us, then complained, saying that if we didn't kill the tiger, there would be future troubles."
Zhao Qiang chuckled coldly: "We all understand that a tiger can't be killed in one go."
Li Zhongyuan said, "I have analyzed the current situation for him and explained in detail Bazafi's caution. Assassinating him is indeed not an easy task. We underestimated him before, so the higher-ups did not mention the matter of continuing to assassinate Bazafi. This time, killing almost all of his high-ranking officers has avenged the previous massacre of Chinese people. The president of S country also knows that we have done our best, so he did not say anything more about this matter."
This was within Zhao Qiang's expectations. He said, "We will still try to assassinate him as long as we have the opportunity, but killing Bazafi is not the solution to the internal strife in S."
Li Zhongyuan said, "I've also analyzed this with the president of S country. In fact, he's already overjoyed that he was able to stop Bazafi from attacking K city. He doesn't dare to hope for anything higher."
"What's the next phase of the task?"
Li Zhongyuan said, "The president of S country wants us to stay for a while to further observe Bazafi's movements and, if possible, continue to assassinate him and his officers. The country has given us a new mission: to find a way to restore S country's crude oil exports. Our two teams can act independently, and you no longer need to be under my command."
Zhao Qiang knew that Yang Shiqi's team had gained the attention of the central government and could now break free from Li Zhongyuan's control, making future actions much easier. This was something Li Zhongyuan didn't want to see, which was why he was so angry and kicked down two doors belonging to Zhao Qiang.
Volume 2 [374] The Plan for Transformation
Zhao Qiang asked Li Zhongyuan, "I wonder what Battalion Commander Li's plans are?"
Li Zhongyuan said, "Since we're acting independently, there's no need for anyone to report to anyone else, right? I know Instructor Zhao is a person with special abilities; he has far more methods than me and is much more capable than us, so we don't dare to implicate you. Let's each do our own thing."
Zhao Qiang said, "Since Battalion Commander Li has said so, I can only obey. We'll contact each other again if anything comes up."
Li Zhongyuan stood up and said, "Farewell."
Zhao Qiang said, "I won't see you off any further."
Li Zhongyuan opened the door and left. Yang Shiqi came out of the bedroom and said, "That Li Zhongyuan is really infuriating. We helped him so much and he didn't even say thank you. If it weren't for your ability overpowering him, I'm afraid he might have said something else right now."
Zhao Qiang said, "Ignore him. Call everyone together for a meeting and let's discuss the next steps. Chen Kezong must have given Li Zhongyuan some instructions, and Li Zhongyuan is probably just trying to get rid of us."
In the living room, apart from Zhan Tiannan and Zhang Junpeng standing guard at the door, the other eight people were all present, plus Chen Xinyu. The nine of them sat around the coffee table, on which was a military map with detailed markings of the terrain and place names of S country.
Zhao Qiang said, "I think Li Zhongyuan must have also received orders from Chen Kezong to carry out a similar mission to ours. So we must get ahead of them. Whoever sends the crude oil back to China first will be victorious."
Yang Shiqi said, "That's right, we must win, otherwise we'll never be able to surpass them."
Zhao Qiang said, "Then we need to choose an oil field to operate in the future. Everyone, please share your opinions."
Country S's oil fields are mainly concentrated inland, including the Tabtan Basin, which has the largest oil reserves. However, due to its location deep in the desert and inconvenient transportation, its development is limited. Several high-yield oil wells were once built there, but they were abandoned due to transportation costs. Nowadays, the coastal oil fields are the most valued. Although their output is not as high as that of the Tabtan Basin, their convenient transportation allows them to sustain lower production levels.
"The port of Movili is now under the control of the government forces, and the nearest oil field to this port is Harisa, which has a decent output. If it operates at full capacity 24 hours a day, it can barely maintain the amount of crude oil our country imported from S country before the civil war." Liu Jia was the first to speak and analyze. Everyone had done some research on this information before it came, so his analysis was substantial.
Ma Dahong said, "I think it will be too difficult to get our hands on the Harissa oil field unless we seize it by force against the government forces. But if we provoke such a powerful enemy, will we still be able to use the port of Movili?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Most of the coastal oil fields are controlled by the government army. If we can get them to hand over one or two, we can improve the equipment and increase production, which should be able to meet the domestic demand."
Zhao Qiang shook his head: "Do you all think that based on Li Zhongyuan's two contacts with the president of S country, it's possible for us to snatch the meat from him? Li Zhongyuan couldn't have been unaware of the convenience of the coastal oil fields. I suspect that he may have already obtained some benefits from the president of S country. It's not worth it to try to negotiate with a tiger now."
Yang Shiqi said, "Then what should we do? If transportation is inconvenient, the cost of oil extraction will increase dramatically, and we will suffer huge losses. More importantly, there is ongoing civil war in S, and the oil can easily be attacked by rebels during transportation."
Zhao Qiang said, "Your considerations are correct, but if we don't take the conventional route and don't consider these external factors, where do you think we should choose? We must have a large oil production volume and be able to build the oil field quickly and efficiently."
Xu Changhe pointed to the Tabtan Sand Basin and said, "Of course it's here. The oil-bearing layer here is shallow, making it easy to mine, and the oil yield is high and the quality is good. If we mine it at full capacity, the daily output will be three to four times that of the crude oil that our country used to import from S country. Then the domestic oil price will definitely come down."
Zhao Qiang said, "Changhe's consideration is good. Theoretically speaking, this place is the best choice."
Yang Shiqi said, "Li Zhongyuan must have thought so at first, but he will definitely give up because there isn't even a decent road in this area. How can the crude oil be transported to the port, and how can the oil extraction equipment be transported in? Moreover, the infrastructure in the Tabtan Sand Basin is extremely poor. How can we obtain the power to extract oil?"
Zhao Qiang said, "There's always a way out. Let's take it one step at a time and see how it goes. From a long-term perspective, the Tabtan Sand Basin is easy to acquire from the government forces, and construction and mining are also easy. As for transportation, we'll find another way to solve it."
Yang Shiqi said, "If you have that confidence, then I will support you."
Liu Jia and the others said, "That's right, there's nothing that Instructor Zhao can't do. As long as you lead us, we can even transport crude oil out of the Sahara Desert, provided that we guarantee the lowest possible transportation costs."
Zhao Qiang said to Yang Shiqi, "Go and talk to the president of S country. We are willing to exchange food and weapons for his territory. We will give him the operating rights for at least a hundred years. And after the oil is produced in the future, we will give him a certain percentage of the profits every year."
Yang Shiqi said, "I'll go sound out the president of S country first. Maybe he'll be willing to do it even without sharing the profits. After all, he can only rely on us to deal with Bazafi in the future; Li Zhongyuan's group doesn't have the capability."
Without further ado, Yang Shiqi went out to find someone to arrange the meeting with the president of S country. Zhao Qiang said to Chen Xinyu, "Send a message to your Weibo saying that there is a shortage of food here and we hope that domestic food companies can negotiate cooperation. As for the transportation method, we will take care of it ourselves."
Chen Xinyu said, "Okay."
Zhao Qiang then asked Liu Jia and the others, "Is the equipment fully charged?"
They all nodded: "It's done. This charger is amazing. It was done in no time, and now it's got plenty of power."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's good. Remember to always keep your energy levels high. I'm worried that the power supply in K City might be interrupted at any time. If there's nothing else for now, everyone go back to your rooms and rest. I'll let you know if there's any news."
Yang Shiqi rushed back from the Presidential Palace in the evening. She had a happy face, but also some worries. She drank the cold water on Zhao Qiang's coffee table in one gulp and said, "It's done. It won't cost anything."
Zhao Qiang was stunned: "No way, that's a huge area, and what we're going to do is extract crude oil, which is plundering wealth."
Yang Shiqi said, "You don't understand the situation in Tabutan Sand Basin yet, which is why you think that way. It's not under the control of the government army at all. Giving it to our government army for free wouldn't have cost us anything."
Zhao Qiang said, "It's been occupied by Bazafi's rebels?"
Yang Shiqi said, "No, it was occupied by a group of desert bandits half a year ago. Because it is located on the border of a neighboring country, and the rebels caused trouble from time to time, the government army was powerless to fight them. Now their regime is almost in danger, let alone dealing with the Tabutan Sand Basin. So when I mentioned this, the president agreed to lease it to us for a hundred years, but they will take 30% of the profits after the oil is extracted."
Zhao Qiang said, "This number is not small. Everyone has a greedy heart. They want to take 30% without having to do anything else."
Yang Shiqi said, "Do you think I would suffer such a big loss? Besides, we still have to help the president of S country continue to deal with Bazafi, so I lowered the price. They won't take a penny of our profits for the first three years, and only after that will they take 30% of the profits."
Zhao Qiang was very happy: "This is much more cost-effective. Maybe we'll deplete the oil reserves in the Tabtan Sand Basin in three years, and then we won't have to take any profits."
Yang Shiqi said, "That's what I think too. They thought it would take us several years just to build it, so they were so generous. But I think since you've taken a liking to it, it won't take long to extract the crude oil and transport it back to China."
Zhao Qiang nodded: "I have some ideas, but it still needs time to work out. I may have to go back to China for a while, and we need a lot of 'g' materials to modify some weapons and equipment."
Yang Shiqi said, "That's no problem. We can ask the government to provide full support."