King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Joe Ga hung up the phone from Gami, and returned to the hospital ward to rest for a while…

Joe Ga had never considered establishing a foothold and power base in Europe because there were too many restrictions, too much trouble, and most importantly, he had too many other things to do.

The so-called security contract in Monaco that Gami was talking about was not about the Royal Family changing their security; that would be impossible—it would be like asking for their lives.

If a princess often bullied for her frailty was in charge of the Royal Family's security, the King would lose sleep over it.

Gami meant that Joe Ga should seize this opportunity to land the 'security contract' for the tiny fishing village of Monaco.

Basically, it meant establishing an anti-terrorism unit either outside the Monaco police force or within their system.

Even if France was agreeable, Monaco could sign a joint security defense contract with P·B so that if they encountered a problem that a small team couldn't handle, P·B could send people to help in Monaco.

This financial shark Gami, having been with P·B for a long time, had also started to believe in the power of guns.

She felt that having an armed force in Monaco fully supporting Charlene would grant her the greatest autonomy.

Joe Ga agreed with this point, but he knew that such a team could not be maintained in such a small place as Monaco, not because they lacked funds, but because they lacked space.

Joe Ga could take advantage of the situation to force Albert II's hand to sign an agreement.

But in the end, he would still need to go to France to find a location to establish a training base and recruit competent instructors and soldiers, as this level of anti-terrorist force absolutely could not just consist of mercenaries.

If something happened in Monaco, P·B operating each time as an international task force, wouldn't that be ironically laughable?

Considering the fussy nature of Europeans and the fact that France viewed Monaco as its own turf, the time and energy required for this task would be too great.

It's not worth it!

Instead of wasting brains on this, it would be better to think of other strategies!

Nis might have noticed Joe Ga's troubled mood, as she brought over a pot of black tea and sat beside him, then gently moved Joe Ga's head onto her lap. While softly massaging his temples, she said, "If you're feeling distressed, why not just reject Gami's offer?

The situation for Charlene is already good enough..."

Joe Ga listened, wrapped his arms around Nis's waist, buried his head in her stomach and rubbed it a little, then sighed and said, "If I didn't have the capability, I would certainly reject it, but now that I do, that's why I am in a dilemma.

Some things are not a matter of worth, but whether I should do them.

Ever since Charlene visited Ndele, she has spared no effort in helping P·B whenever she can.

When my friends did their utmost for me, and now if I have the chance but do nothing, it would make me very uncomfortable.

Nis, some things are not just a simple exchange of interests; in my mind, genuine needs should be met with genuine response."

As he spoke, Joe Ga lay with his head on Nis's lap, looking at the girl helplessly, "I don't seem to be a qualified businessman this way..."

Nis listened and revealed a faint smile, stroked Joe Ga's furrowed brow with her hand, and said, "Then you should follow your thoughts because in my memory, you are always right!"

As Nis looked at Joe Ga's amused expression, she suddenly said, "Why must you sign a contract with Monaco? We are Charlene's friends, why can't we just sign a contract directly with Charlene?

Charlene is the Princess of Monaco; she has the right to seek dependable security.

Charlene needs a reliable armed force willing to protect her unconditionally as support, and we are precisely that!"

Joe Ga listened and shook his head slightly, "You don't understand, what Charlene needs is a bargaining chip, not just a simple security force.

She cannot completely turn her back on the Monaco Royal Family, so the bargaining chip needs legal backing, which would allow her to stand tall when facing the Royal Family.

Simply arranging a bunch of soldiers for security is of no use; only when these soldiers are part of the Monaco police system and nominally obey Charlene's commands, will the bargaining chip be valid..."

Nis listened, furrowing her brow, "Aren't you thinking too much?

Why must the force be within the police system?

P·B is a mercenary company, and as a company, it can open branches. Why can't Charlene become the manager of P·B's Monaco branch?

I saw in the news yesterday that Monacans were protesting in the streets against France's inaction and lack of respect for the protection agreement, so the French are planning to increase their presence nearby. Why can't it be P·B's branch establishing a base near Monaco?"

Upon hearing this, Joe Ga suddenly sat up, smacked his forehead hard, and then kissed Nis saying, "If it were in Africa, I might manage somehow, but it's impossible in Europe.

But you're right, P·B is a company, and as a company, it can open branches.

Charlene needs a bargaining chip, and a P·B branch is the best bargaining chip.

Monaco can't have its own army, but why can't the Princess use her private name to establish a maritime security company?

With two or three offshore patrol boats, plus a Marine Corps, who in Monaco would dare mess with her?"

Saying this and spiraling into brainstorming, Joe Ga rubbed his temples, "Under these circumstances, we cannot ask the Monaco Royal Family to foot the bill in the beginning stages of the company; we need to pay for the patrol boats ourselves, second-hand ones will do.

Once we have the patrol boats, just by providing monthly escort service for the oil tankers departing Tubruq and safely passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, we'd recover the maintenance costs and sustain the people.

Once the company is established, we negotiate with the Monaco Royal Family to take over the coastal defense, which would perfectly meet the Monacans' internal demands for security because they trust the Heroic Princess more."

Joe Ga pondered and realized that there indeed was room to maneuver!

Previously, he had always thought that he wouldn't spend a dime and instead, let the blundering Monaco Royal Family foot the bill for Charlene to seek leverage.

That was certainly difficult, and many things required mediation and careful balancing, which was troublesome.

But now, switching his train of thought, letting Charlene organize her own armed forces and then demanding "protection fees" from Monaco…

Once the order was changed, the nature of the plan shifted dramatically.

In principle, the Princess shouldn't engage in such affairs, but presently, the Monaco Royal Family was in need and, of course, everything was up for negotiation.

Moreover, the Princess organizing a fleet to safeguard Monaco's safety would also help to quell public dissatisfaction with the Royal Family.

After all, global trade is still dominated by maritime commerce to this day, where the mightiest fists on the high seas reign supreme.

Nowadays, all cargo ships passing through certain specific seas need to have armed security on board, as this is demanded by some insurance companies.

It's akin to a deductible clause in a way; if you don't abide by their rules, the insurance company is entitled to invoke the deductible in case of an incident.

A patrol ship under 2,000 tons without missiles is certainly not taken seriously by any major powers, but aren't patrol ships perfectly suited to fight pirates?

A single patrol ship could escort 3 to 5 cargo ships through the Gulf of Aden at a time—isn't charging a fee for that service a given?

Joe Ga wasn't familiar with this kind of deal, but China's cargo and oil tankers were immediate customers in the current phase.

Charging a ship 200,000 Euros per passage—is that excessive? It doesn't seem excessive, does it?

When combining various income streams, it would certainly offset the expenditure of the fleet, and by that time, Charlene would have the leverage, while P·B, relying on the port of Tubruq, would gain a naval force in the Mediterranean.

This venture seemed entirely feasible. The only issue was where to buy patrol ships and where to find so many retired navy personnel?

At that moment, Joe Ga took out his phone and called Eric…

This fellow was once the actuary in charge of the American military budget, knowledgeable in this area.

Eric answered the call quickly…

"Boss, is it over at your end? When can you make a trip to America?

Congress is about to pass the temporary military budget concerning Iraq, and Ambassador Steven estimates that he could gain control of that budget. We have a lot to discuss.

This is a huge pie, and many are eyeing it. Some issues require your confirmation."

Joe Ga was taken aback for a moment, then said with a smile, "I still have matters to complete, so let's wait a bit longer.

I called to ask if you could recommend any suitable patrol boats for purchase—secondhand will do.

I'm thinking of starting a maritime subsidiary and need several reliable ships capable of deterring pirates and certain other malicious forces."

Caught off guard by Joe Boss's sudden brainstorm, Eric pondered for a long while before responding, "Boss, buying ships is easy. How about the retired 'Hamilton-class' patrol boats?

They'll cost about 40 to 50 million US Dollars.

If you're willing to pay and sign a series of confidentiality agreements with the American military, I could even have them leave the fire control and radar systems intact for you. These systems were added during a refit around the year 2000.

Of course, they're not particularly advanced by today's standards, and the hulls are quite old, but they are definitely worth the price."

Eric paused for a moment and continued, "Boss, I think right now, the ship shouldn't be your concern; you should be paying attention to the situation in Iraq.

As long as the Iraqi industries take off, buying ships won't be a problem for you at all.

According to my and Steven's estimates, if we can revitalize the American energy company's oil fields in Iraq, the annual tens of billions in gross profits could make many step aside for you.

Right now you can only buy small ships, but it wouldn't be impossible to acquire better ones later on."

Joe Ga was amused by Eric's reverse PUA…

"Better ones? Even if I could afford them, could I maintain them?

I'm already not confident with the Hamilton-class; can they really sell it to me?"

Upon hearing this, Eric chuckled and said, "Boss, those are retired ships; don't let the naval maintenance budget the United State Army publishes scare you.

As far as I know, if the Hamilton-class patrol boats are not performing combat missions and only carrying out patrol and defense duties, the annual maintenance cost, including personnel and equipment, won't exceed 10 million US Dollars.

Even if you don't buy them, America would market them to others, with the Philippines being one of the buyers.

Sales of such military vessels require Congressional approval, but if you kick off the Iraqi project, Congress will surely not hinder you.

The Philippines could spend a hundred million US Dollars and only get a functioning hull to run in the sea, but your case is different!"

Once again, Joe Ga found the topic circling back to Iraq, and with a hint of resignation, he asked, "If I hurry up the Iraqi project, can I get a discount on the ships?"