Li Du did not know what to say . Hearing Remonin's envious tone and seeing his
covetous look, Li Du recalled that his helicopter was a Mi-8 model .
Although he was no military expert, Li Du knew that T-54 and BMP-1 tanks were very
old and dated . They had all been long eliminated from modern armies .
Li Du truly understood the expression 'country bumpkin' from the look on Remonin's
face .
He could not help but say, "Commander, can you procure weapons from the Ministry of
Defense by yourself? If there is a battle, the ones you have won't be of much use . "
Remonin lost his smile . "How can that be? I know you Americans and Chinese have
more advanced armies . But here, my weapons and equipment are considered the
cream of the crop . "
Li Du stopped to think and realized that he had been impractical . Remonin would not be
declaring war on Europe or America . Advanced weapons would be of no use to him .
Even if Remonin had state-of-the-art tanks, he would not be able to use them and no
one under him would know how to do that either .
Hence, Li Du no longer criticized Remonin and started to give him some credit .
Like many warlords in Africa, Remonin enjoyed praise . As Li Du and Sophie
complimented him, he swelled with pride and pleasure .
Learning that Li Du had acquired a mountain in South Africa, Amengda, Remonin patted
Li Du's should and promised, "If you have problems there, give me a call . My troops will
back you up!"
Although Li Du knew that these were just pleasantries, he still felt reassured .
The situation in South Africa was the most stable across the continent, but there were
still many problems in terms of security .
To develop a diamond mine in South Africa, Li Du needed strong armed forces to
protect it . Otherwise, the migrating tribes, police officers, and various types of messy
military politicians could cause trouble for him .
That was also one reason why the development of the mine had been delayed although
he had discovered it some time ago .
In South Africa, Li Du was just like a child wrapping his arms around a golden brick . He
had huge wealth but no corresponding power to protect it .
Because of that, Li Du had decided to invest in Remonin . That was something Cole had
helped him understand . Initially, he had not thought of it himself .
Cole had told him that once the diamond mine began to develop, it would attract many
people's attention . He would require a very strong force in South Africa to protect his
wealth .
However, it was impossible to recruit local security, as the locals were untrustworthy .
Neither could he rely on mercenaries . While some mercenaries had strong fighting
skills, they all had problems with discipline . What if the people he hired to protect his
diamonds would steal them?
Hence, Remonin's troops would be a much better option .
Cole had advised Li Du to ask Remonin for men . There were at least four to five
hundred loyal soldiers under Remonin's leadership . After the establishment of the
military region, Remonin had also needed to expand his troops .
Li Du could consider engaging a group of soldiers from Remonin's troops and nominally
getting them to retire from the army . Then he would be able to get those retired men to
guard the mine .
These soldiers belonged to Remonin's private army . They had no relations with the
locals in South Africa and hence, they would not ally with the locals to cause trouble or
steal the diamonds .
In addition, they were not like mercenaries who were brave and capable and had the
foresight to try to sell the diamonds off after stealing them . These soldiers did not have
the necessary channels to do so and they would not have the courage to attempt it .
Remonin's personal reputation would motivate him to make sure his soldiers worked for
Li Du honestly .
This was something Li Du would not be able to buy no matter how much money he had .
Remonin's people had a fighting spirit, discipline, and loyalty .
There was a club in the process of construction in Remonin's camp . It was meant as a
place of rest and recreation for officials . However, it was empty now and its only
furnishings were a couple of pool tables .
After seeing the room, Li Du promised, "Commander, you can focus on your relationship
with the navy . I will help you furnish your camp . This building is too shabby, how would
it do? You need to have a cinema, massage room, restaurant, bar, gaming consoles!"
Remonin was ecstatic, "Is that a promise?"
Li Du pounded his chest and said, "Of course, how can I lie to my brother in arms? Our
friendship has been tested by gunfire!"
Remonin nodded vigorously . "That's right, cheers to friendship!"
The soldiers brought in fruits and beverages and it was as though the two parties were
having a global leader forum . They sat opposite each other on the sofas and started to
discuss money matters . Remonin first grumbled about his poverty . "Six million, brother
Li, six million US dollars! I spent close to five million to buy this military region and the
rest to furnish this place . Now I have nothing left, not a cent!"
Li Du sighed, "Keeping an army is really like burning money . "
While Remonin complained, Li Du played along . They were testing each other's
threshold .
Remonin wanted Li Du to give him ten to twenty million for his developments . He
wanted to build up the entire military region and his army .
Li Du rejected this suggestion instantly and said, "You will bring out the diamonds first,
the diamonds that had been found since the last time we met . "
Remonin walked back into the office himself and carefully brought out a small box .
There were not many diamonds inside, only about a quarter of the amount of last time .
One diamond was the size of a thumb . It was a valuable diamond . Li Du estimated that
it could fetch a few hundred thousand dollars without any issue . The smaller diamonds
did not have such value .
Li Du said, "This is not enough . I can sell these for two hundred thousand at most . Even
if I don't take a cut, it's still not enough for you . "
Remonin said, "Li, we have already tried to speed up the work . However, the diamonds
are rare, and it is not easy to discover them . However, you can give me two million first
for urgent needs . "
Li Du kept the diamonds and said, "If you need money, I do have a way for you to get
rich . "
Remonin's eyes lit up but he did not show his eagerness . He sipped his coffee and
asked, "What way? I won't do anything illegal like smuggling . I am now the country's
guardian!"
Country guardian, your foot, Li Du scoffed in his heart .
Li Du took a sip of coffee too, cleared his throat and said, "You must know that I am a
shareholder of Harry Winston Inc . We bought a mountain in South Africa, but we lack
guards . "
"We need about forty to fifty soldiers dedicated to protecting the mountain . We will
provide food, lodgings and everything they need . Each person will get a monthly salary
of two thousand US dollars . "
Remonin's eyes lit up even brighter . He said, "Each would earn a monthly salary of two
thousand dollars? In that case, if you employ fifty men, they will earn a total of one
hundred thousand dollars every month?"
Li Du nodded and said, "Yes, that's right . "
Remonin started to consider this and said, "Li, take a rest first . I will discuss this with my
people . Consider this taken care of . I will resolve your problems . Leave the security of
your assets to me!"
Li Du knew that Remonin was tempted . He smiled . "Of course, thanks so much . I will
wait for your news . "
Chapter end
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