The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 733 Old Friend

Rashid is very lucky!

He is very glad that he has good friends behind him!

Iraqi intelligence agencies are very ineffective in collecting intelligence on the coalition forces.

But his friend was different. He knew everything clearly, including the total strength of the coalition forces, the coalition forces' weapons and equipment, the coalition forces' deployment, etc.

Even the situation of the Allied Navy on the ocean and their combat plans were made clear.

"It seems that Saddam's order cannot be executed. I have to leave a way out for myself!" Rashid said in his heart.

Saddam had given him an order that if things became impossible, the troops would be allowed to retreat to Iraq, but before leaving Kuwait, they must destroy Kuwait's infrastructure, oil wells, etc.

And this order was also anticipated by friends.

His coming to Kuwait was a deal in itself.

At night, Rashid went to the bedroom of the Kuwaiti Royal Palace, where he met some people.

"Mr. Rashid!" the leader said politely.

"Mr. Zhao, is there anything you can help me with this time?" Rashid was not polite either.

We are one family, there is no need to be polite.

Zhao Zhenhuang, a mercenary leader, manages 800 mercenaries and used to conduct business in Africa.

Earlier, he served as chief of staff of a brigade.

Unwilling to live a dull life and longing for military life, Zhao Zhenhuang did not choose to take up a local post, but chose to go abroad as a mercenary.

"This time we brought 3000 communication systems with strong anti-interference capabilities. They can directly pass through satellites in space. Once the war breaks out, your communication systems will inevitably be the main targets of the coalition forces. These 3000 communication systems can ensure that you can communicate safely." Zhao Zhenhuang said.

Rashid nodded.

He had already read the Desert Storm operation plan. The enemy's strategic bombing targets included Iraq's leadership organs, key production institutions, infrastructure and field troops. Communications systems and other facilities were naturally also included in the attack.

Radio communications are often interfered with on the battlefield.

The communication system sent by Zhao Zhenhuang and others is different. It is not easily interfered with, which can undoubtedly ensure the communication of his troops.

The importance of communication to the army is unquestionable. Without communication, the army will become scattered sand.

"Secondly, we have conducted careful research during this period and have drawn up a combat plan suitable for your army." Zhao Zhenhuang took out a military map, which showed the direction of the coalition forces' attack and the Iraqi army's combat deployment.

Zhao Zhenhuang introduced the battle plan they had drawn up.

Rashid's eyes flashed, he saw that the combat goal here was not to defeat the coalition forces, but to severely damage a US military unit.

He saw the minefield that Kuwait had set up.

The coalition forces were unaware of the minefield, as Kuwait had not told the Americans. This area was also a restricted area for the Iraqi army, and the Iraqi army did not dare to underestimate it, because an Iraqi tank division was destroyed in this way.

The US military sent 50,000 troops to cut off the connection between the Iraqi army in Kuwait and the Iraqi mainland. This force was the Iraqi army's combat target. They used minefields and concentrated superior forces to annihilate these 50,000 US troops.

If Rashid could achieve this, he would surely become famous. At the same time, he would not be blamed by Saddam if he led his troops out of Kuwait without destroying Kuwait's infrastructure.

"Mr. Rashid, according to the intelligence we have, some of your people have been bribed by the Americans. So in order to achieve the desired effect, we suggest that you keep the combat plan confidential, mobilize the troops first, and then issue the combat order," said Zhao Zhenhuang.

Rashid nodded slowly.

It is normal for some Iraqi troops to be bribed. The American intelligence system is one of the strongest in the world, and the Americans are wealthy, so it is normal for them to bribe some people.

Just as both sides in the Middle East were gearing up for a big fight, international crude oil prices continued to rise amid the tense situation in the Middle East and have broken through the $55 per barrel mark.

Countless experts believe that once the coalition forces go to war with Iraq, oil prices will continue to rise, and it is not impossible to break through the $60 mark or even the $70 mark.

Internationally, a large amount of funds has poured into the international crude oil futures market.

The massive influx of funds has further pushed up international crude oil prices.

Everyone is bullish on oil rising.

After all, many experts believe that based on the performance of the US military in the Vietnam War, even with its advantages in manpower and weapons and equipment, it would take the US military at least a year to defeat Iraq.

The oil-rich areas in Persia were destroyed by Iraq, and the oil supply has not been restored so far. The oil produced by Persia is not even enough to meet its own needs. Kuwait was occupied by Iraq, and now Iraqi oil cannot be exported due to sanctions, which has led to an oil supply gap of at least 1000 million barrels per day!
Now there are only a few giants that can transport oil from Persia.

It can be said that oil is in short supply and the gap is huge.

This leads to an increase in oil prices.

As oil prices continue to rise, the economies of the United States and Western countries are becoming more difficult due to increasing costs.

Everyone is optimistic about the rise in oil prices, but Liu Tao is pessimistic about oil prices.

He believes that the United States and its allies will open up their oil reserves accumulated over the years to suppress oil prices in order to win public support.

And this war will not last a year as the experts say.

But it will be over in a short time.

Therefore, Liu Tao used a large sum of money to short international oil futures.

The leverage used is 50 times.

Of course, Liu Tao is not afraid even if he loses everything or his position is liquidated.

I had made a lot of money by going long on international oil futures before, and the money I invested now is just a fraction of it.

Liu Tao went to Hong Kong in person. Although the Internet was available in the mainland and the news was almost the same, there were still many inconveniences in the mainland.

But it is different in Hong Kong. The reporters of Hong Kong Satellite TV sent a team directly to the Middle East front to obtain the latest news from the front line. They conduct special discussions every day and even dare to make wild assumptions about any situation.

Various outrageous remarks are always raised from time to time and then cause controversy.

In terms of TV station operations, Hong Kong Satellite TV, which was formed by the integration of TVB and Asia Television, is far ahead of TV stations in the mainland, has a high viewership rate, and its annual revenue is even higher than that of CCTV.

When it comes to the stock market, Hong Kong can also obtain information at the fastest speed.

Liu Tao shorted oil futures this time because he wanted to make a big profit.

If you lose, you won’t lose too much, but if you make money, it will be a real big profit.

That's why he took a chance.

And even now, there are still many things in Hong Kong that need his attention.

I just happened to arrive in Hong Kong, so I took care of all the things there.

(End of this chapter)