Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 197 The Ambitious President Kara
Even a president of a country, like Yuan Guoxing, cannot arrange meetings with people at any time; it requires communication, appointments, and a long wait.

Chen Jiang hadn't been idle during this time either. He thoroughly investigated the situation around the camp and led his men to remove several blind spots at the main gate to ensure a wide field of fire.

In addition, he went to great lengths to hoard supplies, especially fresh water.

Unfortunately, although this is the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, supplies are still very scarce. Even if they are willing to pay, the amount they can buy is extremely limited, mostly consisting of fruits that are not easy to preserve.

The corn they bought tasted very different from the corn in China, but Chen Jiang still organized people to extract the kernels, dry them, and grind them into powder for future use. As for things like rice, they were absolutely rare here and couldn't be bought even if you had money. You could only buy them in H City, but the prices there were outrageously high, and Chen Jiang's budget was limited, so he had to give up on that idea.

Regarding freshwater resources, Chu Ning came up with a solution. They found some cement while cleaning the barracks earlier. These things were probably too heavy, so the people were too lazy to take them with them when they left.

Aside from some parts being broken and unusable, most of them can still be reused.

Chu Ning and her team obtained some yellow sand and some local natural rocks, mixed them together, and created a very sturdy building material.

Deep inside the military camp, they used these materials to build a water storage pool, and then laid a layer of charcoal and coarse sand at the bottom. After the deep well water was filtered through this layer, the water quality was much better, which solved a major problem of water supply.

Chen Jiang originally intended to use these raw materials to reinforce the barracks walls and other facilities, but later found that the quality of the cement was rather poor. He decided it would be better to wait for the next shipment of supplies from China, as he felt more at ease using domestically produced goods.

A few days later, the engineering company and subsequent supplies and equipment finally arrived.

The commander of the engineering company was named Guo Baoqing. Coincidentally, he was one of Chen Jiang's classmates when they were in the training brigade.

The fact that this person was able to be promoted to deputy battalion commander in such a short time shows that he must have extraordinary abilities.

The person sent out this time is the deputy battalion commander and political instructor of their peacekeeping force. He has a lot of experience in leading troops at the grassroots level. The two already knew each other, which made it even easier for them to coordinate and cooperate. It is estimated that the higher-ups had this in mind when they arranged the personnel.

"Oh my, I never thought I'd run into an old classmate in Africa, Battalion Commander Chen. I've been following you around for the past two years!" Guo Baoqing is a straightforward man. After being transferred to the engineering corps, he has been able to make good use of his expertise. Whether it's building bridges and roads or other infrastructure projects, they are all very capable.

"Not at all, we'll cooperate." Chen Jiang glanced at the troops he had brought. "Old Guo, are these two companies?"

"As expected of a battalion commander, he recognized it at a glance. This is more than half of our engineer battalion, two companies, about 220 men. Don't underestimate us just because we're engineers; we're all soldiers. In case of an emergency, we can be fully deployed to the battlefield." Guo Baoqing was very proud of this. In the engineer unit, his troops were considered to be among the most combat-effective. In addition to engineer training, they also made sure to develop military skills.

"That's great! This way, if anything happens, we can mobilize three companies of soldiers. That's definitely a very powerful military force," Chen Jiang said excitedly.

"Don't rush," Guo Baoqing quietly leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Your troops' equipment, as well as our engineering equipment, will arrive in a month. Then we'll be all set!"

With the addition of this new force, Chen Jiang felt more confident, after all, having people on your side makes a real difference.

Because large equipment needs to be shipped over by sea, the engineers in the engineering battalion, like the 7th Company, have been focusing on military training recently.

The United Nations was calling every few days, urging Chen Jiang and his team to get to work as soon as possible. But you can't cook without rice. Without the protection of heavy equipment, Chen Jiang wouldn't risk his brothers' lives with just their own flesh and blood.

President Cara finally had news. Yuan Guoxing called, and the president gave Chen Jiang a 15-minute meeting. Chen Jiang found it amusing. In reality, the 15 minutes wasn't because the president was actually extremely busy; it was just a show to make him seem very busy.

It seems that only in this way can his status be demonstrated.

On the day of the meeting, Chen Jiang, dressed in military uniform, accompanied by Yuan Guoxing, went to Kara's official residence.
It must be said that although the capital Kinshasa is very dilapidated, the presidential residence is still well-built. After passing through the gate, the two walked in with their heads held high, led by several servants.

Because the people here all know Yuan Guoxing and know that he is the ambassador of a great Eastern power, they treat him with great courtesy. This is one of the advantages of a great power.

Upon reaching the innermost meeting room, several armed men demanded that Chen Jiang hand over his weapons and conducted a security check on him. After confirming that there were no issues, they asked him to wait outside while someone went in to inform them.

A few minutes later, probably when it was time for their meeting, Chen Jiang and his group were finally led into the reception room.

The interior is decorated in a rather opulent style. The first thing that catches the eye is an oil painting of a leopard. Since the Congo reveres the leopard for its bravery, and even the national emblem features a leopard's head, it's not surprising to see this here.

However, the leopard in the painting is a bit too aggressive, as if it's trying to intimidate the viewer.

"Oh, Mr. Ambassador, my dearest friend, it is a great pleasure to meet you!"

A somewhat broken Chinese voice suddenly rang out in a foreign land, which surprised Chen Jiang. He saw a black man in military uniform with a chest full of medals get up and walk towards them.

He was of medium height with a somewhat round face, but his eyes were bright and piercing, exuding a charm that suggested he had long held a high position.

This must be President Cara.

"Haha, Mr. President, I'm very sorry for disturbing you, you're so busy with official business." Yuan Guoxing replied very politely. Since the other party wanted to put on an act, he would play along.

Sure enough, with the help of others, Kara was immediately in a good mood after Yuan Guoxing's kind words.

He waved his hand, "Even if I'm very busy, I will definitely make time to come here since your ambassador is here."

After a round of polite diplomatic exchanges, servants served coffee and food.

Chen Jiang did not make a move. In this situation, the things brought out were only for display, not for you to eat. Besides, the coffee here was very ordinary and extremely bitter. "Mr. President, please allow me to introduce you. This major beside me is the highest-ranking commander of our peacekeeping force, Major Chen Jiang."

Upon hearing Yuan Guoxing's introduction, Kara feigned surprise and exclaimed, "Oh my, it's Major Chen! He's so young and promising!"

In fact, he had already obtained Chen Jiang's basic information, but his answer was just a polite formality.

President Kara, however, was somewhat dismissive of Chen Jiang's rank, as he was a discerning individual and familiar with the ranks in the Chinese military during his time studying there. For a major to be able to speak with the Commander-in-Chief of his entire armed forces was indeed a bit much.
Although their titles are not very prestigious, as many of their official ranks and medals are custom-made.

Chen Jiang, of course, understood the implications. "Not at all, Mr. President is the one who is truly enviable."

After another round of compliments, they finally got to the point.

This left Chen Jiang speechless. In 15 minutes like this, how many things could they possibly say that were actually relevant? With such low efficiency, it's no wonder the country is so backward.

"Mr. President, I have only one purpose in coming here today: I hope that our peacekeeping operation can receive your strong support," Chen Jiang said bluntly.

"Major Chen, what are you talking about? I have always been very sincere and friendly towards your country, and I fully support all your actions," Kara said with a laugh.

In fact, he knew what Chen Jiang meant. The reason why the peacekeeping forces were having such a hard time here was mainly because the security situation was not stable enough. Making the peacekeeping forces fight and provide humanitarian assistance at the same time took up a lot of their energy.

Chen Jiang looked directly into President Kara's eyes, his tone firm yet polite, "You know what I mean. I need your country to provide a relatively stable environment, such as establishing a security buffer zone around the camp and prioritizing the smooth flow of our supplies."

President Cara picked up her coffee cup, took a slow sip, and a calculating glint flashed in her shrewd eyes behind the rim. "Major Chen, as you know, our country is currently facing financial difficulties."

Yuan Guoxing interjected at the opportune moment, "Mr. President, a safe environment is conducive to the arrival of our country's aid supplies to your country. You wouldn't want these supplies to be damaged by war, would you?"

President Kara's eyes lit up noticeably. Although many relief supplies are now being distributed under the name of the United Nations, in reality, they are all assistance from major powers to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Without their generous donations, what good is the United Nations?

Over the years, China has indeed provided a lot of help to African countries, especially the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is in dire need of external assistance, even if it's just sending some rice.

He looked troubled. "But the country's military forces are not entirely under my control. Therefore..."

“You’re talking about Vice President Benba, right?” Yuan Guoxing added calmly. “We can also coordinate with the Vice President, but we always feel that you are the only head of state in this country.”

The atmosphere in the reception room suddenly became subtle. The eyes of the leopard painting on the wall gleamed eerily under the light, as if they too were watching the conversation.

Yuan Guoxing's meaning is very clear: as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a major power of great importance in the world, they will definitely support the only leader of the current government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, namely President Kara.

But the prerequisite is that he must have a voice in the country; otherwise, a president who is merely a figurehead is meaningless.

President Kara suddenly burst into laughter, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. "My friends, you're always so understanding." He stood up, walked to the window, and pointed into the distance. "Actually, what I'm most worried about is the diamond mining region in the north."

Chen Jiang and Yuan Guoxing exchanged a glance. This was Kara's real purpose—he wanted to use the peacekeeping force to strike at the opposition armed groups entrenched in the mining area.

“Peacekeeping operations must strictly adhere to the scope of the UN mandate,” Chen Jiang replied cautiously. “However, we can help train the government’s engineering corps and improve their mine clearance and infrastructure capabilities.”

As President Cara turned around, a pile of medals jingled melodiously. He had been put on the presidency during a time of national crisis, but he could already understand Chen Jiang's unspoken meaning.

Training engineers is for peacekeeping, but it's also good to train their military skills as well.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow I will sign a presidential decree to designate a five-kilometer security zone.” He paused, then added meaningfully, “I hope your country can help me train my engineering troops as soon as possible, and then send the aid supplies to our country as soon as possible.”

After leaving the presidential residence, Yuan Guoxing whispered, "That old fox, he doesn't have any engineering corps. Chen Jiang, you're not really going to help him train an army, are you?"

Looking at the heavily armed government soldiers on the street, many of whom were underage children, Chen Jiang said softly, "Even if we don't train them, don't the bullets fired from these kids' AK47s have any killing power? Helping them train can help cultivate a group of officers who are closer to us, which will be more conducive to our future work."

“That’s true,” Yuan Guoxing agreed wholeheartedly. In Africa, many countries’ regimes were won through bloody killings, and the armed forces that supported them were mostly grassroots militias. Western arms dealers would sell them a batch of old AKs and a few RPGs, and they would become the main force.

If we could get our hands on machine guns and mount them on the cargo bed of a secondhand pickup truck, we'd have an elite force.

In Yuan Guoxing's view, such troops were undoubtedly a rabble compared to the army of the motherland, but even so, the bullets fired by these people were still very lethal, which made the armies of various countries very wary.

"Commander, where is our equipment? How much longer until it arrives?" Chen Jiang had to urge them.

This batch of equipment not only includes the relevant professional equipment of the engineering company, but more importantly, it includes their armored infantry fighting vehicles and ongoing engineering materials.

“I’ve asked around. Because it’s by sea and it has to reach the west coast of Africa, the journey is very long and takes a long time. I estimate it should arrive in about half a month.”

“There’s only one outlet to the sea here, so it’s definitely more difficult,” Chen Jiang said with a slight smile. “Compared to our country’s long coastline, this is a major factor that restricts economic development. Of course, the only advantage is that we don’t have to worry too much about coastal defense.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Guoxing shook his head. The Democratic Republic of Congo doesn't have any warships, so what kind of coastal defense does it have?

(End of this chapter)