Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 199 With equipment in hand, I possess the truth!
Matadi is the provincial capital, located on the right bank of the Livingstone Falls on the Congo River, about 148 kilometers from the Atlantic River estuary, and is known as the "lungs of the Congo".

As a supplementary port to the country's only international seaport, Banana, its 1600-meter-long quay can accommodate 10 ocean-going vessels at the same time and has opened six ocean shipping routes to West Africa and Mediterranean countries.

Its advantageous geographical location makes it appear significantly more prosperous than other cities in Congo. Here, you'll find the country's largest flour mill, oil press, textile factory, and even a few high-rise buildings that are nowhere to be seen in Kinshasa.

This made Chen Jiang secretly marvel, because in such a chaotic place, Matadi could be considered a paradise.

Maintaining such prosperity must be accompanied by stable social order, so it seems the local mayor is quite capable.

Chen Jiang led his men to the dock in a grand procession, and sure enough, they saw the Chinese national flag among the ships docked at the shore, along with a United Nations flag.

He parked his car not far from the ship, then got out and rushed over to make contact.
"Wait, who are you people?"

As people were about to board the ship, several black men suddenly ran out and blocked Chen Jiang's path.

Chen Jiang looked at the other party suspiciously, "I am Chen Jiang, the commander of the Chinese peacekeeping force. Who are you people?"

The other person glanced at Chen Jiang's military uniform, then at the heavily armed soldiers behind him, and immediately burst into hearty laughter.

"Thank God, you've finally arrived!"

Chen Jiang and Augu were both completely baffled. Were these people here specifically to welcome them?

But what those people said next took them by surprise.
"Very good, it's good that you've arrived. Since your large ship has been docked here for many days, you need to pay management and berthing fees of US$173,400. Considering that you are from the United Nations, we'll round it down to US$170,000. Would you like to pay in cash or by POS machine?"

Damn~
Chen Jiang finally realized that these people were there to rob him.

"Who are you? Do you have any identification? What's the basis for this 17 yuan fee?" Chen Jiang never gave robbers a friendly look because he knew very well that UN ships had preferential or even tax-free policies when docking in various places, but these soldiers dared to charge such a high price?
When Chen Jiang asked for his identification, they naturally refused to provide it. Immediately, a group of people, numbering in the hundreds, swarmed around them.

Seeing that the situation was not good, He Chenguang and his men immediately rushed up with their guns and confronted them.

Surprisingly, these people showed no fear whatsoever when facing the dark muzzle of a gun.

The leader scoffed, "Want to shoot? Come on, shoot here! If I even flinch, I'm not Rek!"

Chen Jiang frowned upon hearing this. Why did these lines sound so familiar? It just felt a bit strange when they were spoken in French.

"Commander Chen, don't fire! This is a big city, there are a lot of reporters here," Augu quickly warned.

Chen Jiang wasn't stupid. With so many people, did he really want to just shoot them all? If word got international, he'd be drowned in scorn. So he had to think of another way.

"We are a UN peacekeeping force. UN ships should be allowed to dock for free. You must know that, right?"

"Don't give me that crap. We work here, so we have to get paid. We don't care if you're the United Nations or any other country." The leader, Rick, was completely unreasonable.

Aug whispered something in Chen Jiang's ear, and Chen Jiang learned that Rex and his men were working as laborers at the docks, but the boss here often deducted their wages.

Seeing that Chen Jiang's ship was one of the few ocean-going freighters, they thought of getting some "service fee" from Chen Jiang.

The boss behind them turned a blind eye, since someone else was paying the workers' wages, so why not?

After learning about these circumstances, Chen Jiang was also in a dilemma.
These people are all poor and destitute; they don't care about their lives anymore.

However, he cannot fire a gun or even use force. Such mass incidents are easily exploited by people with ulterior motives, and there are precedents for this.

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, someone on the ship suddenly shouted loudly.
"Is that Major Chen Jiang down there?"

When Chen Jiang heard someone speaking Chinese, he immediately realized they might be one of his own, so he quickly responded loudly, "That's right, I am Chen Jiang."

"You don't need to pay attention to them. We've already notified the local police, and they'll be there soon." As soon as the other person finished speaking, a large number of local police cars arrived with sirens blaring, and many armed police and military personnel got out of the cars.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it's easy to confuse police with soldiers because the police are also a paramilitary force, and their uniforms are almost identical to those of the army.

At that moment, they charged down with AK47s and immediately surrounded Rex and his gang.

Despite how fierce Rex and the others were just now, they immediately cowered when they saw this, and all squatted on the ground with their hands covering their heads.

The reason is simple: they were certain that Chinese soldiers like Chen Jiang would not dare to fire, while the military and police in the Democratic Republic of Congo had no such concerns. The Democratic Republic of Congo lacks many things, but it has no shortage of people, especially these worthless "mobs".

The police who arrived this time were very efficient and brought the situation under control in no time. The leader of the team was very polite to Chen Jiang, "You must be Mr. Chen Jiang, the commander of the peacekeeping force?"

Chen Jiang nodded, indicating that he was indeed Chen Jiang, and showed his identification.

“Our mayor has a deep connection with China, so he would very much like you to visit his residence for a cup of tea and a chat.”

Chen Jiang was quite surprised, because he didn't know the mayor at all. What did this mean?
But they have already shown enough goodwill, so it would be ungrateful of me not to go.

"Could I meet with the people on our cargo ship before going to the mayor's residence?" Chen Jiang felt it was necessary for them to handle official business first.

"Of course, we can wait for you here." The other party was very polite and instructed his men to maintain order in the area.

Chen Jiang ordered his troops not to let their guard down, while he walked straight toward the cargo ship.

The people on the cargo ship had already prepared the gangway.
"Hello, Major Chen, I am Sun Haiqing, the captain of this cargo ship. It's great to meet a fellow countryman." Sun Haiqing shook hands with Chen Jiang tightly.

Chen Jiang was delighted to meet his fellow Chinese compatriots here. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he immediately began to inquire about the situation.

Captain Sun revealed that the ship had actually arrived at the shore long ago, but they were delaying the unloading of the cargo and equipment by citing problems with the railway and a lack of unloading equipment. This made Captain Sun both angry and afraid.

What angered him was the way the people here were making things difficult for him. He had learned through his own channels that these people were trying to extort him. His country had sent people here for peacekeeping, and yet he was being treated like this. It was truly outrageous.

What they feared was that their ship not only carried a large amount of military equipment but also a lot of food supplies, all of which had expiration dates. Leaving them on the ship for an extended period risked spoilage, which could jeopardize their plans. Furthermore, their shipboard security was insufficient; if the people on board harbored malicious intentions, their limited defenses would be woefully inadequate.

"Why did the mayor call me there? Do you know?" Chen Jiang knew nothing about the situation here, so he might as well ask Captain Sun.

Captain Sun looked surprised. "Oh? Is that so?"

In this city, the mayor is the king. The Democratic Republic of Congo has very poor control over the local areas. Each province is controlled by its own small warlords who only nominally obey the central government. As a result, the area is in chaos and fragmented.

"I wonder if he'll make any demands of you? Because people here don't do anything without a reason." Captain Sun had already seen through the true nature of the people here after only a short stay.

Chen Jiang agreed, but he had to go. For no other reason than that the mayor could surely get the lifting and unloading equipment for the ship, right? Once the equipment was secured, everything else would be easier.

The mayor's residence is extremely luxurious; at least in a place like the Democratic Republic of Congo, that's definitely the right word to describe it.

Led by guards, Chen Jiang walked through the heavily guarded courtyard, where the marble fountain reflected a dazzling light under the blazing sun.

“Mr. Chen, it’s an honor to meet you.” Mayor Engwara rose from the crocodile-skin sofa, his gold-rimmed glasses chain gleaming brightly on his chest.

Behind him stood several burly men dressed in camouflage and carrying AKs, with a gold-plated Desert Eagle prominently displayed at their waists.

Under the crystal chandelier in the living room, Chen Jiang noticed a Chinese book on the coffee table.

Engwara followed his gaze and smiled, "I studied at S University in China and have a deep affection for China. Of course, you were also very friendly to me there." His broken Chinese had a sticky, French-like quality at the end.

Chen Jiang cursed inwardly after hearing this. Many domestic schools desperately try to recruit more foreign students to make up the numbers in order to upgrade their status. However, high-quality foreign students are basically only targeted at Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, and Zhejiang Universities. Other weaker schools have no other good options but to come to Africa to find a way.

“Mr. Mayor, I am amazed by how fluent your Chinese is, and I thank you for your help.” Chen Jiang was already used to flattering diplomatic remarks.

"Haha, you're welcome, bring some tea!" With a glance from Engwara, a servant came out with a cup of freshly brewed black tea.

"I don't like green tea, but I have a special fondness for black tea. The color suits us Africans perfectly."

It's clear that the other person put in a lot of effort to improve their Chinese.

"Thank you. I'm so glad to be able to drink Fujian Da Hong Pao tea in a foreign land." Chen Jiang is also a tea connoisseur, and he could taste the flavor as soon as he took a sip.

Da Hong Pao, produced in Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, is an oolong tea of ​​excellent quality and a special famous tea of ​​China. Its appearance is characterized by tightly rolled leaves with a vibrant green-brown color. After brewing, the tea liquor is a bright orange-yellow, and the leaves are a mix of red and green.

Engwara was pleased to see that Chen Jiang actually recognized the value of the item, and thus began to discuss today's topic.

"If Mr. Chen is willing to do me a small favor, you can come here for tea often in the future. Da Hong Pao tea, all you can eat!" Hearing Engewala's dialect, which sounded like a strange mix of Chinese and English, Chen Jiang was genuinely amused.

"Please speak freely, Mr. Mayor."

"That's right. I hope to expand trade with H and import more industrial products from your country, especially large-scale equipment. In return, many of our resources and agricultural products are available for trade."

Upon hearing that it was about this matter, Chen Jiang replied in surprise, "I'm just a soldier; I really can't make decisions on matters involving trade."

"Of course I know Mr. Chen is a soldier, but all I need is an opportunity, do you understand?"

Chen Jiang understood what Engwara meant.

However, he remained calm and said, "You can actually discuss this matter with our Ambassador Yuan. He has a lot of experience in this area."

Engwara laughed. “Ambassador Yuan has his own considerations. He won’t contact me personally, otherwise it would be tantamount to offending the president. So I need a mediator.”

Chen Jiang thought for a moment, then said, "Well then, I will convey your message to the ambassador. As for whether it will work or not, we'll just have to wait and see."

Engwara laughed heartily, "Sure, sure, I believe he's a smart man and will definitely facilitate our cooperation. After all, you'll need to use my port frequently in the future, won't you?"

His words were very blunt, directly claiming that the port was his private territory, but Chen Jiang did not refute or correct him.

“To show our sincerity, I have already coordinated the machinery and equipment, which should have arrived at the dock to unload the cargo by now.” Engwara looked confident and determined.

As Chen Jiang was about to return to the port by car, he suddenly saw that the mob leader named Lei Ke, who had been there not long ago, was now being brutally beaten by soldiers on the ground.

"Mayor, let it go, this must be a misunderstanding."

He probably didn't expect Chen Jiang to speak up for a mob. His magnanimity was truly touching. He waved his hand, and immediately his men let him go.

When Chen Jiang arrived at the dock, it was already bustling with activity and brightly lit, with cargo being unloaded overnight.

This made him realize that connections are essential even in Africa.

Captain Sun was overjoyed to see the long-awaited unloading equipment finally arrive. He directed the workers to help unload the cargo, hoping that the sooner the mission was completed, the sooner he could return to his homeland and reunite with his family.

Xu Sanduo's platoon did not directly participate in unloading, but when the familiar armored infantry fighting vehicles reappeared in their sight, their excitement was truly undisguised.

"Send a few men over there and move the armored vehicles to the side. I wonder if the equipment has been damaged after being at sea for so long," Chen Jiang ordered loudly.

The engineers were delighted to see one engineering vehicle after another being unloaded; these were the vehicles they would be using to make their mark here, and they couldn't afford any mistakes.

With all the equipment and supplies unloaded, Chen Jiang's team was upgraded and their momentum became even more imposing.

With such equipment, they would be a force to be reckoned with in Africa.

(End of this chapter)