Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 212 Cultural Input Is Sometimes More Important Than Diamonds

As Guo Baoqing's engineering corps ventured deep into the heart of Africa, all sorts of African wonders came into view.

On a clear morning after a downpour, a construction team was working to repair the railway embankment that had been washed away by the flood.

As a combat engineer bent down to clear silt from a culvert, he was suddenly dazzled by a ray of refracted sunlight.

He brushed aside the damp sand and pebbles, and a small, transparent crystal, about the size of half a fingernail, lay quietly in his palm, refracting iridescent light in the morning sun.

"Diamonds?" He was stunned.

Fortunately, the discipline he had developed over the years in the military prevented him from screaming. Instead, he secretly told his squad leader, who, realizing the seriousness of the matter, reported it up the chain of command to Chen Jiang.

Upon hearing the news, Chen Jiang rushed over and snatched the crystal, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

He had seen the diamonds at the Kara family's house here and knew all too well what it meant—diamonds of such size in the gravel layer of the riverbed indicated that there was very likely a primary kimberlite pipe upstream! This volcanic rock, geologically known as "diamond parent rock," is the bloodiest source of wealth on the African continent.

"Immediately seal off this area. No one except Chinese peacekeeping troops is allowed to approach. If anyone tries to force their way in, I authorize you to open fire," Chen Jiang coldly ordered.

“Chen Jiang, isn’t this inappropriate?” Guo Baoqing grabbed his arm, because according to international law, natural resources (such as diamonds) within a country’s sovereign territory belong to that country’s government, and peacekeeping forces, as international organizations, have no right to directly own or dispose of these resources.

Moreover, their sealing off of the area could easily arouse suspicion and ultimately attract Kara's attention, since no one would ignore such a large-scale diamond mine.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiang also felt that the matter was somewhat troublesome. To be on the safe side, he immediately drove to the embassy and reported the situation to Ambassador Yuan Guoxing in person.

Ambassador Yuan's eyes widened immediately upon seeing the dazzling diamond.

China is currently at a crucial stage of reform and opening up. The benefits of this injection of funds to the country are self-evident. I would never do something as foolish as "saving face at the expense of practical benefits" as it would be to simply hand it over to someone else.

However, he also agreed with Guo Baoqing's concerns that simply sealing off the area was definitely not an option, as it would eventually lead to large-scale conflicts or even war, making him a sinner for all time.

Thinking of this, he immediately called Chen Jiang and they went to see President Kara together.

President Cara was not at all negligent when he learned that the two had come to his door. In particular, when Yuan Guoxing asked him to dismiss his attendants, he took the two directly into his safe house, where the walls on all sides were made of fine steel to ensure that no one would eavesdrop.

Yuan Guoxing then revealed his purpose in all his words.

When Carla saw such a huge diamond, she immediately perked up.

What he needs most right now is money!

"Mr. President, to prevent these valuable assets from being coveted by those with ulterior motives, we have now deployed troops to seal off the area, and no one is allowed to approach."

Although I know that Yuan Guoxing's motives for doing this are probably not as pure as he claims, he is, after all, a great power. If he really wants to seize it, international law is useless.

Justice exists only within the range of cannon fire.

"Oh, the Ambassador is so thoughtful!" Kara exclaimed insincerely, cautiously probing, "Shall I send someone to take over?"

Yuan Guoxing sneered inwardly, but his face remained solemn. "Mr. President, does your country have that mining technology?"

Because most African countries lack the technology, the only way to obtain diamonds is by scavenging from riverbeds. This not only results in pitifully low yields but also generally mediocre quality and size. Kara frowned. "Indeed, there aren't any."

In an instant, he understood what the other party was thinking: they wanted a share of the profits.

He could certainly choose to refuse, but if he does refuse China's offer, then France, the United States, and even Russia will come to intervene, and they will probably take an even bigger cut.

After all, China is known worldwide for its kindness and benevolence. Bringing in a big brother to back up the situation is much better than dragging along a few hungry wolves.

Thinking of this, he immediately put on a beaming smile. "Mr. Ambassador, I know your country has technology. I wonder if it's possible to help?"

Seeing Yuan Guoxing's cold and dark expression, he quickly added, "I won't let my Chinese friends help for nothing. I'm willing to give up 20% of the profits as a reward."

Yuan Guoxing made no comment after hearing this, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at the other party with a mocking expression. Kara suddenly felt a headache coming on and could only look to Chen Jiang for help. But Chen Jiang understood the current power struggle at that moment.

So he pretended not to see it and kept drinking the tea in his cup.

Kara had no choice but to give an awkward laugh, "How about 30%?"

Yuan Guoxing glanced at Chen Jiang, then answered confidently, "Forty percent!"

Kara couldn't help but gasp; this guy really dared to shout.

“Isn’t this too much?”

His tone became somewhat dissatisfied.

“Hehe, Mr. President,” Chen Jiang added at the opportune moment, “Please believe me, this price is not excessive. After all, we will provide technical support and be responsible for subsequent processing. Most importantly, with our participation, other countries will not be able to get a share of the pie, right?”

Chen Jiang's words are the key point: China provides technology and expert teams, as well as subsequent processing and even sales. Moreover, it can provide protection to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the future. What a grand strategy this is!

But if other Western countries were involved, they would probably demand at least a 50/50 split, and then continue to impose harsh conditions.

From this perspective, Yuan Guoxing's suggestion doesn't seem unacceptable.

“I need to discuss this with my ministers,” Kara said, wanting to hear their advice.

“Okay,” Yuan Guoxing readily agreed, but then hesitated, “we can’t guarantee absolute secrecy there. What if the US finds out?” Kara was stunned. This was indeed a serious problem. Those countries didn’t have the same shrewdness as China. They would probably be devoured without a trace.

President Kara's fingers tapped unconsciously on the steel tabletop of the safe house, producing a dull metallic sound.

“Two hours,” Kara suddenly looked up, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness. “Give me two hours to think about it.”

Yuan Guoxing and Chen Jiang exchanged a glance.

Chen Jiang nodded slightly, and Yuan Guoxing stood up, straightening his suit collar. "Mr. President," he deliberately drawled, "we understand the importance of this decision. However," he continued, "our engineering units have discovered more signs of mineral veins in that area. Every day of delay increases the risk of a leak."

A fine layer of sweat seeped from Kara's back.

He knew all too well the ways of those Western mining companies—they would come with mercenaries and slogans of "democracy and freedom," leaving behind only devastated mines and even poorer people.

“Give me fifteen minutes,” Kara said through gritted teeth, “I will give you a final answer.”

Kara immediately summoned his confidants—the finance minister and the defense minister.

The three held an emergency meeting in a secret underground room at the presidential residence.

"China wants 40%? This is outrageous! We can easily find the Russians to cooperate with!" the Defense Minister exclaimed indignantly.

“I just did the math. If we bring in Western companies in the traditional way, after factoring in equipment leasing, technology transfer, and the so-called ‘security protection fee,’ we won’t actually get 35% left.”

The finance minister is very clear about the numbers. He knows that Western countries talk a good game before cooperation, but once it comes to implementation, they will turn their backs faster than flipping through a book.

There's an Indian country in the East that was ripped off by a one-dollar aircraft carrier, a story everyone knows.

Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he asked anxiously, "Do the conditions proposed by the Chinese side involve infrastructure investment?"

Kara nodded: "Yes. Ambassador Yuan suggested that priority could be given to building a railway connecting the mining area and upgrading port facilities."

“That’s right.” The finance minister smiled, his first genuine smile of the evening. “What they want is long-term cooperation. Forty percent of the mining rights could be the start of the entire country’s industrialization.”

A few minutes later, when Yuan Guoxing met President Kara again, he found several unfamiliar faces behind him—the Minister of Finance and the Minister of National Defense were among them.

"After careful consideration," Kara stood up and announced in a loud voice, "we agree to the Chinese side's cooperation plan. To show our sincerity, we are willing to share the profits 50/50 with the Chinese side. This is our generosity to our Chinese friends and the sincerity of the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo."

Yuan Guoxing was astonished to hear that such a good thing was possible.
But Chen Jiang understood that there are no free lunches in the world; they are mostly traps.

So she quickly winked at Yuan Guoxing, who was about to speak when Kara raised her hand to stop him: "But we have three additional conditions."

Chen Jiang's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Yuan Guoxing maintained a diplomatic smile and said, "Please go ahead."

“First, all mining equipment will be transferred to our country free of charge after ten years; second, China needs to help us train 200 local talents in geology, construction, chemical engineering and other fields; third,” Kara pointed to the mottled national map on the wall, “we need to help build some schools, primary schools, junior high schools, high schools and universities, we need them all.”

The meeting room was completely silent.

Yuan Guoxing and Chen Jiang remained silent. Indeed, that 10% markup wasn't so easy to obtain. Kara's suggestion—could a 10% return on these investments really be enough?
Yuan Guoxing was unsure and wanted to report to his superiors before making a decision, as this was a very big matter.

If I don't think things through properly, I might end up harming the country.

But Chen Jiang had calculated it very clearly: as long as the mining speed was fast enough, how much value would these devices still have in a few years? How quickly would future electronic technology products become obsolete? Old-fashioned equipment would be basically useless in ten years. Even if it could still be used, wouldn't we still have the spare parts in our hands?

As for talent, we can allow them to study abroad. In the later stages, many universities in China will need African students anyway, so we can bring these people over. At least these are good young people who genuinely want to learn, which is much better than those who only cause trouble later on.

Finally, from the school's perspective, it seems like a huge loss, considering the cost of investing in so many schools. However, in the long run, it's definitely a win-win situation. Can the talents cultivated by these schools, steeped in Chinese culture, not be pro-China?
These people will become the future upper class of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is equivalent to cultivating a next generation that is friendly to us for our country. Why not do it?
Thinking of this, he nodded to Yuan Guoxing. Yuan Guoxing was also unsure what Chen Jiang meant, but then he thought it better to let Chen Jiang speak boldly and give it a try.

"Chen Jiang, you can say whatever you want. We can speak freely."

Since Yuan Guoxing encouraged him, Chen Jiang didn't hold back and slightly adjusted the conditions proposed by Kara.
"The first condition can be agreed to; as for the second condition, we can allow the DRC to send 400 students, which doubles the quota; the school is not a problem either, because our country is a land of etiquette and benevolence, and we can help the DRC accelerate its modernization. This was our original intention in coming here."

Upon hearing Chen Jiang's words, Yuan Guoxing was stunned into silence. Kara and his advisors also had incredibly interesting expressions on their faces. There was even someone who had raised the price himself.

The key point is that Chen Jiang didn't propose any additional conditions, which made Kara wonder if she had misheard.

Seeing that things were not going well, Yuan Guoxing hurriedly pulled Chen Jiang out of the corridor. Once they were alone, he began to question Chen Jiang: If these conditions were agreed to, would these diamonds offset the country's investment? Wouldn't this be a huge burden on the country?

Unexpectedly, Chen Jiang revealed his true thoughts, which allowed Yuan Guoxing to understand the young man's profound wisdom.

Indeed, compared to simply plundering resources, the most powerful thing is being able to infuse one's own culture. Imagine if a country like the Democratic Republic of Congo were to be assimilated by Chinese culture in the future; that would be equivalent to...
The rest is self-explanatory, so I won't go into detail.

Yuan Guoxing immediately contacted his superiors via satellite phone to discuss the matter, as it was of great importance and needed to be discussed domestically.
However, there is no shortage of insightful people in the country, and soon the superior's opinion was conveyed.
Conduct China-Congo cooperation in a courteous, respectful, and effective manner!
That's settled.

"Chen Jiang, I find it a real waste of your talents that you're not a diplomat," Yuan Guoxing said sincerely, patting Chen Jiang on the shoulder.

"Forget it, Chief S, I'm just a rough guy, only good at fighting and killing in the army. The big decisions are still up to you leaders," Chen Jiang said modestly.

Yuan Guoxing didn't say anything more, just laughed and calmly returned to the conference room.

(End of this chapter)