Chapter 1151 Partnership (1/2)
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.