King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

"We shouldn't attribute all the problems to Mobutu's greed and brutality. The real reason he lost was that he couldn't manage interests properly,"

"Why do I support Ngonga and also seek to win over Komi?"

"Because I know that only by involving locals in the sharing of benefits can everything run smoothly."

"Otherwise, just suppressing rebellion and coping with external pressure would exhaust me!"

"The core issue in Congo is not about North-South conflict, tribal disputes, or ethnic clashes, but that you can't manage the distribution of interests properly."

"North Kivu and South Kivu, the two mining provinces, could be very rich, but why does everyone hope they remain rotten, even the Congolese themselves think it should be that way?"

"That's because the Congolese know that even if North Kivu and South Kivu become wealthy, it won't benefit them."

"Moreover, as these two places become prosperous, the capital and power formed within will actually squeeze the living space of others."

"When everyone is poor, it's not obvious, but when a place starts to improve, the pressure on those people increases."

"There is a Chinese saying, 'It's not the lack but the unfair distribution that causes worry!'"

"Do you believe that if North Kivu gets rich, and you haven't established a sound system for the distribution of benefits to let others benefit as well, just a little provocation could risk reigniting a civil war in Congo?"

"The early North-South issue in Congo, as well as the conflict between the wealthy Tutsi and local tribes, in fact, stem from the conflict between the rich and the poor."

"Some regions benefit due to geographical reasons or other factors but are unwilling to share with their poor brothers."

"Secession is already the mildest outcome, the worst being the great African war that occurred in Congo."

"Within the same country, when wealthy regions ignore the demands of poor areas,"

"What would those who have nothing think?"

"When I'm starving, and you have bread in your hands, I'm unhappy. If you don't share with me, then I'll steal it. If I can't steal it, I'll throw the bread into a cesspit, so you'll taste nothing but shit even if you can eat it."

After listening, Minam suddenly felt a chill on his back; he had experienced that war, and he represented the interests of the wealthier southern part of Congo.

Joe Ga's summary seemed crude, but it seemed to be just the way things were.

Looking at Joe's profound gaze, Minam said, "Isn't what you said a bit exaggerated?"

"Then what do you plan to do?"

Joe Ga smiled and shook his head, "What can I do? I'm not a ruler in Congo; right now, I just want to sort out the distribution of interests in North Kivu and then get everyone on the same track."

"First, let's develop, then we can consider whether to confront or continue to expand the benefits pie."

As he spoke, Joe Ga looked at Minam and shook his head, "Let's return to the original problem: the lack of control by the Congolese local government stems from a lack of money."

"Those ownerless mines are now bargaining chips, temptations for the minor warlords to accept the new order."

"If they're willing to cooperate, we'll provide them with an official status, allowing them to abandon their warlord identities to exist in the form of mining companies."

"Let them mine, sell, and pay taxes!"

"There will certainly be those who don't obey, and Komi will be the one to deal with them. If Komi can't handle it, P·B can take over,"

Minam frowned and said, "I don't see how this is different from the past."

"The mines are still in the hands of those warlords; we can't control their transactions, let alone talk about taxing them."

"Formalizing their status could even become an obstacle!"

Joe Ga laughed and said, "What if they could only sell the minerals they dug up to one company?"

"Buddy, offering amnesty surely comes with conditions. We hold the advantageous position, so giving them the mines and requiring them to sell all their output to one company isn't unreasonable, right?"

"Those mining suitcase companies stationed in Butembo, buying minerals from the warlords, are engaging in illegal acts themselves. It's only reasonable that we drive them out, right?"

"But the major corporations have genuinely invested funds. With Belgium's mining industry as a warning and now added to the blow from Walker Mining, they still need to act reasonably if they want to get by in Congo, don't they?"

Upon hearing this, Minam said excitedly, "So we're not targeting the interests of the big companies, but those suitcase companies that are causing unrest."

"Hu Lang, tell me the truth, is this 'one company' you're talking about your company?" Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire

"You want to monopolize part of North-Kivu's mining resources; you'll definitely need investor help!"

Joe Ga couldn't help but laugh at Minam's demeanor, shaking his head helplessly, he said, "It's not my company, it's a friend of mine who wants to set up a Refined Industrial Park in North Kivu."

"He can invest fully while also giving up 49% of the benefits to me in exchange for my support and protection."

As he spoke, Joe Ga looked at Minam, who seemed eager to know more, and laughed, saying, "You know I don't hog everything to myself. My original plan was to take 9%, leave 25% as Butembo's fiscal income, and finally hand over 15% to the Kinshasa Government."

"But now I've changed my mind!"

Upon hearing this, Minam hurriedly said, "Why? I think this division of benefits is quite good."

"If it really goes as you say, and the company can control the direction of the unclaimed mine's ores, then we indirectly control the finances of the warlords, allowing them to pay taxes proportionally."

"This is a very good method, and everyone will benefit from it!"

Joe Ga shook his head, "Because when I came here, I was thinking of taking over those tantalum mines. Helping a friend seize the opportunity was just incidental."

"To strike at Nwankwo was because I wanted to use the incident of Walker's attack on Princess Amina to find an entry point into North Kivu."

"But now, I'm goddamn set on being the big boss of North Kivu, although it's a bit sudden, shouldn't I be thinking more long-term?"

"Is integrating six tantalum mines the same as consolidating most of North Kivu?"

Minam, aware of Joe Ga's style, knew he wouldn't hog everything to himself. Restlessly, he said, "Hu Lang, tell me, what exactly do you want to do?"

Joe Ga glanced at the excited Minam and smiled, "Using my friend's company to integrate so much capital would be cheating them and would give Africa Daddy an excuse."

"So just now I was considering whether to acquire an investment bank in France."

"I want to keep all the transaction funds in my own bank. That 49% of the profit could go entirely towards Butembo's fiscal income. If the government has money, then it can find contractors to mend those damned roads, and it can afford to maintain a reliable army."

"If the government has money, it can focus on improving the lives of civilians and building more infrastructure as much as possible... "

"Schools, hospitals, markets... "

"By expanding the business, the bank can attract more capital and create more benefits."

"By expanding the business, the bank will be able to output funds for investments and loans. With those readily available minerals as collateral, the warlords will become our best clients."

"All we have to do is persuade them to protect the interests of the miners according to our requirements, which will increase their labor costs. This way, we can indirectly make them take loans to buy mining equipment in an effort to reduce the number of workers, actually improving the working conditions for miners."

"Once they are in debt and can't keep up, they will quickly be eliminated from the mining market without us having to get our hands dirty with bloodshed; they will withdraw from the market on their own."

"This is the mildest solution I can think of to avoid a bloodbath."

Saying this, Joe Ga looked at Minam, whose eyes were almost popping out, and smiled, "Buddy, you're the Prime Minister of Congo, you must have seen a bit of the world."

"I won't bother explaining why I chose a French Bank; just think about how much a bank could earn in North Kivu."

"Such a bank will need many shareholders. Let me ask you, are you interested?"

Minam looked at Joe Ga as if he was looking at a ghost and said, "A private investment bank?"

"Hu Lang, can you really do it?"