Mogadishu Strategy

Having obtained permission, Chu Feng and his group put away their weapons and followed the two black brothers into the slums.

At the very back, Abdi Effya was already waiting for them.

He wore a white cotton robe, a small round cap on his head, and a strip of patterned cloth folded into a long narrow band draped over his shoulder, displaying his unusual status. On his exposed feet were leather sandals with open heels.

A piece of white cotton cloth covered his face, concealing his features, but the sharp gaze in his exposed eyes made it clear that he was no ordinary man.

This was Mogadishu's underground emperor, controlling eighty percent of Mogadishu's military forces and Somalia's only port.

He held both military and financial power. In Mogadishu, people would rather offend the government than offend Effya. Offending the government meant, at worst, a fine or deportation. Offending Effya would make them wish they were dead.

"Allah above, friend from the East, state your purpose. If you come in goodwill, we have sweet Camel Milk. If you come with hostility, we will make you regret ever coming to Somalia."

After saying that, Abdi Effya took out a Golden Desert Eagle and placed it on the table beside him.

Unmoved, Chu Feng took a seat, while Chu Yun and the ten guards stood behind him.

"Abdi Effya. In 1991, Somalia's Barre Regime was overthrown, and the entire country descended into the chaos of war among Warlords. At the time, you were only twelve when the Warlords of your home province, Puntland Province, seized you and forced you into military service. Before long, you established yourself in the camp through your bravery and ruthlessness.

"At fifteen, you followed the Warlord leader back to the village where you were born. When you discovered that your parents had long since died of illness brought on by poverty, you burned the entire village to the ground.

"Because of that 'brave performance,' the Warlord leader immediately saw you in a new light. He quickly made you a platoon commander and promoted you to unit commander within two years.

"At twenty-one, you led your trusted men in gunning down the Warlord leader who had personally raised you up. You then declared yourself king and seized the seat of Puntland Province's number one Warlord."

Sitting in his chair, Chu Feng spoke as though he were discussing something utterly insignificant.

Abdi Effya's expression did not change. "Everyone knows these things."

The corners of Chu Feng's mouth rose slightly as he continued, "Six Swiss Bank accounts, each containing different funds, gold, and 12,563,425 Citibank Currency. Twenty-two hideouts. Tsk, tsk... and also..."

"Enough!" Abdi Effya could no longer remain seated. He felt as though he had been stripped naked and left beneath the blazing sun.

This man was too terrifying. He had never told anyone about these matters. Even he himself did not know them in such detail, yet this man had exposed every last secret. He could not let him continue.

Hearing Effya's shout, more than a dozen of his trusted men rushed inside with AK-47s.

"Get out!" Effya, his eyes red, drove his men away.

"Speak. What is your purpose?" Effya stared fixedly at Chu Feng.

"It's nothing much. I simply want to cooperate with you."

Chu Feng's tone remained unchanged.

"What kind of cooperation?" Effya was somewhat stunned. He had thought that since Chu Feng knew all his secrets, he would blackmail him. He had already prepared to fight to the death, yet Chu Feng's request still left him unable to believe it.

"Hand Mogadishu Port over to me. Of course, it will still remain yours in name."

"Impossible! I will not sell out my country," Effya said coldly.

Somalia's main ports were Mogadishu Port, Kismayo Port, Berbera Port, and Bosaso Port. In 2016, Mogadishu Port handled nearly 720,000 tons of bulk cargo, received 128 container ships, and processed 94,400 TEUs. Most of Effya's income came from leasing the port.

If he gave it to Chu Feng, not only would his source of funding be cut off, but how would he make his men risk their lives for him? More importantly, he would become Somalia's eternal sinner.

Although he was not a good man, he was still Somali. So even if it meant death, he would not sell out his country.

Hearing Effya's words, Chu Feng laughed rather than becoming angry.

"Very good. That is the kind of partner worth cooperating with. If you had readily agreed..."

Before he finished speaking, Chu Feng picked up the Assault Particle Gun from behind a Guardian Robot and fired a shot at the ceiling two seconds later.

There was no deafening blast or dazzling light. A circular hole roughly half a meter wide appeared in the ceiling. The reinforced concrete seemed as though it had never existed. Light from outside shone through like a pillar of light, striking Effya's heart as well.

"Gulp." Effya felt as if his heart had leapt into his throat. Adrenaline surged wildly through him. His brain screamed at his body to flee, yet he could not move. He could only stare wide-eyed at the hole the shot had created.

The face covering slipped down, and even his neatly trimmed beard trembled slightly.

This overturned everything Effya knew. It was simply too terrifying. It could cause such enormous destruction without a sound. If it hit a person...

"Who exactly are you? Are you an alien?"

Even Effya's tone had changed.

"Heh heh, my friend, don't be nervous. I'm a genuine human being. I just possess somewhat more advanced technology..."

Chu Feng answered with a smile, inwardly giving Effya a thumbs-up. You guessed right. This is alien technology!

"It wouldn't be too late to decide after hearing my proposal for cooperation first, would it?"

Without waiting for Effya to respond, Chu Feng continued. He had to settle this quickly. Things back home were still waiting for him, and if he delayed too long, who knew what complications might arise.

"Go on." After all, Effya was a formidable figure. Though he was equally terrified inside, it no longer showed on his face.

"I only want to lease Mogadishu Port. I will take responsibility for all security at the port. I will also increase infrastructure investment in Mogadishu Port and establish factories in Somalia."

"Why Somalia?"

Chu Feng's words left Effya even more confused. Logically speaking, China's investment environment was far better than Somalia's. Though he did not wish to speak ill of his own country, Effya understood this place better than anyone, which made it even harder for him to comprehend.

"Minerals."

Chu Feng's straightforward answer actually put Effya somewhat at ease.

Somalia was one of the least developed countries. Its economy was centered on livestock farming, and its industrial base was weak.

Somalia had 8.2 million hectares of arable land, accounting for 13% of its total territory. Yet only a little over one million hectares had been cultivated. Its agricultural population accounted for 30% of the national population. It could not achieve food self-sufficiency. Its main crops included sorghum, corn, rice, beans, sesame, cotton, sugarcane, and bananas.

Livestock farming was Somalia's main economic pillar. Somalia was one of the countries with the highest per capita livestock ownership in the world. About 80% of its population made a living through animal husbandry or mixed farming and herding. Its livestock mainly consisted of sheep and cattle, and it was also the country with the most camels in the world. Nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles predominated. Animal husbandry accounted for roughly 43% of GDP, while livestock exports made up more than 60% of total export revenue. The main animals raised were cattle, sheep, camels, and the like. It was the world's largest camel-raising nation.

A saying was popular in Somalia: "If you raise a few camels at home, you'll never have to worry about food or clothing." Even today, many parts of Somalia still widely used camels as symbols of wealth and means of payment. For instance, if a civil dispute led to a death, camels would be used for compensation or condolence payments; when men and women arranged a marriage, the man's family would first send several camels to the woman's family as engagement bridewealth; when a family held a wedding celebration, people would drive camels from all directions to gather and celebrate.

Industry accounted for 8.7% of GDP in 1990. It was dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises, with major sectors including textiles, leather, sugar refining, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, food processing, oil refining, electricity, and construction materials. Since the civil unrest in 1991, industrial production had come to a halt.

Somalia was also rich in mineral resources. Its natural resources mainly included low-grade iron ore, tin, manganese, tungsten, nickel, chromium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, quartz, vanadium-potassium-uranium ore, beryl, and gypsum. There was also oil and natural gas. Aside from beryl and gypsum, most mineral deposits remained undeveloped.

Many of these resources were exactly what Chu Feng needed. He could buy them domestically during the early stages, but he still felt it would be better to leave the resources for his own country and its descendants.

"What can you do for Somalia? You understand Somalia's situation. Foreigners have opened factories here before, but you should know how those ventures ended." Efua spoke cautiously.

Of course, Chu Feng knew Somalia had never lacked interested parties. On the contrary, if Somalia had China's investment environment, it could become a second Dubai in no time.

Somalia was known as the "Horn of Africa" and held an extremely important strategic position. Geopolitics was also the reason the USA interfered in Somali politics.

However, when the USA intervened in the Somali conflict in 1993, it suffered a crushing defeat. "Black Hawk Down" was even made into a movie, becoming an everlasting pain in the hearts of the American people.

The confirmation of Somalia's oil reserves was another reason it became a target for all sides. At the time, many companies wanted to exploit the oil here, but the unrest and war ultimately caused those plans to fizzle out.

Moreover, Somalia's location held significant strategic value for the safety of oil transport. Situated at the northeastern tip of Africa, it guarded the entrance to the Red Sea and lay close to Saudi Arabia, allowing it to monitor the movement of vast amounts of oil through the Red Sea as well as the movements of warships.

It also controlled the crucial position of the Gulf of Aden. Therefore, no country would allow Somalia to be destroyed and controlled by another, which was how Somalia had managed to survive in the cracks.

China's ancestors had said, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a jade invites blame." Somalia possessed such enormous resource reserves but lacked the ability to protect them. If not for the balance among various countries, Somalia probably would have ceased to exist long ago.

"Then what do you intend to do?"

Efua's tone softened slightly.

"I only need to ensure the safety of my factories, so I need a four-hundred-man guard force. I'll make my own arrangements. I'll handle everything concerning the port myself. And I can guarantee that the profits will be higher than what you earn from handing it over to Turki Company. Moreover, I can help Somalia build infrastructure. Finally, I can promise not to interfere in Somalia's internal affairs."

Chu Feng's final words moved Efua.

"Allah above, if it is truly as you say, then I am willing to cooperate with you. Even if I fall into hell, I will have no regrets."