Mercenary's War-Chapter 2087 - 2064: Forward Base

Djo’s death is destined to unleash a massive storm, but all of this is unrelated to Satan; it’s Grand Ivan’s concern.

Satan stayed briefly in France for two days and successfully withdrew from France, boarding the ship in Nice.

The reason for boarding in Nice is that Gao Yang decided to take Satan directly to Somalia. The rest period was shorter than expected, but Gao Yang no longer wanted to go back. Just thinking about Yelena and the other two women gives him a headache.

To strategize for Yemen, Somalia is a stepping stone, so the first stop must be Somalia no matter what.

Satan has its own base in Somalia. Although Gao Yang rarely has time to visit, having a base is much better than not having one, at least because it’s convenient to do anything on one’s own turf.

The collaboration between Satan and the Skull Gang has been quite close. During this period, Satan has maintained a presence of about a hundred men in Berbera. The salary for these men alone is two million four hundred thousand US dollars a month. To ensure these people aren’t just eating without working, Gao Yang found them tasks, such as helping the Skull Gang fight and training their soldiers.

Strictly speaking, a monthly salary expenditure of two million four hundred thousand US dollars isn’t considered high. On average, each person earns twenty-four thousand a month, but it’s important to know that among these people, a dozen who fought alongside Satan in Syria are considered elite, earning high salaries, often helping the Skull Gang in battles, and regularly participating in training, enabling them to earn a twenty-thousand monthly salary plus combat allowances or bonuses.

There are also a few crew members from the aircraft earning high salaries ranging from fifteen thousand to twenty thousand a month. The rest, however, earn only between seven thousand and ten thousand US dollars a month and don’t get to participate in combat to earn combat allowances.

In fact, the mercenaries recruited by Satan in Berbera represent the norm for mercenaries: standing guard, keeping watch, occasionally going out to help the Skull Gang in low-intensity battles, and feeling content with a salary of just over ten thousand a month. This salary is already high, especially in Somalia, a place known for its poverty and chaos. In a more peaceful and stable place, earning a ten thousand US dollar salary a month would be impossible.

The monthly salary expenditure of over two million seems high because maintaining these people currently appears unnecessary. Nonetheless, Gao Yang continues to spend money on them to ensure Satan has a base in Somalia, preparing a springboard for the Yemen plan. Most importantly, he must continue strengthening ties with the Skull Gang.

The Skull Gang’s territory has expanded, and they are supporting more people. Relying solely on passage fees from sea routes to fund the population in their controlled area is financially strained. Expecting the Skull Gang to hand over money isn’t easy.

Rationally speaking, the people of Somalia have been used to poverty for years and should be easy to manage. The Skull Gang refraining from robbery of money and people is already commendable, yet they are financially stretched.

The issue lies with Maide being too idealistic. He wants to establish a utopian society where everyone under his rule can live a good life. Consequently, Maide finds it financially challenging just buying food to sustain his people. Yet he still wants to build hospitals, schools, and maintain the military expenses of the Skull Gang. No aspect can function without money.

Like any warlord, the larger the territory others control, the more people they govern, leading to greater wealth. But for Maide, the larger his territory, the poorer he becomes.

From the first meeting with Maide, Gao Yang knew Maide is someone with ideals, ambitions, and depth. The only issue is being somewhat naive, and people like him typically don’t live long.

Honestly, had he not met Gao Yang and Satan, Maide would have died at least three to five times. But Maide was fortunate to encounter Satan. Although the then-weak Satan and the fledgling Skull Gang were small, fortunately, their enemies weren’t formidable either. They managed to survive through the tough initial phases and grew stronger.

Currently, the Skull Gang occupies a third of Somalia’s land, controlling three-quarters of the northern coastline, leaving only the easternmost cape and a coastal stretch near Djibouti unoccupied. It’s not due to a lack of strength to conquer them; it’s necessary to leave some areas for pirates. If they occupied the entire coastline, the Skull Gang would have to venture out to sea to become pirates themselves.

The Skull Gang has always tried to disassociate from pirates. Though they collect passage fees, they’re not pirates, and this difference is significant. Maide’s ideal and the collective will of the Skull Gang are to unify Somalia. Such an armed force certainly can’t be branded as pirates.

Therefore, the Skull Gang’s approach is to keep pirates around so they can charge passage and protection fees; this is called fostering bandits to strengthen oneself.

Now, the territories controlled by the Skull Gang have reached the borders of the Somali Youth Party. While no large-scale battles have occurred, small skirmishes are constant. The Skull Gang holds a superior position over the Somali Youth Party in terms of strength but chooses to enter into a stalemate rather than engaging in open warfare with the Somali Youth Party.

Maide’s intentions are clear: to first consolidate the occupied territories, win over the people’s support, and advance steadily, ensuring his controlled area does not get dragged into continuous conflicts.

In Somalia, it’s nearly impossible to form a stable frontline. The land is vast and sparsely populated, mostly desert. Either side can drive a vehicle straight through the desert to attack towns held by the opponent; completely blocking enemy attack routes is not feasible.

Under these circumstances, Maide’s choice to first strengthen defense and stabilize the people’s morale is logical and reasonable.

The conflict with the Somali Youth Party is crucial for the Skull Gang in establishing an international image. At least internationally, it doesn’t attract formidable enemies. Ethiopia, a neighbor, is a sworn enemy of the Somali Youth Party. Based on the principle of ’the enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ Ethiopia may not offer substantial support to the Skull Gang, but it won’t adopt a hostile policy against them either.

Besides Ethiopia, globally the Skull Gang may attract attention but won’t face major powers’ interference. This is because Somalia, a place that’s poor, rundown, and chaotic, has little to be coveted. Although it controls one of the world’s most important sea lanes, warships from major powers have already regularly patrolled the Gulf of Aden. Occupying Somalia isn’t necessary, leaving Somalia out of the picture.

As a side note, the reason warships patrol the Gulf of Aden is pirates. Consequently, the Skull Gang keeps some sea lanes open and avoids creating more pirates, allowing everyone to maintain the status quo, understanding the implicit agreement to minimize trouble.

So, considering all aspects, the base in Berbera for Satan is ideal. It doesn’t attract excessive attention, making operations convenient. To venture to Yemen, they can simply set sail, and in case of issues, retreating by ship only takes hours. Whether as a bridgehead or a logistic base, it’s perfectly suited.