Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 901 Prepare for a rainy day
That evening, in a makeshift photography studio, Noel delivered his resignation statement to the camera.

His face was ashen, his voice trembled, but his words were clear: "I, Claude Noel, President of the Republic of Seine, hereby announce my resignation from the presidency and call upon all government soldiers to lay down their arms and avoid unnecessary bloodshed."

Song Heping glanced at the BBC reporter in the corner.

These guys were sent by the British; they were genuine BBC reporters.

The British really went to great lengths to gain benefits from Sena's side.

Once the BBC finishes filming tonight and broadcasts Noel's speech on its own television station, it will immediately trigger a chain reaction, with television stations around the world, and even television and radio stations in Africa, reporting on the speech.

Then it will be the French's turn to be embarrassed.

The president they supported resigned voluntarily, rather than being killed.

If Noel is killed, they can easily install a new one.

But resigning is different.

The French have only one option—to refuse to recognize Noël's resignation as valid, and instead claim that it was a speech he was forced to make under duress and coercion from the opposition.

But no matter how they try to argue, it's just a war of words.

After all, if Noël himself appeared on camera to persuade the government troops to lay down their weapons under the pretext of avoiding civil war and bloodshed, he would definitely receive the support of the majority of the people. Moreover, the people had long been fed up with the rule of this extravagant and decadent president, and they were also fed up with the French people's insatiable greed and resource grabbing.

But at this moment, everything seemed to be irrelevant to him.

The coup was complete.

My mission is over.

At the dinner just now, Duer agreed to all the conditions proposed by Song Heping, and the two sides had a very pleasant conversation.

The smoothness of the event was hard for even Song Heping to believe.

Although he deserves great credit for the success of this coup, the three major mining areas in the north are a treasure trove, a money tree. Under his own terms, he only pays 10% tax to the Seine government each year, and the land rent is also symbolic, $100 million for 99 years...

Song Heping originally approached the negotiations with Duer with the mindset of "asking for the moon and settling for the moon," expecting the other party to haggle. However, the other party accepted everything without hesitation and without even flinching.

Duer's brows didn't furrow, but Song Heping's eyebrows twitched violently.

He couldn't help but touch his eyebrows.

"Old squad leader, what's wrong?"

Jiang Feng, who was standing nearby, noticed something was wrong and asked in a low voice, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"fine……"

Song Heping shifted his gaze to the other end of the tent, where Lumar and several high-ranking opposition figures stood in front of a monitor, occasionally whispering to each other.

As Noel spoke of the “peaceful transfer of power,” a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit quietly entered and whispered something in Lumar’s ear.

Lumar's expression immediately turned serious, and then the two of them left the room together.

Song Heping's intuition told him that something was wrong.

"You stay here and watch over things, I'm going to the restroom."

He gestured to Jiang Feng to keep an eye on Noel, and then excused himself to go to the restroom and followed him out.

The tent area was dimly lit, and Song Heping moved silently like a shadow.

He stopped outside the largest command tent and heard a heated discussion inside.

"He must be eliminated!"

A strange voice spoke, its tone resolute.

"As long as Noel lives, the government forces will still have a cohesive core."

That's Duer's voice.

"But we've already promised Song that we won't kill him as long as Noel cooperates."

This is Lumar's voice.

“Song?” Duer scoffed dismissively. “Once the French and British reach an agreement, they’ll be superfluous. I’ve already reached a consensus with Ms. M; Sena doesn’t need any extra players.” Extra players?
I am!

Isn't that talking about himself?
Song Heping's blood turned cold instantly.

He quietly stepped back a few paces, then deliberately made footsteps as if he had just arrived. The conversation inside immediately ceased when he lifted the tent flap.

"Song!"

Upon seeing Song Heping, Lumar forced a calm greeting, "Perfect timing, we were just discussing our next steps."

Song Heping's gaze swept over the three people in the tent—Lumar, the man in the suit from earlier, and a senior military officer in uniform.

"Really?" he asked calmly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You're Song?" The man in the suit stood up and extended his hand. "I'm George from England. Thank you for your contributions to the democratic cause in Senegal."

Song Heping shook hands with him and felt the dampness and coldness of the other's palm, as if he were holding a cobra.

“You’re welcome,” he said casually. “We’re just fulfilling a contract; it’s all for the money.”

“Since you have something to discuss, I won’t disturb you any longer. I originally came here just to tell you that Noel has already recorded his resignation video. I promised him that as long as he cooperates obediently and does as we say, I will protect him from death, so…”

"what……"

Duer smiled insincerely and said, "Don't worry, we're not maniacs. He can live, but he must leave Sena."

“That’s your family matter,” Song Heping said with a smile. “I’m just offering a suggestion, I won’t interfere. You two continue, I’ll be going now.”

He said goodbye to the others and turned to leave the tent.

When he stepped out of the tent, the smile on his face instantly froze like a block of ice.

It seems this is far from over!
Back in his tent, Song Heping immediately summoned Ferrari and Jiang Feng.

He told them what he had heard, and their expressions quickly changed from shock to anger.

"These treacherous bastards!"

Jiang Feng slammed his fist on the makeshift table. "We risked our lives to help them catch people, and this is how they repay us?"

Ferrari remained relatively calm, but his eyes were equally cold: "Song, I think you must have a plan, right?"

Song Heping took out a satellite phone and a map and laid them on the table: "First, Ferrari, tonight you return to Darfur immediately with all the video and audio recordings of the operation. Especially the entire process of Noel's capture and the recording itself; these are for insurance purposes. Do you understand what I mean?"

Ferrari nodded. "Understood. And then?"

"Then……"

Song Heping's finger traced across the map, stopping at the location of three markers in the northern part of the Seine.

“I will contact the troops in the Arkent Oasis and have them immediately send two thousand newly recruited men across the border to occupy these three mining areas. You will go to the border to meet them and lead them to carry out my orders. Sena is in chaos right now, and the border must be sparsely defended. You should be able to take over the three mining areas without encountering much resistance.”

His finger moved a little south and stopped at the location of a mountain range.

"This area is located south of the mining area, in a natural mountain range. Organize your personnel to establish a defensive line here. Also, take those two SAM-6 systems and deploy them nearby. If anyone dares to attack us, give them a good beating! Whether they are British or French, don't give them any face! Beat them hard!"

Jiang Feng's eyes widened: "Isn't this going to war with the British, the French, and the opposition forces?"

"It's not about starting a war, it's about insurance," Song Heping calmly explained. "The British don't want to get bogged down in a protracted civil war, and neither do the French. Once they start negotiating, we mercenaries will be the first pawns to be sacrificed. We must have our own bargaining chips, especially since these are what we deserve!"

Ferrari pondered, "Is two thousand people enough?"

“That’s enough,” Song Heping said. “These three mining areas are all located on the northern border, in terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. More importantly, they are rich in rare earth and uranium deposits, which are desired by both the British and the French.”

"Okay! I listen to you!"

Ferrari nodded in agreement, then suddenly remembered something.

Why didn't you come with me?!

Song Heping sneered, "I'm going to stay and watch these politicians and hypocrites put on a show. Don't worry, as long as you leave with the documents, I won't die."

(End of this chapter)