Farming Life Starting in Africa

"What should we do then?" Zhao Haiguang frowned.

Gao Yun did not answer.

He turned and walked back to the bridge, saying to the communications officer, "Have Yang Rui come over here."

In less than an hour, the drone arrived over the town of Basem.

When the video feed came back, everyone fell silent.

The town is small, but it is densely packed with houses, low adobe houses with gray-yellow walls, and some rooftops with antennas and solar panels.

The streets are very narrow, with the widest part only wide enough for two cars to drive side by side. There are also many piles of debris on the roadside, which means that the road can only be used for one-way traffic.

Several armed pickup trucks were parked in the square, with machine guns on their roofs gleaming in the sunlight.

The drone hovered overhead like a tireless eagle.

The footage from the drones further confirms the large number of rebels in the town of Basem; dozens can be seen walking on the streets alone. Adding those hiding in houses, on guard posts, and in vehicles, the number definitely exceeds two hundred.

Based on the images transmitted by the drone, the ship's information officer urgently created a 3D map of the area around Basem. He swiped his finger across the screen, marking the height of each building, the width of each street, and every possible ambush spot.

Gao Yun had already briefed Yang Rui on the situation in the town and the news about the hostages.

Soon, a simple map of the town of Basem was projected onto the screen of the map table. Gao Yun stood in front of the map table and drew a line on the map with his finger.

"This is the town of Basem, surrounded by desert. In the center is a slightly larger square, and the town is filled with densely packed low-rise houses. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it's not without a chance." He pointed to a marker on the east side of the town. "First, we need to confirm the location of the hostages. This requires your Jiaolong team to confirm. Once the location of the hostages is confirmed, send people infiltrate to protect the hostages and prevent them from being harmed."

His finger moved to the outskirts of the town: "Then, concentrate firepower to take out the other heavy firepower and the gathered personnel. Take out the tanks first, then the heavy machine gun positions, and finally clear out the infantry. I will send in Z-9 helicopters to pick up the hostages, and the rest of us will break out in groups according to the terrain."

Zhao Haiguang nodded: "Okay, that's fine. Let Yang Rui and the others plan the other operational details themselves. They're professionals and know how to fight. We need to find a way to provide sufficient firepower and intelligence support."

Yang Rui stood in front of the map, his expression serious. His mind was racing: where to infiltrate, where to make contact, how to arrange an escape route, and how to deal with any unexpected events.

Yang Rui tapped the map with his finger. "This hillside is the only high ground on the east side of the town, which can cover the entire town. We must take control of it. I will set up a sniper team here."

Gao Yun nodded in agreement, "We also need to ensure the dragon's communication here; that location should have the best signal."

Yang Rui nodded, his eyes never leaving the map.

"We can have the Z-9 helicopter carry four HJ-15 missiles," Zhao Haiguang added from the side. "Before the rescue, help them destroy as many tanks as possible and clear out the personnel on the ground. Once the ammunition is fired, we can bring the hostages back."

The group worked tirelessly to refine their intelligence and rescue plan for the town of Basem. From infiltration routes and rendezvous points to fire support and evacuation strategies, every detail was meticulously considered.

When the plan was barely complete, Zhao Haiguang suddenly remembered something.

"Old Gao," Zhao Haiguang's tone became somewhat subtle, "what about those overseas Chinese? They'll probably have to go to that small town too."

Gao Yun's eyes widened. "Go where?!" His voice rose eight octaves. "Rescuing people is a matter for our navy. They should just stay put in port!"

Zhao Haiguang organized his thoughts, "Not to mention that Rosen came specifically to rescue Deng Mei, they also have a personal grudge against that PMC company, and they specifically requested him to go. This intelligence was all bought with money; they've invested so much, I doubt we can persuade them otherwise."

He paused, glanced at Gao Yun, and continued, "Moreover, I saw that the vehicle they brought had a Soviet-made ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun. It can cut through infantry and lightly armored vehicles like butter. With their help during the hostage rescue, Jiaolong will be much safer. More guns mean more firepower."

Seeing that Gao Yun still looked disagreed, he added, "Besides, Leng Feng is a former member of the 'Wolf Warriors' special forces. Their training intensity and combat capabilities are top-notch in the military. Rosen is someone who can work with Leng Feng, so his abilities can't be too bad either."

Upon hearing this, Yang Rui opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something, but seeing that both senior officers were there, he, as a major, decided it was best not to interrupt. He could only keep quiet and stand there like a wooden statue.

He was an elite soldier handpicked by Haitt, the sharpest blade in the naval special forces. He couldn't bear to hear his superiors speak well of Lao Lu's men; in his eyes, he and his own men were the best!

Gao Yun's tone softened slightly upon hearing Zhao Haiguang's words. He knew the political commissar was right. Those overseas Chinese, regardless of their status or background, were not a burden, at least based on their current performance.

Moreover, the political commissar was concerned about the safety of his subordinates; the more helpers there were, the less danger the Jiaolong soldiers would face.

"He's retired after all," Gao Yun said, his voice lower than before. "It's never good to involve civilians in something like this. What if something happens? How will we explain it to their families? How will we explain it to the country?"

Zhao Haiguang pointed out incisively, "Even if you don't let them go, they'll definitely show up in that area anyway. Rather than letting them wander around aimlessly, it's better to put them under unified command by Jiaolong to avoid affecting the hostage rescue plan."

Gao Yun thought for a moment, then remained silent for a few seconds. Finally, he nodded quietly.

Zhao Haiguang turned around and walked towards the outside of the bridge.

It's time to talk to those kind-hearted ordinary citizens.

Gao Yun wasn't idle either. Since they had decided not to let the government troops accompany them, it would be reasonable to ask them to provide some equipment, wouldn't it?

The Jiaolong Commando team still needs more and better transportation to better ensure their safety.

After some negotiation, Gao Yun finally obtained a VAB 4×4 wheeled armored vehicle, two M1165 Humvees armed vehicles, and two Land Rover Defender assault vehicles.

For this mission, both the first and second Jiaolong task forces were deployed, while the third task force remained on the warships to ensure ship security. Yang Rui led the first task force, while Deputy Captain Xu Hong was in charge of the second task force.