Mercenary's War

Satan’s approach to warfare really needs a change. Even the poorest among them is a millionaire, there are several multimillionaires, and Gao Yang has even become a billionaire. Yet, they have to personally go to battle. If they were to reveal their wealth, who would believe it?

Whether they wholeheartedly focus on war without living a billionaire’s life can be set aside. But why do Satan’s members still have to personally fight? There’s actually an unavoidable reason: Satan’s collective interests, Gao Yang’s individual interests, have completed only an initial accumulation. It’s far from the time when they can sit back and enjoy the fruits.

Whether it’s the Solar System Company, Gao Yang’s diamond mine, or Morgan’s inheritance, they’ve been built on Satan’s incredibly capable core team. If Gao Yang got richer and immediately disbanded Satan, immersing himself in pleasure, what value would he retain?

Saying "being used" sounds unpleasant, but having value is definitely a good thing. Gao Yang’s connections are based on friendships, but honestly, if he were the leader of the Cannon Fodder Mercenary Corps, would Grand Ivan even spare him a glance?

Moreover, speaking of the Solar System Company, it’s currently only in its initial setup phase. Despite having extremely advantageous conditions, it’s still in its early stages, weak compared to powerful competitors. A significant failure could wipe it out, and Satan’s entire future is pinned on this company. So, it’s far from the time to relax.

Not yet time to relax means they have to continue fighting intensely. But on the other hand, everyone is a rich person now. While fighting for greater interests, surely they shouldn’t have to personally engage in every tough and life-threatening battle, right?

"Our fight in Yemen is driven by interests, so naturally, we must maximize benefits while minimizing risks."

When a few members of Satan and the Black Demon gathered and sat down, Gao Yang eagerly delivered his opening remarks. He had been contemplating these issues for days and needed to clearly explain them. When it was time to speak, the words came effortlessly.

"Maximizing benefits as a combat goal can’t be reflected in each specific battle; it’s only seen in the final results. But minimizing risks is reflected in every fight, because any wounds or even fatalities are unacceptable losses for us."

Setting the tone, Gao Yang stood up, tapped a map of Aden hanging on the wall, and said sternly: "Firstly, we can’t always be the ones charging at the front; it’s unnecessary. We must try to avoid fighting personally. Satan is positioned as a small, elite special operations unit. We excel in infiltration, sabotage behind enemy lines, and special operations in low-intensity and low-threat environments. Facing off against large ground forces isn’t our job."

After speaking, Gao Yang sighed and said self-reproachfully: "I used to think that with our capabilities, paired with a highly competent artillery unit providing timely and accurate fire support, no one in Yemen or Saudi Arabia could pose a major threat to us. But facts have proven that my thinking was wrong."

Gao Yang turned around, facing the group with a grievous expression: "Our artillery was annihilated by airstrikes. Liang Dong was severely injured and nearly killed. What does this indicate? It shows that holding fixed defenses at the Northwest Border while the enemy has absolute air superiority was a fundamentally flawed approach."

Grewatov nodded slightly, while Eileen raised her hand defiantly and said, "Sir, request to speak."

Gao Yang motioned with his hand, saying: "Granted."

Eileen stood up and boldly said: "Boss, we’ve done well on the Northwest Border. We annihilated the Crown Forces, captured a major general alive, and received a hefty ransom. We secured a major contract and helped the Venus Troops establish themselves. So, I think staying at the Northwest Border wasn’t wrong. The artillery encountered airstrikes because Rebrov was careless. Mouse was injured because he shouldn’t have acted alone, even though it was to rescue Cobra. We understand Mouse’s actions, but that doesn’t mean what he did was right. So, at least you didn’t make mistakes, sir. My speech is finished."

Rebrov looked ashamed.

Gao Yang waved his hand, saying: "You’re talking about outcomes. I agree that we achieved good results at the Northwest Border, but this doesn’t prove that holding our defenses there was correct. What if Rebrov’s artillery faced airstrikes? What if pilots accidentally discovered our command post and dropped a bomb? The enemy was too weak, leading to good results from our wrong actions, but that shouldn’t mean our actions were right."

Tarta suddenly asked: "So, what do you think is the right approach then?"

"Firstly, as a small and strong special operations unit, we must not hold one location. We should leverage our strengths and advantages, namely flexibility, speed, lethality, and avoid direct confrontations with the enemy.

Secondly, we have always sought more powerful firepower. Now we have artillery and missile units. So, we shift our operational mode to avoid direct contact with the enemy, and instead operate as intelligence gatherers, battlefield scouts, and fire coordinators, employing heavy fire to strike incentivized targets.

After sharing his vision, Gao Yang confidently said: "Simply put, it’s about shifting Satan from being the primary force to a supporting role, while artillery becomes the main force."

Gao Yang’s approach was simple: Satan transitions from the main combat force to a supporting role, while artillery shifts from supporting to the main combat force.

Glolov nodded and said: "I understand your point. Essentially, we’ll prioritize long-range artillery strikes, and we won’t be the main strike force anymore. But there’s a problem: many targets can’t guarantee effectiveness with long-range strikes. Should we abandon them or engage personally?"

Gao Yang smiled and said: "It can be viewed in terms of cost-effectiveness. We must remember that no matter how tempting a target is, it should be resolved with artillery and missiles alone, because every one of us is more valuable than any target in Yemen. So, if artillery and missiles can’t resolve it, don’t bother doing it."

Glolov was initially surprised, but quickly laughed and said: "That’s right, our lives are valuable. Let’s handle everything with artillery. If artillery can’t solve it, use missiles. If one missile isn’t enough, then fire two."