In 635 AD, the Abbasid Dynasty conquered the Mesopotamia. The next year, the second caliph Omar built a military camp in Basra, which later gradually developed into an important city in the Mesopotamia.
Basra is not only the second largest city in the two river basins, but also the largest port in the two river basins. It is 120 kilometers south of the Persian Gulf. It is the only hub connecting the Persian Gulf, the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Basra has developed inland waterways and canals, and is known as
Known as the "Venice of the East".
The person responsible for extracting oil near Basra is an exploration team of the Persian Petroleum Company, and the person in charge is a British man named Gary Clare.
Providing protection for this oil exploration team of less than a hundred people is the 1st Squadron of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Corps of the Umbrella Company's Persian Gulf Division. The squadron leader is a German named Johnson.
The organization of the Umbrella Company is similar to that of the regular army in Southern Africa. The corresponding level of the squadron is the company, but the number is only one hundred people, which is not as many as the company of the regular army, and there are no logistics units, chefs, and medical teams that are permanent units of the regular army. The Umbrella Company is one
nothing.
After all, it is a profit-oriented organization, so you can save money if you can, and mercenaries do not need attentive service. It is a profession that licks blood with a knife tip, and does not have high requirements.
Jason received the news on March 15th and immediately went to find Gary Clare.
"Desert bandits? This is Basra, not Hejaz. Where did these desert bandits come from?" Gary Clare couldn't believe it.
Basra is located in the hinterland of the Mesopotamia. The environment is much better than Port Elizabeth. Most of the land around Port Elizabeth has been abandoned. The land around Basra is still very fertile, so it is not deserted. There are still more or less people settling in the peninsula.
, the area around Basra is already a prosperous place.
That's why Gary Clare couldn't believe that the desert bandits dared to infiltrate Basra, knowing that regular Ottoman troops were stationed nearby.
"I just got the news that a desert tribe that failed in the conflict is migrating to Basra, so we have to leave here as soon as possible." Jason didn't talk nonsense. Believe it or not, the mercenaries had already started packing their luggage.
In fact, there is nothing to pack. The mercenaries have very few belongings. In addition to the necessary combat supplies, the mercenaries' salaries will be deposited in the Rand Bank or remitted to their families. If there is anything during the mission,
The unexpected gains will be sold to the Rand Bank at a discount, and then the money will be remitted to their families, so the mercenaries moved very quickly, and some of them have already started to lead the camels.
In desert areas, it is difficult for war horses to survive. Camels are the most common means of transportation and a symbol of the wealth of desert peoples. Generally, people here judge a person's economic strength by the number of camels.
"Then kill them? You can't just let go and leave. There is a contract we signed." Gary Clare got angry anxiously. Although the Mesopotamia River Basin is safer than the chaotic peninsula, it is not without accidents. If not
Under the protection of mercenaries, the residents here, as well as the regular troops of the Ottoman Empire, may turn into desert bandits at any time.
"There is an exemption clause in our contract. If a war, serious violent conflict or other force majeure event occurs, we have the right to evacuate in advance. Now I am informing you on a routine basis. If you are willing, you can evacuate with us. If you are not willing, you can evacuate with us."
, then I think you have unilaterally terminated the contract and can evacuate immediately at any time." Jason was not in a hurry, there was indeed such a clause in the contract.
"Help Jason, our oil well has been drilled 800 feet. Give me another week. In just one week, I will definitely find oil." Gary Claire did not want to evacuate. If he evacuated, it would mean that the Persian Oil Company would not be able to evacuate.
All investments were wasted.
800 feet, or 244 meters, may not sound worth mentioning, but at the beginning of the 20th century, it was already a rare depth.
Many people may not believe it, but many of the oil wells in the early 20th century were dug by manpower. The oil wells at this time did not have much technical content. When one oil well produced oil, another oil well was drilled next to it. As a result,
The oil wells are so densely packed that you can almost jump directly from one derrick to another.
At this time, the oil extraction technology was not good either. There was no water injection and no secondary oil recovery technology. Basically, we could pump as much as we could. If we could not pump out oil, or the oil pumped out was not enough to cover the cost, then the oil well would be abandoned.
The oil field discovered by Persian Petroleum Company the year before last year could initially produce 10,000 barrels per day, but then many oil wells rushed in. As a result, the output of the oil wells dropped rapidly last year, and now the daily production is only a few hundred barrels, which is better than nothing.
Gary Clare uses American technology and uses mechanical drilling. Compared with manual mining, mechanical drilling is of course more efficient and faster, but it also comes with higher costs. In the past, Persian Petroleum Company drilled an oil well.
It only cost about 10,000 pounds, but now the cost of an oil well has reached 25,000 pounds.
So Gary Clare really didn't dare to leave.
"You said this a week ago. At that time, you had drilled 700 feet. As a result, a week later, the oil well is now 800 feet. I don't think you need to give me an answer. Mr. William Knox Darcy probably needs to get it."
Your explanation." Jason turned around and left without talking nonsense.
"Wait, wait -" Gary Clare chased Jason out of the tent.
As soon as I got out of the tent, I saw a mercenary running towards me in the distance.
"Sir, the desert bandits are here, less than ten kilometers away from here -" the mercenary shouted from a distance.
The camp was suddenly in a frenzy. The mercenaries of the Umbrella Company were busy lining up. The employees of the Persian Oil Company were at a loss. Some even screamed and ran away.
In the peninsula, desert bandits are almost like the Grim Reaper. Wherever these people go, they leave no trace of chickens or dogs, just like locusts.
"Did you hear that? There are less than ten kilometers left. Pack your things immediately. We will retreat immediately." Jason would not fight head-on with desert bandits. What did he say?
A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall!
"At least you have to give me time. There are so many people here and so much equipment -" Gary Clare was at a loss. He didn't want to leave, but he didn't want to face the desert bandits.
Jason didn't waste any time and whistled directly, and several mercenaries came over immediately.
"Take him away, notify everyone, and we will evacuate immediately-" Jason pointed at Gary Clare and gave the order. At this time, human life was still at stake, forget about equipment and so on.
Several mercenaries immediately swarmed up.
"I won't go, I can't go, let me go -" Gary Clare struggled hard, but it was obvious that the resistance was ineffective.
After just ten minutes, everyone evacuated, leaving only a messy camp.
Another half hour later, thick smoke billowed from the camp, followed by violent explosions.
On a hillside about two kilometers away from the camp, Jason held a telescope with a serious look on his face. Gary Clare sat on the ground in despair, muttering to himself: "It's over, it's all over. How can I explain to Mr. Darcy——"
"Claire, calm down, this is not your problem." Jason handed the binoculars to the mercenary beside him, sat down next to Gary Claire, picked up a weed and put it in his mouth to chew.
"Whose problem is that?" Gary Clare smiled bitterly.
"It's not yours anyway." Jason spit out the grass roots in his mouth fiercely. In fact, there are only more than a hundred desert bandits. If there is a head-on conflict, Jason is completely confident that he can defeat them.
"I have two children, they are both at school in Birmingham, and they were waiting for me to send the money back, and now it's all over, I've messed it all up, Mr. Darcy won't let me go -" Gary Clare
He looked downcast, as if he had foreseen a tragic future.
"Mr. Darcy—it's not your fault."
"Do you think Mr. Darcy will listen to my explanation?"
Jason remained silent, no one could guarantee this.
"I graduated from Cambridge University and then worked on the Peninsula for twelve years. This was the first time I was responsible for a project alone. Now it's all gone. I doubt I can return to Birmingham. Maybe tomorrow I will be the Persian Gulf
An unknown body in there——" Gary Clare burst into tears. Oil exploration is like this. If oil is produced, it will be heaven. If oil is not produced, it will be hell.
Capital is always ruthless.
"If it doesn't work, go to Port Elizabeth. I can guarantee that in Port Elizabeth, you can get a salary no less than that of Persian Oil Company." Jason has been working with Gary Clare during this time, although Jason is not sure about Gary.
Claire's abilities are limited, but Jason can be sure that Gary Claire is a responsible person.
If Jason hadn't ordered the mercenaries to take Gary Clare away by force just now, it is estimated that Gary Clare would have stayed in the camp and lived and died with the derrick.
"Ha, even when I get to Port Elizabeth, I'm still a loser." Gary Clare roared, and he couldn't listen to anything now.
After a while, the desert bandits finally left the exploration camp.
Several mercenaries tried to return to the camp to investigate, and only after confirming that all the desert bandits had withdrawn did Jason and Gary Claire return to the camp.
The camp was in ruins. The desert bandits took away everything that could be taken away, and burned everything that could not be taken away. Even the derrick was directly blown up by the desert bandits.
"Can it still be repaired?" Jensen really didn't understand oil exploration technology.
"Impossible, this oil well has been abandoned. Even if we fish out the drill bit, no one can guarantee whether the desert bandits will come again." Gary Clare looked dull and sat in the open space in front of the derrick with his head in his hands.
Jason raised his head and looked in the direction in which the desert bandits were retreating, and vaguely saw a desert bandit wearing a turban on the mountain top in the distance.
