The Tyrant Billionaire

They would surely need to buy other materials for transport. Hardy quickly picked up the phone and called Colonel Adam Beach.

"Beach, find out if the Jews have purchased any materials from the military," Hardy instructed.

"Yes, Mr. Hardy," Colonel Beach responded promptly.

It didn't take long for Beach to call Hardy back. "Mr. Hardy, the Jews have indeed placed large orders for materials and weapons from the military."

Military orders were outside the scope of Hardy's post-war materials sales company; whoever made the sale earned the profit. That was the rule of business.

"Beach, I have some contacts among the Jewish buyers. Reach out to them and see if they need more weapons. Our stock isn't outdated, and our prices are competitive. I'm sure there's plenty they still need. This could be a big order, so make sure to put in the effort," Hardy directed.

Beach immediately perked up. "Understood, Mr. Hardy. I'll contact them right away."

"Oh, and raise the prices slightly. They're in urgent need right now and have the funds," Hardy added.

"Heh, I understand, Mr. Hardy," Beach replied.

The post-war materials sales company had a 30% profit margin on everything sold. With such a large stockpile, why not capitalize on it? Making money was the bottom line.

Competing with the military for business wasn't a concern. The logistics department was part of the military, but technically, it was a matter of outmaneuvering other arms dealers.

Hardy was an arms dealer, after all, and in this business, the best man wins.

As for the morality of selling weapons? Hardy felt like a sheep among wolves. His colleagues in the arms trade were inciting wars worldwide to sell their weapons. As for Hardy, he hadn't started this war and had no power to end it. His role was simply to observe and hope the Arabs inflicted more damage on the Jews, prompting them to buy more of his arms, allowing him to profit from the conflict.

...

The Middle East war was raging, and Israel found itself in a precarious situation. Meanwhile, Hardy had begun engaging in the arms trade. The biggest advantage the "Post War Supplies Sales Company" had over other arms dealers was its ample stock and low costs.

With World War II just ended, the materials and weapons in their possession were far from outdated; in fact, they were exactly what Israel desperately needed.

When the war broke out, Israel lacked nearly everything. They didn't even have a formal defense force. Beach contacted the individuals who had purchased cargo ships, and these buyers urgently needed supplies. They promptly placed a large order.

"Boss, they ordered a total of $35.87 million worth of goods," Beach reported excitedly to Hardy.

Hardy, however, knew this was just a small fraction of what Israel needed for its war efforts. "Beach, maintain this connection. I believe they'll need more weapons. This could be a long-term, substantial customer," Hardy said.

"I understand, Mr. Hardy," Beach replied.

The UN Security Council's mediation initially had little effect and was still mired in a phase of multi-party wrangling.

The war continued.

After several weeks of fighting, Israeli forces suffered heavy casualties and began drafting young men and women aged 17, as well as men and women aged 36 to 38. According to later records, there was almost no training; recruits were handed guns upon arrival and sent straight to the battlefield after a brief orientation.

Older individuals were tasked with building fortifications, transporting supplies, and handling logistics.

War is always brutal.

By June 11th, most of Israel's major cities had fallen into the hands of the Arab coalition forces. As it seemed the Israelis were about to be driven into the Mediterranean, the United States intervened. The United Nations passed a "four-week ceasefire plan," demanding a temporary halt in fighting between Israel and the Arab states.

Interestingly, the Arab coalition forces, who believed they had an overwhelming advantage and that Israel was beyond saving, agreed to the ceasefire.

But they did not realize that Israel would use these few weeks to bring in a large number of weapons from the U.S. and other countries. More importantly, Israel unified the scattered guerrilla groups within the country to form a regular defense force.

A critical factor was the arrival of many Jewish American veterans who had served in World War II. Tens of thousands of these individuals, many of whom were trained soldiers and even officers, flocked to Israel to join its military efforts.

With these reinforcements, the combat effectiveness of the Israeli Defense Forces increased significantly, and they now outnumbered the Arab coalition forces.

On July 9th, the four-week ceasefire ended. Israel took the initiative, using armored units to attack the central front of the Arab coalition forces. The coalition was caught off guard by the intensity of the Israeli offensive, and their forces were quickly split in half, leading to chaos.

The Israeli forces pressed their advantage, capturing over a thousand square kilometers of territory within ten days.

Hardy read these reports.

He knew that among those commanding Israeli forces, there were likely American military personnel involved.

With comprehensive support from the United States, Israel had reversed its fortunes, ensuring the survival of the newly established nation.

But Hardy knew this was just the beginning. From that point until his own time, the region would never know lasting peace.

Hardy suddenly had a strange thought.

Did the Americans support the founding of Israel out of genuine goodwill? Or was it part of a larger scheme?

The Arabs and Jews had been drawn into the vortex of the Middle East, and they wouldn't know peace for decades, always at war.

Could there be another force at play, using the founding of a nation as bait to ensnare the Jews in an unending conflict with the Arabs, draining resources on one side while exerting control over them on the other? It's known that in the U.S., Jews are not the only powerful group.

This was a bitter choice. Perhaps they understood this, yet they still willingly jumped into this pit because it was their lifelong pursuit, their ideal, and their belief.