"There's a problem, Josh. If we want to get involved in this war, we don't have enough people right now. We could recruit veterans, but that would take time and cost a lot more than expected," Aldo hesitated.
There were a lot of American veterans after the war, but with the downsizing of the military, most had already returned to civilian life. The U.S. economy was booming, and incomes were rising rapidly.
In this situation, convincing veterans to return to the battlefield would be very expensive.
"Heh, you don't have to worry about that. Blackwater taking this contract is just for show. The real army is already ready. There are still many German prisoners of war in various European countries. We can hire them at a low price. Even if some countries refuse, there are millions of Germans struggling to find food," Josh said casually.
As he said, aside from those still being used as forced labor, millions of freed Germans were still on the verge of starvation.
The Cold War had officially begun in 1947, but both sides were still maintaining a superficial peace. The confrontation wasn't too intense.
Germany was still in ruins, stripped of its resources by the victorious nations. East and West Germany hadn't even been created yet.
Life for the Germans was terrible. In the winter of 1946 alone, over 100,000 people froze to death, mostly in the British, French, and Soviet zones.
The American zone, thanks to Austria's ties with the U.S., was slightly better—still poor, but at least people weren't starving or freezing to death.
Things did not improve until 1949, when both sides of the Cold War set up their own German governments.
Because of this, many Germans tried to escape into Bavaria, which had become part of Austria—a "paradise on earth" compared to the rest of Germany.
Austria sent back those who came from the American Zone to avoid upsetting the U.S., but they gladly accepted those from the British, French, and Soviet Zones because they needed workers.
Thanks to Josh's advanced technology, Austria's industry and economy grew even faster than the U.S. But just like in America, this rapid growth led to a labor shortage.
So if possible, Austria would love to accept more Germans—ideally, even take over all of Germany. After all, Austria and Germany were like family.
Unfortunately, even Austria's closest ally, the United States, wouldn't allow it. The other occupying countries also had strict border controls, so only a limited number of people could get through.
However, if Josh recruited soldiers under Blackwater and the Dutch flag in the non-Soviet occupation zones, the other countries probably wouldn't mind.
After all, the Netherlands had long been an ally of Great Britain and France, and was now a country the U.S. wanted to draw closer to.
With colonial independence movements growing everywhere, Britain and France were happy to see the Dutch stabilize Java.
So even without the Prisoners of War, Josh could still easily recruit plenty of German people from Germany itself.
"That's a smart plan, but if we pay them too little, won't they refuse to fight hard?" Aldo asked. He quickly understood Josh's strategy, but still had concerns.
As a private military contractor, he knew that mercenaries were ultimately motivated by money.
If their only reward was getting enough to eat, even Prisoners of War wouldn't be willing to fight to the death.
"That's easy. I'll promise them that if they fight well, they and their families can become official citizens of Sulawesi. What do you think—will they fight hard then?" Josh said with a smile. (TL/N: Big Brain Again)
That was Josh's plan from the beginning.
The Java natives were poor, lazy, and prone to trouble. Most of them followed the Green Sect, which made it unlikely that they would accept Josh's rule. This would be a major problem for his future control of Sulawesi.
The best way to secure long-term rule over the region was to replace the local population.
Of course, Josh wasn't planning anything extreme. He didn't have to kill them—he could simply drive them away.
The Dutch had their own plans. Once the war was won, he could push the natives into Dutch-controlled territory... problem solved.
Besides the Dutch, the British still controlled Malaya in addition to Java. With the growing instability in Java and the rapid decline of Britain, the situation in Malaya didn't look good either.
In the original timeline, Malaya gained independence from Britain only a few years after Java.
When the time came, Josh could use the same strategy he was using with the Dutch and work with the British—taking a large piece of Malaya for himself.
After all, the world's 11th-largest island was nowhere near as appealing as the 3rd-largest one.
"I see. I understand now. I'm leaving for Europe tomorrow with my team!" Aldo replied immediately.
"No hurry, Aldo. I can't appear too eager. I need the Dutch to feel the pressure first. Actually, I have another idea—one you might find interesting," Josh said.
"What idea?" Aldo asked, confused.
"Would your mother's tribe be interested in moving to a new country?" Josh asked.
Aldo froze for a moment.
"You mean...?"
"Exactly what I said. Sulawesi has volcanoes, but overall it's a good place. It's rich in resources and can support tens of millions of people. But I don't like the natives here... You know what I mean, right?" Josh explained.
"I understand. But this isn't something I can decide for myself. It affects the future of my whole tribe. I have to ask my grandfather," Aldo said seriously.
Their conversation may have seemed strange, but it all made sense in light of Aldo's heritage.
Aldo wasn't fully white—he was mixed.
His father was white, but his mother was a Native American—and not just any Native American, but the daughter of a powerful tribal chief.
As for Aldo's father? He had never seen him. If he ever got the chance, he'd like to send that man a bullet.
No, not a bullet—he'd inject himself with the beast transformation serum and smash him into a pulp.
Because Aldo's birth was a disgrace. For his mother, it was a deep humiliation.
Over thirty years ago, Aldo's mother went hunting with two guards. They were attacked by a group of hunters.
Her guards were killed, and she was raped.
In the end, these hunters were never punished. Instead, they were protected by the American authorities.
This was the harsh reality of life for Native Americans.
The U.S. had long since stopped large-scale massacres of Native Americans.
But in many ways, their situation was even worse than that of African Americans.
The so-called reservations were meant to protect their way of life, but in reality, they were nothing more than open-air prisons—barriers that kept them from integrating into American society.
Even in the 21st century, Native Americans had the lowest education and living standards of any ethnic group in the U.S.
While others shouted about racial equality, few cared about this forgotten, marginalized people.
All they could do was endure the injustice in silence while the U.S. government buried the past.
Because they had no power to change it.
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