1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3651

Qian Tiandun's special warfare division was not only good at fighting, but also as good as any engineering unit in infrastructure construction. In less than two years, they built a comprehensive port and a well-equipped military base in Phuket, as well as a large residential area for immigrants.

However, since this place is far away from the mainland of Hai Han, immigration and material supplies can only rely on Sing Island on the other side of the Strait of Malacca. Sing Island itself is not a resource-rich region, so Phuket’s development speed is still not ideal.

Especially after Xingdao began to shift the focus of its outward expansion to the New World in the south this year, it has invisibly reduced its support for the special operations division, and the supply of materials and immigrants has been greatly affected.

Fortunately, Phuket is located close to Siam, so basic necessities such as food can be purchased nearby, which is enough to cope with short-term shortages.

However, Phuket can no longer rely on Siam to provide the immigrant population it needs most for its long-term development.

After all, from Siam’s perspective, it does not want Hai Han to continue to encroach on the surrounding territories belonging to Siam after it grows stronger in Phuket.

Dong Shangyi couldn't help but interrupt when he heard this and asked, "If Xingdao stops providing aid, then the Special Warfare Division will have to recruit immigrants from China, right?"

Qian Shaobao did not deny his guess: "Sing Tao has its own difficulties, and we understand that. But the cost of recruiting immigrants from China is indeed too high for us."

This situation is certainly not a good thing for the special warfare division stationed in Phuket, but Dong Shangyi is also an old hand, he does not think that Qian Shaobao's self-exposure of his shortcomings is just a young man who is not tight-lipped. The other party took the initiative to reveal this information to him, I am afraid there is another purpose.

Considering the purpose of his visit to Phuket, it was not difficult for Dong Shangyi to judge Qian Shaobao's purpose. He thought that he wanted to test his attitude and see whether Fujian was willing to solve the immigration problem for the Special Operations Division.

Dong Shangyi had no objection to this. If Fujian wanted to establish a good relationship with the special warfare division, it had to take the initiative to provide some conditions to the other party. Originally, Dong Shangyi had no way of judging what kind of conditions would be attractive to Qian Tiandun, but the situation Qian Shaobao just introduced was undoubtedly a clear indication.

Officials in other regions may worry that the outflow of immigrants will cause local population loss, which will in turn affect people's livelihood and taxation. However, Fujian has long used the outflow of immigrants as a means of expanding its influence abroad. Fujianese are almost always present in Han Chinese settlements in the South China Sea.

Whether in Manila or Sing Tao, Dong Shangyi has shown great enthusiasm for immigration cooperation. Now that his cooperation partner has become the world's best special warfare division, there is no reason to give up such a good opportunity.

After figuring out the key, Dong Shangyi also asked tentatively: "Master Xiao Qian, I wonder if there are many Fujian immigrants living in Phuket now?"

Qian Shaobao replied: "There are not many Fujian immigrants on the island, probably about one or two hundred. We don't mind where the immigrants come from, but Han people will definitely be resettled first."

Dong Shangyi thought to himself, that's right, the Special Operations Division wants to introduce immigrants from the country, but is unsure of Fujian's attitude, so it repeatedly hints to him.

Dong Shangyi said: "My Lord Xu has always admired General Qian and hopes to lend a helping hand to General Qian in his overseas campaigns. Lord Xu also has some ideas about immigration, which he will elaborate on when he meets General Qian downstairs."

Dong Shangyi was not ready to show his hand until he saw the rabbit. Even if providing immigrants to the special warfare division was one of Fujian's established strategies, he had to wait until he met with Qian Tiandun in person. Only in this way would this cooperation project appear to have important value, rather than being given away as a free gift to the special warfare division. Qian Shaobao obviously understood what he meant and immediately said that he would arrange a formal meeting with Qian Tiandun as soon as possible, which undoubtedly gave Dong Shangyi another reassurance.

However, Qian Tiandun did not show up at the welcoming banquet held for Dong Shangyi that day. It turned out that Qian Tiandun had recently gone to Krabi Province in Siam to discuss business, and his trip was delayed there, so he was unable to return before Dong Shangyi arrived in Phuket.

Although Dong Shangyi was slightly disappointed, he did not show it. He also knew that a big shot like Qian Tiandun would never adjust his schedule for his visit, so these words were just words to appease him.

What really concerned Dong Shangyi was that he met Li Yuande, the person in charge of Fu Ruifeng here, at the banquet.

Li Jifeng, the big boss of Fu Ruifeng, has retired. The business is now jointly managed by his three sons, and Li Yuande is the son of the eldest son Li Fa.

Li Yuande admired Qian Tiandun even more than Dong Shangyi. The year before last, he went to Singapore Island in the name of developing business just to join Qian Tiandun.

What he brought to the special operations division was not only a cargo fleet formed by himself, but also various resources controlled by Fu Ruifeng at home and abroad.

Funds, products, transportation capacity, immigration... whatever the special operations division needs, Fu Ruifeng can provide more or less, and Li Yuande's special status in Fu Ruifeng has undoubtedly cleared various obstacles for these collaborations.

Li Yuande's efforts were certainly not one-sided. Not only did he gain Qian Tiandun's trust, but he also successfully opened up the trade route west of the Strait of Malacca for Fu Ruifeng.

Dong Shangyi has no way of knowing the business situation of Fu Ruifeng here for the time being, but judging from the huge billboard at the port, it is very likely that it has made a profit, which is why it is so ostentatious.

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Dong Shangyi could see that the other party seemed very calm when facing him, and did not seem to worry about the competition that his presence would bring. His confidence was evident.

He also noticed that Li Yuande and Qian Shaobao seemed to have a very good relationship, which also indirectly illustrates Fu Ruifeng's status and influence in the local area. It would probably not be easy for Fujian, as a latecomer, to shake the position of this competitor.

Fortunately, Li Yuande did not show any hostility, and even expressed the hope to cooperate with Fujian to jointly develop commercial resources in the Indian Ocean region.

Dong Shangyi was not sure whether the other party was really so generous or was deliberately showing a friendly attitude in front of Qian Shaobao.

But no matter what, Dong Shangyi was certain that Qian Tiandun would be the one in charge of matters here. As long as he could reach an agreement on cooperation with the real boss, other interfering factors could be ruled out.

He was not worried about competing with Fu Ruifeng. The resources accumulated by the Xu family in Fujian over the past two or three decades were not inferior to those of Fu Ruifeng, and they even had obvious advantages in military and other fields. Some of the support that Fujian could provide to the special warfare division was exactly what Fu Ruifeng lacked.