1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3678

"Swindler! This guy is such a big scammer!"

Dong Shangyi spat indignantly, extremely dissatisfied with the supply fees demanded by the Portuguese.

After leaving Fujian, he traveled all over the world, but only the price of supplies in Hormuz Island was the highest. How could he not be angry when he thought that Rui had treated the Hai Han fleet that came from afar as a fool?

Qian Tiandun seemed very calm about this and gently advised: "This is the Portuguese style of doing things. They are two-faced, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and putting profit first. Rui thinks that we are here to supply him because we need him, and that this is a unique business, so naturally he wants to rip us off."

Dong Shangyi said: "We can't let him get away with it so easily!"

Qian Tiandun said with a smile, "It's not that easy to take advantage! Gao Qiaonan, tell Rui that we don't need to load the unfinished supplies yet. We are leaving soon to visit Bandar Abbas. The Persians will probably like the gifts we bring."

Bandar Abbas is only a few dozen miles away from Hormuz Island and is one of the most important ports in Persia. As for what Qian Tiandun will bring to the Persians after the Hai Han fleet suddenly changed its itinerary, he would not say it clearly, leaving it to Druid to guess.

A smart person like Rui would naturally think of the worst case scenario when encountering such an emergency, and this is exactly what Qian Tiandun wants to achieve.

Sure enough, not long after, Rui, with an anxious look on his face, came back with Takahashi Minami.

"General Qian, you are a distinguished guest of Hormuz Port. Why are you in such a hurry to leave here? Are you dissatisfied with the service we provide?"

Although Rui asked knowingly, Qian Tiandun was not angry. He smiled and replied, "I see that the price of supplies here is high. I think it is because the supplies on Hormuz Island are hard to come by. We should leave more for the people on the island so that our visit will not affect their normal life. Abbas Port is backed by the mainland, so the reserves of various supplies must be more abundant. We can go there to resupply, so that Lord Rui will not have to worry!"

"It's not difficult! Not at all!" Rui quickly explained: "I clearly ordered to provide supplies to your fleet at the lowest price. It must be the people below who acted on their own. General Qian, please don't take it seriously. I will definitely punish these disobedient guys!"

Seeing that Qian Tiandun did not mention any deal with the Persians, Lu Yi became even more anxious. He had heard about Hai Han's most famous product before he came here to take up his post.

Although Portugal and Persia maintained a certain tacit understanding and would not easily tear their faces apart and start a war, that was a delicate balance reached after a long period of confrontation between the two countries. Once any external factors broke this balance, such as the arms provided by Hai Han, the Persians might turn the fake into reality and teach the Portuguese on Hormuz Island a lesson.

According to the cooperation agreement signed between Hai Han and Portugal, Hai Han is not allowed to sell arms to Portugal's enemies. However, if it really wants to do so, there are ten thousand ways to circumvent the restrictions on paper.

The most important thing is that Rui cannot let the Persians realize that they can buy weapons and equipment from Hai Han that can defeat Portugal.

Compared with the overall situation, the little income earned from the Hai Han people by providing supplies is really nothing.

Although Rui was clever, it was his first time dealing with Qian Tiandun. He never expected that the other party had no intention of bargaining, but directly took countermeasures, leaving him at a loss.

For now, Rui could only try his best to retain Qian Tiandun and his party and try to appease them. Even if the Hai Han people still wanted to visit Bandar Abbas later, Qian Tiandun would have to promise not to provide certain dangerous contraband items to Persia. Rui then "generously" stated that the supplies provided to the Hai Han fleet would only be charged at cost, and even the labor costs for transporting the supplies on board would not be borne by Hai Han, as they would be provided free of charge by the Port of Hormuz.

Then he took the opportunity to persuade Qian Tiandun that since the supplies for the Hai Han fleet were all taken care of by their side, there was no need to go to the port of Abbas in Persia. It would be better to stay here for a few more days so that the two sides could have some in-depth exchanges and discuss their respective views on maritime trade.

Seeing that the other party had lost his patience, Qian Tiandun wanted to take advantage of the situation to take advantage of this Portuguese man who liked to play small tricks.

"I understand what Lord Rui means. You want us not to have too much contact with Persia, right? This is not difficult, as long as Lord Rui agrees to one condition of mine."

Lu Yi quickly responded, "General Qian, please speak!"

Qian Tiandun said: "The Strait of Hormuz is in a very good location. I plan to set up a trading post and garrison here to serve the future opening of shipping routes. However, as for this place of settlement, it may still require the approval of Lord Rui."

After hearing this, Rui thought that the place Qian Tiandun mentioned should be Hormuz Island. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. The key depends on how Hai Han will characterize the nature of its settlement here.

If handled well, Hai Han will bring more ocean trade here, but if handled improperly, Hai Han may encroach on this small island that has been operated by Portugal for a hundred years, thereby causing Portugal to lose its influence in the Persian Gulf region.

After thinking about the key point, Rui Yi responded: "Of course I welcome your country to set up a trading post here, but the arrangement of garrison is still under discussion. Our country has stationed thousands of soldiers here, and we are fully capable of protecting the safety of your country's trading post and personnel."

What he meant was that he politely rejected Hai Han's suggestion to send military personnel to the island.

Unexpectedly, Qian Tiandun shook his head and denied Rui's idea: "Lord Rui is wrong. The place I'm talking about is not Hormuz Island."

After that, Qian Tiandun asked someone to take out the sea chart and pointed out the location he had chosen on it: "I think this place is very suitable!"

The place Qian Tiandun pointed to was at the sharp corner where the Arabian Peninsula extended northward on the other side of the strait, just like a sharp blade across the narrowest throat of the Strait of Hormuz.

This place didn't even have a name marked, but Rui was shocked: "General Qian really put in a lot of effort to find such a small place! But our country already has a plan to develop the area, and your country is late!"

Qian Tiandun said: "I know that your country only has the intention to develop the area, but has not yet started construction, and the ownership of the area has not been determined. Out of respect for your country, I will seek Lord Rui's consent."

Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi were secretly shocked when they heard this. They originally thought that visiting Hormuz Island was just an ordinary itinerary arrangement, but they never thought that Qian Tiandun would suddenly confront the Portuguese and seek a foothold in this strait. He even had a place selected, and it seemed that he had planned it long ago.

However, this plan had never been revealed to Li and Dong in advance. Like Rui, they only knew Qian Tiandun's plan at this time.