1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3681

Batiya seemed to know Qian Tiandun's style of doing things. He did not beat around the bush and quickly stated his purpose, which was to hope that Hai Han would not intervene in the feud between Persia and Portugal, and Persia had no intention of becoming an enemy of Hai Han.

In the final analysis, they were worried that the Hai Han fleet was actually hired by the Portuguese to harm Persia. Although Gao Qiaonan had already visited Bandar Abbas, the commander of this fleet was Qian Tiandun, so it would be safer to confirm his attitude in person.

Qian Tiandun did not respond directly immediately, but asked in return: "But I see that the relationship between your country and Portugal does not seem to be as tense as rumored. The trade activities between the two countries around Bandar Abbas and Hormuz Island should have been going on normally, right?"

Since Bhatia could understand Chinese, Qian Tiandun deliberately emphasized the word "normal".

Bhatia really realized what Qian Tiandun meant, and replied with a wry smile: "That's what we have to do. The war cannot go on endlessly. We understand this, and so do the Portuguese."

"But now some people want to keep the war going, while others want to keep trade flowing. We can only seek a compromise to ensure the interests of the majority as much as possible."

Qian Tiandun smiled slightly when he heard this. The "majority of people" that Batia mentioned obviously did not include ordinary people, but only those in power who could decide a country's national policy and diplomatic direction.

Protecting the interests of this high-level group is the real reason why the two countries turned a blind eye to the smuggling trade during the confrontation.

Qian Tiandun said, "I have a question that I am curious about. Did you get permission from Lu Yi to come here to see me?"

Batia said, "I think even if Rui knows I'm coming, he will pretend not to know. So why not tell him? This way, both of us can avoid unnecessary trouble."

This answer was very smooth, but Qian Tiandun could also sense from it that Batia was still somewhat wary of the Portuguese. The delicate relationship between Persia and Portugal was probably difficult for even the parties involved to grasp the exact degree.

The wisest choice for Hai Han, of course, is to make no choice and continue to remain neutral.

For some reasons, Qian Tiandun did not intend to conquer Persia. His primary goal now was still to find a foothold on the southern bank of the Strait of Hormuz.

"Lord Batia..."

"You don't have to call me that. I'm just a businessman now. Just call me by my name."

"Okay! Batia!" Qian Tiandun nodded and said, "I can promise you that as long as your country does not take hostile actions against us, we will maintain friendly relations with you for a long time and will not take the initiative to intervene in the dispute between your country and Portugal."

“However, given our alliance with Portugal, if the Portuguese on Hormuz Island are in distress at some point in the future, the Hai Han Army will still be obliged to rescue them. I hope your country can understand this and avoid such a situation as much as possible.”

"In addition, our country will establish a trading port on the south side of the strait. We hope that Persian merchants like you will come here more often in the future to make the maritime trade in the Persian Gulf more prosperous!" Qian Tiandun's statement on international relations should have been within Batia's expectations, but after hearing the last sentence, Batia's eyes changed. However, he did not respond immediately, as if he was thinking about the pros and cons of Hai Han's move on Persia.

After a moment, Batia responded in a deep voice: "So in the small Strait of Hormuz, there will be three trading ports operating simultaneously in the future. It seems hard to say whether this will bring prosperity or more intense competition!"

Qian Tiandun said: "Are three ports a lot? If I say that a hundred years from now, there will be a constant stream of merchant ships entering and leaving the Persian Gulf, would you still think it is too much?"

Bhatia said: "The general does have a long-term vision, but how can we make a final conclusion about something that will happen a hundred years from now?"

Qian Tiandun stared at him and said slowly: "One thing is certain. A hundred years later, the Persian Empire will still exist in this place, and our port will still be there, but the Portuguese may not be there. The trade share of the Persian Gulf will most likely be divided between you and me in the end."

Batia's eyes lit up and he said, "It seems that the general is very confident in the strength of our Persian country!"

Qian Tiandun nodded and said, "I just expressed my neutrality out of respect for your country's strength. Of course, whether the situation will develop as I said in the future will still depend on your country's own efforts!"

The implication was to reiterate the previous statement that Hai Han would not intervene in the disputes between the other two countries. However, Batia was very pleased with the flattery of Persia.

In Batia's opinion, although he could not defeat Portugal for the time being, even a rising power like Hai Han had to show respect to Persia. This was enough for him to go back and report his achievements.

Batiya returned satisfied, but Dong Shangyi and Li Yuande, who listened to the talks, were not particularly satisfied. They thought that Qian Tiandun would take this opportunity to discuss the specific content of the trade with the Persians.

Qian Tiandun said with a smile: "Why are you so anxious? The Persian Gulf will be included in our sphere of influence sooner or later. Are you still worried about having no business to do by then? The most urgent thing is that you should think of more ways to recruit more immigrants from the country and build the framework of the new port as soon as possible. The sooner it starts operating, the sooner you will have the opportunity to make money!"

When it comes to recruiting immigrants, their excitement inevitably decreases.

The Persian Gulf is far away from the South China Sea region controlled by Hai Han, and the natural environment is harsh. It is not a suitable place to live. Even for farming and growing crops, it is not easy to find suitable soil. It is really troublesome to recruit immigrants to come from afar to settle down.

The only possible solution is to increase the compensation for immigrants, but that will inevitably greatly increase the cost of immigration, making it impossible for the port to gain an advantage in labor costs in future operations.

Qian Tiandun saw the expressions of the two people and guessed what they were thinking, so he smiled and said: "For immigrants who are willing to settle in the Persian Gulf, we can give them a little more resettlement allowance... Don't worry, all our investments in the Persian Gulf will be earned back a thousand times in the future!"

Dong Shangyi and Li Yuande looked at each other and immediately agreed. They may not have much confidence in the development prospects of the Persian Gulf, but they firmly believe in Qian Tiandun's vision. Since Qian Tiandun said it was feasible, it must be possible.

Moreover, when Qian Tiandun was talking to Bhatia before, he mentioned the trend of the century more than once. They were fortunate to be able to follow Qian Tiandun to participate in an action with such a far-reaching impact. In the future, they would most likely go down in history with Qian Tiandun. It didn't seem to matter whether they made more or less money from the investment here.