1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3683

Seeing that the local natives did not show any panic in the face of the Hai Han fleet, Qian Tiandun asked his men to communicate with these Arabs to understand the basic situation of the place.

Although communication was not smooth due to language barriers, we still managed to get some general information about Khasab through communication.

The Portuguese did land here a long time ago, but they did not ultimately occupy this place. The dozens of Portuguese immigrants who moved here in the early days also moved collectively to Hormuz Island nearly a hundred years ago and basically gave up on developing this place.

Of course, although there are no Portuguese immigrants living here, it does not prevent the Portuguese on Hormuz Island from regarding this place as their sphere of influence, and they will try to prevent foreign forces like Hai Han from entering Khasab.

But according to local Arabs, the object to which their tribe currently pledges allegiance is actually the Ottoman Empire, which spans Asia and Europe. This is consistent with the information Hai Han has.

However, this place is already the eastern border of the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, due to its vast area, sparse population and few resources, the Ottoman Empire had no plan to station troops in such a place. Administratively, it is still managed by the local tribes themselves and only belongs to the Ottoman Empire in name.

From a military perspective, if the Hai Han army wanted to occupy this place, it would not be immediately attacked by the Ottoman Empire. The center of the empire, thousands of miles away, might not learn of the landing of foreign troops until a year or two later, and it was even harder to know when it would respond.

The next issue is the resettlement of the local indigenous people.

There were only about a thousand Arabs living in Khasab, so it was not difficult to use force to expel them. But the Shihu tribe to which these Arabs belonged ruled Khasab and the area hundreds of miles to the south, and they were not weaklings without any ability to fight back.

Qian Tiandun did not want to be bogged down in a security war in the early stages of development unless it was absolutely necessary. He hoped to gain ownership of the area in a way that was acceptable to both parties.

However, the several small tribes living in Khasab did not have the right to self-determination, and several elders were not very interested in Qian Tiandun's proposal to use money to acquire the nearby areas. However, they were very satisfied with some small gifts given by Qian Tiandun, so they allowed Hai Han to build trading stations and docks here to engage in trade activities.

As for its military use, the Arabs did not quite understand it because Khasab had never served any military function since people settled there.

For hundreds of years, the indigenous people have been engaged in fishing as their main production and living. The Portuguese army was stationed here for a short time only a hundred years ago. The Ottoman Empire only dealt with the Shihu tribe to which they belonged and had never sent officials or troops to Khasab. Therefore, the indigenous people did not feel too much fear when facing the Hai Han fleet.

"These Arabs are really careless. Aren't they worried at all that we might use force to occupy this place?"

After returning to the ship, Li Yuande also participated in the negotiations with the locals, but the two-day negotiations did not make much progress, which made him feel a little confused about the locals' casual attitude.

Qian Tiandun responded, "These Arabs have never been occupied militarily during their stay here. The last batch of colonists abandoned this place a hundred years ago. They probably can't imagine the situation of this place being occupied by others, let alone being afraid."

Dong Shangyi said, "But we want to build a port and a military fortress here, so we have to ask them to move away and make room!" Qian Tiandun said, "This matter probably still needs to be handled by their superior tribe, but it is said that their chieftain is located in the heart of the desert, hundreds of miles away from here, and transportation is very inconvenient. How to deal with them next will probably take up a lot of time and energy."

Dong Shangyi clasped his fists and said, "If the general can trust me, I would like to ask for the order to go to the place where Chief Nashihu is on behalf of the Special Warfare Division to discuss with him the ownership of Khasab."

Qian Tiandun said: "It's a strange place, the language is not understood, and the environment is harsh. Aren't you worried about the risks of this mission?"

Dong Shangyi said, "Although I am now in charge of business, I also came from the military. Why should I be afraid of going on a diplomatic mission? It's just a matter of riding a camel for a few days. I've never ridden one before, so I'll take this opportunity to try it out. I came all the way from Fujian across the ocean to get here, and I've suffered a lot. I think the desert is just full of yellow sand. Can it be more dangerous than the sea?"

Although Dong Shangyi said it was easy, he actually knew that this trip was not easy. They had ridden camels used to carry goods on Hormuz Island before. The strong smell of camels alone was suffocating, and the speed of travel was almost the same as walking. It was not a pleasant experience to be with them in the desert for many days.

Seeing this, Li Yuande was unwilling to miss this opportunity to make a contribution, so he immediately asked Qian Tiandun: "If you want to develop this place in the future, Fu Ruifeng will definitely be the first company to invest here. Moreover, in the past year or so, I have also contacted some Arab businessmen in Phuket. I will take the lead in this negotiation. Please don't compete with me, Brother Dong."

Qian Tiandun was also very pleased to see these two people so enthusiastic.

Dong and Li were not members of the Special Warfare Division, nor were they Qian Tiandun's subordinates. It seemed a little informal for them to represent Hai Han and the Special Warfare Division. But because of this, they could leave some room for negotiation between Hai Han and the Xihu tribe, and it was likely that they would be more effective than sending officers from the Special Warfare Division to carry out the mission.

Moreover, after observing them for these days, Qian Tiandun thought that these two people had good knowledge and ability. Although they were not his trusted subordinates, they were also trustworthy juniors. The task of negotiating with the Xihu tribe was a good opportunity to test their abilities.

As for the candidate, after listening to the two people’s statements, Qian Tiandun had already made a decision in his mind.

"The negotiations with the Xihu tribe are of great importance. I plan to have the two of you go together and jointly take charge of this mission. What do you think?"

Hearing Qian Tiandun's arrangement, both of them were somewhat surprised. Since they met in Phuket, they have regarded each other as competitors, and have been trying to compete with each other at all times and in all places, so as to gain more say for their own camp.

As for their almost open competition, Qian Tiandun never made a clear statement, neither favoring one side nor stopping their competition. However, this time, the mission deep into the desert was suddenly said to let them carry out together, which inevitably caught them off guard.

Dong Shangyi's reaction was faster. He immediately clasped his fists and said, "I will obey the general's orders!"

Li Yuande also responded: "Yuande will do his best to complete this mission!"

The two looked at each other and saw very complicated emotions on each other's faces.