1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3686

The friendly statement made by the Xihu chief Abdullah also made Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi secretly relieved.

They imagined all kinds of situations they might encounter along the way, and what they worried most was that the local rulers were hostile and wary of outsiders like them, resulting in smooth communication between the two sides.

But he didn't expect that Chief Xihu actually knew something about Hai Han, and seemed to have a little good impression of it. This would be a great help for this mission.

Li Yuande immediately stated that the purpose of his and his group's arrival was to build a trade channel between Hai Han and the Xihu tribe. In the future, more Hai Han products will cross the ocean and arrive at the territory of the Xihu tribe.

Dong Shangyi then handed over a catalogue that included more than a hundred kinds of goods, all of which were special products prepared by Hai Han for export trade. Moreover, they had prepared samples for display for most of the goods on the catalogue.

When setting out from Khasab, half of the luggage carried by the Hai Han delegation consisted of personal belongings, rations, and self-defense weapons, and the other half was various packaged exhibits.

This is to demonstrate Hai Han's sincerity in conducting trade activities to the negotiating party, and at the same time allow the other party to see and feel the value of Hai Han's products.

When Abdullah heard that they had brought samples, he immediately became interested and asked them to present them for his inspection immediately, without caring about the current progress of the talks.

Then the merchandise display began. Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi took turns explaining the various merchandise to the chief. This continued until lunchtime, and they only saw a small portion of the exhibits.

Abdullah immediately announced the start of the banquet, and Mr. Li and Mr. Wang finally understood why the chief had such a fat body, which was rare among Arabs.

The food for Abdullah alone filled an entire table, mainly lamb and fish, with cheese, bread, etc., and nearly twenty bowls and plates of various sizes.

According to Li Yuande's estimation, five of them might not be able to finish the meal on Abdullah's table. Dong Shangyi's expression was also one of shock, as he thought that the chief's meal would probably be enough for him to eat for three days.

Abdullah had a good appetite. While negotiating trade with them, he kept eating. His mouth seemed like a bottomless pit, constantly filling it with all kinds of food.

After the two of them had eaten and drunk their fill, they could only continue to serve as guests, watching Abdullah eat for more than an hour. It was not until they began to wonder whether this lunch should continue until the evening that Abdullah wiped his mouth contentedly and announced that it was over.

The product promotion continued in the afternoon. Abdullah was interested in many things and placed orders while looking. Both of them felt that this trip to the desert was not in vain.

As for the issue of Khasab, it was not mentioned until the end of the talks that day and had to be postponed to the next day.

The next day, after meeting the chief, the two men informed him of Hai Han’s idea of ​​using the Khasab area to build ports and permanent institutions.

Their words were very tactful, and they did not take the initiative to mention topics such as garrison and ownership, hoping to coax Abdullah to agree first, and then slowly discuss the details. But although Abdullah looked fat, he was not a dull person. After listening to what they said, he just smiled and shook his head and said, "I thought you were merchants, but I didn't expect that like the Portuguese, you also came for our land! What you are going to tell me next is that after building a port and a trading post on the land of the Xihu tribe, this land will belong to your country, right?"

After listening to the translation, the two felt a sinking feeling in their hearts. They did not expect that this chief, who seemed to have little contact with the outside world but had considerable knowledge, could see through their true purpose so quickly.

The chief's tone was unfriendly. They could never admit to such an accusation.

Li Yuande said: "Respected Chief, we are different from the Portuguese. We will not seize the land of the Xihu tribe. What we want to do is to cooperate with the Xihu tribe to better develop and utilize the place of Khasab and create more wealth."

Dong Shangyi also continued: "This is not a unilateral occupation and plunder. We will also purchase the products of the Xihu tribe and provide high-income jobs for your tribe members to help the Xihu tribe become stronger!"

After listening to this, Abdullah still shook his head and said: "What you said, the Portuguese also said to my ancestors. The Xihu people did not agree to their demands, so the Portuguese tried to use force to seize our land. Of course, they failed in the end. The warriors of the Xihu tribe are extremely brave and will never tolerate foreign invasion!"

There was an obvious warning in the other party's words, so Li Yuande had to continue explaining that Hai Han had no intention of occupying Khasab, but only needed to establish a port in the Persian Gulf to facilitate subsequent trade activities.

However, Dong Shangyi believed that Li Yuande’s argument did not capture the other party’s needs. Perhaps Abdullah’s refusal was simply because the conditions offered by Hai Han were insignificant to him and were far less meaningful than maintaining the tribal territory.

After being rejected by Abdullah again, Dong Shangyi took the initiative to take over the conversation: "Dear Chief, please tell me what you and your tribe need most. Perhaps our country can help you. Do you want your tribe to have enough food and clothing, or to conquer the surrounding areas by force?"

"Even if you want the Xihu tribe to move to a place with abundant water and grass, it is not impossible. As long as you put forward the conditions, we will try our best to meet them."

After listening to Dong Shangyi's words, Abdullah asked slowly, "Can you really put forward any conditions?"

When Dong Shangyi heard that there was a way, he quickly responded, "Of course, please let the chief know."

Abdullah said: "Hasab is where the ancestors of my Shihu tribe started their journey. It has a special meaning to the tribe. For thousands of years, we have refused to allow outsiders to settle there, so as not to disturb the souls of our ancestors."

“But if our ancestors had known that the land could be put to better use and bring a more prosperous life to their descendants, they would have approved of turning Khasab into a prosperous port.”

"I have a few small conditions. First, Khasab must belong to the Xihu tribe and this cannot be changed. Second, the Xihu tribe must participate in the operation of Khasab, and the profits from the port operation must be shared equally with the tribe. Third, the number of Hai Han people stationed in the area must be limited and cannot be too large."

The three conditions proposed by Abdullah were almost impossible to be approved by Qian Tiandun, but Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi breathed a sigh of relief again. Since the other party was willing to put forward conditions, it meant that there was still room for negotiation.

Moreover, Abdullah repeatedly emphasized the significance of Khasab to the Shihu tribe and even mentioned their ancestors. Such wording usually represents a subtext, which is that more money has to be paid!