1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3690

The biggest difference between Basra and other areas in the Persian Gulf that Qian Tiandun had visited before is not the diet, but the living habits brought about by the abundant fresh water resources here.

In arid and water-scarce areas, the most important use of fresh water is drinking water, while other functions are greatly restricted, such as personal hygiene.

Bathing is definitely a luxury for people living in the desert, and even the upper class cannot enjoy it at any time. But for people living in Basra, it is just a basic living habit.

The Euphrates and Tiglas rivers provide the city with an inexhaustible supply of fresh water, and people can freely choose to bathe at home, go to a public bath to enjoy a sweat steam, or simply go swimming in the river.

The freedom to take a bath makes the quality of life in Basra significantly better than other places in the Persian Gulf. Even the Khalid Trading Post has a hot tub for bathing.

Like many foreign businessmen who came to Basra, Qian Tiandun chose to end the first day of his trip with a comfortable hot bath.

The next day, Qian Tiandun, led by a guide, came to the government office in the city.

The Ottoman Empire's management of Basra was significantly different from that of the Arabian Peninsula. The governor of this city was no longer the chief of the local tribe, but an official directly appointed by the current Sultan of Constantinople, Muhammad IV.

The governor named Galar seemed to have never heard of Qian Tiandun's name, and only regarded him as a diplomatic envoy sent by another empire in the far east. However, he still followed diplomatic etiquette and welcomed Qian Tiandun's visit to Basra.

"Friends from the East, the Ottoman Empire welcomes you to Basra. You can set up an embassy here and engage in trade activities. I am happy to provide you with any help you need."

After accepting some gifts from Qian Tiandun, Galar's attitude began to become a little warmer, but what he said was not the main purpose of Qian Tiandun's visit to Basra.

Qian Tiandun said: "Lord Galar, the purpose of my coming all the way to Basra is not only to establish diplomatic relations with your country on behalf of our country, but also to take this opportunity to deepen our understanding of each other. This may allow the relationship between the two countries to not only remain at the level of trade, but also bring us more in-depth cooperation in many fields."

Galar asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"

Qian Tiandun said: "In addition to trade activities, I think our two countries have opportunities for cooperation in politics, culture, education, military and so on."

"For example, if your country wants to open up a sea route to the Eastern world, then cooperation with my country is the best choice. my country not only controls key waterways such as the Strait of Malacca, but also operates a number of large ports in countries along the way. We can develop trade routes for your merchant ships to any region in the Far East."

"As the world's largest arms exporter, we are happy to sell high-performance weapons and equipment to any partners and allies, including various muskets and artillery, warships and chariots, military uniforms and armor, logistical equipment, etc."

"I know that your country has been fighting wars all year round, and the demand for weapons and equipment is very high. Perhaps you can consider purchasing from us. I dare not say that our supply price is the lowest, but the performance of our equipment must be the best in the world!"

Qian Tiandun was not a diplomat, and was not interested in formal diplomatic activities. He was not a businessman either, and economic and trade-related projects would be handled by professionals like Li Yuande. What he had to do was to develop the Ottoman Empire into a new customer of Hai Han's military industry as soon as possible. For a senior general who had led troops for many years, selling weapons and equipment was a professional match, and he was familiar with it.

The only two countries that can be called great powers in the Persian Gulf are Persia and the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, these two families are irreconcilable enemies. Even when there is no war, they have always maintained a high-intensity military confrontation.

Because of the relationship with Portugal, Hai Han is temporarily unable to sell arms to Persia openly. Moreover, the Persians themselves are in a wait-and-see state and their willingness to purchase arms is not very strong.

If the Ottoman Empire could be developed into a new buyer at this time, given the hostile relationship between the two countries, it would not be surprising for the Ottomans to use their new toy to attack their old enemy.

By then, Persia will have suffered a lot and will naturally try every means to purchase weapons and equipment that can defeat the enemy. The arms trade in the Persian Gulf region will then become active.

In Qian Tiandun's view, entities like the Shihu tribe and the Khalid family are at most small buyers with limited potential. They purchase arms mostly for self-defense. There won't be many surprises in terms of purchase quantity or willingness to continue purchasing.

Regional powers like the Ottoman Empire and Persia have been committed to external expansion for thousands of years and have been constantly fighting with neighboring forces. They are the key development targets of the arms trade and high-quality buyers with huge potential.

But the bigger a country is, the slower it is at making important decisions. Qian Tiandun did not expect the Ottoman Empire to place an order as decisively as the Khalid family. As long as he could let them know that there was a super seller like Hai Han in the international arms market, it would be worth the trip.

As expected, Galar was not immediately interested in Qian Tiandun's introduction. He just replied calmly, "Our country's own weapons and equipment are very powerful, and we don't have much demand for foreign purchases. And even if we do, we have long-term foreign suppliers. It seems that we don't need your help for the time being."

When Qian Tiandun heard this answer, he immediately had an idea in his mind.

The countries that could provide weapons and equipment to the Ottoman Empire were obviously not its neighbors. Even if these countries had such technical capabilities, they would never do such a suicidal thing. After all, every territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire was accompanied by the loss or even destruction of its neighbors.

Then the circle of foreign countries with such capabilities has shrunk very small, almost to the European scope.

Qian Tiandun's main target of suspicion was Portugal, which had had military cooperation with the Ottoman Empire.

The Portuguese traveled between the East and the West, and what they traded was not just ordinary goods. They were once an important arms supplier to East Asia and Southern Europe.

The Ming Dynasty, which was entering the end of its dynasty, also spent a lot of money to buy muskets and artillery from the Portuguese, trying to save the crisis of internal and external troubles by improving its armaments. The Ottoman Empire, which had witnessed the combat effectiveness of the Portuguese army, seemed to be a reasonable choice to purchase arms from them.

But if this is the case, then this matter will be easier to handle.