1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3692

Over the past twenty years, Hai Han has exported at least tens of thousands of Type 33 flintlock rifles to foreign countries through various channels. The largest proportion of these is the earliest and most produced model purchased by the Ottoman army.

Although Qian Tiandun was stationed at the border for many years and was not very clear about the specific circumstances of arms sales, he knew that the main channel for Hai Han weapons to flow to the West was through the hands of the Portuguese.

During the Thirty Years' War in Europe in the early years, Portugal purchased a large amount of weapons and equipment from Hai Han and sold them to Europe for profit. I'm afraid that a considerable portion of these weapons and equipment were sold to countries along the way during transportation - such as the Ottoman Empire, a regional power that had both money and great demand for them.

As middlemen, the Portuguese would certainly not actively inform their customers of the origins of these weapons and equipment. After all, a business like this, which involves international speculation, requires a long-term information gap between buyers and sellers in order to ensure huge profits.

Of course, the Portuguese would never have imagined that after the Hai Han people entered the Persian Gulf, they would find their big customers so quickly and expose their problems in front of them.

Ruy of Hormuz Island sent a boat to Qian Tiandun to serve as a navigator in the Persian Gulf, but Qian Tiandun left it in the port of Kuwait when he came to Basra and did not let the Portuguese accompany him. Therefore, it would take a long time for the Portuguese to get the news about his contact with the Ottoman officials.

It was not difficult to verify what Qian Tiandun said. Galar immediately called an officer and asked him to test-fire the two rifles immediately.

The result was obvious. The new gun provided by Qian Tiandun had significantly better shooting accuracy than Galar's display gun. And the longer the shooting distance, the greater the difference in hit rate.

At a shooting distance of 200 steps, Galar's exhibits could only hit the chest target about 20% to 30% of the time, while Qian Tiandun's samples could hit 60% to 70%. Anyone who had a little knowledge of military affairs would understand what this gap meant.

Galar looked a little unhappy, but he still accompanied Qian Tiandun to continue checking out other exhibits.

Qian Tiandun then pointed out the factory mark of the Hai Han Arsenal on the Ottoman army’s artillery - this was also a resale product from a middleman to the Ottoman Empire.

The light artillery exhibit that Qian Tiandun brought to Basra was also a new model developed subsequently. Although its caliber was smaller than the model purchased by the Ottoman Empire, it had slight advantages in range and accuracy.

However, the advantages of the new model are more than that. Qian Tiandun told Galar that compared with the old artillery equipped by the Ottoman army, the new artillery he provided had improved casting materials and manufacturing technology, and the barrel life had increased by at least one-fifth.

For an expensive artillery piece, barrel life is undoubtedly one of the most important parameters, which means longer service life and relatively lower operating costs.

Comparing people will make you die, comparing goods will make you throw them away. In such a direct comparison, any concealing words seem redundant.

Naturally, Galar was no longer as arrogant as before, but began to ask Qian Tiandun what the price would be for these weapons and equipment with better performance.

With the Portuguese leading the way, Qian Tiandun would not easily make an offer. He turned to ask Galar whether these arms were sold to the Ottoman Empire by the Portuguese.

Since Qian Tiandun had already pointed it out, Galar no longer concealed it and frankly admitted Qian Tiandun's guess. The equipment he showed Qian Tiandun was purchased more than ten years ago. The Portuguese did indeed advertise the equipment as being made in their own country, and never mentioned Hai Han, the real manufacturer. That's why Galar always thought that the high-end equipment in his army was made in Portugal, and he had no interest in Qian Tiandun's door-to-door sales.

Qian Tiandun could have expected that the price the Portuguese would resell would definitely not be low, but Galar's response was still somewhat unexpected. The Portuguese sold these equipment to the Ottoman Empire at almost three times the price they paid in Hai Han.

"He really is worthy of being a veteran international arms dealer!" Qian Tiandun secretly sighed in his heart.

Portugal has been engaged in international trade activities between the East and the West for hundreds of years and has extensive experience in dealing with various countries. Its advantages in this regard are indeed unmatched by Hai Han at this stage.

For hard currency like arms, it is not surprising that the Portuguese took advantage of their information and channels to take advantage of the price difference between upstream and downstream. However, since Qian Tiandun had already followed the sea route to get here, this profitable business would of course eventually be returned to Hai Han's own hands.

Since the Ottoman Empire could accept the offer made by the Portuguese, Qian Tiandun did not need to bargain drastically to grab the business. He told Galar that Hai Han could sell the weapons on display to the Ottoman Empire for the same price, which was newer, stronger, and more cost-effective.

"That's it? Your Excellency, aren't you going to offer more preferential treatment to our country?" Galar was obviously not satisfied with the conditions offered by Qian Tiandun.

Qian Tiandun smiled and said, "Master Galar, please tell me what kind of discount you would like us to give you."

If he could guarantee a sufficient profit margin, Qian Tiandun would not hesitate to give some benefits to the person handling the case, such as Galar. Of course, the premise was that his opinions could have an impact on the distant Constantinople and finalize the military trade cooperation with Hai Han.

However, the location of Basra City is already considered a frontier area for the vast Ottoman Empire. Qian Tiandun is not particularly optimistic about how much influence such a governor guarding the border can have on the central institutions of the empire, and he has no plans to achieve success overnight.

He only hoped that through this visit, the Ottoman Empire would first have some understanding of the arms produced by Hai Han. This way, next time the other party had the need to purchase weapons and equipment from abroad, they might also include Hai Han as a supplier for consideration, rather than just considering middlemen like Portugal.

What Qian Tiandun has to do now is to continue to add fuel to the fire and greatly reduce Galar's blind trust in the Portuguese.

As he expected, Galar stated without hesitation that if Hai Han wanted to sell arms to the Ottoman Empire, then as the agent and the governor of Basra, Galar must also gain some "practical benefits" from it.

Qian Tiandun said: "Of course this is not a problem. If Lord Galar can facilitate cooperation, I am willing to give you 2% of the final transaction price as a reward."

Two percent may not sound like much, but it is no small amount for the huge arms trade.

However, Qian Tiandun still underestimated the ambition of the Governor of Basra. Galar raised one hand and shook it, saying, "Five points, this is the bottom line. We can't give less than the Portuguese!"

Qian Tiandun smiled and said, "I like dealing with honest people like Lord Galar!"