1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3698

After dealing with these pirates who were seeking their own death, Qian Tiandun immediately called another meeting of his officers. Although these pirates were not enough to pose a threat to the armed fleet, if Hai Han wanted to open up a sea route in and out of the Gulf of Aden in the future, then merchant ships passing through would inevitably be targeted by pirates, so it was necessary to prepare corresponding defense measures in advance.

The safer way, of course, is to gather merchant ships in fleets each time, and then have the military send ships to escort them. Even if there are ten or eight ships, a pirate gang like this that goes out to sea to plunder cannot withstand the bombardment of Hai Han warships.

But this is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution. If we want to completely eliminate the hidden dangers, we can only adopt the approach taken in the Fujian-Guangzhou waters back then, that is, sending troops to clear out pirate dens in nearby areas and eliminate all pirate gangs.

However, the Gulf of Aden is not like the Fujian-Guangzhou area. Hai Han is unfamiliar with the place and does not speak the language, so it is not easy to track down the pirates.

Qian Tiandun also knew that the bandit problem in this sea area was a long-standing problem. Even in the time and space before he traveled through time, it had not been completely resolved. Several naval powers had to deploy warships in this sea area all year round to perform patrol and escort missions. There was no time to rush, so he could only formulate an escort plan and strengthen vigilance against pirates.

In the survey plan formulated by Qian Tiandun, there are two predetermined targets in the Gulf of Aden, both of which can be used as alternative locations for future settlement.

The fleet arrived at its first target location, the port of Aden at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, on the second day after entering the Gulf of Aden.

This place is only 300 miles away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. As to why he did not choose a place closer to the strait, or even simply find an investigation target on the coast within the strait, Qian Tiandun also explained this to his subordinates.

First, there are many reefs and shoals in the strait, strong winds at sea, and no natural bays suitable for building ports. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait means "Gate of Tears" in Arabic, which means that it is difficult to navigate there, and sailors and travelers who travel there will cry out of fear, which shows that it is not an ideal place to stay.

Secondly, although the Port of Aden is more than 300 miles away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, this place is a rare natural harbor in the entire Gulf of Aden and even in the entire Arabian Peninsula. The bay is embraced by two peninsulas and has a natural shelter. The bay is huge and has enough space for future development needs.

Establishing a stronghold in the Gulf of Aden can also help control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Of course, this place is not entirely without merit. The biggest problem is that the Port of Aden is not a land without an owner. After all, such a good place that can be called a treasure land of feng shui, the local rulers will certainly not let it go to waste.

The opening of the Port of Aden can be traced back to the period of the Himyarite Kingdom in the third century BC. Since then, successive rulers, whether Arabs, Romans, Persians, Portuguese, or the recently taken over Ottomans, have attached great importance to the Port of Aden and regarded it as an important bridge connecting Europe, Asia and Africa.

The actual situation the fleet saw after arriving was just as expected. The Port of Aden was a prosperous port. Both the size of the port and the number of ships entering and leaving the port far surpassed those ports previously inspected in the Persian Gulf.

The population living in the area around the port of Aden is as high as tens of thousands. Considering the population density of the Arabian Peninsula, this is already a medium-sized city.

Currently, the Port of Aden was under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Empire. During his visit to Basra, Qian Tiandun had already considered the subsequent inspection itinerary and specifically asked Governor Galar for a customs clearance document, which played a role in the formalities for the fleet to enter the Port of Aden. After seeing the customs clearance document signed by the Governor of Basra, the local government did not make things difficult for the Hai Han fleet, allowing them to enter the port and berth, and arranged a special anchorage and dock.

The location of the Port of Aden is far more valuable than Basra in the field of maritime trade, but the surrounding environment is not as good as Basra, which is located in the Mesopotamian Plain. The boundless desert and wasteland have greatly reduced the food output here, thereby limiting the population growth here.

If this place had one or two large rivers to ensure sufficient arable land and food output, coupled with a regional port with a long history, a coastal city with a population of one million should have appeared long ago.

Although Qian Tiandun had some ideas about the Port of Aden, he backed off after seeing the actual situation here.

Given the current conditions of the Port of Aden, if Hai Han took over its operations, it would undoubtedly save a lot of trouble in the early development process. However, the Ottoman Empire would certainly not sit idly by. After all, this was not an undeveloped and remote place like Khasab. The struggle for control of this place would inevitably lead to war, which was not something Qian Tiandun was happy to see.

Moreover, the local authorities treated Qian Tiandun with courtesy and allowed the fleet to dock at the port to obtain supplies, which made Qian Tiandun too embarrassed to find fault with them.

Therefore, the inspection trip to the port of Aden was no longer simply for the purpose of occupation, but was instead used to investigate the people's livelihood and trade conditions there.

As for military affairs, although the Ottoman Empire has troops stationed here, they are definitely not enough to face the special warfare division. However, the Ottoman Empire has the advantage of being at home and can continuously obtain reinforcements and supplies from the rear, while Hai Han is currently unable to do so. Once the supplies carried by the fleet are exhausted during the battle, it will have no choice but to evacuate.

During the inspection, Qian Tiandun could feel that the attitude of the local Ottoman officials was almost the same as that of Galar in Basra City. They did not feel any rejection or fear towards the arrival of the Hai Han people. It was not known whether this was due to the confidence brought about by the country's strength, or whether they concluded that a country like Hai Han, which was far away from home, would not pose a real threat to their country.

Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi were full of praise for the trade market in Aden, because they could indeed buy some relatively cheap goods here, such as some handicrafts produced by Arab tribes. In the past, the prices of these small items sold in East Asia were at least several times higher than those in the local market.

There are also black slaves from Africa. The price here is much lower than in Basra, Goa and other places. You can even buy them in whole shiploads. It can be seen that the scale of the slave trade is quite large.

Moreover, the management of the slave market was extremely loose. As long as a simple registration procedure was completed and a transaction tax was paid after the transaction, anyone could sell the "goods" they brought here as a slave owner.

During the Special Operations Division's stay in Xingdao in the previous two years, Qian Tiandun had gained some understanding of this special trade. The prices here were much cheaper than what the slave traders offered to Xingdao.

After visiting the slave market here, Li Yuande joked: "If I had known earlier, I would have kept the pirates I captured the day before and brought them to Aden Port to sell them. I could have exchanged them for some cattle and sheep to feed my brothers!"