1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3709

Although Cairo no longer has the prosperity it had in its heyday, it is still the most important city within a thousand miles, and the scale of its urban construction is still quite impressive.

The entire city is spread along the east and west banks of the Nile River. The abundant water source brings health and food to the local people. Tall date palm trees can be seen standing on the roadside from time to time in the city. In the places visited by the expedition team before, it was almost all windy and sandy. It was rare to see green plants in the city, let alone big trees.

However, Cairo's trading function was obviously far inferior to those of the port cities. Large foreign merchant groups like the Hai Han delegation were rare in Cairo. Most of the merchants engaged in trading here were local merchants, and their business scope was often limited to ordinary daily necessities.

Qian Tiandun casually visited several shops in the city and saw almost no imported goods for sale. This to a certain extent reflects that the local trade channels are relatively closed and the consumption capacity of the people is relatively limited.

It seems that Eastern goods entering the Mediterranean region through the Port of Suez did not regard Cairo as a major sales market.

According to Qian Tiandun's experience, such a situation is of course closely related to the local economic level.

Or it would be more accurate to say that there are not enough local consumer groups to support expensive imported goods.

It was not difficult for the delegation to verify which of the speculations was true. They only needed to have a simple chat with local people and vendors to get a general idea of ​​the consumption level in Cairo.

The reality is that Cairo's economic situation is far inferior to that of coastal port cities. Although it is only a few hundred miles from the coastline and can be considered to be located in the coastal area in a broad sense, due to the lack of access to large-scale trade such as shipping, Cairo does not seem to have gained much development dividends from cross-border trade in the Mediterranean.

Coupled with the Ottoman Empire's deliberate suppression of its former Egyptian territories, Cairo's economic level was bound to decline.

Qian Tiandun even speculated maliciously that the interruption of the connection between Cairo and the Mediterranean maritime trade might have been one of the Ottoman Empire's means of regulation.

After listening to Qian Tiandun's speculation, Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi were both puzzled by the Ottoman Empire's actions. After all, they had conquered Egypt for more than a hundred years. Why did they continue to suppress the economic development here and deliberately prevent the people from living a prosperous life?

Qian Tiandun saw it very clearly: "I think it's because the Ottoman Empire's territory is too large and its governance capacity has reached its limit. The top leaders probably think that only by keeping these areas in a state of barely maintaining food and clothing can there be no risk of chaos."

Li Yuande said: "But aren't the people here also citizens of the Ottoman Empire?"

Qian Tiandun shook his head and said, "The Egyptians have a civilization that has been passed down for thousands of years, and they have their own language and writing. If you were the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, could you believe that the Egyptians have been completely naturalized in just a hundred years?"

Li Yuande suddenly realized: "So these means of suppression are actually due to the Ottoman high-level officials' lack of trust in the Egyptians. But more than a hundred years should be enough to promote racial integration and adjust the population ratio!"

Qian Tiandun said: "This brings us back to the issue I mentioned earlier. The Ottoman Empire may also know these methods, but because it lacks the corresponding governance capabilities, it is unable to promote their implementation. You must know one thing, not every country in the world can have a complete management system for naturalized citizens like ours, and it can be implemented for a long time." Hai Han's management of naturalized citizens is a system that has been gradually summarized and improved in the process of continuous external expansion for more than 30 years.

This system was formulated by the Executive Committee after learning from the lessons of many countries in another time and space, combining the background of this era and the needs of Hai Han's development. It takes into account both the maximization of human resources and measures to promote racial and cultural integration. Its level of perfection is certainly far beyond the reach of feudal dynasties such as the Ottoman Empire.

Dong Shangyi asked: "Even so, if they implement this policy of suppressing the Egyptians, aren't they afraid that the people will rebel and ultimately fail to achieve stable rule?"

Qian Tiandun said: "I am not the King of the Ottoman Empire, and I cannot speculate on their true thoughts in implementing these policies, but I think they must have weighed the pros and cons and believed that the current approach is the one with the least risk, so they will implement it as a long-term policy."

"What you and I consider to be risks may not be a big problem for them. What we consider to be stability is not the same as their standards. If someone rebels, we send troops to quell the rebellion. A rebellion by poor people is always much easier to deal with than a rebellion by a well-armored army. So the policy of keeping these areas in poverty may have its rationale."

Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi were both speechless. If the Ottoman Empire had such considerations, then there was really nothing to say. This might be the most suitable approach for the country's national conditions.

Qian Tiandun said: "The world is so big and full of wonders. Different countries have different ways of governing. We can just take a look and don't mind. In addition to understanding the local customs and folkways, there is another place to go in Cairo. I plan to take you there to see it."

Qian Tiandun and his party found a hotel in the south of Cairo and settled down. Due to their large number, they had to stay in four separate hotels.

Unlike the previous places he visited, Qian Tiandun did not take the initiative to visit local executives after arriving in Cairo, but instead focused his visit on local customs and special attractions.

On the second day after settling down, Qian Tiandun took Li Yuande, Dong Shangyi and others across the Nile River to the western city. Qian Tiandun said that the place he was going to was quite far, so he brought a group of horses for transfer when he set out.

When Mr. Li and the other two asked him where he was going, Qian Tiandun deliberately kept it a secret and only said that it would broaden their horizons when they got there.

After crossing the river, the group headed west through the city and walked for more than ten miles. Seeing that the buildings in front were becoming increasingly sparse and it seemed that they had reached the edge of the city, Qian Tiandun still had no intention of stopping.

When Director Li and the other asked again, Qian Tiandun replied, "It's almost there. It should be not far ahead. Just open your eyes and look carefully."

Mr. Li and Mr. Wang thought that the edge of the desert was clearly ahead. When they opened their eyes, there was nothing to see except the sky full of sand.

Li Yuande was about to remind Qian Tiandun whether the direction of travel was wrong, but Dong Shangyi called him excitedly: "Yuande, look quickly, isn't the thing in front of us what the general said?"