1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3747

Dong Shangyi's idea is not unfeasible, but in Qian Tiandun's view, the country's external image and diplomatic credibility are as important as the Suez region that must be seized in the future. It is not appropriate to deal with the current situation with unscrupulous intrigues in the business world.

Especially since Hai Han is now the strongest country in the East, Qian Tiandun hopes to defeat his opponent fairly rather than using such a stopgap measure.

Dong Shangyi hit a snag and couldn't help but say angrily: "Your Excellency is right, I was wrong."

Qian Tiandun said: "You are considering the issue from a business perspective, which is understandable. However, if you solve diplomatic problems based on commercial interests, the means you think of will inevitably be biased."

Dong Shangyi quickly agreed and dared not argue any further.

Takahashi Nan said: "But we want to establish our sphere of influence here and also trade with neighboring countries. How can we achieve the best of both worlds?"

Li Yuande responded: "I think these countries have suspended trade with us because they have not yet benefited from it. The countries in the East China Sea and South China Sea have also experienced the process of our country's hegemony, but they have not interrupted trade like this. What is the reason?"

"First, they are afraid of our military power and dare not offend us; second, they have considerable profits from trade with us, which makes it difficult for them to give up. As for our military power, I think these countries in the Middle East have already seen it after this action, so they dare not openly turn against us, but only take the more conservative measure of interrupting trade to express their attitude."

"As for trade, there wasn't much direct trade between the two sides in the past, but the Europeans have always been the middlemen. Most of the benefits of this trade have gone to the Europeans, and these countries probably haven't had time to really realize how much benefit they have."

Gao Qiaonan frowned and said, "According to what you said, our previous visits to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, going to so many places and introducing the many benefits of the trans-Indian Ocean route to local officials and merchants, were all in vain?"

Li Yuande shook his head and said, "That's not the case. Regarding the effect of our last visit, we have to look at it separately."

"Great powers like Persia and the Ottoman Empire will naturally not fully trust our country just because of our first visit. I think it will take at least a few years of dealing with them before we can slowly see results."

"But our visits to those local tribal forces should be fruitful, and not all of them have cut off contact with us. For example, the Xihu tribe near Fubo Port has already tasted the sweetness of cooperation. Didn't they send another batch of laborers to Fubo Port not long ago?"

Li Yuande used the example of the Xihu tribe, which seemed to be an attempt to take credit, because it was he and Dong Shangyi who went to the Xihu tribe to negotiate. As a result, they missed the fleet's subsequent activities in the Persian Gulf and failed to catch up with Qian Tiandun's key visit to Basra.

However, it now seems that only the Xihu tribe, which has already gained actual benefits, is still continuing its cooperation with Hai Han.

Li Yuande continued: "My suggestion is to give the Xihu tribe greater support and make it a new elite in the Arabian Peninsula as soon as possible. Make sure other tribes and countries see the huge benefits of becoming our partners!"

Li Yuande's suggestion was affirmed by Qian Tiandun.

Hai Han has traditionally supported local interest representatives in its overseas expansion. Annan and Korea, which were once supported by Hai Han, have now become countries with a certain level of strength. Countries like Korea, which were sandwiched between Japan and the Qing Dynasty and nearly perished several times, now have armed forces that can deter neighboring countries and can even send troops to intervene in Japan's civil war.

The Qing Dynasty, which had defeated North Korea 20 years ago and left it helpless, now dares not easily provoke its southern neighbor.

The Kingdom of Annan had become a minor tyrant in the Indochina Peninsula, with few rivals in the entire Southeast Asia. If Hai Han had not been controlling it, it would have probably annexed all the small neighboring countries long ago.

As for the trade relations between these two countries and Hai Han, they cannot be described as close. They are simply an extension of Hai Han's commercial system, and they are of the same origin as Hai Han and share the same interests.

Both countries have a large number of industries in which Hai Han is deeply involved. Especially the most profitable industries such as mining, shipping, and finance are firmly controlled by Hai Han capital and the upper classes of these two countries.

If we can emulate in the Middle East what we did in the Far East in the past and create one or two examples of rapid transformation from weak to strong in the local area, just like we supported Annan and North Korea, it will certainly be more influential than verbal propaganda.

However, Qian Tiandun is currently unable to conclude whether the Xihu tribe is truly trustworthy and worth investing resources in to support it.

This is because during his stay in Fubo Port, he did not have a formal meeting with Abdullah, the chief of the Xihu tribe, and was unable to confirm the other party's true thoughts in person.

The connection between Hai Han and Chief Abdullah almost entirely came from Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi's visit to the Xihu tribe across the desert. Although the gains were considerable, it would be a bit hasty to regard the cooperation agreement reached at that time as a covenant.

At present, the main form of cooperation between the two parties is that the Xihu Tribe provides paid labor and some daily necessities to Fubo Port. In addition to paying the corresponding fees, Hai Han also provides the Xihu Tribe with some goods produced in Hai Han, such as silk, porcelain, tobacco, spices, and some industrial products rarely seen on the market.

In addition to being used by the Xihu tribe themselves, the tribe can also enjoy exclusive distributor treatment within a thousand-mile radius centered on Fubo Port on the south side of the Strait of Hormuz.

These goods from the East were originally rare in this area, and were only occasionally sold by Europeans and some Persian merchants. Naturally, the prices on the market were incredibly high.

The price of the goods directly supplied by Hai Han was so low that the Xihu tribe could not even imagine it. Whether for self-use or for sale, it was extremely cost-effective.

In addition, Hai Han has secretly provided a batch of flintlock rifles to the Xihu tribe, and has begun to provide corresponding military training for the Xihu tribe at the base in Fubo Port, planning to form armed cavalry for them.

However, military aid cannot be as immediate as economic means. These students must complete at least a 100-day training course before they can initially acquire a certain level of combat capability.

After that, he will have to intern in the Hai Han army for another hundred days to learn how to become a grassroots officer. Only then will he be considered to have made some progress and can return to the Xihu tribe to form a new tribal armed force.

As for whether such tribal armed forces can form combat effectiveness and start external conquests to achieve victory, it may take several months. At least no actual results will be seen this year.