1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3769

Achieving overt or covert cooperation through the exchange of interests has always been the norm in the officialdom. Even though these time travelers from Hai Han came from another time and space, they also followed this rule.

For senior officials like Shi Diwen and Qian Tiandun who control a large amount of resources, there is no need for lengthy negotiations to achieve such cooperation. They are very clear about each other's strength and style of doing things, and they also have the ability to make independent decisions. As long as a verbal agreement is reached, there will generally be no changes.

However, in this cooperation, the two had different purposes. Shi Diwen had some personal interests mixed in, while Qian Tiandun still put the development prospects of the special warfare division first.

Of course, Qian Tiandun's personal interests and the development of the special warfare division are complementary and coexistent. As long as the special warfare division can be upgraded and have the opportunity to expand, it also means that Qian Tiandun's power will be further expanded.

All the preparations made today may win Qian Tiandun greater influence, and even military and political power after the establishment of the Indian Ocean region in the future.

By then, it would be easy for Qian Tiandun to seek long-term benefits for his descendants.

The inspection of Hamban Port in Ceylon is nearing completion, but Shi Diwen is still somewhat hesitant about whether to visit the two new ports in the Middle East and East Africa.

Logically speaking, the destination of this trip is the Indian Ocean region. Now that we have completed the survey of the eastern half of the Indian Ocean, it seems a bit unreasonable to just leave the western half and go home.

Moreover, the two new ports, especially the Fubo Port in the Persian Gulf, need to increase their influence to deter surrounding villains. If the Zhoushan and the visiting fleet can appear in the Persian Gulf, it will definitely greatly enhance Hai Han’s deterrent power in the local area.

But if it continues to move westward, apart from the basic daily expenses, the fleet will also face tremendous pressure for maintenance and supply.

Since its deployment, the Zhoushan has only undergone basic maintenance at Xingdao, where conditions are relatively complete. The special operations division's several ports in the Indian Ocean do not have the corresponding conditions, especially the two newly established ports in the west. It is a problem whether the Zhoushan can dock smoothly, not to mention completing maintenance work locally.

The distance between these two ports and Hamban Port is about 7,000 to 8,000 miles, and it takes a lot of manpower and ships to make a round trip. In addition, most of the local materials still rely on external imports, making it difficult to provide the necessary supplies for the large-scale fleet.

If they stop at foreign ports along the way to complete supplies, the voyage will be greatly increased, which does not conform to Shi Diwen's plan of going and returning quickly.

Qian Tiandun naturally hoped to make this trip happen, but he could only promise to prepare as many supplies as possible in Fubo Port and confirm in advance the anchorage where the Zhoushan could dock.

If it were just this, it would not be enough to prompt Shi Diwen to make the decision to go on this trip. However, the news coming back from the Persian Gulf at this time attracted Shi Diwen's attention.

Takahashi Nan claimed in the telegram that the time for the special warfare division to take military measures to assist the Xihu tribe might have to be brought forward because according to the intelligence provided by the Xihu tribe, at least two local forces around them were quietly preparing to go to war with them.

The reason is very simple. The Xihu tribe obtained the qualification to distribute imported goods from Hai Han and soon earned considerable profits from trade, which caused jealousy. Other forces hoped to replace the Xihu tribe through war. Their idea should be very simple. Without the Xihu tribe, Hai Han would have to find the next partner, and destroying the Xihu tribe would be a good way to prove their strength.

Such a plan would naturally not pass the test of Hai Han. Regardless of whether the later comers who replaced the Xihu tribe were willing to cooperate with Hai Han, even if they had such a plan, Hai Han would not easily give up the Xihu tribe.

If the Xihu tribe, which was protected by Hai Han, was destroyed by other forces, wouldn't that be a slap in the face of Hai Han? If Hai Han were to cooperate with them under the condition of providing armed protection, its credibility would be greatly reduced.

Last time, several local armed forces besieged Fubo Port but failed. This time, the target has changed to the Xihu tribe. It seems that they know that Hai Han is not easy to mess with, so they deliberately avoid it.

However, Gao Qiaonan did not intend to sit back and do nothing. Since he had originally planned to support the Xihu tribe in establishing a nation, he would have to take the initiative sooner or later, even if no one came to attack him. And now that someone wanted to attack the Xihu tribe, this just provided an excellent reason for the special warfare division to send troops in the name of the Xihu tribe.

Although Gao Qiaonan had independent command in Fubo Port and could decide on his own what measures to take, he still followed his usual practice and reported to Qian Tiandun first. If Qian Tiandun disagreed with taking military measures, he would still have time to call a halt.

Judging from the situation described by Gao Qiaonan in the telegram, the enemy is not strong, the scale of the operation is relatively limited, and the local garrison troops are enough to complete the task. However, it is not ruled out that other forces will take action when the special warfare division goes to the south to help the Xihu tribe fight. They will take advantage of the lack of military strength in Fubo Port to take action.

The safest approach, of course, is to send another troop to Fubo Port to temporarily take on the task of assisting in the defense. This way, Takahashi Nan can lead his own troops to attack with confidence.

"I originally thought it was optional to go, but when I heard that a fight was about to start, why do I suddenly feel itchy?"

After reading the telegram, Shi Diwen revealed his desire to go to Fubo Port to watch the battle.

Qian Tiandun replied: "I have to remind you that the local tribal armed forces are not regular troops, and they are often small in size, with as many as two to three thousand people and as few as three to five hundred people. If you want to go there to watch some big battles, I'm afraid you will be disappointed soon."

"Also, the Arabs are better at fighting on horses and camels, so there shouldn't be many offensive and defensive battles relying on fortresses or positions. It's likely that they would just fight on and off, with only short-term engagements."

Shi Diwen said: "It is precisely because I have never seen the Arabs' fighting methods that I am curious and want to take a look. If the enemy is an old rival we have dealt with before, then I will not be interested."

Shi Diwen's statement was exactly what Qian Tiandun wanted. The temptation of war was much more effective than his previous persuasion of Shi Diwen to go to the Persian Gulf.

Qian Tiandun immediately called Qian Shaobao and asked him to collect supplies immediately and prepare to visit the Persian Gulf again after half a year.