1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3792

Time flies and it is almost the end of the year. After staying in the Persian Gulf for more than two months, Shi Diwen is finally going to end this long inspection and embark on the journey back home.

In his original plan, this trip to the Indian Ocean would take at most three to four months, but in reality, the journey went further and further, and the time spent was much longer than expected. At this time, half a year had passed since he set out from Zhoushan Port.

"It's a pity that I didn't get to visit Zhenhai Port. I don't know when I'll have the chance to visit here again!"

When saying goodbye, Shi Diwen also expressed his regret for not completing this trip. If there were not so many backlogs of official business waiting for him to deal with when he returns, he would still like to go to Zhenhai Port or even further to the Mediterranean.

After all, Shi Diwen is now nearly 60 years old, and he will travel less and less frequently, especially such a long-distance journey across half the world. The next opportunity will probably have to wait until some major event that determines the direction of history happens.

Qian Tiandun was very optimistic about this and responded with a smile: "I think it won't be too long. When the Suez Canal project starts, the Executive Committee will definitely send someone to attend. You can fight for it yourself then!"

Shi Diwen said: "Then you have to hurry up and don't let me wait until I am old and need to be carried by others before I can go out."

Qian Tiandun said confidently: "According to my estimation, within ten years! If everything goes smoothly, perhaps the time point can be advanced even further."

Shi Diwen certainly understood what Qian Tiandun meant by "smooth sailing", and he smiled and said, "I will try my best to help you get the conditions you need in the Executive Committee. But you must also remember that the Special Operations Division's achievements in the Middle East and other places in the future are inseparable from the support from the country!"

The warning in Shi Diwen's words was also very clear. Qian Tiandun and the special warfare division were far away from the mainland. If he set up his own camp outside, the Executive Committee would have no way to deal with him. But if Qian Tiandun really did this, he would have to bear the corresponding consequences, such as the personnel, funds, and technical support from the country, which might be affected.

If Qian Tiandun wants to "go smoothly", then he must continue to follow the instructions of the Executive Committee and not try to break away from Hai Han.

Both of them were smart people, and they could understand each other's intentions without saying too much. Qian Tiandun had no intention of starting his own business, so he naturally agreed without hesitation.

As for private cooperation outside of official business, the two had already agreed on the terms in private.

Shi Diwen will send military exchange delegations to the Indian Ocean region in batches in the name of the East China Sea Region. In addition to becoming familiar with the Indian Ocean environment and learning the tactics and strategies of the special warfare division, these officers will also be responsible for maintaining the security and commercial interests of the East China Sea Region in the special warfare division area.

These officers were sent to the Indian Ocean region far away from the East China Sea region. They were not being bullied or excluded. On the contrary, they were all trusted subordinates that Shi Diwen had intentionally cultivated. Having overseas garrison and study experience would help them get promotion opportunities more smoothly.

At the same time, many businesses under the East China Sea Region will move into the Special Operations Division area to carry out various business activities. The commercial cooperation has actually entered the implementation stage. During Shi Diwen's visit, several businesses that accompanied him had set up offices in Phuket and Hamban Port, Ceylon. Some of them were quick and had even finalized several deals.

Qian Tiandun will also send officers to Shi Diwen's jurisdiction to study naval combat command skills in the East China Sea Fleet. The East China Sea region is one of the most developed regions in Hai Han's shipbuilding industry. A considerable portion of the combat ships that the Special Warfare Division will purchase in the future will also be entrusted to the shipyards in the East China Sea region to complete.

Moreover, Qian Tiandun has already set his eyes on the most advanced Glorious-class battleship and wants to build one as a future weapon in the Indian Ocean. However, only Zhoushan Shipyard has the ability to build this thing, and the follow-up orders have been fully booked. If he wants to jump the queue, he must first establish a good relationship with Shi Diwen.

In addition, Qian Tiandun also hopes to expand Hai Han’s trade volume in the Middle East by introducing products from the East China Sea region.

The Special Operations Division will not directly run these businesses, but most of the profits from the projects controlled by Qian Tiandun behind the scenes will be used as fiscal revenue for the Special Operations Division's jurisdiction, and will also be allocated to the Special Operations Division in proportion as military expenses.

High-quality silk, tea, porcelain and other specialties from the East China Sea region are also very popular hard currencies in the Middle East. Now that the special operations division has replaced the Portuguese as the middleman, it controls the sales channels of these commodities in the Middle East. The profits from reselling them after they arrive at the ports under the jurisdiction of the special operations division are also considerable.

This kind of business naturally depends on the stable supply from the source of goods. It is just a matter of words for Shi Diwen, but the profits it brings to the special operations division are considerable.

After the two said goodbye at the port, Shi Diwen boarded the ship and left. However, Gao Huan and Tian Yeyou, who came with him, stayed here temporarily.

Gao Huan was still guiding the local agricultural development in Hamban Port, Ceylon, while Tian Yeyou was organizing the preliminary work of oil field exploration near Fubo Port. The work they were responsible for was hard work that required them to do it themselves, and the construction period of the project was often counted in years, which was quite hard.

During this period, through contacts with Hai Han and other information channels, the various forces in the Persian Gulf gradually realized that this dragon that crossed the river was not just fighting alone, but had the support of many countries in East Asia behind it.

The newly established Xihu Kingdom was able to quickly gain recognition from more than a dozen countries, thanks to Hai Han’s influence. Although these countries were not in the Indian Ocean region, no one dared to underestimate their existence—their warships had sailed into the Persian Gulf, and how many countries in the Persian Gulf had equal strength?
The rapid rise of the Xihu Kingdom also forced the surrounding forces to re-examine the changes in the situation.

A tribe of mediocre strength, with the support of Hai Han, annexed a large area of ​​the surrounding area in just half a year, and the actual area of ​​control increased by more than ten times. This also forced those who initially thought that the establishment of the Xihu Kingdom was just a joke and even planned to make enemies with it to quietly give up the idea.

Of course, some smart people have noticed that there is nothing special about Hai Han's support for Xihu in establishing the nation. That is, Xihu was not chosen by Hai Han because of their outstanding strength. The more important reason is probably that the settlement chosen by Hai Han is located on the territory of the Xihu tribe.

Since Xihu are qualified to receive Hai Han’s favor, can local forces that are stronger than Xihu also try to cooperate with Hai Han and establish their own country on the Arabian Peninsula?