1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3794

Although Rui believed that his camp was also a member of the "Persian Gulf Power", he was still clear-headed and did not think that the garrison troops on Hormuz Island alone could challenge Fubo Port.

He also knew that the Governor of Goa would not provide him with much support, and would not tolerate him openly falling out with Hai Han. Compared to a small island of Hormuz, the Governor of Goa certainly valued Portugal's huge interests in the Far East more.

Only by continuing to maintain an alliance with Hai Han can Portugal guarantee its rights and interests in the region. On this matter, no senior figure will stand on Rui’s side, not even the current King Alfonso VI.

Rui wanted to keep his official position and the trade share of Hormuz Island, so he could only try to save himself.

The approach of offering discounts to win back people's hearts does not seem to be very effective at the moment. The small favors he can offer are obviously not attractive enough.

After much thought, Ruiz decided that he could only go back to the old way and consider how to attack Fubo Port and make it unable to operate normally. Only in this way could Hormuz Island once again become the trade center of the region.

However, once a head-on conflict breaks out between the Hormuz Island authorities and Hai Han, it is very likely that Rui will be used as a pawn to appease the anger of the Hai Han people, so he must find someone else to take action.

However, the performance of the Arabs who were found through brokers to besiege Fubo Port was simply terrible. Not only did they fail to achieve any substantial results, but they also made him waste a lot of supplies and favors in vain.

Now that Hai Han has established a foothold in the local area and has a little follower like Xihu to take care of affairs with local tribes, it may not be possible to use the old methods anymore.

It is possible that those two-faced Arabs would take the initiative to betray Rui, the mastermind behind the scenes, in order to get closer to Xihu.

Rui didn't know that Hai Han had actually investigated the previous incident a long time ago, and by tracking the silver coins used in the transaction, had almost confirmed the connection between Hormuz Island and the attack on Fubo Port. It just didn't confront him for the time being.

But he was aware of the risks and knew that he could no longer rely on those unreliable Arabs.

Portugal and its neighbor Persia are old enemies. They had snatched the Island of Hormuz from Persia, so they could not expect the other side to be on the same side as them. Moreover, the Persians had previously attended the founding ceremony of the Xihu Kingdom, and it was no secret that they had been flirting with Hai Han.

Now it seems that the only authority that might take action against Hai Han is probably the Ottoman Empire.

Moreover, when the Ottomans were fighting against Persia in the early years, Portugal made some contributions and assisted the Ottomans in repelling the Persian army's siege of the city of Basra. Perhaps this friendship will come in handy at this time.

But Rui was still a little worried that the Ottoman Empire might not be willing to send troops. This was because their rule over the Arabs was only a formality. As long as they swear allegiance to the Ottoman Empire, most areas would remain autonomous. The loss of a few tribes would basically not matter to the Ottoman Empire.

Secondly, the voyage from the Mesopotamian Plain at the western end of the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Hormuz where Fubo Port is located is almost 2,000 miles. This is not an easy task for the Ottoman fleet. The materials needed alone are by no means a small number. Without considerable benefits, it would be difficult to persuade the Ottoman Empire to send troops. After thinking it over, Rui felt that it would be difficult to achieve the desired effect with just the wording of the letter, and it would be safer to go there in person. He immediately asked someone to prepare a ship and go to Basra in person to meet with Ottoman officials, explain to them in person the changes in the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and persuade them to send troops to deal with Hai Han.

Rui also knew that this was not an easy task, and the probability of convincing the Ottomans was probably less than 30%. But if he did not do this, he would have to watch Hormuz Island continue to decline until it became difficult to maintain local expenses, and he would eventually be forced to close this trading post.

However, when he crossed the Persian Gulf and rushed to the city of Basra, wanting to ask for an audience with Governor Galar, he heard some very bad news - Lord Galar was meeting guests from Fubo Port.

Although it is not known whether the people coming are Hai Han or Xihu, this is definitely not good news for Rui. If one step slow, all steps will be slow. If the other party convinces the Ottomans to accept the independence of Xihu, then most of the arguments prepared by Rui will probably fall through.

Rui waited for a long time in the official residence with an anxious mood, and was finally allowed to be summoned.

"Respected Lord Galar, thank you for taking the time to meet with me!"

After meeting Galar, Rui decided to act according to the established plan. Of course, he had to coax the other party first.

This was not the first time he had met Galar, but it had been about three or four years since their last encounter. He did not have any personal relationship to leverage, so he could only get closer through conversation.

Galar asked with a smile, "Lord Rui came all the way to Basra and came to see me first. I guess it must be something very important."

Rui was slightly startled. It seemed that he had been noticed by the other party since he arrived at the port of Basra, and they immediately began to monitor him. Although it didn't take long to get from the port to the Galar residence, the Ottomans' meticulous deployment was still a little beyond his expectations.

Is this the same treatment for all foreigners coming to Basra, or do I receive special treatment? If the latter, what is the reason?
Several thoughts flashed through Rui's mind, but none of them had any solid basis. He didn't expect that he would be in a passive position just after a brief encounter.

However, he reacted very quickly, and immediately responded with a smile: "Actually, this time I came to Basra mainly to handle some trade affairs. But since I have come so far, I must visit you first, which is in accordance with etiquette."

Rui would certainly not admit the other party's speculation, as that would only make this visit seem too purposeful, which would be detrimental to the subsequent talks. He hoped to describe the situation in the Strait of Hormuz to Galar in a relaxed atmosphere without showing any signs of being too deliberate.

Rui then started the conversation with the topic of trade, discussing with Galar the current state of trade between the two countries.

In fact, the trade between Portugal and the Ottoman Empire was not limited to the Persian Gulf. As a major country with its territory spanning three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe, the Ottoman Empire's trade with Portugal was mostly conducted through shipping in the Mediterranean.

Only goods from East Asia and the Indian Ocean region were transported to the Ottoman Empire via the Persian Gulf, and most of these were trafficked by the Portuguese.