1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3798

Little Abdullah’s idea is not without reason. Since cooperating with Hai Han, Qian Tiandun has provided more than 2,000 muskets and more than 20 cannons to the Xihu army, which is a considerable effort.

In the years before this, the number of muskets that Xihu had obtained through various channels was only in the double digits, and the number of cannons was only a few old cannons placed on the top of Xihu City as decorations. In the mind of little Abdullah, the scarcity of these advanced weapons was taken for granted.

Even if all the wealth of Xihu was spent, it would probably not be enough to buy the weapons and equipment provided by Hai Han. Moreover, maintaining an army equipped with all firearms also requires considerable expenses. Young Abdullah is clearly aware of this.

Therefore, he also insisted that the military aid provided by Hai Han was not without an upper limit. Now that Qian Tiandun had taken the initiative to propose to suspend the subsequent provision of firearms to the new Xihu recruits, little Abdullah subconsciously thought that this upper limit had been reached.

As for the talk of shortening the training cycle and speeding up the formation of the army, young Abdullah believed that this was actually just a side effect of Hai Han's suspension of the provision of advanced weapons and equipment.

But he did not dare to express any dissatisfaction with Qian Tiandun's decision. The development prospects of Xihu Kingdom depended entirely on the other party's decision. The only way to survive was to obey orders.

Seeing that little Abdullah did not raise any questions about this, Qian Tiandun was very satisfied with his submissive attitude, and immediately ordered him to implement it immediately.

Adjusting the training plan of the Xihu Army is the responsibility of the Special Operations Division's training department. Little Abdullah actually has no say in it. What he can do is to urge the various tribes under the rule of the Xihu to continue to speed up the pace of recruiting soldiers, gather more young and strong people to receive military training, and let them become members of the Xihu Army as soon as possible.

But it was easier said than done. To get the tribes to honestly contribute their young and strong men to serve in the army, it was not something that little Abdullah could do with just one word. At least he had to go to the local area to supervise it in person. Commanding remotely from Fubo Port would definitely not be effective.

Most of the tribes annexed by Xihu were forced to surrender and accept Xihu as their suzerain, but they have not gained much practical benefit from this matter and may not be willing to obey Xihu's arrangements unconditionally. If little Abdullah gave orders from a distance, he would inevitably encounter situations where he pretended to obey but actually disobeyed.

Qian Tiandun's order had been given, so little Abdullah had no choice but to go there in person.

He first went to the Sharjah tribe, which was closer to Fubo Port. This small tribe with a population of only a thousand people was a new member of the Xihu Kingdom. When the coalition forces were at the gates of the city, they chose to surrender without any resistance. However, due to their small population, they were not taken seriously. Now it was time for them to make more contributions to the Xihu Kingdom.

After young Abdullah arrived at the local area, he immediately summoned the patriarch and a group of tribal elders to announce the latest conscription decision to them.

"All eligible men of the Sharjah tribe must register for military service as soon as possible, be arranged by the state to join the army, and receive military training arranged by the coalition forces."

"All new recruits will be sent to the military base in Fubo Port for training. After completing a month of recruit training, they will be assigned to the Xihu Army and complete at least two years of military service."

"Of course, during their military service, these personnel will receive corresponding military pay to ensure that they have income to support their families. If they perform well during their service, they will also have the opportunity to be promoted to officers, and may even become generals of the Xihu Army!"

As expected, the tribe leaders and elders found this arrangement difficult to accept, because it would not only force Sharjah men to leave their homes, but would also seriously shake up the tribe's existing livelihoods. Fishing at sea, herding cattle and sheep, and operating camel caravans, all of which Sharjah people have relied on for a long time, require young and strong men in the tribe to maintain. If all of them are conscripted to serve in the army, then these industries will be difficult to sustain.

Even though soldiers receive pay during their service to cover their family's living expenses, if these traditional industries are cut off, it would be an unbearable loss for the Sharjah tribe.

The issues raised by the Sharjah people were indeed objective, but the purpose of Abdullah's visit was not to bargain with them, but to ensure that Qian Tiandun's instructions could be executed as soon as possible.

This military service system must be implemented whether the Sharjah people like it or not.

In desperation, young Abdullah could only use the example of the Xihu tribe to try to explain to the other party the huge benefits that tribal members could gain by joining the army.

The current enlistment rate of young and middle-aged men in the Xihu tribe has exceeded 80%. Basically, every household has someone serving in the army, and the Xihu people have thus become the backbone of the army. Almost all grassroots officers are from the Xihu tribe.

After the Xihu quickly annexed the surrounding areas, many of these grassroots officers were sent to various newly occupied areas to serve as garrison commanders.

The territory of the Sharjah tribe is no exception. The Shihu army only stationed a platoon of troops here, but the garrison commander has higher authority than the Sharjah tribe leader, and the Sharjah tribe must also bear all military expenses of this garrison.

Although the garrison consists of only a few dozen people, the military expenditure is not a small amount, which is also a considerable expense for the Sharjah tribe with a small population.

Abdullah said that as long as the number of Sharjah people in the future reaches a certain proportion, the Xihu Kingdom will withdraw the troops stationed here. Because by then the Sharjah people will have become part of the Xihu Kingdom, there will be no need to station troops here to maintain stability, and only the local security agencies will be retained.

This proposal did make the Sharjah people somewhat excited, but they still had some doubts about whether the Sharjah people could truly integrate into the Shihu Kingdom.

Young Abdullah was well prepared for this. He had a very simple yet practical solution, which was tribal marriage.

He could arrange for a young girl from the Shihu nobility to marry a descendant of the Sharjah clan leader, and in exchange, he himself could marry a Sharjah woman.

For the Arabs, marriage is obviously much more credible than empty promises. If they marry the Crown Prince Abdullah, it can also ensure the status of the Sharjah clan to a certain extent, which is even more meaningful than sending young and strong people to serve in the military.

Of course, what they didn't know was that the object of the marriage of little Abdullah was not only the Sharja family. He didn't intend to use such an effective trick only once. Anyway, the Xihu tribe did not have a clear limit on the number of wives and concubines that could be married. Even if there was, as the future Xihu king, he had the power to change it.