1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3930

After Dai Yingda left, Shi Chengxin came out of the inner room of the study and asked Shi Diwen, "Father, logically speaking, if the Yangzhou salt merchants cooperate with the special operations division, it will inevitably cause capital outflow, which will not benefit the East China Sea region. Why do you still allow them to carry out this?"

Shi Diwen pondered for a moment and said, "In the short term, there will indeed be the drawbacks you mentioned, but do you know what the specific objectives are for the military operations that the Special Operations Division is currently planning?"

Shi Chengxin replied, "I heard it's an important area at the northern end of the Red Sea."

Shi Diwen continued, "Do you know just how important that is?"

Shi Chengxin said, "I have read the Ministry of National Defense's internal report. It says that this is an important node in the sea route to Europe. Once we take over this region, we can completely open up the maritime trade route connecting the Western world. I don't know if there is any exaggeration... Father, do you mean that we also need to participate?"

Shi Diwen nodded and said, "I do have such an idea. In the long run, this will help the export of goods from the East China Sea region to the West. However, the location of the special operations division is too far from the mainland. It is not practical for us to send troops directly to participate in the war, and the executive committee will not agree. We must find another way."

Shi Chengxin suddenly realized, "So the Yangzhou salt merchants are just a shell, able to act on our behalf overseas?"

Shi Diwen said, "After the salt business of Yangzhou salt merchants is taken over, they will have a lot of personnel and funds to find new places to go. Even if I don't make arrangements, some of them will eventually flow overseas. So I might as well do a good deed and Dai Yingda's group, as well as the special operations division, will have to remember this huge favor I've done for them."

Shi Chengxin nodded, having already understood his father's meaning.

Rather than letting those Yangzhou salt merchants wander around like headless flies, it would be better to arrange for them to contact and cooperate with the special operations division while the situation is under control. This way, at least some long-term benefits can be brought to the East China Sea region.

In the future, relying on the industries under the name of salt merchants, the East China Sea region can also exert influence over the areas where special operations divisions are located.

However, Shi Chengxin still felt there were uncontrollable risks: "Father, what if the special forces division takes the benefits from our side, but then kicks aside the Yangzhou salt merchants after the battle and keeps all the benefits for themselves? Wouldn't we be left with a bitter pill to swallow?"

Shi Diwen laughed and said, "Once this connection is established, it won't be a short-term cooperation. Even after this war is over, the special forces division will still have to rely on material and financial support from the country for a long time to come. That place is not something that can be taken and then it's over."

Shi Chengxin was unfamiliar with the planning of the Suez Canal, so he only vaguely understood what Qian Tiandun was saying. However, Shi Diwen, as one of the time travelers, clearly understood Qian Tiandun's true purpose.

While it would be difficult for the special forces division to defeat the Ottoman Empire and occupy the Suez region, according to Stevin, it was not so difficult that they would have to ask the country for help.

What truly made Qian Tiandun set aside his pride and seek assistance was probably the subsequent Suez Canal project.

The Europeans were certainly not the first to conceive of digging a canal in this region. As early as the Egyptian dynasties before Christ, Pharaoh Senusret III had organized the excavation of a canal. Over the next thousand years, the canal was continuously improved, damaged, and rebuilt by successive rulers until it was completely abandoned in the 8th century AD. Even with repairs and reopening, the ancient canal, built with the engineering capabilities of the time, could no longer meet the current shipping needs. However, the Ottomans, who ruled this region at this time, were clearly not interested in re-digging a canal.

While Europeans at this time had such ideas, they were not the owners of the region and found it difficult to put them into practice. Following the long Thirty Years' War in Europe, all nations were still in a long period of recovery, and no country was currently capable of launching another war against the Ottoman Empire.

In the original history, Napoleon also planned to build a canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea at the end of the 18th century. However, due to the surveying errors of the engineers, the calculated amount of work far exceeded Napoleon's expectations, which ultimately led him to abandon the plan.

It wasn't until the mid-19th century, when the French obtained a charter from the Ottoman Empire for a ninety-nine-year operating right, that a company was established to begin the canal project.

Even then, the project was still extremely difficult, taking a full ten years and costing nearly 20 million francs before the French finally completed the canal project.

Due to factors such as labor intensity, climate, and disease, as many as 100,000 Egyptian laborers died on the canal construction site. On average, more than 300 lives were lost for every mile of the nearly 400-mile-long canal being excavated.

Even though Haihan possessed engineering technology that was ahead of its time, organizing and implementing such a massive canal project far from home was still far beyond the capabilities of the special operations division.

Shi Diwen was so certain of this history because he knew it well; the Special Operations Division's pursuit of domestic support was not a one-off deal. As long as the other party sought long-term cooperation, there was no need to worry about the Yangzhou salt merchants suddenly leaving after they had been used.

In Stevin's view, the special forces division's invasion of the Suez Canal was merely the beginning of the entire plan. The real show would begin after the war, when the canal digging project commenced.

The support that Yangzhou salt merchants could provide to the special operations division was primarily financial resources and civilian administrative personnel. While these two aspects had very limited direct impact during the war, they became an indispensable asset in post-war engineering construction and local governance.

As for the real reason why Qian Tiandun would push forward the implementation of this major project even when there were no competitors, Shi Diwen could guess a little, but he wasn't quite sure. He just intuitively felt that this might be related to the fact that the development of the Southern New World had diverted some of the resources that were being invested overseas.

However, Shi Diwen was certain of one thing: if Qian Tiandun could ultimately push the canal project to be implemented, then once the canal was completed, this great achievement would be enough to bless the Qian family's descendants with a hundred years of wealth and prosperity.

Among these secrets involving historical changes, Shi Diwen did not intend to explain them in detail to Shi Chengxin at the moment, but since there was an opportunity to share in the benefits of such a major event that could change the future world order, he naturally could not let it go easily.

After discussing the Yangzhou salt merchants, Shi Chengxin inquired about the selection of the deputy commander of the Seventh Division, asking if a final decision had been made.

Shi Diwen said, "Actually, I've had my eye on Dai Chengrong from the very beginning. His ability, qualifications, and position make him a perfect fit to take over the position... Chengxin, do you know why I've been delaying the announcement of the final candidate?"

Shi Chengxin understood and said, "Firstly, it gives us more time to test the candidates' character, and secondly, it lays the groundwork for the salt merchants to go to sea. When Father announces the candidates, this will be another great favor. Father previously reminded the salt merchants not to forget their roots, and Dai Chengrong is certainly part of their roots as well."