1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 4026

Besides earning some travel expenses by selling goods along the way, Minami Takahashi actually had another secret mission to carry out in Jeddah.

Within the narrow expanse of the Red Sea, there are few coastal ports, and Jeddah is arguably the only relatively large one. Located in the central Red Sea, it's within a similar voyage to Chin Hai Port at the southern end of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Suez Port at the northern end. For merchant ships traveling north and south, this is a more suitable place to dock and resupply than anywhere else.

If Jeddah Port is used properly, it could potentially become one of the supply ports for the Haihan Army's northward offensive against Suez. A considerable amount of various supplies can be procured here, which would greatly alleviate the transportation and storage pressure on Zhenhai Port.

However, if the relationship with the Jeddah Port authorities is not handled well, it will become a thorn in the side of the Haihan Army's supply line during wartime, posing a constant threat that cannot be ignored, and forces will have to be diverted to guard against it.

Takahashi Minami's concerns were not unfounded. After all, both sides of the Red Sea were theoretically part of the Ottoman Empire. Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah, these major cities and seaports ruled by Arabs, enjoyed a high degree of autonomy, but they all claimed allegiance to Istanbul.

If the special forces division goes to war with the Ottoman Empire in the future, these regions along the Red Sea coast may not necessarily send troops to fight, but as long as they side with the Ottomans, they can cause considerable trouble for the special forces division.

Therefore, after his last visit to Jeddah, Takahashi Minami suggested to Qian Tiandun that, in order to ensure the success of the operation, they should take control of Jeddah before launching an attack on Suez.

Of course, this means the special forces division would first have to capture Jeddah port, and they would have to do it quickly. If it dragged on for too long and Suez got the news, they would inevitably encounter more resistance.

Takahashi Minami led his fleet to dock at Jeddah Port in the hope of clarifying the local government's position and assessing whether the port would become a potential threat.

Takahashi Minami selected several of his trusted subordinates, dressed them in Arabic clothing, and covered them from head to toe so that they could not be identified as outsiders without making a sound.

Accompanying them were two Xihu soldiers who could speak Haihan Mandarin, who served as translators for Takahashi Minami.

The group disembarked and left the port, quietly entering the city.

The city of Jeddah is not protected by tall city walls; there is only a symbolic city gate on the seaside.

This city gate was open year-round and not specially fortified. It is said that local officials would go to the city gate to greet envoys sent by the Ottoman court, and it was just a ceremonial facility.

If the city gates are in such a state, one can imagine how weak the city's defenses are. The armed forces here belong to a local tribe, numbering only a few hundred men. Their primary duty is not to defend the territory against enemies, but rather to maintain local order.

The weapons they used were mainly traditional Arabic scimitars, bows and arrows, and spears. Firearms were not uncommon, but due to their limited quantity and inconvenience, they were mostly left idle in the storerooms and were only brought out for display when Ottoman officials inspected the area.

The reason Jeddah's military preparedness has fallen into disrepair is mainly due to its long period of peace. No one associates war with the area anymore, and there's no need to spend excessive money on armed forces. After all, more than a century has passed since Selim I of the Ottoman Empire conquered the Arab world, and Mecca's ruler, Sharif, went to Cairo to present the keys to the holy city as a sign of submission. Recent generations haven't experienced war, so naturally, they lack any sense of vigilance.

So while Jeddah's environment may not be considered ideal for living, it is at least relatively peaceful, which is why it has gradually become a commercial center on the Red Sea.

Takahashi Minami's biggest concern was whether the local government would be loyal to the Ottomans at all costs. If the special forces division went to war with the Ottomans, these Arabs would see resisting the Ottomans as a means of promotion. In that case, the special forces division would have to strike first in Jeddah and at least destroy its port before they could feel at ease.

After wandering through the streets and alleys of Jeddah, Takahashi and his group gradually learned that although the Arabs here had long since submitted to the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire saw no profit in the area due to its poor resources, so it was too lazy to directly govern the region, leaving it to local tribal self-governance for over a hundred years.

Of course, this is on the premise that Arabs must recognize the Ottoman Empire's rule in both political and religious spheres.

Therefore, the local people's sense of identity with the Ottoman Empire was very limited, more akin to a formality, only taking effect when Ottoman officials came to inspect. They had neither the intention to resist the Ottoman Empire nor the will to die for it, and they never considered themselves part of the Ottoman Empire.

Some people believe that the Arabs shared the same religious beliefs as the Ottomans, which was the main reason why local tribes submitted to the Ottomans. If the Ottomans were infidels, then the situation might be different.

Takahashi Minami wasn't particularly interested in the religious historical entanglements; he only wanted to confirm one thing: Jeddah Port would remain neutral and would not actively participate in the war unless attacked from the outside.

However, no one in Jeddah could make such a promise to him at present. Although the area was tribal autonomous, the governor was appointed by the Ottoman Empire, whose position was obviously unreliable.

Those influential religious elders were the people Takahashi Minami least wanted to deal with. Even without asking, he could imagine what kind of exchange they would offer, and the Special Forces Division would never accept any religious-related requests.

Of course, there is another, less likely, scenario: that when the Han and the Ottomans went to war, these Arab-ruled regions took advantage of the chaos to declare their secession from the Ottoman Empire.

Takahashi Minami didn't have much hope for this possibility. After all, the Ottoman Empire had a long history of power and influence. Even if Haihan defeated the Ottomans on the battlefield, the Arabs might not have the courage to take advantage of their misfortune.

Fortunately, based on the information we have so far, the possibility of Jeddah participating in the war is extremely slim. Putting aside the Arabs' stance, even if they wanted to join the war, they don't seem to have the capability.

The ships coming and going in Jeddah are mostly civilian vessels. These ships are nothing like the armed merchant ships of Europe that sail across the ocean to the East. The vast majority of these ships have a displacement of less than 100 tons, are almost incapable of naval warfare, and are even somewhat unsuitable for use as troop transport ships.

If anyone hopes to use these ships to deal with the armed fleet of a special operations division, it's a futile endeavor.

The people of Jeddah harbor showed no suspicion about the arrival of the Haihan Fleet. Even though they knew it was an armed fleet equipped with a large number of cannons, the locals were merely curious about where the fleet was headed and had no concern that their homeland would become the target of this fleet. This shows that the area was basically immune to war.