1635 Han style rises again

On August 1666, 8, the Qi State Expeditionary Fleet moored outside Bandar Abbas, waiting for the permission of the Safavid Empire officials to visit.

The port was built under the auspices of the great Abbas I. The original purpose was to replace the Port of Hormuz, which was occupied by the Portuguese.Although, in 1622, with the help of the British, the Safavid Empire regained the island of Hormuz occupied by the Portuguese and controlled the coast of the Persian Gulf.But this port still became the most important foreign trade port of the empire. The British, Dutch, French, Mughals and many Arab merchants brought a large amount of goods here to trade with the empire.

In 1639, the Safavid Empire and the Ottoman Empire signed the "Zohab (Schillingburg) Treaty" on the Zohab Plain in Kasri Sirim.According to the treaty, Mesopotamia (Yin Lak) was assigned to the Ottoman Empire, and Yerevan and parts of the Caucasus remained under Persian control.Since then, the Safavid dynasty and the Ottoman Empire have maintained peace for a long time.Abbas II, who is currently in power, has always abided by the "Zuohab Treaty" and tried his best to avoid conflicts with the Ottoman Empire.

As for the Mughal Empire in the east, after the Safavid Empire captured Kandahar in 1650, it gradually began to ease relations with it in order to maintain the tranquility of the eastern border and revive the Silk Road leading to India.

Generally speaking, in the past ten years or so, under the rule of the wise Abbas II, the entire empire was relatively in a period of peace, and the economy has been greatly developed.Handicrafts such as tile making, ceramics and textiles developed rapidly. In the 16th century carpet weaving developed from a by-industry of nomads and farmers to a complete industry, including specialization in design and production.In addition to carpets, commodities such as silk, textiles, horses, wool, pearls, and almonds used as condiments in India were exported in large quantities, which not only prospered the domestic handicraft industry and animal husbandry, but also brought huge amounts of gold and silver to the imperial finances.

While the entire empire was enjoying rare peace and prosperity, bad news came from Insfahan.Abbas II was seriously ill, and it was said that the wise monarch did not seem to be doing well, which brought a little worry to the ruling class of the entire empire.

You must know that Abbas II is only 34 years old this year, and the future heir Suleiman is still young. He grew up in the harem and does not understand the complicated world outside.If so, Abbas II really had an accident, which would undoubtedly cast a shadow over the future of the Safavid Empire.

Just when the great vizier of the empire and the governors of various places were worried about the body of Abbas II, the state of Qi in the New World in the south unexpectedly organized such a large fleet to visit Bandar Abbas.This surprised the local governor and officials at all levels. At the same time, they felt an inexplicable panic deep in their hearts.

The news of Qi's expedition to Egypt and the severe damage to the local Pasha's armed forces has already spread to the territory of the Safavid Empire. Qi's military strikes all secretly cheered.

Although the province of Egypt is only a remote place of detention under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, this move will somewhat deflate the Ottomans, or in other words, their face will be hit to a certain extent. This is what all subjects of the Safavid Empire want Happy to see it come true. …

However, this country of Qi has finished fighting Egypt, so if you don't hurry back to your Hanzhou mainland, why did you bring so many gunboats to our Safavid Empire for a so-called visit? !
I'm afraid this is because they want to take the momentum of defeating Egypt and come to our side to show off their power, right?
As the most important trading port of the empire, Bandar Abbas has a special political and economic status, and no loss is allowed.Therefore, the empire specially appointed a governor here to effectively manage the port.

Governor Majid-Husseini looked gloomyly at Fu Shuangquan, the treasurer of the Persian Trading Company of the Qi State in Bandar Abbas who had been summoned, and asked in a deep voice, "Are you Qi people demonstrating against our Safavid Empire?"

"Your Excellency, why did you say that?" Fu Shuangquan said with a smile after hearing the translator's translation: "When our task force set off from the mainland of Hanzhou, in addition to being ordered to attack Su Yinshi's local Pasha armed forces, In addition to the military retaliation for the murder of the mission, they also took on the task of visiting your country. They brought a letter written by our King Qi and some gifts, and they are going to present it to the Shah of your empire, in order to strengthen the friendly exchanges between us. It's just that, in view of the urgency and suddenness of the military action at that time, I didn't pay you a friendly visit when I came. Therefore, the fleet didn't arrive until the end of the war."

"Bandar Abbas is a commercial port, and it is not suitable for fleet visits in the military sense." Governor Husseini's face softened a little, and he continued to say with a straight face: "Besides, there are more than [-] warships you are visiting. If they all enter the port and stop at the port, it will cause unnecessary panic to the entire port."

"The Governor-General means..."

"Your fleet only allows two warships to sail into Bandar Abbas, and each landing is limited to 200 people." Governor Husseini pondered for a moment, and said softly: "The landing officers and soldiers are not allowed to carry guns and the like. Weapons must also be stationed in designated warehouses and restaurants. Without the permission of the Grand Vizier of the Empire, your visitors are not allowed to go deep into the inland, let alone go to Insfahan."

"My lord governor, you set so many requirements and restrictions, which is not what you should do to a country with friendly diplomatic relations." Fu Shuangquan said with a wry smile: "Our two countries have had more than six years of business, trade and diplomatic exchanges. We all Chinese businessmen and diplomats have always strictly abided by the laws and religious regulations of your country in your country. Compared with the Dutch and the English, we Qi people have never shown any domineering posture, and have always adhered to a friendly attitude. Your country has sincere exchanges. Therefore, you should not be so wary of us as if you were guarding against enemies."

When Governor Husseini heard the words, his face froze, and he hesitated in his heart.The businessmen and diplomats of Qi State were indeed as low-key and humble as Fu Shuangquan said.Although they have different religious beliefs from the Safavid Empire, they are not as hostile to True God as European countries show.

What's more, this country also provided the empire with a large amount of urgently needed commodities such as ironware, steel bars, hardware products, sugar, porcelain, and tea, which greatly enriched the domestic market.Moreover, they were not as enthusiastic about acquiring gold and silver as European merchants. Every gold coin earned from the empire was exchanged for horses, wool, pearls, and female slaves, and shipped back to their homeland. …

In the end, Governor Husseini slightly relaxed the requirements for the Qi State expeditionary fleet to enter the port, allowing ten warships from the other side to dock in the port, and sent a team of soldiers to escort the gifts and letters carried by the Qi State envoys to Insfahan.As for whether he could be received by the Shah who was seriously ill, it was only a matter of luck.

After seeing more than a dozen businessmen from the Qi State excitedly following the mission on the road, he suddenly understood why the Qi State was so eager to send a special envoy to Insfahan to meet the Shah of the Empire, and even made such a big deal. The ostentation came with many gunboats.The people of Qi must have learned of the various privileges that the empire would grant to French merchants, and they also wanted to do the same to obtain the right to do business freely in all parts of the empire.

In February last year, a large French mission came to the empire for a friendly visit. They also carried a letter from Louis XIV to Abbas II in order to establish closer diplomatic and commercial relations with the empire.It is said that in order to cherish the "friendship" from major European countries, Abbas II intends to grant more favorable trade policies to French businessmen.This may have made those merchants from the Qi Kingdom envious, and they also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.

The problem is that French merchants only trade so much in the empire every year, and even if they are exempted from their duties and taxes, there is not much loss to the entire empire's finances.And you merchants from the Qi Kingdom, although you are the latest to come, have the fastest growth in trade volume.Roughly estimated, in six years, the import and export trade volume of your Qi country has almost increased several times, reaching 60 million gold coins. Such a large piece of fat, I am afraid that the financial officer of the empire will not give it up easily.

On August 8, Qi's expeditionary fleet stayed in Bandar Abbas for ten days. Under the gaze of many people on the shore, they raised their sails one after another, sailed out of the harbor one by one, and headed towards India.

For more than a month, the southwest monsoon will continue to weaken. If it is delayed for a while, it will become extremely difficult for the returning fleet.

On August 8, when the fleet passed the waters of the Musandam Peninsula, it encountered six ships flying the Portuguese flag head-on.When the other party discovered the Qi State expeditionary fleet, they were cautious and opened a little distance, obviously worried that they would be attacked by the Qi State fleet.

"Did the Portuguese lose the battle?" Luo Shouxun held up his binoculars to observe carefully for a moment, then said with a dumbfounded smile, "Look at them, almost every ship seems to have been shelled."

"I guess it was a fight with the Muscat Sultanate." Fan Yuqiang, the captain of the Red Sun, said: "Since they lost Muscat, an extremely important stronghold, more than ten years ago, they have been They are planning to recapture it. Perhaps, the Portuguese have really lost their strength. After more than ten years, not only did they not recapture Muscat, but also the Khasab stronghold on the south coast of the Strait (Strait of Hormuz). It’s lost. If this trend develops, there will probably be no place for the Portuguese in this huge Persian Gulf in the future.”

"The Portuguese have been fighting the Spaniards to death in Europe, which has greatly involved their energy for overseas colonization, and even the mainland needs to keep drawing blood from various colonies in order to get rid of the control of the Spaniards." Luo Shouxun shook his head and said. : "So, the Portuguese's overseas colonial power has fallen to what it is now, because of their bad luck. There is a powerful Spain by their side, and they always want to annex it again." …

"What the commander said is very true." Fan Yuqiang nodded and said: "Our country of Qi is based on the mainland of Hanzhou, surrounded by islands and territories as barriers, and there are hardly any powerful kingdoms around it. From this point of view, our country of Qi It really has excellent luck. No matter how well it operates for decades, occupying all the land in the South Seas, and then expanding to the Indian Ocean, it will be enough to enjoy the country's luck for hundreds of years."

"Expand to the Indian Ocean?" Luo Shouxun said, "Do you know what the king's long-cherished wish is?"

"Your Majesty's long-cherished wish?" Fan Yuqiang was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head, "How can a lowly position get a glimpse of His Majesty's great plans and great wishes."

"Your Majesty's long-cherished wish is that within a hundred years, besides controlling the Indian Ocean, our country of Qi will occupy the vast Pacific Ocean and become the world's most powerful two-ocean empire. At the same time, to expand an infinitely vast empire for our Chinese people. living space, and spread our civilization to every corner of the world."

"..." Fan Yuqiang was shocked when he heard this.For more than 20 years, Qi State has been focusing on setting up points around the Indian Ocean. It was thought that it controlled the Indian Ocean, including the Mughal Empire, the Safavid Empire, the Arab region, and the east coast of Africa, plus the entire Southeast Asia region. This is already the largest area that Qi can control.Unexpectedly, the king is still thinking about the vast Pacific Ocean to the east of Hanzhou, and he doesn't even rule out the possibility of getting his hands on the American continent.

"Your Majesty once said such a joke that at the beginning of the establishment of a new dynasty or empire, it is always filled with the spirit of forging ahead. If this is the case, we can take advantage of this world of great contention to occupy more territories and strategic locations on the sea. .Even if the descendants of future generations are not very up-to-date, if they want to prodigal, the capital in their hands can be more or less thick, so as not to directly endanger their own core interests." Luo Shouxun said leisurely.

After Fan Yuqiang heard this, he could only smile wryly to himself. Only the commander of the fleet dared to say these words. As the uncle of the country, and he was considered to be the future helm of the navy, his relationship with the king is very important. Even more so.It is said that after this expedition is over, he will be transferred to be the commander of the Home Fleet.

On September 9, the expedition fleet lasted more than 15 days and arrived at Fort Lumen (now Karachi, Pakistan) on the northwest coast of India.Their arrival made the more than 500 armed guards and merchants in the stronghold ecstatic. All of them were full of excitement and welcomed the fleet officers and soldiers into this fortress with a radius of less than [-] meters.

"Are you saying that the local Baluchi people have issued a warning to you, asking you to hand over the 1000 Hanzhou silver dollars that you pay to the Mughal Empire every year, and to increase the rent to 1 yuan?" Luo Shouxun listened to the law. After hearing the news from Gate Fort Commander Yin Anjie, he felt a little unbelievable, "Why do they dare to deny the decision of the Mughal Emperor?"

"General, the Mughal Empire's control over the Baluchi has always been very weak, and it can be regarded as a rule of Jiji." Yin Anjie said with a wry smile: "It's not because the Mughal Empire devoted its main energy to the Deccan Plateau to suppress Maratha. People, and the upcoming war of conquest of several land states in the south. These Baluchi rebelled brazenly and declared their independence from the control of the Mughal Empire. They also established their own kingdom, called the Karat Khanate .Although they are independent, they are extremely poor, so they set their minds on us."

"Oh, they are now an independent state." Luo Shouxun nodded, and then asked: "If we beat it, the Mughal Empire won't speak up for it, right?"

"General, don't worry!" Yin Anjie heard the words and said quickly: "If you beat it, the Mughal Empire might secretly applaud it. Because, in their view, these Baluchi people are traitors and traitors. And kill him!"