1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 868 Defender of Indian Ocean Order

Bandar Abbas, February 1672, 2.

The British merchant ships "Gini" and "Doria" are making final preparations for departure and are about to leave Bandar Abbas to go to India hand in hand.In addition to some coffee, dates, and horses from the Arabian region, the commodities loaded on the two ships also included a large amount of Persian carpets, silk, wool, pearls, and almonds used as seasonings in India.

Previously, these merchant ships from the United Kingdom would carry many European handicrafts, metals, weapons, sugar and other commodities to the Persian region in exchange for local unique goods, or transport them to India, or transport them back to Europe. Its benefits.However, in recent years, a large number of goods from Qi State have been pouring into the territory of the Safavid Empire. As a result, the European goods they transported are completely inferior in terms of quality and price, and they cannot compete with Qi State goods at all. compete.

Although, the handicraft products produced in Europe and the United Kingdom are still quite competitive on the Atlantic coast of Africa, and can be exchanged for a large amount of gold, ivory, and slaves from the local indigenous tribes.

However, those British businessmen who are interested in going to the East for trade will face a very embarrassing phenomenon, that is, starting from the British mainland and sailing to the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, they have almost no commodities to trade with the local area.

Damn Qi merchants, with the expansion of their business power, it is becoming more and more difficult to make the previously lucrative trade between the East and the West!
"Oh, look, there are two merchant ships from the Qi Kingdom!" Philip Dole, the captain of the Doria, stood on the side of the ship, watching the two merchant ships flying the flag of Qi slowly enter the port one by one, with endless eyes. No look of jealousy.

"The Qi people are really popular in Persia." Rag Simon, the first mate on the ship, said with a smile: "Sir, look at the pier, whether it is the Persian officials or their businessmen, they are seeing When the merchant ships from Qi State arrived, they all showed eager expressions."

"Yes, the Qi people can not only produce all the commodities that this country needs, but they also almost monopolize the source of oriental commodities such as tea, porcelain and silk. How can this prevent these Persians from flocking to them?"

"Sir, with the development and expansion of the Qi people, sooner or later, like India, they will control most of the country's foreign trade. Even a little pessimistic, maybe one day we will be squeezed out of the Persian region by them."

"Simon, your worries are not unreasonable." Philip Dole showed a trace of gloom on his face, "The Qi people have taken Suez and Aden from Osman, and with their deployment in Djibouti, East Africa, they seem to have completely controlled the They conquered the entire Red Sea coastal area and obtained land and sea passages to the Mediterranean Sea. Although the Qi people have not yet obtained any port control in the Safavid Empire, they have sought two coastal strongholds on the Arabian Peninsula on the west side of the Gulf. Clearly, they also have strong commercial ambitions for the vast Gulf region."

"So, Qi State is trying to establish a huge commercial power map that includes India, Persia, the Red Sea and other areas along the northern Indian Ocean.... Oh, God! The people of Qi State have such a big appetite!"

"The ambitions of the Qi people may not stop there." Philip Dole said: "They have also established a series of stable strongholds in southern Africa. If they wish, they can cut off the trade from the Atlantic to the East at any time route, and then dominate the entire Indian Ocean.”

"...an Indian Ocean Empire?" Rag Simon was surprised by what Philip Dole said, "Like the so-called Atlantic Empire established by Spain 100 years ago?"

"The geographical location of Qi is much superior to that of Spain." Philip Dole said: "Although there are three powerful true God countries in the entire Indian Ocean region, the Mughal Empire, the Safavid Empire and the Ottoman Empire Empire, but they are not interested in the expansion of the sea. The Qi State dominates the Hanzhou continent, surrounded by the sea, just like our England, can concentrate on the expansion of the sea and build a powerful navy. Therefore, the people of Qi want to It is actually not difficult to win the Indian Ocean Empire."

"Speaking of which, Qi State is really... a country favored by God!"

"A country favored by God? Haha... Dear Simon, Qi is not a country that believes in God."

"The country of Qi should also be under the special care of their oriental gods!" Rag Simon sighed: "In Europe, including our England, all countries will inevitably be involved in complicated regional disputes The ambition of the French, the greed of the Dutch, the selfishness of the Germans, the short-sightedness of the Swedish, and the stupidity of the Habsburgs have thrown the whole of Europe into a mess."

"Yes, in the whole of Europe, the time of peace is always very short. A war has not yet ended, and a new war is rekindled. Killing, hunger, war, and plague seem to hang over the land of Europe forever. "Philip Dole said with emotion: "Just as all our European countries fell into fighting disputes, the commercial power of the Qi people gradually expanded from the East Indies to Bengal, India, Persia, and the Red Sea. Perhaps, in the near future In the future, they will eventually extend their tentacles to us in Europe."

The reason why the two Qi merchant ships sailing from the Indian region were warmly welcomed by officials and businessmen of the Safavid Empire was because Gein, in addition to carrying a large amount of industrial products on board, also prepared for the deep food crisis. The empire brought more than 600 tons of rice, which can be described as a real timely help.

Since Abbas II died of illness in September 1666 and 9-year-old Sam Mirza succeeded to the throne, this powerful empire has encountered various difficulties in the following years.

Sam Mirza ascended the throne in the name of Safay II on October 10 of that year, and his reign began with ominous omens.A drought that lasted for several years fell on the land of the empire. Millions of people suffered from starvation and starvation everywhere.At the same time, a strong earthquake occurred in Shirvan (now in the northwestern region of Iran and in Azerbaijan), killing 1 people.Moreover, the Sand King was ill, and all the medical treatments, prayers, and money spent to prevent the spread of famine were in vain.

People attributed all this to the wrath of heaven, and even accused the Jews in Isfahan of bringing bad luck.Soon, it was speculated that the coronation day chosen by the astrologers was unlucky, and it was decided to choose another date for the second coronation, which was unprecedented in the history of the empire.Thus, on March 1668, 3, in the splendid Palace of Forty Columns, Safay II became Suleiman I.

Although, Sha Wang's serious illness was cured by a doctor from Qi, which avoided the turmoil in the imperial court.But after he was crowned for the second time, the drought in the whole country did not ease, but expanded to a larger area, which triggered a serious food crisis in the empire.

In this situation, however, the Sand King did not take active measures like a real monarch.In fact, he has no interest in state affairs.In contrast, he loved the pleasures of the harem more. In less than four years, he had recruited hundreds of concubines, most of whom were Armenians from Julfa (now northwest of Iran).

In order to deal with the disaster and avoid a greater domestic crisis, the vizier appointed by the Shah King had to find ways to find more financial resources and collect more taxes.The people in the empire were forced to pay various exorbitant taxes, especially the discriminated Armenians and people who did not belong to the orthodox True God religion, who had to pay a huge poll tax.

In terms of commerce and handicrafts, many policies like drinking poison to quench thirst began to destroy the economy of the empire, making all industries in the market depressed, the economy slumped, and the country poorer and poorer.

However, in contrast to this, those foreign businessmen were not only not attacked and weakened in the empire, but relying on their special background, their commercial power expanded and penetrated into the empire.

The increasing import of foreign commodities has stimulated the desires of feudal lords and nobles in various places, such as fur goods from Russia, silk and silk from France, spices from India, etc., but more woolen cloth, high-grade printed cotton cloth, Precious wood, glass, clocks, porcelain, tea, wine, oil (including whale oil), ironware, hardware, etc.

The imperial government and feudal lords from all over the country exported to Europe and Qi the agricultural products obtained from farmers in the form of land rent in kind: grain, livestock, cotton, raw silk, coarse wool, leather, fruit, hazelnuts, olive oil, and household handwoven carpets and satin.This unequal trade has bankrupted the vast peasantry.

A French traveler who visited the Safavid Empire once wrote: "The influx of manufactured goods and various luxury goods from the Hanzhou mainland into this country can only enhance the enjoyment of the ruling class and only worsen the situation of the people and farmers. .Under the regime of a ruler who does not respect property rights, the desire for pleasure and the greed aroused multiply the oppression. In order to get more woolen goods, fur goods, sugar, china, tea, textiles, it is necessary There's more money, more cotton and more raw silk."

After 20 years of deep cultivation, merchants of Qi State have established trading stations in many important cities of the empire, such as Bandar Abbas, Shiraz, Isfahan, Mashhad, Kerman, and Tabriz. and strongholds, with far-reaching influence on the trade and economy of the empire.

Officials and subjects of the Safavid Empire have a complicated view of Qi State. This is a country located in the New World in the far south, and it is also a very secular kingdom, which has the same origin as the ancient Chinese civilization in the East.The various industrial products they produced were not only much higher in quality than those provided by Europeans before, but also had incomparable advantages in price.

However, the various luxury consumer goods they brought, such as wine, porcelain, clocks, and precious wood, have greatly eroded and corrupted the pious beliefs of the imperial nobles and subjects.You must know that during the reign of Abbas II, drinking alcohol was strictly prohibited in the empire, and according to the purpose of the teachings, all believers should not be extravagant and not extravagant.

In addition, with the influx of a large number of industrial products from the Qi State, the once thriving handicraft industry in the empire began to suffer a heavy blow and irreparably declined, causing serious social problems.

But all of this, the imperial ruling class, including Sha Wang, turned a blind eye and ignored it, allowing Qi's commercial power to gradually expand.The reason for this is that apart from the fact that the empire is more afraid of Qi's powerful sea power, the entire foreign trade of the empire is already extremely dependent on this country.

Not to mention that the large amount of industrial products provided by Qi greatly met the needs of the people of the empire, but the many firearms they supported were also an indispensable force guarantee for the imperial army to conquer the Bukhara Khanate and the Caucasus region.Coupled with the support and maintenance of many powerful families and comprador merchants in the empire, Qi merchants were able to enjoy themselves in the empire. In 20 years, they established a strong business network.

Not to mention, this country of Qi is still very capable of fighting. In terms of force, it is more than a little stronger than the former Portuguese.Five years ago, a powerful expeditionary fleet was formed, crossing tens of thousands of miles of sea routes, reaching Suez, and then quickly defeated the local Pasha armed forces in Egypt in a devastating manner.

Although they only taught an Ottoman fettered local government, the military strength of such a long-distance expedition still shocked the entire empire.You must know that in order to capture the island of Hormuz at the door of his home, the great Abbas I had to unite with the British to expel the Portuguese in order to regain the gateway and strategic location of the Persian Gulf.

However, although the strength of the Qi people in the Indian Ocean was greater than that of the Portuguese, they did not have the latter's prejudice and hostility towards the True God religion at all, and they were not disruptors of the maritime trade order.

As we all know, Portugal is almost a brutal bigotry in terms of religious beliefs.It arose from the memory of the struggle to save the Portuguese from the domination of the True Gods, and from the previous experience of many Portuguese in North Africa.There, they fought arduously and cruelly against the enemies of True God, and all kinds of atrocities that caused the mutilation of human limbs were very common.

For tens of hundreds of years, the brutal acts of massacre and looting in the coastal area of ​​the Persian Gulf are heinous.Their behavior was imitated by their European successors.The first British pirates in the Indian Ocean, or to be precise, pirate ships, even had a license to plunder issued by their king, ranging from "the Cape of Good Hope to the Eastern Continent, including the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Coromandel Coast, and the East Indies" .

Who are the pirates in the Indian Ocean?To the Portuguese, anyone who flouted their system of trade control was to the British, the merchant ships of the puny Indian Ocean littoral states to attack and plunder.But from the perspective of the subjects of the Safavid Empire, those merchant ships that were looted were the most traditional merchants.

The Europeans slandered their competitors as "pirates" and attacked and plundered wantonly, which greatly damaged the traditional trade practices in the entire Indian Ocean region.In fact, in the eyes of businessmen in many empires, it was because of the arrival of these Europeans that the number of pirates increased rapidly.Under their trade control, many Malabar merchants became impoverished and turned into pirates in order to survive.

With the gradual expansion of Qi's commercial power, maintaining the normal maritime trade order in the entire region has become their urgent priority.This country has dispatched many powerful professional warships to the Indian Ocean region to crack down on all kinds of piracy.Whether it is European pirates from afar, local Malabar pirates, or even Barbary pirates with Ottoman background, they are all within the strike range.

Those pirate captains and pirate backbones who committed serious crimes were hanged on the nearby port pier as a deterrent. Confession for life.

After more than ten years of continuous attack, regardless of the depths of the ocean, piracy has been greatly reduced in the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean and on major trade routes.

Therefore, whether it is the Mughal Empire or the Safavid Empire, they all hold a positive view of the Qi Navy's efforts to rectify the maritime security order in the Indian Ocean, and they are also happy to see a strong maritime force that can maintain normal sea conditions. trading.

The people of Qi, as their strength has grown, have gradually become the defenders and protectors of the order in the Indian Ocean.

(End of this chapter)