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Chapter 1114 Lawrence of Arabia 6
First, occupy the port of Suez in one fell swoop, then join forces with the Bedouin tribes that oppose the Ottoman Empire to capture Tours, the most important trading port on the Sinai Peninsula, and then demand a high degree of autonomy from the Ottoman Sultan.

Logically speaking, Murad IV would definitely not agree to the conditions set by Piyali and others. This is simply blackmail. If it is not severely punished, wouldn't the Beys or tribal leaders in various places follow suit and demand autonomy in the future?

But he faced a dilemma: either continue to besiege Baghdad and ignore the riots in Egypt; or temporarily suspend the siege of Baghdad and withdraw some troops to Egypt to quell the rebellion.

But no matter which choice they make, they will have to pay a heavy price. If they ignore it, the unrest in Egypt may expand from a spark to a prairie fire. If they pay attention to it, the Persian army will have more time to mobilize, making the siege of Baghdad difficult or even unsuccessful, which is what the General Staff wants.

What if Murad IV did not fall for it and ignored the unrest in Egypt, stepped up the siege of Baghdad, and then marched south to deal with the Piyalis after winning?

If the situation really develops in this direction, the General Staff also has backup measures. Suez and Tours are both important ports connecting Egypt with the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf through the Red Sea.

If Egypt gets stuck here, it would be like having its throat strangled. Although it would not be fatal, breathing would be very uncomfortable. If it continues for a long time, it may experience symptoms of general weakness or even fainting.

Compared to Egypt, Baghdad and Mesopotamia were not that important to the Ottoman Empire. Egypt had a large amount of maritime trade with the Venetians through Alexandria, and it was also an important position for maintaining a military presence in the eastern Mediterranean, which could not be lost.

At that time, the Piyali and other ethnic groups will sign many trade agreements with the Ming Empire as autonomous regions, and agree to lease part of the land in Suez Port to the Imperial Navy as a base.

As long as the agreement is signed, the Ming Empire Navy can enter the Red Sea openly and have a good port of call. It is too late for the Ottoman Empire to say anything, because the lease period is written in black and white.

Regret? That's great. The Imperial Navy was worried about finding an excuse to completely eliminate the Ottoman naval forces from the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf. Now is the chance.

No matter what the relationship between Piyali and the Ottoman Empire is, he has actual control over Suez and Tours Port, and has signed the contract and received the money. During the lease period, the Ming Empire must be allowed to use the land as agreed. Anyone who disagrees can see if their fist is strong enough.

Return the rent and then compensate for the loss? It's not impossible, but the amount is a bit large, roughly a hundred times the rent. Why so much? Of course it makes sense.

First of all, the rent is written in black and white. No one can fake it. It is what it should be. We are all civilized people and we don't do shitty things like extortion.

Secondly, the investment. From the moment the contract was signed, the Imperial Navy and related industries were preparing to build a base in Suez Port. For example, they stepped up the purchase of building materials and hired workers; they also built or expanded related factories and mines. The human, material and financial resources spent were much more than the rent.

Finally, there is the penalty. If you breach the contract, there will be a high penalty, which will definitely be written in the lease. Why is it so high? Of course, if it is not high, can it have the effect of punishment?
If the defaulters are not punished, how can the Ming Empire survive in Asia and even the world in the future? They sign contracts when they say they will sign contracts, and they breach contracts when they say they will breach contracts. They are just messing with the stupid boy!

In fact, it doesn't need to be a hundred times, Murad IV couldn't afford ten times. The rent amount is not what you want to write, and who knows whether it has been paid or not except Piyali and the other Beys.

In the final analysis, they just refused to leave. Those who want to reason have a lease in place, and no matter how you reason, you are still on the side of the Ming Empire. Those who don't want to reason can also use force. The Colombo Naval Base is the bridgehead for the Ming Empire Navy to enter the Arabian Sea. The Red Sea and the Persian Gulf are blocked at will, and any ships related to the Ottoman Empire can't pass.

From then on, the Ottoman Empire had no access to the sea in Asia. If there was any, it had to be abandoned, and no ship was allowed to go to sea. It was guarding the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, but it could only be used as a dead end, and it could no longer make money as a middleman.

However, the goods of the Ming Empire could flow into West Asia from the sea and enter the Mediterranean through the excellent geographical location of the Port of Suez. As long as the Venetian profiteers did not object, the two sides could even trade directly and completely cut out the middlemen to make a profit!

This result was totally unacceptable to Murad IV, so he had to put Baghdad aside for the time being and prioritize solving the problems in Egypt.

According to the opinions of the General Staff and the Navy, whether Murad IV comes or not, the Port of Suez must be taken, and two Marine Guards must be prepared for this purpose. The plan is to go to war if the negotiations fail.

But this plan was ultimately rejected by the emperor. Hong Tao also knew that the Port of Suez had an excellent geographical location, but he was unwilling to break off relations with the Ottoman Empire and engage in a war for it.

How could it be possible that they would hide behind the Persians and let them serve as cannon fodder, but they ended up going into battle bare-handed? The necessary military deterrence must be there, but the ultimate goal is not war, but peace.

The Port of Tours can be returned to the Ottomans, and the Port of Suez should not be autonomous, but simply set up a concession. The Ming Empire will not station troops or build military bases, but only use it as a commercial port, so there should be some room for negotiation.

In this way, the Ming Empire's commercial tentacles legitimately opened the door to the West Asian market. What came with the ships were not only goods and sailors, but also something invisible and intangible, but at work all the time, which is called economic influence.

The energy of this thing is actually greater than that of war, but it is more obscure. It is a colorless and tasteless but deadly chronic poison. Whoever eats it will not have any reaction in a short period of time, and then will feel comfortable all over.

But it won't be long before you find yourself addicted. If you don't eat for a day, you will feel weak, lose your appetite, and can't sleep at night. By then, it will be too late to wake up. The toxicity has already corroded the body and damaged the organs. If you force yourself to quit, you may die suddenly. If you don't quit, you will die too. There is no cure.

Hong Tao likes to play this kind of cowardly and mean tricks, and hates wars with knives and guns. Using brains to cripple or kill a country or a nation without bloodshed will give people a sense of conquest and superiority. Killing people with a gun is too low-level, anyone can do it, and it does not require any technical skills.

Even if we want to fight, we cannot choose this time. We must delay it for a year until the naval base in Hawaii is completed and has the ability to protect and sustain itself.

Otherwise, the navy would have to fight on multiple fronts, sending a large number of transport forces escorted by warships to Hawaii, while drawing combat forces to gather in the Arabian Sea, and at the same time not ignoring the defense of the Cape of Good Hope. It's not that it can't be done, but it's too tense and unnecessary.

(End of this chapter)