African Nationhood

Chapter 417 Persian Bend (Part )

On November 1903, 11, two cruisers flying the golden double-headed lion flag passed smoothly through the Strait of Hormuz and headed northwest.

Driving in front was a steel cruiser, the "Zhang Fei" that had just been taken over by the South China Navy. Following this new cruiser was the "Guan Yu".

"Zhang Fei" is a new type of steel-armored cruiser equipped with the latest curved reciprocating steam engine.

The displacement of this ship exceeded the cruiser limit of 3000 tons and reached 4300 tons.

Its speed has also increased to 24 knots. The ship is equipped with 2 203 mm guns, 10 120 mm guns, 12 47 mm guns, and 4 37 mm guns. Its force and speed have reached the ultimate level of a cruiser.

The hull cost of this cruiser is 25.5 pounds, and the total price including the armament on board is 32.5 pounds.

This steel-armored cruiser was originally manufactured by a British shipyard for the local navy, but the South China Navy Department pressed hard, so this cruiser was delivered to the South China Navy first.

Xue Youfu, who got the new cruiser, immediately named the ship "Zhang Fei". After all, the dark steel armor on the hull was very suitable for the occasion.

In addition, the Ministry of Navy announced the naming details of naval ships. Cruisers and offshore destroyers are named after military commanders of the Three Kingdoms.

As for the large battleships, they are named after the three kings of Wei, Shu and Wu. This is because the South China Navy will have three giant battleships: "Wu Wang", "Wei Wang" and "Shu Wang" in the future.

As soon as the South China Navy warship arrives, the Bahrain chief will surrender obediently. After all, this island country has a population of only 7.

Muhammad bin Sani died in 1878, and his son Jassim succeeded him as emir.

Bahrain is best to accept it. After all, this small island is isolated in the sea without any help.

This marks the formal establishment of the Al Thani family's dominance over Qatar.

……

Under the leadership of the Al Thani family, Qatar won and completely broke away from Bahrain's rule.

The cruising ranges of the three fleets can be rotated regularly.

The Navy Department scheduled the fleet of generals from Wu State to patrol the Atlantic Ocean first, and the fleet of generals from Shu State to patrol the Indian Ocean first.

The British forced Bahrain to sign the Persian Gulf Peace Treaty in 1820, and Bahrain became a British protectorate in 1880.

The Wei generals' fleet first patrolled overseas and protected various overseas territories. After a few years, the three fleets changed the cruising areas.

In addition, he also cooperated with the British to continuously weaken the influence of the Al Khalifa tribe (the royal family of Bahrain) in Qatar.

Jassim united other tribes in 1893 to repel the invasion of the powerful Ottoman Empire, further consolidating the dominance of the Al Thani family.

In 1847, Muhammad bin Sani became the leader of the family tribe in Qatar.

……

He actively united the various tribes in Qatar and formed an alliance with Saudi Arabia.

Jassim vigorously developed the pearl trade, making Qatar the largest pearl producer in the region.

The three battleships were divided into flagships, each commanding a fleet.

……

The difficulty now lies in Qatar. The people of this peninsula-type government are united and united, and their fighting power is fierce.

This time the "Zhang Fei" and the "Guan Yu" went to the Persian Gulf hand in hand to take over the two territories of Bahrain and Qatar.

From 1867 to 1868, war broke out between Qatar and Bahrain.

As a military stronghold in the Persian Gulf, there was no room for failure in conquering Qatar, so Navy Commander Xue Youfu personally led a team to take over.

The first two ships to go to was Bahrain, which is already a British colony and can be received upon arrival.

And the Navy Ministry wants to use the name of the Bahrain royal family to eliminate Qatar's rebellion. …

On November 11, two naval ships arrived at the port of Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

Louis Paley, the British political resident in the Persian Gulf who was stationed here, came to greet the personnel of the South China Admiralty.

After the two sides handed over the defense of this place, Louis Paley led Xue Youfu and a group of naval soldiers equipped with submachine guns and grenades and marched towards the city of Manama.

Since most of this area is desert, there are very few carriages here. The British invited Xue Youfu to ride a camel into the city.

This made Xue Youfu very interesting. After the group got on the camels, they slowly marched towards the city.

By the time they arrived at the Royal City of Manama, it was already an hour later.

Louis Paley introduced Xue Youfu and the Nanhua Navy soldiers behind him in white navy uniforms to the gatekeepers.

Tell them that these South Chinese people will be the protectors of Bahrain in the future, and let the gatekeepers clearly recognize the faces of these people to avoid any disputes in the future.

The gatekeeper soldiers went back to report, and soon officials from the Kingdom of Bahrain came to greet Xue Youfu.

After entering the royal city, Xue Youfu and others saw that most of the indigenous people here had dark eyes and strange pupils. Although their skin was white, their appearance was obviously different from that of Europeans.

Following the guidance of officials, they arrived at the palace.

The architecture here is very Arabic-style, and I don’t think it’s strange after seeing it more. What I see more is the vaguely figure of the woman wearing a cloth robe.

Their attire is more conservative than that of the women in Port Bella, with basically no nudity except for their faces.

Following the guidance of officials, they finally met the ruler of Bahrain, Issa Ben Ali Khalifa.

The Sultan is middle-aged, of average height and of moderate wealth.

The white robe and turban on his body are very new. The gemstone ring on the sultan's finger is very eye-catching, and the silk fabric he wears is very light.

The British bowed their heads and saluted the Sultan, "Dear Sultan Khalifa, I am here to say goodbye to you.

I am about to leave my post and return to my homeland. This is General Xue Youfu, the commander of the South China Navy. He will replace me and be stationed in the Port of Manama. "

Issa Ben Ali Khalifa had long heard that the British had transferred the protection of their kingdom to the Nanhua Company. He was a little relieved to see the Nanhua people this time.

Although this Nanhua man is not young, his appearance is not ferocious. Instead, he has a restrained and calm demeanor.

Khalifa Sultan greeted Xue Youfu in English with a smile, "Hello, respected General Xue Youfu, on behalf of the Emirate of Bahrain, I welcome you."

Xue Youfu also followed the British approach and bowed to the Sultan of Bahrain, saying, "Thank you for your kindness. On behalf of Mr. Shi Jintang, Chairman of the South China Council, I send my greetings to you. I hope we can live in harmony in the future."

Sultan Khalifa immediately smiled and nodded, "Peace is the most precious, and we in the Emirate of Bahrain also hope to maintain good communication with South China."

After speaking, the Sultan of Bahrain told the attendant beside him: "Go and prepare for the banquet. I want to have a good banquet with the guests from afar, and I also want to see him off with Mr. Louis Paley."

……

The banquet was prepared in a sumptuous manner, including roasted lamb, roasted camel, fresh fruits and seafood. Only the royal family could enjoy such a luxurious banquet on this barren desert island.

When the banquet was over, the Sultan of Bahrain not only presented Xue Youfu with a large box of top-quality pearls, but also several young Arab girls, each of whom was young, beautiful and graceful.

Xue Youfu accepted all the pearls and women, but only placed them in the barracks.

After half a month passed after the British left, Xue Youfu led his people into the royal city and directly controlled all the members of the royal family.

(End of this chapter)