Chapter 3717
Chapter 3717
Chapter 3717
Despite the lack of evidence, Qian Tiandun insisted that the Portuguese on Hormuz Island were closely linked to the recent pirate attacks.
As for why the Portuguese were so bold this time, Qian Tiandun believed that this was mainly related to the location of Hormuz Island.
This place is far away from Hai Han’s sphere of influence, and Governor Rui has never really had any contact with Hai Han in the past. Perhaps he had an unrealistic view of the strength of this ally, so he made some wrong judgments.
If he had consulted his colleagues in the Far East beforehand, someone would have warned him not to act rashly so as to avoid offending Hai Han and ending up in a bad situation.
But things have come to this, no matter whether the people on Hormuz Island will continue to try to make trouble for Hai Han, Qian Tiandun does not intend to swallow his anger.
"If we don't react, the Portuguese will think they are the weak ones!"
Qian Tiandun immediately ordered that the battle in Fubo Port be reported to all parties in the Persian Gulf, and asked all parties to cooperate in finding out the truth and fight against pirates together.
If the Portuguese on Hormuz Island repented and took the initiative to make peace with Hai Han, then the matter could still be resolved amicably. But if they continued to turn a deaf ear to this and refused to change their ways, Qian Tiandun would have to take further measures to make the Portuguese suffer.
Qian Tiandun did not intend to let go of the more than 600 prisoners captured in this battle. Fubo Port was in a serious labor shortage, and these prisoners were almost all young and strong men, who could be sent to the construction site as coolies.
With these captives, plus a group of laborers recently sent by the Xihu tribe, the labor gap in Fubo Port has finally been slightly filled, and the construction progress of the camp and the port can continue to move forward.
However, after such a big incident, Qian Tiandun did not dare to rush back before the situation became clear. Otherwise, if the main force left and this side was attacked by pirates again, it would be a real hassle to rush over from Hamban Port thousands of miles away to rescue them.
The messenger sent to Hormuz Island to deliver the joint investigation report returned to Fubo Port three days later. The Portuguese's statement on the attack on Fubo Port was somewhat beyond Qian Tiandun's expectations.
He thought that even if the Portuguese did not dare to admit that they were responsible for this incident, they would at least express their condolences for what happened to Fubo Port and show the attitude of an ally.
However, according to the envoy's report, the Portuguese first tried to distance themselves from the incident and show Hai Han that they had nothing to do with the pirate attack. This move was like trying to cover up one's own guilt, which Qian Tiandun thought was extremely stupid.
"I really overestimated this Rui! How could such a person who doesn't know the importance of things become a local governor?"
Qian Tiandun shook his head repeatedly, very dissatisfied with Portugal's personnel appointments. If the relationship between the two countries deteriorated because of this incident, it would not be a consequence that a small consul like Rui could bear.
Takahashi Nan said: "Sir, how about organizing another armed parade to put some pressure on the Portuguese?"
Qian Tiandun waved his hand and said, "This method costs a lot of money and has little effect. It is not suitable for the current situation. The Portuguese want to play dead and ruin, and the armed parade cannot be real, so it will not have a very good effect. We still need to use some means that can touch their interests." Li Yuande said, "If you don't want to use military means, then we can only make a fuss in the field of trade."
The measures that can be taken in the trade field are more diverse and not as sensitive as those in the military field. It is indeed a better choice for Hai Han.
According to Qian Tiandun's plan, they were supposed to wait until Fubo Port was completed and put into operation before gradually competing for the trade share in the Persian Gulf. But since Portugal wanted to use some unconventional competition methods from the beginning, Hai Han certainly didn't need to show mercy.
According to previous investigations, at least 30% of the trade between Hormuz Island and the Persian Gulf countries is related to Hai Han, and the Portuguese have made considerable profits as middlemen.
Now that Hai Han has entered this region and has established Fubo Port as a foothold, many businesses that originally required Portugal to act as a middleman can now be completed by Hai Han itself. As long as they can find a way to separate all trade related to Hormuz Island and Hai Han, it will have a huge impact on the local economy.
Although this process cannot be accomplished overnight, Qian Tiandun estimates that this goal can be achieved in a year or two at most.
In addition, the issue of arms sales to Persia was once again put back on the agenda by Qian Tiandun.
Since Portugal is unkind, then don’t blame Hai Han for being unjust. If Persia can purchase enough muskets and artillery from Hai Han, Hormuz Island will probably become the preferred training ground.
However, due to the alliance with Portugal, this kind of arms trade should not be carried out in Fubo Port, but needs to be carried out in another third-party port. Even the weapons and equipment sold to Persia need to be erased from all traces to avoid giving Portugal a handle and making a scene.
However, these countermeasures require strong domestic cooperation to be implemented, so after Qian Tiandun determined the general plan, he immediately sent a telegram to inform the Executive Committee of the emergency situation in the Persian Gulf and the response plan he had formulated, and requested the Executive Committee to provide the necessary support.
In fact, before Qian Tiandun sent the telegram for help, his exploration mission had already attracted considerable attention in the country.
As for Hai Han's external expansion in the four directions of southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest, there is no need to say much about the north. Since the surrender of the Qing Dynasty five years ago, Hai Han has had no rivals in its expansion in the north. The only obstacle is the extremely cold natural environment there.
The East was the direction in which Hai Han first achieved a major breakthrough overseas. Seven years ago, Wang Tom led his troops to North America, and now has opened up several colonies there, including Jinshan Port. There are also more than 10,000 Han immigrants under its rule, and it has basically gained a firm foothold on the other side of the ocean.
Last year, Xingdao and Luzon also began to move out of the South China Sea and head to the southern hemisphere to explore new continents, pushing Hai Han's territory southward by thousands of miles. The vanguards of the two regions also established colonial outposts in the new continent to prepare for subsequent mineral development.
At this point, the only lagging direction is the west.
Qian Tiandun's exploration, which lasted for several months, not only made him the first person among the time travelers to set foot on the African continent and the Mediterranean in this time and space, but also established permanent bases in the two important waterways of the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
This great contribution to expanding territory is enough to make Qian Tiandun's name appear again in Hai Han's history textbooks.