Chapter 3727
Chapter 3727
Chapter 3727
Whether the Portuguese like it or not, the situation in the Indian Ocean is quietly changing.
The appearance of the special warfare division's fleet in the coastal area of the Arabian Sea means that there is a new competitor in the sea route connecting the area east of the Strait of Malacca. Moreover, this competitor is very powerful and has more commercial resources than other competitors, especially several traditional maritime powers from Europe.
The Netherlands and Portugal are the two European countries that have been operating in East Asia for the longest time and with the widest scope of business. But precisely because of this, these two countries have suffered the greatest impact from Hai Han's entry into the Indian Ocean.
Commodities that could only be transported between the East and the West through Dutch and Portuguese merchant ships now have Hai Han as a supply channel. Moreover, Hai Han controls a large amount of first-hand sources of goods in East Asia, and its cost advantage makes it impossible for merchants from the Netherlands and Portugal to compete with it.
During the time when Qian Tiandun's fleet visited the ports along the Arabian Sea, the prices of imported East Asian commodities in various places responded and showed a clear downward trend.
Wherever the Hai Han fleet went, new quotations appeared for goods produced in East Asia, such as silk, tea, spices, and high-end porcelain. Although a price drop of 20% to 30% might not seem too much, it was enough to defeat the Europeans who originally controlled these commercial resources.
Local merchants realized that if they switched their ordering channels from Europeans to Hai Han people, it would mean a significant increase in their profits from distributing East Asian goods.
In particular, the Ottoman Empire, which had a strong spending power, seemed to have reached a trade cooperation intention with Hai Han. If this big customer of the Ottoman Empire also ran away, it would be a huge loss for European merchants.
Rui, who was stationed on Hormuz Island, was one of those who were unwilling to accept this fact. The proactive measure he took was to try to prevent Hai Han from building the so-called Fubo Port on the south side of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Rui Yi did not expect that the troops he had organized with the help of a large number of connections and resources could not even take over a small place where only a few hundred Hai Han soldiers were stationed. Instead, they were dragged down by the enemy until reinforcements arrived.
These rabble were naturally defeated in the face of the powerful Hai Han fleet, and there was nothing to say about their final defeat.
Fortunately, Rui did not appear in person during the entire operation. The several letters he sent were handed over to several brokers who had close ties with Portugal. These Arab brokers then instigated tribal armed forces to form a coalition force to attack Fubo Port.
Although the plan failed, Rui was sure that he would not be implicated in the matter. At least Hai Han could not get any evidence to prove that he was involved.
Sure enough, until Qian Tiandun withdrew his large troops from the Persian Gulf, he did not send troops to retaliate against Hormuz Island where Rui was located. This also made Rui, who had been worried for many days, finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But he soon heard that Hai Han had used all the thousands of people captured in the battle as coolies and put them into the construction of Fubo Port.
From this it can be seen that the effect of this action was actually counterproductive. Not only did it fail to prevent Hai Han from building a port in the local area, but it also sent a group of strong laborers to help the other side.
Moreover, Rui was not completely sure whether Hai Han believed that this matter was related to him.
He only knew that the day Fubo Port was built was the day when Hormuz Island began to decline.
Some Persian merchants who have been secretly communicating with Hormuz Island have made it clear that they will purchase Hai Han-related goods directly from Fubo Port in the future. After all, that is the first-hand source of goods, and the price and quality are far more advantageous than the second-hand goods that the Portuguese are dealing in. Even merchants who have cooperative relations with Portugal are like this, not to mention others who are still waiting to see how the situation changes. Rui can't help but feel deeply worried about the future of Hormuz Island.
Once the trade share of Hormuz Island drops sharply, it will be difficult for him as the governor to report to the country. The nobles and wealthy businessmen in Lisbon don't care what happens in the Persian Gulf. They only care about whether the numbers in the account book increase or decrease. Rui, who holds power in Hormuz Island, is just an executor who is responsible for doing things and taking the blame.
By then, someone in the country will definitely be needed to be responsible for the situation on Hormuz Island, and Rui will probably have to say goodbye to the position he had worked so hard to get.
When Rui thought of such a result, he felt extremely unwilling.
They clearly arrived earlier than the Hai Han people and spent more time and effort managing Hormuz Island. So why could the Hai Han people just come to the Persian Gulf and easily snatch away the trade share that originally belonged to them?
If the garrison on Hormuz Island was not too small and lacked the ability to cross the sea and launch amphibious operations, Rui would actually like to make up his mind and directly confront the Hai Han people in Fubo Port.
But for now, he can only ensure that the Island of Hormuz where he is located will not become a target of attack by the Hai Han people, and try to maintain the existing trade share for the time being.
However, bad news continued to come. It was said that the Xihu tribe in the area where Fubo Port was located had actually cooperated with Hai Han and had sent a large number of personnel to Fubo Port to participate in the construction.
Ke Rui clearly remembered that when he came to Hormuz Island to take up his post, the former governor told him that the Arabs of the Xihu tribe were unyielding and not worthy of cooperation.
Why did the Arabs rush over to join the Hai Han people? Rui was puzzled as to what magic the Hai Han people had that allowed them to gain the recognition of the locals so quickly.
But the current situation does not allow Rui to ponder such problems any longer. He must find a way to save himself and the situation of Hormuz Island.
Since hard means won't work, we can only settle for the next best thing.
Rui sent several teams to major ports along the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea to visit local officials and dealers with close ties to Portugal, hoping to maintain such personal connections and ensure that Portugal's share of local trade would not be easily replaced by Hai Han.
But this also involves many practical interests. Now that Hai Han has demonstrated its strength through this huge fleet’s patrol, how many people are willing to give up the opportunity to cooperate with Hai Han just to maintain its cooperative relationship with Portugal?
“The Hai Han people said that from now on we can set up offices in any port under Hai Han’s jurisdiction, and the transaction tax will be exempted for a certain number of years. This is a treatment we have never received on Hormuz Island!”
"Take a look at the price the Hai Han people offered us, and then look at yours. What's the difference in price?"
"That's the Hai Han Kingdom, the most powerful empire in the East today. You actually suggest that we shouldn't cooperate with them? If we don't cooperate with them, do we become their enemy?"
The teams sent out to visit various places almost all ran into setbacks.
It is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm. No one is willing to take the risk of offending Hai Han in order to maintain relations with Portugal.