Chapter 3987
Chapter 3987
Chapter 3987
In fact, the Special Forces Division had already suffered a loss once before regarding the unusability of Mughal laborers at Hamban Port, where they returned all the laborers. However, when Fubo Port was short of people, Li Yuande, having exhausted all other options, tried recruiting in another location within the Mughal Empire, thinking that perhaps he had just been unlucky and had encountered the wrong people last time. Unexpectedly, the people he brought back were no different, and he suffered the same loss and was deceived once again.
Li Yuande was actually alright; he had only lost some money, which wasn't a serious problem for him, so he just accepted his bad luck.
Qian Tiandun, however, was angered by the impact on the port construction process. He berated the Indians at the command post, saying "they are unusable," and issued a decree prohibiting the hiring of personnel from the Mughal Empire into the special operations division's subordinate agencies—a restriction that was soon extended to the entire Indian subcontinent.
Because Qian Tiandun rarely lost his temper in public, his somewhat exasperated behavior this time was widely known within the special operations division, and even unofficial personnel like Qin Xiangqian had heard about it.
Neither Li Yuande nor Qin Xiangqian understood why Qian Tiandun referred to the Mughal laborers as "A-San" (a derogatory term for Indians). But since the commander-in-chief had said so, the term became a synonym for the Mughal Empire and its people within the Special Forces Division.
Compared to the Indians who were rejected, the Persians in front of Qin Xiangqian were barely acceptable. Although the Persians didn't have a good reputation either, having been known as "Persian swindlers" for thousands of years, and were first-rate at being cunning, Qin Xiangqian knew that these guys were opportunistic. If they were given a little kindness, they would take advantage of it. Only severe reprimands and punishments could keep them in check.
Qin Xiangqian, with a stern face, addressed the Persian laborers who had lined up: "Today, a fleet of ships from afar will be docking at the port. You must immediately clear out Pier 3 and move all the goods on the dock into the warehouse. As for those Persian merchant ships, if they are not leaving today, have them temporarily move to Pier 2. Before the fleet arrives, all the berths at Pier 3 must be vacated."
The Persian foreman in charge of translation understood Chinese, and after listening, he immediately relayed the message to the laborers in Persian.
However, the Persian foreman immediately raised a problem: Pier 3 was the designated docking point for Persian merchant ships, while Pier 2 was managed by Arab laborers, and it might be inconvenient for Persian merchant ships to move there to dock.
Saying it's inconvenient is actually a very mild way of putting it. Arabs don't give Persians a friendly look, and the two sides have had verbal altercations at the port more than once. If it weren't for the high prestige and strict discipline of the special operations division, the two sides would probably have already started fighting.
The Persian laborers clearly disagreed with Qin Xiangqian's order, arguing that since Pier No. 3 was a dedicated dock for Persian merchant ships, and there were still seven or eight empty berths, enough to accommodate a dozen or twenty ships if squeezed together, why should the Persian merchant ships be moved and the entire dock emptied?
Although Qin Xiangqian was the port manager, he wasn't the one who made the decision; he merely relayed and executed the orders from headquarters. However, he did have some idea why such orders were given.
Today, Li Yuande's fleet is about to arrive at Fubo Port, along with a large number of merchant ships and immigrant ships from China, and reportedly a reinforcement fleet that has come from afar. The entire fleet consists of at least several dozen ships, and upon arrival, they will need to dock immediately to unload their cargo. Naturally, it would be more convenient to moor at a series of interconnected berths.
Even if the entire No. 3 pier were cleared out, it might not be possible to dock the entire massive fleet. Some ships would likely need to be diverted to anchor near the shore in the still-uncompleted harbor on the east side of Fubo Port. However, Qin Xiangqian had no time to explain these reasons and arrangements to the Persians. Getting things done was the priority right now. Otherwise, if the fleet arrived at Fubo Port before the pier was cleared, he would be held accountable by his superiors.
Qin Xiangqian knew the weaknesses of these Persians very well. He told the foreman that if the task was not completed on time today, everyone at Pier 3 would have half a month's salary deducted as punishment, including the foreman himself.
The foreman was shocked to hear this. What was more important than his half-month's salary? He immediately scolded the listless Persian laborers and told them to get to work or they would lose their wages.
When the Persian laborers heard that their job today was directly linked to their wages for the month, they dared not cause any more trouble and obediently began to clear the dock.
The temporary adjustments caused some minor disruptions at Fubo Port. The strongest opposition naturally came from the Persian merchant ships that were ordered to move to Pier 2. Each of them had cargo yet to be loaded and unloaded, and the relocation of the pier meant they had to re-coordinate related matters, which was indeed troublesome.
For these boat owners, each additional day of stopping means an extra day's expenses, which is real money being taken from their own pockets. How could they tolerate such a thing happening to them?
Qin Xiangqian tried to persuade them, but seeing that the Persian ship owners still refused to obey, he knew that these people would not turn back until they hit a brick wall. So he sighed and sent his attendants to fetch reinforcements.
Before long, a young officer rode up on a tall horse. He pulled on the reins and dismounted in front of the group. When the Persian ship owners saw who it was, although their faces were still dark, they all shut their mouths and stopped spitting at Qin Xiangqian.
The visitor was none other than Qian Shaobao, the son of Qian Tiandun. These ship owners frequently traveled to and from Fubo Port, so they naturally recognized this "young marshal".
Although Qian Shaobao was young, his methods of handling matters were anything but naive; on the contrary, he was quite decisive. In the past, some Persian merchants who caused trouble in Fubo Port were later directly expelled from the country by this young marshal Qian, without giving them any room for argument or explanation.
The Persians had long discovered that trading with Haihan was quite profitable, so Persian merchants who came to Fubo Port to do business either had powerful backgrounds or had paid tribute to their own government; not just anyone was qualified to earn this money. Once unilaterally kicked out of the game, it was very difficult to return.
What remains, besides the valuable opportunity to become a substitute, is a profound lesson: never provoke the seemingly easy-going young general, Qian, whose temper can turn faster than the blink of an eye, and who is extremely harsh on Persian merchants, showing them no preferential treatment whatsoever.
Seeing that the Persian merchants were all cowering and dared not speak, Qian Shaobao sneered, "Qin Xiangqian, tell them to move their ships immediately. We will let bygones be bygones, and the port berthing fee this time will be halved as compensation. If they are unwilling to comply, then they should hurry back to Persia and never let me see them in Fubo Port again!"