Chapter 4006
Chapter 4006
Chapter 4006
Qian Tiandun was unimpressed by Arif's seemingly tough response. He had seen too many opponents in the negotiation arena who were all bark and no bite, with ulterior motives. They would make definitive statements right from the start, seemingly leaving no room for negotiation, but often it was to gain more initiative and bargaining chips. There were many instances where things would turn around later.
Qian Tiandun replied, "Lord Arif, the exchange conditions we proposed are not based on coercion of your country, but on the goal of win-win cooperation. Your country can not only obtain long-term economic benefits from the cooperative relationship, but also obtain very valuable security guarantees."
"And you, Lord Arif, will not merely play the role of a messenger in this process. If you are willing to facilitate this matter, you will also receive considerable economic rewards and gain great prestige in your country's political arena, becoming a commissioner in charge of Haihan affairs for a long time."
After Qian Tiandun finished speaking, he paid attention to Arif's expression. Sure enough, when the translator relayed the end of the story, a look of excitement appeared on Arif's face—he must have been tempted by the personal benefits that Qian Tiandun had mentioned.
One of the reasons Arif was sent by the Queen Mother to Basra to inspect the region was because a large quantity of inexpensive and high-quality Haihan goods had been imported into the area over the past year. The number of exquisite items presented to Istanbul by Governor Galle alone exceeded the total amount presented in the previous few years.
Although the actual transaction price of these Haihan goods was not low, the price of Haihan's direct supply was obviously much more affordable than the resale goods purchased from Portuguese merchants in the past. This also meant that it left a larger profit margin for distributors in the Ottoman country.
At the same time, a large number of goods produced in the Ottoman Empire flowed through the port of Basra to the small port on the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a remarkable surge in Basra's foreign trade revenue.
Haihan's supply capacity and purchasing power are both excellent, and the royal family believes that it may be worthwhile to consider officially opening a commercial shipping route from Basra to Fubo Port in order to further increase trade volume.
Trade is, of course, a well-known lucrative position, and the Empress Dowager secured it for Arif with the intention of keeping the benefits within the family. As for how much he could actually gain, that depended entirely on Arif's own abilities.
Qian Tiandun's talk about expanding maritime trade routes and exchanging arms trade for the right to operate in the Suez Canal certainly had an impact on the external environment of the Ottoman Empire, but did it have any direct relation to Arif?
Why should I, Arif, cooperate with you, Haihan, to do something that's optional? Do you really think I, the imperial envoy, have nothing better to do than act as a mouthpiece for a foreigner like you?
In Arif's view, whether this deal can be reached is secondary; the primary concern is that the Haihan people cannot ignore his existence or treat him as a tool. If he doesn't benefit in any way, what's the point of everyone sitting here wasting their breath?
Besides, the conditions Qian Tiandun gave were vague and did not explain how to proceed. I, Arif, am a high-ranking official of the empire. How could I just hand them over because of a few words?
Qian Tiandun pressed on, saying, "Lord Arif, you may not be very familiar with the trade situation between the two countries. Why don't you let Lord Galler tell you how much the Governor-General of Basra has benefited from the trade over the past year?"
Galler's expression changed slightly. Of the profits Basra gained from trade between the two countries, only a small portion was paid to the national treasury in the form of taxes. Naturally, the governor's office kept the rest.
As for the exquisite Haihan goods that Galar presented to Istanbul, they were insignificant compared to the Governor's Palace's profits. However, since Arif arrived in Basra, Galar had been treating him to good food and drink, and Arif had never mentioned anything about checking the accounts, so the two had reached a tacit understanding. Unexpectedly, Qian Tiandun brought this up, and Galar thought to himself, "Isn't this tantamount to selling myself out?"
When Galler saw that Arif's eyes were indeed looking at him, he quickly spoke up, "Sir, what General Qian said is indeed true. The benefits that this trade has brought to the Governor's Office are quite considerable."
Galler then quietly gave a number, while signaling to the translator not to tell Qian Tiandun this.
In this matter, Galar dared not deceive Arif to his face, because if Arif was determined to investigate, even if the governor's office had already prepared a false account as a backup, there was still Qian Tiandun to reconcile the accounts. Once Arif took the account book and reconciled it with the Haihan people, all the tricks would be exposed, and then disaster would befall them.
Arif's pupils contracted slightly when he heard the number Galer announced. Even for a nobleman of his rank, it was by no means an insignificant number.
To be honest, if Galar hadn't confessed, he really wouldn't have imagined that such a "remote area" as Basra would have such a large-scale foreign trade activity.
Arif smiled and said, "It seems that Lord Galar is quite talented in trade. It's really a waste of his talents to stay in Basra!"
Hearing the unfriendly tone in his voice, Galar quickly explained that he had already planned to inform the Queen Mother that the royal family should invest in the foreign trade business here, taking a majority stake, so that the royal family could also get a share in the profits in the future. The larger the scale of Basra's foreign trade, the more profits the royal family could obtain.
Galler's current concern is not how much benefit the royal family will take away, but that if Arif complains to the Queen Mother that he has set up a slush fund in Basra and is colluding with foreign merchants to enrich himself, he might lose his job and this great treasure trove would be handed over to someone else.
Arif naturally didn't believe Galer's words entirely. If he really intended to report it, why hadn't he mentioned it before, even though he'd been in Basra for so many days? If it weren't for this meeting with the Haihan people, who had brought it to light, Galer would have been secretly enjoying his spoils for who knows how long.
However, Arif couldn't immediately kick Galar out of the game. He wasn't clear about the details of Galar's cooperation with the Haihan people. If he just found someone to replace Galar, it might not be possible to continue the cross-border trade activities smoothly, and it might even end up being a complete disaster.
Moreover, Galler is far more familiar with Qian Tiandun than he is, and he will still need to offer advice for the upcoming negotiations.
Arif offered some words of comfort, telling Galar to relax and focus on the current negotiations. As for the trade profits between Basra and Haihan, there was no need to rush to divide the profits; the first priority was to appease the Haihan people.