Chapter 4023
Chapter 4023
Chapter 4023
When Takahashi Minami's fleet re-entered the Red Sea, thousands of miles away in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, the royal family, which held supreme power, was also holding a meeting to discuss the proposal to hand over the Suez region to Haihan for development.
Arif, the imperial envoy who had just returned to Istanbul, reported to Sultan Mehmed IV and Queen Mother Turhan on his observations in Basra, the content of his talks with the Haihan people, and the suggestions they had made.
Of course, Arif carefully omitted the details of the cooperation regarding the import of Haihan wine to avoid displeasing his superiors. Fine wine was not only a personal hobby for him, but also a highly profitable business. Since Haihan had made it clear that they only had him as a partner in this cooperation project, it was only reasonable for the related profits to go into his own pocket.
Arif considered the profits from the imported Haihan wine as a small reward for his hard work, given that he had traveled such a long way to Basra to inspect the area for the royal family.
Although he was a member of the royal family, Arif knew very well that his current status and position were bestowed by the Empress Dowager. If she found out that he was having an affair with the Haihan people, he might immediately lose her trust and even be demoted to a commoner.
Therefore, when explaining the cooperation plan of the Haihan people, Arif did not say anything particularly good about Qian Tiandun. He simply relayed the exchange conditions proposed by the other party and did not urge Empress Dowager Turhan to make a decision as soon as possible.
Turhan did not immediately express his opinion, but first asked the young Sultan for his opinion: "My son, what do you think?"
The young Sultan knew this was not just a casual question from his mother, but a test of his political acumen, so he answered very cautiously: "Mother, I have heard that Haihan is an Eastern empire that has risen rapidly in the last thirty years, possessing a powerful military and advanced navigation technology, which is very similar to those colonial countries from Western Europe."
"They have established a port in the Strait of Hormuz and started trading with neighboring countries. They seem to operate more like a group of armed merchants. If they want to do business with us, I think that's fine, but we need to be careful about whether there is any conspiracy behind it. After all, this is our first time dealing with the Haihan people, and we have very limited knowledge of them."
The young Sultan's answer was perfectly balanced and watertight, demonstrating both his understanding of Haihan and his awareness of potential hidden risks.
But Turhan seemed unsatisfied with this answer and pressed further: "The Haihan people have proposed handing over the Suez region to them for management. What do you think about this?"
Since his ascension to the throne, the young Sultan has spent most of his time in Istanbul and the surrounding area, never venturing to the remote regions of the empire. Therefore, his knowledge of Basra at the southern end of the Persian Gulf and Suez, located at the junction of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, comes only from written reports or other people's retellings.
Therefore, all he knew was that his country had incorporated the entire territory of Egypt, including the Suez Canal, into its territory more than a hundred years ago. That region, located on the eastern edge of the Nile Delta, did not have abundant resources, and the government's revenue mostly came from passing caravans.
These caravans transported goods overland between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, a long-standing and traditional business that the Ottoman Empire had never interfered with. The Haihan people's desire to seize control of this region was clearly aimed at controlling the local overland trade routes.
Arif relayed the Haihan people's proposal: granting them control of the region would significantly boost Ottoman tax revenue. If the Ottomans were willing to lease the land, a long-term lease price could be negotiated. A direct sale was also open to discussion; the Haihan could offer a favorable price for the Ottomans to consider. In short, judging from the conditions offered, the Haihan seemed to have some intention to increase the profitability of the Suez region, and were willing to pay a considerable sum to the Ottomans to secure a long-term agreement to control the area.
The young Sultan mentally reviewed the information he already possessed before replying to Turhan, "Mother, I believe the Haihan people's proposal is worth considering. The taxes we collect from the local area each year are very limited. If the Haihan people can provide us with stable and high returns in the long term, then such cooperation would clearly benefit our country."
Turhan said, "Have you considered what to do if the Haihan people control the region and cut off our land route to the Nile Delta? Or what if they announce at some point that they will no longer return ownership of the region?"
The young Sultan replied without hesitation, "If the Haihan people break their promise, we will send troops to punish them, confiscate all their property, and drive them out of that region!"
Turhan said, "If Lord Koprulu heard your answer, he certainly wouldn't be happy. Even if he had the ability to create clones, it would be difficult for him to take care of a new battlefield as well."
Currently, the military power in the Ottoman Empire is held by Koprulu, who holds the title of Grand Vizier. This old vizier has been leading troops to quell rebellions in Eastern Europe for the past few years and has not returned to Istanbul to handle political affairs much. This has given the young Sultan and the Empress Dowager, who is ruling from behind the curtain, more opportunities to intervene in political affairs.
Koprulu's instructions to the mother and son were simple: avoid trouble and military conflicts with other countries, especially neighboring rivals of similar strength with long-standing grudges, such as Persia, which bordered the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire.
If, for some reason, a conflict breaks out with the Haihans in the Suez region, Koprulu will be unable to travel thousands of miles from the Carpathian Mountains to put out the fire.
Although the young Sultan lacked governing experience, the audience had learned a lot over the years and immediately understood Turhan's meaning: "Does the Queen Mother feel that there are too many variables in cooperation, so she should reject the Haihan people?"
Turhan nodded and explained, “The Haihan people are clearly not here to repay our country’s kindness. Although the reward they can offer will be more than the current local taxes, we will have to take on a lot of unnecessary risks for it, which is not worthwhile.”
"Furthermore, if the Haihan people enter the Mediterranean through the Suez region, they will create another competitor for us. Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing? They can do business in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and they want to extend their reach into Europe. They are definitely not some honest street vendors."
The young Sultan suddenly realized, "My mother is right. I was short-sighted!"
Turhan smiled slightly and turned to Arif, asking, "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"