Chapter 4025
Chapter 4025
Chapter 4025
The conditions proposed by Qian Tiandun during his visit to Basra ultimately failed to sway the Ottoman leader. Empress Dowager Turhan instructed Arif to convey her decision to the Haihan people and warned them not to get too close to the Persians, otherwise they would lose the trade opportunities they craved and could no longer transport goods to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.
Turhan believed he had seen through the Haihan people's tricks. Since the Haihan people cared most about cross-border trade, he only needed to use this to control them and prevent them from making any rash moves.
In short, before Vizier Koprulu returns victorious after quelling the rebellion, the priority is to stabilize the situation and prevent war from breaking out in the Persian Gulf. As for the Haihan people wanting to build ports and trade there, or to establish trade relations with Basra, as long as it doesn't affect the overall situation, we'll turn a blind eye and let them do as they please.
Turhan did not ask whether Arif had received any benefits from the Haihan people during his time in Basra, nor did he intend to.
She knew that her cousin was incompetent and a heavy drinker, unfit for any important task, only good for errands and odd jobs. But that was precisely why she trusted Arif – with Arif's qualifications, he wouldn't have any political ambitions, and even if outsiders tried to bribe him, it wouldn't affect the political situation in the Ottoman Empire.
It must be said that Turhan's judgment of people is quite accurate. Arif really didn't have much of an opinion on this matter. Anyway, the old prime minister would not allow him to enter the court as an official as a relative of the emperor. Being appointed as a special envoy was basically the end of his career. The amount of political achievements he had would not affect him, as long as he didn't cause trouble outside.
Arif didn't care what the Haihans wanted to do in Suez; he was just a little worried that if he rejected their proposal, the supply of those unique Haihan wines might be cut off.
This possibility was, of course, unlikely. After all, the Strait of Hormuz already had ports operated by the Haihan people. At worst, they could simply send people there to make purchases, or find some Arab merchants to run errands. Thinking of this, Arif felt a little more at ease.
The changing situation in the Persian Gulf failed to attract the attention of the Ottoman Empire, which had both advantages and disadvantages for the special operations division. The advantage was that the division could continue its preparations for war and increase its military influence in the Persian Gulf without worrying about provoking the Ottomans' suspicion. The disadvantage was that Qian Tiandun's proposed cooperation was flatly rejected, eliminating the possibility of controlling the Suez Canal through economic means and forcing them to prioritize war.
However, for the special operations division soldiers who have been on hiatus for more than a year and have not carried out any large-scale combat operations during that time, the start of war is not necessarily bad news.
Without fighting, where would battle merits come from? And without battle merits, promotion would be hopeless. Currently, the only comparable power and potential source of conflict of interest within the special operations division's jurisdiction seems to be the Ottoman Empire. Many are secretly plotting, waiting for the right opportunity to have a fierce battle with the Ottomans.
The fleet led by Takahashi Minami has successfully arrived at Jeddah Port, but apart from a few personnel who went ashore to purchase supplies, the rest of the fleet is not allowed to leave the ship and go ashore without permission.
The reason for this regulation is that when Qian Tiandun led his fleet to dock at Jeddah last time, he summoned a large number of missionaries, attempting to use the special forces soldiers as his missionary targets.
Later, Qian Tiandun also felt that he was overwhelmed and had no choice but to order the fleet to set sail ahead of schedule. Just before leaving the port, some missionaries tried to persuade him to join the fleet under the pretext of boarding the ship, but Qian Tiandun refused them all.
Takahashi Minami's recent visit to Jeddah demonstrates a lesson learned from past mistakes. Even before departure, he had issued orders to officers at all levels, instructing them to strictly control their subordinates in Jeddah and forbid unauthorized contact with local missionaries. This stringent precaution stemmed from the missionaries' insidious and pervasive nature. For the special operations division, faith must be absolute loyalty to the Executive Committee and national honor, not some foreign deity conjured up out of thin air.
Portuguese missionaries had attempted a similar approach in the past, but after a stern warning from Haihan, they had to abandon their plans to preach in Haihan's territory. The Arab missionaries in Jeddah, however, were even more enthusiastic than the Portuguese, and far more proactive than their counterparts in Hittiya, likely due to a lack of understanding of Haihan.
Li Yuande had originally proposed a business plan: during the Hajj period each year, he would use the special forces division's maritime transport capacity to open several more shipping routes in the Red Sea with Jeddah as the destination, specifically to transport believers heading to Mecca for Hajj. This would generate a considerable income.
However, due to the missionaries' overly enthusiastic performance, Qian Tiandun had to reject this potentially lucrative business plan. Otherwise, during a pilgrimage, a considerable number of crew members might have been dragged down by these missionaries.
Despite Takahashi Minami's aloof attitude, she soon received visitors. Unsurprisingly, the visitors were a group of several respected local religious elders.
Their purpose in visiting was clear: to try to persuade Takahashi Minami to allow the crew members free access to the local community, rather than restricting normal exchanges between the two sides.
After listening to the translation, Takahashi Minami simply sneered and replied, "What is normal interaction? In your eyes, we outsiders are just a bunch of heretics, aren't we? You're trying to assimilate us, to turn us into devout believers, and that's what you call normal interaction?"
“My view is somewhat different. Normal relations will only begin when you completely abandon your missionary intentions. Until then, it’s best for both parties to maintain a purely monetary transaction relationship and avoid any entanglements outside of business.”
The elders tried to persuade Takahashi Minami, but after decades of military service, Takahashi Minami's determination was beyond that of ordinary people, and no matter how much the elders tried to persuade him, it was to no avail.
After patiently dealing with them for a long time, Takahashi Minami finally managed to get rid of them. He then summoned the fleet's logistics chief to inquire about the current trade situation at the port.
Unsurprisingly, although the local missionaries' transgressions were stopped, this did not significantly impact trade between the two sides. In particular, a shipment of goods from the Haihan fleet continued to sell at an extremely rapid pace.
Clearly, being a pagan is not an obstacle to trade. Truly good things can transcend different cultures and races, and are not affected by religious beliefs.
The Haihan goods that were so popular in the Persian Gulf were unsurprisingly sought after by local merchants in Jeddah, and as the goods circulated, Haihan's reputation spread far and wide.