Chapter 3683
Seeing that the local aborigines did not show panic when facing the Haihan fleet, Qian Tiandun asked his men to communicate with these Arabs to understand the basic situation here.
Although communication was not smooth due to language problems, after communication, we still learned some general information about Khasab.
It is true that the Portuguese landed here a long time ago, but in the end they did not regard this place as an occupation target. The dozens of Portuguese immigrants who moved here in the early stage also moved collectively to Hormuz Island nearly a hundred years ago. Basically, Development here was abandoned.
Of course, although there are no Portuguese immigrants living here, it does not prevent the Portuguese on Hormuz Island from regarding this place as their own sphere of influence, and will try to prevent foreign forces like Haihan from entering Khasab.
But according to local Arabs, the current allegiance of their tribe is actually to the Ottoman state across Asia and Europe. This is also consistent with the information Haihan has.
However, this place already belongs to the eastern border of the Ottoman territory, and due to its vast territory, sparsely populated areas and few products, the Ottomans have no plans to station troops in such a place. Administratively, it is still managed by the local tribes themselves, only in name. It only belongs to the Ottoman state.
From a military perspective, if the Haihan Army wants to occupy this place, it should not suffer an immediate counterattack from the Ottomans. The center of the empire, which is thousands of miles away, may not learn about the landing of foreign troops here until a year or two later. As for the response to this, it is unknown how long it will take.
The next issue is the resettlement of local indigenous people.
There are only about a thousand Arabs settled in Khasab. It is certainly not difficult to use force to drive these people away. But the Shihu tribe to which these Arabs belong rules Khasab and the area hundreds of miles south, and they are not weaklings who are powerless to fight back.
As a last resort, Qian Tiandun did not want to fall into the quagmire of a security war in the early stages of development. He hoped to obtain the ownership rights of this area in a way acceptable to both parties.
However, several small tribes living in Khasab do not have the right to self-determination, and several elders are not very interested in Qian Tiandun's plan to purchase nearby areas with money, but they are very satisfied with some small gifts given by Qian Tiandun , thus allowing Haihan to build merchant houses and docks here to engage in trading activities.
As for military use, these Arabs don't quite understand it, because Khasab has never assumed military functions since it was settled.
For hundreds of years, the indigenous people have only been engaged in production and life based on fishing. The Portuguese army was briefly stationed here a hundred years ago. The Ottomans only dealt with the Shihu tribe to which they belonged, and never sent officials or troops. Crossing the sea, the aborigines did not feel much fear when facing the Haihan fleet.
"These Arabs are really big-hearted. Aren't they worried at all that we will use force to occupy this place?"
Li Yuande, who returned to the ship, also participated in the negotiations with the locals, but the two-day negotiation did not make much progress, which made him feel a little difficult to understand the casual attitude of the locals.
Qian Tiandun responded: "These Arabs have never been occupied by military forces when they settled here. It has been a hundred years since the last batch of colonists abandoned this place. They should not be able to imagine the situation of being occupied by others, let alone fear it." .”
Dong Shangyi said: "But if we want to build a port and a military fortress here, we have to let them move away to make room!" Qian Tiandun said: "This matter will probably be settled by the tribe above them, but It is said that the chief’s location is located in the heart of the desert, hundreds of miles away from here, and the transportation is very inconvenient. I am afraid it will take a lot of time and energy to deal with the other party.”
Dong Shangyi clasped his fists and said: "If the general is trustworthy, Dong is willing to request an order to go to the place where Chief Nahihu is on behalf of the special warriors to discuss with him the ownership of Khasab."
Qian Tiandun said: "In a strange place, with a language barrier and a harsh environment, are you not worried about the risks of this job?"
Dong Shangyi said: "Although I am in charge of business now, I am also from the military. What is there to be afraid of when going to negotiate as an envoy? It is just a matter of riding a camel for a few days. It just so happens that I have never ridden on this thing before, so I will take this opportunity to try it. After traveling all the way from Fujian to here, Dong suffered a lot. He thought that the desert was just full of yellow sand, could it be more dangerous than the sea? "
Although Dong Shangyi said it was easy, he actually knew that this trip was not easy. They had already ridden camels used to carry goods on Hormuz Island. The strong smell of the camels alone was suffocating, and the speed of travel was almost the same as walking. Staying with someone for many days is not a pleasant experience.
Upon seeing this, Li Yuande was unwilling to miss this opportunity to make a contribution, and immediately asked Qian Tiandun for orders: "If this place is to be developed in the future, I, Furui Feng, will definitely be the first company to invest here. And in the past more than a year, I During the time, I also met some Arab businessmen in Phuket. I will do my part in this matter of negotiation, so I ask Brother Dong not to fight with me.”
Qian Tiandun was deeply gratified to see these two people so enthusiastic.
Dong and Li were not members of the special warfare division, nor were they subordinates of Qian Tiandun. It seemed a bit unofficial to represent Haihan and the special warfare division. But precisely because of this, they can leave some room for maneuver in the negotiations between Haihan and the Xihu tribe, and it is likely that the effect of sending officers to the Bit War Division to perform the mission will be better.
And after these days of observation, Qian Tiandun believes that these two people have good knowledge and ability. Although they are not his trusted subordinates, they can be regarded as trustworthy juniors. This task of negotiating with the Xihu tribe is just a good test of their abilities.
As for the candidate, Qian Tiandun had already made a decision in his mind after hearing the two people's opinions.
"The negotiations with the Xihu tribe are of great importance. I plan to let you two go together and be jointly responsible for this mission. What do you think?"
Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!
When they heard Qian Tiandun's arrangement, both of them were a little surprised. Since they met in Phuket, they have regarded each other as competitors, and they are always trying to compete in order to gain more say for their own camp.
As for their almost open competition, Qian Tiandun has never made a clear statement, neither favoring one side nor preventing them from competing. But this time they were suddenly asked to carry out the mission deep into the desert, which caught them off guard.
Dong Shangyi reacted faster and immediately responded with clasped fists: "I will obey the general's order!"
Li Yuande also responded: "Yuande will definitely do his best to complete this mission!"
The two looked at each other and saw very complicated emotions on each other's faces.