Chapter 3686
Sihu Chief Abdullah's friendly gesture also made Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi secretly relieved.
They imagined various situations they might encounter on the way, and the most worrying thing was that the local rulers were full of hostility and wariness towards outsiders like them, making it impossible for the two sides to communicate smoothly.
But I didn't expect that Chief Xihu actually knew something about Haihan, and seemed to have a little affection for him. This was a great help for this trip's mission.
Li Yuande immediately said that the purpose of his group's arrival was to establish a trade channel between the Haihan and Xihu tribes. In the future, more Haihan products would cross the ocean and come to the territory of the Xihu tribe.
Dong Shangyi immediately handed over a catalog, including more than a hundred kinds of commodities, all of which were special commodities specially prepared by Haihan for export trade. And for most of the products on this catalog, they have prepared samples for display.
When setting off from Khasab, half of the luggage carried by the Haihan delegation was personal belongings, rations and self-defense weapons, and the other half was various packaged display items.
This is not only to show the sincerity of Haihan's trade activities to the negotiating parties, but also to allow the other party to see and feel the value of Haihan's products.
When Abdullah heard that they had brought samples, he immediately became interested and asked them to present them for viewing immediately, regardless of the current progress of the talks.
So the next step was to enter the product display session. Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi took turns to explain various products to the chief. This continued until lunch time, and we only saw less than half of the exhibits.
Abdullah immediately announced the banquet, and Li and Dong finally knew why the sheikh had a fat figure that was rare among Arabs.
Just for Abdullah alone, there was a table full of food, mainly mutton and fish, as well as cheese, bread, etc., with nearly twenty bowls and plates of various sizes.
According to Li Yuande's estimation, even the five of him might not be able to eat the table in front of Abdullah. Dong Shangyi's expression was also one of shock that could not be concealed, thinking that the chief's meal would probably be enough for him to eat for three days.
Abdullah had a great appetite. While discussing trade with them, he kept eating. His mouth was like a bottomless pit, constantly filling it with all kinds of food.
After the two of them had eaten and drank enough, they could only continue to act as companions and watch Abdullah eat for more than an hour. It wasn't until they began to wonder whether this lunch would last until evening that Abdullah wiped his mouth with satisfaction and announced that it was over.
The product promotion continued in the afternoon, and Abdullah was interested in many things. He placed an order while reading, which made both of them feel that their trip to the desert was not in vain.
As for the issue related to Khasab, it was not mentioned until the end of the meeting that day and could only be postponed to the next day.
The next day, after the two met with the sheikh, they informed each other of Haihan's idea of using the Khasab area to build a port and permanent institutions.
Their rhetoric was very tactful, and they did not take the initiative to mention topics such as the garrison and ownership rights. They hoped to coax Abdullah to agree first, and then slowly discuss the details. But although Abdullah looked obese, he was not stupid. After listening to what they said, he just smiled and shook his head and said: "I thought you were businessmen, but I didn't expect that like the Portuguese, you also came for our land! What are you going to tell me next, after building the port and business inn on the land of the Xihu tribe, this land will belong to your country, right?”
After the two of them listened to the translation, their hearts sank. They didn't expect that the chief didn't seem to have much contact with the outside world, but he was very knowledgeable. He could see through his true purpose so quickly.
The chief's tone was unkind, and they would never admit it in the face of such accusations.
Li Yuande said: "Dear chief, we are different from the Portuguese in that we will not occupy the land of the Xihu tribe. What we want to do is to better develop the place of Khasab through cooperation with the Xihu tribe. Use it to create more wealth ”
Dong Shangyi also continued: "This is not a unilateral occupation and plunder. We will also purchase the products of the Xihu tribe and provide high-paying jobs for your tribal people to help the Xihu tribe become stronger!"< br>
After hearing this, Abdullah still shook his head and said: "What you said was also said by the Portuguese to my ancestors. The Hihu people did not agree to their request, and the Portuguese tried to use force to seize our land. . Of course, they failed in the end. The warriors of the Xihu tribe are extremely brave and will never tolerate foreign invasion!”
There was clearly a warning in the other party's words, so Li Yuande had no choice but to continue explaining, saying that Haihan had no intention of occupying Khasab, but only needed to establish a port in the Persian Gulf to facilitate subsequent trade activities.
Dong Shangyi believed that Li Yuande's rhetoric did not capture the other party's needs. Perhaps Abdullah's refusal was just because the conditions provided by Haihan were insignificant to him and were far less meaningful than maintaining the tribal territory.
After being rejected by Abdullah again, Dong Shangyi took the initiative to take over the conversation: "Dear chief, please tell me what you and your tribe need most. Maybe our country can help you. I want your tribe to Abundant food and clothing, or prosperity and destruction of surrounding areas with force?”
"Even if you want the Xihu tribe to move to a place with lush water and grass, it is not impossible. As long as you put forward the conditions, we will try our best to meet them."
After listening to Dong Shangyi's words, Abdullah asked slowly: "Can I really make any conditions?"
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When Dong Shangyi heard that there was an opportunity, he quickly responded: "Of course, please let the chief make it clear."
Abdullah said: "Khasab is where our ancestors of the Xihu tribe started, and it has extraordinary significance to the tribe. For thousands of years, we have refused to allow outsiders to settle here to avoid disturbing our ancestors. ”
“But if our ancestors knew that this land could be put to better use and bring a richer life to their descendants, they would probably also be in favor of turning Khasab into a prosperous port.”
“I have a few small conditions. First, Khasab must belong to the Shihu tribe and can never be changed; second, the operation of Khasab must involve the participation of the Shihu tribe, and the profits from port operations must be shared equally with the tribe; third, the local The number of Haihan people stationed must be limited, not too many.”
The three conditions put forward by Abdullah were almost impossible to be recognized by Qian Tiandun, but Li Yuande and Dong Shangyi breathed a sigh of relief again. Since the other party is willing to put forward conditions, it means that there is still room for negotiation on the matter.
Moreover, Abdullah repeatedly emphasized the significance of Khasab to the Shihu tribe, and even mentioned his ancestors. Such wording usually represents a subtext, that is, more money!