Chapter 2967
After Qian Tiandun had a conversation with Panchai, he discovered that besides not being able to speak Chinese well, the king seemed to know Haihan as well as the eldest prince. Panchai admitted that he had visited Sanya three times and inspected many places in Hainan Island. It was precisely because he saw Haihan's strength in agricultural development that he decided to send the eldest prince to Haihan to learn agricultural knowledge.
Thanks to the king's emphasis on agriculture, Pattani's agriculture is now at the top level among a large number of small countries in the Malay Peninsula. Not only does it have ample grain production capacity, but it also cooperates with Haihan to develop the planting industry of cash crops such as spices, sugar cane, and rubber trees.
Ten years ago, Pattani still needed to import grain from Champa and other countries, but now it has not only become a grain exporter, but also income from cash crops has accounted for the majority of agricultural income.
However, the king was obviously not satisfied with this. He made it clear to Qian Tiandun during the banquet that he hoped to introduce more deep processing industries from Haihan, such as sugar cane sugar making technology.
"At present, in addition to being used for winemaking, most of the sugar cane produced in our country has to be transported by sea to the sugar factory on Xingdao for processing. If a sugar factory can be built in our country, the cost can be greatly reduced. This It will be of great benefit to both countries.”
After Prince Boon Phuc translated King Panchai's meaning, he added his own opinion: "It is said that the construction cost of a sugar factory is quite high, but our country is willing to bear the initial construction costs for this. I hope your country can seriously Consider this offer.”
Qian Tiandun did not answer immediately, but first exchanged a few words in a low voice with Li Yuande next to him.
As a maritime businessman who has been operating in various parts of the South China Sea all year round, Li Yuande is relatively clear about the inside story.
The sugarcane planting industry in Pattani was introduced by Hai Han. However, as the scale of planting expanded, the local breweries were no longer able to absorb the sugarcane production capacity. Therefore, a considerable amount of sugarcane is still used as raw material every year to be supplied to the sugar refinery in Sing Tao. factory.
The value of high-grade cane sugar naturally far exceeds that of sugar cane. Not only is the production capacity of Pattani's current handmade sugar workshops extremely limited, but the quality and cost of the cane sugar produced are far different from those produced by Haihan Sugar Factory.
If Pattani has its own sugar factory, this industrial chain can be truly improved and more profits can be obtained from it. Although the initial investment is large, based on the current market conditions of cane sugar, the cost can be recovered and profits can start in two or three years after production is put into operation.
But this is related to Haihan's overseas industrial layout. This matter is the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Commerce. As a military general, Qian Tiandun obviously has extremely limited say in this matter, and he cannot give the other party any effective commitment.
"I will report your country's proposal to the Executive Committee. I also suggest that your country should submit a more detailed cooperation plan to our country through more formal channels."
Qian Tiandun couldn't refuse directly, so he could only use diplomatic language to deal with it. Moreover, his mission on this trip is to promote force, not to promote Haihan's business all over the world. It is obviously inappropriate to discuss this topic.
After hearing his answer, Prince Wenfu did not show any disappointment. After talking with the king, he made another suggestion to Qian Tiandun.
"Our country is ready to order a batch of weapons and equipment from your country, including two thousand flintlock muskets, forty artillery pieces, and at least ten exploration-class warships."
Qian Tiandun couldn't help being a little surprised after hearing this. With the size of Pattani, the quantity of these weapons and equipment required to be purchased at one time was not small.
According to the information Qian Tiandun learned before his visit, there were less than 5,000 soldiers and horses in Pattani, and a lot of Haihan arms were purchased in batches in previous years. If this large order is added, it is likely to exceed the actual needs of the Pattani Armed Forces. In Qian Tiandun's view, there is only one reason for purchasing equipment beyond demand, and that is to prepare for military expansion and war.
"The cost of so much equipment is not a small amount!" Qian Tiandun asked straight to the point: "Does your country plan to expand its military and prepare for war?"
Prince Boon Phuc responded: "We hope that your country can support our country's claims on the southern border issue. Our country needs to regain the land that belongs to us."
Qian Tiandun also had some knowledge of the "southern border issue" mentioned by Wen Fu through his understanding before his visit. Pattani and Kelantan in the south once belonged to the Malacca dynasty. After the dynasty fell, each city-state became an independent country. Naturally, there were many problems in border demarcation.
The current border between the two countries is in the Narathiwat area, about 150 miles southwest of Pattani City. A local river is used as the natural boundary between the two countries.
However, Pattani was obviously not satisfied with this boundary line and advocated that the boundary should be demarcated by another river 70 miles south of Narathiwat. Of course, Kelantan refused to accept this idea.
From Haihan's perspective, it's not easy to choose sides on this matter. Kelantan has also established formal diplomatic relations with Haihan and is a member of the South China Sea Commercial Alliance. There are also many cooperation projects related to Haihan in the local area, and the scale of operations may not be much worse than that in Pattani.
The meaning expressed by Boon Hock is obviously that Pattani hopes to obtain the support of Haihan through military purchase orders and seize the disputed areas through military means.
Qian Tiandun said in a deep voice: "Prince Boon Hock, in view of our country's diplomatic relations with your country and Kelantan, I cannot give a positive reply to your request."
Prince Wenfu said: "We just hope that Haihan can come forward to uphold justice."
Qian Tiandun said: "My suggestion is that strength is justice. Whether it is economic or military, only by truly possessing strength can you have the confidence to negotiate justice with others."
The smile on Prince Wenfu's face slowly faded, and his eyes gradually became cold. It could be seen that he was a little sullen at being rejected one after another. However, King Panchai did not show much emotion after hearing what the prince said.
After the banquet, Prince Wenfu said solemnly when bidding farewell to Qian Tiandun: "Our country has always regarded Haihan as an elder brother. Your country's needs are always there. I hope that when our country needs help, your country can also lend a helping hand and treat us with sincerity." ! ”
Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "The military asylum our country promises to provide to Pattani is limited to the situation when your country suffers from foreign invasion and is difficult to resist. But if your country takes the initiative to launch a war, it is not included in this. Prince Wenfu, I think you should continue to focus on what you learned in Haihan and develop agriculture for Pattani.”
Prince Wenfu stopped arguing, put his hands together and bowed slightly, bidding farewell to Qian Tiandun.
Qian Tiandun and his party left the palace and returned to the temporary station at the port. They summoned Mu Zhennan and Wu Chengzhi and asked them about the details of the Pattani border issue.
(End of chapter)