Chapter 3445
What makes Qian Shaobao somewhat gratified is that, according to Li Yuande, the situation in Phuket has basically stabilized, and some progress has been made in the ownership negotiations between Qian Tiandun and the original owner of the island, Siam.
There is only a strait less than two miles wide between Phuket Island and the mainland. Although Siam is unable to retake the island from the special forces, Qian Tiandun does not want to make the relationship with Siam too tense. After all, He also planned to obtain various materials and labor needed for development from nearby Siam.
Therefore, shortly after occupying Phuket at the beginning of the year, Qian Tiandun took the initiative to contact Siamese officials and began negotiations on the ownership of the island.
Qian Tiandun's idea is to hope that the Kingdom of Siam can make a reasonable offer so that Haihan can obtain the exclusive rights to Phuket Island by purchasing or leasing it for a long time.
Siamese officials also knew about Hai Han's behavior. If he eats meat like this, he will never spit it out again unless he launches a war to defeat the opponent.
After considering the pros and cons, Siam has launched several months of negotiations with the special warfare division, and it is basically determined that Haihan will take control of Phuket on a long-term lease.
Qian Shaobao couldn't help but interject after hearing this: "Long-term rental? That might be a big expense!"
Li Yuande smiled and said: "With General Qian's shrewdness, how can Siam take advantage? This so-called long-term lease is just a foreign term. The actual lease fee we need to pay is not much."
The main reason for the lease was to allow Siam to save its face externally and avoid being perceived as weak and easily bullied. In addition, handing Phuket to Haihan on a lease basis can also make the outside world think that the two countries have established some kind of cooperative relationship, and it will also have a certain effect on Siam's international status.
The condition used to offset the lease costs is that Qian Tiandun promised to maintain a certain degree of military cooperation with Siam during the lease period, including selling Haihan's old weapons and equipment to Siam at a low price. The military base in Phuket was Siamese soldiers provide training tutorials, and hold joint military exercises with the Siamese army every two years, etc.
These conditions are nothing more than a piece of cake for Qian Tiandun. In the future, it is expected that through such cooperation channels, he will gradually penetrate the top brass of the Siamese military and increase his influence on Siam. It is not impossible for the Siamese army to gradually evolve into one of Haihan's servant armies in this area.
For Siam, under the premise that Phuket can no longer be taken back, being able to exchange these cooperation conditions is already a blessing in disguise.
In the past, Siam's sphere of influence was mainly concentrated in the Gulf of Siam area on the east side of the Malay Peninsula, while the territory on the west side of the peninsula was sandwiched between Myanmar and Aceh. It was a border area and lacked natural harbors, so it has always been difficult to Make a big difference.
However, after establishing a cooperative relationship with the special operations division, Siam has a reason to station troops in this area. It may be able to deploy a fleet here in the future, which is expected to expand its sphere of influence to the Indian Ocean.
Li Yuande's tone couldn't help but become excited when he mentioned this: "In fact, Siamese people are even more optimistic about this cooperation. Many Siamese businessmen have contacted me, hoping to use Furifeng's channels to participate more Come to trade in the Strait of Malacca ”
Qian Shaobao asked curiously: "Siam's territory already extends to the northern end of the Strait of Malacca. Are there any obstacles to engaging in trade activities in this area?"
Li Yuande said: "Countries in this region do not want Siam to reach in and affect their own interests, so they supervise Siamese merchants very strictly. For example, there are some ports in Aceh that do not even allow Siamese merchants to land and trade. It can only be done on board. "But if we cooperate with Furifeng, wherever there is a Furifeng store, we can do sales and settlement for these Siam merchants, and it will be much more convenient to engage in trading activities."< br>
Qian Shaobao asked: "It seems that Fulifeng has opened many shops in the Straits of Malacca?"
Li Yuande responded proudly: "Brother Qian, before coming here, Fulifeng only had three shops in the Strait of Malacca, which were opened in Sing Tao, Malacca City and Banda Aceh. But in the past year, Among them, seven new businesses were opened, located in various ports on the east and west sides of the Taiwan Strait. ”
"Thanks to the military operations led by General Qian, there will no longer be any obstacles for Fulifeng to open a business in any country in this region. Many foreign businessmen will also come to us and let my shipping company carry their goods. .”
Seeing his satisfied expression, Qian Shaobao knew that Li Yuande must have gained a lot in the past year.
Li Yuande was of course under great pressure when he took his fleet south to defect to Qian Tiandun. While he wanted to solve the logistics and shipping needs for Qian Tiandun's special operations division, he also wanted to use this opportunity to open up opportunities for Furifeng's local operations.
If he fails to grasp the balance, Li Yuande and his fleet will definitely suffer losses this year, and his ambitions may also be stopped by his family due to serious losses.
But judging from the results at this stage, Li Yuande undoubtedly made the right bet. Not only did he gain Qian Tiandun's trust, he also achieved success in the business field.
This reminded Qian Shaobao of his father's early years when he was expanding territory in the north. The army's cannons also opened the way, and the caravans followed suit and acted as a logistical force, transporting combat supplies for the army.
However, it was not Furifeng who played this role at that time, but Shandong businessmen represented by Dengzhou Majia.
In the process of Haihan developing Liaodong, Shandong merchants gradually spread their business to various parts of Liaodong, just like Li Yuande's business strategy in the Strait of Malacca. The long-term benefits that can be obtained from this will definitely far exceed the investment. Li Yuande must have tasted the sweetness from it now.
Qian Shaobao said: "In this case, Brother Li needs to speed up the expansion of the fleet, otherwise he will definitely not be able to keep up with the expansion of the business."
Li Yuande nodded and said: "What Brother Qian said is absolutely true. In the past year, we have purchased twenty ships, and some of them have not yet been delivered. It is expected that at least the same number of cargo ships will need to be added next year to meet the needs of daily operations. Required.”
"I have also implored my family to hire shipbuilders in the Pearl River Basin of Guangdong to participate in the construction of shipyards in Phuket. As long as the shipbuilding problem can be solved locally, future operations will be much easier."
It goes without saying that Qian Shaobao knows that if someone like Li Yuande purchases a large number of cargo ships in a short period of time and has a delivery date requirement, he can only reach a deal by increasing the price. This has to go back to the previous topic. A shipyard must be built in Phuket first to meet the needs of shipping development.