"President, I have a hunch that there will be another war between us and Tsarist Russia in the past two years. If we start a war with Tsarist Russia, the scale of the land war will be much larger than the war in the subcontinent." Liu Qingbei frowned a little.
Said worriedly.
"For the time being, it is unlikely that a war will break out, but friction will still occur. I had contact with Alexander last time. He is a very shrewd person. He will not rush to make the first move, nor will he be fooled.
The Chinese people will be fooled by a little benefit, unless the Chinese people give them an irresistible reason. But what you just said is the most likely to take action against the Ottoman Empire." Dong Shuheng said.
In Dong Shuheng's opinion, if Tsarist Russia takes action against the Renaissance Army, he is confident that he can stop it even in a full-scale war.
He has prepared many trump cards against the Tsarist Russians.
There will definitely be enough for Tsarist Russians to drink from a pot.
Moreover, if Tsarist Russia takes the initiative to attack the Renaissance Army, the Renaissance Army will have a geographical advantage.
Over the years, the Renaissance Army has been building a railway to the Western Regions.
The local east-west corridor envisioned by Dong Shuheng has long been connected, and now a double-track project and some branch lines are being built.
The Tsarist Russian railway has not yet passed through the Ural Mountains and the Ural River.
The Renaissance Army's branch line has already been built to the Yibohai area.
Although Tsarist Russia was also very large, most of its places were barren and cold, sparsely populated, and could not match the Renaissance Army in terms of financial and material resources.
What if Tsarist Russia and the Russians carve up the Ottoman Empire together?
It is really difficult for the Renaissance Army to get involved.
If the Renaissance Army only provided material support to the Ottoman Empire, then he would probably become the captain of the transportation brigade.
A pig teammate is more terrifying than a powerful opponent.
Strong opponents can be overestimated, but the lower limit of pig teammates is difficult to estimate.
But if the Renaissance Army directly joins the war, then the geographical advantage will be completely in the hands of those European countries.
The Baath Army entered the Ottoman war either from the Persian Gulf or through the Red Sea.
Both places are very far from the Balkan Peninsula.
The focus of the war must be on the Balkan Peninsula.
"If the European countries are really planning to carve up the Ottoman Empire, it will be really troublesome." Dong Shuheng sighed.
"What does the president mean by going to the Ottoman Empire this time to let them know about the threats they face?" Liu Qingbei asked.
It is not easy to let a country know the dangers it faces, especially through diplomacy.
In diplomatic situations, many things cannot be said clearly.
"We must remind you, but just reminding is useless. The Ottomans will only think that we are sowing discord. I will let Lao Ji think of a way to see if we can use some small means."
Dong Shuheng thought for a while, and it seemed that he could make the people in the Intelligence Department believe that he could leak information.
Zheng Jian set up an intelligence network in Tsarist Russia, and there were many Tsarist Russians in it.
"President, I think instead of pinning our hopes on the Ottomans, it is better to strengthen our strength in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, so that we can restore a certain situation by then." Liu Qingbei suggested.
"You are right, it is better to rely on others than to rely on yourself. It depends on Bao Youzhi where the Red Sea is. We must gain a foothold there. If a war really breaks out, we also have a base from which we can send troops."
"By the way, this time you go to the Ottoman Empire and bring Guo Songtao with you. Then let him go to Europa to follow Wang Tao for a period of experience. After the negotiations with the people of Yu are over, let him stay in Europa to replace Wang Tao."
"When Wang Tao comes back, you can take him for a while. After the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is handed over, I hope you can take charge of several more tasks in the cabinet." Dong Shuheng said.
"President, to be honest, I don't feel confident doing other jobs."
"It doesn't matter if you don't know the bottom line. You'll get good at it once you do it. At least you are familiar with diplomacy and business. I'm going to discuss it with Lao Zuo and hand over the diplomacy, business and the Academy of Management to the person in charge. These are all things you are familiar with.
field."
Dong Shuheng exchanged ideas with Liu Qingbei about the negotiation with Dayang.
The Bao Youzhi tribe that Dong Shuheng just mentioned is now escorting the Suwinian Sultan's army from Muscat to Zanzibar.
…
In the western Indian Ocean, on the east coast of Africa, a huge fleet seemed to appear out of thin air.
Except for the former Great White Fleet of the Republic of China, there has never been a fleet of such a large scale here.
Six battleships of the combined fleet guarded both sides of the huge fleet.
In the middle are a large number of wooden transport ships, and even some small single-masted sailing ships. In order to attack his brother, the Suvini Sultan spent a lot of money.
Almost all the merchant ships in the country were recruited, and an army of 50,000 was assembled in a short period of time.
All this must be done in a short period of time. Because Bao Youzhi warned him that if Majid knew his side's actions in advance, Majid might collude with the Japanese people, and then this war would be difficult to fight.
Bao Youzhi has been living in Muscat during this period, and he is already very familiar with the Sultan, who is about the same age as himself.
Bao Youzhi was originally a suave person, and he had a close affinity with His Majesty the Sultan.
The two of them have even held an unmasked conference together, so naturally they are considered friends.
At least on the surface, Sultan Suwini obeyed Bao Youzhi's words.
Not to mention the personal relationship between the two, Bao Youzhi's position as Commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet was worthy of the Sultan's favor.
Of course, Bao Youzhi also wanted to get to know the Sultan Suvini.
After all, the Second Fleet is a group of outsiders, and Bao Youzhi is very unfamiliar with the East African waters.
Although the Sultanate of Oman is not strong in terms of overall strength, it can be considered aboriginal in this sea area.
Establishing good relations with the Omanis is equivalent to gaining a free leading party in the Western Indian Ocean.
It is of great value to the Second Fleet’s future activities here.
On the "Zhenhai", the flagship of the combined fleet, Oman's Sultan Suwini wore a military uniform that stretched his bloated body tightly.
The young sultan was so used to beautiful women and having nothing to do that it was said that he ate a camel every week.
Every night four beauties attend the bed.
Of course, although Bao Youzhi didn't eat as much as him, he managed more beauties than Sultan every night.
"Hey (Arabic, meaning brother), how much does a warship like this cost?" Suwini looked at the "Zhenhai-class" destroyer under his feet, and then at the slow sailing ships under his hands.
I feel that this warship made of steel is worthy of my noble status.
Considering that His Majesty the Sultan is a wealthy man, the Oman Empire has been doing business for hundreds of years and has accumulated a lot of wealth.
So Bao Youzhi simply said the price was higher: "Your Majesty, the cost of this warship is about one million Chinese dollars."
Sultan Suwini pondered for a moment and said, "Well, it is indeed much more expensive than a sailing battleship."
When Bao Youzhi heard this, he thought that the Sultan was too expensive. Just now he wanted to do a promotion for the navy's shipyard.
Unexpectedly, the Sultan, who spent so much money, would also worry about money.
But Su Weini's next words almost shocked Bao Youzhi's jaw.
"The one million dollar one should be the low-end version. Come on, help me order a two-million-dollar high-end version. It's best to be bigger. It must have a dedicated Sudanese living cabin and air conditioning.
And the bathroom, it would be better to have a few attached small rooms. And the open space on the front deck, it would be a pity to be empty. We might as well build a swimming pool, and the water in the pool can also be used to extinguish fires during battles."
Bao Youzhi looked at His Majesty the Sultan, he must be too talented.
What kind of warship is this? It's just an armed yacht.
But as long as the price is sufficient, the people at the shipyard will definitely be happy to make this order.
"What's wrong, is the price not enough? Don't worry, price is not an issue." Su Weini was a little surprised when he saw Bao Youzhi, thinking that his request was a little too high.
"Oh, no, no, no, there is nothing wrong with His Majesty's request. I am thinking about how to help you improve this warship. If it is your ship, it must be fast so that even if it encounters danger, it can be evacuated in time.
"
"So to increase power, I can ask the shipyard to use the latest steam turbines for you and increase the number of boilers."
"I think in this case, the speed can reach at least twenty-five knots, which is much faster than my ship."
"In addition, the entire ship must be electrified so that your life on board will be more comfortable. It must have air conditioning, electric fans, and lights. In addition, it must be equipped with a large cold storage so that you can carry a large amount of fresh food."
"Yes, yes, we must have this cold storage." When it came to eating, His Majesty the Sultan's eyes lit up.
In the past, long-distance voyages at sea could not preserve food, so we could only eat simple and easy-to-preserve things.
It doesn't matter to ordinary sailors, but a foodie like Suvini must never owe his own stomach.
"In addition, I want to install a domineering main gun on the battleship. The 150-meter gun on my ship is obviously not worthy of His Majesty the Sultan. I can ask the shipyard to install the latest 204-meter main gun for you. The space of the battleship needs to be expanded.
I think it has a displacement of three to four thousand tons. According to the standards of our Renaissance Army, it is a light cruiser, and according to the standards of the people of the Republic of China, it is a heavy cruiser."
"The armor can be thickened in important locations. For example, the outside of your living cabin should be protected."
The idea given by Bao Youzhi was much more complete than Suwini's own.
After all, Bao Youzhi is a veteran of the Navy and has a better understanding of the Renaissance Army's technology.
After hearing this, Suwini wanted to hand over the deposit now.
"Your Majesty, we still have to finish this battle properly. Didn't you say that Zanzibar is a rich place? If you take it back, you will be the richest man in the Arabian Peninsula again. You won't be able to buy as many warships as you want."
"Besides, we can still do business together when the time comes. I can help you get in touch with goods and cheap weapons from the Greater China Circle. By then, with your contacts and business connections in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, you will definitely be able to make a lot of money.
Pen."
"Don't say anything. From now on, you will be my dear. You can come and go of my palace as you like. If you can come to our Sultanate of Oman, I will make you the navy marshal." This Suvini appearance.
He looks naive, but he is actually very smart.
When the old king was still alive, he had already started doing business with the Renaissance Army.
At that time, the trade routes of the Renaissance Army could only reach the Persian Gulf as far as possible, and many of them were reached by land from the Western Regions.
The Oman Empire almost monopolized the short-distance trade in the western Indian Ocean.
The Ba'ath Army's products, which are cheaper and in huge demand, naturally attract Omanis.
However, due to the pressure from the Great Empire, the Omanis only dared to secretly do some business with the Renaissance Army.
Most of the time, they also buy some second-hand oriental goods from the hands of the Chinese people.
The royal aristocrats living in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa loved luxury and enjoyment.
Silk, porcelain and spices are necessities in their lives.
Su Weini was definitely not fooled by Bao Youzhi to be so close to the Renaissance Army.
He doesn't have to spend a lot of money to buy a luxurious warship.
Nothing he did was because he was a big dog.
The purpose of all this is to improve the relationship with the Renaissance Army.
His bold approach is a kind of goodwill and a means of getting closer to each other.
"Hey, I saw that the rifles you produce are much better than those of the Chinese. I think the Bedouins living in the desert will like that kind of rifle very much. We will make them in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula in the future.
To do business, we must have a good relationship with the Bedouin. They have all the pokeweed in the desert, and this kind of gun is a stepping stone. Let me tell you, if nothing else, just monopolizing the spice trade is enough for us.
It’s profitable.”
"Do you know why our Zanzibar is so rich? That's because my father, Emperor Said, transplanted clove trees on Zanzibar Island. The spices produced on this island are simply in short supply. On the African continent,
The tribal chiefs come here every year to purchase. That’s why this island is also called Lilac Island.”
After hearing this, Bao Youzhi greatly admired the Great Said: "Your Majesty, you have a great father."
In fact, Bao Youzhi's errands for Su Weini this time were not in vain.
In return for this battle, Suwini will give the Mombasa and Tadjoura areas to the Renaissance Army.
Bao Youzhi had already conducted on-site inspections.
The Mombasa area was once the territory of the Sultanate of Oman, but is now controlled by the Sultanate of Gradi.
These East African sultanates are a tough nut to crack for the Omanis, but for the Baath Army, they are soft persimmons.
After taking control of Mombasa, the Renaissance Army was equivalent to controlling a bridgehead in East Africa, which would become a rare fertile land in Africa in later generations.
Two rivers, the Tana River and the Galana River, enter the sea in this coastal plain area.
Developing from here to the inland area to the west is Lake Victoria in later generations.
In the original history, in a few years, the Chinese would have taken control of this place and opened up an East African colony.
Another area, the Tajoura area, was originally Omani territory, but now the local people have taken advantage of Oman's decline and have separated.
This place is not very big, but its location is very important. It controls the entrance to the Red Sea.
This is actually Djibouti in later generations. I believe everyone must be very familiar with this name.
Compared to Mombasa, Bao Youzhi is more concerned about the Tadjoura area.
Dong Shuheng has ordered to capture the area as soon as possible and then establish a permanent base there.