This time escorting the 112th Division to Tadjoura was a squadron of the Second Fleet, consisting of two destroyers and four frigates.
This power faces no threat here.
Because the Second Fleet has patrolled the Red Sea coastal area before, except for the weak and pitiful Red Sea Fleet of the Ottoman Empire, there is no longer a Chinese fleet.
Moreover, the main fleet led by Bao Youzhi is now in the south, so they are safe here.
During the landing at Tadjoura, the navy was basically of no use.
This small country is too weak and has no resistance at all.
After completing the escort mission, the navy began to explore the situation in the bay.
Tadjoura now controls the northern side of the bay.
The bay on the south side is controlled by the Osa people.
The Navy felt that it was best to control the entire Gulf area.
In the northeastern corner of the bay is a strait, which later became the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, also known as the "Mandab Strait", is a strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is located at the southern end of the Red Sea. It is also between Yemen and Djibouti.
It is located between the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula in Asia and the African continent, connecting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean.
If the Suez Canal is opened to navigation in the future, this place will become the only place for maritime traffic from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, and from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Its strategic position is very important.
The strait is about 26-32 kilometers wide and 150 meters deep on average. There are some volcanic islands scattered in it. Pilin Island divides the strait into a small gorge and a large gorge. The small gorge on the Asian side is about 3.2 kilometers wide and 30 meters deep.
It is the main channel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait; on the African side, the Grand Strait is about 25.95 kilometers wide, with a water depth of 333 meters, many reefs and some small volcanic islands.
Therefore, the Renaissance Army will use the Tadjoura Strait as its rear base in the future.
The northeastern corner of the strait is the outpost. As long as you control the northeastern corner and Pilin Island, you can basically control the access to the Red Sea.
The navy told Zhao Dazhi its needs, and what he had to do was to circle the entire bay first.
There is a castle-like capital on the western plateau of the Osa Sultanate, called Osa City.
In the city lived the wise and powerful Sultan Hajim, who was the ruler of the East African Plateau and controlled a large empire spanning thousands of kilometers from north to south.
Even their former suzerain kingdom, the Solomonic dynasty of Abyssinia, didn't buy it.
The Sultanate of Osa was originally part of the Solomonic dynasty.
However, the Mudato family of the Afar people who control the local area was the first to come into contact with the Europeans because the area they controlled was close to the eastern coastal zone, and they absorbed some Western artillery and musket technology.
They installed artillery on their castles and equipped their infantry with muskets.
Then the Mudato family declared independence from the Solomon dynasty and established the Sultanate of Osa.
Using the artillery on the castle, they successfully resisted the attack of the Solomon Dynasty.
Finally embarked on the path of independence.
The Sultanate of Osa understood the importance of trade with the West.
The barren East African plateau cannot make the country rich and powerful.
So they have been encroaching on the coastal areas controlled by the Omanis, and they also want to participate in the Indian Ocean trade.
It's just that the Osa people are excellent plateau cavalry, but they are not good at navigation.
Therefore, the entire Tadjoura Gulf area gradually became deserted. Even though the Sultanate of Osa occupied the southern part of the Gulf, it did not manage the area well.
On the contrary, it was because of the feud with the Oman Empire. People in the Gulf region were unable to trade at sea and became increasingly poor.
After explaining the good things to Zhong Siming, Zhao Dazhi began to prepare for the land enclosure.
Pirin Island is now in the hands of the Subaysh Sultanate, located in the southwest corner of what later became Yemen.
This Subesh Sultanate was greatly influenced by the Sultanate of Oman.
It is not too difficult for the Renaissance Army to obtain an island.
The problem in this matter is not how to obtain the land.
It depends on what the Ottomans would think.
The Ottomans, who had always thought they were a powerful empire, had always regarded the Red Sea as their own inland sea.
Although the entire Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula are now only nominally surrendered to him.
In fact, these areas have already become independent.
The Ali dynasty, which controls Upper and Lower Egypt, has become a follower of the Han people. It is somewhat similar to the protectorate of the Han people.
Moreover, the Ottoman Empire also re-established the Red Sea Fleet in the past two years. This fleet is not large in scale, and the ships are mainly new ironclads purchased from the Renaissance Army and the French.
The new Sultan Aziz obviously wants to regain control of both sides of the Red Sea in this way.
However, he was too naive, because Yingfu would never support him again.
In the eyes of those countries, the value of the Ottoman Empire had been squeezed to almost the entire extent.
Now all that's left is the body of flesh, and it's time to finally carve it up.
In the tall and towering castle of Osa City, Sultan Hajim had just summoned all his important ministers.
Because he also received the news from Tadjola.
How to put it, Tadjoura can be regarded as a nominal protectorate of the Sultanate of Osa.
His protectorate was passive, and the bellicose Osa Sultan felt that he had been provoked.
"Everyone, a group of pagans from the east have occupied the Sultanate of Tadjoura. This is a provocation to our great Osa Kingdom. I, the king of the East African Plateau, King Hashem of Osa, are ready to send troops to attack this group of people. You
Will you follow me and fight for me?" Hashem said.
He is a very charismatic king and has been in the position of Sultan for a long time.
No one dares to disobey what he said.
But at this time, someone stood up. He was a civil servant from the Sultanate of Osa.
This civil servant came from a family from the eastern coastal area.
So he still has some knowledge.
In front of the throne, a Tadjola nobleman wearing a robe was crying.
Through this person's narration, Davila has already guessed that this force is the great eastern country you have risen from.
Davila had come into contact with these Orientals once.
It was a scholar from the East who came to East Africa with a few students and bodyguards to investigate history.
This is a very knowledgeable person.
Davila entertained the Oriental man in his mansion and chatted a lot with him.
From the mouth of the Eastern man, Davila learned some news about the great Eastern country.
Originally, there were not only powerful people in the north (here refers to the Ottoman Empire and the European countries), but also barbarians from the west and south.
There are also civilizations further away, in the East.
From this man's mouth, Davila learned a lot of information about the powerful country in the East.
He knew that this country had defeated many powerful men.
The territory is even vaster than the Ottoman Empire, and it has many allies.
"Your Majesty the King, I suggest you send someone to talk to those people first. I heard that those people just defeated the Great Empire at sea, uh... those white people." Davila said respectfully.
He knew the Sultan's character and did not want to offend him.
But despite being so careful, Hashim was still angry: "Davila, when did you become so cautious? Maxim has made it very clear. There is nothing to say to these foreign infidels. Just fuck them."
Already."
"Your Majesty, we cannot start a war, as this may bring disaster to the country."
Listening to Hashim's arrogant words, Davila couldn't hold back for a moment and said excitedly.
These words completely angered Hashem. He had been so flattered by the Tajoura man named Maxim that he was unwilling to return to reality.
"Guards, guards, take Davila down and lock him up." Hashem said sharply.
Seeing this scene, the other nobles and ministers wisely chose to remain silent.
When Hashem decided to send troops again, he received unanimous approval from everyone.
Soon Hashem gathered more than 10,000 soldiers in the country and headed east.
This time, the Sultanate of Osa basically mobilized all its troops.
Hashim was not a brainless fool. His men once defeated the Portuguese who had firearms.
His dispatch of troops this time was not simply to stand up for the Tajoura people.
Hashem's real purpose is to annex the Tajoura Sultanate in one fell swoop.
This small country had previously been swinging between the Sultanate of Osa and the Sultanate of Lakh Ayitu.
The Sultanate of Lakha'atu was backed by the Ottoman Empire.
That's why Tadjola can continue to exist.
Now that external forces have intervened here, it is the time for Hashem to solve the Tajoura problem in one fell swoop.
At the same time, the Lakh Ayitu Sultanate located in the northeast of Tajoura also welcomed a group of Tajoura nobles who fled.
It's just that the king of Lakh'aitu simply resettled these people.
There is no context.
It’s not that Lakh Ayitu Sultan is really a coward.
Just because they had contact with the Renaissance Army.
They also learned a lot about the Baath Army from the mouths of the Omanis.
They know that such a huge force as the Ba'ath Army cannot be offended by a small sultanate like them. Not only that, they also want to please the Ba'ath Army.
Because the Sultanate of Lah Ayitu is a coastal country, its inland areas are mostly deserts and mountains.
The output from the land is limited, so they must rely on the sea for food.
Sultan Lakh Ayitu openly resettled the nobles who had fled from Tajura.
He had actually put them under house arrest. After turning around, he sent people to Tadjoura to tell the Renaissance Army about the incident.
It's just right to treat these people as a meeting gift to the Renaissance Army.
From now on, they will be neighbors with the Renaissance Army. Since they can't defeat them, they might as well try to please them.
This is the way for small countries to survive.
Zhao Dazhi has already begun to lead his men around Tadjoula Bay.
He doesn't care whose land it was originally. Now that he's here and he needs it, he'll occupy it.
While Hashem's army was still on the road, officials who fled from the east reported that their coastal area along Tajoura was gone.
The Sultanate of Osa has become a landlocked country.
This is unbearable! Hashem ordered the army to march faster.
He even brought ten artillery pieces this time.
This is the national treasure of the Sultanate of Osa.
However, in the Renaissance Army, these old-fashioned muzzle-loading guns are a waste of coal when resmelted for scrap iron.
At this time, Zhao Dazhi had led his army to the location of Ming Village where the Ming Dynasty survivors lived.
It's not far from here. They have transport ships and warships, and they can just cross the bay.
Hundreds of years of construction by the Ming Dynasty survivors have built this place into a small town.
However, it was later occupied by the Afar people.
It is located in a calm bay, just at the southwest corner of Tadjoura Bay.
It is a good place to build a harbor.
Zheng He was a great navigator, and the place he chose was indeed good.
Zhong Siming stayed in Tadjoura City to help the Renaissance Army stabilize the situation in the city.
The Renaissance Army had strict military discipline and did not harm the civilians in the city.
Of course, the Tadjoura Sultanate is controlled by the nobles, and the common people have almost nothing, and they are not loyal to the kingdom.
At Zhong Siming's suggestion, Zhao Dazhi decided to keep all these people.
His division will remain here for a long time to come.
Building a military base requires a lot of manpower.
These civilians can be used as a source of labor force.
Anyway, if the Renaissance Army doesn't lack this little money, it won't let these civilians work in vain.
In fact, after the Renaissance Army came over, it only had benefits for the local civilians and no harm.
In just a few days, Zhong Siming had sorted out all the noble properties.
The large houses were reserved for the army, and all the land outside the city was rented to civilians in the city for farming at low prices.
There is no one to collect taxes from small shops.
The people suddenly found that no one came to oppress them.
In fact, under the rule of the Baath Army, the lives of these civilians will only get higher.
Of course, by taking advantage of this opportunity, the Zhong Siming family also gained considerable benefits. It suddenly transformed from an ordinary small businessman family to the largest powerful family in the local area.
After all, Zhong Siming is a local aborigine. His family has moved from Ming Village to Tadjola City for hundreds of years, so he knows the place very well.
Those nobles were the ones he wanted to fawn over in the past, so Zhong Siming was very clear about their family property.
Of course, the 112th Division also received a lot of benefits.
These benefits will be regarded as captured and distributed to the soldiers in the future.
Today's Mingcun has been changed to Djibouti City by the Ossa people.
However, after Zhao Dazhi led his people to recover this place, it was renamed Daming City.
At the same time, he also asked Zhong Siming to send people to find the descendants of the Ming Dynasty survivors who originally thrived here.
At this time, Zhao Dazhi was conducting sacrifices at a cemetery outside Daming City.
The ancestors of the Ming Dynasty survivors are all buried here.
The epitaph on the tombstone from hundreds of years ago clearly declares that the Chinese have been here.
Zhao Dazhi was not a sentimental scholar, but when he saw that these wanderers in a foreign land still cared about their home and country, he couldn't help but feel moved in his heart.
"Go back and build a stone monument here to re-engrave their deeds." Zhao Dazhi said to Zhong Chongxiang who was following him.
Zhong Chongxiang is Zhong Siming's eldest son, and he was sent by him to serve as a guide for Zhao Dazhi.
"Yes, General. I'll do it as soon as I can." Zhong Chongxiang also has dark skin. The only difference between them and the local natives is that their hair is straight.
And they still maintain the Ming Dynasty's custom of tying their hair.
In such a hot place, it is really difficult for them.