The wait is extremely long. n∈

From the end of February to the end of March, the people on the east coast waited for almost a month, but there was still no news from the Persians. But it's normal to think about it, although it doesn't take too long to get from Bandar Abbas to Isfahan, but it's normal for people to be inefficient because they are a feudal dynasty. If you can have a response within a month, it is definitely a rare high efficiency. One thing dragged on for months, and it was the norm for them.

However, the time of the people on the east coast was precious, and Major Guo Zili intended to put a little more pressure on the Persians. On 25 March, the battleship "Free Trade" conducted an artillery firing drill in the waters south of Hormuz Island, and the 12-, 18-, and 24-pounder guns fired in turn. At the end of the training, the ship's 66 guns fired a salvo, and the deafening sound of cannons, the smoke and fog in the sky, and the columns of water of various sizes scattered on the surface of the sea made the Persians who were nervously watching here look like earth.

At that time, the Portuguese were able to defeat the Persians, Ottomans, Indians, and Malays in the Indian Ocean with some small tonnage and average firepower, and the island of Hormuz, which was guarding the country, allowed the Portuguese to occupy it for hundreds of years and was unable to take it back. Now this group of people from the east coast of the new big 6 drove a powerful warship that the Portuguese could not match, and it was indeed not too much to ask the Persians for status and interests commensurate with their strength.

People who lived in the 17th century had an unforgettable sense of strength. Therefore, immediately after the end of the "shooting training" of the people on the eastern coast, the Persian defenders of Hormuz sent someone to inform Bandar Abbas. As for what the Persian officials in Bandar Abbas will do. Does this need to be asked? Of course, it was reported to the king's capital, Isfahan. Do you want these people from the East Coast to bombard Bandar Abbas because they have waited too long? The Persians didn't dare to bet that the people on the east coast would do this! The Portuguese did this and occupied Bandar Abbas, which was a small place at the time, and it is hard to say whether the people on the east coast would follow their example. Because according to the Dutch and British merchants in the city, the East Coasters from the New University 6 were extremely "cunning and cruel" heretics, and they would draw their swords against each other if they disagreed, and if anyone violated their interests, they would even hit the door, so it was better to focus on appeasing them.

The time soon came on April 15, 165o, and Guo Zili really didn't throw so much money into the sea in vain. On this day, the envoys of the Persian kingdom finally arrived at Bandar Abbas from Isfahan on horseback, and then boarded the island of Hormuz by boat. At this time, the defenders of Hormuz Island also opened the port to the people on the east coast, allowing the naval warships on the east coast to berth and replenish, and the sailors could also go ashore to rest.

Guo Zili thanked the Persians for their kindness, and then sent Second Lieutenant Jiwen to the island on his behalf to negotiate with the Persians. Anyway, the last time I came to Persia, Ensign Givin acted as a negotiator, and this time it was only fitting that he would act as his representative. As for Guo Zili himself, he sat on the warship and resolutely did not take risks lightly. lest there be any moths from the Persians.

Negotiations between the two sides continued for several days, during which the two sides engaged in a heated exchange of technology over whether to transfer to Persia the technology to manufacture specialized naval warships. The Persians demanded it, but Ensign Givin avoided it, and no matter how attractive the other side offered, he did not agree, so the negotiations between the two sides were on the verge of breaking down.

Unlike the Ottomans, Osman's shipbuilding technology and industrial base were far from comparable to those of the Persian Kingdom, and coupled with the good relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of France (during the siege of Vienna, the French even planned to attack the Austrian rear to pick up the bargain, and by the way, the Ottomans would get these key technologies, so the sale of technology to them by the East Coast was only a matter of adding to the process. What's more, there was also a request from the Ottomans at that time, firstly to relieve the pressure imposed on the Spaniards, and partly to knock on a huge dumping market for goods.

But at this time, Persia today has extremely weak shipbuilding technology. They could only build a few Arab galleons and sail as far as the coast of East Africa for trade, so advanced shipbuilding technology from the West was a huge supplement for them, and it would greatly enhance the country's maritime power. The transfer of technology to Persia is not taken by the wise.

Moreover, on the first day of their arrival at Bandar Abbas, the British made it clear that the so-called "principle of unanimity of civilized nations" was to be observed, that is, when any country intended to sell shipbuilding technology or ships of more than three masts to the Persian kingdom, it had to obtain the unanimous consent of several civilized nations (Portugal, England, Holland, Spain) that had power in this sea, in order to prevent the barbarians from having powerful naval warships comparable to those of civilized nations. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to see the shocking scene of the Portuguese carrack sailing ship returning home with a great victory.

Therefore, after all things considered, the people on the east coast did not have the courage to break this rule that everyone tacitly abided by, so they resolutely rejected the Persians' proposal, which obviously made the Persians very annoyed. They invested a lot of money in the British, but the British never transferred shipbuilding technology; The same is true of the Dutch, who are now even planning to close their trading post in Bandar Abbas; Unexpectedly, now the people of the East Coast are even more soft and hard, and resolutely refuse to sell technology, which is in vain.

Of course, it is not true to say that the people of the East Coast did not spread sailing ships from the West in the Indian Ocean. Over the years, as the slave trade with Muscat merchants grew, the Xinhua Shipyard in Xinhua Port sold two flute-type transports to the slave traders to facilitate their boat capture, but this was not a good idea for outsiders - not to mention that no one had warned the East Coasters not to sell their ships.

On 22 April, Major Guo Zili, dissatisfied with the protracted negotiations, decided to move the negotiating venue to the battleships of the East Coasters, while sending three other ships into the Persian Gulf for cruises. This act of intimidation angered the Persians, but Second Lieutenant Geven, who had participated in the negotiations, realized the essence of their inward-spiritedness, and took the opportunity to pursue them fiercely. The Persians also understood that they could not gain much at this time, so they relented, and finally reached an agreement on April 26 in the form of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the Eastern Republic of China and the Kingdom of Persia (also known as the Treaty of Hormuz).

To tell the truth, in this treaty, the benefits received by the East coasters were far less than those of the British East India Company, after all, the British at that time were on the condition of helping the Persian kingdom to retake the island of Hormuz, and it was normal for the British to receive many benefits. Among them, ships from the east coast could only dock at Bandar Abbas after arriving in Persia, and could not call at any port like the British; Second, the merchants of the East Coast could only live and do business in the four places of Abbas, Qazvin, Isfahan, and Tabriz, and could not pass through the entire territory of Persia like the British, but they could retain their original faith like the British, and did not have to pay additional taxes, and their private property was also protected by the Persian kingdom; In addition, the people of the east coast were not allowed to set up factories in Persia, and the shape and size of the trading posts were also severely restricted; Finally, and most importantly, the Kingdom of Persia imposed a flat tariff of 7% on goods from the Eastern Coast Republic of China, much higher than the 2.5%-3% of the British.

"The conditions are not bad." This was the first evaluation of Major Guo Zili, who got a copy of the "Treaty of Hormuz". With this treaty, the vast market of the Persian kingdom, with a population of more than 10 million people (and of course much less than that), opened up a gap to the Eastern Republic. If you put a lot of effort into managing it, you may not be able to occupy all of this market in the future, which is definitely a boon for the industrial enterprises on the east coast that have a relatively single export market (mainly concentrated in Europe, which is the old big 6).

By the way, in the appendix of the treaty signed between Second Lieutenant Jiwen and the Persians, there is also a clause that is extremely important for the East Coast: the East Coast Republic of China can trade raw silk to the Persian Kingdom every year with 6 military equipment (including weapons, protective gear, baggage, etc.), and the maximum limit of the transaction is 100,000 tumans (equivalent to about 9o million silver dollars on the East Coast), which is about equivalent to 14oo quintals of raw silk (1 quintal is about 1oo kilograms) in the current market. Although it was not as good as the British, who could buy up to 3ooo quintals of raw silk a year (in fact, the British East India Company for some reason never used up this amount), it was quite good, and the Persians were greatly satisfied with the cheap weapons of the 6th Army, which was obviously an East Coast figure. After all, the pressure on their current 6 border defense is still not small, and none of the Ottomans, Uzbek herdsmen, Mughal troops and Turkmen who do not submit to control can make them take it lightly.

It is conceivable that after the Turkmen cavalry of the Persian kingdom and the new "Gehulan" troops (complete with infantry, cavalry, and artillery) became accustomed to weapons from the east coast, they would become more and more dependent on them, and this would become a long-term business. Now they are at odds with the Indians about Kandahar's belonging, and they almost meet each other, believing that the arrival of these equipment will always boost the Persians' ambitions.

After reaching an agreement with the Persians, on 28 April, Guo Zili ordered the entire fleet to pull anchor and raise sails, and then headed for the Ottoman port of Suez. According to the plan, they would meet up with ships from the East African transport company there and then load the remaining Polish prisoners of war and slave girls who had been there for a long time. Trade in Europe on the east coast has suffered a setback this year, and Mo San may not have enough money on hand to buy prisoners of war, and the current port of Suez may not have too many people to transport, and it should be able to fill it all at once. (To be continued!)

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