Colonel Lei Xiao's visit is to visit the Middle East region and conduct military exchanges and visits to the region, which is one of the daily tasks of the military department.

Second, in order to verify the combat capability of the Assault Wolf armored vehicle in the desert and arid areas, the relevant tests were mainly carried out in Yunzhong Province for up to a year.

Kuwait City is not a destination, and in the next step, Colonel Lei Xiao and his entourage will go to Baghdad as a special military delegation of the Tang Empire and return after passing through the Kingdom of Persia.

The Ottoman Army thoroughly studied the military regulations of the German Army, and the Navy copied the British Royal Navy in its entirety, and was also willing to learn from the advanced experience of the Tang Imperial Army.

The Kingdom of Persia was a place where Britain and Germany were more competitive, but it also often carried out military exchanges with France, Tang and other countries, and maintained a balance of power diplomacy among the world powers.

After a few days in Kuwait City, Colonel Lei Xiao roughly figured out the characteristics of the city;

It is a city of large and small smugglers, and it is governed by a thirteen-member municipal council elected by a large number of people.

Of the 13 people, seven are Chinese, two are British, one is French, and three local Arab tribal chiefs make up the council, which basically reflects the local demographics.

Located on the edge of the Ottoman Empire, it is a paradise for adventurers. The main business is smuggling, and its business tentacles extend to the interior of the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Persia and the Kingdom of Oman, and the scale is quite large.

Basically, every 5~7 days, a large sea vessel arrives at Kuwait Harbor, unloads a dazzling array of commodities from the ship, and then divides it up among the smugglers.

The large sea vessels come from Fubo City, the largest port in Yunzhong Province on the Red Sea coast, which is located in the main route of the Eurasian route, and the special products exported to Europe by the Tang Empire, Beihai Province, the Kingdom of Luzon, the Kingdom of Cebu, the Kingdom of Mindanao, etc., and the materials imported from Europe all have to pass through this Red Sea route.

Freighters on the Eurasian route often dock at the port of Fubo to replenish supplies and unload some cargo. Pack up with products from Africa or the Middle East and set sail again for the rest of the voyage.

The city of Fubo is now the largest entrepot in the Red Sea region and the largest entrepot in the whole of Northeast Africa, where most of the goods needed by nearby Ethiopia and Sudan are transited.

Kuwait Port is the trading hub for the entire Gulf region, which distributes and sells goods from Fubo City, and exports local products such as camels, horses and Arabian women to Fubo City.

Camels, horses, and mules are important pack animals, and thoroughbred Arabian horses are extremely valuable, and they are in high demand and can be sold no matter how much they are.

As a result, Kuwait has formed the largest livestock market in the entire Gulf region, with millions of large animals such as mules, horses, and camels traded every year, as well as countless cattle and sheep, all of which are transported to the port of Fubo or Sana'a by returning sea vessels.

Tribal wars often result in captives, and both the Ottomans and Persians have centuries-old traditions of human trafficking, so there is plenty of supply.

In Yunzhong Province and other overseas provinces of the empire, Chinese immigrants always had a strong thirst for young women, and the insufficient part was satisfied by the human trade.

So it's also a very profitable business, which has been around for more than 20 years, and it's getting bigger and bigger.

Sir Mak Kwong-man is the deputy mayor of the city council, a well-known local squire, who runs his own smuggling business and shoulders certain responsibilities of city management.

this day

He brought the British mayor, Mr. Enzo, to the manor and respectfully greeted Colonel Lei Xiao.

The British-born mayor Mr. Enzo was also a citizen of the Tang Empire, and had joined the army in his early years, was a member of the Royal Marine Division 2, and participated in the Battle of Port Suez with His Royal Highness Don Li Xin, King of Pingxi.

This is a British man who sells dog meat on the head of a sheep, marries a Han wife, has several mixed-race children, and can speak fluent Shandong dialect Chinese, because his wife is from Lu Province.

"He's also a smuggler?"

Colonel Lei Xiao was wearing a light white linen coat, and when he came out, he saw Mr. Enzo's typical British appearance, bald and eagle nose, and couldn't help but ask.

Without Sir Mak Guangmin answering, Mr. Enzo's skilful hands clenched into fists first, and he bent down and nodded in reply;

"Your Excellency, you have a noble question, I am a small businessman in kerosene trade, this small profit is small, not enough to worry about, let the noble man smile."

Damn, this thing!

From Europe to the Qing Dynasty to the Indian subcontinent, kerosene was a typical trade for the rich, and the poor could not afford to light a lamp.

Kuwait's main markets are in the province of Baghdad and the Kingdom of Iran, and even if a dozen kerosene smugglers were to divide up the huge market, everyone's business would not be small.

Every barrel of kerosene shipped inland is worth a lot of money.

"No need to be polite, just sit down and talk." Colonel Lei Xiao raised his hand and gave in, and he sat down directly, and after comfortably cocking Erlang's legs, he asked; "You are here today...... Is there something going on? ”

"I mainly came to visit the nobles, and brought a few carts of gifts, but the mere gift is not a respect. And one of my daughters is here to serve your Excellency the Lord......"

Speaking of which

Mr. Enzo beckoned outside, and over came a beautiful girl with chestnut hair and a slender figure.

This girl had typical mixed-race features, a well-defined face, and a pair of large, beautiful eyes that flickered, and stood in front of Colonel Lei Xiao without fear, looking at him curiously.

Mr. Enzo was startled, and immediately rebuked;

"Caroline, don't be presumptuous, if you don't hurry up and salute your honorable lord, it's all because of my lax discipline.

This girl is not blowing it, there is no one in ten miles and eight towns who can be more beautiful than her.

Under my tutelage, this girl speaks English and French, as well as Arabic and Persian. ”

After a few reprimands for her father, the girl named Caroline was deeply blessed, Colonel Lei Xiao's eyes flashed, and he raised his hand with a smile and said; "Miss Caroline, you don't need to be polite, your language talent seems to be very good, and it is exactly what you will need to visit Baghdad and Tehran in the future, and there are many things to borrow."

"So am I your man or the delegation?" Caroline suddenly asked boldly.

These words not only stopped Colonel Lei Xiao, but also startled Mr. Enzo, and hurriedly interjected and reprimanded; "Presumptuous, you girl, you don't dare to talk nonsense in front of your honorable lord."

Mr. Enzo then smiled apologetically at Colonel Lei Xiao, and said with some reproach; "It's all strange to me, I usually take this girl a little out of tune, everything depends on her temperament, please bear with me, honorable lord."

"It's okay, it's good to see that it's an innocent and refreshing character." Colonel Lei Xiao smiled tolerantly, this fiery and bold beautiful girl named Caroline had indeed won his favor.

After a little chat

On behalf of Kuwait City, Mr. Enzo expressed to Colonel Lei Xiao that he wished to convey his wish for recognition and acceptance by the Empire.

"Huh...... That's a good thing! Colonel Lei Xiao chuckled, nodded without hesitation;

"Admiring the prosperity of the empire and yearning for it, this is a sign of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, and the subjects of the empire are honored!

I can refer this matter to the Colonial Office and the Prime Minister, and I am sure that a positive response will be received soon.

Considering the complex historical entanglement of the Gulf region, it is difficult to solve this matter overnight, but the strong determination of the empire to safeguard the interests of overseas colonization will change, and the determination to protect the interests of citizens will not change.

This place ......"

Colonel Lei Xiao paused and organized the words a little before continuing;

"Although this place is deserted, the surrounding desert Gobi region has no grass and barren land. But fortunately, it is located in the main channel of the bay, and it is a good place to be able to radiate influence from here to the two river basins.

Based here, it will have an important influence on the Gulf region.

Echoing the Red Sea region of Yunzhong Province and the city of Sana'a, it is one and the same, and will establish the empire's sphere of influence in the Arabian Peninsula, which is very good.

Rest assured, I will be forthcoming, urging the relevant government to heed the region's call for integration. ”

"Thank you, Your Excellency Lord, the gratitude of more than 400,000 subjects of Kuwait City from top to bottom is indescribable......"

Mr. Enzo and Sir Mak Kwong Man both bowed and bowed, and when they got up, their faces were relieved and happy.

The two of them were happy from the bottom of their hearts to finally see the hope of being blessed by the Empire.

Although he said that he was not afraid of Lord Pasha in the Ottoman Empire's Baghdad Province, after all, he felt empty in his heart and helpless duckweed.

In case of any day

Lord Hussein Pasha of Baghdad Province went mad and gathered tens of thousands of troops to attack, which was really immortal and crippled, and the family business that he had worked so hard to accumulate for decades was in vain.

Fighting a war costs death, and it costs money, and it is very mysterious for everyone to resist the huge Ottoman Empire with a lonely city in Kuwait.

Sensei thought that Mr. Enzo and Sir Mak Kwong-man were stupid and rushed to give away the precious girl in the family, but in fact, these two were the real ruthless people.

Once you have identified the honorable Lord in front of you, how can you let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

The two of them directly stud all their net worth, if the daughter has this blessing, she can be regarded by the nobles and included in the house, regardless of whether it is a concubine or an aunt's wife, it is really a step to the sky.

Although the empire had perfect laws to protect the property and interests of merchants, it is an indisputable fact that merchants had a low social status.

If you want to achieve a class jump, in today's maturing society of the Tang Empire, it is even more difficult than climbing to the sky.

In the early days of the empire, His Majesty the Emperor would often reward military nobles and important ministers in large numbers, but those good days have passed, and they will never return.

25 years ago

His Royal Highness Tang Li Xin, King of Pingxi, led an expeditionary force to conquer Yunzhong Province on the Red Sea coast and the Port Suez region of Egypt, and only received seven noble titles, most of which were viscounts, barons and other low-ranking nobles.

Later, the imperial family sent troops to conquer the Luzon Islands and Cuba, and did not seal a few nobles, and the same is true of the expansion of North America in recent years, and it is becoming more and more difficult to advance to the aristocracy by virtue of military merits.

As for the Merchant's House, hehehe...... Stay and go, this kind of good thing will definitely not be their turn.

The feudal system of the empire is highly hierarchical, and even if it is a marriage, it is mostly between the royal family and the royal family, between the nobles and the nobles, and ordinary people in that high circle cannot squeeze in, let alone fantasize. (End of chapter)