Chapter 1338 - 347: Qatar

In the command center of the Third Fleet, Commander Lomache and Vice Admiral Plato were examining the map of the Middle East.

The map of the Middle East is quite complex, with a multitude of countries, countless tribes, and powerful entities like the United Kingdom, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia. Medium-sized ones include Neizhi (Saudi tribal state), Oman, while smaller ones are Bahrain and Qatar, with others hardly worth mentioning.

"How about Persia?" Vice Admiral Plato selected Persia as the primary target and provided a rationale: "The Empire's relationship with Persia is average, and their power is not overly strong. Moreover, Persia has the longest coastline in the Persian Gulf and Oman Bay, with numerous islands we can choose from. It's not necessary to occupy them like the Beibu Gulf territory; leasing would suffice as long as it meets our current needs."

Leasing is a very common method to acquire overseas military bases or colonies. Several overseas military bases or colonies of countries like England and France came about in this way, thus East Africa, also being imperialistic, is quite familiar with this model.

However, East Africa has historically relied more on direct military occupation. Most of East Africa's overseas colonies have been acquired through this straightforward method. Only occasionally in the Far East or South America would East Africa use leasing strategies.

Commander Lomache frowned for a moment, then said, "Persia indeed is a good choice, but ultimately Persia is a Great Power, and its relationship with the Empire has been deepening over the years. We can keep it as a backup option."

Persia has always been a major power in the Middle East. Aside from the Ottoman Empire, nowadays in the Persian Gulf, it can rightfully be called the second strongest state in the Middle East, although Egypt probably wouldn't agree.

After all, Egypt's history is comparable to Persia's, and its development in recent times has been remarkable. If not for England and France's intervention back then, perhaps Egypt's Ali Regime would have truly replaced the Ottoman Empire as the Middle East's big brother.

Of course, due to England and France's intervention, Egypt now certainly doesn't have the strength to challenge the Ottoman Empire again. However, comparing the national strength between Persia and Egypt, they are similar.

In the geopolitical sphere of the Middle East, only the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Persia, and Oman can be viewed favorably by East Africa, among which the Ottoman Empire undoubtedly is the only independent and autonomous state in the Middle East.

Though the Ottoman Empire's diplomacy in modern times has been quite weak, like the Far East Empire, it still has the capability for autonomous development and self-preservation. The other countries have essentially been infiltrated into beehives by England and France.

Commander Lomache's subsequent words confirmed this: "Although Persia emphasizes its status as a neutral country, in fact, it has already been dragged into the war by the British. At this time, Britain attaches great importance to Persia."

"After all, Britain must rely on Persian lands and resources to confront the Ottoman Empire. If we threaten or intimidate Persia, its government might invite the British to deal with these issues, which is why I will keep Persia as a backup option."

Britain has deployed up to a million troops in the Persian Gulf, and certainly, these forces cannot just float on the sea confronting the Ottoman Empire.

The reason Britain could penetrate Ottoman Empire territory is by passing through Persia. Now the front-line British Army relies on Persia for material transit, thus Persia has become somewhat tied to the UK.

In fact, Persia in a past life also served as Russia's frontline against the Ottoman Empire, but in this timeline, the Ottoman Empire joined the war relatively late. By the time the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia, Russia was already on the brink of collapse.

The wealth of Kazan's treasury was transported by East Africa from northern Persia to the coast of the Persian Gulf, through what was then Russia's sphere of influence in Persia (of course, this sphere of influence was established by an agreement between the UK and Russia without Persia's consent).

After Russia's collapse, Britain took over the local region, and some Russian troops were even integrated into British units as cannon fodder.

All in all, Persia is now closely tied to Britain, and Commander Lomache's concern is valid, which Vice Admiral Plato acknowledged.

Vice Admiral Plato said, "Then we should select our target from the small countries in the Middle East. Actually, if possible, I think Oman is also a good choice. Unfortunately, Oman has always had good relations with us, so we can't really find a reason to act against them."

East Africa places great importance on its relationship with Oman, primarily as a legacy from the Zanzibar Sultanate, a branch of the Omani Empire.

One could say the Zanzibar people hold a unique status in East Africa. The initial capital for East Africa's growth was provided by the Zanzibar people, including the earliest coastlines, harbors, handicrafts, and shipbuilding industries that originated from them.

Furthermore, East Africa deals with the Zanzibar people in the most special manner. In East Africa's road to colonial expansion and rise, the Zanzibar people can be said to be the only group that received favorable treatment from East Africa.

The reason behind this is that East Africa needs the Zanzibar people to serve as a bridge for communication between East Africa and the Middle East. This extends beyond just the Middle East, encompassing regions influenced by the Arabian Sect in Central Asia, Nanyang, and so on.

Whether it was East Africa's Black Slave trade with the Middle East, later commercial trades (primarily agricultural products), or the sale of industrial goods after the 20th century, the Zanzibar people made significant contributions, which they profited greatly from.

The massive benefits obtained from middleman roles empowered the Zanzibar people politically in Oman, with many Omani officials today being former Zanzibar people.

Of course, the so-called Zanzibar people are essentially Omanis, and the only remnant proving the existence of Zanzibar people, the Zanzibar Sultanate, has long vanished in the river of history.

But the Zanzibar people's return to Oman for ancestral reclamation has unquestionably advanced the development of relations between East Africa and Oman.

East Africa also needs Oman to continue serving as a bridge between East Africa and Middle Eastern countries. Oman is pragmatic in its diplomacy with East Africa, recognizing its position well — the Fujairah negotiations were the result of Oman proactively compromising.

Faced with such a nation, the attitude of the East African government is naturally very friendly. Excluding British factors, Oman is almost like East Africa's agent in the Middle East, which is roughly the case today. As East Africa's navy rises in the Indian Ocean, Oman is moving closer toward East Africa.

After hearing Vice Admiral Plato's bold idea, Commander Lomache decisively said, "Your idea is dangerous. The central government would certainly disapprove of us doing this. To a certain extent, Oman's interests align with ours. In fact, if it wasn't for historical issues during the Fujairah negotiations, we wouldn't have done it this way."

"Additionally, Oman supported our construction at Fujairah port. Stabbing Oman in the back now would be immoral."

Seeing Commander Lomache's serious expression, Vice Admiral Plato replied irritably: "I was just considering it; how could I really act against Oman."

"Actually, I've already picked an ideal target in my mind, which is Qatar, Bahrain's neighbor. Although Qatar's location is slightly worse than Bahrain's, in other aspects, they are quite similar. The only flaw is that we would have to be neighbors with the British in the future."

The reason Plato considered Qatar's location worse than Bahrain's mainly pertains to the countries' landscapes. Bahrain is an island, whereas Qatar connects to the Arabian Peninsula.

For the navy, islands often offer a greater sense of security, preventing enemy land attacks and enhancing defense. That's why the Royal Navy initially established Bahrain as the most vital base in the Persian Gulf, a principle later adopted by the United States Navy.

Of course, Qatar's position is, while relatively inferior, still acceptable, as its land connection part is not extensive. Moreover, Qatar borders East Africa's territory in the Beibu Gulf, backed by its national army, so there's no worry about land threats.