Southern Route: Difference between revisions

The '''Southern Route''', also commonly known as the '''South [[Alshar]]-[[Sarpedon]]''' sea route is a shipping route from the [[Daxia]]n southeastern coast, through the [[Ocean of Cathay]] and on to the [[Kindreds Sea]] and [[Pelaxia]]n and [[Puertego|Puertegan]] ports. The first recorded complete voyage of the route was made in [[1615]] by Gabo de Pogiano, an explorer and adventurer from the [[Carto-Pelaxian Commonwealth]] who started his trip on the port of [[Albalitor]] on the [[Kindreds Sea]] and came into contact with the [[Daxia]]n Qian dynasty in [[Port Bondor]], [[Zhijun]]. Impetus for developing alternate trade routes gained traction and support at the Qian court mainly as a way to evade the [[Burgundie|Burgoignesc]] [[La Garrote|monopoly]] on all [[Audonia]]n sea routes, especially from its outpost on the island of [[Cheun|Ayermer]]. The route would become more profitable to traverse in the early 17th century after the Qian colonization of [[Stenza]] by the [[South Seas Development Company|South Seas Trading Company]]. In the modern era the route continues to be an important lane for [[Daxia]] and international marine shipping and several national navies operate throughout its whole length to provide security.

==History==

[[File:Ngô_Quyền_đại_phá_quân_Nam_Hán_trên_sông_Bạch_Đằng.jpg|thumb|Qian admiral Xi Haifong leading a fleet to Stenza]]

[[File:Ilustracion-XIX-expedicion-Fernando-Magallanes 1407469895 112245496 667x375.jpg|thumb|Pogiano sailing around [[Australis]]]]

The outsourcing of colonial administration of the [[Stenza]] territory to the [[South Seas Development Company|South Seas Trading Company]] and the expansion of its commercial activities by establishing bases in Port Bondor, Rakin (later Rakahanga) and Ambo led to the establishment of a quasi commercial monopoly on the western end of the Southern Route. As the company's wealth increased, it would outfit a fleet of warships of its own, nominally under Imperial control but in practice operating to protect company commercial interests. The [[Harmonious Flotilla Invincible]] began operating in 1758, when it fended off Bergendii corsairs off the coast of [[Freda Island]].

The impact of the establishment of the southern route was enormous in both economic and cultural terms for the Daxian. The flow of trade goods greatly enrichened the Qian state, with the treasury benefiting from extra taxes and tariffs, including a tax on all precious metals, fees for providing naval protection to merchant ships, docking, warehouse uses and clerical services. In addition there were cultural and technological exchanges, with several sarpedonian scholars taking up employment with the Daxian. One such case was mathematician and astronomer Justo Barbajan, who worked at the Qian court as Director of the Imperial Observatory. The first Christian preachers arrived by boat in 1623, with one of them eventually founding what would become the [[Democratic Christian Church of Daxia and the East]].

On May 17, 1615, the fleet reached Daxia, thus having established the route via the Cathay Ocean and managing to open the sea route Sarpedon to Alshar. Negotiations with the local Qian State were difficult. Pogiano's efforts to obtain favorable commercial terms have been hampered by the different cultures and the low value of their gifts – in the East it was customary for kings to offer presents to the foreign envoys; in the West the kings were expected to be impressed with rich offerings. Goods presented by the Pelaxian proved insufficient to impress the Daxian and representatives mocked their offers. Pogiano's perseverance made him nevertheless initiate negotiations between him and the Qian's, who were pleased with the letters of King Eladio I. Finally, Pogiano managed to get an ambiguous letter of concession rights to trade and an enclave on the coast managed by a Pelaxian governor.

[[File:Casa del Alshar.jpg|thumb|Palacio de la Costa (on the right), where the Casa del Alshar was headquartered, and its naval yards (on the left), in 1675.]]

The Carto-Pelaxian Commonwealth of 1618, changed little at first. However, the increasing influence of Levantine trading companies in the Alshari continent after 1698 led the Commonwealth to experiment with different arrangements to secure the new born colonial empire. In 1605, he created the Oficina del Alshar, to bring affairs in Commonwealth Alshar under closer supervision of the Parliament. But this conflicted with older lines of Carto-Pelaxian authority, and the council was eventually dissolved in 1714.

[[Category:Daxia]]

[[Category:Pelaxia]]