Southern Route: Difference between revisions

Gabo de Pogiano's 1615 journey became an embassy after contact with the Daxians. After arriving in the port of [[Zong]] on the 10th of October, he had an audience with Digen Youdu, Viceroy of Ganshu; with whom he negotiated an agreement that allowed him to dock in Daxian ports and engage in trade, map out the surrounding seas and build a fort in the [[Tanhai]] coastal commandery. Pogiano in turn committed himself to on his return trip, guide a Qian squadron to the [[Kindreds Sea]] and the coast of [[Sarpedon]]. The ships that would join him on [[Zhijun]] were the ''Falun'', the ''Gong'' and the ''Shen Yun''; the first Daxian ships to ever make it to [[Sarpedon]]. Later contacts with Acirien representatives would lead to a similar agreement. The Qian would send goods such as sugarcane, barrels of [[slozo]], pink salt, ebony wood and cinnamon and in return would receive (insert Sarpedonian products such as wine)

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 Daxians. The first contact with 'westerners' (Burgoignesc around [[Alshar]] were believed to be a subject people of the [[Audonia]]n muslim sultanates) and the confirmation that were were further lands beyong the Polynesian sea was a great shock to the Qian court. 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 use and clerical services. In addition there were cultural and technological exchanges, with several sarpedonian scholars taking up employment with the Daxian court. 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]].

In time further contacts would expand beyond simple trade with merchants from the [[Carto-Pelaxian Commonwealth]] and the court received embassies from nations such as the Imperium of [[Caphiria]], the bug kingdoms of [[Takatta Loa]] and the great seafaring power of [[Kiravia]]. Trade contacts would be increasingly outsourced to the [[South Seas Development Company|South Seas Trading Company]] which would come to enjoy a monopoly on the transport of goods of the route. On behalf of Daxia the company would engage in attempts at entrenchment and expansion in the polynesian region, such as at least one failed attempt by a group of company sponsored filibusters to take over the [[Lotoa]]n kingdom and the building of an outpost further east in the xxx islands.