Chapter Ninety-Three: Forced Land Cession and Indemnity The Sultan surrendered completely

Sun Chuanting's asking price far exceeded the preparation of the Ottoman envoy when he came to negotiate, he felt that this time he was afraid that the empire would have to pay some price to eliminate the anger of the Ming Dynasty, but he did not expect the Ming Dynasty's appetite to be so big, he believed that the imperial sultan would not swallow this bitter fruit, so although he loved this ancestral sword very much, he still agreed to make a bet with Sun Chuanting.

In fact, Zhang Zhimu's idea was that as long as he took an estuary of the Black Sea south of the Great Caucasus Mountain, he did not want to take such a large piece of land. Sun Chuanting's asking price was studied by him and Ning De together. According to Ningde's words, we have taken an inch of land from the Turks, and we have taken more of it, and if we don't take it now, it will not be easy to have a chance in the future. Sun Chuanting also wants to take an estuary on the Mediterranean side, and he believes that since Zhang Zhimu wants to take an estuary in the Black Sea, this estuary is naturally very useful. But Ningde thinks it's inappropriate, he thinks that this place, there is an estuary in the Black Sea, an estuary in the Persian Gulf, and then an estuary in the Mediterranean, and it is leaking everywhere and is not easy to keep.

Ningde is an army general, although he does not necessarily admit it in his heart, he still has an inexplicable fear of the sea, so he is reluctant to have more estuaries to the sea. But by doing so, they had already rowed the Euphrates and Tigris. Although Sun Chuanting and Ningde still didn't understand how important the two river basins were, they knew that it was a good place to have rivers, especially these perennial drought ghost places, and it was useless to have more places without rivers.

The Ottoman Sultan sent a telegram to Sun Chuanting's final asking price, but the Sultan never replied, despite the urgency of the envoy.

Zhang Zhimu received the news from Ning De, came to the map on the wall, and said to Chen Yufeng: "General Ning, they have too much appetite, right?" ”

"I think the place they wanted was also taken by the Ottoman Empire. Nothing big or small! Chen Yufeng said.

"The two river basins are the best places in West Asia, and the two rivers civilization born there is not much worse than our Chinese civilization! How do we govern these places? Zhang Zhimu looked at the map and said.

Ouyang He came over and said: "The more troublesome thing is that the people there use religion to rule the people there. This is something we can't shake. And we can't force them to convert. ”

"Why can't you, those khanates in the Western Regions originally believed in Buddhism, and later they forced the people to convert to *** religion, don't they all believe in it!" Chen Yufeng said, "If we really occupy these places, we will first ask religious leaders not to interfere in politics, and if they do, they will be resolutely killed." If the people are obedient, but if they don't listen to us, they listen to the religious leaders, and we should kill them. Otherwise, we wouldn't have to occupy it. Without power, you can't embody grace! Armed occupation cannot be too merciful! ”

"Huh! I don't think the Ottoman sultans will easily cede such a good place to us. Zhang Zhimu smiled and said.

"Huh! It's up to them! Chen Yufeng looked at the map with his hands behind his back and said, "It's okay for us to separate them from the Persian Empire!" ”

In this way, not only the Ottoman Empire was dissatisfied, but also the Persian Empire. This is tantamount to separating the Persian Empire from the whole West! Ouyang He said.

"It is very likely that when we and the Turks are finished, the entire western countries will turn against us, including the Russian Empire!" Zhang Zhimu said.

"The Russian Empire can't take care of us for the time being, General Jiang Huang sent information that the Polish cavalry has harassed the Russian border several times, it seems that the Poles want to take advantage of the fact that the Russian Empire has just been defeated and want to take advantage of it!" Ouyang He said.

"Oh! And here's the thing! Zhang Zhimu was very happy to hear Ouyang He's words.

"They all come together and don't pose any threat to us, it's lucky that we don't fight them!" Chen Yufeng didn't take his eyes off the map and said, "Zhimu, look at the map, the source of the Euphrates River and the Tigris River is not far from the Black Sea!" Can we use locks to connect the Persian Gulf with the Black Sea, just as we did through the Qinling Mountains? ”

Zhang Zhimu looked at the map and found that this was really the case, but they knew that in the previous life, people dug a Suez Canal from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to connect the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. In previous lives, there was also the idea of communicating the Persian Gulf from the Black Sea or the Caspian Sea through the Euphrates or Tigris rivers. However, if you want to dig the Suez Canal now, you have to occupy it. But just after occupying so many places in the Western Regions, if you don't digest it well, you will be like Genghis Khan, and in the end you will have nothing empty-handed.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhimu said: "Uncle Chen's idea is very good, so that we can connect the Western Ocean (Indian Ocean) and the Atlantic Ocean through the Black Sea." The sea route on both sides is much closer! However, the main thing we transported from the east to the west was the westward transportation of our Ming Dynasty. With the canal from Lake Balkhash to the Black Sea, which we are digging now, it will be enough. ”

Ouyang He was also interested, "Mr. Zhang, the things of the Mughal Empire and the spices of the South Seas are all things that Western countries need, if we can repair here, it will be a great thing!" ”

"What Mr. Ouyang said is," Zhang Zhimu said, pointing to the map, "after we reach an agreement with the Ottoman Empire, we can ask Mr. Lu Bingyi to send someone to inspect the two rivers to see what the specific situation is?" However, the two river basins are a rare and good place. We should look at how to manage this. ”

Chen Yufeng smiled and said, "Hehe! This Sun Chuanting is by Ningde's side, but it has played a big role! It is estimated that these ideas were all made by Lord Sun! ”

"Lord Sun can just make up for General Ningde's shortcomings, like this negotiation of local matters, Lord Sun is much older than General Ning. If General Ning were himself, he would probably make an outlet to the sea in the Black Sea to complete the task! Ouyang He said.

Chen Yufeng looked at the map and suddenly said: "I see that they just want to use the Euphrates River as the boundary for defense, and I don't know that the west bank of the river is also a very good place." They should be reminded! ”

"Huh! Uncle Chen is still very greedy! Zhang Zhimu said with a smile.

"That's right! Mr. Chen has a point," Ouyang He said, "with our strength, we don't necessarily have to rely on rivers to guard the border now." Besides, there must be many relatives of the people on both sides of the river, and it will be inconvenient to draw the boundary to go back and forth! I'll send a telegram to General Ningde right away! ”

Until the next morning, the Ottoman Sultan did not reply with a telegram. The envoys had no choice, they hid in their own houses and did not come out to see Sun Chuanting and them.

Ning De said to Sun Chuanting: "The Turks are really helpful! Mr. Ouyang telegraphed last night that let us note that both sides of the Euphrates River are good places, and there should not be only one side of the river. Today they helped us. I immediately ordered the army to advance under the city of Ankara! ”

"That's right! Now that the envoy comes in, we will also tell him that our army is in place. The suggestion last time didn't work! Sun Chuanting said.

"Huh! You can deal with the envoy's affairs! Ning De smiled and said, "I don't care about this!" However, both sides of the Euphrates River are good places, and don't forget, both sides of the Hachans River are also good places. ”

The Ottoman army already knew that their envoys had gone to the camp of the Ming Dynasty army to negotiate, and the Ming Dynasty army had stopped its offensive operations, and they all thought that the war would end soon, so their vigilance was very low, and the brigade of men and horses had shrunk close to the city of Ankara, and the troops outside were all checkpoints. The cavalry commanded by Ningde made a surprise attack and advanced directly to the city of Ankara, and arranged a position under the city of Ankara, and the brigade of men and horses also rumbled over.

At lunchtime, Sun Chuanting invited the envoy to come over and eat together. As soon as he sat down, Sun Chuanting said to the envoy: "Let me tell you the news, General Ningde has led his men and horses to advance to the city of Ankara. I've heard that Ankara is a very old city, a gateway between East and West, right? ”

"You, you don't keep your word, didn't you promise not to take no more military action during the negotiations?" Where can the envoy still eat?

"Don't get excited! Envoy, let's talk while we eat! Sun Chuanting still said lightly, "We agreed, but after the talks, you don't show your attitude, can we wait in vain with hundreds of thousands of troops?"

"Our Majesty also needs to discuss when he receives such conditions. What a big deal! When the envoy said this, his heart was also a little empty. After all, it was yesterday afternoon, plus another night, and there was no news from the Sultan! It's no wonder that people put pressure on them!

"I see that your Majesty the Sultan needs us to help him make up his mind. Otherwise, how can you be the leader of a great power? Sun Chuanting said politely.

The envoy barely ate something, went straight to the telegraph room out of the restaurant, and sent another telegram to the Sultan: "The army of the Ming Dynasty has advanced to the city of Ankara, how to reply to the request of the Ming Dynasty, please return the telegram quickly!" ”

The annoyed envoy returned to his room, and just wanted to take a rest, when the general knocked on the door and came in, "Your Majesty telegram!" ”

The envoy almost rushed over, grabbed the telegram, and saw that it read: "All for the purpose of ending the war." Promise all the requirements of the Ming Dynasty! ”

After reading the telegram, the envoy almost burst into tears, "Is this true?" Is this true? ”

The general advised: "Don't be excited, my lord, you have done your best, this is a telegram from Your Majesty!" I've been waiting in the telegraph room! ”

The envoy picked up his treasure knife, looked at it, gritted his teeth and walked out of the room, came to Sun Chuanting's big tent, and asked to see Sun Chuanting.

After a while, the guards led the envoy to Sun Chuanting.

The envoy held up his sword and said, "Lord Sun, you have won!" ”

Sun Chuanting waved his hand and said, "Your Excellency, I haven't won yet, because the agreement we gave you last time has expired and is invalid." So our bet is also invalid! ”

"What? What do you mean by that? The envoy asked worriedly. He was too afraid that the kiln people would make any new requests.

"Because of your delay in negotiations, we are forced to take military action. You will pay for what you do! Sun Chuanting said.

"And the price?"

"Yes! Our new request is that, on the basis of the original demand, the demarcation area should be demarcated from the original line to an additional 100 kilometers to the west. If the envoy has no objections, we can sign the agreement today! Otherwise, the next thing we want is the city of Ankara! Sun Chuanting said.

"No, no, you can't always change your requirements!" The envoy, of course, quit.

"If you don't sign it today, the content of the agreement will change!" Sun Chuanting said, "Besides, you can't make a decision, so let's send a telegram to His Majesty the Sultan to ask him!" ”

The envoy was so embarrassed by Sun Chuanting that his face turned red and he didn't speak again, turned around and went out to send a telegram to His Majesty the Sultan!

The envoy was now fully convinced that the Sultan would agree to the demands of the Yaogang people, and his only thought was for the Ming army to stop attacking.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for the Sultan to telegraph back: "As long as the Ming Dynasty army can withdraw its army, I will authorize you to handle everything with full authority!" ”

This scolding in the envoy's heart! He knew that as long as he signed the agreement, the Sultan would blame himself for his incompetence and betraying the interests of the empire. Originally, the Sultan had agreed to the request of the Ming Dynasty, but he did not write it directly, just to put this responsibility on himself.

So the envoy first put away the telegram, knowing that returning to Istanbul was a proof of his innocence.

Coming to Sun Chuanting, Sun Chuanting asked people to pour tea, "Your Excellency, this is the new tea that has just been sent from our rear." How about you taste it? ”

The envoy took a sip of tea and said, "Good tea!" Good tea! As he spoke, he drank some tea.

Sun Chuanting looked at the envoy and asked with a smile, "Your Excellency, do you really want to take on this responsibility for your Majesty the Sultan?" ”

The envoy understood that Sun Chuanting and they already knew about the trap that the Sultan had set for him.

The envoy nodded and said, "Those who are courtiers should take responsibility for Your Majesty!" "The envoy understands that he can do whatever he wants when he goes back, but he can't show his dissatisfaction in the eyes of outsiders.

"That's good! We signed the agreement today, and you and I have completed this great thing! Sun Chuanting waved his hand, and someone brought up four agreements written in Turkish and Chinese. The envoy took it and read it carefully, then handed the agreement to the general secretary to read it again, and the general nodded after reading it, and the special envoy understood that the meaning of the agreement in the two languages was exactly the same.

The envoy signed the four agreements, and Sun Chuanting also signed the four agreements.

The envoy said, "Lord Sun, our agreement has been signed, can you withdraw your troops?" ”

"We need to see your Sultan sign and you start to fulfill the agreement before we can withdraw our troops! As far as I know, you have released all our people, but you have not paid a tael of silver for compensation. That's not going to work! Please tell His Majesty the Sultan that the agreement has been signed, but if it is not carried out according to the agreement, we will take Ankara, and if we can't do it again, we will be like Istanbul marching. ”

"What you want is a million taels of silver, that's a lot of silver, and it will take time to raise it!" The envoy explained.

"I think if our army retreats, you will have a longer time to raise silver!" Sun Chuanting did not let go, he knew that if he wanted to get the compensation money quickly, he had to keep the pressure on.

Seeing that this matter could not be discussed, the envoy changed the subject, "Lord Sun, since the hostilities between our two countries are over. We still have a lot of officers and soldiers who have been captured by you, will you just release them? ”

"Your Ottoman Empire has been at war all the time, and your way of dealing with prisoners of war is usually by beheading them or making them slaves. We're not going to let them go like that, are we? Sun Chuanting asked rhetorically.

"We are friendly again now! Shouldn't you let them go home together? "The envoy thinks this matter should save some face.

"I think you can't afford to give face," Sun Chuanting said, "Since your Sultan is very concerned about the captured officers and soldiers, let him redeem them!" How about ten taels of silver per soldier? ”

"You, you're too disagreeable!" The envoy was anxious again.

"Why is it not like that, the price we offered, everyone has not yet a horse worth silver?" Sun Chuanting said.

"Those officers, we can redeem them with silver, and the soldiers don't need to do this, right?" The Special Envoy is still working on it.

"With us, prisoners are treated the same and the price is the same, regardless of whether they are officers or soldiers!" Sun Chuanting knew that a large number of laborers were needed to continue digging the canal!

"You, you Ming Dynasty people earn money, it's crazy!" The envoy was really mad.

Sun Chuanting also knew that the Ottoman Empire did not have so much silver to ransom these captives now. The kiln gang needs them more, and of course they won't let go.

When the envoy left the Yaogang army camp with two agreements, Sun Chuanting gave his car to the envoy, and the envoy also untied his saber and gave it to Sun Chuanting.

On his way back to Istanbul, the envoy had been wondering how he would face the Sultan and the disgruntled adults when he returned to Topkapi Palace.

It suddenly occurred to the envoy that he had made a mistake, that he should not have asked for the car that Sun Chuanting had given him, that was a place where political enemies could fatally attack him. However, the envoy had an idea.

Crossing the Bosphorus, the envoy asked the driver of the kiln gang to drive a car to Istanbul and enter the city, and let the driver drive the car directly into Topkapi Palace.

Hearing that the envoy had returned so quickly, the Sultan immediately let the envoy in.

When the envoy saw the Sultan finish his salute, he stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I have fulfilled the mission you have given me. I'll bring you a car! ”

"Oh! Car? The Sultan's eyes lit up.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it's the car of the Ming Dynasty Lord Sun who negotiated with us!" The envoy said, "Lord Sun took a fancy to the family heirloom knife I was carrying. I want to buy my treasure knife, I said no, but I can exchange it for his car! At first he didn't agree, and it wasn't until I left that he agreed. I'll bring it back to Your Majesty! ”

"Oops! Thank you, you don't know how hard it is to go to the front without a good car. With this good car, we won't have to work so hard when we go out to fight again! Let's go see the car! ”

When the Sultan finished looking at the car, he naturally couldn't close his mouth. However, they didn't forget the important event of signing an agreement with the Ming Dynasty. Back in the house, the Sultan said, "My dear, tell me about the results of the negotiations with the Ming Dynasty!" ”