Chapter 4849 Request for peace talks

Chapter 4849 Request for peace talks
The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the Xun Harbor. In the distance, a "woooo" horn sounded on the sea. The seagulls flying close to the water were startled, flapped their wings, and flew away quickly. The sailors in the harbor rushed to the dock, jumping and cheering at the huge fleet that suddenly jumped out on the horizon.

Everyone knew that this battle could be called the "Battle of Establishing the Port". Only by winning could Xun Port exist as a stronghold for the Tang Navy to control the Persian Gulf. Otherwise, even if warships and fleets were stationed there, they would inevitably be harassed and attacked by the Arabs from time to time, and the whole army would be wiped out if they were not careful.

But as long as they win this battle, the might of the Tang Dynasty will shock the Persian Gulf, and no one will dare to provoke the Tang Dynasty navy again. Meixun Port will truly become a "bridgehead", just like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty named it "Zhangye" because he had high hopes for the Hexi Corridor to "cut off the arm of the Huns and expand the armpit of China". Meixun Port will also be the Tang Empire's existence as a transit point to demonstrate its military power and trade in the West.

In short, since the victory in this battle, Meixun Port has become an "enclave" of the Tang Empire thousands of miles away from the ocean, and no one can deny it...

Breaking through the last slanting rays of afterglow on the sea, more than a hundred warships entered the port and anchored one after another. The entire port became busy with transporting the wounded, escorting prisoners, repairing ships, counting ordnance... The huge port was lit with rows of torches that illuminated the dock like daylight. The soldiers on the ships, the auxiliary soldiers in the port, and the hired natives were all busy and joyful.

Yang Zhou returned to the official residence, took off his armor and sword, took a comfortable bath, made a pot of tea, and then summoned his officers to discuss matters.

After a while, more than ten people came into the house. Yang Zhou asked his personal soldiers to pour tea for everyone and raised his cup: "I have military duties and dare not drink. Now I will use tea instead of wine to pay tribute to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. I wish His Majesty a long life and eternal happiness! I wish the Tang Dynasty will be forever strong and prosperous! I also wish us to expand our territory and leave our names in history! Come on, everyone, drink to victory!"

"Drink victory!"

The atmosphere became lively, and everyone raised their glasses along with Yang Zhou, responding loudly and drinking together... The tea was too hot to be finished in one gulp.

Yang Zhou only took a sip and saw everyone sticking out their tongues and gasping for air due to the heat, and he immediately burst into laughter. The officers and generals were also helplessly laughing at the general's little prank.

"The victory of this battle will make the great Tang Dynasty fear the Arabs and oppress Persia. Wherever the Tang people go, no one dares to insult and kill them at will. However, if anyone commits a crime, no matter how far the ocean is or how far the Arabs are, they will be punished!"

"Even if they are far away, they will be punished! Even if they are far away, they will be punished!"

Everyone in the government office raised their arms and cheered together, and morale was high.

Obeid sat in the corner and watched this scene with envy and sadness. Although they were both born as human beings, his tribe lived with wild beasts in the desert and mountains, ate raw meat and drank blood, and suffered bullying, while the Tang people thrived and created civilization in the rich land of the far east, sailing all over the world in their warships to trade and show off their military power.

The gap between tribes is sometimes greater than the gap between humans and dogs...

Everyone laughed for a while, and before they started discussing matters, a personal soldier came in from outside and reported: "General, the Governor of Shiloh Port sent someone to hand over a letter, intending to negotiate peace with our army."

Yang Zhou raised his eyebrows, quite surprised: "He is so anxious to come here to negotiate peace? This guy is so impatient, he is not qualified to be a frontier official!"

Obaid in the corner continued, "The general may know a little less about the situation in the Arab Empire. Since Muawiyah became the caliph, in order to consolidate his power and crack down on dissidents, he sent his trusted men to various places as governors. On the one hand, he suppressed the disobedients in various places, and on the other hand, he took advantage of the world and oppressed the people. As long as the governors of various places can remit the taxes to Damascus on time, they will be safe even if they make big mistakes. Otherwise, even his own brother will be dismissed."

Everyone understood why Abu Awar, the governor of Shiraf Port, not only did not try to retaliate and cut off the Tang Dynasty's hand reaching out to the Persian Gulf, but instead was impatient to send people to negotiate peace after the port had just suffered a great defeat.

Because if he could not negotiate peace with the Tang Dynasty to ensure the stability of Shiraf Port, he would not be able to continue to exploit the people, squeeze the merchants and collect large amounts of taxes to send to the Caliph. At that time, he might not be held accountable by the Caliph for the defeat, but he would definitely be dismissed by the Caliph for not being able to pay generous taxes...

Yang Zhou stroked his beard, feeling speechless. He always felt that the system and governance of the Kingdom of Dashi, a country that could compete with the Tang Dynasty, were not rigorous enough, and even a bit childish. They were not much better than those ignorant and backward indigenous tribes...

A moment later, an Arab official walked in. Obed had already approached Yang Zhou and whispered, "This man is one of Abu Awal's right-hand men. His name is Busir. He is resourceful, cunning and treacherous. He is Abu Awal's think tank."

Yang Zhou nodded slightly.

As soon as Buser entered the palace, he saw the Tang army generals in helmets and armor sitting on both sides, each with a big horse and a golden sword, with his chest and head held high, his hands on the horizontal swords at his waist, his eyes stern and murderous, as if he would jump up and draw his sword to kill him on the spot if he disagreed with him...

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and took small steps forward. He spoke Chinese quite well and said respectfully, "I am here to meet His Excellency the General of the Great Tang Dynasty on the orders of the Governor of Shilafu Port. Although our armies have occasionally clashed before, I believe it must have been caused by misunderstandings. The Arabs and the Great Tang Dynasty belong to the East and the West, and the two poles of the world respectively. They have both made outstanding contributions to the stability of the world. There are frequent trade and cultural exchanges between them. Although they are not allied countries, they are also brotherly countries. The misunderstanding can be resolved and the friendship of the past can be restored. It is beneficial for both sides to work together. Isn't it wonderful for everyone to work together?"

Yang Zhou was surprised and asked, "Your Excellency speaks Chinese very well, but where did you learn it from?"

Buser's nervousness eased a little, and he smiled and said, "When I was young, I lived in Suiye City for a period of time, and I also followed my father and grandfather to do business in the Western Regions. Every day, I saw Chinese characters and heard Chinese sounds. Over time, I learned them by osmosis, but I have never really studied them. Eastern culture is brilliant and profound, and I only have a superficial understanding. If there are any mistakes, I hope the general will forgive me."

This man was not only proficient in Chinese, but also good at speaking. The officers and generals present nodded in agreement, showing great satisfaction.

Yang Zhou asked someone to bring Abu Awal's "letter of credence" to him. He read it carefully, drank tea and thought deeply.

After a moment, he threw the "letter" to the ground and said loudly: "Whether it is a misunderstanding or intentional, no matter what, the majesty of the Tang Dynasty is inviolable! Abu Awal plundered merchants and slaughtered Tang people. His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was furious, so he ordered us to travel across the ocean and raise an army to punish him. How can we give up easily? Go back and tell Abu Awal and the Caliph of the Arab Empire that everything mentioned in the previous letter from the Tang Dynasty should be done one by one without bargaining. Otherwise, His Majesty the Emperor will raise an army of 200,000 and drive warships to blow up the port of Shiraf first, then capture the port of Uqi, and then go upstream to Damascus to ask your Caliph, are you deceiving our Tang Dynasty?"

The Tang army officers present were all aroused by his words. They all stood up and glared at Buser, shouting in unison: "Whoever offends the Tang Dynasty will be punished no matter how far away they are!"

Buser was so frightened that his face turned pale and he trembled. He kept saying, "General, calm down! Calm down! We can discuss everything. Why do we have to make such a big fuss?"

Yang Zhou's eyes widened with anger: "Go back and tell Abu Awal that this is a matter of imperial dignity and cannot be negotiated!"

"Yes, yes, I will report this right away. Please calm down, General. It's just that your army has gone through a long expedition, and even if they win, they will suffer a lot. Every Tang person is extremely noble, so why waste time on such meaningless things? The Governor is willing to compensate the Tang army for the soldiers who died and the warships that were damaged this time to show his sincerity. I hope the general will approve it."

This was to test whether there was a possibility of negotiation. Yang Zhou pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "The Governor is so generous and reasonable. It seems that there were indeed some misunderstandings before. However, it is a fact that His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is furious. As subjects, we should act in accordance with his will. No matter what, we must give an explanation to His Majesty the Emperor."

Busel heaved a sigh of relief immediately, for he knew very well what the Tang Dynasty wanted, and for Abu Awal, as long as he could keep the position of governor and ensure that the port of Shiraf was not lost, there was nothing he could not give up or sell out.

"I will report this to the Governor-General and will give the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty a satisfactory explanation. I would like to ask the General to send an official to go with me to the Governor-General's Office to discuss the details."

"..."

Yang Zhou looked around and didn't find any eloquent people. Buyeo Long showed some wisdom, but he might not be competent for negotiation. This guy changed from a Baekje person to a Tang person, and was given an important task, which made him extremely arrogant. If he was asked to negotiate, he would probably only say "either agree or go to war", which was very arrogant...

After thinking for a while, he said, "Tomorrow at noon, outside the port of Shiluofu, I will drive the 'King of Wei' to wait for the governor. If there is anything, we can discuss it among ourselves. There is no need to let the officials discuss back and forth and report repeatedly."

"In that case, I will report this to the Governor immediately."

"Come here, see the guests off!"

"Here!"

After seeing Buser off, Yang Zhou said, "We lost dozens of men in this battle and more than 300 were injured. We must provide adequate compensation. The lieutenant who is in charge of commending meritorious service must carefully check and not bury the meritorious service of the soldiers."

"Here."

Several captains stood up and bowed to receive the order.

The navy is different from the land force. Whenever it goes to war, it cruises on the sea, surrounded by the vast expanse and isolated and without help. Once defeated, the entire army may be wiped out. Therefore, it can only rely on mutual support and trust among comrades. The officers and soldiers are very united. Not only has there never been any case of corruption in military merits, but the pensions for fallen soldiers are also among the best in the entire Tang Dynasty army.