1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 814 Compromise
Delgado would not let down his vigilance at such a time, pretending to be ignorant and shaking his head: "My lord, I don't understand what you mean."

"Okay, Delgado, you don't have to continue to pretend to be innocent!" Gesman said impatiently: "Your tricks are good enough to fool a rough guy like Lopez, I can't see it." The idiot who cleared the situation!"

Delgado thought for a while and replied: "If Lord Gesman really wants to have peace talks with the Haihan people outside the city, then the villain is willing to send a message for the Lord to go out of the city."

"Listen, I want the Haihan people to guarantee that I can leave here safely and decently, and that my personal belongings cannot be detained." Gesman said viciously: "If they can't, then I can only let the defenders in the city The battle is over!"

All Gusman did was to get out safely and to be able to take away his property in its entirety.As for the life and death of other people in the city, Gesman didn't care that much.Of course, the Spaniards still have to preserve it as much as possible, so that they may be able to make up a reason to ask for credit from the Manila authorities afterwards.The casualties were too serious, and it was difficult for Gersman to explain to the higher authorities when he returned to Manila.

Delgado knew that Gusman was only speaking hard for the time being, and he didn't have the courage to really fight the Haihan people.Even if nothing happened to Lopez, he would inevitably be discouraged when he saw the siege artillery outside the city.Although Delgado is only a semi-professional soldier, he can also see that the gap in strength between the two sides is not only reflected in the will to fight, but also the gap in weaponry and combat methods that cannot be filled.

Gesman quickly reconvened the officers of the defenders in the city and informed them of the current situation - the city of Santo Domingo had been besieged, and it failed to seek help from outside, and it was impossible to engage in a frontal decisive battle with the enemy. It was only a matter of time before the fall question.

This view of Gesman naturally aroused the doubts of the officers. Many people thought that with the city defense, they could still try to defend for a few more days.At this time, Gesman could only use Delgado's useful tool again: "Delgado, tell them what you saw outside the city."

"Siege cannon, a siege cannon with a thick and long barrel!" Delgado knew exactly what he had to say to disintegrate the fighting will of these soldiers: "And there is more than one! They used field artillery to attack the city before, probably Just to test the range of our city fire guns, so that the subsequent siege cannons can be deployed at the appropriate positions."

"Is that a real cannon?" In fact, some people in the city have observed the large artillery in the distance, but they think it may be a kind of camouflage made by the Haihan army with thick tree trunks, and it is just a prop to scare the defenders .But if this thing is a real thing, then the situation on the battlefield will be completely different. Many of these soldiers have fought in the European battlefield, and they know how much protection the so-called city wall of Santo Domingo can have. .If you want to rely on the adobe wall to block the bombardment of the siege cannon, it is more useful to pray to God that the shell will not hit you.

After getting an affirmative answer from Delgado, almost everyone felt deep despair.They traveled thousands of miles from Europe to this remote island in the Far East, and they did not come here specifically to serve their country. The enemies outside the city were not natives with bamboo spears, and they could easily defeat them by virtue of the fortifications and weapons. rout.In front of the Haihan army armed to the teeth, at this time the Spaniard felt that he was the native with the bamboo spear.

Seeing that the voice of opposition had disappeared, Gesman went on to say: "Gentlemen, I think we should calm down and deal with the current situation. Captain Lopez has given us a warning with his life. If we all die here, it will be a great loss to the interests of the Kingdom of Spain in the Far East. Everyone here is one in a hundred, one in a thousand talents, and we should not lose our precious lives in This remote island. I think we should be realistic and evacuate here in a decent way, and when we are ready in the future, we will come back to avenge Captain Lopez!"

"Master Gesman is right. It won't help if we all die here. It's better to save our strength and wait for the future."

"I just don't know if the enemies outside the city will kill us and not let us go?"

"I heard that the Haihan people are not bloodthirsty. The Dutch were defeated last year, but they are still staying in the south? I haven't seen the Haihan people coming to liquidate them."

"However, our ships have been sunk, and we have to go by land if we want to retreat to Jilong Port..."

After Gesman made his statement, everyone immediately discussed it, but no one objected to Gesman's proposition at this time. Instead, they began to discuss things after the surrender. Judging from this posture, they didn't want to fight with the Haihan Army anymore. up.

After some discussion, Gesman proposed to use Delgado, who can speak Chinese, as a negotiating envoy to negotiate with the Haihan army outside the city.No one objected to this proposal, because the participants were all Spaniards, and there was no way to communicate verbally with the enemies outside the city, so it was useless to talk about it.

"Delgado, I now appoint you as my temporary bodyguard, and you will represent the city of Santo Domingo to negotiate with the enemy forces outside the city. My request is to protect the lives and property of everyone in the city as much as possible. "Gesman gave the order solemnly, as if he was the savior of Santo Domingo.

"My lord, I will do my best to complete this task." Delgado stood up and bowed, but he was not at all happy because of this promotion, because he knew that Gesman had already suspected that he and the Haihan people There is a secret collusion, and it is impossible to give him any trust in the future. The temporary appointment is just a little sweetness given by Gesman in order to be able to escape smoothly.After getting out safely, Gusman will probably start to think about how to get rid of himself who knows too much inside information.While completing the task assigned by Takahashi Minami, Delgado also had to consider how to arrange his own way out.

That afternoon, Delgado slid down the wall again on the rope.Originally, as a negotiating envoy, it would be reasonable to go out from the gate of the castle, but on the day when the Haihan army approached the city, Lopez had someone seal the city gate with stones from the inside to prevent the wooden city gate from being bombarded by the opponent's artillery.It was difficult to clean up the stones piled up at the city gate for a while, so Delgado could only choose the abnormal passage of the city wall to leave the city.

Holding a white flag in his hand, Delgado walked slowly towards Haihan's position.Compared to the last time he went out of the city in the dark, this time he was much calmer.The Haihan people had won the battle early on, so they didn't want to invest too much in the siege battle, so they instigated such a very targeted action. Delgado knew that the Haihan people were waiting now To determine whether the final step is a peaceful settlement or a forceful siege.

"You can come out to negotiate with us on behalf of the people in the city, so things must have gone smoothly?" Gao Qiaonan went straight to the topic after meeting Delgado.

"Lopez is dead. Gusman decided to surrender to you. The villain came out to negotiate terms." Delgado didn't dare to go around in circles with Takahashi Nan, and immediately explained the situation in the city and his purpose of coming.

Lopez's death was expected by Takahashi Minami. In this environment that lacks advanced medical conditions, being shot by a gunman basically means seeing God.Even if Lopez was not killed on the spot, it would not take too long.The factor that Takahashi Minami was unable to determine before was mainly Gusman's attitude, and one of Delgado's roles was to ensure that there were no surprises in this link.

"You convinced Gesman?" Takahashi Minami asked.

Delgado thought to himself that I not only persuaded Gusman but also killed Lopez, but in front of Takahashi Minami, he didn't dare to boast, but responded humbly: "Actually, Gusman doesn't want to be with you either. Your army is fighting, and saving his life is more important to him than protecting the city."

Gao Qiaonan nodded, and did not comment on Gesman's actions, but he thought that civil servants in the world are generally timid, and they will first consider seeking peace when they encounter a war.Fortunately, Gesman is a man who is greedy for life and afraid of death. Otherwise, although the Haihan army would definitely be able to take the city of Santo Domingo, the price they would have to pay would be correspondingly much higher.

"What conditions does Gusman have?" Gao Qiaonan continued to ask.

"He needs your army to guarantee the personal safety of the Spaniards in the city, as well as their property." Delgado honestly relayed Gesman's request.

"People can leave, but money needs to be discussed and discussed. Valuable things like gold, silver and jewelry have to be kept. These are the spoils of the Haihan army. As for the pots and pots, they can take them away." Gao Qiaonan Shaking his head slightly, he expressed his disagreement with this proposal.I think that when he followed Qian Tiandun to hunt down the southern rebels in the south of Annan, he took over many cities that surrendered voluntarily, but he never negotiated any conditions with the losers, not to mention that the wealth found in this city is very important to Haihan. It is also an income that cannot be ignored for the military.In the past few years, the military has been able to support wars with wars, largely relying on the oil and water obtained from the occupied areas in previous battles.Although the executive committee is aware of the tricks in the middle, it has always turned a blind eye and closed its eyes and will not take the initiative to ask questions, leaving it to the military to operate on its own.

Delgado thought that if there is no need to declare to you such worthless things as pots and jars, he had no choice but to back down a step: "Gesman asked to at least ensure that his personal property can be safely transported out of here, otherwise he will not Surrender."

"Does this dead money fan want to die with his money?" Gao Qiaonan showed a mocking smile on his face: "Okay, but I ask his personal luggage not to exceed five wooden boxes. We just fined it."

"I will take your order back. I think Gusman, who is eager to leave here, will compromise." Delgado responded with a bow.

"What about you? What are you going to do? Are you planning to follow the Spaniards to Jilonggang?" Gao Qiaonan's question did not end, and he continued to ask a more personal question.

Delgado shook his head and said, "Gesman thinks that I have colluded with your army. Even if I go back to Jilonggang with the big troops, I can't change my situation. I know too much about Gesman, If you go to Jilonggang, you may be in danger of your life."

"It's true..." Takahashi Minami can understand Delgado's scruples. After releasing Gesman, an insider, Delgado has basically lost the opportunity to work under the Spaniard, and even his life is safe. Not sure anymore.

"Before Nagelsman goes out of the city to surrender, you come out first. We will take you as a hostage to ensure that the evacuation of the Spaniards can be carried out in a safe and orderly manner." Afraid that he could not understand, Gao Qiaonan quickly added: "Wait After being a hostage, you don't have to go back."

"Thank you, General, for taking me in!" Not only could Delgado speak Chinese, but he even knew the etiquette of kneeling and worshiping. Dang even knelt down and kowtowed to Gao Qiaonan a few times.

"It's already a bit late today. I'll give them one night to pack up their belongings. Tomorrow morning, let Gesman go out of the city and surrender, otherwise we will directly attack the city." Gao Qiaonan waved his hand and said, "Go back and wait for your tomorrow morning." good news."

"Five boxes? That's not enough!" Gesman was furious after hearing the news brought back by Delgado: "My silver coins have to be packed in seven boxes, what kind of tricks are the Haihan people trying to do! Delgado , you run again tomorrow, let them think about it!"

"My lord, the Haihan people probably won't consider other plans." Delgado said weakly: "They have set a deadline, and if we haven't surrendered after the sun rises tomorrow, they will directly attack the city , no longer accept applications for a truce for any reason."

"These damned guys are so aggressive?" Gesman gritted his teeth angrily. If it is true according to the Haihan people's formulation, then there is no way for Gesman to take away all the little private money that Gesman has managed to accumulate during the few years here. .

"My lord, I suggest you follow their arrangement." Delgado said dejectedly: "The commander of Haihan has emphasized several times that they will not accept other conditions. If they fail to agree, see you on the battlefield tomorrow. "

Gesman weighed the pros and cons, and finally said helplessly: "Okay, just do as they say. Think about it, is there anything missing?"

"My lord, as a guarantor, when you leave tomorrow, I will be detained by the Haihan army until you all withdraw." Delgado explained: "The Haihan people said that if our army retreats If it is abnormal, then they will start to suppress it. And the first unlucky person is me, the hostage."

(End of this chapter)