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Chapter 1124: Full of Nonsense
The Sipahi cavalry outside the city were indeed stunned. The Ottoman army was also equipped with artillery, which was not only large in number but also had a long history, but they had never seen anything like this before.

The shells were neither stone nor iron, but they exploded into pieces and were fired at such a high frequency. Compared with the artillery equipped by the Ottoman army, they had a smaller caliber, a higher rate of fire, and greater lethality.

Under the attack of such weapons, the Sipahi cavalry alone could not get close to the city wall. Even if the Guards Corps came, it would be in vain. They had to wait for the baggage train to transport the artillery before they could launch another attack.

But the problem was that the Sultan and the Grand Vizier's plan did not include bringing artillery to attack the city. If they changed their plan now, they would have to send people to Tabriz to ask the Sultan for help, and then wait for the artillery to arrive. It would take two or three months to go back and forth.

The news of the siege soon reached Tabar Pasha. He had no objection to the choice of the Sipahi leader, but he was unwilling to go back to the Sultan for help so soon. He was just about to bite the bullet and send the Guards Corps to try again, but the arrival of a group of people brought a turning point.

"Respected Grand Vizier, my name is Pianjiabuliu. I am the envoy of Piyali Bey and also the representative of Sun Moon Bank. The purpose of this trip is only one, to resolve this meaningless killing and allow both sides to obtain a relatively satisfactory result."

The people who came were naturally Wang Datou and his followers. As soon as they left the city, they were surrounded by Sipahi cavalry. Fortunately, the Ottomans did not have a leader like Hong Tao who refused battlefield negotiations, and they were soon brought to the Grand Vizier's horse.

In addition to his talent for intelligence work, Wang Datou also had excellent language skills. Over the past 20 years, he not only mastered Latin and Low Countries, but also taught himself many languages ​​popular in Southeast Asia and West Asia, including Arabic and Greek.

At this time, facing the murderous Ottoman officials, being able to communicate in a language they can understand instead of relaying through an interpreter is an important means to ease the atmosphere, at least to express one's original intention clearly and in a timely manner.

"Sun and Moon Bank... Are you from Venice?" Looking at the five men standing in front of the horse, Tabar Pasha was a little confused.

The two dark-skinned burly guys are most likely from Africa, the one with chestnut hair and blue eyes is probably from the Holy Roman Empire or the Polish Confederation, and the remaining two have black hair and black eyes and look more like East Asians.

But the word "bank" seems to be only mentioned frequently by the Venetians. Could it be that my judgment was wrong, and the rebellion in Suez was not caused by the Ming Empire but by the Venetians?

“No, the Sun Moon Bank is headquartered in the Ming Empire, but it is indeed related to the Venetian Bank. They do similar things, both making profits through money lending business.

In comparison, the scale of Sun Moon Bank is much larger than that of Venetian Bank. Not only does it have dozens of branches in Asia, it also has businesses in Europe, such as Amsterdam, Paris, and London.

If the Sultan and the Grand Vizier do not object, there will be a branch of the Sun and Moon Bank in Suez as early as next year. At that time, Ottoman merchants can also borrow from the bank to make up for the lack of funds on hand."

As the old saying goes, "A man who keeps company with bad people becomes a bad person." Wang Datou's math, physics, and chemistry scores were not particularly good, but he was very good at making up lies. Facing different people and situations, he could tell lies easily, and they would stand up to scrutiny. Go check it out, 90% of them are true, guaranteed to be true.

"Why would the bank of the Ming Empire participate in the rebellion in Suez City and represent the rebel leader?" It turned out to be related to the Ming Empire. At this time, Tabar Pasha had subconsciously believed the words of this big-headed man, but still did not understand the whole story.

"This is a bit complicated to explain..."

After a brief exchange, Wang Datou developed a good impression of the Pasha in front of him and had more expectations for his own fate. As long as he was willing to talk and to learn the details, the outcome of this negotiation would be good. But the current situation was not suitable for smooth communication. He stood on the ground, looking up and shouting at the top of his voice, while the other party rode on a horse, lowered his head and pricked up his ears to listen. There was also a group of generals holding swords and guns circling around him, and the horses snorted from time to time, which was too noisy.

"Your name is..." Tabar looked around and felt that it was a bit difficult to have a conversation like this.

"Not a single piece of armor will be left..."

"Follow me!" Tabar Pasha didn't ask any questions about this difficult-to-pronounce name. He dismounted from his horse and took the lead to the left.

The Pasha's guards moved quickly. In less than three minutes, they laid a thick carpet on the ground and placed dried fruits and teapots, which were warm. Their silver teapots were double-layered, with tea on the top and charcoal on the bottom, which kept the temperature during the march and were ready for drinking at any time.

"The Sun and Moon Bank has many trading companies, factories and fleets under it, running various businesses, including tobacco. Two years ago, a ship carrying tobacco was intercepted by an Ottoman ship in the Red Sea. The captain and the owner of the goods were killed because the Sultan banned people from smoking tobacco.

I understand that as a sultan, he certainly has the power to make laws. But Sun Moon Bank has invested a lot of money in the tobacco planting project and must sell it, otherwise many people will go bankrupt.

In fact, the tobacco loaded on the ship was not intended to be sold to the Ottoman Empire. It was just intended to be unloaded at the port of Suez and transported by land to the Mediterranean coast to be sold to the Venetians.

The Grand Vizier may not know that cigars have just become popular in Europe, with increasing sales and high profits. However, the most convenient way to transport cigars to Europe is to enter the Mediterranean through the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea.

Now Sun Moon Bank has signed a contract with Piyali Bey, paid the rent, and leased part of the docks and land in Suez Port to build a warehouse as a transit point for cigars to be sold to Europe.

If the city of Suez is affected by the war, no matter who wins or loses, it will definitely affect the port construction plan and cause the Sun Moon Bank to suffer huge losses again.

As the person in charge of the bank stationed in Suez, I must fulfill my job responsibilities. If the problem can be solved through commercial means, it will benefit both parties... no, it should be beneficial to all three parties.

I beg the wise Grand Vizier not to rush into this matter, but to take a little time to listen to my analysis of the pros and cons. This may be more beneficial to you and the great Sultan."

Facing the ferocious Ottoman Guards and the stern-looking Grand Vizier, Wang Datou did not show any hesitation. He sat cross-legged on the thick Persian carpet and continued his business of making up lies.

But the pace can't be too fast, and you can't finish your purpose in one breath. His Majesty said that this is called fishing. You can't expect to stuff the bait into the fish's mouth in one breath and then lift the rod immediately. You have to be patient and give the fish enough time to adapt. Wait for the fish to open its mouth actively, and the success rate will be high.

(End of this chapter)