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Chapter 1162 Persuading Surrender 2
“I actually forgot about them... You are right. Even if the Portuguese are not familiar with the garrison commander, they should be able to find suitable people in the city.

So, tomorrow morning, let the navy send someone to escort you to the dock to inform that business representative. If you can do this, I will not only allow their ships and people to leave, but also send troops to protect the warehouses and goods here from being affected by the war, and allow them to continue to operate here after the war."

It is said that three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. If Jin Gui had not reminded him, Hong Tao would have really forgotten the Portuguese merchants in Faao Port. Fortunately, it is not too late now. Since the Portuguese are the actual controllers of Faao Port, they must be very familiar with the locals. Maybe someone can talk to the garrison generals.

"Without further delay, the student took the guide to try it out overnight!"

"...Okay, be careful. Remember my order, you are not allowed to leave the dock and enter the city under any circumstances." Hong Tao thought about it and it didn't seem to be too dangerous.

At present, except for the trench area in the south of the city, the Fau Port has basically been captured, especially the side near the dock where naval warships can come and go freely. It is estimated that the Portuguese in the city should also know the news of the sudden escape of the defenders, and dare not play any tricks.

The Portuguese did not dare to play any tricks. When they heard that the emperor allowed the ships and personnel to leave and could protect the safety of the warehouses and goods, they ran into the city to find people without saying a word.

The local tyrants had the advantage of being local tyrants. In less than an hour, they found three local tribal leaders, all of whom were acquainted with the defending generals and were willing to act as lobbyists on the condition that their families would be protected from the war.

In fact, the Ming army had no intention of cleansing Faao City. Jin Gui promised to do so without even asking the emperor. He also proposed a reward method. If the defending generals could be persuaded to lay down their arms and surrender, not only would their families be safe, but their property and clansmen would also be protected.

Since ancient times, people die for money and birds die for food. With such huge benefits, the Portuguese immediately became full of motivation. Before dawn, Hong Tao was awakened by Wang Chengen.

"Your Majesty, the garrison commander is willing to accept the surrender terms, but he has a request that must be made in person by Your Majesty."

It must be a big deal that could have woken up Wang Chengen in the middle of the night. Waiting outside the tent was not only Jin Gui, but also an Ottoman Guards officer who had taken off his armor and two Arab interpreters.

"You should make it clear to him that as long as they lay down their weapons and stop resisting, all the defenders will be treated as prisoners, with a camp and food, and will not be beaten or scolded at will. If he can provide more information, the wounded can also receive timely medical treatment."

Hong Tao did not ask the officer's name or position, and directly asked the Arabic interpreter to reiterate the conditions for surrender. Time is precious, so stop talking nonsense. Regardless of whether the other party agrees or not, he can still go back to sleep for an hour. Although there is a high probability that there will be no battle tomorrow, it will be a long journey, so he must rest well.

"He wants to leave here with his men. If Your Majesty agrees, he will be able to obtain all the deployments of the Ottoman army and the locations where Ming officials are imprisoned."

The Arabic interpreter not only relayed Hong Tao's conditions, but also argued with the Ottoman officer for a few words, and then reluctantly put forward further demands.

"What do you mean by leaving here?"

These Arabic interpreters were merchants hired by the consultants in Hormuz. They could speak Arabic, Persian, and Turkic, and had a basic understanding of Latin and Chinese, but their skills were not very good, and their words were ambiguous and not very accurate. "Leaving the area controlled by the Ottoman Sultan, and staying will result in death. The Sultan treats traitors very harshly, and surrendering to infidels is a serious crime." The interpreters knew that their words were not accurate enough, so they racked their brains to translate it again.

"What about their families?"

Hong Tao roughly understood what he heard and thought it made sense. However, there was one question that needed to be clarified. He could help them leave the Ottoman Empire-controlled area, but he was unable to provide convenience for their families. This point must be made clear in advance to avoid complaints later.

"Most of their families are in Rumelia, which is too far away and we can't do anything to help them." The interpreter whispered to the officer again for a while, and gave a reply after confirming again and again.

"Well, go ask them again, if I can rescue their families and send them to live in the Ming Empire, will they be willing to give up Islam and pledge allegiance to me?"

Rumelia is the ancient name of the Balkans and also the general name of the European territories of the Ottoman Empire. It can be seen that these officers and soldiers of the Guards Corps came from local Christian families, that is, blood taxes.

Hong Tao really had no ability and no plan to set foot in Europe, but suddenly he had a small inspiration. Due to distance, religion, ethnicity and other issues, the Ming army could not stay in West Asia for a long time. Regardless of whether they could find a suitable agent, they had to leave after the battle.

If we can gain the loyalty of these surrendered Guards, wouldn't that mean we have a large number of ready-made agents? As for loyalty... In fact, the loyalty of traitors is higher than that of ordinary people. If we control their families, it can be even higher.

Besides, these soldiers were not traitors. They used their lives to defend the country and fought to the death against an enemy with superior strength. They were qualified soldiers if not heroes. It was the Ottoman Empire that abandoned them. Is it a crime to be abandoned?
"...They don't quite believe that His Majesty the Emperor can conquer Rumelia."

The busiest people were not the officers of the Guards and Hong Tao, but the interpreter. He had to think hard before translating each sentence, for fear of angering the emperor and being punished. The more he feared, the more trouble he got into, and the more dangerous the topics became.

"It is true that my army will not go to Rumelia, but we can exchange them with captured Ottoman officials and nobles. Faw Port is just the beginning, and there will be a series of cities such as Basra, Baghdad, Damascus, etc. If one-for-one is not possible, we can exchange three-for-one or ten-for-one. Murad IV should agree."

In theory, the route of the army is confidential and should not be disclosed to outsiders. But there are exceptions, such as now. There are only a few cities in the Mesopotamian region, and there is no other place to go. Both the attacker and the defender are playing chess in the open, and no one can win by surprise.

"They are willing to believe in your majesty's tolerance and volunteer to serve as a siege force to clear the way for the Ming army!" The interpreter was already sweating profusely, and from time to time he glanced at Jin Gui with a complaining look. He estimated that he would have to pay more afterwards, otherwise he would not do it.

"That's not necessary. The Ming army has no practice of sending cannon fodder to charge. But I need intelligence, the more detailed the better. Wang Chengen, light the gas lamp, set up the table, chairs, paper and pen, and go get some food."

Only then did Hong Tao take a closer look at the general of the Guards. His courage was commendable. The Balkans were known as the powder keg of Europe. It seemed that it was not just a geographical issue, but also related to the character of the locals. They were too fierce, fighting to the death at the slightest disagreement. Add in the religion, and it would be strange if it wasn't a powder keg.

(End of this chapter)