The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 357 Surrender Ceremony
The Ming Emperor Zhu Jianxuan, who was far away in Shuntian Prefecture, received a report from the Mecca Governor-General Tian Yiming.

Tian Yiming's report first explained the current war situation. After reading the opening part, Zhu Jianxuan nodded slightly with satisfaction.

By controlling the Aegean Sea and the Sea of ​​Marmara and capturing Constantinople and the surrounding straits, the Ottoman Empire was destroyed by more than half.

Although the nominally occupied territory was not large, these areas were the real core areas of the Ottoman state.

Once the Ottoman Empire regains control of the Anatolian Plateau, it will be the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Seeing the Ottoman Sultan's escape at the end, Tian Yiming verbally apologized and planned to make the fake Sultan become real.

Zhu Jianxuan suddenly remembered a classic line from a movie in his previous life:

"Oh no, I've become a substitute."

Now the Ming Dynasty has an overall advantage over the Ottoman Empire in terms of strength, but it is still a little lacking in the inland areas of the Ottoman Empire.

If a large number of troops are deployed to fight deep inland, without sea and rail supplies, combat efficiency will inevitably drop significantly.

If the Ottoman Sultan really fled inland, he would be determined to fight the Ming Dynasty to the end.

Then you have to be mentally prepared for a protracted war and fight a security war for several years deep in the rugged Anatolian Plateau.

In order to support this type of combat operation, it may be necessary to build railways, roads and airports deep in the plateau.

These are costs, and these resources can be used elsewhere.

It’s not like I went to the inland of the Ottoman Empire to help alleviate poverty.

If the Ottoman Sultan's name could be used to force local officials and garrisons to surrender, the intensity of the war could be greatly reduced and the investment in war resources could be reduced.

So after considering it, Zhu Jianxuan directly replied and instructed Tian Yiming:

Let the Ottoman Sultan lead the Ottoman nobles and officials to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, and at the same time order all local officials and troops to surrender to the Ming army.

If the Ottoman Sultan could cooperate with the Ming Dynasty in taking over the local areas and reduce unnecessary casualties, the Ming Dynasty could confer him the title of Byzantine Duke without any fiefdom.

It doesn't matter whether this Sultan is real or fake, as long as he does these things, he can get the title and salary of the Duke of the County.

Tian Yiming received direct instructions from the emperor and was able to take charge of this matter with even greater freedom.

At noon on August 9th, in front of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia in Zhu Jianxuan's previous life was translated into the Hagia Sophia by the Ming people in this world.

Several Ming generals led by Tian Yiming, along with a group of Ming soldiers, stood at the steps in front of the temple.

The man who was regarded as the Ottoman Sultan, together with the nobles and officials in Constantinople who had no time to escape, held a public surrender ceremony in accordance with Tian Yiming's request.

Tian Yiming arranged cameras, video recorders, and electric loudspeakers, and arranged enough guards to monitor the surrounding situation.

At the same time, a large number of city residents were released to watch the ceremony from a distance.

The "Ottoman Sultan" followed two Ming Dynasty officers and came to the microphone prepared in advance.

According to the arrangement rehearsed in advance, he first kowtowed in the direction of the Ming Dynasty, then knelt in front of the microphone and began to speak.

First, he publicly claimed that he was the Ottoman Sultan Selim III.

Then he confessed his own and Osman's mistakes, saying that they should not have cooperated with the Ming Dynasty's rebels and bandits, and should not have openly confronted the Ming Dynasty's soldiers.

Finally, all Ottoman nobles, officials, and civilians were required to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

Accept the management of the Ming army and officials, cooperate with the Ming army to take over national defense, and stabilize local social order.

After saying this, the "Ottoman Sultan" bowed again.

The Ottoman nobles and officials behind the Sultan also bowed again in salute.

Next, Tian Yiming began to speak.

First, he reprimanded the Ottoman Empire for its mistakes and stupidity, starting from the last war between Ming Dynasty and Ottoman Empire, and enumerated the wrong things they had done over the years.

Then, on behalf of the Ming court, he announced that the Ottoman Empire would be officially removed from the list and all corresponding territories would be incorporated into the Ming Dynasty.

Finally, the will of the Ming Emperor was conveyed. If the Ottoman Sultan could cooperate with the Ming and reduce the fighting and losses in taking over the Ottoman territory, he could obtain the title of Duke of Byzantium.

The process was neither long nor complicated, but it was a grand scene with a lot of spectators around and the sound from the scene could be heard from far away.

Everyone worked in an orderly manner to complete the surrender ceremony, declaring the Ottoman Empire to be incorporated into the Ming Dynasty.

After this live "performance", rumors quickly spread throughout Constantinople through loudspeakers, radio, video, written notices and word of mouth.

At the same time, Tian Yiming arranged personnel to go to the local area to take over the city and the army with the surrender letter and order signed by the Sultan.

During the ceremony, most of the ordinary Ottoman nobles and officials, scholars and civilians in Constantinople were basically numb and silent.

But some people were quite excited when they heard the sound of the trumpet and saw the ceremony on the spot.

Some people cried loudly, and some people hit themselves.

Because he could not bear the pain of losing his country, could not accept the reality before him, was disappointed and annoyed with himself and the court, he eventually suffered an emotional breakdown.

Only a very small number of people were completely overwhelmed.

For example, the Somdej Ottoman Sultan Selim III and the royal family members closest to him.

Before dawn today, Selim III and the Grand Vizier disguised themselves and left the palace escorted by guards who were also in disguise.

When they left the palace, the Ming army had already begun to enter the city on a large scale and soon began to attack the palace.

The substitute Sultan left behind by the Grand Vizier commanded the New Army Guards to defend the palace, buying time for the real Sultan and the Grand Vizier to escape.

The Grand Vizier and Selim III originally thought that the army that rushed into the city would certainly burn, kill and loot everywhere, and the entire city would certainly become more and more chaotic.

There were homeless citizens whose houses were blown up, city defenders who fled after being defeated, and Ming troops who rushed into the city and took advantage of the chaos to rob and kill people.

They could imagine that these people would definitely run around in the city, and they would have the opportunity to escape from the city in the chaos.

But they soon discovered that these seemingly self-evident ideas were problematic from the very beginning.

The Ming army did not cause chaos after entering the city. It continued to maintain its existing organization and took over and controlled important facilities and streets in the city.

They first defeated and controlled the scattered defenders, disarmed them and then put them under centralized guard.

The homeless citizens were gathered together and driven into the numerous temples in the city, where they were also centrally guarded and managed.

Instead of creating chaos, the Ming army quickly restored order in the city.

All the city gates and walls were quickly controlled, there were fixed garrison outposts at important intersections, and fixed patrol teams on the main streets.

The key point is that they now prohibit anyone from leaving the city, and the plan of the Ottoman Sultan and others to leave the city during the chaos has failed.

We can only try to continue to lurk and observe, waiting and looking for opportunities to leave the city.

Ottoman Sultan Selim III and the Grand Vizier were originally together with the officers of the Ottoman New Army, and the entire team was quite large.

Now, in order to avoid being suspected by the Ming army, and even to avoid being directly attacked, everyone had to act separately.

Selim III, his cousin Mahmud, their children, the Grand Vizier's relatives, and a dozen officers were driven into the Hagia Sophia as homeless people.

Before Selim III and his men officially escaped, they did not have enough time to prepare, and their disguise skills were not actually very high.

I just changed my clothes, put on an ordinary-level headscarf, and put on ordinary people's shoes.

However, the first phase of the Ming army's mission was to control the situation, and at that time they had not thought about identifying the people among the citizens.

Selim and the others were also cautious and mixed in with the real homeless people, so they did not reveal their identities immediately.

They stayed in the Temple of the Holy Maiden for half a day, but in the afternoon of August 8, the situation changed again.

The grassroots officers of the Ming Army brought translators from Egypt and servants from the Ottoman court and began to screen the citizens in the temple.

In name, their identity information was registered according to the Ming Dynasty system, but in reality, it was according to Tian Yiming's instructions to secretly search for the fugitive Ottoman Sultan.

Ottoman Sultan Selim III and others carefully hid behind the crowd, as far away from the Ming officers as possible. But they could not help but repeatedly look out to observe what the Ming officers in front were doing.

First, a team of Ming soldiers entered the hall of the temple and drove the citizens in the hall to the other side, leaving an open space at the front of the hall.

Then four long tables were placed here, with a registrar, a translator, an inquiry confirmer, and two dedicated cameramen sitting behind each table.

Most of the soldiers lined up on both sides of the table as a human wall, dividing the entire hall into two parts and separating those who had registered from those who had not.

Finally, soldiers and translators were arranged to manage and command the citizens in the hall, who went to the table in groups of four to register their information.

The translator worked with the registrar to ask for their names and ages, which were recorded on uniformly printed cardboard cards. Two copies of the card served as their temporary ID cards.

Those who have completed the registration will take their temporary ID cards, pass through the wall formed by soldiers, and gather in the corner of the temple hall.

Here we are managed according to the organizational system of the garrison and await further orders.

As the number of citizens who have completed registration continues to increase, the number of people waiting to register will gradually decrease. The shape of the human wall formed by the soldiers will also change synchronously, adjusting the size of the range on both sides.

Once everyone has completed registration, all spaces will be included.

Selim III and the Grand Vizier looked at what the Ming officers were doing and soon felt that things were not going well.

They didn't understand the Ming idioms, but they knew they had entered a situation similar to catching a turtle in a jar.

Selim III frowned, considering various possibilities, and discussed the current situation with the Grand Vizier beside him:
"The Ming officers are so calm now, they are just following the procedures. Haven't they attacked the palace yet and discovered that we have escaped?"

The Grand Vizier said with a sad face:

“We cannot rule out this possibility, but our current situation is also very dangerous.

“Your Majesty the Sultan and other members of the royal family, your appearance and temperament are very different from those of ordinary civilians.

“Even if the Ming people and their translators don’t know our identities, they will definitely think that we are not ordinary citizens.

"They will probably keep us in solitary custody, which will make it even more difficult for us to escape..."

The Sultan's cousin Mahmoud said with a sad face:

"We are now trapped here, surrounded by Ming soldiers guarding us. It is too late to escape now."

After hearing this, the Sultan just shook his head and looked at the Grand Vizier, hoping that he could come up with an idea.

The Grand Vizier closed his eyes in great pain:
"I now have to believe that all my previous judgments were wrong, extremely wrong..."

The Sultan asked subconsciously:

"What's wrong, sir? Why do you suddenly say that?"

The Grand Vizier sighed and began to slowly explain his thoughts:

"Our previous understanding of the Ming Dynasty was too superficial, and the things we took for granted might be completely wrong.

"The battle plan we formulated against the Ming Dynasty based on these superficial misjudgments is of course useless, even ridiculous and absurd.

"The Ming Dynasty could easily defeat Oman, Portugal, and Spain, and was able to force Napoleon of France to surrender and thus control the situation in Europe.

“The most important reason why they can forcibly capture Istanbul now is not because their army is powerful.

“It’s because their officers and military officers are of extremely high caliber, and there are no fools among them.

“Even the lowest-ranking officers in the Ming Dynasty could read and write, and the overall level of Ming officials far exceeded that of any country in Europe, and also far exceeded that of our Ottomans.

“They were able to run countries and … occupied territories in ways we could never imagine.

"Even if the Ming Dynasty uses the same weapons and equipment as us, we will still be defeated when facing the Ming Dynasty.

“The key point is that the Ming Dynasty has such a bureaucratic system and such management capabilities that it doesn’t care whether we are willing to surrender to them or not.

"As we can see now, they can really manage every civilian in the city in detail.

“This is something that our troops and officers simply cannot do.

“There is no point in our lurking.

The Grand Vizier had organized a new army, presided over the kingdom's political affairs, and frequently dealt with old nobles, officers, and officials, so he knew the state of the Ottoman bureaucracy.

Now the Grand Vizier watched how the Ming officials did things and compared it with how the Ottoman bureaucrats did things, which made him more desperate than Selim III.

Selim III was no fool. He now understood the gap between the two sides and immediately thought of another risk:
"Since the officials of the Ming Dynasty are so capable, the substitutes we left in the palace will soon be exposed..."

This time, the Grand Vizier waved his hand and said:
"He might have been exposed. Time was too tight at the time and we didn't make any careful preparations. We just changed his clothes into yours..."

Selim III was visibly stunned:
"It shouldn't be exposed so soon. If the Ming Dynasty has discovered that the Sultan in the palace is a fake, they should immediately start a city-wide search for us."

The Grand Vizier pointed outside:

"They're probably already searching for us, they're probably screening everyone in the city, they're just not shouting in the streets.

“This silent screening is the most beneficial approach for Ming Dynasty.

"If we don't spread the news that we have escaped, the ordinary citizens of Istanbul will think that Your Majesty has been captured..."

When Selim heard the Grand Vizier's speculation, he felt an inexplicable sense of urgency:

"We must escape as soon as possible, or tell people that we have not surrendered. Otherwise, officials and soldiers in other places may be dissatisfied with us for surrendering without a fight..."

The Grand Vizier looked at his monarch with a sad face:
"Your Majesty, our most important task is to consider how to avoid the screening of the Ming people."

Selim III remained silent.

The group looked at the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers who were working meticulously and could not think of any good solution for a moment. They could only hide as far back as possible and continue to observe and wait for an opportunity.

They suffered like this until the next day, when identity registration at the Hagia Sophia Temple was suspended.

Selim III breathed a sigh of relief, but this relaxation did not last long. At noon, he heard a broadcast that shocked him greatly.

"Ottoman King Selim III led the entire Ottoman Empire to surrender to the Ming Dynasty..."

Selim III was stunned for several seconds, then looked at his relatives and ministers around him and found that they were also looking at him.

"What's going on? Didn't the Ming Dynasty realize that the Sultan in the palace was a fake?"

The Grand Vizier was stunned for a few seconds before muttering:

"They may have found out, but they can pretend they didn't..."

Selim III's cousin Mahmud could not help but ask:

"Why would the Ming Dynasty do this? Is there any benefit to the Ming Dynasty? If others find out that the Sultan is a fake, won't they be laughed at?"

Selim III himself had already vaguely guessed the purpose of the Ming people, so he asked again with great concern:
"What should I do now?"

The Grand Vizier ignored Mahmoud's question and responded to Selim's concerns with a sigh and a shake of his head:
“If we continue to hide and look for opportunities to escape Istanbul, you may be regarded as a fake sultan in the future.

“If we arrange for someone to come forward now and identify the Sultan outside as a fake, our own identities may be exposed immediately.

"Or, the Sultan can personally come forward to prove his identity and cooperate with the Ming Dynasty to take over the Ottoman Empire and become the Duke of Byzantium of the Ming Dynasty."

After listening to this, Selim III fell silent again.

These were not the results he wanted, but he could only choose between three options now.

Selim III in the Temple of the Holy Virgin did not speak until the surrender ceremony outside was over.

Selim III did not have the courage to choose the latter two options and in fact chose the first option.

I still hope to have a chance to escape and find a base to continue resisting.

(End of this chapter)