Chapter 818: 764 morally noble Chapter 818: 764 morally noble Fengjiang City, Tang Army Soldiers stationed on the ruins rubbed their eyes and then aimed their guns at a Dahua Empire officer who was walking out from the opposite side.
He did not pull the trigger because the other party was holding a white flag. The flag was large, made out of a bed sheet, and easily recognizable.
Following the officer carrying the white flag were two unarmed attendants, who also appeared to be officers.
The three of them were clearly very nervous, walking very cautiously. He waved the white flag in small motions as he walked, as if afraid that someone might not see it.
“Hey! I say, squad leader! Look over there! Look over there! There’s someone surrendering with a white flag.” the Tang Army Soldier excitedly called to his leader.
The squad leader peeked out and also saw the three extremely nervous Dahua officers, “Indeed! Don’t go out! Watch carefully for deceit. Let’s talk after they come closer!”
“Could it be that the Dahua’s Emperor has surrendered?” the soldier was still excited, for him, if the war could end right now, it would be absolutely good news.
Even the most battle-ready wouldn’t love war. The Tang Army had been fighting on the front line for several months, with countless people sacrificing their lives for this war.
Even Dahua, having the upper hand, had already lost over thirty thousand people since the war began, determined by the scale of the war.
“What are you thinking? This isn’t a surrender; this is negotiation. Probably the air force used a new bomb the day before yesterday and scared these Dahua fools badly, so today they came running wanting to negotiate with us,” the squad leader smacked his soldier’s head as he spoke.
Indeed, after nearing the Tang Army position, these three people began their performance. They waved their white flags and shouted loudly towards the Tang Army position, “We are here to deliver a message! Don’t shoot! We are here to deliver a message! Don’t shoot!”
“Raise your hands high! Walk over here slowly!” at the Tang Army side, a company commander who rushed over shouted loudly.
Thus, the three Dahua officers went with the flow, immediately raised their hands, and held the bed sheet horizontally as they stepped into the controlled area of the Tang Army.
After meeting the Tang Army company commander, the leading Dahua officer visibly calmed down; the most dangerous part was his journey across, as long as they didn’t shoot him dead right away, he didn’t have to worry too much about his life.
Everyone says the Tang Army is fierce, and the Tang Country is a state of collapsed rituals and music, but no one says Tang Country disregards international conventions.
Clearly, not only does Tang Country abide by a series of international conventions, but it is also a promoter and proposer of many international consensuses.
Tang Country has great respect for diplomats. This time, when several countries united to declare war on Tang, Tang Country did not trouble these countries’ ambassadors but simply escorted them out of the country.
Moreover, Tang Country’s relinquishing of Brunas and Northern Ridge was virtually a benchmark of credibility, still praised by many to this date, making Tang Mo, a businessman by origin, much more reliable than many royal families.
So, after seeing the Tang Army company commander, the officer immediately introduced himself, then stated his purpose, “I am General Li Ping from the Dahua Empire, I wish to meet your commander.”
“I am the commander,” the Tang Army’s company commander confidently replied, feeling an equal dialogue with the Dahua general was not an issue.
“I want to see a senior officer who can make decisions!” the Dahua officer named Li Ping’s face turned red, and it took him a while to squeeze out this statement.
He had initially intended to speak politely, but after deliberating, he changed his mind: if he couldn’t be somewhat proud even in the presence of a Tang Army company commander, how could he face the fierce warriors of the Great Tang Kingdom?
“Alright.” the Tang commander also felt that perhaps he wasn’t in charge of negotiations, so he nodded his head and sent someone to find the battalion commander.
After the battalion commander hurried over, he too felt that he probably couldn’t represent Tang Country in negotiating with the Dahua Empire, so he sent a message to the regiment headquarters.
The regiment commander was a understanding man; without going to the front line himself he knew he wasn’t the person the other side wanted to see, hence he immediately reported the matter to the division commander.
The division commander directly dispatched two cars to pick up the people but didn’t bring them back to the division headquarters; instead, he sent them directly to the military headquarters.
The bearded military commander knew about the entire situation before the cars arrived, and he called Bolton, but Bolton wasn’t interested in meeting such a Dahua officer.
Ultimately, the matter was handed over to the bearded military commander to handle; Bolton only left one instruction: if the other party was here to seek peace, everything should wait until representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs arrived.
In a temporarily chosen village outside, inside a tent set up amidst the abandoned farmland, Bolton met with the arriving Dahua officer, Li Ping.
The other party didn’t disdain the primitive conditions but rather expressed admiration for how Tang Army soldiers managed to promptly grow some vegetables using the farmland.
The weather had already started to cool, and at this time, only fast-growing vegetables could barely be harvested before winter arrived.