Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 672 Outrageous Conditions

When Abdu heard this, although he thought that Apak Khoja's words were far-fetched, he thought it would not hurt to give it a try now. As the saying goes, one should try every possible means. It would also be a good opportunity to test the attitude of the Qian army.

Thinking of this, Abudu nodded and said, "Then send someone to try and see what conditions the Qian people will offer!"

Abdu felt that the possibility was not great, so he left the peace negotiation to Apakh Khoja and let him handle it on his own, which was exactly what Apakh Khoja wanted.

Afterwards, Apak Khoja selected his trusted confidant Batur as an envoy to negotiate with the Qian army.

After Batur met with Apak Khoja and had a secret conversation with him, Batur had a clear understanding of his own Khan's intentions. He then firmly stated that he would strive for peace talks with the Qian Dynasty.

The core of the instructions that Apak Khoja gave to Batur was only one point, and that was to save his own life and power. As long as he, Apak Khoja, was still the Great Khan of Yarkand, the Black Mountain Sect would still be the ruling power of Yarkand. As for paying tribute to the Qian Dynasty or ceding cities and lands, he could agree to all of them.

After leaving the palace, Batur could not wait to rush eastwards accompanied by a team of cavalry. At this time, there was chaos inside the Yarkand Khanate, and no one could tell where the Qian army was, but Batur knew its approximate location, which was probably around Baicheng and Wensu.

Batur and his group rode at full speed, but in less than two days, they encountered scouts of the Qian army. This made Batur worried. He thought that the Qian army was still far away from Shache and it would take him at least ten days to travel. However, he did not expect to encounter scouts of the Qian army in just two days.

Batur sighed in his heart. The Qian army was about to arrive at the city, but the people in Shache city still didn't know where the Qian army was. The people in the city were in panic and their morale was low. How could an army that didn't know the enemy or itself be a match for the Qian army that was as fierce as wolves and tigers?

Batur hoped very much that the peace talks would be successful. Once the Qian army was at the gates of the city, even if peace talks were possible, the conditions would certainly be extremely harsh.

Then Batur explained his purpose to the Qian army scouts. The scouts looked at these people and ordered them to remove their weapons and disarm. Then they brought the Yarkand envoy to Gulbuha's tent.

Gulbuha was a little surprised when he learned that the Yarkand envoy wanted to see him. He then straightened his clothes and armor, sat upright in the main seat of the tent, and then shouted loudly: "Let the envoy in!"

Batur walked into the tent and saw Gulbuha, who was dressed as a Mongolian in the tent. He felt a little disappointed. He knew that the Qian Dynasty was a Han dynasty, and he had also seen Han people. But the person sitting opposite him was a Mongolian general. It was obvious that this person must not have enough power to negotiate with him.

Then Batur put his hand on his chest, saluted to Gulbuha and said, "Dear General, I am an envoy appointed by the Great Khan of Yarkand. I came here on the order of the Great Khan and hope to have peace talks with your army. I hope to meet with your army's commander."

Gulbuha was a little annoyed. How could he not hear the hidden meaning behind this person's words? It was just that he disliked him for not being able to make the decision. However, what made him even angrier was that he really could not decide on this matter.

However, Gulbuha was not one to suffer a loss. He stared straight at Batur and sneered, "Negotiation? You Yarkand people are quite smart. However, you only know how to dig a well when you are thirsty. Isn't it too late to talk about peace now?"

Batur said: "General, the Celestial Empire is powerful, and my Khan knows it. However, the Junggars were very powerful at the time. Although my Khan admired the Celestial Empire, he had to surrender to the enemy under the pressure of the Junggars. If I have offended the Celestial Empire, please don't blame me."

Seeing that Gulbuha still looked disdainful, Batur hurriedly continued: "To show sincerity and apologize to the Celestial Empire, the Khan is willing to pay tribute to the Celestial Empire and offer generous gifts every year, just asking both sides to stop fighting!"

Hearing this, Gulbuha snorted and said, "Pay tribute? It sounds like we are sending troops because we are attracted by your money. How foolish! Even if we destroy you, the wealth will still be ours."

Batur was stunned. He never expected that this person would be so shameless. But he had to bow his head under the eaves, so he continued to increase the stakes: "General, my Khan has repented. To show sincerity, my country is willing to cede the land east of Turpan... No, we are willing to cede all the land east of Kuche as an apology to our Yarkand people!"

Gulbuha showed a meaningful smile on his face, then he chuckled twice and said, "After destroying the Yarkand Khanate, all the cities will belong to our dynasty."

Batur's forehead was covered with sweat, and he stammered, "General, this... this... this..."

Seeing the envoy's timid appearance, Gulbuha no longer wanted to tease him. He raised his chin and said, "I will send someone to report to the commander-in-chief first. If the commander-in-chief wants to see you, I will send you to the camp."

After finishing speaking, Gulbuha looked at the envoy who was hesitant to speak, and then added one more sentence, saying: "If your Khan really wants to seek peace, I will make a suggestion. Let your Khan come to our military camp in person to apologize, disband all the troops in Yarkand, and let our Qian Dynasty station troops in Yarkand. Then, we can ask the court to appoint a minister in Yarkand and a general in Shache. In this way, the possibility of negotiating peace will be higher!"

Batur's face changed, and he stammered, "General, this... this may be a little difficult. As the ruler of Yarkand, it would be a loss of dignity for the Khan to come here in person to apologize, and if the army is disbanded... Yarkand will no longer be able to protect itself."

Gulbuha stood up and waved his hand, saying, "It's up to you. This is the minimum condition for me to suspend my advance. Since you don't agree, I will send someone to report to the Marshal. However, I don't know if Shache City will still be there when you come back."

Batur was so frightened that he trembled all over, but he was helpless and could only beg: "General..."

But before he could finish his words, he was taken away by Gulbuha's personal guards. Gulbuha sent a messenger to report to Lin Shiqi the news that the envoys from Yarkand were negotiating peace.

The next morning, Gulbuha left a team of cavalry there to guard the messengers, and then the army immediately broke camp and set off, continuing to march towards Shache City.

Looking at the large group of Qian army cavalry, swarming westward with smoke and dust billowing, Batur's heart was filled with worries. He knew that although the words of this Mongolian general were harsh, they also showed the attitude of the Qian army generals towards the Yarkand Khanate.

Even if peace could be negotiated, the conditions would certainly be extremely harsh, and the Khan would probably find it difficult to accept. However, at this point, no matter how anxious Batur was, he could do nothing about it.