Chapter 380: Ambassador Is a Dangerous Job

"There Will Always Be Those Who Dare to Brave the Lightning's Blow"

"…I shall wait for your reply, your majesty." The Ottoman ambassador, Ayaz Ahmed Pasha, made a slight bow before pacing backwards till the gate of the tent. "I certainly hope that you shall not let me wait too long, but I shall still wait for a clear message from you, just keep this in mind your majesty, our blade is already out of the scabbard shining its tip towards the neck of those rebellious viziers in Edirne, the forces of Abbas Pasha and Albanons are ready to strike, even with out you. But if they do, you would no longer be considered as their friends."

After concluding his words with a bit of threat, the ambassador left the tent under the usher of two guards, guiding him towards a tent dedicated for foreign delegates beside the gate. Not knowing to Ayaz Ahmed Pasha, the Romans actually have two tents for foreign delegates, not only just to be used in the situation when delegates from two nations come in at the same time making them avoid seeing each other, but there is also a hidden rule.

The smaller tent near the front gate is reserved for the delegate that the usher does not think they shall not strike a deal, making sure that they leave the camp as soon as possible with out seeing any thing that they should not see. While the other delegates shall be allocated in to a larger tent just a corner away from the emperor, where they shall have mats to seat on, water in jugs and some times, even mead if the army is in a stationary position.

Of course, the Ottoman delegate group this time is placed in to the smaller tent, with not even one cup of water served for them, several guards stood before their tent forbidding them from coming out, trapping them inside as if they are a bunch of prisoners of war being captured, not a foreign delegate with a full human right. The other delegate members panicked thinking that this is a death trap laid for them, aiming to kill all of them like what their lords used to do to the Roman delegates last time. But only Ayaz Ahmad Pasha kept his consciousness and peacefulness, seating down on the hard ground with his eyes closed looking to be not stressed by this harsh treatment at all.

Influenced by their pasha, the rest also calmed down sitting still and waited for their final destiny. Does Ayaz Ahmad Pasha has any hidden diplomatic weapons that can guarantee a success for this mission? No, the only thing he could do is to spark the greed hidden behind those layers of disguise inside the emperor's mind. Can he be sure that the emperor shall not lay a single finger on him, letting them go alive? Also no, but at the same time he knows that if he panics, then his subordinates shall continue to panic as well making their situation slide in to an even more devastating state. Furthermore, his old superior Zagaonos Pasha always reminded him, that panicking does one no good, only forcing people in to making poor judgements.

A guard on the outside continuously watched over what is happening inside the tent at all times after the delegates have entered, after staring at this Ayaz Ahmad Pasha for more than twenty minutes, he left the tent and went back to his emperor, informing every thing he saw with this delegate, including his abnormal calmness seating right in a camp of enemies.

Constantine trudged around in his tent, still wearing his tunic as there are no sources of heat in his tent, thinking about the deal offered by Ayaz Ahmad Pasha and what his spy has observed. He turned around and saw Mauro, his commander, still seating right there cosily wearing a thin shirt, making it seems like he is an iron man completely intrepid against this winter temperature, or perhaps it is the wine he is drinking that has kept him warm… Wait! That is his treasured wine collected from the cellars in Cyprus that even he could only drink once per day!

The emperor literally almost jumped forward snatching that jug of wine from the side of Mauro, putting it away in one corner, made two dry coughs and asked with a forced glee on his face. "Lord Mauro… What do you think about that Ottoman delegate's offer?"

Mauro frowned as he watched the fifty plus years old emperor jumping around in the tent and replied. "Well, emperor. You know that no matter what ever the Ottomans tell us or what lies ahead of us, we shall still advance our troops. But this Ottoman ambassador too gave us a slight warning too at the same time, forcing us to divert our attention and look at the other surrounding regional powers, making us realise that this war is not just between the Sultan and us, we need to see the reactions of other powers as well…"

Then after that Mauro kept his mouth shut with out saying any more words. Constantine squeezed his fore head and gave a thought on what Mauro said just now, then did he realise that although Mauro did mention a lot of points that are true and logical, but at the same time he did not give any points or meaningful advices in his long sentence. Now did Constantine know that this man, who was a pirate last time, is definitely not a man who is refined in his cutlass, but also a man who is refined in the art of speech as well.

After realising that Mauro shall not help him in the final decision making any ways, Constantine decided to take up the responsibilities by himself and called his guard back in once again. "Bring me that ambassador from the Ottomans, I need to have some words with him."

A moment later Ayaz Ahmad Pasha is brought back in to the tent, with herpes and blisters already developing on his lips from not drinking any liquid for the last hour in this harsh winter. But still he kept his image, tidying his face and his dressings, alongside with the sceptre signifying his identity as an honoured ambassador, then did he open the curtains and entered the tent, bowing before emperor Constantine and Mauro.

The emperor nodded making a hand gesture, ushering the ambassador to take his seat by the side, and greeted first. "Greetings again, honoured ambassador.  After a thorough discussion between my lords and commanders, we have decided that as the formal civil officials of all Roman people, we cannot risk forming in to an alliance with the Roman people's enemies, the Ottomans. Please, accept my solemn apology for this decision."

Ayaz Ahmad Pasha made a cold snigger within his heart, because as a man who studied the history of the Aegean he knows clearly that it is the Romans who had a tradition of forming alliances and hiring mercenaries with Turkish tribes in Anatolia in order to gain their grounds in their foolish and obtuse civil conflicts just for that throne in Constantinople, and now this emperor, who is a direct descendent of an emperor who relied on Ottoman support to gain his power, in fact he ought to thank the Ottomans for being able to get this throne he is seating on right now.

But he showed no expressions on his face, he bowed slightly forward again to the emperor and sighed. "That is indeed an unfortunate decision to hear, I must say that Abbas Pasha shall be deeply disappointed. May Allah wish you all the luck in your future career, and also for your state and your people. May you excuse my farewell, your majesty."

Before the ambassador could climb up and leave, Constantine raised his tone and continued. "But! I can reassure you that no matter whether we form an alliance or not, our army shall still advance towards Edirne, and we shall clear any objectives coming in our way… If, if our armies met while laying siege to Edirne, I guess that we can reach for a hidden deal between us making sure that we shall cease fire with one another, and after we break in to the city the Romans shall not take any thing except for the documentations, books and papers from the Sultan's palace and libraries…"

Ayaz Ahmad Pasha halted his steps in his path listening to the emperor with his back facing the throne. Upon hearing what the emperor offered, he heaved a sigh of relief with the lock within his heart finally being laid down in to rest. With a wide smile on his face Ayaz Ahmad Pasha turned back facing the emperor. "May our corporation prosper…"

"But! I shall need you to stay, as our guide and channel of communication with your lords." The emperor suddenly broke the ambassador in his words and announced, like a lightening strike hitting the heart of the ambassador in to abyss again.