Ang Lee knew Osman quite well. In the past two months, he had done a thorough background check on this fierce general. He didn't let go of any information that he could find.
The reason why he was so meticulous was that the Tang dynasty was going to operate in Aden City. Therefore, he had to know more about an influential person like Osman.
Of course, it was the same for Apos, Mansur, and Abdullah. Each of them was very important, and they were all worth studying and understanding.
"Osman? It should be him. I was looking for him. He came to me himself. What could it be? "
The corners of Li An's mouth curled into a slight smile, appearing rather happy.
"Assistant Minister Li, they are outside. Should we let them in?"
Ang Lee nodded and ordered, "Let them in."
Soon, a few of Osman's subordinates entered Ang Lee's residence.
"Honorable Assistant Minister Li, it is our honor to meet you."
They bowed and saluted.
Ang Lee didn't want to waste time with them. He said directly, "I have no relationship with General Osman. Why did Osman ask you to come here?"
"Our general wants to make friends with Assistant Minister Li. True friends."
One of them said.
"Make friends? That's great! I love making friends. Go back and tell General Osman that I am willing to make friends with him. Also, my door is always open for General Osman. I welcome General Osman to be my guest at any time. "
Ang Lee said straightforwardly.
"Thank you, Assistant Minister Li. We came in a hurry and didn't have time to bring gifts. We will make up for it next time."
Ang Lee smiled and said, "I want to make friends with true friends. I don't care about gifts. Don't worry about these cliches. It is my honor to be able to make friends with a talent like General Osman."
Osman's subordinates all had joyful expressions on their faces as they hurriedly bowed and took their leave.
Li An had a strong premonition as he watched Osman's subordinates leave. He had a feeling that Osman was close to him, most likely in Aden City. As for those people, he was sure that Osman wasn't among them. A famous general who had fought on the battlefield wouldn't have such a powerful aura. Some things couldn't be hidden.
"This Osman suddenly came over to befriend me. What is he trying to do? What is his goal?"
Ang Lee muttered to himself.
"Alang, who is Osman?"
Yun'er asked as she massaged Ang Lee's shoulders.
Just now, when Ang Lee was receiving the guest, she heard it from behind. However, she didn't know who Osman was, so she asked out of curiosity.
"Osman was a general of the Umayyad dynasty? A very intelligent and talented general. "
Ang Lee said.
"What is the Umayyad dynasty?"
Yun'er continued to ask.
Li An heaved a sigh and said, "Forget it. You'd better not ask! I'm afraid that the more you ask, the more you'll ask. This is not something you should care about. Here, press here. "
Ang Lee closed his eyes and enjoyed Yun'er's massage while thinking about Osman. He really wanted to know why Osman took the initiative to befriend him.
However, once a person reached a high position, the purpose of making friends was nothing more than benefits. Apart from benefits, there was nothing else that could move people. Ang Lee had a powerful military force and could indeed help Osman. Thinking about it this way, Ang Lee felt that he was worth befriending.
Osman stayed at the dock and admired the steamships of the Tang dynasty. In just two hours, he saw three steamships of the Tang dynasty leave the harbor, and one steamship return to the harbor.
He found it hard to understand. These steamships didn't need sailors or sails. They only needed to burn coal to move. Moreover, their speed was much faster than using oars.
"General, we're back."
His subordinate ran to the harbor with a happy face.
"Did everything go well? Did you see the high-ranking official of the Tang dynasty?"
Osman asked.
"Yes, he's the highest-ranking official of the Tang Dynasty fleet. You can call him Assistant Minister Li."
His subordinate replied.
"What did he say?"
Osman asked.
"Assistant Minister Li said that he would be happy to be friends with you. Moreover, he welcomes you to his residence at any time. It seems that he has a good impression of you."
"Not only that, Assistant Minister Li seems to know you very well. As soon as he heard your name, he knew that you were a famous general of the Umayyad dynasty."
Osman was very happy to hear that. He thought for a moment and whispered, "Go back to the hotel. We'll visit Assistant Minister Li tomorrow morning. You go and prepare some gifts."
"General, Assistant Minister Li said that he doesn't care about gifts. He really wants to be friends with you."
Osman smiled and said, "Even if he doesn't care, I can't go empty-handed! Go and prepare some gifts! "
After returning to the hotel, Osman was also thinking. He was thinking about how to cooperate with the Tang dynasty, what conditions could be exchanged for how much benefits, and what the Tang dynasty's purpose in coming to Aden was. Was it just for Aden, or did they have a bigger purpose? Would the Tang dynasty use force against the Apus dynasty?
Only by thinking clearly about these problems could he better start the negotiation after meeting Li An and strive for the greatest benefits for himself.
Osman didn't sleep well that night. Although Ang Lee's mind was full of things, he fell asleep quickly with the beauties in his arms. He didn't even hear the thunder in the night.
The next morning, Ang Lee wasn't in a hurry to go out. After eating the breakfast personally prepared by Yun 'er, he took a walk in the back garden of his residence. He asked the guard to bring a map and hung it in a small pavilion.
Although he couldn't be sure that Osman would come, Ang Lee felt that it was very likely. He had a feeling that Osman would be in the city. After all, Osman's camp was dozens of miles to the northwest. The distance between the two places wasn't far. If Osman wanted to enter the city, it wouldn't take long. As long as he disguised himself a little, he wouldn't be stopped by the city guards.
Osman didn't sleep well, and he didn't have any appetite in the morning. He simply skipped breakfast and left the hotel with the gifts.
"General, isn't it a little inappropriate for us to go there so rashly?"
His subordinate was suddenly a little worried.
"Inappropriate? What's inappropriate about it?"
Osman didn't seem to care.
"General, this is Altik's territory after all. It's our first contact with the Tang dynasty officials. If the Tang dynasty officials sell us out, then …"
His subordinate said worriedly.
Osman laughed and said, "What's there to worry about? What can we achieve if we keep worrying about this and that? The Tang dynasty officials don't know who Osman is. Altik doesn't know what Osman looks like. If I say I'm Osman, then I am. If I say I'm not, then I'm not.
What's there to be afraid of? "In an era with backward technology, many officials had never seen the emperor in their lives. Many people had been loyal to the emperor for decades, but they didn't know what the emperor looked like. There were also many people who didn't know what their opponents looked like. It wasn't strange at all.
Osman was a bold and courageous general. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to lead an expedition to France, and he wouldn't have dared to come to Aden with a defeated army. It was just a meeting with a high-ranking official of the Tang dynasty. It was no big deal. Osman didn't take it seriously at all. He trusted his intuition. The Tang dynasty had just arrived in Aden, and there was no reason for them to do anything to him.
"Assistant Minister Li, the people from yesterday are here again. There's an extra leader with a lot of gifts."
The guard said.
"Invite them in. Bring them here."
Li An said as he asked Yun'er to prepare tea. Then, he asked everyone to leave. There was no one within 30 steps of him.
Osman asked his subordinates to wait outside, and he followed Ang Lee's guard to the back garden alone. He saw Ang Lee standing in the pavilion with his back to the outside.
"Assistant Minister Li, General Osman is here."
The guard reported and then left.
Ang Lee heard this and immediately turned to look at Osman. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little tense.
Osman was a general with a strong aura, and so was Ang Lee. It could be seen from their eyes. When two people with strong auras looked at each other, they would unconsciously create a strong tension, although it was only temporary.
"General Osman, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Please sit down and have a cup of tea!"
Ang Lee spoke first, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Osman also quickly smiled and bowed, "Assistant Minister Li, you're too polite. It's the first time we meet. Please take care of me."
After that, he sat down gently, but he didn't drink tea. Maybe he wasn't thirsty!
Ang Lee also sat down gently. He poured a cup for Osman first, and then poured a cup for himself. He said politely, "General Osman, this is the iced black tea of our Tang dynasty. Try it."
Then he took a sip first.
Osman didn't suspect that Ang Lee had drugged him. After all, if Ang Lee wanted to harm him, he didn't need to go through so much trouble. He could've just ambushed a troop.
"Good, good tea! Not only is it good, but it's also cold. It's very comfortable to drink. "
Osman gave a very pertinent evaluation.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "General Osman, this is the iced black tea of our Tang dynasty. Because of the ice cubes, it will be very cool to drink."
"Haha! It's really interesting. The Tang dynasty is indeed a big country. Even the tea is so fascinating. It's so interesting. "
Osman's yearning for the Tang Empire grew more and more.
Seeing this, Ang Lee said, "General Osman, do you admire the Tang dynasty very much?"
"Of course. The Tang dynasty is good in everything. It's not something that small countries like ours can compare with. Yesterday, I saw the steamship of the Tang dynasty at the port for several hours. What a big ship. It's amazing."
Osman said sincerely.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "It's just a steamship. It's no big deal. If General Osman is interested, I can take you to the ship. The structure of the ship is very different from ordinary merchant ships."
"Oh, is that true?"
Osman's eyes were shining. Obviously, he was looking forward to it very much.
Ang Lee nodded gently and said, "It's just a small matter. If General Osman likes it, I can take you for a ride on the sea. It'll be even better."
"Thank you, Assistant Minister Li. It's the first time we've met. Why are you so nice to me? What do you need me to do for you?"
After all, Osman was a middle-aged man, not a retarded young man. Of course, he didn't believe that a pie would fall from the sky. If he didn't want anything, why would Ang Lee be so nice to him?
Ang Lee was not in a hurry to express his needs. He said with a smile, "I really want to be friends. I've heard of General Osman's fame. It's my honor to be friends with such a talent. General, you just need to be honest with me."
Osman was even happier when he heard that. Suddenly, he saw the maps in the pavilion. He stood up and asked curiously, "These are all maps. Are they the maps of the Tang dynasty?"
Ang Lee walked over and pointed at the first map. He said, "This is the map of the whole world. See? The lands marked in gold are all the territories of the Tang dynasty. This is South Tianzhu. This green one is West Tianzhu. This is Khorasan. This is the Mediterranean Sea. And here, Aden is just a small dot in this place … "
After listening to Ang Lee's introduction, Osman's eyes widened. He couldn't believe his eyes. In his mind, the Khorasan was already big enough. The land that the Umayyad Dynasty once controlled was indescribably huge. He didn't expect the Tang Empire to be so vast. Its territory was ten times the size of the Umayyad Dynasty. It was terrifying.
Suddenly, he understood why the Tang Empire was so powerful. It was because its territory was huge and its population was uncountable. How could a country not be powerful?
"Is the Tang dynasty really so big?"
Osman murmured to himself. He couldn't believe it.
Ang Lee replied with a smile, "That's right. The Tang Empire is so big. And it can be bigger. What do you think, General?"
Osman looked at Malacca, Anshi, and Anzhu that had turned golden. He immediately knew what was going on. Ang Lee said that the Tang Empire could be bigger. Wasn't it to occupy the city of Aden or to occupy more land to make the Tang dynasty even bigger?
"Assistant Minister Li wants the city of Aden?"
Osman said bluntly.
"General Osman, do you think it's not possible?"
Ang Lee didn't intend to hide anything in front of Osman. Since Osman was straightforward, why should he beat around the bush?
"Haha! Of course it's possible. With the military strength of the Tang dynasty, it's possible to conquer the whole world. No force can be a match for the Tang Empire. "
Osman spoke the truth, which made Ang Lee happy.
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