At the end of this brief negotiation, due to a lack of further bargaining chips, the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty had no choice but to concede on territorial issues, agreeing to put the Erzurum area on the negotiating table as a condition for peace talks, and to hold final negotiations in due course to conclude the current war as soon as possible.
However, before Suleiman took his leave, Kara Osman stopped him and asked a question he was quite concerned about:
"Is your family name Karamanoglu, Your Excellency?" The old Sultan's gaze sharpened.
To this, Suleiman merely smiled and nodded noncommittally.
"Why would a member of the Karaman royal family serve the Romans?" The old Sultan continued to ask curiously.
"It's all because," Suleiman's smile became a bit elusive, "of my uncle, the one in public."
So that was it, the shrewd White Sheep Sultan quickly understood the reason. Perhaps he could also make some small moves in Southern Anatolia, having Karaman restrain Dulkadir, and ensuring the safety of his southwestern border. If the Romans could secretly do such a thing, there was no reason why his Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty couldn't.
Thinking of this, a faint, imperceptible smile appeared on his aged face, "Your Excellency is Suleiman, correct? Perhaps we can talk…"
…
A few days later, the final negotiations between the Bosphorus Despotate and the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty were held as scheduled, north of Palantoken Mountain, south of Erzurum. For these negotiations, Caesar Manuel and Sultan Kara Osman personally attended, to show the importance both sides placed on them.
On the morning of the negotiation day, Manuel had already led his trusted generals and the soldiers of his Philaka Legion, arranging the negotiation setting in his tent very formally, awaiting the arrival of the other party.
About half an hour later, a considerable number of people galloped from the direction of Palantoken Mountain. As they approached, it was clear that the leader, though white-haired, was radiant, dressed in luxurious and solemn attire; beside him followed a large group of Turkic-looking dignitaries, two of whom were particularly strikingly dressed.
The leader was naturally Sultan Kara Osman of the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty, and many of those accompanying him were Turkic Ghazi provided by the tribes under his rule as guards. Among those most conspicuously dressed were his second son, Bey Hamza, and Sheikh Hassan, who were still by the Sultan's side.
"This seems to be most of the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty's high-ranking officials on campaign," Manuel mused, stroking his chin, "What if I detained all of them here?"
But he immediately abandoned the idea, "Forget it, to show sincerity this time, I didn't bring too many people. And if I detained them here, my army wouldn't be able to march directly to Diyarbakir. That would only benefit the Black Sheep Dynasty and the Mamluks. The current situation in Asia Minor is quite good. Hmm, except for the Ottomans."
Soon, the White Sheep arrived at the negotiation venue. It was at this moment that the monarchs of the warring parties finally saw each other in person. After a brief greeting, Manuel secretly sized up his opponent: the White Sheep Sultan, Kara Yuluk Osman, standing opposite him, had a full head of white hair and an aged face, but his cloudy, dark pupils unmistakably exuded a shrewd and keen gaze, and his outward demeanor was quite spirited. Were it not for his face and white hair, it would be hard to believe this was a man over seventy. Today, he wore a haftan robe woven from white silk, with a very warm fur cloak over it, and a typical pure white Arabian silk turban on his head. Though simple in color, the materials were actually very expensive.
After this observation, Manuel felt a strong sense of vigilance towards the old White Sheep Sultan. Thinking back to the days he was besieged in Erzurum, he couldn't help but feel a little flustered in hindsight. Fortunately, this war was quick, otherwise, he might have been directly driven back to the Tauris Peninsula.
While Manuel was observing his opponent, the old Sultan was also carefully scrutinizing this adversary who had caused him so much trouble. This Roman Caesar wore a blue-purple dalmatica woven from silk, with a dark-purple cotton coat embroidered with luxurious, subtly Islamic patterns over it, and black-brown leather boots, a typical style of an Asia Minor Roman noble. His dark, mid-length curly hair and brown eyes, which exuded both humility and confidence, combined with his young and handsome face, further highlighted his identity as a Roman aristocrat.
What surprised him most was the Roman monarch's youth. Thinking of the various troubles he had caused the tribal confederation, he immediately realized that if left unchecked, this person would greatly alter the surrounding situation. At that time, it might not be a good thing for the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty.
Considering this, Kara Osman suddenly regretted not bringing more soldiers today; otherwise, he truly wanted to abduct and imprison this young Roman Caesar on the spot.
But it was too late for such thoughts now. For the sake of immediate interests, both sides ultimately cast aside those chaotic ideas and settled down to negotiate peace.
Perhaps because both parties wanted to quickly resolve the war, the negotiation proceeded quite smoothly. By noon that day, aside from the issues concerning Erzurum and the Christians and Muslims in the area, both sides had reached a consensus on all other matters.
"The post-war boundary must be the city of Erzurum!" This was the demand from the White Sheep side.
"The post-war boundary must be south of Palantoken Mountain!" This was the demand from the Bosphorus side.
Around this point, both sides uncharacteristically found it difficult to make progress. Finally, after a series of tense, ah, no, joyful discussions. Under the friendly exchange of drawn blades between the soldiers of both sides, that afternoon, both parties ultimately decided to take a step back, agreeing to use Palantoken Mountain as the new boundary. As for the Turk and Kurdish Muslims originally residing there, the Bosphorus would relocate some to White Sheep territory, supplementing the White Sheep's population losses while expanding the distribution of Armenians within its borders.
The negotiations finally concluded at dusk, and the peace treaty reached by both parties was named the "Treaty of Erzurum" based on its birthplace. The treaty stipulated that the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty would "transfer" the three major regions of Erzincan, Bayburt, and Erzurum to the Bosphorus Despotate; subsequently, the Bosphorus would relocate some Muslims to White Sheep rule; and as "compensation," the Bosphorus would also transfer 750 ducats to the White Sheep Sultan himself.
After the treaty was completed, Manuel released Ali and Mahmoud as promised, allowing them to return home. The moment Ali returned among the White Sheep, a lovely-looking child unexpectedly ran out from the crowd, "Father!" The child shouted excitedly at Ali.
Looking at his reunited son and grandson, Kara Osman proudly introduced to his opponent, "Uzun Hasan, my grandson, and the most beautiful gift Allah has given me."
"This is Uzun Hasan?" Looking at this charming little boy, barely ten years old, Manuel felt greatly shocked. Thinking of his future achievements in the history of his previous life, he shook his head with a bitter smile in his heart, "He is also the best gift your Allah has given the Aq Qoyunlu Dynasty."
Afterward, Manuel attempted to persuade the other party to stay for a dinner to celebrate the end of the war. However, due to the urgency of defending against the Black Sheep, Kara Osman firmly refused the request and immediately led his men back to where his main army was temporarily stationed.
It was still dusk. The White Sheep party faced the sunset glow, while the Bosphorus party had their backs to the setting sun. Gazing at the gradually departing enemies and reflecting on everything they had experienced in the past few months, Manuel couldn't help but narrow his eyes, looking towards the direction of the setting sun,
"The war is over again," he murmured softly.