The Ultimate War Of The Apocalypse
Chapter 319 - 312 This is Surrender

Chapter 319: Chapter 312 This is Surrender

Blackbeard represented a certain faction; to this day, Gao Yuan still had no idea which one, nor did he bother to ask. At the very least, they were competitors of Atiq and his group. If things got serious, they could become deadly enemies.

So when Atiq nodded, it was a gesture of agreement. There was no need for further words—the deal was done.

Setting aside appearances and looking at the essence, some matters were just that simple.

"How do you plan to surrender?"

"We surrender? No, no, no, you’ve got it wrong; it’s they who are surrendering, not us. We’re merely acting as intermediaries between you and the Americans. The surrender has nothing to do with us."

Atiq didn’t hesitate at all to Gao Yuan’s denial, "Then how do the Americans plan to surrender?"

Gao Yuan thought for a while, then said, "The specifics need further discussion with them, but the form is secondary. What’s important is the essence. What I can promise you now is that all the excess weapons in the base will be left for you—a large number of small arms, mortars, tanks, armored vehicles, and even machine guns... "

Atiq nodded and asked, "What else?"

"The whole base will be yours."

"What about food?"

"No food because they’re nearly out themselves. If you demand they leave all their food, you’re asking for their lives, which would make surrender impossible."

Atiq thought for a moment, then said, "Then... what about the surrender ceremony?"

"The ceremony..."

Gao Yuan thought for a bit, then turned to Atiq and said, "Ceremonies aren’t important, right?"

"No, ceremonies are very important."

Gao Yuan rubbed his chin, pondering for a long time before finally speaking softly, "Here’s the thing... "

As Gao Yuan put on an air of launching into a lengthy discourse, Li Yang knew that Gao Yuan was about to start his performance.

"I’m willing to fight for the greatest benefits for you. Why did I choose you and not another group? It’s because of our traditional friendship. I respect you, and importantly, you’re reasonable because you are rational. Before selecting who to surrender to, or, to put it another way, who to negotiate with, finding the right person is fundamental. Don’t you think so?"

Atiq nodded, agreeing, "It is indeed so."

Gao Yuan earnestly continued, "So I am willing to fight for your interests to the greatest extent. But if you make demands that are too harsh, what if the Americans choose to surrender to another party?"

The logic wasn’t difficult to follow, nor was it hard to explain.

Atiq nodded again.

Gao Yuan went on, "So, I can assure you that everything useful in the base will be yours. You can even destroy it if it’s of no use to you. Also, reach an understanding with the Americans, keep quiet about their surrendering to you until the end, and then suddenly take over all the supplies they leave behind. That way, no one can steal your spoils of war."

Atiq frowned, "This sounds more like cooperation than surrender."

"No, this is surrender. When they decide to abandon their camp and leave their weapons behind, just to be able to leave this country alive, if that’s not surrender, then what is?"

Atiq nodded grimly with furrowed brows.

"Since they are surrendering to you and are willing to cooperate fully, wouldn’t it be acceptable to allow them to retain their last bit of dignity? That isn’t too much, is it?"

Gao Yuan adopted a very serious expression, "I’m willing to secure the greatest benefits for you, but I also need to fight for their most important thing—their dignity. Dignity can be truly important. If you insist on stripping them of their dignity, many things could become uncontrollable. So why not let them keep their last vestige of dignity while you gain maximum benefit? Wouldn’t that be better?"

Atiq stared intently at Gao Yuan, who met his gaze unflinchingly. After a moment, Atiq exhaled and said, "You’re a good middleman. Alright, I agree to your terms, but how can you guarantee the Americans are truly surrendering and not playing tricks?"

Gao Yuan waved his hand, "You can negotiate with America’s top commander, General Andrew Marshall, right now. I suggest you go in an official capacity, perhaps as the commander of the Afghan Salvation Army. What do you think?"

Atiq looked bewildered, and as Li Yang translated Gao Yuan’s words, he almost wanted to laugh, feeling that Gao Yuan was really wasting his talent not being a diplomat or a middleman.

However, Atiq’s son whispered from the side, "Father, I think his suggestion makes sense."

Only the old man sat quietly on the side, cradling his rifle, still smiling in silence.

Atiq touched his beard and, unable to help himself, nodded very slightly.

Gao Yuan continued, "I will stay as a hostage. You go and talk to General Marshall at the military base."

After thinking for a long time, Atiq said in a grave voice, "Today is not suitable. How about tomorrow? I need to go back and talk with the tribal elders."

Gao Yuan immediately replied, "No problem."

Atiq went on, "We’ll meet here again tomorrow. We can talk outside. You don’t have to be a hostage. If you were an American, I wouldn’t sit down to negotiate with you. But as a Shenzhou person, you keep your word, unlike the Americans. So you must attend tomorrow. I don’t trust the Americans."

Gao Yuan smiled, "Thank you; I will definitely be there tomorrow."

Atiq nodded, then turned and said something to his son, Garini, in Persian, not Pashto.

Garini stood up, wanting to help his uncle, but Atiq used his hand to push himself up from the ground. Then, extending his hand toward Gao Yuan, he said, "I don’t consider this surrender, so I need to persuade some people. I hope I can convince them. See you tomorrow."

Gao Yuan reached out and shook hands with Atiq, then smiled, "This is surrender. See you tomorrow."

Ashraf didn’t reach for his nephew’s hand; after all, it was somewhat difficult for him to rise from the ground with one immobile arm, but Ashraf still managed to stand up using his left hand to balance with his rifle, not relying on help from his nephew.

Gao Yuan looked at the old man, then suddenly said, "His shoulder is injured, possibly dislocated. Why not let him come with us into the base? We have very good doctors. You can wait for his shoulder to heal before leaving. How about that?"

Atiq was taken aback and looked at Ashraf, who still wore a smile, yet had no reaction.

Atiq hesitated for a moment, then said, "You have to ensure his safety."

Gao Yuan laughed, "I’ll stay behind. When he comes out, I’ll return."

Finally, Ashraf spoke up, "There’s no need."

Ashraf lifted his rifle and said, "I trust you. Let’s go."