Chapter 2997
Before Xiao Liang met with Vidal, he learned the entire process of the arrest from his son Xiao Zhengyang. He already had a very clear judgment on why the Spanish senior official chose to surrender rather than fight to the death.
There is no doubt that after being defeated on the frontal battlefield, Vidal's next plan is not to stay in Cebu and fight with the Haihan Army to the last man, but to prepare to escape quietly after avoiding the limelight.
Being blocked in a cave by Xiao Zhengyang's troops, Vidal found that he could not escape, so he proposed to save his life as a prerequisite for surrender during the negotiations. This showed that he had no intention of martyrdom for his country. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was greedy for life and afraid of death.
Since Vidal's courage only ends here, Xiao Liang will naturally not give him a good look. To deal with this kind of guy who is still in a desperate situation but still talking arrogantly, Xiao Liang doesn't mind stepping on his dignity to the ground and crushing it bit by bit.
Vidal's skills were not compromised, but he also realized from Xiao Liang's unceremonious words that he really had no cards to play.
As of now, Spain's colonies in the central region of the Philippine Islands have basically fallen, and even if there are remaining armed forces under the Cebu authorities, they are no longer able to launch a counterattack.
As for Vidal's identity and even the "prestige" of the Kingdom of Spain, the other party obviously did not take it seriously, and the mockery in his words was not even concealed.
But Vidal knew very well that if he really signed the surrender document required by the other party, and when the news spread back to the country, he would not only lose his official position, but also very likely be convicted.
"I can hand over the information and property you need to your Excellency, but please forgive me for not being able to sign the surrender letter. The glory of the Kingdom of Spain cannot be damaged because of me!"
Vidal decided to give in, but he still insisted on not signing the surrender letter. As long as he can leave Cebu Island alive, he can deny the theory of surrender, and it will only be a defeat at best.
Xiao Liang smiled, how could Vidal's little calculation be hidden from him. Since the other party won't shed tears until he sees the coffin, he doesn't mind saying a few harsh words.
"Mr. Vidal, if you insist on not cooperating, then I can only regard your attitude as refusing to surrender. I can see that you are unwilling to take the blame for this defeat. In this case, I can also help you and let you become Spain's leader." ”
Xiao Liang paused and his tone became cold: "Tomorrow morning, you will be publicly executed in the municipal square outside the Governor's Palace. Thousands of people will witness this scene. Then you will no longer have to worry about defeat. The consequences, and your king, as well as all the Spanish people, will definitely treat you as a hero who is willing to die. ”
Vidal's face was ashen and he was speechless for a moment.
"I'll give you one night to think clearly whether to choose to be executed in public or to survive."
After Xiao Liang said this, he stood up and left without waiting for Vidal to respond.
Whether Vidal cooperates or not, or even his life or death, will not have a fundamental impact on the Luzon Region's strategy in this region. Haihan and Spain have been at odds with each other for many years, and Xiao Liang will not worry that executing Vidal will affect the relationship between the two countries.
Although the lack of Vidal's assistance will make Haihan's process of taking over the Spanish colony somewhat bumpy, it may also serve as a warning to others and undermine the will of other Spaniards to resist.
Of course, if Xiao Liang hadn't made a mistake, then Vidal would not have chosen to die generously. If he was willing to die for the glory of the Kingdom of Spain, he would not have quietly fled Cebu with his family and hid in a shelter in the deep mountains and forests.
For people like Bidar, it would be better to die quietly in a cave than to be watched by thousands of people while being executed.
Whether he is a hero who is ready to die, or a loser who failed to escape and was captured, this is not an evaluation that Vidal can influence. It all depends on what kind of news Haihan will release. And he would never believe that Xiao Liang would have such good intentions to mold him into a hero worthy of the Spanish people's memory.
Since Vidal chose to surrender to Haihan, no matter how harsh the conditions Xiao Liang put forward, he would definitely compromise as long as he could survive.
Xiao Liang's judgment was indeed verified. There was no need to wait until the next day. Vidal relaxed that night and agreed to cooperate with Haihan in the post-war handover, which of course included signing the defeat and surrender document.
In fact, after the news of Vidal's capture spread rapidly in Cebu City, it has already triggered secret discussions among the people.
The most common view is that this symbolizes the complete collapse of Spanish local governance. Due to geographical constraints, Spain, which is tens of thousands of miles away, cannot appoint another colonial governor in a short time to clean up the mess in Cebu.
Referring to the situation in Luzon, once it falls under Haihan's control, Spain's chances of regaining its territory will be very slim. This means that all people who have settled in Cebu will most likely have to change their status to become Haihan citizens in the future.
Such is the general trend, it is obvious whether the common people should obey the new rulers or continue to be loyal to the old rulers.
The next day, the Haihan Army seized a large number of items from several places in the city. Among them are gold and silver property, as well as various official documents of the colonial authorities. The household registration, fields, real estate and other information that Xiao Liang is most concerned about are all in it.
If they had to rely on their own searches, the Haihan Army still didn’t know when and how long it would take to find these extremely secretive items. Fortunately, they caught Vidal, an insider. Otherwise, they would have to spend a lot of energy to compile statistics and compile these items again. material.
The surrender letter drafted by Xiao Liang himself was soon released, but after reading it, Vidal immediately asked to meet Xiao Liang and raised objections to some of its contents.
"Excuse me, your Excellency, isn't it enough for our country to admit defeat and give up its rule over the seven major islands including Cebu? It actually requires us to hand over control of the Mindanao region. This is really unacceptable!"
After Vidal saw Xiao Liang, he expressed his anger with questions.
Xiao Liang had already expected this, and said calmly: "What you said is not comprehensive enough. To be precise, you are asking your country to retreat to the south of the Sulawesi Sea, and no longer set foot on the Philippine Islands in an official name." .”
The entire Philippine archipelago is divided into three parts: north, south, and middle. The north and south ends are Mindanao and Luzon, which are of similar size. The middle part is the area including Cebu Island and other seven major islands involved in this war.
It took Haihan more than ten years to occupy the central area of the Philippine Islands. But all the hundreds of islands, large and small, in the central region combined are not as large as Mindanao. Now Xiao Liang wants Spain to cede Mindanao with just one sentence. How can Vidal agree so easily.
(End of chapter)