Based on the principle that fewer enemies are better than more, Murad ultimately decided to send someone to Bosporus to propose peace talks.
Half a week later, on a morning, Caesar Manuel, in Guerze, was somewhat surprised by the peace initiative proposed by the Ottoman envoy. It was truly unexpected for the Ottoman side to initiate peace talks.
After agreeing to the peace talks in the court chamber and politely seeing off the Ottoman envoy, Manuel returned to his room and began to trace on the map he carried, trying to find the reason why the other party had proactively proposed peace talks.
His wife, Barbara, who had been by his side during this time, couldn't help but feel curious, asking her husband, "Manuel, what are you doing?"
"I'm looking for the reason why the Ottoman Empire is actively seeking peace with me," Manuel replied, partly to her and partly to himself. "Strange, according to our current actual control, even if the Ottoman Empire were to fight Karaman and the Mamluks behind it, they should still have enough strength to drive us away. As far as I know, why has less than half of their Rumelia Legion been deployed to Asia Minor..."
Seeing him in deep thought, an idea popped into Barbara's head: Could her dear Little husband have underestimated the impact of the battle at the end of last year on both sides?
She could only try to remind him indirectly, "Manuel, while it's good to treat your enemies with caution, wouldn't it be putting the cart before the horse if you misjudged the actual situation by overestimating them?"
Manuel thoughtfully stroked his chin at his wife's words, trying to combine the results he had achieved with the situation in Asia Minor and Southeast Europe to make a more practical analysis.
Another half week passed, and by the end of this week, after settling some minor details to confirm each other's sincerity, Bosporus and the Ottoman Empire would hold the final stage of peace talks outside Sinop.
For the final stage of peace talks, the Ottoman side presented what they considered their highest-level delegation: Grand Vizier Nizamettin Pasha himself came to preside over the talks, accompanied by Arnavutlu Iskender Pasha, who had just been promoted within the Rumelia Legion, and the old Bey of Kandar, Isfendiyar.
This level of delegation, in the eyes of Sultan Murad II and the Ottoman High Porte under his rule, was the highest possible treatment for Manuel, a monarch of a small to medium-sized state who could occasionally defeat them. Even so, after learning of the other party's posture, Manuel was still somewhat disappointed and annoyed deep down: Even after the failure of his personal campaign, was the Ottoman Sultan still not going to come in person?
However, there was no point in saying more; after all, it had reached the final stage, and he couldn't do anything that would make him extremely uncomfortable. So, after a brief moment of indignation, he, who had already led his troops to the outskirts of Sinop, quickly put this useless emotion aside temporarily and fully immersed himself in the peace talks with the Ottoman side.
It was a late January afternoon, and Asia Minor was still in winter. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Caesar Manuel, accompanied by his Army Commander, Foreign Minister, Commander of the Guard, and other cabinet members, as well as thirty to forty Philaka Soldiers guards, sat down at the negotiating table that had already been prepared by both sides inside the tent.
Before the negotiations, he also took half a second to analyze and observe the Ottoman Grand Vizier across from him. Nizamettin Pasha, from the prominent Ottoman Bey Halil family, was now wrapped in a plain haftan robe made of silk and satin, with a typical gray-white Muslim turban on his head. Although he seemed to be deliberately displaying his civilian demeanor, the sharp, dark brown pupils reflected a keenness and indifference like an eagle, as if hinting at his Ghazi noble origins.
However, if it came to a confrontation, Manuel himself would not be much weaker than him. Having experienced several battlefields and repeatedly faced life and death, Caesar now inadvertently displayed a seasoned competence in his every move. Although he was still inferior in actual experience to the person opposite him, he was by no means weaker in terms of presence. Although this was far from his initial self-positioning of strategic command from the rear.
However, this mutual probing did not last long; they were not there to restart the war, so in less than half a minute, they immediately focused on the negotiations.
The first issue to be confirmed was that of compensation. On this, the Ottoman side refused to compensate Bosporus with any gold or valuables but would give Manuel himself a "port fee" as a gesture of apology, amounting to 750 ducats.
This made Manuel uncomfortable. For a moment, he didn't know whether to accept this "apology" which was strange in both name and amount, but after confirming with his subordinates, he ultimately accepted the Ottoman side's proposal and took the money.
Then came the various post-war arrangements. On this, both sides reached an agreement. The Ottoman side would order Kandar to return the claimant Alexander Komnenos to Trabzon. In addition, both sides mutually promised not to launch any military actions against each other during the treaty period to maintain border peace for the next 5 to 10 years. Furthermore, the handling of entrenched autonomous forces would be considered their respective internal affairs, and neither would formally interfere.
After reaching a consensus on this aspect, the most crucial part was the post-war territorial division. On this, Nizamettin Pasha, representing the Ottoman Empire, unexpectedly proposed what seemed like a very generous condition: the Ottoman Empire would actively recognize Manuel as the legitimate ruler of Trabzon and West Armenia under its control, and would also transfer the Janik region and the Black Sea coastline up to Bafra to Bosporus; in exchange, strategic strongholds such as Amasya and Tokat must immediately return to Ottoman rule.
However, Manuel quickly and keenly noticed the subtleties within: Janik had been completely desolate during this period, and was now a wasteland; while the Bafra area was good for developing trade, it was easy to attack and difficult to defend; and Amasya and Tokat were crucial strongholds capable of controlling the Anatolia Plateau. Considering the current size of his occupied territory, he felt that if he didn't take this opportunity to extort the Ottoman Empire, he wouldn't have another chance for a long time.
At this point, Manuel began to display his strength as a Roman, using both soft and hard tactics, employing all sorts of rhetoric, and even almost threatening the other side with continued war. Finally, he got the other side to concede on the peace treaty: according to the final agreement, the Janik region and Amasya would be transferred to Bosporus, while other areas, including Tokat and Bafra, would "return to their original owners" and continue to be ruled by the Ottoman Empire and its subordinate forces.
And after the final territorial issues were settled, the peace talks were finally concluded. It was now dusk, and after bidding farewell to Nizamettin Pasha and others from the Ottoman side, Manuel, surrounded by his subordinates, looked up at the setting sun.
Looking at the familiar yet strange slanting sun, he waved his hand, blocking the sunlight directly entering his eyes, "This time, it's finally, truly over."