Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5146 National Feelings
The city of Hengluo was lost again, tens of thousands of soldiers were defeated and suffered countless casualties. Even the main general fell into the enemy camp and became a prisoner. How to clean up such a mess?
Yezide felt overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Morale has collapsed before the decisive battle even begins. How can we fight this war?
"What do you two think?"

Auf and Maslama were not surprised to hear Yezid's question. He was just a fool. He was able to stay on top and become the heir to the empire only because of his good family background. Otherwise, what was the difference between him and those slaves in the workshop?

But he has a good family background, and this is enough.

Aof looked at Maslama and said, "You should go there in person, cross the river to gather the defeated soldiers, reorganize them, and restore their morale. You must stop the Tang army's pursuit at all costs. But you must not allow those defeated soldiers to return to the south bank of Yaosha River. If the defeated soldiers attack the main camp, the consequences will be disastrous."

He was the "commander-in-chief" of this Eastern Expedition. He was known to be resourceful and strategic, and was well aware of the chronic problems of the Arab army - when the battle was going well, they would be unstoppable and invincible, but once their morale dropped, they would become a group of mobs, and would collapse completely at the slightest setback.

After all, it was a coalition of many tribes formed under the order of the Caliph. Each of them had their own ulterior motives. When they could plunder people and seize land, they all rushed forward and fought bravely. But if they saw no benefits and even the possibility of losing their troops, they all retreated.

After all, only by maintaining power can you have a seat in front of the Caliph. If your power is greatly reduced, who will care that you once charged into battle and were fearless of death?
Maslama also knew the seriousness of the situation and sighed, "I'll do it reluctantly. I can only say I'll do my best."

He didn't dare to say anything confident, as the strength of the Tang army had been fully demonstrated in this battle.

Although the power of the Tang army's firearms had been increased countless times before, it was discovered now that the two armies were facing each other that it was still underestimated.

This is just the "stupid method" of burying gunpowder in the city. If the legendary muskets, cannons, and thunder bombs were used in the war, who knows what kind of devastating power they would have?
Ye Qide nodded and said to Aofu, "Finally, send an ultimatum to all tribes. They must rush to Kesan City to join the group before the tenth day of June. If you fail to arrive by the deadline, you don't have to come!"

Auf's heart trembled, and he quickly agreed.

The ultimatum was issued. If those tribes that were still slow on the road still had not arrived, they would no longer be allies of the Arabs, but might even become enemies of the Arabs, and be attacked, plundered, or even annihilated by the Arab army.

……

After the agreement was reached, Maslama put on armor, carried a long sword, and marched out of the city with 20,000 troops of his tribe. After crossing the Yaosha River to the north, they arrived at a flat grassland at the foot of the Alatoo Mountains, where they raised a large flag and sent scouts to patrol around and gather the defeated soldiers.

The Arab army that escaped the disaster in Hengrus City threw away their armor, weapons, and food, and hated their parents for not having two more legs. They fled madly all the way. Finally, after bypassing the Alatoo Mountains, they saw the big flags erected on the grasslands by the river and gathered around them, crying and shouting.

Maslama did not rush to gather these troops, but sent soldiers to block them outside the camp, to prevent these defeated soldiers from breaking up his camp and being ambushed by the Tang army that followed.

However, the scouts reported that only a small group of Tang cavalry were chasing after them, but when they saw that their own troops had already set up camp on the north bank of Yaosha River, they turned back...

Maslama looked at the fleeing soldiers in the distance, who were like chaotic and directionless flies, and sighed deeply.

He understood the Tang army's intentions. The morale of these defeated soldiers had collapsed. Even if they were hastily reorganized, it would be extremely difficult to restore their morale. It might be okay to pretend, but once they returned to the battlefield, they would be a serious hidden danger and would easily collapse again if they encountered any setbacks.

But these defeated soldiers were all young and strong men from the Amir tribe. Not only could they not be dismissed, but they also had to treat their injuries, redistribute weapons, and then eat up the limited food and fodder they had...

These nearly 20,000 defeated soldiers were no longer the main combat force and could not have any impact on the war situation. Instead, they became a huge burden, weighing heavily on the city of Kesan.

Seeing that the Tang army retreated and had no intention of attacking, Maslama breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered his subordinates to reorganize the defeated soldiers, set up camps, and treat the wounded. He then crossed the river overnight and returned to Kesan City.

"The morale of these troops has collapsed, and Amir has been captured, so the army's morale is extremely unstable. Any mistake will become a serious problem. Rather than letting them stay on the north bank, it is better to withdraw them to Kesan City and let them go to the north of the city to look after the food and fodder rather than leaving them on the battlefield."

Maslama was worried and gave his advice directly to Yazid.

He knew that he would have to defend against the Tang army on the north bank of Yaosha River next. He did not want to have such an unstable group of allies around him. Once the battle became fierce, these allies might even become a disaster.

A bunch of cowardly losers, unable to accomplish anything, but always causing trouble...

Yazid nodded in agreement: "Then transfer the troops originally guarding the food and fodder to the Yaosha River line, facing the general across the river and relying on each other, and transfer Amir's troops to the rear to consolidate the defense."

Auf frowned, feeling uneasy. Placing such a troop in the rear would be a hidden danger...

However, he immediately thought that if this defeated army could confront the Tang army again, it would mean that Yaoshashui had been broken through by the Tang army, and even Kesan City might have fallen. By then, they would be defeated and the defeat would be overwhelming. It would no longer matter whether Amir's troops collapsed again.

So he didn't say anything against it.

*****
Suiye City.

When Fang Jun saw Amir, this famous Arab general who had conquered Persia was covered in blood and was seriously injured, especially an arrow wound on his buttock that was still bleeding. His face was pale, his lips were blue, and his mind was already in a trance. Fang Jun quickly ordered people to bandage and treat him, otherwise he would have died from excessive blood loss if it had been later.

These were to be presented as captives before the Taimiao to highlight the achievements of the "Renhe" dynasty. After all, Emperor Taizong's great feats were there. If the successor monarch could not destroy a few countries and capture a few powerful generals, how could he have the nerve to call himself the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty?
Lu Dongzan also came over and saw Amir's miserable condition. It was obvious that the Tang army didn't care about his life or death at all. He asked curiously, "Aren't you going to use him for ransom?"

Amir was a famous general of the Arab Empire, highly trusted and respected by the Caliph. He was also the head of his clan and could definitely be exchanged for a very generous ransom.

Fang Jun disagreed: "To me, he is just a cattle or sheep sacrificed to my ancestors. Who cares about the ransom? The Tang Dynasty has plenty of money!"

Lu Dongzan was silent. He could see that Fang Jun had a clear difference in his attitude towards Tubo and Daqin. Although they were enemies and had fought against each other, both soldiers and generals were treated with courtesy, which was quite "humane". However, he treated Daqin like wild beasts and livestock, and did not regard them as human beings at all...

He was puzzled by this.

"The Arabs are a foreign race, and the Tibetans are also a foreign race. Why is Erlang's attitude towards them so different?"

"There are differences between foreign races. Tubo is a foreign race, but it is close to the Tang Dynasty and we live side by side. In the next 300 years, we may be one family. But the Arabs are thousands of miles away, aggressive and greedy. How can we treat them the same?"

The two men walked on the streets of Suiye City. It was dark overhead, and clusters of torches illuminated the city as brightly as day. Teams of soldiers in helmets and armor patrolled back and forth, and the military discipline was strict.

Lu Dongzan disagreed: "Waguo is also close to the Tang Dynasty, and even sent envoys to the Han territory a long time ago. The two countries have deep ties and should be closer. But from what I have heard, the strategy implemented by Erlang in Waguo is far from being a good neighborly friendship."

What has Japan become now?
Originally an overseas island country, it lived in harmony with the world. Although it was a little ignorant and backward, it was also self-sufficient and free. But since the Tang Dynasty established its navy, the first country to suffer was Japan. Not only was it forced to lease ports and land, but it also seized mining rights by force. Countless mines in Japan are now under the control of the Tang Dynasty. Every day, large ships loaded with gold, platinum, copper, etc. are heading to the Tang Dynasty. Even the Japanese are stuffed into the mines like pigs to mine minerals...

You call this "separate by a strip of water"?
Fang Jun walked with his hands behind his back, nodding to the soldiers who saluted him from time to time. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "How can the Japanese be the same? Their country is small and their people are narrow-minded. They are cruel and violent, and do not obey education. They are trapped on an isolated island like beasts, and they have no sense of benevolence and righteousness. They have no sense of shame. It is right to exterminate their entire race."

In fact, the Tibetans had caused a lot of trouble, but for Fang Jun, no matter how they caused trouble, in a sense they were his brothers, just like the Manchu, Mongolian and other brothers. If they were disobedient, they could just be beaten up, and if they continued to cause trouble, it was just a matter between brothers, and there was national sentiment.

But the Japanese are beasts in every person, and I wish I could wipe them out as soon as possible!
Lu Dongzan asked in confusion, "Are the Japanese like that? I have had very little contact with the Japanese, but I have met a few Japanese monks in Chang'an. They were all knowledgeable, humble and polite. How could they be like what you said?"

He still remembered those Japanese monks who crossed the sea from Japan to Chang'an to study Buddhism. They looked simple and pure, with noble character. Could it be that they were all glittering but rotten inside?
"The country is despicable and the people are hypocritical. They are good at pretending to be polite, but in fact they are full of thieves, prostitutes, cruelty and violence. They will even bow and apologize before stabbing a knife into your body, but they will definitely stir the knife inside your body twice without changing their expression."

The Japanese are the second most despicable and violent nation in the world. Who dares to claim to be the first?

There is one who is equally good as him...

Lu Dongzan shook his head and did not argue about it. He watched the lightly-armed soldiers march out of the city, gunpowder swaying all the way south, and could not help asking, "Where are these soldiers going?"

Fang Jun didn't expect him to reveal the secret, so he said frankly: "Tuo Zhecheng!"

Lu Dongzan was shocked and sighed.

The defeat of the Arabs is inevitable.