Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5157 People-oriented
The thousands of light cavalry of the Tang army did not engage in close combat. Instead, they fired a round of muskets and bows and arrows and then quickly fled far away, out of the attack range of the Arab army. Then they reloaded bullets and rushed back, attacked again, and moved away again...over and over again.

Auf quickly sent a team of cavalry to counterattack. Even if he could not repel the Tang army, he hoped to buy more time to assemble. Otherwise, the Arab army in the south of the city was in chaos and leaderless, unable to organize an effective defensive formation, and could not even counterattack, so they could only wait for defeat.

However, thousands of cavalrymen pursued them, and the Tang army relied on muskets and bows and arrows to fight and retreat. When the Arab cavalry stopped, the Tang army rushed back...

The performance of their bows and arrows was better than that of the Arab army, with great power and long range. The range of their muskets was even greater than that of bows and arrows. When the enemy advanced, we retreated, and when the enemy retreated, we advanced. We always stayed out of the range of the Arab army, forcing the Arab army to passively take the beating without any ability to fight back.

In less than an hour, thousands of cavalry were lost. The Tang army came back and still followed the previous tactics, constantly harassing and attacking the periphery of the Arab army, gradually eroding the Arab army's vitality.

Ye Qide stood under the big flag and observed the battle situation. Seeing the Tang army being so shameless, he was immediately shocked and angry: "The Tang people are extremely shameless!"

Bullying others just because you have better weapons? !
Auf's face was solemn, and he said: "This is the 'Parthian tactic'!"

Yazid looked confused: "What is 'Parthian tactics'?"

Auf looked at Yazid deeply, and was extremely speechless about his ignorance. He explained: "Before the Sassanid Empire, there was a 'Parthian Empire' on the Persian Plateau. The Orientals called it the 'Archaic Empire'. The country once dominated the world with the 'Parthian tactics' and was invincible..."

*****
Inside Suiye City.

In the government office, Fang Jun explained to Lu Dongzan while making tea: "The so-called 'Parthian tactics' are actually not complicated. The core is high-speed maneuvers and long-range attacks. When the enemy's formation is in disarray, launch a heavy cavalry raid to break through the formation."

This tactic was simple and practical, and it was the basis on which the Parthian Empire swept across Europe and Asia.

Later, the Mongolian cavalry optimized and upgraded it and carried it forward, completing the feat of conquering Europe and Asia...

Lu Dongzan was knowledgeable and well-informed. After a little thought, he understood the essence of the "Parthian tactics".

He sighed and said, "The core of this tactic is high-speed mobility and long-range attack. You can hit the enemy, but the enemy can't hit you. You can only passively take the beating. In the long run, not only will the loss of manpower be huge, but the blow to the morale of the army will be even more fatal... But in the whole world, only the Tang Dynasty can implement this tactic."

The Tang Dynasty unified the world and dominated the world. However, instead of resting on its laurels, the whole country took advantage of this favorable situation and worked hard to develop. Not only was domestic affairs in full swing, but huge investments were also made in the research and development of military equipment.

It was not just firearms that made rapid progress, the improvement of horse breeds was also rapid.

Nowadays, the war horses in the Tang Dynasty army are all improved breeds, with better endurance, stronger ability to adapt to the environment, and faster speed...

The Tang Dynasty's bow and arrow manufacturing skills were unique in the world, and its recurve bow technology could not be imitated, with greater power and longer range.

Not to mention the muskets with longer range...

If the Tang army implements the "Parthian tactics", it will be invincible and irresistible.

Deep down, Lu Dongzan was extremely glad that he was captured by Fang Jun. The decision made by his sons was extremely correct. After all, compared with the genocide, what was a mere humiliation?
Fang Jun took the kettle off the stove, poured boiling water into the teapot, then held the pot and poured tea. He pushed a cup of tea in front of Lu Dongzan, picked up a cup and took a sip.

"With the current equipment level of the Tang army, this tactic can be used to its full potential. The Arab army has no countermeasures and can only passively take the beating. However, this tactic also has its disadvantages. Once the advance is too fast, it will be difficult for the logistics to keep up."

Lu Dongzan held the teacup in his hand, frowned slightly upon hearing this, and was a little puzzled: "Once the Arab army is defeated, they will definitely flee southward. Not only will the entire Seven Rivers Basin be controlled by the Tang Dynasty, but even the Central Plains region will be under the threat of the Tang army. How can the Anxi Army, with only tens of thousands of troops, have to worry about logistical supplies..."

At this point, he paused, staring at Fang Jun with wide eyes in disbelief: "You want to rely on the 'Parthian tactics' to chase the Arab army all the way?"

Fang Jun drank his tea slowly and said calmly, "The Arabs are ambitious and have insatiable desires. They have invaded our borders many times. If we cannot retaliate against them, where will the prestige of our Tang Dynasty be? This war will certainly not destroy their country, but we must let Muawiyah have a taste of what it feels like to have his country invaded and his people slaughtered!"

Although the Arab army was defeated, its remaining soldiers still numbered more than 100,000, far exceeding the strength of the Anxi army.

But since the Mongolian cavalry was able to conquer Europe and Asia with its upgraded and improved "Parthian tactics", there is no reason why the Anxi army could not chase after the defeated Arab army, right?
However, after the army advanced deep into the enemy's territory, logistics became difficult to supply.

The loss of food, fodder, military equipment, etc. can be used to "fight to support the war", but the supply of firearms and medicines will inevitably be cut off, which is a huge challenge for the Tang army that is advancing straight into the enemy territory.

But which powerful army in the world has not experienced the test of extreme hardships?

Steel is forged through repeated tempering and only after being quenched and forged can it become an invincible sword.

Lu Dongzan obviously understood this truth, and sighed: "More than ten years ago, when the Tang Dynasty was founded, it pacified the Turks and swept across the border. I only admired and respected them, but I always felt that the Tibetans were strong and capable of fighting. It was still unknown who would win. But over the years, the national conditions of the Tang Dynasty have changed with each passing day. The speed of its rise and the grand occasion of its strength have never been seen before. In particular, your connection of power is extremely smooth. Although there have been internal frictions during this period, your long-term layout of domestic affairs and military affairs is amazing."

He used to be proud of the strength of Tubo. After unifying the plateau, the only external enemies Tubo faced were Tuyuhun and the Tang Dynasty. Tubo could concentrate on internal affairs and planning strategies. He and the Zamp both firmly believed that only 20 years of recuperation would be enough to compete with the Tang Dynasty.

Especially when he heard that Emperor Li II had passed away, he was ecstatic!
His Majesty Li II had no shortcomings in either civil or military affairs, and his mind and character were so broad that he looked down upon the world. It was a blessing from heaven for Tubo that such a rare great ruler of this generation died young!
But who could have imagined that after Li Chengqian ascended the throne, he, with the assistance of Fang Jun and others, quickly completed the transfer of imperial power. He remained unmoved after several military coups, and all parties in the world were peaceful and stable without even a single rebellion, keeping the losses to a minimum.

The Tang army, having lost its invincible commander, Emperor Li II, instead of falling into despair or internal strife, became even more invincible and unbeatable.

The selfishness and narrow-mindedness of the Zamp further led to internal divisions in Tubo.

The Tubo Empire, which once had the potential to rival the Tang Dynasty in power, fell into decline almost in an instant...

Even Lu Dongzan had to admit that Tubo might have been able to compete with the Tang Dynasty in military terms for a time, but it was far inferior in long-term planning.

As one side gains strength, the other loses strength. The plateau cannot remain a barrier to Tubo for long. One day, the Tang army will attack the plateau.

"If this battle goes well, does the Tang army have a plan to capture Damascus?"

"No. We Tang people love peace and are only willing to create wealth with our own hands. We pursue a self-sufficient life of 'working from sunrise to sunset'. We don't have much desire for land. The reason why we station troops and govern the Western Regions is more out of strategic considerations, to expand the war buffer zone as much as possible to prevent the country from being affected by the war."

"Use fighting to promote talks?"

“You can gain benefits from war, but you can gain more at the negotiation table.”

Hearing these words, Lu Dongzan sighed again.

The man in front of him who holds power in the Tang Dynasty is even younger than his youngest son, but his understanding of the country and war is unmatched in the world.

He is truly a great man of his generation.

In particular, its layout of the ocean has led to an increasing amount of wealth imported into the Tang Dynasty from overseas. The Tang Dynasty's status as the "world overlord" may continue for more than a hundred years.

"What is the ultimate goal of this war of the Tang Dynasty?"

Facing Lu Dongzan's question, Fang Jun did not hide anything and spoke frankly: "Completely eliminate the influence of the Arabs in the Central Asian region, ensure the safety of the Seven Rivers Basin and the Western Regions, force the Arabs to cancel all kinds of harsh taxes on the Tang Dynasty, so that the goods of the two countries can flow freely, and benefit the people of the two countries."

Lu Dongzan laughed: "As expected of a country of etiquette, on one hand, they slaughtered the people of the Arab Empire, and on the other hand, they claimed to benefit the people of the Arab Empire. This is extremely smart."

Fang Jun didn't take the sarcasm in his words seriously: "The people of the Arab world are struggling under the tyranny of their caliph. Once the trade between the two countries is opened and the free flow of goods is allowed, the first to benefit will be the people of the Arab world. The Chinese civilization is vast and brilliant. It has given birth to countless schools and doctrines, but all the doctrines can be summarized into only one purpose, that is, 'people-oriented'. The gap between the rich and the poor is the root cause of war. It is not enough for the Tang Dynasty to be rich. We must lead the people of the world to become rich and have the basic right to survive in order to eliminate war for a long time."

Lu Dongzan was stunned. How could a person be so shameless?

[I hit you for your own good]?
But upon careful consideration, one has to admit that such slogans do work.

The goods produced by the Tang Dynasty are circulated throughout the world, which means that Tang Dynasty goods are equivalent to wealth. Where wealth circulates, all participants will obtain wealth.

The wealth that the Tang Dynasty seized through commodities was the heavy taxes and levies that other countries should have collected. These taxes should have come from merchants and common people and then been added to the national treasury... The Tang Dynasty took away these wealth, which had nothing to do with ordinary merchants and common people.

How could it not be popular if it made other countries poor but enriched the merchants and people of other countries?
Lu Dongzan even thought that one day wherever the Tang army went, the merchants and people of other countries might open the city gates, bring food and drink, and welcome the royal army...

War is not just about winning on the battlefield.

The right time, the right place, and the right people, each of which can determine the victory or defeat of a war...

In this era, few people understand or care about slogans such as "human rights". The phrase "people-oriented" is enough to encompass more political significance.

The more people live under cruel rule and extreme oppression, the more they yearn for freedom. When the slogan of "people-oriented" rings out, who would not flock to it?