Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5161 Embarrassing Retreat
The Tang Dynasty did not have a strong desire for land. Although expanding territory has always been the obsession of Chinese men, the territory of the Tang Dynasty is already vast enough. Without so many people, what is the point of occupying so much land? Sooner or later, it will be lost.

But the Arabs must be curbed.

Therefore, even if there is no territorial claim to the Persian Plateau, if there is a chance to intervene, it will plant a thorn in the side of the Arabs. This is exactly the Tang Dynasty’s most important foreign strategy now.

Divide, bribe, disintegrate, provoke... The Tang Dynasty will not attack and occupy their territory, but will try its best to divide them internally and prevent them from uniting.

History has long proven that a big country with a vast territory and a large population will inevitably rise at some point as long as it is given the opportunity to recuperate.

The final outcome of the Arab Empire was decline, division, and destruction, but Fang Jun did not want it to have a chance to make a comeback and threaten the interests of the Tang Dynasty before its demise.

Therefore, he treated A Luohan with great courtesy and gave him unparalleled confidence, hoping that he could become a sharp blade to penetrate the weak spot of the Arabs.

"If necessary, the Anxi Army will give the prince the greatest help. I hope that the Tang Dynasty and Persia will be good neighbors for generations to come."

A Luohan was shaking with excitement. He understood Fang Jun's intention and also understood that the other party wanted to use Persia to contain the Arabs... but so what?

Sometimes, having the value to be used by others is actually a very happy thing.

When Persia is not even willing to use others, that is the real sorrow...

"Will you provide the Persian army with some firearms?"

A Luohan's eyes were bright and full of hope.

The Arab cavalry was too powerful, and he watched the once powerful Sassanid Empire collapse and fall. He and his people fled like a stray dog, and finally had to surrender with his entire family in order to get a chance to survive.

Even if he could return to Persia to gather his old troops and rebel against the Arabs, he had no confidence that he could defeat the Arabs and successfully restore his country.

But if they had the Tang army's powerful firearms, their confidence would be doubled.

Fang Jun smiled meaningfully: "The Tang Dynasty has always been generous to its allies. If you don't believe me, you can ask this Tibetan scholar... As long as the prince can conclude an alliance with the Tang Dynasty in the name of Persia, then everything is possible."

It was not necessary for Persia to destroy the Arabs. It would be enough as long as it could firmly occupy the Persian Plateau and cut off the Arabs' expansion route to the Transoxiana region.

However, if you want to rely on Persia to achieve such strategic goals, you will have to pay some price.

Of course, there will also be some unexpected gains.

Overall, the pros outweigh the cons.

A Luohan's heart was burning with anger. He pounded his chest heavily and said in a deep voice: "From this moment on, Persia regards Tang as an ally, and will be friendly for generations and never betray! If you swear this oath, the Persians will be slaves for generations and will never restore their country!"

The oath was a solemn one, but Fang Jun just nodded reservedly and acknowledged it with a smile.

Oaths are just something you listen to. So-called morality and so-called beliefs are not worth mentioning in the face of interests.

When there is a day when they can benefit, they will wipe the blood off their blades with scriptures, shout slogans and start slaughtering...

There is no difference between humans and beasts.

In a sense, the beast's faith is even purer...

Next, Fang Jun introduced Lu Dongzan to A Luohan.

A Luohan was surprised and said, "I have heard of the great name of Tubo Dalun for a long time, but I didn't expect to meet him here today."

His information was relatively delayed. Although he learned from the merchants traveling on his train that the Gar tribe had already gone to war with the Tibetan king, he did not know when the Gar tribe formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty... Otherwise, why would Lu Dongzan appear in the Tang army camp?
Lu Dongzan was also a little curious: "I have indeed been to Damascus, but that was many years ago. I didn't expect that there are people in Damascus who know my name now?"

The spread of information is extremely difficult. Nowadays, communication between the East and the West mostly relies on the Silk Road. However, Tubo is located on a plateau and is isolated. The connection between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty lies in the "Tang-Tibet Ancient Road", which is completely unconnected with the Silk Road.

A Luohan smiled and said, "Tibet is also a powerful country in the world. Since the Arabs have spent the whole country's strength to conquer the east, how can they not know something about Tibet? Dalun, believe me, there is all kinds of information and intelligence about Tibet in the palace of Damascus now, which is definitely much more than you can imagine."

In fact, after the last war in the Western Regions ended in the defeat of the Arabs, many people within the Arabs believed that the route from the Seven Rivers Basin and the Western Regions to conquer the Tang Dynasty was too difficult, so they simply crossed the Pamir Mountains and climbed onto the plateau, and after destroying Tubo, they swooped down and went straight into the heart of the Tang Dynasty.

But when they knew how high the Pamir Mountains were and how dangerous Tibet was, they decisively gave up the idea...

Who is Lu Dongzan?
He immediately understood the implication of A Luohan's words, but he didn't care.

The submission of the Gar tribe to the Tang Dynasty was a foregone conclusion. Not only would they no longer have anything to do with the Zamp, they would not even have the hope of setting foot on the plateau ever again. As for the rise and fall of Tubo, what did it have to do with them?

He pointed at the charred Kesan City and asked, "This city is severely damaged. Should the Tang Dynasty choose another location to rebuild it?"

Fang Jun shook his head: "But Sancheng is an important node on the Silk Road, and its strategic position is very important. One city can control the entire Transoxiana region. How can we choose another location to build it?"

A Luo Han said: "But if we rebuild it, it will take a lot of manpower, material resources and time."

Fang Jun smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about this. It's just a city. It will be more convenient to replan it if it is razed to the ground. As for rebuilding it, it's not worth mentioning."

Since ancient times, Chinese civilization has upheld two major advantages: city building and farming.

Whenever it comes to these two things, there is always an unparalleled burst of enthusiasm and ability...

*****
Auf and Maslama led more than 20,000 soldiers and horses upstream along the Yaosha River, hoping to use the help of the river to reduce the difficulties faced by the Tang army in sudden attacks from both sides. Since there was a river blocking one side, they only needed to focus on the right wing.

However, the situation was unexpected.

The Tang army's horses were too fast, the soldiers were too strong, and the bows and arrows had too long a range...

The Tang army was not in a hurry. No matter which route or direction the Arab army took, they would just lag far behind the Arab army, launch a surprise attack after walking for a while, and then withdraw, accumulating strength before launching another surprise attack.

Relying on the advantages of speed and range, they continuously eroded the rear of the Arab army, causing the Arab army to flee in panic and cry out in pain, not daring to rest or stay for even a moment.

Ao Fu had no choice but to "cut off the tail to survive" and ordered the rear formation to break away from the main force and delay the Tang army's pursuit by sacrificing himself.

However, the tail was broken one after another, and the rear formations were strangled and annihilated by the Tang army, and soon they caught up again...

"This can't go on like this!"

Maslama, exhausted and out of breath, screamed on horseback and was very frightened.

Aou also realized the drawbacks of the "cut off the tail to survive" tactic. Not only did it fail to delay the Tang army, but it seemed to be actively breaking down his own shortcomings into small pieces and feeding them to the Tang army bit by bit. The rear formation was destroyed, the middle army became the rear formation, and the rear formation was destroyed again... Wouldn't it be his turn next?
"Do you have any good ideas?"

"There's no good way, but there is a stupid way."

"Tell me?"

Auf had no idea what to do and could only look at Maslama hopefully, hoping that he could come up with a way to get rid of the Tang army. Otherwise, his troops would be wiped out by the Tang army without having to wait until they reached Kangguo.

Maslama gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, rode his horse towards Aofu, and whispered: "Order the troops to stop advancing and fight back. The two of us will lead our personal soldiers to leave the army and rush to Kangguo!"

Auf said angrily, "Are you crazy?"

They participated in this battle, and all of them were warriors from their respective tribes. Maslama's troops had been defeated on the north bank of Yaosha River, and the other troops that escaped were less than 5,000 people, and their courage and morale were completely gone, so they were not able to fight.

Now most of the troops behind him are Auf's own people. How can he abandon his people and escape alone?
Without these tribesmen, what would it matter even if he retreated safely to Kangguo?
Without soldiers, who would care about him?
Maslama smiled bitterly and said, "You are also a veteran who has fought for half your life. In your opinion, can we escape the pursuit of the Tang army with these troops? Their horses are faster and their bows can shoot farther. They have updated and optimized the 'Parthian tactics' to the peak. We can't escape!"

Auf was silent.

He admitted that this was the fact, but could he really have the heart to give up everything just to save his own life?

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, he shook his head and refused: "The Tang army is also exhausted at the moment. What we are competing for is our willpower. As long as we persist, the Tang army will definitely be the first to give up!"

When both sides’ physical strength is exhausted, who will be more persevering if they chase and kill the enemy, or who will be more persistent if they just run away?

Obviously the latter.

As long as the Tang army's physical strength can be exhausted, they will naturally be able to escape.

As for how many tails will be cut off and how many soldiers will be sacrificed during this period...it won't be worse than handing over the troops to the Tang army to be strangled, right?
Seeing that he could not convince Auf, Maslama gave up and rode his horse forward at full speed.

He was willing to go ahead and not care about Aofu's life or death. Anyway, the few soldiers left under his command were all elite. It would definitely not work to let them turn back and fight the Tang army. But if he ordered them to flee quickly, they would definitely run very fast...

But he couldn't do that.

In the battle on the north bank of Yaosha River, his troops were almost completely destroyed. Without soldiers, he had no power. After returning to Damascus, he still hoped to be able to support and help each other with Auf, who shared the same suffering. If he offended Auf at this moment, the latter would definitely not form an alliance with him.

His heart was filled with confusion and worry about the future. If he allowed the Tang army to pursue him like this and unscrupulously use the "Parthian tactics" to the extreme, then how many Arab troops would be left to escape all the way back to Damascus?