Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5343 Kill without mercy
Before the royal palace in Ctesiphon, officials, merchants, commoners, soldiers… watched helplessly as the renowned commander-in-chief, Vagas, led his cavalry into the smoke-filled southern city to launch a surprise attack on the Tang army. Many were filled with trepidation, muttering prayers, beseeching the “prophet” to bless Vagas with a resounding victory, to pray that the imperial cavalry would crush the Tang army, and that the empire’s rule would continue in this city, which had only been conquered thirty years prior, so that they could enjoy the fertile pastures, the vast fields, and the hardworking slaves…

However, the omnipotent "prophet" may not have heard their prayers. When the flames died down, what suddenly emerged from the billowing smoke was not the imperial heavy cavalry that had previously charged into the fire, but the heavily armored Tang cavalry in black helmets and armor!
The crowd erupted in chaos, running and shouting, fleeing in panic. The entire city was plunged into endless terror in an instant, with countless people, young and old, scattering and fleeing in all directions.

The small number of soldiers, upholding their duty, gritted their teeth, gripped their weapons, and quickly formed ranks to try to stop the charging enemy.

boom!
The heavily armored cavalry charged into the enemy ranks, the immense impact knocking Arab soldiers back and flying them away. Spears pierced deep into their bodies, and horses' hooves crushed their heads. In an instant, the fragile formation was riddled with holes and shattered.

The morale of the army, which had been shaken by Vagas's departure and never returning, collapsed at this moment.

The surviving soldiers were terrified. They dropped their shields and weapons and turned to blend into the chaotic crowd in the city, fleeing towards the north of the city.

However, the iron hooves clashed and thundered, the lances gleamed coldly and were stained with blood. The heavily armored cavalry, with no loss of momentum, charged straight into the chaotic crowd, indiscriminately slaughtering both soldiers and civilians.

As the most important adversary of the Tang Dynasty, the Ministry of War, under the leadership of Fang Jun, had launched various infiltration activities many years ago to obtain intelligence on the Abbasid Caliphate's military, political, cultural, medical, and social systems.

The rise of the Abbasid Caliphate was due to the fact that nomadic tribes, who had been engaged in constant warfare and plunder, were integrated under a religious belief and formed a huge military group with the main purpose of external conquest and plunder. The members of this group generally had strong personalities and sufficient military skills, and it could be said that the whole nation was a soldier.

When necessary, able-bodied men, children, and even the elderly and women can take up arms and participate in wars of conquest and plunder.

To treat a nation and people whose bloodline is filled with conquest, plunder, and destruction, we cannot simply be kind and righteous; that would be womanly kindness and cruelty to ourselves.

Therefore, the Tang army was ordered to "kill anyone who does not surrender without mercy!"
The iron cavalry charged forward, their hooves thundering, and in most of the western part of the city, ghosts howled and wolves howled, and corpses lay strewn everywhere.

The routed army fled northwards amidst the crowd, only to find that Tang cavalry had just reached the edge of the northern city when they were surrounded by Tang light cavalry flanking from the east and west. Their iron hooves raised dust, their warhorses roared like the wind, and Tang soldiers on horseback drew their bows and unleashed a rain of arrows.

The soldiers and civilians of Taixi Fengcheng, who were fleeing in panic, were instantly covered by a rain of arrows. They fell down one by one, screaming and struggling, like wheat being harvested.

"Those who refuse to surrender will be killed without mercy!"

The Tang cavalry put away their bows and arrows, drew their swords, and rode into the crowd, slashing and killing anyone who stood or refused to kneel.

With a steel knife pressed against their necks, their lives hanging by a thread, all the survivors prostrated themselves on the ground, crying out for mercy.

What "prophet" or "faith" can vanish in a life-or-death situation?

Although the heavenly kingdom described by the "prophet" is so wonderful, not many people are willing to pursue such an ethereal realm; most people are more concerned with the present.

Better to live a miserable life than to die a good death...

The Tang army surrounded Taixi Fengcheng. Those who refused to surrender were beheaded, and those who surrendered were reorganized. The elderly, women, and children were driven to the west side of the city, east of the river, and detained and supervised. The able-bodied men gathered together to clean up the battlefield, extinguish the burning flames, transport the corpses out of the city to dig pits for burial, and draw water from the river to wash the streets...

The Tang army conducted a thorough search of the entire city and gathered all the spoils in the square in front of the palace.

When Su Dingfang entered the city from the south and Yang Zhou from the north, the two met in the square and were amazed by the mountains of spoils they had captured.

The two dismounted and walked. Yang Zhou looked at the dozens of military officers who were counting the spoils and exclaimed, "It is said that when the Abbasids conquered the Persian city of Ctesiphon, the wealth they seized was equivalent to tens of millions of coins, which almost filled the national treasury when it was transported to Medina... Today's spoils look just as impressive!"

Su Dingfang shook his head: "Not necessarily. It looks like a lot, but a large part of it is silk, porcelain and glass. These things are priceless in the eyes of the Arabs, but they are not worth much in the Tang Dynasty. The gold and silver are more considerable."

Yang Zhou casually picked up a beautifully decorated mirror in the style of the Arab world, examining it from all angles. He asked curiously, "It is said that glass is made by firing sand, which is extremely cheap to produce, yet its price remains high. The Grand Commandant has made a fortune from it... But I wonder if this rumor is true or false?"

Su Dingfang walked with his hands behind his back: "Who knows? But I once heard the Grand Commandant say that the value of glass does not lie in what raw materials it is made from, but in the 'chemical' mystery involved in the process. It is not the raw materials that are valuable, nor the process that is valuable, but the mystery itself."

When glass first appeared, it was like turning lead into gold, and many people were extremely curious about its raw materials and processes, eager to find out more. Later, Fang Jun, fed up with the curiosity, simply donated all the glass workshops to the royal family…

However, he also once said, "Knowledge is money."

Yang Zhou couldn't help but exclaim, "The Grand Commandant is not only skilled in both literature and martial arts, but his understanding of the principles of things is unparalleled in the world. It's as if he was born with knowledge; he is truly a divine being!"

Leaving aside his military exploits and the poems destined to be passed down through the ages, his creation of disciplines such as mathematics and physics alone is enough to make him a "master of his generation."

Su Dingfang shook his head and chuckled: "Take these words to the Grand Commandant. If he's pleased, he might reward you... Search the city again, lest any enemy hide and cause trouble. Dredge the river. One-tenth of the spoils should be distributed as rewards to the soldiers, according to their rank, official position, military merit, etc. The rest should be registered, loaded onto ships, and transported back to the Tang Dynasty. The imperial envoy will also arrive soon. Until then, we must hold this place firmly and not allow it to fall."

The Tang army was strictly disciplined, with strict regulations on how much of the spoils captured during each campaign should be retained and how much should be turned over to the army. Any violation would be severely punished.

However, this haul was far too bountiful. Even if only 10% was kept, it would still be an enormous fortune. Several nearby captains couldn't help but be overjoyed when they heard about it.

For lower-ranking officers and soldiers, it's hard to talk about "patriotism." The simplest and most genuine reason for joining the army and fighting is nothing more than "getting promoted" and "making money."

Yang Zhou nodded in agreement, then immediately showed a worried expression: "I wonder where General Xue and his party are now?"

Su Dingfang was silent for a moment, then sighed softly: "Compared to the hardships we endured when sailing across the ocean, it was far more difficult for them to walk all the way to the Abbasid Caliphate."

The journey from Suyab to Damascus was fraught with hardship, traversing grasslands, deserts, and snow-capped mountains—a truly arduous undertaking. Logistics and supplies simply couldn't keep up; the so-called "fighting to sustain the war" was merely a nice-sounding rhetoric, as it meant being completely cut off from the homeland, fighting a grueling, isolated campaign deep into enemy territory, with the constant threat of total annihilation.

Therefore, whether Xue Rengui could lead his army across deserts, grasslands, mountains, and rivers to reach the Mesopotamian region was truly unknown.

Of course, as a general, he naturally understood the strategic significance of this move.

As long as Xue Rengui can find this path, it means that no matter how far or remote the Abbasid Caliphate is, the Tang army will have the ability to conquer it at any time.

Why does the Abbasid Caliphate keep coming to the Western Regions to stir up trouble?
I can launch an attack on you whenever I want.

Kou can go, so can I!

With such strategic deterrence, the Arab world can honestly assess the strength of both countries and dare not cross the line again.

Yang Zhou's expression was solemn: "This subordinate will immediately send out scouts to search for news of General Xue upstream along the Tigris River. If they have made good progress, they should have reached the two rivers by now."

Su Dingfang nodded: "If Xue Rengui can cross the Persian Plateau as planned, and together with us in the north and south, we can deter the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, then Damascus will surely be in turmoil, and the Caliph will have no sleep at night."

This was the strategic objective of this battle.

The joint land and sea campaign against the Abbasid Caliphate was not aimed at conquering cities and plundering wealth, but rather at forcing the Abbasids to sign a "treaty of surrender," ensuring that they would not invade the borders of the Tang Dynasty for a period of time, thus giving the Tang Dynasty a period of peaceful development and preventing the domestic construction from being delayed due to a sudden war between the two countries.

Moreover, the Abbasid Caliphate has a large population and a vast territory, making it unrealistic to annex it in one fell swoop. Even the Mesopotamian region is too far from the Tang Dynasty, requiring a naval return trip of half a year, so it is impossible to occupy it for long...

*****
A massive mountain range stretches across the southern part of the Persian Plateau from east to west, resembling a reclining dragon separating the plateau from Mesopotamia, extending eastward to the Persian Sea. The mountain range is towering and majestic, winding and long, with many peaks perpetually covered in snow.

Xue Rengui led his army south of Tabriz into the mountains, trudging along paths forged by the local natives during their hunting expeditions. Although there were valleys running north to south, the roads were rugged and winding, and the harsh winter made the entire army suffer greatly. Soldiers and horses frequently tumbled down cliffs, and frostbite and injuries were commonplace. This not only resulted in heavy casualties but also dealt a severe blow to morale.

We walked in the mountains for over a month before finally emerging from a narrow mountain pass...

When the entire army stood at the mountain pass and looked out at the lush green grassland and the long river, and then looked back at the snow-covered, rugged road they had come from, their hearts were shaken, and many even broke down in tears.

Xue Rengui stroked his unkempt beard, his spirits lifted, and roared, "Brothers, the hardships and dangers are over, the time to make our mark has arrived!"

"Follow me and let our swords point towards Mascus!"

"Here!"

More than 10,000 soldiers responded in unison, their voices echoing through the mountains and reverberating endlessly.