Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Flap flap..."

Carrier pigeons flew in flocks, carrying urgent military intelligence messages.

The message was being relayed to key Arab military towns along the route to Mecca.

At the same time, intelligence containing this military information was also flown at great speed to Mecca, the holy city of Arab Muslims, which was still peaceful at the time.

Mecca.

Under the dry, scorching sun, on this land blessed by Allah, Muslims, having just finished their daily prayers, returned home in twos and threes, each carrying a copy of the Quran.

However, at this moment, the believers in Mecca who were responsible for breeding and raising carrier pigeons gradually became tense as they watched the carrier pigeons flapping their wings and flying in from the distant horizon.

"Something big happened! Something big happened!"

In the Mecca Mosque, the Prophet Muhammad, having just finished presiding over a prayer ceremony, opened his eyes from meditation, looked at his extremely grim-faced father-in-law, Abu Bakr, and gently shook his head.

"Burkel, what you're doing is making people uneasy. Where is your reason?"

However, Abu Bakr was not comforted at all by Muhammad's reassurances. He nervously handed over several carrier pigeon messages from different cities to the other party.

Muhammad accepted it.

He, who once knew no words, suddenly understood these things in a way that was incomprehensible to ordinary people, as if he had truly been chosen by Allah as a representative of humanity.

However, Muhammad's calm expression lasted only a moment after he saw the text above.

His face instantly turned solemn.

"The Tang army... How could that be? As far as I know, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty now occupies vast lands that are far more fertile than ours. He can't even digest those lands, so why would he be targeting us?"

He stood up and paced barefoot back and forth in the hall.

They checked the contents of each slip of paper one by one.

"The garrison of Kufa was attacked by Tang cavalry from the Sassanid Persian border city of Hira, suffering hundreds of wounded. Ten thousand Tang cavalrymen headed towards Basra..."

"The Basra garrison scrambled out of the city to intercept the enemy, engaging them in a direct battle. They suffered heavy losses; the enemy's archery skills were terrifying, and they were extremely adept at cavalry warfare. Basra suffered a total of two thousand casualties. The enemy has entered the desert and is suspected of advancing towards Hajir..."

"The Hajir tribe was invaded; a large cavalry army suddenly appeared in the oasis. To ensure the city's safety, the city lord ordered the gates closed. After resting for two days, the enemy army advanced towards Medina..."

Muhammad took a deep breath.

"We haven't received any intelligence from Medina yet, so it seems this cavalry hasn't arrived in Medina yet... No, wait!"

Muhammad, who was muttering to himself, suddenly changed his expression, as if he had thought of something.

Abu Berkel quickly asked, "What's wrong? Did you think of something?"

Muhammad turned to look at him: "Sufyan and the others should be returning by now, shouldn't they? Although many members of the Quraysh tribe are in the caravan, most are still in Mecca..."

Burke was momentarily taken aback: "You mean, this cavalry was invited by Sufyan and his men from the Tang Dynasty? But the intelligence didn't mention their return. Kufa, Basda, and Hajir, the supply city that must be passed through to cross the desert... there's no news of Sufyan and his men returning."

“Prophet, could this be a deliberate attempt by the Tang Dynasty to harass us? After all, the daughter of the Second Marquis of Yisi is the concubine of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.”

Muhammad shook his head.

He considered all the possibilities, but he directly rejected the one that Burke mentioned.

Although he had never met the young crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, nor had they ever had any communication with each other.

But perhaps it was a feeling from the unseen world, or perhaps it was guidance from Allah.

He concluded that Li Chengqian, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, was not such a shallow person.

Moreover, those who could be sent on an expedition to Arabia and easily defeat the defenders of Basda must be the elite of the elite. Such a valuable force should not be wasted.

To embark on such a futile and unsupplied expedition?

The Crown Prince of Tang is not a fool...

“We’re in big trouble, Burke. Gather our followers immediately, get them armed and assembled! Bring Talib to me!”

Berkel was startled, but seeing Muhammad's alarmed expression, he said nothing more and immediately rushed outside.

Before long, the entire city of Mecca was plunged into a tense atmosphere.

The Muslims, who had just finished praying and returned to their homes while holding the Quran, quickly put on their chainmail after receiving the call to assemble.

He rushed out of his house, carrying a curved sword.

In no time at all, a force of six or seven thousand soldiers had gathered in front of the Mecca Mosque.

Mohammed emerged from the mosque, his general Talib standing beside him with a solemn expression.

This time, they've really run into big trouble.

The sudden emergence of this force, coupled with the current fragmentation of Arab power and the fact that Muhammad has not yet fully subdued the tribes within his territory, and that his large-scale missionary work has only been underway for a few years.

This elite Tang army appeared precisely when they were at their most vulnerable.

Muhammad's expression was solemn.

Everyone seemed to sense something; the prophet seemed more serious than ever before, just as he had been before the betrayal by the Jews in Medina, the second holiest city, and the life-or-death struggle with his enemies.

"My brothers, my children"

He spoke, and his voice was remarkably clear, reaching the ears of everyone present.

"Today, as we stand on this holy land, we face not only foreign invaders, but also a test of our faith. Allah, the God who has given us strength and wisdom, enables us to thrive and spread His will on this land. However, today, we face an unprecedented challenge..."

In addition to a large number of Muslims, Mecca also had former nobles who had been deprived of their ruling position and who "voluntarily" became Muslims and worshipped Allah.

Standing at the back of the crowd, listening to Muhammad's pre-battle mobilization, they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Several figures had somehow gathered around the wife of Sufuyang, the leader of the Gulaishi tribe.

"Rufia, what's going on? What's Muhammad doing all of a sudden?"

"Do you know what? Is he planning to attack us again?"

"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting? We were all present when the agreement was signed. If he tears up that agreement, what difference is there between him and turning his back on God?"

Several former nobles of Mecca spoke to each other with worried expressions.

Lufia shook her head helplessly: "I don't know, but even our Gulaishi tribe has had over a hundred warriors conscripted."

The expressions of the others became even more unpleasant.

Muhammad was a master at manipulating people, especially his own tribesmen. He was incredibly pervasive in his influence, even among the cavalry force of six or seven thousand men in front of him.

There were young warriors from their respective tribes...

These people have abandoned the tribe that gave them life and nurtured them for the sake of that damned God, for the few words of Muhammad, that charlatan who came out of the cave!

"As you all know, our Arabian land has been a cradle of warriors and a beacon of faith since ancient times. We fear no enemy and will not yield to any power. Today, the Tang army has crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to come to our homeland. They thought they could easily conquer us, but they are wrong!"

“I tell you, we are not alone. Allah is with us, and He will grant us victory. We are the guardians of this land and the defenders of our faith. We will not allow any invaders to trample on our homeland or defile our holy land.”

"Take up your weapons, stand tall, for God, for our homes, for our children and our future, we must fight! We must win!"

In the arena, the prophet Muhammad personally boosted morale, and the effect was direct and immediate.

Under the scorching sun, these Muslim cavalrymen, whose faces were already flushed and drenched in sweat, became even more excited, their eyes reddening.

Some people didn't even know what the Tang Dynasty's Star and Moon Banner actually looked like, yet they acted like madmen who wanted to slaughter everyone in the Tang Dynasty.

"Now, I command you, every fighter, every Muslim, to unite, obey Talib's command, defend our Mecca, defend our faith. Let the enemy know that we Arabs are invincible!"

"By Allah, let us pray in the name of faith, in the name of our homeland, in the name of glory!"

Muhammad's voice grew louder and louder, but just as he was about to give the order for the army to set off for Medina to help resist the Tang attack.

A sudden, excited voice came from behind the crowd.

"We're back!"

Everyone turned their heads, their eyes filled with resentment, wanting to see which fool had interrupted the Prophet's dissemination of Allah's guidance at this moment, only to see a dozen or so people whose appearances seemed somewhat familiar.

But the figure dressed completely differently from those around him.

Behind the crowd, the dried dates in the hands of the chieftain of Kulaish, Rufia, fell to the ground.

He stared blankly at the several figures.

"Jalal, Ali, Omar... why are you back? Where is the leader?!"

Rufia excitedly looked behind them.

The other Meccan nobles also seemed to realize something and began to distance themselves from the Muslims who were experiencing a surge of anger.

"The chieftain has returned! And with him came a prince from the Tang Dynasty!"

Prince?

Upon hearing the words of the young man from the Gulaishi tribe, a look of seriousness flashed across Muhammad's eyes at the front of the crowd.

Not only did they send a large army, but a prince also came?

And... how did they get back?

"How did you get back?" Rufia asked.

But then the young man excitedly pointed westward: "We returned together on a Tang Dynasty ship, and our leader is on the western shore..."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the crowd until he saw Muhammad at the very front.

Under the watchful and disgusted gazes of many, he approached the other party, but instead of foolishly uttering any harsh words, he respectfully bowed with his hand on his chest.

"Prophet, the Prince of Han of the Tang Dynasty wishes to see you."