Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4843 Tactical Countermeasures
Yang Zhou asked with interest: "Are you sure we will win this battle?"

Obed shook his head. "Nothing is absolute in the world. Although the Tang army is strong and well-equipped, we cannot guarantee victory. But the Azd tribe has always been close to the Tang army. If the Tang army is defeated, the Arabs will definitely not spare us. So whether it is to help the Tang or to help ourselves, we are willing to participate in this battle, charge into battle, and die without regrets!"

Yang Zhou stroked his beard, an idea came to his mind, but this idea still needs to be considered, so he said to Obeid: "In principle, I agree that you can join the war, but not in the name of the Tang Army, because this involves too many regulations that I have no right to deal with. It needs to be reported to the Navy Commander's Office for discussion before it can be confirmed."

"It doesn't matter! As long as we are given a chance to serve the Tang Dynasty, the warriors in the tribe will surely impress the general! But... weapons and military equipment will be provided, right? The general also knows that our tribe is not only poor but also ignorant. When hunting, we use bone arrows and sticks. Not to mention that we can't smelt iron, we can't even smelt bronze..."

Yang Zhou waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. The Tang Dynasty has sufficient weapons and military equipment. In addition to firearms, you can also be equipped with swords, spears, shields and even longbows. Now go back and gather your clansmen, and then gather at the port. I will arrange a lieutenant to command you in battle and record your military merits. Whether you charge, climb first, kill the enemy, behead the general, or capture the flag, you will receive corresponding rewards. I will never treat you harshly just because you are not part of the Tang Dynasty army."

"Then I'll go back and recruit people!"

Obed was very excited, said goodbye and turned away.

Yang Zhou poured a cup of tea in front of the desk and drank it slowly. After thinking for a while, he called Buyeo Long in and personally poured him a cup of tea. He asked, "You are from Baekje. I want to ask you how you feel about fighting for the Tang Dynasty?"

Fu Yulong was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding what Yang Zhou meant, and asked back: "General, are you asking me if I am loyal to the Tang Dynasty?"

Yang Zhou thought for a moment and shook his head, "No, your loyalty is beyond doubt. In fact, you are a Tang citizen now, so how could you not be loyal to your country? I mean those Hu people who surrendered here. They did not join the Tang army, but fought for it. What do you think of this?"

"Is there any need to look at this? This kind of thing has happened a long time ago. Not to mention that most of the Western Turks who surrendered to the Tang Dynasty have been fighting for the Tang army. Even when Emperor Taizong went east to conquer Goguryeo, the Khitan, Xi, Shiwei, Xun, Liugui, and Ulohun all sent troops to assist the Tang army in the battle. Later, the Baekje people also joined in to help the Tang army hunt down the remnants of Goguryeo."

This has long been the tradition of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty would tie the Hu people from various border tribes to their chariots, drive them to charge into battle and capture cities for the Tang Dynasty, and at the same time give them various policies and rewards to make them more dependent on the Tang Dynasty, which would help the Tang Dynasty and the surrounding Hu peoples to integrate and coexist.

Yang Zhou asked, "If the navy also imitates the land army and cultivates some barbarian tribes to serve as the vanguard in every battle, what do you think?"

"Eh? It seems that our navy has never done this before... In principle, it is feasible. After all, if it can be done on land, why not on the sea? But on the one hand, we need the confirmation of the Governor's Office before we can take any action. On the other hand, we also need to identify the barbarians who have surrendered. These natives have no sense of morality or right and wrong. They will rush forward when they see meat, but will disappear in a flash when they see danger. We must be extremely careful."

"Of course. I can decide to go to war against the port of Shiluofu, but I dare not make my own decision on the issue of military sequence. Do you really think that Admiral Su will not kill people?"

Yang Zhou said this with a smile, and then the two of them huddled together and whispered, discussing the details of the problem while recording them on paper. Finally, they summarized them together and made some deletions to form a document. After the two of them signed and sealed it, they put it in an envelope and sealed it with wax. They had someone send it to Guangzhou by ship together with the previous battle report.

*****
While the Port of Meixun was bustling with activity, the Port of Shilafu soon received the news. Merchant ships from various countries anchored in the port were terrified and, unless necessary, left the port and stayed outside it so that they could leave quickly to avoid the war once it broke out.

Merchant ships that had not yet entered the Persian Gulf quickly turned south and headed along the coastline to Sanlan Port for trade...

The port of Shilafu, which was already depressed due to the disappearance of Tang merchants, became even more deserted and dilapidated. Only the Arabs' own merchant ships entered and left the port every day, and the tax revenue they brought in was less than 10% of the previous amount.

Abu Awal was furious in the Governor's Palace, and also felt a little panic, because the Caliph would tolerate his exploitation of merchants and bullying of the people, his unauthorized wars and militarism, but he would not tolerate his failure to pay taxes.

For the Caliph, all the land in the empire had only two meanings: one was the source of soldiers, and the other was tax revenue.

If one cannot recruit slaves who are as lowly as ants into the army and cannot collect rich taxes from all over the country, then what is the use of having a vast territory and a large number of people? Everything has its meaning only if it serves his ambitions and grand plans.

Abu Awal called over his two most trusted subordinates and asked, "Do the Tang people really intend to go to war with us?"

Ibn Atat was in his twenties, strong and sturdy. Hearing this, he said, "It seems that they are planning to fight a war. In the past two years, the maritime trade between the Empire and the Tang Dynasty has become more and more prosperous, especially the increasing number of Tang Dynasty merchants coming to the Persian Gulf for trade. The Tang Dynasty may be dissatisfied with paying too much tax to the Empire, so they are using the previous excuses to fight a war to force the Empire to make concessions on the tax rate for Tang Dynasty merchants."

The motivation for starting a war is actually very simple, either economic or political. Who would travel across the ocean to fight a war just for the lives of a few merchants?
Abu Awal nodded. This point had actually been clearly demonstrated by the letter sent by the Tang army general a few days ago. Perhaps that "most-favored-nation treatment" was just a negotiation trick, but forcing the Arab Empire to open more trade ports to the Tang Dynasty and reduce taxes on Tang merchants was the fundamental purpose.

With the current volume of trade between the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire, the tax revenue for one year is enough to support a navy of 200 warships...

The other middle-aged general named Buser was tall, thin, and ugly. He was even more irritable and warlike than Ibn Atat. "Let's have a fight! I heard that the Tang navy has never been defeated in the East and South Seas. If we can defeat them, the morale of the Empire Navy will be greatly boosted, and the chances of winning against the Eastern Roman Navy in the future will be greatly increased."

Ibn Atat frowned and reminded, "The main force of the Imperial Navy is in Alexandria under the rule of Governor Abdul. The total number of warships we can mobilize is no more than 300, and many of them are small boats. Although the Tang Navy is at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, their ships are better than ours. This is a battle of equal strength. No matter which side wins, it will be a miserable victory and it is not worth it. It is better not to fight if possible."

"Bullshit! You've already destroyed your own prestige and boosted the enemy's morale before the battle even begins. Such a cowardly person is unworthy of being a general of the empire. Go home and hug your children!"

"We don't have to fight this war. We just need to bow our heads, apologize, and pay some symbolic compensation, so that the Tang people can save their face. Why do we have to fight a head-on war? If we lose the war and destroy the Caliph's plan to conquer the Eastern Roman Empire, who can afford it?"

"The Tang army has come a long way, and they are at a disadvantage in terms of manpower and ships. How can we not win? Unless you are a coward like me who would collapse before the battle!"

"What nonsense! I have always been at the forefront of the charge. You are not qualified to give me advice when it comes to fighting!"

Abu Awal was annoyed by the quarrel between his two favorite generals. He waved his hands repeatedly, "Alright, alright, stop talking. How come we are still so incompatible after fighting side by side for so many years? We must cooperate sincerely and care for each other! Although I haven't seen the power of the Tang people's muskets and artillery, I have heard of it. How do you think we should deal with it?"

The two stopped bickering. Ibn Atat, who looked more courageous, was more resourceful. Hearing this, he said, "Whether it's a musket or a cannon, they are all long-range weapons. As long as our speedboat can rush through their range in the shortest time and engage in boarding battle, what use will the powerful weapons have? The most important thing is speed."

Buser shook his head and said, "You are wrong. In fact, the Tang army's warships are taller and more resistant to wind and waves, suitable for long-distance voyages, but their ships are faster. Once they get into our ranks and divide and surround us, relying on more sophisticated firearms and weapons, we are likely to be divided and fall into the dilemma of fighting on our own, and then be eaten up bit by bit."

He simply stood up and moved the things on the table, took some tea cups, plates, pens and other things and arranged them in a row, and then separated them one by one to simulate the situation that might occur in a naval battle. Abu Awal and Ibn Atat stood up and watched, and finally unanimously confirmed that Buser's concerns were justified.

Abu Awar looked worried, but he had to admit that the Tang people were far ahead of the Caliphate in shipbuilding technology, and Persia and Eastern Rome were even further behind.

“How to resolve it?”

If they cannot break the Tang army's tactics of relying on speed to penetrate and divide their own side, then they will surely lose the battle, and the consequences of defeat will be something Abu Awal cannot afford. The Caliph's rage will burn him to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

"It's not difficult."

Buser reached out and gathered some teacups, plates and other things together, and said, "We can use iron chains to tie the ships together at the critical moment, and also load catapults and crossbows on board. Dozens of ships will form a stable and solid fortress to attack the Tang army's flagship. We only need to sink that big ship, and the Tang army will be defeated."