Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4844 On the verge of breaking out

"Use iron chains to lock the warships together?" Abu Awal stroked his curly beard and said, "Isn't this the way we protect ourselves when we encounter storms at sea?"

The sea is unpredictable, and fleets often encounter unexpected storms when they go out to sea. In the face of the power of heaven and earth, the fate of any ship can only be smashed into pieces by the waves or directly capsized and sunk to the bottom of the sea. In order to deal with such misfortune, someone invented the method of locking more warships together to increase the force-bearing surface to resist the storm.

The effect is very significant.

Buser nodded and said, "That's right! Moreover, the Tang army's artillery is very powerful. It can fire iron bullets to penetrate our hulls and decks. After being hit, the ships will soon be filled with water and sink. With this kind of splicing and locking, even if several of the ships are hit, they can still sail as usual relying on the buoyancy of the ships next to them, and will not capsize and sink."

Abu Awal's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly: "This is a good idea!"

Ibn Atat looked at it for a long time but could not find any fault. However, he was unwilling to admit that Busr's tactics were better. He nitpicked and said, "What if the enemy uses fire attack? If so many ships are connected together and once they start burning, they will be connected into a piece. We can't run away. We can only watch them being burned to ashes."

"Haha," Busr laughed, looking at Ibn Atat with a mixture of pity and ridicule, as if he were looking at a mentally retarded person: "We are fighting a naval battle, and our warships are sailing on the sea. There is sea water everywhere, so how can we be afraid of fire attacks?"

Ibn Atat realized that he had asked a foolish question and kept silent.

"Order the entire army to actively prepare for battle. When the warships from Wuci Port arrive, assemble inside the port. If the Tang navy barges in without knowing the consequences, let them be crushed and buried by the waves. Let their corpses feed the fish in the Persian Gulf!"

*****
The Tang army fleet in Meixun Port was ready. Obed led 300 tribesmen to join the Tang army for training. The tribe, which relied on the sea for its livelihood, was naturally familiar with naval battles, but under the strict training of the Tang people, they understood more about military orders and mutual coordination. There were also special captains to guide combat and record military achievements.

But the fact that more than a hundred warships were still not leaving the port puzzled everyone.

After training, Obed wiped his sweat and asked the captain assigned to the army: "Why haven't you attacked the port of Shiloh yet?"

The captain gave him a cold look and said, "The most important thing for a Tang soldier is to respect military orders as if they were his life. A soldier's duty is to obey orders. Military orders are above everything else! Since you have joined the Tang army, you must abide by the Tang military discipline. Just follow orders and don't ask about the rest."

Obed was shocked. "Military orders are above everything else? You mean if a military order tells me to die, I have to die?"

The captain had a blank expression on his face and a cold voice: "That's right. Wherever you are ordered to go, even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire, or cliffs thousands of feet high, you must move forward without hesitation. Otherwise, you will be punished by military law."

"..."

The soldiers of the Azd tribe around them regretted their actions a little. What if the Tang army used them as sacrifices to attract enemy fire? Would they also risk their lives to move forward?

But it seems there is no use regretting now...

……

General Yang Zhou gathered together the captain in charge of weather observation with wizards from several nearby tribes and asked them to predict the weather conditions in the next three days. As a result, their predictions were always different. One said it would rain tomorrow, another said it would rain the day after tomorrow, and another said it would be rainy and stormy...

It turns out that both the captain in charge of meteorology in the army and the wizard who has lived here for decades are somewhat reliable in their weather forecasts. They predicted that it would rain for two consecutive days in advance.

By the fourth day, everyone agreed that there would be no rain for the next three days.

The weather is unpredictable, and no one can predict it with absolute certainty, but being correct with a probability is enough.

Sometimes, marching and fighting requires thorough preparations to minimize the probabilities of various unfavorable factors and maximize the probability of victory.

The reason for avoiding rainy days was to maximize the power of the Tang army's firearms. For example, the "rocket" was not afraid of water because of the kerosene hidden inside. Moreover, once it was ignited, the enemy could also use nearby seawater to put out the fire. However, if it rained from the sky and scooped water from the boat, it would still curb the destructiveness of the "rocket". By avoiding rainy days, the power of the "rocket" could be maximized.

Everyone boarded the warship with their weapons and weapons, and Yang Zhou himself also boarded the flagship "Prince of Wei" wearing a helmet and armor, ready to go.

Then, when the setting sun shone obliquely on the sea, casting thousands of golden rays of light, an order was given, the war drums rumbled, the trumpets blew, and more than 170 warships of various sizes sailed in and out of Xun Port one after another, with sails and masts connected to the sky and boats like clouds, they sailed into the winding waterway of Hormuz and headed towards the port of Shiraf.

When the port of Shiraf received the message from the express ship, Abu Awal was a little confused: Why are the Tang people so belligerent? Before he responded to the conditions proposed, they had already expected that they would be rejected, so they couldn't wait to come in full force?

It is obvious that the Tang people had no intention of negotiating at all. They just wanted to show off their power in the Persian Gulf and get what they wanted through war!
How could the great Caliphate be ignored like this?

Deceiving too much!

"When will the warships from Wuci Port arrive?"

"Your Excellency, Governor, we will arrive tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Ah."

Abu Awal stood up and looked at the map on the wall, gesturing the distance from Hormuz to Shiraf Port with his hands, and estimated in his mind that the Tang army would arrive after the reinforcements from Uqsa Port arrived. He felt a little relieved. With all the strength of the empire in the entire Persian Gulf, couldn't it defeat the Tang Empire's navy that had traveled so far?
Then he is too incompetent.

Let’s use the blood of the Tang people and the fragments of warships to illustrate the supreme power of the Caliph!

"If the Tang army provokes us, we will be patient for the time being and start the battle when reinforcements arrive!"

"Yes!"

……

Ibn Atat stood on the bow, wearing iron armor and an iron helmet on his head, holding a large shield in his left hand and a battle axe in his right hand, with his legs apart, looking very majestic.

A red sun suddenly rose above the sea level in the distance. In an instant, the sea surface was painted magnificent and sparkling with thousands of rays of light. And in the midst of the rays of light, countless white sails jumped out from the sea level, stretching endlessly from the sky to the sea, and sailed towards the port of Shiraf at an incredible speed.

Beside him and behind him, the Arab soldiers were driving their warships in formation, swallowing their saliva nervously. The Tang navy was coming with such force, if they didn't even say hello and started fighting directly, wouldn't they be able to rush into their formation in an instant with their powerful maneuverability?
Naval warfare requires mobility the most. Once your own formation is penetrated and torn apart, resulting in each side fighting on their own, the war is basically half lost.

Fortunately, the Tang army navy was stationed dozens of miles away from the port of Shilafu. Several small boats came out and stopped in front of the white flag that was used as the national flag to commemorate the prophet. Standing on the bow was still the young lieutenant who went to the Governor's Palace to submit the letter of credence last time. It was said that this person was the general manager of the port of Meixun. He was young and extremely extraordinary.

Ibn Atat stood at the bow, fully armed and intimidating, and shouted, "Why did the Tang army come in full force to set foot on the caliph's territory?"

His eyes were focused on Fu Yulong, looking at the other side's Shanwen Armor, with envy and fear. The manufacturing level of the Tang people was too advanced, and the Daqin Kingdom was far behind...

Although Fu Yulong was shorter, the bow of the Tang warship was tilted up, so it looked taller. With his feet planted on the deck, he was as steady as a mountain. With one hand on the sword at his waist, he replied loudly: "Countries under the world negotiate and trade freely. Everything should be done under the rules agreed upon by all parties. Now you have arbitrarily changed the tax rate, slaughtered Tang merchants without reason, and looted Tang money and goods. You are treacherous and morally corrupt. How are you different from pirates and bandits? A great country is despicable and shameless, and the world has abandoned you! Today, I have come across the ocean on the order of His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to hand over the Tang Dynasty's letter and demand compensation according to the meaning of the letter. If you fail to value the national prestige of the Tang Dynasty and fail to give reasonable compensation, the Tang Dynasty will regard you as hostile, and the lost dignity will be recovered on the edge of the sword!"

He felt that what he said was high-sounding and righteous. The soldiers on the warships behind him were filled with anger and raised their arms and roared, but there was silence on the opposite side. The Arab sailors looked at each other in confusion, with clear stupidity revealed in their eyes.

Can't understand……

Ibn Atat understood what was said through the interpreter's translation. He was immediately furious and his face turned red. He stared at Fu Yulong with his eyes fixed and his teeth were almost broken. The Arab Empire was rampant in three continents and five seas, destroyed Persia, and overwhelmed Rome. Its military might made the world submit to it, and countless tribes were enslaved. How could it have ever been provoked and humiliated like this?
The wooden handle of the battle axe in his hand creaked as he squeezed it. He barely suppressed his anger and shouted hoarsely, "Your country's letter has been delivered to Damascus, but there has been no order from the Caliph yet. We soldiers cannot make decisions on our own. Please wait for a while. Whether it is war or peace, we will accompany you to the end!"

Fu Yulong shook his head repeatedly: "This is ridiculous. We have submitted the letter for a long time, but your country has not responded yet. If you don't respond for a year, will the Tang army have to wait for a year? Go back and tell your governor that he must give a reply before sunset today, otherwise the lost dignity of the Tang Dynasty will be regained through war!"

After saying this, he ordered the warships to turn around and return to their own camp.

Ibn Atat was so angry that he almost vomited blood. His face turned red, and he waved his battle axe angrily and shouted, "Let's go back!"

The fleets of both sides were on the verge of a war, confronting each other dozens of miles apart on the sea.

Fu Yulong returned to the main camp, climbed up the rope to the battleship "King of Wei" to meet Yang Zhou, reported the situation, and then couldn't help but say: "Why do we have to wait for their reinforcements to arrive? It is better to defeat the navy of Shirafu Port first and then attack their reinforcements head-on. It is safer to defeat them one by one."