NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1566 Man-made Disaster
That night, the scouts of the Tang army came back, and they also brought back some important news. Suheguman really withdrew the army. While retreating, there was another thing that Li Xiang did not expect, that is, he destroyed everything that could be destroyed along the way, resulting in hundreds of thousands of refugees in the surrounding area.
When he got this news, Li Xiang was really a little headache, because Goguryeo had done similar things before. When they retreated to Jiangnan, they took away everything that could be taken away from Jiangbei, and those that could not be taken away were directly destroyed by you. Anyway, there was nothing good left for you. When you come to this place, either you kill these hundreds of thousands of refugees, or you let them fend for themselves.
Sometimes the power of refugees is very great. Don't look at their individual strength is very small, you don't take them seriously. One or two refugees really don't pose much threat, but if there are one or two million, one or two hundred thousand, or even one or two hundred thousand, this may not be easy to deal with. Once these people gather together, they even have the ability to attack your military camp.
If there are one or two thousand people, you can order your men to kill them, but if there are tens of thousands of people, I am afraid you can't give this order. After all, no one is a bloodthirsty person, and you can't round up and kill hundreds of thousands of people.
This is what Suheguman thought, so this guy artificially created a disaster, hoping that the refugees can round up the Tang army, and then go back to discuss and see how to deal with the Tang army. If there is no good way, then you have to fill it with human lives.
However, the Arab Empire is not a small country. They also have all kinds of wise men in their country. They have encountered all kinds of difficulties in the past, but now they have all been solved by them. Suheguman believes that someone in the country can solve this, but it will definitely take time now, so let these hundreds of thousands of refugees buy time for them.
Karad City
Li Xiang looked at the city in front of him and didn't know what to say. According to the records of the Imperial City Office, this should be the largest city within 150 miles, with more than 50,000 permanent residents. If the merchants and nomads are counted, there are at least 100,000 people living here within the 150 miles, and they often go to the city to barter.
But what has this city become now? The people are crying everywhere in groups. The city has been robbed several times by the Arab army. Everything that can be taken away has been taken away, and even the wells have been destroyed.
You know, in such a place, if there is no water, it is impossible to hold on. Li Xiang's army also needs water. At present, the wells along the way have been destroyed. All the water used by Li Xiang's army is transported from the rear. This water is very precious.
When the Arab Empire's army retreated, they threw some sick animals and people directly into the well. They didn't drink the water themselves, but they couldn't let the Tang army drink it. As for food, there was a lot, but without water, eating alone was not enough.
The capable people followed the Arab Empire's army to retreat. Anyway, there were many cities in the south. As long as they had money, they could always find a place to live. But now, most of the people who did not evacuate were in front of them. When they saw the Tang army coming, these people did not cry or make a fuss, but knelt down under the city wall honestly.
"Is this considered a city wall? It's all made of adobe. If we pull our cannons over, two or three shots will be enough to blow down their city wall. Is this empire really as powerful as us? Why can't I see it at all?"
Li Chengyi rode his horse beside Li Xiang, looking at the adobe city wall in the distance. This guy was really confused. His Highness emphasized to us several times that the Arab Empire is about the same as our strength, and sometimes even stronger than us. So when facing the Arab Empire, we must use all our abilities. If anyone slacks off, he will be punished by military law.
But the current situation is completely different. If you say that the field troops are powerful, the field troops have lost more than 200,000 in our hands. If you say that the city defense troops are powerful, now their city defense troops have retreated without a trace.
As for their city walls, let alone, take some of the powerful landlords in our country, they built much better walls than these. These city walls are all made of adobe. After years of wind and rain, many city walls look shaky. Let alone our artillery, if you find a wooden stick to hit it hard, it is very likely that cracks will appear.
After hearing Li Chengyi's words, Li Xiang smiled bitterly and shook his head. In fact, when Li Xiang said this, he didn't know the specific situation of the Arab Empire. He only thought about what was written in the history textbook, but he didn't expect that because of his arrival, the deviation of this world was too great, especially the combat effectiveness of the Tang army.
In fact, the combat effectiveness of the Arab Empire has not been reduced, and it is even stronger than the original society. But the problem is that the Tang army is too strong, which is beyond their imagination. Whether it is artillery or musketeers, they should not appear in this era. When they appear, it is certain that they will change the situation of the whole world. This is also the reason why many Tang officers and soldiers look down on Arabia.
"Let's not talk about these illusory things first. Let's think about what to do tonight. There are probably 50,000 to 60,000 people in this city. Their water source can only last for one or two days at most. If there is no new water source, I believe these guys will attack us tomorrow. When people's survival is threatened, they will not be so obedient. The reason why they kneel under the city wall is nothing more than thinking that we can save them."
Su Dingfang's words are absolutely correct. The Arab people now look harmless, but when they drink their last sip of water, they will start to look for the last sip of water around them. That last sip of water must be in our Tang army camp. At that time, the camp gate may not be able to stop them. (End of this chapter)