"How is it? Is there any news from the empire?"
A voice came out of the Black Forest. Abu Muslim was seated on the remains of an unknown statue on the official road that traversed through the Black Forest. The Silk Road was a road for merchants, and the Black Forest was a place where merchants often rested. Thus, many merchants had erected statues of various gods here to protect them.
The vast majority of these statues were gods of wealth related to gold and silver. Every merchant would erect one here, and over time, it had become a part of the Black Forest's scenery. There were even quite a few people who came here to admire these statues.
But neither Abu Muslim nor Ziyad was in the mood to admire them. In the Battle of Talas, one hundred thousand Arab elites had died, the Behemoth Army had been completely wiped out, and the Skyquaking Army that the empire had expended enormous resources to build had been dealt a heavy blow. Most importantly, even the empire's favored subject, Masil, had died there.
The two of them felt their hearts sink.
From Khorasan all the way to Samarkand, the Arab cavalry they had led had been unstoppable, destroying countless factions. But at Talas, the two of them had suffered an unprecedented defeat.
"I've already gotten in touch. Governor Qutaybah of Tarsus and Governor Osman of Cairo have already responded. When they heard about what happened at Talas, they've already led their most elite forces over as quickly as possible. At most, they'll arrive in a month. They are extremely interested in the Tang Dynasty faction that they have never interacted with in the east. "
Ziyad said.
Governor Qutaybah of Tarsus and Governor Osman of Cairo were two unfamiliar names to the kingdoms east of the Cong Mountains. Few people knew of them, but in the Arabian Empire and the regions under their jurisdiction, their names were like a thunderclap that could stop a child from crying.
In terms of status, the two of them were almost on the same level as the Governor of Iron and Blood. Governor Qutaybah of Tarsus was even known as the Governor of War. Under his command, the Arab army had advanced by leaps and bounds, crossing the Mediterranean Sea and capturing Tarsus, all the way to the Black Sea.
In terms of passion for war, Qutaybah was probably even more fervent than Abu Muslim.
Abu Muslim enjoyed conquest, conquering different empires and people, while Qutaybah enjoyed war itself. Where there was war, there was Qutaybah. Thus, even though he didn't have much interaction with Abu Muslim, when this dreadful Governor of War heard of what had happened at Talas, he immediately responded to Abu Muslim's request for reinforcements and led his army over.
As for Governor Osman of Cairo, although his status was lower than Abu Muslim's, he was still an illustrious and famous figure in the Arabian Empire. He was extremely experienced in battle, and he had always been very good friends with Abu Muslim. In the conquest of the ancient Khorasan Dynasty, the two of them had fought side by side, leading an army to destroy this ancient and powerful foe.
The two of them had an extremely deep friendship.
In Abu Muslim's plan, Osman had always been one of his reinforcements. Once he conquered Talas and advanced into the Western Regions, Osman would come from the rear and join him in conquering the east. But now, after the disastrous defeat at Talas, Abu Muslim had been forced to change his plans and summon Osman ahead of time.
Abu Muslim was clearly much more energized by Ziyad's words. Whether it was Qutaybah or Osman, both of them had many elite soldiers under their command. With their reinforcements, Abu Muslim would be able to quickly make up for the losses he had suffered in battle. More importantly, both Qutaybah and Osman were extremely powerful fighters. If the three governors worked together, they could completely destroy Talas and even complete the conquest of the east.
Even so, Abu Muslim's thick brow was still slightly creased.
"What did Qutaybah say? He's never done anything that doesn't benefit him. If he's willing to help, he must have some sort of request. "
Abu Muslim said.
"This …"
Ziyad hesitated, but when he saw Abu Muslim's stern gaze, he finally spoke.
"Qutaybah requests that Lord Governor relinquish a portion of the war zone, and if we win the war, he hopes that Lord Governor will relinquish the Caliph's quota of eastern weapons. In addition, he has the right to choose ten thousand elite soldiers from Lord's army to follow him as his private soldiers. "
Ziyad said. As he spoke, he had been stealthily observing Abu Muslim's complexion. As expected, Abu Muslim's complexion grew darker and uglier upon hearing Qutaybah's request. Ziyad's voice also grew fainter and fainter.
The east was an undeveloped war zone, filled with endless treasures and enemies. Ever since the empire had divided up the war zones, Qutaybah had begun to covet the east. But the empire's strict hierarchy meant that no one could defy the Caliph's orders. Moreover, Abu Muslim had always been domineering, his iron fist no less than Qutaybah's, so Qutaybah had never been able to interfere.
But the crushing defeat at Talas had clearly given Qutaybah an opportunity, and he had immediately revealed his claws and fangs.
The Black Forest was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Ziyad didn't even need to raise his head to know that Abu Muslim's complexion was undoubtedly extremely gloomy.
Everyone knew that the east was the exclusive domain of the Governor of Iron and Blood Abu Muslim. Anyone who made such a request would be an insult to Abu Muslim, so there was no way he could agree to such a request.
"Okay!"
To Ziyad's surprise, just when he thought that Abu Muslim would refuse, he heard an unexpected answer.
"Milord!"
Ziyad's heart trembled as he jerked his head up in shock.
"Milord, you can't agree. If you agree to Qutaybah's unreasonable request, Milord will become the laughingstock of the empire. Moreover, it will be extremely detrimental to Milord's prestige in the east. "
A moment later, Ziyad reacted and tried his best to dissuade him. Every governor of an empire was proud. If Abu Muslim agreed to Qutaybah's request, he would forever be suppressed by Qutaybah.
"Ziyad, you don't understand my meaning. Now is not the time to bicker over personal gains and losses. Both I and Qutaybah have underestimated the severity of this eastern campaign. In Talas, we have encountered an enemy like never before. They are far more powerful than any opponent we have faced before. We have relied on the Behemoth Army and the Skyquaking Army to subdue many powerful foes, including the Khorasan Dynasty, but they have all failed this time. From Khorasan to Samarkand, no empire has ever been able to stop us for so long, and no one has ever been able to defeat us, but these Tang people have done it. "
Abu Muslim sat on the remains of the statue, his expression completely different from before. His eyes were so sharp that they seemed to be able to see through all the secrets and details of this battle.
"Milord …"
Ziyad was struck dumb. He had never seen this side of Abu Muslim before.
"Let him come. Tell Qutaybah that I will agree to all of his conditions, but there is only one condition: he must bring his best soldiers with him."
Before Ziyad could say anything else, Abu Muslim decisively declared.
"Your subordinate understands!"
A complicated look flickered through Ziyad's eyes as he finally nodded.
"In addition, how is the recruitment of the militia going?"
Abu Muslim asked.
In this war with the Tang Dynasty, Arabia had suffered grievous losses, and Abu Muslim was currently severely lacking soldiers. He urgently needed to replenish them. Arabia was a country of war, and this war-like attitude had gradually spread to all the nearby conquered territories. Thus, the Arabian Empire had always had the best source of soldiers, and conscripting the militia was one of the most important methods.
The Arabs were generally warlike and highly trained. As long as they were equipped with weapons, warhorses, and armor, and trained in formations, they would become an excellent source of soldiers. Through this method, Abu Muslim had been able to constantly gather soldiers. In the Battle of Talas, although he had been locked in a stalemate with Gao Xianzhi for more than two months and suffered massive losses, through this method, his soldiers had not only not decreased, but increased.
This was also an important reason why the Arabian Empire had been able to constantly expand and conquer so many empires and civilizations, becoming the strongest empire to the west of the Cong Mountains.
"This … The casualties in this battle are far worse than we expected. From Khorasan to Samarkand, the militia has been severely depleted. More importantly, everyone is paying attention to the war with the Tang Dynasty. The moment we lost at Talas, the news immediately spread, and many people are beginning to avoid the recruitment. We've been recruiting far fewer soldiers than before, and it will be very difficult to recruit many in such a short time, "Ziyad sternly said.
Ziyad sternly said.
The side effects of the Battle of Talas were far more severe than they had imagined. It was not just a drop in soldiers and morale. Neither of them had imagined that they would even be unable to recruit any more soldiers.
Abu Muslim said nothing, but his thick brows were deeply furrowed.
"… However, your subordinate's greatest concern is not the militia and Qutaybah, but Baghdad."
Ziyad was deeply concerned and did not say anything else.
Arabia was an empire with a strict hierarchy. The death of Masil was even more serious than Abu Muslim's miserable defeat at Talas. For a favored subject of the Caliph to be killed right under the eyes of the Governor of the East was a dereliction of duty on Abu Muslim's part and a serious display of his incompetence. Based on the news from Baghdad, His Majesty was furious, and the death of Masil had set off massive waves in Baghdad. Countless nobles, governors, and Great Generals were denouncing Abu Muslim.
Although Masil did not have a very good reputation in the capital, no one would jump out and make things difficult for His Majesty now that the Emperor was furious.
Although Masil was unpopular, he still represented the Caliph!
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