"Could the Arabs really be this formidable?"
Cheng Sanyuan muttered to himself in shock.
"The true Arabs are even more formidable than what you see!"
At this moment, Wang Chong finally spoke.
"On the Arabian side of Anxi, there is a place called Samarkand. Two hundred thousand Arab soldiers have gathered there, all of them the most formidable cavalry. You should have seen the warhorses of Ouzan and the Turks. The Arab warhorses are taller, more muscular, more capable of charging, and more powerful. Not only that, although the majority of the Arab merchants you've seen are chubby and lacking in fighting ability, the true Arabs, because of their environment, are tall and muscular. They are natural-born warriors. Thus, if a war breaks out, the Arabs can gather a massive army from the common people without any training, rapidly expanding to more than four hundred thousand soldiers, all of them comparable to regular armies. But this is only the army on the far eastern side of the Arabian Empire, not the entirety of the empire. Once all of them are mobilized, the number of soldiers the Arabs can muster is unimaginable. "
The room was quiet as everyone listened to Wang Chong's words in shock. This was their first time truly encountering the Arabian Empire, and at this moment, all of them felt an intense sense of danger.
"… But you were right about one thing. At the beginning, the Arabian Empire truly was a small country, no larger than the Goguryeo Empire. The reason they were able to develop to such an enormous size, even surpassing the Tang Dynasty of the Central Plains, was because they trained their soldiers for many years and fought against foreign invaders, ultimately expanding to their current size. You've all seen Dayan Mangpoje's White Braves and know how formidable they are. And the Arabs have a Mameluke Army, an army even stronger than Ouzan's White Braves. All the soldiers there are trained from the age of seven or eight. At the very beginning, they kill each other, with only the fiercest and most murderous of children surviving. From childhood to adulthood, they undergo the harshest military training, maturing amidst the blood and swords of actual combat. Finally, they become true soldiers of the Mameluke Army. And at that time, every one of them was the most lethal weapon, possessing the most abundant killing and combat experience. "
Wang Chong's voice echoed throughout the room. For everyone, this was a baptism. This was precisely Wang Chong's goal. If not even the people closest to him could correctly understand Arabia's strength, how could he possibly defeat it? Change happened bit by bit. The Tang dynasty could no longer indulge in the Middle Earth and its surroundings. It needed to truly raise its head and look at the world correctly, to see the true appearance of the world.
And this change would begin with the people closest to him.
In the future, if every Tang people stopped being obsessed with what was in front of them and were reluctant to leave their homeland, and opened their eyes to look at the real world, it would be a completely different Tang dynasty.
"Marquis, if every Arab is as formidable as you say, how can we fight against them? Can we still defeat them? "
A voice suddenly interjected. Cheng Sanyuan stared in shock at his Marquis. Wang Chong's words today had completely changed his impression of that distant country.
"Cheng Sanyuan, I've never seen a true Arab warrior, nor do I know what you mean by victory, but the Tang dynasty did not reach its current height through luck! Goguryeo, Mengshe Zhao, Ouzan, the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, and the kingdoms of the Western Regions. Even if all of these countries joined together, they would not dare to recklessly talk about a war with the Tang dynasty. Only the Tang dynasty could use the power of a single country to suppress all the surrounding countries and make them all bow their heads in submission. Arabia might be very strong, but the Tang dynasty is not weak! If the Arabs dare to covet the Central Plains, they will experience the true power of the Tang dynasty for the rest of their lives, and they will never forget it! "
Li Siye suddenly opened his mouth. His expression was solemn, and his words were powerful and resonant.
"That's right!"
A knowing smile appeared on Wang Chong's face at Li Siye's words.
"Arabia truly is strong, but our Tang dynasty is not weak either. The Arab cavalry is very formidable, but their ballistae and weapons are far inferior to ours. Our Tang dynasty's ballistae are unparalleled in the world. No cavalry, no matter how thick their armor, cannot stop the piercing power of a ballista bolt. Moreover, in terms of infantry formations and fighting power, as well as strategy and strategy, the Arabs are far inferior to the Tang dynasty. They do not have formations, only simple formations, much less any strategy. "
Wang Chong was not exaggerating in the slightest. The military strategies of the Tang dynasty and the Central Plains had been accumulated over a long period of time through frequent confrontations and wars. In this aspect, the Arabs did not possess.
Everyone nodded at Wang Chong's words, their spirits roused. Indeed, the Arabs might be a giant crocodile, but the Tang dynasty was no sheep, but a mighty lion. Who was stronger and who was weaker would only be known after the final battle.
"Marquis, what do you need us to do?!"
"No matter what, as long as we can help the Tang dynasty deal with the Arabs, even if we have to climb a mountain of daggers or enter a sea of flames, we will do our best!"
"That's right! Those who offend my Tang dynasty will be executed no matter how far away they are! Marquis, please give us your orders! "
… …
Everyone excitedly said. In the face of a foreign enemy, all of them were one. Whether they admitted it or not, the glory and responsibility of being part of the Tang people had seeped into their very bones. Wang Chong gave a slight nod of approval at this sight. No matter what the situation was like elsewhere, as long as everyone at his side was of one mind and united as one, Wang Chong was confident that he could accomplish anything.
"One mountain cannot hold two tigers, and the Arabs are warlike by nature. Given their style, a war with the Tang dynasty is certain to occur in the future. Although we have no way of knowing when the war will begin, we can begin to make preparations. Xu Keyi! "
As he spoke, Wang Chong turned his head to the right.
"Your subordinate is here!"
Xu Keyi hurriedly lowered his head and bowed.
"Starting from now, I need you to shift your focus. Select as many elite scouts from the army as possible, have them learn Arabic, and then send them to the Arabian Empire as quickly as possible. In addition, the Arabs are very xenophobic, so they cannot use us Han. They must recruit Hu or other merchants from the Western Regions. I need you to use these people to gather as much intelligence on the Arabian Empire as possible. "
Wang Chong said.
"Your subordinate understands!"
Xu Keyi immediately replied.
"Chen Bin!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Chen Bin stepped forward.
"The cement road formula is ready. I need you to contact Zhao Jingdian in the capital and have him mobilize the strength of the great clans to build a cement road from Wushang to the Anxi Protectorate as quickly as possible. In addition, inform Zhao Jingdian that I need him to build a cement road as quickly as possible to connect Wushang to the capital. "
Wang Chong sternly said.
"Yes!"
Chen Bin quickly bowed.
"Su Shixuan!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
Su Shixuan hurriedly stepped forward.
"As the new Qixi Protector-General and Lord of Wushang, write a memorial to the Imperial Court. Ask the Imperial Court to reinforce Qixi. Say that Qixi suffered grievous losses in the last war. In addition, ask the Imperial Court to use Wushang's City of Steel as a transit point for soldiers. Say that we can take some of the logistical pressure on the Imperial Court.
Wang Chong said, a look of awe on his face. He had been thinking about this problem for a very long time. In order to reinforce the Anxi Protectorate army, Qixi alone was not enough. The Imperial Court also had to obtain soldiers from other places. If the City of Steel could be used as a reservoir of soldiers, the number of soldiers that could be deployed would be greatly increased. And the Imperial Court would be happy to have someone else share the logistical pressure and lessen its burden.
"Yes! Your subordinate understands! "
Su Shixuan bowed.
"In addition, send a letter to the capital and have Won Shu-young come."
"Yes!"
… …
Wang Chong issued one order after another, and soon, each of them had their own mission. The resources and abilities of the City of Steel were slowly being directed toward Talas and the Arabian Empire. If one said that Yang Hongchang had been the one to gather information on Talas, then now, with the influx of scouts and soldiers, Wang Chong's ability to gather information on Talas and the Arabian Empire had skyrocketed.
"That's right, what about Hulayeg?"
Once everything was over, Wang Chong suddenly thought of Hulayeg and asked.
In the past, Hulayeg would always be at his beck and call like a shadow, but it had been a very long time since Wang Chong had seen him.
"Haha, didn't you leave the matter of the Turkic Fourth Prince to him? Right now, he's completely devoted to this task. In order to better accomplish this task, he's already moved from the residence you arranged for him to the City of Steel's prison. "
Xu Yi-qin gracefully strode forward, a charming smile on her face and a spirited expression. She exuded a dazzling charm that even Wang Chong couldn't help but be dazed for a moment, but Wang Chong quickly recovered.
"The prison? Why would he go there? "
Wang Chong couldn't help but ask in surprise. Based on his understanding of Hulayeg, he knew that this fellow was an extreme hedonist. He had been very picky about the rooms that had been arranged for him, and he had even bought a lot of tiger pelts to decorate the walls and floor. How could he possibly be willing to go to the prison? This was completely out of line with his style.
"Just what is he doing?"
"What can he do? It's all for the Fourth Prince. "
Xu Yi-qin laughed even harder at these words, almost unable to restrain her laughter.
"Now, in order to win the trust of the Fourth Prince and change his impression of him, he's actually resorted to the tactic of injuring himself to gain the trust of the Fourth Prince. He had Xu Keyi find someone to give him a vicious beating, beating him black and blue, and then throwing him into the prison to be locked up with the Fourth Prince every day. If my guess is right, this damned fatty is probably complaining to that Fourth Prince in the prison. "
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