After witnessing the power of the Tang Empire with his own eyes, Altik, the City Lord of Aden, had no choice but to admit defeat. He allowed the armed battleships of the Tang Empire to enter the harbor and personally came to welcome them.
A man under the eaves has no choice but to bow his head. This was an immutable truth in any era and any nation. Trying to stop a chariot was a very stupid thing to do. For a cunning old man like Altik, he naturally wouldn't do such a thing. Therefore, he wisely chose to give in and let the gunships of the Tang Empire enter the harbor.
After explaining the purpose of his visit, Altik fell into a state of depression. The huge armed fleet of the Tang Empire wanted to enter the city of Aden. Moreover, the city of Aden had to agree to this condition. Otherwise, the consequences would be very serious. This was a provocation to the authority of the city of Aden, and it would more or less interfere with the basic business of the city of Aden. It would even threaten the city's defense.
However, the naval forces of the Tang Empire were too powerful. Two rounds of fire from a single gunship had destroyed the two most powerful defense towers in the harbor. If the gunships continued to fire, the harbor's defense facilities would be completely destroyed, and the defending troops would suffer heavy losses. Moreover, they couldn't stop the naval forces of the Tang Empire at all.
"Since the Tang Empire fleet is just passing by, let them enter the harbor. We don't have any better ideas, City Lord."
"They're just saying nice things. Do you really think the Tang Empire fleet is just passing by? I think the Tang Empire has taken a fancy to the treasures of the city of Aden and wants to occupy it. "
"Damn it, but we can't beat them. We really can't. The gap is too big."
"The Tang Empire has cannons. This weapon is really powerful. Except for the Tang Empire, no other country has cannons."
"The cannons of the Tang Empire are very powerful. If they come ashore, it doesn't seem difficult for them to blow up the city gate."
"We still have the strength to fight against the elite armies of Osman and Ziyad, but we have completely lost the strength to resist the powerful Tang Empire. No matter how many people we mobilize, we can't stop the cannons of the Tang Empire."
His subordinates sighed helplessly.
Altik had no choice but to agree to the Tang dynasty captain's request and let the Tang Dynasty fleet enter the port. However, in order not to interfere with the normal commercial activities in the port, the Tang Dynasty fleet was arranged in a relatively independent position. The water area was large, but there were not many docks, so many large ships needed to be close together.
Although the Tang Dynasty fleet was forced to enter the port, in order to establish a good image, they would not go too far. It was enough for them to dock in the port. They would not ask for more berths, so as not to affect the loading and unloading of merchant ships and the commercial operation of the port.
Just like that, the huge Tang Dynasty fleet entered the port of Aden one after another, achieving the actual occupation of Aden. The large open space near the port became the encampment of the Tang Dynasty army.
Since the Tang Dynasty army had entered the port, the so-called port defense was meaningless. Altik simply withdrew the troops guarding the port and transferred them to the city and the city wall, so as not to get too close to the Tang Dynasty army and cause inevitable conflicts and unpredictable consequences.
Li An was escorted by many of his subordinates, and walked up to the port happily. He then met with the City Lord of Aden, Artik.
"Haha! Welcome Assistant Minister Li to Aden. We are very honored to receive a guest from the distant Tang Dynasty. "
Altik was dissatisfied with the Tang Dynasty, but he was very sweet with his words. When he saw Ang Lee, it was as if he saw a good friend from many years ago.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Aden is a good place. I've been wanting to visit it for a long time. The scenery here is very beautiful, there are many merchants, and the people here are living a good life. By the way, I caught a lot of pirates on my way here. There are more than a hundred of them. I'll leave them to the City Lord to deal with."
Altik smiled and said, "These pirates became bandits because of poverty. Why don't we give them a chance to turn over a new leaf? Let them join the troops guarding the city. "
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Well said, well said. The City Lord can decide for himself. Men, bring up all the pirates and leave them to the City Lord to deal with."
His subordinates immediately brought all the captive pirates ashore and handed them over to the troops of Aden.
"Assistant Minister Li, you must be tired from the journey. Take a rest. Let's have a drink together tonight. How about it?"
Altik suggested.
Ang Lee nodded and agreed, "Okay, City Lord, go do what you need to do! I'll keep my subordinates in check and make sure they don't cause any unrest in Aden. See you tonight. "
With that, City Lord Altik of Aden left. Ang Lee stayed in a luxurious mansion not far from the harbor. There were five hundred Tang dynasty soldiers guarding the mansion. Even the chariots were nearby, so they could ensure Ang Lee's safety. Even if all the forces of Aden were gathered together, they still wouldn't be able to break into Ang Lee's mansion.
Entering Aden didn't mean that they had taken over the city. There was still a long way to go. Ang Lee strictly ordered his subordinates to follow the rules, and he also had to restrain the ordinary soldiers. They were not allowed to interfere with the normal business activities of Aden, nor were they allowed to commit crimes. He had to use his actions to prove that the Tang dynasty soldiers were benevolent and righteous.
The first two days were the most critical period. In order to prevent any accidents, Ang Lee strictly ordered his soldiers not to leave the camp. They had to stay in the territory they had marked out. After two days, only a small number of soldiers could enter the hinterland of Aden.
After Altik left, he ordered people to prepare a sumptuous banquet to welcome Ang Lee and other high-ranking officials of the Tang dynasty. At the same time, he also ordered people to observe the movements of the Tang dynasty's soldiers.
Just like that, the Tang dynasty's soldiers entered Aden. Although there was some friction, there weren't too many losses. Only a few soldiers of Aden were injured. It was a very small price to pay.
However, the spies that Osman and Seiyad had planted in Aden City were greatly shocked, and immediately sent people to leave Aden City to inform their masters.
Osman, who was drinking and celebrating, was so shocked that he couldn't believe his ears when he heard that a large number of Tang Dynasty troops had appeared in Aden. He asked many times before he slowly calmed down.
"The Tang dynasty's soldiers entered Aden's harbor so easily. How could this be? That old fox Altik actually agreed."
Osman frowned and said.
"General, the Tang dynasty has a very powerful weapon called cannons. They are so powerful that the two stone defense towers at the harbor, which are bigger than this tent, were destroyed in just a few hits. Moreover, the cannons were fired from three miles away. No matter how many soldiers there are in Aden, they are no match for the cannons."
The insignificant person who reported the news replied.
Osman frowned and said, "I've heard about the cannons of the Tang dynasty. They are very powerful. Not only do they have a long range, but they are also very powerful. I just haven't seen them with my own eyes!"
"General, there are many kinds of cannons in the Tang dynasty. Some can be pulled by horses, some can be fixed on steam gunboats, and some can be fixed on iron carriages. The steam gunboats of the Tang dynasty are very large, much larger than ordinary merchant ships. They look very scary. However, I feel that just one steam gunboat of the Tang dynasty is enough to defeat all the naval forces of Aden. The fleet of the Tang dynasty has nearly a hundred ships. It is a force to be reckoned with."
The insignificant soldier said.
Osman thought for a moment and said, "Steam gunboats, cannons, and iron carriages. I have never seen any of these before. Since they are in Aden's harbor, why don't we take a look? What do you think?"
"General, you can't. It's too dangerous. If you are recognized, it will be terrible."
One of his subordinates hurriedly objected.
Osman smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? As long as I disguise myself a little, I shouldn't be recognized. I will only take ten people with me, and I will disguise myself as a merchant and enter the city. It shouldn't attract any attention. Okay, it's decided.
Get ready. "As the commander-in-chief of the army, Osman planned to leave his troops behind and enter Aden alone with a small number of guards disguised as merchants. His purpose was to take a look at the new weapons of the Tang dynasty. This might seem unbelievable to others, but Osman was just that curious and willful.
The moment Osman learned that the Tang Dynasty fleet had entered Aden's harbor, another group of spies arrived at Ziyad's camp. However, they didn't see Ziyad himself, only Ziyad's deputy general.
"General, you are not in the camp. What happened?"
Ziyad's deputy general asked.
The insignificant soldier used to report directly to Ziyad, but Ziyad wasn't in the camp now, and what he wanted to report wasn't a secret, so there was no need to hide it. Therefore, he boldly reported, "General, the Tang dynasty's troops have entered Aden."
"What? The Tang dynasty's troops have entered Aden? When did this happen? Why are you only reporting it now?"
The deputy general was very angry.
In his mind, the Tang dynasty was far away in the east. How could they suddenly enter Aden? This was very strange. Besides, if the Tang dynasty's troops wanted to break into Aden, it would take at least a few days! How could they enter Aden so quickly? How could it be so fast?
"Just an hour ago, the Tang Dynasty fleet arrived at Aden's harbor. After destroying two large defense towers, Castellan Altik personally welcomed the Tang Dynasty fleet into the harbor. Now, the Tang dynasty's troops are stationed on a high ground next to the harbor. It can be said that they have full control of Aden's harbor, but they didn't march into the city. Instead, they set up camp here," the insignificant soldier said.
"What?
We have been here for so long, but we still haven't taken Aden. The Tang dynasty's troops have just arrived, and they have already taken over Aden. This is so hateful. "
The deputy general was very angry. It could be said that he was unwilling to accept this.
"General, the Tang dynasty's troops are very powerful. Their steam ships are tall and big, and when they are driven, they emit black smoke and make loud noises. It's terrifying. They also have iron carriages that can move on their own. The soldiers hide inside them, and no sword can hurt them."
The soldier said.
The deputy general said, "This is not a small matter. I have to report this to the Khorasan immediately. You go back to Aden and report everything immediately."
Obviously, the sudden arrival of the Tang dynasty's troops had frightened Osman and Ziyad's deputy general. Osman decided to go to Aden in person to take a look, while Ziyad's deputy general immediately sent someone back to Khorasan to report this matter to Ziyad.
At this time, the situation in Khorasan was also changing drastically. Because of Apos's bias, Mansur was gaining more and more advantages, while Abdullah's situation was getting more and more awkward. He even had to make the decision to rebel in order to avoid being further weakened.
However, it was not easy to mobilize an army. It required precise arrangements, and the security measures had to be in place. Otherwise, it would be a failure.
However, the prerequisite for mobilizing an army was to mobilize the troops and equip every soldier with all kinds of weapons. They also had to carry out all kinds of war mobilization and tell the soldiers that they were going to war. This process was very difficult to keep a secret, especially when the scale of an army of 100,000 soldiers was almost impossible to hide from the eyes of others.
Therefore, they had to do a good job of disguising themselves step by step. For example, they had to make others think that they were going through normal military training or were preparing to fight foreign enemies.
However, even so, they might not be able to hide it from the enemy. It depended on whether what they did was real or whether the enemy was stupid.
Soon, Abdullah ordered his trusted subordinates to spread rumors in Khorasan that a city in the north was besieged by the rebels. Of course, with the help of Abdullah's troops, the city was not breached yet. However, if the reinforcements did not arrive, it would only be a matter of time before the city was breached.
Soon after, Abdullah personally went to see Apos. He was prepared to use the unstable situation in the north as an excuse to personally lead his troops to quell the rebellion and protect the land that he had obtained with great difficulty.
"Mighty Caliph, the Shi 'a forces in the north have launched an attack on several cities in the north. My subordinates are bitterly holding on, and the situation is very critical. I must personally lead my troops to quell the rebellion in the north. I might not be able to see Caliph for some time."
Abdullah said.
"Is it true that there's unrest in the north?"
Apos was rather confused.
Abdullah replied, "Great Caliph, of course it's true. My subordinates sent me an urgent request for help overnight, asking me to send reinforcements."
After saying this, he handed over the letter that he had forged a few days ago to Apos.
Apos glanced at it and found that there was nothing wrong with it, so he nodded in approval.
"Uncle, when do you plan to lead your troops to quell the rebellion in the north?"
Apos asked seriously as he looked into Abdullah's eyes.
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