Abu Muslim didn't want to waste too much time on the problem of Archeng. He didn't have much time left. Mansur had given him the mission of capturing Altik alive within one month, and Altik was not in Archeng, but in Maia City, one hundred li to the south.
Although taking Archeng first would better ensure the supply lines of the army, Abu Muslim had already done his best, but he had still been unable to take Archeng for a very long time. Thus, he naturally couldn't continue using this old rule. He needed to break free of his shackles and choose to bypass Archeng and directly attack Maia City, leaving Archeng for the remaining soldiers to slowly gnaw at.
The remaining twenty thousand Khorasan cavalry were not weak. They were originally responsible for guarding the perimeter, but now, they didn't need to guard the perimeter. All they needed to do was surround Archeng.
Furthermore, they could also take their time to attack. For example, they could dig a tunnel in the periphery and take it one step at a time towards Archeng. If they could really dig a tunnel through, then the remaining 20,000 soldiers would be able to break through Archeng. Of course, if they were discovered, then it would be more tragic. It was very likely that the soldiers underground would be wiped out.
Abu Muslim had also considered the threat of the mounted archers that Ziyad had spoken of, so he had already ordered his twenty thousand soldiers not to scatter or underestimate the enemy. As long as they remained vigilant, there shouldn't be much of a problem.
Of course, this was just Abu Muslim's wishful thinking. Altik's mounted archers had all been trained by the soldiers of the Tang dynasty, and each squad of one thousand had many soldiers of the Tang dynasty. They were definitely not weak. Abu Muslim had clearly underestimated this point, causing great harm to the supply lines of his army.
Ziyad's worries didn't attract Abu Muslim's attention. The army left Archeng on time and headed for Maia City, one hundred li to the south. That place was the headquarters of Altik's faction, and it had the largest number of soldiers and elites. As long as they could take Maia City, they could capture Altik alive.
The preparation and departure of the army required a certain amount of time. It would take about two or three days for the army to arrive at the periphery of Maia City. The scouts sent by Artek would certainly be able to receive news of the enemy attack in a very short period of time and make all the necessary preparations for battle.
In the direction of the Red Sea, Ang Lee's massive fleet was already on its way north. Their destination was the northernmost point of the Red Sea, the closest to the Mediterranean Sea. Their goal was to establish a city that completely belonged to the Tang dynasty and then dig a canal from the Tang dynasty to connect the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and facilitate trade.
This was because the agreement with Altik had clearly stated that the entire peninsula where the canal was located was part of the Tang dynasty's territory. However, the exact size of this territory and where its borders were had not been specified. Thus, when Ang Lee arrived at the site, he would be able to obtain a bit more land based on his actual needs.
But no matter what, the historical Sinai Peninsula had to be completely controlled. If the right branch of the Red Sea extended naturally, then the entire land of Israel would be within the scope of Ang Lee's demands. And within this scope was the Dead Sea, which would become a very good tourist attraction in the future. It was very worth having.
The Red Sea looked very narrow on the map, but in reality, it wasn't narrow at all. The widest part of the Red Sea was five or six hundred li, a very long distance. Even the narrowest part of the Red Sea was several hundred li wide. Thus, ships traveling through the Red Sea didn't feel cramped at all and could still feel the vastness of the sea.
The length of the Red Sea was four or five thousand li, which was a very long distance. According to the standard of the Tang Dynasty fleet, which could travel a thousand li a day, it would still take four or five days to reach the northernmost part of the Red Sea from Aden City. This showed how vast the Red Sea was.
The reason why the Red Sea was called the Red Sea was because of its color. There was a large amount of red algae in this sea, which would reproduce on a large scale seasonally, turning the entire sea reddish-brown. Thus, the name of the Red Sea came to be.
Of course, the Red Sea wasn't always red. It only became red when the algae reproduced in large numbers. Most of the time, the Red Sea was bluish-green, which was no different from an ordinary sea.
The shores of the Red Sea were relatively steep, and there were many coral reefs along the shore. There were relatively few natural harbors. The average depth of the sea was only five or six hundred meters, and the deepest part was two or three thousand meters, which was already considered quite deep. This was much deeper than the average depth of the Bohai Sea of the Tang Dynasty, which was dozens of meters deep.
In addition, although the Red Sea was several hundred li wide, the rapid growth of the coral reefs on both sides of the Red Sea greatly limited the navigation of ships. These massive coral reefs would even obstruct the harbor facilities, making it impossible for ships to enter or leave the harbor. Therefore, the harbor had to be maintained with various means every once in a while.
Also, the Red Sea was located in the extension of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. Due to the movement of the earth's crust, certain cracks appeared on the seabed, and magma took the opportunity to gush up. The rocks on the seabed were heated, and the temperature at the bottom of the sea was relatively high. Therefore, the Red Sea was the warmest sea in the world, and correspondingly, the salinity of the Red Sea was also the highest.
The salinity of the Dead Sea was higher than that of the Red Sea, but the Dead Sea was not an ocean. It could only be considered a saltwater lake. Therefore, it naturally could not compete with the Red Sea for the salinity of the ocean.
In addition to the high temperature, the climate on both sides of the Red Sea was an arid desert climate. There were no rivers flowing into the Red Sea, so this was also one of the reasons for the high salinity of the Red Sea.
The climate of the Red Sea was not very good, but the Red Sea contained a lot of resources. There were petroleum deposits, rock salt, potassium salt, gypsum, dolomite, sulfur, phosphate, copper, iron, zinc, lead, gold, silver, and other minerals. It was a very rare resource treasury.
Ang Lee stood on the deck of the ship, looking at the seagulls flying in the sky. He was in a very good mood. The current climate was perfect, neither hot nor cold. The feeling of wearing a single layer of clothing was very comfortable, especially when the sea breeze blew on his face, making him feel like he was bathing in the spring breeze.
"Alang, is this the Red Sea?"
Yun 'er stood behind Ang Lee and asked.
"Yes, we have been in the Red Sea all this time."
Ang Lee replied.
Yun 'er looked around carefully and wondered, "The sea is obviously blue. Why is it called the Red Sea?"
Ang Lee smiled and said, "There are many theories about the origin of the Red Sea's name. There are many, many theories."
"What are the types?"
Yun 'er continued to ask.
Ang Lee thought for a moment and replied, "First, there is a kind of red seaweed in this sea. However, this kind of seaweed only multiplies on a large scale in certain seasons. When this plant multiplies, the entire sea surface is red, so it is called the Red Sea. We came at a bad time, so we naturally can't see this strange scene."
"Oh, it seems that we came at a bad time. What a pity. If we could see the red sea, it would really be a worthwhile trip."
Yun 'er said with a little regret and continued to look at Ang Lee.
"The second theory refers to the red mountain range near the Red Sea, but we didn't see any along the way. Could it be on the left shore?"
Ang Lee continued.
"Red mountain range, what else?"
Yun 'er continued to ask.
Ang Lee continued to answer, "The third one is more strange. It refers to the south. Hahaha! This is too interesting. "
"South, should the south be called the Red Sea? This idea is really strange. "
Yun 'er said curiously.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "It's not strange. This idea is not strange at all. Because there is a large sea in the north called the Black Sea, so the sea in the south should be called the Red Sea."
"The north is called the Black Sea, the south should be called the White Sea! Why is it called the Red Sea? Doesn't black correspond to white? The people in this place are really strange. "
Yun 'er said curiously.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "It is strange, but this is just a guess. We really don't know why this place is called the Red Sea. However, this is not important. It is just a name."
"Well, Alang is right. There is no need to care too much about the name. As long as it is the sea, the environment here is really good. The sea breeze is very comfortable."
Yun 'er said.
Ang Lee smiled and pulled Yun 'er, who was emitting a fragrant smell, into his arms. He looked at the sea in the distance and posed in a very romantic posture.
"Alang, what does this mean?"
Yun 'er felt strange. She couldn't even stand steadily. However, she was still in a very good mood. This posture was tiring, but at the same time, it was more comfortable and romantic.
This was the standard posture of the Titanic. It was a very romantic posture that made the hearts of thousands of girls move.
"Yun 'er, stretch out your hands and close your eyes."
Ang Lee requested.
"Alang, what are you doing?"
Yun 'er was puzzled, but she still did as she was told.
Ang Lee leaned over to Yun 'er's ear and said, "Stretch out your arms to hug the sea. Close your eyes to feel the coolness of the sea breeze. Try it. Isn't it very comfortable?"
"En, it's really comfortable! Wow! "
Yun 'er shouted loudly, which alarmed White Fox and the others in the cabin. They walked out of the cabin and saw Ang Lee and Yun' er in such an intoxicating posture. They were all envious.
"Alang, I want it too."
The beauty made a request first.
"Alang, Alang, I want it too."
White Fox and Magpie also acted coquettishly.
Of course, Ang Lee would satisfy their needs and let them all enjoy it. Each of them was the female lead, and Ang Lee was naturally the only male lead.
After playing for a while, Ang Lee saw the steam ship in the distance. It was the ship of the advance group. It seemed that there was something important to inform him.
Soon, the news was sent to Ang Lee. It was about the territory.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is the map drawn by General Li. He thinks that all the places on this map should be the land of the Tang dynasty."
The subordinate handed the map to Ang Lee.
Ang Lee took the map and looked at it carefully. He smiled happily. Although the map was a little rough, the basic meaning was clearly expressed. Li Feiyu had included the entire Sinai Peninsula and Israel, including the Dead Sea, into the territory of the Tang dynasty. Moreover, he had now sent many troops to occupy many important places in this area. Only in this way could he control this area well.
Ang Lee was very satisfied with Li Feiyu's work. Of course, the more territory the better. With enough territory, the more prosperous the economy could be developed. Although the Tang dynasty's territory was very large, no one would dislike a large territory. Although the Tang dynasty was very large, if it could get a larger territory, the Tang dynasty was also willing.
Now that he had the land, he naturally needed to come up with a name for it. This was an urgent problem. Although the final decision still needed to be made by the imperial court, as long as Li An came up with a good name, the imperial court would approve it.
The Tang Empire had always called the Arabian World Dashi, and this land was the original land of Dashi. Therefore, it was a good name to call this land Dashi.
After thinking about the name, Ang Lee immediately wrote a letter to the imperial court to let them approve the name. Of course, the name of the canal of the Tang dynasty was also very good. He also sent it to the imperial court.
When Ang Lee's fleet arrived at the northernmost part of the Red Sea, it was already several days later. Li Feiyu met Ang Lee at the port in advance and reported the most basic situation. There was no construction machinery now, let alone enough manpower. It would not be easy to immediately dig the Grand Canal.
Moreover, digging the Grand Canal was not just a matter of digging a trench. They also needed to consider whether the trench could support the passage of large ships. In addition, in addition to the passage of ships, they also needed to consider the connection between the two sides of the Grand Canal. It was necessary to build a bridge over the Grand Canal. Because the Grand Canal was relatively wide, large ships were also relatively tall. Therefore, not only did the bridge have to be long, but it also had to be very high. In addition, the span of the bridge in the middle had to be large enough to meet the needs of the vehicles on both sides of the Grand Canal and the two-way passage of the ships on the Grand Canal.
The length of the Grand Canal was several hundred miles. If there was only one large bridge connecting the two banks, it would be very inconvenient. Therefore, it would be necessary to build many bridges. According to the standard of one bridge for dozens of miles, it would require ten bridges to be built.
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