In fact, Governor Faisal was quite lucky. At least he saved his life. Although he did not keep his position, he was still working in his original position. As long as he made some contributions in the future, this position would still be his.
Compared to those who died, this guy was already quite lucky. You have completed a task, so His Royal Highness the Prince did not confiscate your property and execute you. This is the greatest mercy he can show you.
In the following period of time, Governor Faisal did not dare to relax at all. He immediately mobilized all the forces under his command and made sure to investigate where the main force of the Tang army was stationed. The army of the Arab Empire had already arrived and it was impossible for them to stay in Samarkand forever.
If they were allowed to stay here all the time, the surrounding people would not be able to stand these people. There is no discipline. Although the military camp would distribute some food and drink to them, these people would still go out and rob.
Shule
After days of rapid march, the Tang army arrived here, but the King of Shule left an empty city.
"It seems the old man heard the news. We sent him 3,000 soldiers and sent his two princes to Chang'an City, but he pretended not to hear anything and didn't reply to us at all. I really thought he was bold. Now I know what happened. Everyone has left, and the whole city has become a deserted place."
General Moren and his men searched the city inside and out several times, but did not find any living people. There were more than 300 Han merchants in the city, but now they were all killed. It seems that they also committed a bloody crime before leaving.
"Let's find someone to settle these merchants. We didn't give any advance warning. If we had, perhaps this wouldn't have happened."
When Cheng Chuliang saw these corpses, he felt a little uncomfortable. After all, these were our compatriots who responded to the call of the court and came here to do business, but this was the final result.
"How far is it from here to Samarkand?"
When the people below were working, they found a place relatively sheltered from the wind. Otherwise, you wouldn't even have the chance to speak. The sand coming from all directions would make your mouth very uncomfortable. It was indeed quite difficult to fight in such a place.
Although there are many places with abundant water and grass in the entire Western Regions, if you go there, the movement of the army will inevitably be leaked. No matter which road we take, the enemy may know everything. If we are ambushed by them, we will be in real trouble. The speed of the Arab cavalry is no joke.
Therefore, in order to ensure our safety, we can only take a route that others can't think of. If we don't encounter any enemies in the middle and arrive directly at the city of Samarkand, then our trip is half successful.
"It's still at least another 2,600 miles, and there aren't many good roads along the way. But our speed is good enough, so we'll be able to make it in a month at most."
General Moren made a rough estimate. After all, he was a person from the Western Regions. He had been to Samarkand City in his early years. However, it was not the territory of the Arab Empire at that time. It was still in the city-state system. But when the people of the Arab Empire came, it became theirs.
In fact, General Moren understood that no matter whether it was Gaochang or the Western Regions, the countries had no resistance at all when facing the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire, so they could only surrender to one of them. This would be their life.
Whether you like it or not, the world has long since determined the strong and weak countries. If you want to fight, you probably won't be able to do so in a short period of time, so you can only accept your fate. Now you don't even have the chance to fight. The entire Western Region is under the struggle of the two empires. There is no other way except to join the team.
The King of Shule must have already made his choice of side. If the Tang court were to find out about what he had done before, his entire family would probably be killed. So before the Tang army arrived, he had already taken away everyone he could.
"I hope this guy has good luck, but based on our understanding of the Arab Empire's army, even if he takes everyone in the city with him, there will be no good result in the end. In the eyes of the Arab Empire, these people are just pagans."
There are not many people who believe in God now, especially in this land. Maybe some of the people under the King of Shule believe in him, but there are many people who do not. If they are regarded as pagans, that would be a joke.
"Send the order down that the army camp here and rest for two days. We will advance after the storm passes. Advancing against the storm will cause us too much loss. There is no need for this."
Cheng Chuliang issued a new order. Although they were eager to find the army of the Arab Empire, they also had to be careful about the methods. If they advanced against the storm, they would lose countless horses and camels along the way. So it would be better to have a good rest and regain their energy before moving forward. On a sunny day, they would walk more than three times more distance every day than in this weather.
Just as they were waiting for news, the scouts in the army also returned. The surrounding cities were the same as before. Except for the King of Shule, other countries stayed obediently in their own royal cities, and their designated troops had also arrived.
In addition, the quartermaster also came to report that all kinds of supplies purchased by them and several surrounding countries have been delivered. This can be regarded as a stimulus to the local economy. According to Cheng Chumo, the prices are 10% higher than usual.
Now we not only need to use force, but also make them see certain benefits. The people from the Arab Empire come here to rob things. Not only do we not rob your things, we also charge 10% higher than the usual price. If it can warm them up, then everyone will live in harmony in the future.
But if after doing this you still have a cold heart, then don't blame us, the Tang Dynasty court, for letting you down. Everyone has a temper. We offered goodwill, but received a cold heart in return. Then don't blame us. The Tang Dynasty is even colder than you. By then, nothing will be left in the entire city. This is the current policy of the Tang Dynasty.
