If this guy is in good physical condition, we must bring him back to Chang'an at all costs. After all, he is the highest official in this war. But looking at his miserable condition, he probably can't hold on for much longer. We don't know how much it will cost to bring him back. We might as well kill him, cover his head with salt and lime, and send him back to Chang'an like this.
"Marshal, there are still tens of thousands of civilians here, including some merchants. What should we do with them? They are now clamoring for us to return their supplies, but according to our investigation, they all came to seek refuge in the Arab Empire, but were eventually surrounded and captured by the Arab Empire's soldiers."
After Li Chengyi finished speaking, everyone around him laughed. The Tang Dynasty court had already issued an order not to allow the people of the Western Regions to trade with the people of the Arab Empire, but these people turned a deaf ear to the court's order, so after they arrived here, all the supplies were robbed by the people of the Arab Empire.
Now that the supplies have reached the hands of the Tang army, you guys are coming out with such a flattering attitude. If it were so easy to go back, then our Tang would become a laughing stock, and who knows how many people would disobey orders in the future.
"I originally wanted to let them go, but I didn't expect these people to be so reckless. So, gather them all together. No matter what ethnic group they are, any merchant who has traded with the Arabs will be beheaded in public according to Tang Dynasty law."
Troubled times call for severe punishments...
Cheng Chuliang followed his father's family, so he showed no mercy when killing people. When you guys came here with large quantities of goods, you must have known that this place had been occupied by the Arab Empire.
The reason why you violated the order of the Tang Dynasty court was purely for profit, so there is nothing to say at this time. You violated the rules first, so don't blame us for not taking care of you. What's more, your heads are useful. Only with your heads can the merchants from various countries in the Western Regions settle down. Otherwise, similar things will happen again and again in the future.
"I obey your command."
All of my men went down to work immediately. You guys are still blocking the camp gate waiting for things. If you had any brains, you would just run away now. Maybe we won't catch you. Unfortunately, you guys don't have any brains, so you don't have to leave.
Many people were dragged to the city wall. The Tang army outside had no reason to be vague and just started to kill them with their swords. Who made you guys violate the rules first? If you guys had listened obediently, how could we kill you at will?
These people were also quite miserable. They originally thought that they could make a lot of profit by transporting the goods here, but who knew that the people of the Arab Empire did not follow the rules and directly robbed their goods, and some silver they carried with them was also robbed.
If the Tang army had not come, these people would have been slaves to the people of the Arab Empire for the rest of their lives, because the Arab soldiers had said that these people were their spoils of war, so the Tang people came here to save them. But these people are not only not grateful, but also want to take their goods back. Who else should we kill if not you?
With so many armies from various countries in the Western Regions following the Tang Dynasty to fight, we must give them certain benefits. Your goods are the best reward. If you want to go back now, do you want us to transport the money from Chang'an?
If you can't tell the difference between good and bad people, then there is no need for them to live. If you can use your brains, you probably won't make such unreasonable demands. Everything is your own fault.
“Allah will punish you…”
People kept shouting this sentence before they died. At first, Cheng Chuliang didn't pay much attention, but when he saw many people shouting this sentence and the knives were placed on their necks, these people were not afraid at all, which shows that their thoughts were very firm.
It was not until this time that Cheng Chuliang understood what Li Xiang had meant before, which was why this country could become our formidable enemy. It didn't matter how they fought on the battlefield, they could not pose a threat to us. Even if they were as fast as the wind, we had ways to deal with them.
What Li Xiang should value most is the fighting spirit of these people. Many of them did not surrender and would rather fight until the last moment. They would never surrender. This is probably what Li Xiang fears the most.
After some persuasion, more than a thousand people still refused to surrender and made wild statements, saying that if they were treated as slaves, they would attack everyone they saw without hesitation.
The Tang army still has to continue fighting. Since you have said this, there is no need to keep you. If we continue to keep you, it would be irresponsible to our people. So under Cheng Chuliang's order, more than 1,300 people died in Shiguo City.
Of course, the Tang Dynasty's direct army did not take action. All those who were taken out to be beheaded were from the 36 countries in the Western Regions.
Even though they are fighting with the Tang army now, they may waver in the future. If that is the case, we will block your way back. Since the blood of Arab soldiers is on your hands, no matter how you speak nicely, the people of the Arab Empire will not accept you.
The people of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions also understood that hatred grew in the process of killing. When the Arab Empire came next time, they would definitely not continue to recruit them, and instead they would be replaced by a cold blade.
At that time, they probably had no choice but to resist. The hatred between the two sides existed, and the one who benefited was naturally the Tang Dynasty court.
Everyone understood this principle, but they couldn't help but execute it. Just look at the Tang soldiers' muskets nearby. If you don't kill the Arabs in front of you, their muskets will aim at you without hesitation. Do you remember how miserable those Arabs died? Their bodies were covered with holes. If you want to try it yourself, our Tang army will not be stingy with the gunpowder in our hands.
So in desperation, the Western Region warriors chose to kill the Arabs. This was also the way for them to survive. If they hesitated even a little, they might not even be able to get close to the Tang Dynasty in the future.
