Li Xiang took note of this matter. This was also what Li Xiang admired about Chang Sun Chong. Although he was specifically responsible for intelligence work, he also knew a lot of things. A casual idea he made might keep the Arab Empire busy for a long time.
Of course, it is also possible that it will not have any effect. For example, these people are caught near the border, but it will not be a big loss for us. These people are too weak to do any work for us. It is better to let them do something meaningful. If they do have any effect, the entire Arab Empire will be in chaos.
This is a case of spending little money to accomplish big things. If you are not willing to spend even this little money, then don't expect to accomplish anything big in the future. Li Xiang has always been much more visionary than others, so of course he knows how to deal with similar things.
"Have you heard anything about their military strategy? For example, are they planning revenge on us?"
The two of them had already finished half a catty of wine. Today was not a day for drinking, so Li Xiang put down his glass. Chang Sun Chong was not a drunkard either, so the people below had already served rice to the two of them.
"I heard some news, but it wasn't about us..."
When Chang Sun Chong said this, Li Xiang also put down his rice bowl. The military news was not about us, so who was it about? Aren't we the biggest enemy of the Arab Empire at this stage? You know, we killed hundreds of thousands of them in a single war, and we also took over millions of square kilometers of land in the Anton Governorate. Isn't this the biggest thing?
"Your Highness, don't be confused. We've verified this information multiple times, and it wasn't just an intelligence officer who sent us this information. They're recruiting so many soldiers this time not because of us. It seems a powerful enemy has appeared further west, and those people have crosses hanging on their chests..."
When Chang Sun Chong said this, Li Xiang instantly understood what was going on, but the course of history didn't match up. Europe at this time was probably in the Frankish Empire period, but the Frankish Empire had not yet figured out its own affairs and was far from unifying all the European lands. So even if there was a war, the scale could not be too large.
Could it be that his arrival had changed everything? If so, then it made sense. When Li Xiang had read time-travel novels before, he had heard of the butterfly effect. Because of the arrival of certain people, the situation of the entire world would change. Or maybe the world he traveled to was a little different from the original history. This was also a possibility.
"Were they fighting further west? And what was the scale of their fighting?"
Li Xiang said anxiously that if Europe was really unified, it would not be too challenging for the Tang army at this stage. After all, they were all heavily armored and would not have much advantage against the cavalry of the Arab Empire, let alone us. Anyway, in this era, as long as the enemy had not developed gunpowder, the Tang army would be invincible.
"According to the information we've gathered, there should be quite a few casualties, and they were all elite troops from the Arab Empire. We also fought wars with the Arab Empire in the Western Regions, but most of them were from the Anton Governorate. Although His Royal Highness the Prince brought a number of elite troops, the proportion of elite troops was not high."
After hearing what Chang Sun Chong said, Li Xiang understood. It was obvious that the people of the Arab Empire still valued the enemies in the west more, because those who were lost there were their elite troops, while those who were lost here were some second-line troops. The Arab Empire had as many of these second-line troops as it wanted. As long as they captured cities and territories fast enough, they would be able to find more vassal troops.
Just like the current Tang Empire, if the real Tang army lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the entire government would be shocked, and they would investigate the matter thoroughly and then concentrate all their strength to deal with the enemy.
But if we lose the armies of Fuso and Goryeo, even if the loss is only 200,000 or 300,000, it will not matter to the entire Tang Dynasty. They are nothing more than cannon fodder, and their combat effectiveness is also at a low level among the imperial classes. The worst that can happen is that we can continue to recruit soldiers from these places.
As for how to revitalize the lost local labor force, this is beyond the consideration of the Tang Dynasty's senior officials. After all, you are just a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. Didn't you say so when you came to pay homage? You will be torn to pieces until you die. Then we will give you the opportunity to be torn to pieces.
"After you return, pass the message to your intelligence agent and ask them to find out when the Arab Empire wants to continue the war. Even if there is no exact time, you must give us a rough estimate."
The food had been served, and the servants brought the two of them delicious tea.
"Your Highness, do you have any other plans during this period?"
Chang Sun Chong had already heard that if the Arab Empire did not continue to wage war against us, Li Xiang would not intend to continue the war in the Western Regions.
"Even if I don't have other plans, if you go to the Western Regions, you should understand the current situation. We are not stable enough in the Western Regions, and we just occupied the Anton Governor's Mansion. It will take at least two to three years to sort out the situation there. Therefore, there is no benefit for us to go to war at this stage."
What Li Xiang said was the truth. Memorials from various government offices in the Western Regions were sent to Chang'an City like snowflakes every day, and they all contained not-so-good news. Although we had already implemented an iron-blooded rule in the local area, it was still different from Fuso and Goryeo. The most fundamental reason was that the area here was too large, and we could not station too many troops in this area.
For every soldier stationed in the Western Regions, it is almost possible to station five soldiers in Goryeo. The cost there is simply too high, so we can only conquer it slowly over time. If we want to see results in a short period of time, it is probably unlikely.
Of course, Li Xiang also had another idea, which was the war in the south. Starting two wars at the same time, the Tang Dynasty could withstand it, but Li Xiang's heart could not bear it...
