That night, the scouts of the Tang army returned and brought back some important news. Suheguman had indeed withdrawn his troops. While retreating, there was one thing that Li Xiang had not expected, which was that he destroyed everything that could be destroyed along the way, resulting in hundreds of thousands of refugees in the surrounding areas.
When Li Xiang got the news, he was really troubled, because Goguryeo had done something similar in the past. When they retreated to the south of the Yangtze River, they took away everything they could take away from the north of the Yangtze River, and those that they couldn't take away were directly taken away. Anyway, they didn't leave you anything good. When you come to this place, you either kill these hundreds of thousands of refugees or let them fend for themselves.
Sometimes the power of refugees is very great. Don't ignore them just because their individual strength is very small. One or two refugees really don't pose much of a threat, but if there are 10,000 or 20,000, or even 100,000 or 200,000, it may be difficult to deal with. Once these people gather together, they may even have the ability to attack your military camp.
If there are one or two thousand people, you can order your men to kill them, but if there are tens of thousands of people, I am afraid you cannot give this order. After all, no one is a bloodthirsty person, and you cannot round up hundreds of thousands of people and kill them.
This is what Suheguman was thinking, so this guy artificially created a disaster, hoping that the refugees could trap the Tang army. After returning, they would have a good discussion on how to deal with the Tang army. If there was no good solution, they would have to sacrifice human lives.
But the Arab Empire is not a small country. They also have all kinds of wise men in the country. They have encountered various difficulties in the past, but now they have all been solved. Suhguman believes that someone in the country can solve this, but it will definitely take time. Let these hundreds of thousands of refugees buy time for them.
The city of Karad.
Li Xiang looked at the city in front of him and didn't know what to say. According to the records of the Imperial City Office, this should be the largest city within 150 miles, with a permanent population of more than 50,000. If the merchants and nomads were counted, there would be at least tens of thousands of people living here within this 150-mile radius, and they would often go to the city to barter.
But what has become of the city now? People are crying everywhere in groups. The city has been looted several times by the Arab army. They have taken away everything they can, even the wells have been destroyed.
You have to know that in a place like this, if there is no water, you can't hold on at all. Li Xiang's army also needs water. At present, the wells along the way have been destroyed. All the water used by Li Xiang's army is transported from the rear. This water is very precious.
When the Arab Empire's army retreated, they threw some sick livestock and people directly into the well. They did not drink the water themselves, but they could not let the Tang army drink it either. As for food, there was a lot of it, but without water, eating alone was not enough.
The capable common people retreated with the Arab Empire's army. After all, there were many cities in the south, and as long as they had money, they could always find a place to live. But now, most of the people who did not evacuate did not cry or make a fuss when they saw the Tang army coming. They all knelt down obediently under the city wall.
"Can this even be considered a city wall? It's all made of adobe. If we pull our cannons over here, two or three shots will be enough to blow down their walls. Is this empire really as powerful as ours? Why don't I see that?"
Li Chengyi rode a horse beside Li Xiang, looking at the earthen city wall in the distance. This guy was really confused. His Highness had emphasized to us several times that the Arab Empire was about the same strength as ours, and sometimes even stronger than us, so when facing the Arab Empire, we must use all our abilities. Anyone who slacked off would be dealt with by military law.
But the situation now is completely different. If you say that the field troops are powerful, they have lost more than 200,000 people at our hands. If you say that the city defense troops are powerful, their city defense troops have retreated without a trace.
Speaking of their city walls, there is no need to say more. Take some of the powerful landlords in our country for example, the walls they built are much better than these. These city walls are all made of adobe. After years of wind and rain, many of the city walls look shaky. Not to mention our artillery, if you find a wooden stick to hit them hard, there is a high probability that cracks will appear.
After hearing what Li Chengyi said, Li Xiang smiled bitterly and shook his head. In fact, when Li Xiang said this, he was not very clear about the specific situation of the Arab Empire. He only thought about what was written in the history textbooks. However, he did not expect that because of his arrival, the deviation in this world was so huge, especially the combat effectiveness of the Tang Dynasty army.
In fact, the combat effectiveness of the Arab Empire has not been reduced, and it is even stronger than the original society. But the problem is that the Tang army is too strong, which is stronger than they imagined. Neither artillery nor musketeers should appear in this era. When they appear, it is certain that they will change the situation in the whole world. This is also the reason why many Tang officers and soldiers look down on Arabia.
"Let's not talk about these vague things for now. Let's think about what to do tonight. There are probably 50,000 to 60,000 people in this city. Their water supply can only last for a day or two at most. If there is no new water source, I believe these guys will attack us tomorrow. When people's survival is threatened, they will not be so obedient. The reason they kneel under the city wall is nothing more than hoping that we can save them."
What Su Dingfang said is absolutely correct. The Arab people nowadays may seem harmless, but when they have drunk their last sip of water, they will start looking for the last sip of water around them. That last sip of water must be in our Tang Dynasty military camp, and by then the camp gate may not be able to stop them.
