Cheng Chuliang, who was wandering around the front line, also received news from Li Xiang and immediately led his men back. In the past few months, he and his men had suffered a lot, and no one knew how they had survived.
For people like them, they probably don't want to hear anything related to sand in their entire lives. During this period, when they woke up every day, their whole body was covered with sand, and even a lot of sand came out of their nostrils and ear holes. They really suffered enough fighting in such a place.
Many people now have only one idea: when they return to the oasis of the Anxi Governor's Mansion, they must take a good bath. If they don't soak in it for a whole day, they will definitely not be able to come out.
Of course, there are benefits to living in such weather. For example, our various types of gunpowder are not in any danger of getting wet. In the past, some people said that there would be one or two rains a year, but now we haven't even seen it. Some local people also said that there were dark clouds in the sky and it was about to rain, but the rain might have been dried up by the sun before it fell to the ground.
"Don't be so gloomy. His Highness's order has arrived. We will soon have 5,000 companions. With their support, our range of activities will be much larger than it is now. Within our current area, all the cities have become refugee cities, with no money left. But if we continue south, we will definitely find their cities, and then you will have the opportunity to work."
Seeing that the morale of his men was a little low, Cheng Chuliang had to stand up and boost their morale. He had to let these people know that there was hope. If they continued to wander around the edge of the desert for the next period of time, some of them might not be able to hold on.
In fact, it is not that these soldiers are not good enough. If soldiers from other countries were replaced, they would probably not be as good as these people. It is not easy to have the current morale. If someone is not convinced, I will let you stay on the edge of the desert for a few months and see if you can bear it?
It was exactly as Cheng Chuliang thought. When these people heard his words, many of them's eyes lit up immediately. This could be said to be a very exciting thing. Just wandering around the edge of the desert, there were no other people except refugees, and there was no benefit in gaining military merit. Instead, it made themselves exhausted.
In fact, they had long wanted to go to the heartland of the Arab Empire, but because of their lack of strength, insufficient supplies, and no one to support them from the rear, if something out of control happened, their army could be destroyed at any time. So even if some people had ideas, they didn't dare to say it out loud. After all, in such a situation, stability is the most important thing.
After Cheng Chuliang finished speaking, many soldiers knew what they should do. They were lazy before because they knew there was no danger around them. Apart from the refugees who were about to starve to death, they really didn't know where the enemy was. Although there were refugees attacking their barracks, after a round of shooting from the musket team, these people didn't know where to run away. If the number of refugees was too large, everyone could just leave. After all, refugees walk on two feet, and we only have war horses and camels. They are no match for us at all.
Now these people are full of energy and are taking the time to check their weapons and equipment. When the support troops from the rear arrive, we will be able to gather an army of 10,000 immediately. Originally, according to their thinking, 10,000 troops should not be a big deal within the Arab Empire.
But Li Chengyi's battle gave them inspiration. Didn't he only have 20,000 troops? 20,000 troops could defeat the 100,000-strong Arab Empire. If we convert this ratio, 10,000 troops can kill 50,000. Taking the current Arab Empire as an example, 50,000 is not a small number. I wonder how many cities would be needed to gather them.
After much anticipation from the soldiers, the support troops from the rear finally arrived. Based on the information provided by Cheng Chuliang, Chang Sunze took a lot of effort to find their hiding place.
"Brother Cheng, this place you found is really amazing. It's just a valley. No matter how strong the wind and sand are blowing around here, you can still rest well here. Apart from the fact that there's more sand in the morning, there doesn't seem to be any disadvantages."
When Chang Sunze brought his men here, he was very impressed with Cheng Chuliang. Being able to find such a place on the edge of the desert would at least reduce the suffering of his men from the wind and sand.
"This is useless. Look at the faces of these young men. They are almost depressed. When has our Tang army ever looked like this? They have food and drink, but they just don't have the energy to work. They stay here every day and don't dare to go anywhere. If they continue like this, when I return, I don't know how many people I can bring back."
Cheng Chuliang sighed helplessly. What he said was the truth. The brothers were not afraid of hardship, but they were most afraid of this kind of wear and tear on their fighting spirit. It had only been a few days, and the situation was different from before. Fortunately, Li Xiang temporarily changed the strategy, allowing them to continue advancing south. These people finally felt at ease. Otherwise, if they continued to be so depressed every day, by the time we changed the battle plan, there would always be a few people who would not be able to stand up.
"That's true. Your Highness has probably taken this into consideration. Besides, I've also brought you intelligence from the Imperial City Office. They were supposed to send it directly to you, but they couldn't find you along the way, so they sent it to the Protectorate. It's only three hundred miles further on, and the Arab Empire's troops are already in the cities over there. What should we do? That's all your brother Cheng has to say."
When Chang Sun Ze said this, he felt an itch in his heart. He also wanted to lead people to attack the city and seize the land. The previous times were all field battles. This time we have strengthened the artillery. Even if the enemy defends the city wall, we have enough ways to deal with them. We are really afraid that you will leave the city wall and run around. It would be best if you are willing to get into the cage yourself.
