Water Margin people

"Western Christians? Aren't they unwilling to cooperate with us?"

Those leaders were very surprised. Saladin had contacted the West last time, but the West did not respond.

"Qi has already captured Venice and killed 200,000 Crusaders in one battle. Now the Western Church is seriously injured. If they don't cooperate with us, their ending will not be much better."

Saladin looked at the leaders in the desert and said that these people had been hiding in the desert since the last war and knew nothing about the outside world.

"Two hundred thousand Crusaders were killed in one battle!"

The faces of those leaders changed drastically. There were only tens of thousands of people in the two Crusades, but this time, two hundred thousand people died. They dared not imagine how to fight this battle.

"There's no chance of winning!"

The leaders said dejectedly again that 200,000 Crusaders had all died, so they would also die if they went here.

"Whether you have a chance of winning depends on what you think. Waiting means death! There is still a chance to win if you fight!"

Saladin said, looking at those people.

"Tell me, how are you going to fight?"

After hesitating for a long time, the leaders finally gritted their teeth and agreed.

"I've been reading Eastern history books recently, and I've discovered that the East is truly a magical and powerful place. Their civilization is far more splendid than ours, and they know far more than we do, so it's normal that we can't defeat them!"

"But I read a story recently! 900 years ago, during the Three Kingdoms period in the East, there was a general named Guan Yu. He defeated the strong with the weak. He built a dam upstream of the river during the rainy season, and then opened the gates to release water, flooding the seven armies and winning the victory!"

Saladin took out a book from his arms, on which were written the words "Collection of Historical Stories", and in the corner of the cover there were also a few small words "Children's Enlightenment Reading Materials".

Saladin opened the book, which contained a combination of pictures and text. The pictures were cartoon-like and very suitable for children to read.

"Flood the Seven Armies? We are in a desert, where will the water come from?"

The leaders could not understand the language of Qi, but they knew there was no water in the desert.

Saladin was speechless. It was so tiring to communicate with stupid people. He had explained it so clearly, but these people didn't understand at all.

"There is no water in the desert, but there is water in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers! I have had people build dams upstream to block the water flow!"

Saladin said, looking at those people.

"No wonder it's so dry this year. It's rained a few times, but there's no water in the river!"

The leaders then realized that they also made a living by grazing, and they could naturally feel the abnormal decrease in the river water.

“What will happen when this flood comes?”

Someone looked at Saladin and asked, they naturally knew how terrible the flood was.

"The entire Two Rivers Plain is a vast ocean!"

Saladin said with a smile as he looked at the leaders in front of him.

"The entire Two Rivers Plain is a vast ocean!"

Everyone was so frightened that they dared not speak. Floods had been occurring in the Mesopotamian River Basin for many years. The floods would submerge the plains, but would also make the plains more fertile. However, no one knew how much damage such a flood that covered the entire plain would cause.

"Victory in war always comes at the cost of some casualties! Qi controls the plains, so our chances of winning are slim. We can only win with the help of a flood."

Saladin looked at those people and spoke.

"Then should we move the civilians out first?"

Someone said that the plains in the Mesopotamian region were the most densely populated areas.

"If it gets out, we'll lose everything!"

Saladin looked at those people. He had never thought of rescuing civilians. Those civilians who were relocated were just going to build a dam in the upstream mountains. Everyone was silent, which was considered as tacit agreement.

"So what do we need to do?"

Finally, these tribal leaders asked the most crucial question. Saladin came to them to ask them to do something.

"Qi has been sending troops to patrol along the river. I need you to start harassing the Mesopotamian region, especially the section from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf, so that the Qi army cannot reach the upper reaches of the river and cannot let Qi discover the dam."

Saladin looked at the leaders and said that relying on a few sand bandits alone was not enough to stop the State of Qi, and the large tribes in the desert could also be used.

"Harassment? No problem, we'll start tomorrow!"

All the tribal leaders readily agreed, and they would accept it as long as it did not involve a direct war with the State of Qi.

"That's settled then. It's April now, and a lot of water has accumulated upstream. The weather is getting warmer, and the ice and snow are melting faster. The decisive battle will be held at the end of May!"

Saladin looked at the leaders and said that the floods in the Mesopotamian River Basin are divided into two stages. The rainy season is from November to March of the following year, when floods are prone to occur; the other is from April to May, when summer arrives and the ice and snow on the mountains melt.

In preparation for this battle, Saladin began to block the river last year, and he would order the digging of several huge lakes on the mountains to bring about a flood of the century.

Everyone was very satisfied with the result. They could expel Qi and regain control of the land without having to pay too much.

After the matter was discussed, the banquet began. The Arabs loved to eat mutton and camels, and the carpet was filled with whole roasted lambs and fresh camel humps.

"Saladin, you are the Sword of Truth. Do you know the consequences of doing this?"

An old leader looked at Saladin and asked in a low voice, his voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear it.

"There's a saying in the West that goes, 'I don't care what happens after I die!' There's also a saying in the East that goes, 'The victor is the king, the loser is the bandit,' and history is written by the victor!"

"If I win, then we will all be heroes of the Arab world. If I lose, then nothing will matter!"

Saladin smiled and said that the significance of everything depended on whether the Arabs existed or not. There was no need to consider anything else. They only had one way, which was to win.

……

Zhang Qing led his men back to the plain to continue patrolling.

"Such a good valley has no people. What does Saladin need so many people for? Can he support them?"

Zhang Qing looked at the lush grassland. If it were in the Central Plains, there would definitely be people coming here to graze and farm, but now everything was barren.

In the entire territory of the Caliphate, the best land is the plains in the Mesopotamian Valley. Zhang Qing really doesn't understand why Saladin gathered so many people together.

"General, it's getting late. There's a high ground ahead. Why don't we set up camp there?"

A general saluted Zhang Qing and said.

"Well, let's set up camp!"

Zhang Qing nodded.

"Report, General, the scouts ahead spotted several shepherds herding sheep!"

A cavalryman came on horseback to report.

"Oh, we finally met some nomads. There's such a vast plain, how could Saladin move all the people away? Bring them to the camp!"

Zhang Qing said with a smile.

"General, could the sudden appearance of the herdsmen be a trick?"

A general asked worriedly. Ever since the last night raid by the Sand Bandits, the atmosphere in the entire Mesopotamian region has become delicate. The counterattack of the Arabs could come at any time. (End of this chapter)