eastern european eagle

Chapter 647: Battle with Arabia (I)

Jerusalem was packed with people, including soldiers and volunteers from all over the country. When they heard that they were going to fight the pagans, they all rushed to help.

The most enthusiastic were the Druze people, who would take advantage of a good opportunity for revenge and get some rewards.

At this time, Mecca also received news of the pagans' massive attack, so it ordered all tribes to send troops to rescue.

When Mesopotamia fell, the elders of Mecca realized that the time for a decisive battle had come. Because the pagans were clearly coming to destroy them, peace talks were no longer feasible and they could only fight to the death.

The tribal coalition held an important military meeting in Mecca. The Hashemite family presided over the meeting and the elders from various regions attended the meeting.

However, the differences at this meeting were too serious. Some people believed that their army exceeded 40,000 and they could launch a decisive battle with the pagans and completely defeat them. They could not wait any longer because enemy troops continued to land and their number was increasing.

But another group put forward the opposite opinion. They believed that they must have sent their best soldiers to invade Mecca this time. Because their infantry was not strong, they were always at a disadvantage in previous wars with pagans. If they took the initiative to engage in a frontal battle now, they would most likely suffer defeat, and the war situation in the entire Arabian Peninsula would become very bad. On the contrary, if they did not rush to engage in a battle with them, but let the army retreat actively, and at the same time move or burn all the materials that could be used by the enemy, lure them deep inland, and then use their own advantages of being familiar with the terrain and having more cavalry to constantly harass the enemy and raid their food transportation in the rear, so as to achieve the purpose of exhausting the enemy army, and wait until they become weak, and then find an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with them, the chances of winning would be much greater.

This suggestion was strongly opposed by many people. These tribes from the interior of the Arabian Peninsula had no experience in fighting against Romania. On the contrary, their inherent pride would never allow them to adopt such cowardly tactics to deal with the pagans they despised.

Some people even made personal attacks on those who said they were waging guerrilla warfare, accusing them of betraying Allah's trust. I don't know what they are thinking.

In an atmosphere where many people unanimously demanded that the enemy be repelled as soon as possible, Hashim finally had to adopt their suggestions and actively seek a decisive battle with Romania.

Although he was somewhat afraid of the fighting power of the Romanian army, he believed that his army had gathered the elites of all the tribes, and with the assistance of the capable and battle-hardened Yemeni mercenaries, there was a great possibility of winning the battle. Therefore, he led the tribal coalition with full confidence and marched towards Jerusalem in a mighty manner.

As for the Roman side, their coalition forces were powerful and they should seize the time, lead their troops eastward and seek a decisive battle with the main force of the Arabs. As long as they won, the entire peninsula would be unable to stop the army's offensive.

But some people are worried because they are likely to choose to avoid fighting, and the Romanian army will be away from the coast for a long time and go deep into the unfamiliar inland environment, and they may encounter a lot of trouble.

But the governor told everyone that there was no need to worry that the Arabs would avoid the fight, and there was no need to actively seek them out for a decisive battle, because the Arabs would take the initiative to seek them out for a decisive battle!
Because of their past achievements, they cannot retreat. They will only ask for Allah's protection and rush forward. Don't worry about this. As for their Hashim family, they do have a great reputation in the local area. If he decides to retreat, the soldiers will obey and the people may accept it. However, he lacks decisiveness and is too emotional, which is exactly the taboo for a commander. It is estimated that it will be difficult for him to refuse the requests of the elders!

In the following days, the Arab army's active approach also confirmed the governor's judgment. The Roman army did not rush to meet the enemy and start a decisive battle with them. Instead, the emperor ordered the army to retreat actively, but the direction of retreat was southwest.

The Arab army pursued relentlessly, especially the cavalry as the vanguard who rushed in the front and fought many times with the cavalry units left behind by Romania to block them. The Arabs, who had the advantage in cavalry numbers, naturally had the upper hand in the battle. Repeated victories also boosted the Arabs' arrogance, making them more eager to fight the infidels.

On the sixth day of the battle, the Romanian army was approaching the coast. This time Peter ordered the army to stop advancing and camp on the spot to rest.

Later, the Arab cavalry arrived and were shot back by the archers that the Romanian army had deployed long ago. However, they did not go away, but instead hesitated in the distance.

As dusk approached, a huge cloud of dust slowly moved in from the north and stagnated a few kilometers away, but the noise could be clearly heard by the generals.

"It seems that the pagans think we can't escape, so they plan to camp there and rest, and come to fight us tomorrow." The governor's son, Yanku, who was also an outstanding general, pointed to the fog ahead and suggested seriously: "Your Majesty, you see that the dust is still rolling and not dispersing, which shows that they are a little confused after stopping to rest. After a long pursuit, the soldiers must be very tired. Do we need to take this opportunity to lead the army to attack?"

Peter shook his head and said, "Our soldiers are tired. Let them have a good rest tonight and regain their energy for the decisive battle with the pagans tomorrow. Besides, if we attack now, we will most likely scare away the enemies we have lured here with great difficulty."

After receiving the order, the generals began to prepare for tomorrow's decisive battle.

Almost all the Arab tribes that could fight came, and the nomadic tribes had a system of universal military service, so all they had to do was give orders and they could get a lot of warriors.

For this attack, each tribe brought almost all the soldiers they could mobilize. Everyone wanted to win the battle against the pagans, so they were just waiting for the decisive battle tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)