The Great Tang General

With the assistance of the indigenous leaders of the Mesopotamian region, it was easier for Li Guozhen and Guan Bo to appease the Arabs and other ethnic groups left in the Mesopotamian region.

Those who are unwilling to leave with Ibu Salam are more likely to be recruited.

Nothing can win the hearts of ordinary people more than land.

Food is the most important thing for people, and it is the same wherever you go.

In this era, the economic development of agricultural civilization depends entirely on agriculture.

After all, only when you have enough food can you do other things.

The land was vast and sparsely populated, and the nobles fled, leaving behind endless arable land.

Li Xuan personally sent Li Yi to lead troops to Jerusalem and Damascus.

When Zhang Xing and Li Siye led their soldiers to northern Syria, Li Xuan, under the protection of the imperial guards, conducted an inspection within the area controllable by the Tang army.

Li Xuan's understanding of the Mesopotamian region is limited to his previous life and the information collected by the current Jinyiwei, and is not completely detailed.

When people in later generations mention the Euphrates and Tigris river basins, the first thing they think of is oil.

Next comes the barren wasteland.

You should know that later generations also called the Mesopotamian region of this period the "Fertile Crescent".

Whether it is the Sumerians, Hebrews, Persians, Arabs, etc., they all regard the Mesopotamian region as the best gift from God.

The ancient Babylonian Kingdom, the Sumerian Kingdom, the Akkadian Dynasty, the Assyrian Empire, and the Neo-Babylonian Kingdom, these ancient civilizations all shine in the Mesopotamian region.

A thousand years ago, the Persians destroyed the New Babylonian Empire and the Persian Empire began to rule the Mesopotamian region.

More than two hundred years later, the Macedonian Kingdom rose. As we all know, Alexander defeated the Persian Empire three times within four years, killed the last emperor of the Persian Empire, Darius III, and replaced Persia to rule the Mesopotamian region.

However, the empire established by Alexander did not last long and it disintegrated due to Alexander's death.

After the disintegration of the Macedonian Kingdom, the Mesopotamian region had a new master, Seleucus I. Seleucus I was an officer under Alexander. After Alexander's death, he occupied the eastern part of the former Alexander Empire, including the Mesopotamian region, and established the Seleucid Empire, which lasted for more than 200 years.

Soon after, the Parthian Empire, which was well known to the Chinese and was once on par with the Han Dynasty, made its debut.

However, the Parthian Empire and the Roman Empire declined in endless internal conflicts.

Then comes the familiar context, the Sassanid Empire established by the Persians dominated the Mesopotamian region.

The Arabs came out of the desert, destroyed the Sassanid Persians and established the Arab Empire.

Until now, the Tang Dynasty, under the leadership of Li Xuan, has marched thousands of miles westward and become the new master of the Mesopotamian region.

The "dynasty struggle" in the Mesopotamian region was no less intense than that in China.

It’s just that the Chinese nation has been changing over the generations, so the historical context is continuous and the literary classics are passed down continuously.

The peoples of the Mesopotamian region were different ethnic groups and races, whose rise and fall were rapid and whose fall was sudden.

Some nations become strong quickly, but also perish quickly.

For thousands of years, the Chinese have remained the Chinese, the descendants of Yan and Huang, and the descendants of the dragon.

But the Babylonians, Sumerians, and Amorites who once dominated the Mesopotamian region had long since disappeared.

Perhaps only future archaeological excavations will reveal their traces.

Therefore, the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization has always been advocated by Li Xuan.

Do not judge Han people by their bloodline.

As long as you identify with Chinese culture, you are Han Chinese.

If you don’t agree, you are an outsider.

After all, humans are likely to have come from the same ancestors during the process of evolution.

Li Xuan believed that as long as he had a hundred years, he could bring the fragmented Middle East region together.

"Your Majesty, this is a really good place. The soil is fertile and it is a strategic route to the West. It is a must-pass route for the Silk Road. If we control this place, trade will surely be more prosperous."

After following Li Xuan on the inspection for three days, Xiao Xin, the accompanying Minister of Commerce, expressed his feelings.

Only when you look out into the world do you realize that there is always someone better than you.

In the past, people believed that except for the land of China, the rest of the world was inhabited by barbarians, some of whom even ate raw meat and drank blood.

After arriving in Daqin and Persia and learning some Persian, Xiao Xin realized that some Persians were truly cultured.

Their people were similar to those in the Tang Dynasty, living on farming, but their living conditions were far inferior to those of the people in the Tang Dynasty today.

"I named the northern part of Guanzhong the Loess Plateau because the trees there have been cut down. The soil in the Mesopotamian Valley is no longer the same as it was a thousand years ago. We plant trees on the Loess Plateau to prevent soil erosion. The Mesopotamian Valley is facing the same situation, and it is more complicated than the Loess Plateau. When we grow food, we have to protect it. Otherwise, we will lose this thousand miles of fertile land forever..."

Li Xuan was at the edge of a field, holding a handful of soil, and said solemnly.

The soil in the Mesopotamian region is only relatively fertile now, but it will not always be fertile.

And it’s no longer the same as before.

Because the two river basins have sufficient water but are low-lying and have a dry climate, salt precipitation and soil salinization will occur over time.

How could the indigenous people of the Mesopotamian region at that time take this issue seriously?
Once the ecology of the Mesopotamian Valley collapses, the fertile soil will turn into saline-alkali land, and the advantages will turn into disadvantages. The food supply will be greatly reduced and will not be able to feed too many people. The situation of later generations will reappear and it will be irreversible.

"I am ignorant and do not understand what is wrong with cultivating the land between these two rivers?"

Xiao Xin was very puzzled because the Loess Plateau was destroyed due to uncontrolled logging from the Qin Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty.

After Li Xuan's explanation, the Tang Dynasty government and the people understood the importance of protecting the Loess Plateau.

But the land in the Mesopotamian region is originally arable land!
Li Xuan patiently explained the concept of saline-alkali to the accompanying officials, and also gave examples of some once-rich but now-barren places in the Tang Dynasty. At the end, he said: "The former swamps can become plains, and the more cultivated the arable land, the poorer it becomes. Farming is not as simple as clearing wasteland and cultivating land. We must also learn to protect it. The millennium plan to create a living environment for future generations cannot be destroyed in our hands..."

"Supreme Lord, how should we protect the land of the Two Rivers?"

Xiao Xin knew that the Supreme was well-versed in history and current affairs, so he asked for advice on behalf of the civil and military officials.

"We will continue to improve irrigation technology, ensure that drainage is smooth during irrigation, and improve the soil's ability to retain fertilizer. We should take advantage of this opportunity to convert some barren land back to forests while many arable lands are uncultivated. We need to do more research and work on the specifics."

Li Xuan replied to Xiao Xin.

The climate in the Mesopotamian River Basin is dry, with little precipitation and high evaporation. The strong evaporation causes soil moisture to move upward continuously, and the salt dissolved in the water is also brought to the surface. After the water evaporates, the salt accumulates on the soil surface, which is one of the causes of land salinization.

At the same time, the underground rocks or soil in the two river basins may contain more soluble salt substances. Under long-term geological action and water flow movement, these salts gradually dissolve and migrate with groundwater. When they reach the arable soil layer, they will cause soil salinization.

In addition, the groundwater in some areas of the two river basins is relatively shallow, usually one or two meters or even shallower. The salt in the groundwater easily rises to the surface, and as the water evaporates, the salt accumulates on the surface of the soil.

What Li Xuan wants to eliminate now is the influence caused by human factors.

A reshuffle of power in the Mesopotamian region could also prevent excessive cultivation.

This gives the Tang Dynasty time to plan.

For a hundred years, a thousand years, if China wants to take root here, some things must be done eventually.

Ministers such as Xiao Xin only had a vague understanding of what Li Xuan said.

This is not something they can figure out. It requires ideological enlightenment and the training of scientists to truly accomplish the mission.

After an inspection, Li Xuan returned to Baghdad.

The largest number of people fleeing was in Iraq alone.

In other areas, most of the indigenous people stayed.

Although there were disturbances from time to time and people fled to the mountains and valleys, overall, they were still under the control of the Tang Dynasty.

All major rebellions were quelled by the Tang army.

Before that, Li Xuan sent Anxi Deputy Governor Zhao Huaiping to pursue the Arabs.

But in the end, only tens of thousands of people and some food and livestock were intercepted, including a large number of the elderly, women and children, and they were escorted back to Iraq to enrich the labor force in Iraq. After months of preparation, the Arab Prime Minister Ibu Salam immediately evacuated as soon as he learned of the defeat on the front line.

It’s hard to keep them all.

Let them stay on the peninsula, in the desert, for now.

It is an indisputable fact that the former black-clad Caliphate no longer exists.

Only in North Africa are there still some Arabs, who are the "remnants" of the White Arabs.

The Tang Dynasty would not care about the factional disputes among the Arabs. After occupying Egypt, it would advance westward in North Africa and squeeze the living space of those people.

Li Xuan would never think about the Sahara Desert in Africa. For a long time in the future, the focus will be on developing North Africa along the Mediterranean coast.

In December of the eleventh year of Qianyuan, Li Xuan received the good news that Li Yi led his troops to capture Damascus.

Immediately afterwards, in the first month of the twelfth year of Qianyuan, Li Yi captured Jerusalem without bloodshed.

Completely open up the road to Egypt.

In the same month, Ma Lin passed through Jerusalem with his baggage and headed for Egypt.

It was also in this month that Li Siye and Zhang Xing defeated the remnants of the Arab army retreating south from northern Syria.

The fighting spirit of the Arab soldiers had long since collapsed.

Although there was still a lot of food and fodder, the food delivery team was nowhere to be seen.

They were stationed in the fortresses on the front line to resist the southward advance of the Roman Empire, but sooner or later they would be exhausted.

Faced with this dilemma, the Great Emir finally decided to abandon his fortress in northern Syria and try to return to the peninsula along the seashore.

But they didn't expect the Tang army to move so quickly.

After the Modao Army, heavy armored infantry and crossbowmen discovered the target, they dismounted and attacked from the front.

Light cavalry provided cover on both wings.

The cavalry looked for opportunities and launched deadly charges.

Before long, the remaining Arab troops were defeated, with heavy casualties.

The Great Emir committed suicide when his morale was completely lost.

He once made great statements, but he couldn't understand why the Caliphate was defeated so quickly and so miserably.

He can only look for the answer in the underworld.

Without a leader, the Arab soldiers decisively surrendered to the Tang army.

The Tang army continued to advance and occupied Aleppo, the most important city in northern Syria.

Holding the head of the Great Emir, the elderly, the weak and the sick who were left in Aleppo surrendered the city to the Tang army.

Zhang Xing then led his troops to occupy the city of Antioch, which is west of Aleppo and close to the Mediterranean Sea.

A hundred miles away from the two cities is a fortress once built by the Arab Empire.

But when the Arab army retreated, it was occupied by the Roman army.

When the Roman Empire army continued to move south, they found that on the city wall of Aleppo, the black flag was gone, and the Tang Dynasty's Xuanlong flag was fluttering in the wind.

Outside the city of Aleppo, the Tang Dynasty coalition cavalry were everywhere.

The Arab army in northern Syria before did not have so many cavalry, let alone such iron cavalry.

Most of the Roman Empire's troops returned with Constantine V to resist the Bulgarian Khanate, leaving only more than 30,000 troops in Syria.

They no longer planned to attack.

But I didn't expect that the Arab army would retreat on their own initiative, and I didn't expect that the Tang cavalry would appear here.

The generals of the Roman Empire sent envoys to the city of Aleppo to negotiate with the Tang army.

"You can go back now. The Arab Empire has been destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, and Abu Jalfar Abbas is dead..."

After the translator explained the words of the Roman envoy, Li Siye waved to the Roman envoy.

He had great contempt for the Roman Empire, but tens of thousands of Arab soldiers blocked the Roman army for more than a year.

Yet they still formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty!

If it weren't for the order from the Supreme, Li Siye would have continued to move forward.

To the north of Syria is the Armenian region.

To this day, at least one-third of the Armenian region is in the hands of the Roman Empire.

When the Black Caliphate overthrew the White Caliphate, Constantine V took advantage of the situation and not only recovered the land occupied by the Caliphate Empire, but also directly pushed the territory to northern Syria.

"General, we admire the might of the Tang Dynasty. Congratulations to the Heavenly Khan on his victory over the brutal Arab Empire. Now that the Arab Empire has been destroyed, should we fulfill the alliance between the two countries and establish eternal friendship between the two countries..."

The Roman envoys were also very shocked. Due to the blocked roads, they did not know that the battlefield had undergone earth-shaking changes in just two or three months.

The Tang Dynasty was so powerful that it managed to advance all the way here and even killed the Caliph.

As an envoy, he was not aware of Li Siye's order to expel foreigners, but instead talked about alliance.

"The Great Emir of the Arabs has been defeated by us. After more than a year of war, you Romans have deployed troops on the border, putting pressure on the Tang Dynasty. Now that the Arabs have been destroyed, do you still have the nerve to ask us to withdraw? I'm afraid you can't hold on."

Li Siye was a typical military general, who was straightforward and spoke without politeness.

The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty have shed their blood on this land, and their heroic spirits cannot return to their homeland.

How can I just give it up?
Only by turning this place into the land of the Tang Dynasty can the heroic spirits rest in peace.

"The covenant is sacred. Our king and the envoy sent by the Heavenly Khan signed an oath of alliance. The great Heavenly Khan is a figure comparable to Alexander the Great. How could he go back on his word?"

The Roman envoy was very dissatisfied.

"What kind of a thing is Alexander? Is he worthy of being compared with our Supreme? I don't know about the covenant. I only know that you Romans have hardly contributed anything in this war. Our Supreme once said that you get what you sow. God rewards hard work. Some fortresses in the north of Aleppo are your reward..."

Li Siye shirked responsibility in his own way.

If the Roman Empire has the guts, it will attack; otherwise, it will use Aleppo and Antioch as its boundaries.

The entire Mesopotamian region, except for the upper reaches of the Euphrates River, would be under the control of the Tang Dynasty.

"We have not made any progress because the Bulgarian barbarians took advantage of our southward advance and robbed us. We had no choice but to support them..."

The Roman envoy became anxious and hurried to explain to Li Siye.

We definitely cannot fight against the elite Tang army.

If he doesn't fight for it, how will he explain to the general when he returns?

How did the general explain this to Constantine V?

"You should do things within your capabilities. You can't even take care of yourself, but you still want to interfere in major events? Go back and tell your king that as an ally, the Tang Dynasty can send troops to Constantinople to help you defeat the foreign enemies."

Li Siye's answer was irrelevant to the question and he was just trying to shirk responsibility.

But his words frightened the Roman envoy, as he thought the Tang Dynasty would continue to move north.

If this were the case, the Roman Empire would be in danger.

He also saw that Li Siye was not a good person, so he left with a pale face and took this important matter back to the military camp...

(End of this chapter)