Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 409 The posture of the winner

The wind was blowing, Fang Chongyong stood at the top of the outer city of Mulu City, looking at the inner city of Mulu City in the distance, and felt a little uncomfortable for a moment.

Because the defenders of the outer city surrendered as expected, the local nobles and wealthy families also sent people to ask for surrender, but there was no movement at all in the inner city.

The inner city defenders adhere to the "three no's" principle: no escape, no counterattack, and no surrender.

The fortress in the inner city of Mulu City is extremely tall, with a visual estimate of more than ten feet high.

However, the defense of the outer city is really not worth mentioning. The city wall is very thin and only taller than a strong man. In many areas, instead of stone walls, they are temporarily replaced by wooden walls. There are also "rat holes" at the base of many walls to facilitate entry and exit.

The area enclosed by the outer wall is very large, much larger than Zhezhi City. Even if there are tens of thousands of defenders, they may not be able to defend this place impregnably.

Therefore, occupying the outer city wall does not have much significance from a military perspective.

Fang Chongyong looked at the outer city wall of Mulu City under his feet and thought of Jiankang City (Nanjing City) in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. This city had been razed to the ground by Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty Yang Jian as early as when Yang Guang destroyed Nanchen. Fang Chongyong felt that what he did today seemed to be exactly the same as Yang Jian.

During the development of Jiankang City, it was also based on several fortresses. Residential areas and commercial areas developed under the city, and then gradually formed a large city that could not be defended militarily and was extremely prosperous economically.

Mulu City can be regarded as a "cottage version" of Jiankang City, and its surrounding environment is not as rich in water resources and suitable for human habitation as the surrounding Jiankang City.

Therefore, the defenders of Mulu City must establish an outside line to defend the enemy outside the city.

If the war extends to the outer city, even if they win, Mulu City will be severely damaged. For the defenders, winning or losing will have little meaning.

In the process of fighting against the Big Eater, Fang Chongyong discovered that although the opponent had many flaws in combat and the coalition of tribes did not cooperate well with each other, the Big Eater was still remarkable in terms of territory management and strategic vision. .

Here in Central Asia, we are indeed too close to the base of cannibals! Unless the opponent is expected to have civil strife, unless the Tang Dynasty's national power is at its peak, the various costs required to compete with the cannibals here will be too high to bear.

"How's it going?"

Fang Chongyong saw Che Guangqian walking towards him, looking a little unhappy, so he asked.

"Commander Jie, the Black Flag Army is willing to lay down their weapons and armor and surrender, but they ask to leave Mulu City and are not willing to be prisoners."

Che Guangqian said in a deep voice.

"Is there such a thing?"

Fang Chongyong was stunned, a little confused as to what those big cannibals were thinking. The residents of the outer city have given up resistance. Without their support, how long can the inner city hold on? If you are still talking about conditions at this juncture, don't you know how sharp the Tang army's weapons are?

"Commander, the situation is a bit... how should I put it, different from what I imagined. This army is not the cronies of Abu Muslim. They are King Abbas of the Great Food. After learning that Abu Muslim was defeated in the east, he was sent to rescue him. field.

They are not the same group of people as the local people. "

Che Guangqian, who is very familiar with the world, has already found out the matter clearly, and he thinks this is an opportunity.

"What do you think?"

Fang Chongyong asked in a deep voice.

"Commander Ji, I think that those people are from Baghdad and other places further away and have no intention of fighting to the death. It is not worth the effort for us to fight them.

It is better to let him go and let the locals of Mulu City think that they have been abandoned by the black-clad food. People who go back, in order to cover up their own incompetence, will definitely describe us as if we were gods descending to earth.

In this way, it can shock the inside of the big food country. "

Che Guangqian clasped her fists in salute and expressed her thoughts.

"What about you? What do you think of General Che's suggestion?"

Fang Chongyong looked at Feng Changqing and asked.

"Jie Shuai, what General Che said is true. Doesn't it mean that Jieshuai also often says that if he can only control the invasion of the mausoleum, he will do more harm.

Our purpose in this battle is not to kill people.

If these two thousand people are let go, it can intimidate a hundred thousand troops from the Great Food Kingdom, and the general will think that this business can be done. "

Feng Changqing echoed Che Guangqian.

After hearing what the two said, Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, without comment, secretly wondering how to deal with it.

Their purpose in this battle is to destroy Mulu City, the bridgehead for the Dashi Kingdom's conquest of the Western Regions, and the birthplace of the black-clad Dashi elite "Black Flag Army". The important thing is to destroy the local supply capacity and population potential, not to kill a few more soldiers.

Returning those defeated prisoners to Baghdad would help spread the word and spark unrest within the Black Clan.

If the cannibals are to make a comeback in the future, they must be extremely cautious. This is much better than destroying one or two thousand Dashi defenders.

“Then please go to the inner city again and tell them that we accept their suggestion to put down their weapons and leave here.

But everyone must cut off the little finger of their left hand, not much, just cut off one section.

Those who don’t want to be cut off can voluntarily become slaves. Regardless of whether we are generals or soldiers, we treat them equally. This is the rule. "

Fang Chongyong ordered Che Guangqian.

Cut off a section of your little finger?
Che Guangqian and Feng Changqing were both shocked, and then they thought about it secretly, and then they realized how sophisticated Fang Chongyong's move was.

Why do I say this? Because if a small section is cut off from the little finger, specifically the section with the nail, it will basically not affect life, or even combat!
But the blow to the self-confidence of a person or even an army is devastating and immeasurable.

If you don't do anything, just let those people go back. Based on the inherent bad nature of human beings, those people would probably promote themselves as victors, saying that their heroic performance had won the admiration and respect of the Tang army, so they would let them go.

Maybe it will give the big cannibals the illusion that "the Tang army is weak and can win by stacking people."

This goes against what Fang Chongyong wants to convey.

Cutting off a section of the little finger can not only destroy the arrogance of the inner city defenders of Mulu City, but also destroy the self-confidence of the cannibals without exceeding their psychological bottom line.

"If you have the order, I will make a trip here."

"Don't worry, draft a treaty first and let the guard read it before we talk.

With this, we will be able to speak straighter in the future, so as not to have unclear explanations afterwards. "

Fang Chongyong sneered.

In this era, there are no tape recorders or cameras. If you don't leave any evidence, in the future, when someone in the government takes advantage of you, a small matter will become a big issue.

"I have the order! Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, we will definitely handle it well in the end!"

Che Guangqian said excitedly, these are all military achievements, and they can be obtained without having to fight with real swords and guns. It's really not that exciting.

After he left, Fang Chongyong said to Feng Changqing:
"Go to the city to make statistics and give the locals a few places to choose from. Shiguo, Kangguo, Suiye, or places under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Protectorate, you can go anywhere. Those who have money and are willing to pay can go They were registered in the Tang Dynasty household registration, and those who had no money were directly slaves. "

"Jie Shuai, aren't we being too kind?"

Feng Changqing asked with some confusion.

In the minds of traditional Tang people, these "outsiders" like those here in Mulu City are all Diyi beasts, and their status is similar to that of livestock. For these people, they use them when they can, and kill them when they can't. Why do they need to engage in "refined operations"?

Feng Changqing and the others are not immoral, but morality is divided into objects.

Fang Chongyong immediately understood that this simple emotion was normal in the eyes of Feng Changqing and others, just like the Mongols' strategy of "killing if they are above the wheel".

Being able to be a slave of the Tang Dynasty is a supreme honor!

“Go ahead and do it, we can just destroy Mulu City, there’s no need to commit murder.

Of course, for those who are stubborn, don’t want to leave, and want to live and die with Mulu, then send them on their way! "I have the order!" "

Feng Changqing also took the order and left.

"The economic base determines the superstructure!"

When no one was around, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh and said to himself. His thoughts were indeed too "civilized" and he forgot that this was actually a barbaric era.

The feast of Qiu Ba is about to begin, but unfortunately, this is also the last carnival.

……

"Woooooooooooo..."

A big food sergeant had a piece of cloth in his mouth and wanted to scream but couldn't.

Big beads of sweat poured down from his head, his face was distorted by the severe pain, and his eyes were wide open.

A section of the little finger was cut off. Although it would have minimal impact on future life, the pain during the removal was unbearable for anyone.

Fang Chongyong had no time to "inject" them with anesthesia!
"Next!"

He Changqi, who was watching the "execution" from the side, shouted. The Dashi soldier who was in so much pain that he wanted to die, as if he was surviving a disaster, did not dare to look at He Changqi, and wrapped his injured little finger in a panic. stepped aside.

The winter here is not too cold, but the locals of Mulu City nearby who were watching the "finger amputation" felt a chill to their bones.

Several days have passed, and Tang Jun has no doubt about the control of Mulu City. Fang Chongyong was sitting in the inner city, collecting all kinds of books from all over the city and preparing to transport them back to the Tang Dynasty. He also sent Che Guangqian to the outer city to inquire about craftsmen from all walks of life, and then register them.

"Inviting people" to watch and cut his little finger was just a small way for him to scare the locals.

As expected by Fang Chongyong, the inner city defenders of Mulu City accepted the Tang army's proposal without any hesitation. No one "voluntarily" chooses to become a slave in order to keep their little finger.

Probably they are in Dashi country and know how slaves are treated. More than losing a section of your pinky finger, becoming a slave was basically the death of social status.

It would be better to have your fingers cut off!

But the puzzling thing is: not everyone among the locals is willing to leave. Many people would rather be killed than leave here.

Most of these people are local large landowners and powerful people.

Just as He Changqi was supervising the execution, a soldier came over and said to him:

"General He, Marshal Jie wants to see you."

"I know, I'll go right away!"

He Changqi was bored and worried that he had nothing to do, so Fang Chongyong sent someone to find him.

After arriving at the inner city of Mulu City, He Changqi was taken to the library. Fang Chongyong is visiting this library, which covers a huge area and has many rooms.

It has to be said that Mulu City, which started its business several hundred years ago, still has quite a bit of heritage.

Books of various materials are everywhere, covering everything from medicine, astronomy, and religion. Not only are there many classics from West Asia, but there are also handwritten versions of the Analects written in Chinese with annotations, and similar Confucian classics.

As the only place and transportation hub of the Silk Road after the Han Dynasty, Mulu City has indeed achieved "the sea embraces all rivers" and is a gathering of humanities.

Of course, people like He Changqi don't know the significance. He just finds it troublesome.

"Commander, what are your orders?"

Seeing Fang Chongyong staring at the bookshelf in trance, He Changqi whispered.

"There are some big businesses in the area who are stubborn and stubborn. Have you heard about this?"

Fang Chongyong asked with his back to He Changqi, but he couldn't see the expression on his face.

"Hui Jie Shuai, I've heard a little bit about it."

He Changqi didn't know how to answer, so he had to deal with it.

"So, have you also heard about the local mob in Mulu that attacked large households, plundered their property, and enslaved and killed their owners?"

Fang Chongyong continued to ask.

"The general is not sure about this..."

He Changqi rubbed his head and said casually, he was not someone like Che Guangqian who was responsible for intelligence investigation and private work, so how could he know if there was such a shabby thing in Mulu?

Fang Chongyong saw that he was not understanding, so he added: "Those big households were originally under the protection of the Black Flag Army of Da Shi, and they were domineering and offended many people. Now that the Da Shi people are gone, I heard that they have often been attacked by the former The master of suffering is making things difficult for me, so handsome in this section can’t bear it.”

All things considered, if He Changqi doesn't understand anymore, then he is truly a fool!

"Oh, oh, commander-in-chief said this, it is really miserable, it is indeed miserable."

He Changqi said, "Suddenly enlightened."

"Well, it's good that you know. These women from wealthy families must be well protected.

There are some soldiers in the army who cannot afford the betrothal gifts or wives. Just ask those women on their behalf if they are willing to go back to Datang with them.

If you wish, you can free these people from slavery.

Do you understand what handsome means in this section? "

Fang Zhongyong said pointedly.

"Understand, understand, kill the men and capture the women! The general understands very well!"

He Changqi blurted out.

"Nonsense! Is this what handsome means in this section?"

Fang Chongyong looked unhappy and shouted!

"Yeah, yeah, the general made a mistake. The man was killed by the local slave master, and the woman voluntarily left with us.

We forced nothing. "

He Changqi talked nonsense seriously.

"Well, let's do it. It's about the well-being of our brothers, so you need to pay attention."

Fang Chongyong nodded with satisfaction, turned his back and waved his hand gently, signaling He Changqi to step back.

After He Changqi left, he couldn't help but sigh.

The strong can always take whatever they want from the weak. This is the way of the world.

“By uprooting Mulu City, we can win twenty years of peace for the Tang Dynasty.

Brother Ji, I don’t owe you anything anymore. "

He muttered something under his breath.

(End of this chapter)