"What, what, what..." Even though they were well-informed, Aikailamu and others couldn't stand Little Ali's nonsense, so they couldn't help but interrupt loudly, "You said we defeated the Tang Army.
?Who would believe this?!"
"Of course some people will believe it." Little Ali glanced at everyone and raised the corners of his mouth slightly, "Who among us knows what the original strategic intention of the Anxi Army was? Does the Caliph know? Does His Highness Mansoor, the Supervisor of the Country, know?
? Does the religious judge know? Does the emir know? Do the domestic church members know? Since no one knows, blocking the Tang army in the middle is a very brilliant result. It is not worse than the result of Talas in the past!"
"You..." Everyone was so angry. It was embarrassing enough to be completely defeated by the Tang army with an absolutely superior force. I didn't expect that now they would fabricate military exploits and cover up defeat into victory.
, "Do you think the people around the Caliph are fools? They can't find out the truth at all? Let us just talk nonsense!"
"It depends on which caliph it is!" Little Ali sneered and shook his head, his face showing a calmness that was extremely inappropriate for his actual age. "This place is probably thousands of miles away from Kufa. Any news that is sent back may have been lost."
It’s beyond recognition. Why do people over there believe the rumors and not our reports? Besides, does it really matter which is the truth? I don’t think it matters at all. The most important thing is, who will be the next caliph?
, which truth does he like to believe!" (Note 1)
A series of rhetorical questions made everyone shocked. They suddenly discovered that their age was really like a dog. Actually, they were not as good as a young man in his early twenties? Hidden in the eyes of the young people, there was such a person.
The profound world. It is a world completely different from what everyone knows in daily life. It is composed of the wisdom of the Adi family that has stood for hundreds of years. It is enough to reverse black and white and turn lies into facts.
Akelamu and others are actually well aware of the fierce power struggle within the Great Food Kingdom at the moment. The time of the Great Caliphate is running out, and his younger brother Mansur, the Supervisor of the Kingdom, is spying on the throne of power and has no intention of letting a few princes get their hands on the crown.
The prime minister, the religious judges, the great emir and others relied on the direct lineage formed during the overthrow of the Umayyad dynasty, and each formed a force with their own support goals. The candidates for the main generals of this Eastern Expedition
, is the result of transactions and compromises between several forces. But no one expected at the time that the Eastern Expedition would suffer a defeat, and it would be defeated so quickly and completely.
If the defeat is reported to the city of Kufa truthfully, no matter who promoted him in the first place, Aikelamu will definitely not escape death. And the other core generals, even if they can escape the punishment of the religious law, will not be able to escape the punishment in this life.
It was completely ruined, and the future was bleak from now on. But as Xiao Ali pointed out, if you insist on describing the defeat as a great victory that "paid an astonishing price to block the Tang army's westward ambition", you must do two things.
There are prerequisites to have any hope of success. First, the generals in the Eastern Expeditionary Army must abandon their personal prejudices, unite completely, and have a unified voice. Second, place their bets on the person who is most likely to hold the power of the country in the future, and collectively surrender to him secretly.
.
The first prerequisite is not difficult to achieve. After all, from the coach Aikelam to the volunteer commander Gharib, strictly speaking, they are no longer pure military commanders. The pure military commander Abu.
The Muslims have been poisoned to death by the Caliph, and it is said that Mansur was behind it. Many other senior generals who participated in the Talas War also died, and those who stood aside stood aside. A capable person like Aikeram
Those who stay and can be reused to a certain extent are simply rare. Naturally, they will not take the honor of military commanders seriously anymore.
However, it is difficult for everyone to reach an agreement when it comes to choosing someone to be loyal to. This does not mean how loyal they are to the boss behind them, but the current situation within the country of food is really like seeing flowers in the smoke. Supervisor
It is true that Minister Mansour has the highest voice for taking over, but the other people are not easy to deal with. If everyone makes the wrong bet, they will lose so much that they can no longer wear the shroud.
"This..." As a direct descendant of the religious judge, the Holy War leader Amul hesitated for a moment, and was the first to confess his thoughts to everyone, "In fact, several elders in Kufa City are currently fighting each other.
There is no possibility of compromise. Take the Lord Judge as an example. He has always taken power very lightly. His support for the second prince was only entrusted by the princess and had to be perfunctory!"
"Yes, a few elders will never really fight. Otherwise, wouldn't it be possible for the remnants of the Umayyad family to take advantage?" Volunteer leader Gharib added with a smile, as if he had never deliberately dragged the coach.
The hind legs of the Ikela wood are average.
Seeing that everyone's minds had relaxed, Aikelamu no longer hesitated, smiled, and whispered: "We all live and die together, of course we must take care of each other in the future. Several elders
Bian, I guess the same is true. Disputes are inevitable, but at the same time, we also care about the friendship between them. Therefore, there is no need to take the contradiction between them too seriously at the moment. As for which elder we choose to follow in the future?
?..." He smiled and turned his attention to little Ali again, "In fact, no matter who you follow, the purpose is to be loyal to Allah. In my opinion, we might as well take a look at the specific plans of the Adi family first?
!”
After all, people who have experienced strong winds and waves have a unique perspective on problems. For a while, several generals who originally did not admire Aikelamu turned their eyes around, and the wrinkles on their faces were full of admiration.
"The Adi family has always dealt with justice and never intervened in power struggles within the country!" Little Ali smiled and explained in a low voice.
These words can be used to coax a three-year-old child. Who doesn't know that the Adi family is best at doing business? When the Caliph led everyone to fight the Umayyad army in a bloody battle, the Adi family once made bets on both ends. But in view of the current situation
, the Adi family may have sent out all the outstanding members of the younger generation, and they have secretly colluded with several major forces. No matter which party wins in the end, the Adi family will not lack spokespersons for their own interests around the new caliph.
Thinking of this, Aikailamu and others all turned their attention to little Ali again, looking at him smiling without saying anything. Being stared at by everyone made his face a little hot, little Ali shook his head and groaned: "Okay, I admit it.
, the Adi family is placing a long bet. But personally, I value His Highness Mansoor more. He is smart enough, ruthless enough, and decisive enough in decision-making. In addition, and more importantly, he knows how to weigh the priorities and not
Will cling to certain details for the sake of superficial things!”
The so-called minutiae are of course the reality of the defeat of the Eastern Expeditionary Army. According to Little Ali, if everyone collectively expresses their allegiance to His Highness Mansour, the lies will be treated as reality. But Little Ali’s confidence in His Highness Mansour has never been
Where did it come from? Could it be that he didn't know that most of the military generals in the country had always looked at Mansoor coldly because of the tragic death of General Abu Muslim?
As if he had guessed the doubts in everyone's minds, little Ali smiled and continued to add. "I know that the military has prejudices against His Highness Mansour. Among the several forces, His Highness Mansour has the smallest amount of force. But.
, Don’t forget, it is precisely because of this that our remnant soldiers are more and more important in his eyes. For the Tang army, we are no longer able to fight anymore. But for Kufa, what we have in our hands at the moment is,
But the authentic Khorasan elites were unrivaled in the country back then!"
"This..." Everyone blinked and spent a lot of effort to completely digest what little Ali said. If the Eastern Expeditionary Army collectively issued a statement at a critical moment, they would support His Highness Mansoor's quick response.
Taking the position of caliph and stabilizing the domestic situation can indeed break the balance of several major forces in one fell swoop. Especially for the judges and the great emir, it is simply a drain on the bottom of the cauldron!
With an ax hanging above his neck that could fall at any time, Aikailamu had no time to pity others. After a moment of deliberation, he gave his final choice, "Contacting the Lord Supervisor and expressing my surrender to him is completely up to me."
Let me do it for you! Please, Ali. If this is successful, you will be the savior of all the soldiers. They and I will always be grateful to you!"
"Easy to say, easy to say." Little Ali waved his hands, as if talking about something easy to grasp, "The Adi family has a warehouse in this city. You should seize the time to write a letter, and everyone should sign it and give it to the Adi family.
I will secretly take it back to Kufa City and hand it over to Lord Mansour. I believe Lord Mansour will be very happy!"
"I can write it right away!" Aikelamu, the coach of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, finally breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he felt a little weak in his muscles and bones. "I can finish it when the hourglass deflects next time. You guys can also
Don't leave in a hurry. When I finish writing, sign together. Then we will split up to find more people to sign. Act quickly. If anyone still can't see the situation clearly, he will drag everyone to death." He sighed.
In a very low voice, Aikelamu added, "Just treat him as dead in battle! I will ask for compensation on behalf of his family!"
"Yes!" Jihadist commander Amul, volunteer commander Gharib and others responded in unison, feeling very weak in their hearts. Only little Adi always spoke and acted in an orderly manner, "Over in Kufa, I can mobilize the Adi family
The strength of the people is pulling the strings for everyone. But what about Gabulo? Do the generals have any countermeasures in mind?"
"Hmm!" There was a scream in everyone's nostrils. Indeed, now everyone has solved the problem of who to be loyal to and call the defeat a tragic victory. A new problem is placed in front of everyone. That is, how to stop the Tang army? Otherwise
, all the plans just made will become castles in the air.
Fighting is definitely not possible. With the current military morale and combat effectiveness, even if it cannot retreat, at most it can only delay the fall of the city of Kabul until the end of next spring. After next spring, it is estimated that even Aikelam will
When others decide to continue carrying them to death, the soldiers will disperse in a hurry.
"It's better to listen to you. People like us will fight to death with others!" Aikelamu was disheartened and simply pushed everything to Xiao Ali and let him do whatever he wanted.
"It's better you do it, let us listen!" Several other generals also knew that if they were to play tricks, all the people on their side together may not be Xiao Ali's opponent. They smiled and agreed in a low voice.
Little Ali was waiting for this opportunity, and immediately took the sovereignty into his hands without hesitation. "In that case, I won't be polite. Generals, please don't think that I have exceeded my authority. I only did this as a last resort!"
"Whatever you do! We all listen to you." Aikelamu grinned bitterly again, his face full of resentment.
Little Ali smiled and nodded lightly, "I heard people say that the Tang Empire, like our Dashi Empire, has a large population and a vast territory. So the problems existing within the Datang Empire must be the same as our Dashi Empire.
There is not much difference between the countries. In addition to the Great Caliphate, there are several forces fighting with each other to maintain a delicate balance. If the Anxi Army keeps winning battles, I am afraid the balance will be destroyed. I don’t know about the Tang Empire.
, will there be any elders who can realize this in advance!"
"You said you bribed the important officials of the Tang Dynasty to order the Anxi Army to stop?!" Aikelamu was shocked and reminded in a lowered voice, "It is said that it is more than three thousand miles from here to the capital of the Tang Empire. Even though
The bribe was successful, and by the time the envoys arrive at the front line, the rest of us will have already become minced meat under someone else's knife!"
"It's not a bribe, it's a request for peace. A request to conclude a peace treaty and end the war!" Little Ali shook his head and pointed out the key point with a smile. "Of course, bribery is also necessary. But that is what happened after our envoys arrived in Chang'an. Now we
What we have to do is to send an envoy in the name of the Caliph, admit the defeat, and request to sign a peace treaty with the Tang Dynasty!"
"You really want to die. It's not enough to lie to you once, you have to lie to me a second time!" Amul, the leader of the jihadist army, could not believe his ears and protested loudly.
"Shh!" Little Ali put his finger on his lips and made a silent hint. "Don't say it so harshly? A sage once said that deceiving your enemy cannot be regarded as deceiving. The Tang Dynasty is far away from Kufa
It's so far away, who can tell whether our envoys set off from the city of Kabulo or the city of Kufa? Judging from past experience, the Tang Empire only likes to enjoy the feeling of conquest and does not care much about the number of offerings.
. We also give preferential treatment to the vassal countries that come to seek refuge. If we send an envoy to the Tang Army in Anxi, saying that we are representing the Caliph and requesting surrender from the Tang Dynasty, do you think that the commander-in-chief of the Anxi Army would dare to drive the envoy back directly?"
Of course not. The answer is self-evident. Another advantage of this is that because they do not dare to destroy the upcoming peace, the Anxi Army will have to stop advancing westward. Of course, the city of Capura can also escape. However,
After the treaty is concluded, the Tang people will definitely send envoys to Kufa to express their condolences. By then, everything will definitely be exposed to the sun.
In the blink of an eye, everyone's expressions changed. They shot a series of questions at Little Ali. "What if the Tang Dynasty sends an envoy to return a visit? What if the truth is revealed? What if the believers of Allah feel humiliated?
?How many lives have we lost?"
"Deception, we are just doing strategic deception! The sage said that you can use all means to deal with the enemy." Little Ali put his fingers in front of his eyes and reminded in a low voice. "Our biggest advantage now is that no matter how far away from the capital of the Tang Dynasty is,
Both Chang'an and Kufa, the capital of Dashi, are very far away. So no matter what we do, it will be difficult for the truth to be discovered for a while. And as long as we deal with the immediate difficulties, other problems will be at least a year away.
Things. By then, the domestic situation has stabilized, and you and I have made great contributions to the smooth succession of His Highness Mansour. Who dares to accuse us easily? Besides, we are deceiving the enemy and deceiving the infidels! What else?
Is it a bit contrary to the instructions of God?! If you insist on being an honest person, just pretend that I didn’t say anything. Anyway, I am just a preaching Imam, and I can leave here at any time!”
"That's right, after the treaty was signed, it was meant to be torn up! Even if Lord Mansour made the decision himself, I'm afraid it wouldn't be much better than this!" Aikelamu had no choice but to accept Xiao Ali's decision in full.
suggestion.
Amul, the leader of the Holy War, nodded in agreement, and then quickly asked the next question, "But who will be the messenger? Who can guarantee that the Anxi Army can be deceived?"
"Of course it's me!" Little Ali volunteered without waiting for anyone to say anything.
"You?" Everyone was surprised. No one thought that this little guy who was full of lies would have such courage.
"Of course! I came up with the idea, and no one is more suitable than me." Little Ali nodded and solemnly added, "Besides, I also want to see what kind of hero he is who can beat us so badly.
field!"
"Okay!" Forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, the Eastern Expedition Army coach Aikelamu responded in a deep voice, "You can list whatever gifts you need as a gift at any time. I will do my best to help you prepare them!"
"I need fifty pure white dromedary camels, a hundred fine horses and forty pounds of pure gold. If possible, I also need fifty guards and twenty female slaves who can sing and dance.
They are all virgins who have never served anyone before, but know how to serve a man. They must be good-looking and have a seductive smell all over their body. They must also be physically strong and able to withstand long journeys, at least to make it to Chang'an alive.
....."
Note 1: Kufa, the capital of the Abbasid Dynasty, is in what is now southern Iraq.
Note 2: The title given to the military commander by the Great Eater is equivalent to the Grand Marshal of the World’s Soldiers and Horses.
Note 3: According to data, on the eve of the An-Shi Rebellion, the Black-clad Dashi sent envoys to Chang'an to pay tribute. However, there is no relevant record in Arab documents. Therefore, the envoys are most likely to be fake.
