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Text Chapter 64: Interests of the Tang Dynasty

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    It has to be said that Du Rui guessed wrong this time. Not only did the Byzantine Empire have no trouble, on the contrary, they seemed to see hope of restoring the former glory of Eastern Rome.

    After experiencing another great victory in Armenia, Muawiya, who had already decided to abandon the Eastern Front, decided to completely eliminate the Byzantine Empire this time. After gathering all the troops he could mobilize, he attacked the monarchs in a mighty manner.  Fort Tantino.

    This time Muawiya did not directly attack Constantinople as before, but changed a bit. His strategy was to target the coastal cities around Constantinople, with the purpose of occupying the peripheral cities first.  Cut off Constantinople's connection with the outside world and gain an offensive base for long-term campaigns.

    Muawiya¡¯s strategy is the result of true knowledge gained through practice. They have long understood that conquering this city will not happen overnight.  So, according to the plan, the Arab fleet crossed the Aegean Sea, crossed the Dardanelles Strait, entered the Sea of ??Marmara, captured the city of Kizikus, built it as its own naval base, and turned it into an offensive  Bridgehead of Constantinople.

    When everything was ready, the Arab army began to launch a frontal attack. However, the Arabs' attack was tepid and in no hurry for success.

    The first thing that appeared under the impregnable wall of Constantinople was a small Arab expeditionary force, but it was more like a pathfinder and did not launch any fierce attack.

    After that, Muawiya sent another fleet and began to frequently attack Constantinople at sea. However, it turned out that the Arabs' step-by-step attack method was actually counterproductive. The Byzantine Empire could only  During the war called interference, the city was constantly reinforced, supplies were stored, and troops were mobilized.  Moreover, the soldiers of the Byzantine Empire were by no means ordinary people, and the Arabs did not take advantage of them at all.  In this way, the Byzantines knew the Arabs' tactics well and were naturally able to deal with them with ease.

    The first battle between the two sides was still at sea. At the critical moment when the Arab fleet and the Byzantine fleet were fighting fiercely, the Byzantine fleet suddenly launched an attack with flowing fire.

    At the expense of more than a hundred small warships, they entered the center of the Arab fleet. For a while, the Arab warships under attack burst into flames.

    Although Muawiya covered the main parts of each warship with a layer of iron plates in order to prevent the flow of Byzantines, it was still difficult to stop the powerful power of the flowing fire. For warships whose bodies were made of wood,  , there is nothing more terrifying than fire. The Arab fleet could not resist the fire attack tactics. The only option at that time was to retreat.

    The naval battle was defeated and the Arab fleet was forced to evacuate Constantinople. It was already evacuating in despair. Unexpectedly, something even worse was waiting for the Arabs. The defeated Arab fleet encountered a big storm during its retreat. Among the battleships  Most of it was swallowed up by huge waves.

    Unwilling to fail, Muawiya quickly decided to make a comeback and launch a new attack on Constantinople.  This time he did not choose to compete with the Byzantines at sea. Instead, he used the navy to transport a large number of Mamluk cavalry. After crossing the Dardanelles Strait, he suddenly turned to land in Greece, preparing to attack the king on land and sea at the same time.  Constantinople attacks.

    The panicked Constans II had no choice but to hand over all the defensive tasks to Pienaar. The nobles and wealthy merchants in the city also fled in large numbers, but Pienaar was not too worried because he knew that Constantine  The fort has a natural magic weapon - a city wall.

    He wanted to use this magic weapon to fight a protracted war with the Arab army. First, Pienaar used a double wall of Constantinople to build a heavy defense line. Then he installed city defense equipment in many places on the wall to fight for a long time.  Of course, war is indispensable for enough grain, grass and weapons. To this end, Pienaar built warehouses to store grain and also set up many weapons manufacturing factories.  In terms of Constantinople's geographical location, threats on land were not Leo III's biggest concern. What he needed to worry about more was threats from the sea.  How to prevent the seaside side of the castle from being breached by enemy forces, and how to keep Constantinople's sea lines of communication unimpeded, are all issues that Pinar must consider and pay attention to.

    At this critical juncture, Pienaar came up with a brilliant idea. He first designed a special door at the exit of the bay, a door made of a thick iron chain.  The iron chain is connected to the two watchtowers at the seaport. There is a mechanism on the tower that can control the free raising or lowering of the iron chain.  With this door, enemy ships are effectively blocked from entering the bay easily.

    The Byzantine fleet was stationed inside the gate when on standby. As long as an order was given, they would go out to attack enemy ships.

    With protective measures on land and at sea in place, Pienaar should be able to feel relieved.  Besides, the Byzantine Empire still has that secretThe weapon, that terrible weapon - the liquid fire.

    I think it was that weapon that caused the Arabs to suffer a disastrous defeat in the Egyptian province. Since then, it has blocked the Arab attacks several times. It has become an indispensable magic weapon when Byzantium and the Arabs fight.  This time, Pienaar still had to rely on this powerful weapon to repel the Arab armies that besieged them and save Constantinople.

    The Arab army marched on both land and water to besiege Constantinople, and their strength far exceeded the defenders of Constantinople.  At first, Muawiya planned to launch a general offensive on land. Little did he know that the defenders of Constantinople used powerful city defense equipment. The castle was not moved at all, but the Arab soldiers suffered a lot of damage.

    Under the stubborn resistance and attack and defense of the defenders, the Arab army's land offensive plan was frustrated, and they had to resort to a long-lasting siege to blockade the castle.  In order to achieve this goal, Muawiya ordered the fleet to be divided into two parts, cutting off the two waterways from Constantinople to the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea.

    However, this time, God did not seem to intend to favor his believers. Some warships of the Arab fleet suddenly encountered the impact of the current, and the formation was in chaos for a while.

    This was a godsend opportunity for the Byzantine navy, and Pienaar immediately ordered the door to be opened for the fleet to go out to fight.  The Byzantine warships rushed into the irregular formation of the Arab fleet and cast flowing fire to attack the enemy ships.

    Soon, this accelerant mixed with sulfur, oil and lime caused dozens of enemy ships to burst into flames. The sea turned red and smoke billowed. Soon, reinforcements from the Arab Navy arrived, and the Byzantine fleet immediately  Returning to the harbor and closing the gate, the Arab fleet was helpless.

    With the door closed, the Arab fleet would not be able to enter, and the Byzantine fleet would be safe. This made Muawiya feel like a dog biting a tortoise and having nowhere to bite.

    But Pienaar did not want to give up. He won successive naval battles. In the land battle, although he was suppressed by the Arabs, they were completely contained. So he thought of a more grand plan - to lure the enemy deeper and gather them together.  And annihilate it.

    In order to accomplish this goal, Pienaar ordered the gate to be dismantled, allowing the Arab fleet to enter and exit freely. Muawiya thought this was a God-given opportunity to destroy the enemy, but little did he know that the enemy dug a big hole for himself to jump into.

    When the huge Arab fleet sailed into the narrow harbor, the crowded fleet could no longer move in and out freely.  At this time, the Byzantines, who had been waiting for a long time, began to attack with fire.  When the Byzantines attacked the Arab fleet with small arson boats and javelins bundled with fuel, the crowded fleet was like dry wood gathered together, and the flowing fire quickly burned them.

    After suffering successive disastrous defeats in naval battles, Muawiya suddenly felt that he was in danger. The most terrible thing was that without the support of the navy, the Mamluk cavalry who landed in Greece suddenly lost their logistical support.

    Pienaar also seized the opportunity and gathered all the forces of Byzantium, plus barbarian mercenaries from Western Europe, to launch a fierce attack on the Arab army. It actually ushered in the first land war between Byzantium and Arabia in decades.  victory.

    Although they had won in the Egyptian province, that battle was commanded by Du Rui from beginning to end, and his relationship with Byzantium was not very big.

    Victories were achieved on both land and sea fronts, which boosted Constans II's confidence to the extreme. He immediately thought about how to command his troops and regain all the land that his father and ancestors had lost.

    But although Muawiya suffered a disastrous defeat, with the navy almost completely destroyed and the army losing tens of thousands, it was not damaged.

    Although the Byzantines came fiercely, they were blocked by the Arab army in Syria. For a time, the two sides were entangled, and no one could do anything to the other.

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    Du Rui never expected that the Byzantines could actually win, especially this time the commander of the Byzantine army was Pienaar. Du Rui and Pienaar had had several contacts, and they had been together in the Egyptian province.  In combat, I also know something about Pienaar and Du Rui. Although the other party is a good soldier, he is still far from a qualified commander. However, his command this time is very good and worthy of praise.  , especially the iron cable across the river, is even more amazing.

    However, the current situation between Byzantium and Arabia is more in line with the interests of the Tang Dynasty. As long as the two countries fall into this long-term war of attrition, the strength of both sides will be continuously weakened. When the Tang Dynasty is ready, come  It will also be easier to clean up the mess.

    Although the battlefield on the Western Front was in full swing, it had little to do with the Tang Dynasty. After occupying Kabul, the purpose of this Western Expedition had been completed, and Du Rui did not plan to enter the army again.

    Only pity Ibrahim?Mohammed spent the whole day in the city of Parese, always preparing for the attack of the Tang army. How could he know that Du Rui, the Tang army's coach, had never looked at Parese seriously.

    After resting for ten days in Kabul, the city defense of Kabul was also built amidst the busy work of the Li Te people. Du Rui's final attitude towards these Li Te people was to let them undergo labor reform. Since they chose to betray in the first place, they  You have to pay the price for your stupidity. Working for Tang Junbai, but you can save your life, which is an advantage for them.

    However, the Li Te people don't seem to appreciate it. They have been running away these days. Anyone caught by Du Rui will inevitably lose their lives. And those who escape will probably not get better. Going east from Kabul, they are all in the Gobi Desert.  In the desert, some places are uninhabited for thousands of miles, let alone oases. Even if you can escape from Kabul, you cannot escape the fate of death.

    Originally, Du Rui planned to return to the army immediately, but the soldiers of the Tang Army were already exhausted after experiencing a series of hard battles. Even though their morale was high, morale could not replace physical strength, and necessary rest was still indispensable.

    "Commander! The soldiers have packed their gear and are ready to go at any time. But what should those Li Te people do?" Xi Jun bought an internal report.

    Du Rui thought for a moment and decided to leave all the Li Te people in Kabul. Of course Du Rui was not willing to do so. All the Li Te people were speculators. Who knew what would happen if Ibrahim Mohammed waited until Du Rui returned?  After the division, when attacking again, make some promises to see if the Lit people will betray again.

    "Tell those Li Te people that they must go with us! Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed!"

    Xi Junmai didn't have a good impression of the Li Te people. Although Du Rui's order was a bit unkind, after all, the Li Te people would not be willing to let the Li Te people leave their homeland where they had lived for hundreds of years. But now the knife is in his hand.  In the hands of Tang Jun, if you don't want to, you will die.

    Du Rui¡¯s order was conveyed to the nobles among the Lit people, but these nobles only had such a name. After being robbed of wealth by the Arabs, their lives were worse than slaves.

    They originally thought that when the Tang army came, their hard life would be over. Although they were wrong first, they thought that the Tang people would always be tolerant and would treat them well. But who would have thought that the man they were waiting for would be a petty person.  There is no trace of the generosity and kindness common in ordinary Tang people in Du Rui, only harsh punishment.

    ????????????????????????????? However, it is not that the Lite people cannot bear being captured as coolies and building city defenses. After all, they have been playing the role of slaves for so many years, not even a few days.

    What they are looking forward to is the day when the Tang army leaves and they become the masters of Kabul again. Even if some of the Tang army will remain, the remaining Tang army will still have to rely on their strength to gain a foothold here.

    Now that Du Rui actually issued such an order, it was like a bolt from the blue to them.

    "General of the Celestial Dynasty! Kabul is the homeland where we, the Lit people, lived in the era. I beg the General of the Celestial Dynasty to allow us to stay and take care of the tombs of our ancestors."

    "General of the Celestial Dynasty! We have finally waited for someone from the Celestial Dynasty to come! Why do you want us to leave! Please have mercy on the General of the Celestial Dynasty!"

    "Yes! We won't leave. This is the place where our ancestors lived in their time. We will never leave!"

    Xi Junmai listened to the Li Te people's complaints, a sneer flashed across his lips, and said: "It is the commander's order to let you move with the army. If you have different opinions, you can go to the commander to discuss! But this  Shuai advises you to stop thinking about staying as soon as possible, otherwise~~~~~~"

    Xi Junmai didn't finish what he said, but it also scared the people of Li Te to shudder. However, some people did not believe in evil and shouted: "We will never leave Kabul, even if people from heaven come, we will not leave!"

    Someone stood up to object. The Li Te people who had been timid just now suddenly became more courageous and spoke out against it one after another.

    Among the Li Te people, an old nobleman did not say anything to stop Xi Junmai. He couldn't help but think that the Tang Dynasty had always regarded itself as a great country and had always been generous to foreigners. They were so noisy, as long as they were united as one, they would be  At that time, Marshal Du must have been helpless. After all, the law did not punish everyone, and we could not kill them all. Otherwise, no one could afford to be charged with murder.

    It has to be said that it is really a tragedy to give birth to a Li Te people at this age. They may have never heard of Du Rui's name at all. Will Du Rui worry about getting a reputation as a murderer?

    If he was worried, he would not have killed the Khitan people to annihilation, nor would he have killed the three Han people until they were inhabited. For Du Rui, he has no burden at all to kill all these Li Te people.  , if not thinking aboutIf the Tang Dynasty could get more free labor, Du Rui would not be so kind and use food to support these Li Te people.

    Seeing that Mr. Xi did not say anything, the Li Te people became more courageous. They jumped up one after another and rushed towards Du Rui's temporary commander's residence, wanting to ask Du Rui personally for orders.

    As if they felt that the resistance was effective, the Li Te people became more and more unscrupulous. When they arrived in front of the commander's mansion, they started making a lot of noise. However, what they were waiting for was not Du Rui's compromise, but hordes of Tang troops.  .

    The soldiers of the Tang Army were originally waiting with great anticipation for Du Rui to give the order to return because they could finally go home, but now their return home has been delayed because of these damn Li Te traitors.

    As soon as the Tang Army officers and soldiers who were angry in their hearts arrived in front of the commander's mansion, they immediately opened their swords and guns and aimed them neatly at the stunned Li Te people.

    At this moment, the door of the handsome manor opened, and Du Rui, dressed in military uniform, walked out. He looked coldly at Li Te, who was so frightened that he had already prostrated himself on the ground and waited. After a long while, he said: "You damn bastards."

    As soon as Du Rui spoke, not to mention those Li Te people, even the Tang army officers were stunned. Although his commander was a complete lunatic on the battlefield, he was a gentle and gentle nobleman in ordinary times. When had they seen him before?  Du Rui is so vulgar, he really can't stop talking without surprising.

    "You deserve to die for your crimes! Even if you die a hundred times, it will not be enough to atone for your sins. But God has the virtue of good life, so I have given you the opportunity. If you don't cherish it, I will let you  You understand, life or death, which one is really what you need!"

    When Du Rui spoke, there was no trace of emotion in his words, which made people feel cold from the bottom of their hearts. Most of the Li Te people were afraid. They regretted that they impulsively touched this murderous god.  brow.

    However, no matter when, there are some people who are not afraid of death, or who do not believe in evil. A middle-aged man jumped out and said: "General of the Celestial Dynasty! Even if you have many reasons, you are forcing us to leave the times to survive.  We cannot accept this and will never agree to it. We Lit people have survived and thrived in Kabul for hundreds of years. This is our hometown, and we will never accept the fate you impose on us."

    Hearing this, Du Rui smiled faintly and said, "Really?"

    Before the words were spoken, people only felt a flash of light in front of their eyes, and then they saw the head flying into the sky, the splattering blood, and the bloody sword in Du Rui's hand.

    It turns out that Du Rui was not joking!

    At this time, all the Li Te people were frightened. Although some people died because of fleeing before, the situation is different now. The one who killed them was the commander of the Tang Army. He started killing them all. Once he gave the order  , those Tang troops who were staring at them eagerly, couldn¡¯t~~~~~~~

    At the thought of this, all the Li Te people knelt down in unison, bowed to the ground, and trembled.

    Du Rui held up his sword, pointed at the Li Te people in front of him, and said coldly: "I will only give you one hour to prepare. After one hour, if you are still unwilling to leave, I will kill you with all my strength! Get out!"

    Now the Li Te people didn't dare to hesitate any longer. The headless corpse lying in front of them, and the head rolled aside and stained with dust, reminded them that Du Rui was a murderer without blinking an eye.  If you offend him, there will only be death.

    The Li Te people rolled away and ran away. Du Rui was about to enter the house when he saw Du Pingsheng running over and said, "Sir! Someone who claims to be a Byzantine envoy has arrived!"

    Hearing this, Du Rui frowned slightly. After thinking for a moment, he understood the Byzantine people's intention and said, "Invite them in!"

    Although even if they meet, there will be no results, but for now, the two parties still have a covenant with no restrictions. It will not be good if they avoid meeting.

    Not long after, a Westerner came in. His face was a little pale, and he had obviously seen the Li Te man who had been killed as a warning to others at the door.

    "Your envoy has traveled thousands of miles to come here. I don't know what he is doing!?" Du Rui opened his mouth first and asked.

    The Byzantine envoy bowed to Du Rui and said: "Your Majesty the Duke, I am John Sugallo, the envoy of His Majesty King Constans II. It is an honor to be received by you in person!"

    Du Rui smiled faintly and said: "Your Majesty, there is no need to be polite. If you have anything to do, just say it clearly!"

    Hearing this, Su Jialuo hurriedly said: "Your Majesty the Duke, when I came, I found that your soldiers were packing up. Are you ready to continue marching westward? Please forgive me for being rude!"

    Du Rui waved his hand and said: "No need to do this! My soldiers are indeed packing their bags, but we are not going to continue marching westward."??It's time to go home!  "

    "Go home!?" Sujialuo was shocked when he heard this and said hurriedly, "Are you saying that you have decided to withdraw the troops? Why is this? As far as I know, that cruel infidel Ibrasi Mohammed  We have been beaten to the point of being unable to fight back, and victory is just around the corner. With the troops withdrawing at this time, could it be that something unexpected happened?"

    Du Rui knew that Su Jialuo was testing him and said with a smile: "No! There has been no change. It's just that the soldiers of the Tang Empire have been far away from their hometown and have been fighting in this strange place for too long. Now I want to lead  They go home so that they can be reunited with their families. It's that simple. As for Ibrasi Muhammad! You were right just now. He no longer has the ability to fight back and will no longer pose a threat to the Tang Empire.  , naturally I no longer need to sacrifice the lives of soldiers to exaggerate my personal military glory!"

    Seeing that Du Rui seemed to have made up his mind, Sujialuo became anxious and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty the Duke! But my motherland is still at war with the evil Arabs. If you withdraw your troops at this time, you will be irresponsible to the Byzantine Empire!  Please take back your decision to withdraw your troops. We had an agreement at the beginning that your troops are obliged to cooperate with Byzantium in fighting! This is just before God!"

    Seeing Su Jialuo's accusation, Du Rui naturally lost his good attitude and stood up and said: "Your envoy said something wrong. It is not that the Tang Dynasty is obliged to cooperate with Byzantium in fighting, but that when the Tang Dynasty thinks it is in line with its own interests,  Only then will they cooperate with the Byzantine war, and the original covenant was not signed under the notarization of God. The person who presided over the signing ceremony of the covenant, as far as I know, is Mr. Galliani, the Archbishop of Shintoism in your country!"

    Su Jialuo is not a believer in Shintoism. He is a devout and somewhat crazy Christian. Whether it is Shintoism or Islam, in his opinion, they are symbols of evil, heretics, and should be burned at the stake.

    Fortunately, Sujialuo, as a professional diplomat, has not forgotten his mission. He forced himself to calm down and said: "Your Majesty the Duke! I think that now we can cooperate with the Byzantine war and eliminate the evil Arabs, which is completely in line with the interests of the Tang Dynasty!"

    When Du Rui heard this, he was stunned and said, "Oh! I really want to hear this!"

    Sujialuo thought for a moment and said: "Your Excellency the Duke! The Arabs stand on the main road of communication between the East and the West in the world. Her existence has hindered the communication between the East and the West. More importantly, the Arabs, whether it is Byzantium,  They are still a huge threat to the Tang Dynasty. They are aggressive and their greed can never be satisfied. Although the Tang Dynasty has some advantages at the moment, once the Arabs calm down, they will definitely  Here they extend their evil claws to the Tang Empire! Your Excellency, Duke, I think you don¡¯t want this to happen!¡±

    Although Du Rui was smiling on his face, he sneered at Sujialuo's words in his heart. Speaking of aggression, Byzantium and Arabia were also mutually exclusive, and there were many countries that were destroyed by the Romans.

    Seeing that Du Rui was silent, Sujialuo thought that Du Rui was moved by his words, and quickly continued: "Your Majesty the Duke! Now the Arabs are at their weakest, and you have won the battle on the Eastern Front. Likewise,  The great Byzantium also defeated the Arabs on the Western Front battlefield. At this time, as long as our two countries join hands and launch an attack together, the Arabs and their evil country will definitely not escape the fate of destruction. So I say,  Tang continued to march westward to support the interests of both parties!"

    Du Rui still smiled lightly and said: "Then Mr. Su Jialuo, how do you think I should join the army?"

    Du Rui suddenly acted like he was asking for advice humbly, which made Su Jialuo so happy that he couldn't help but forget himself. He felt that Du Rui had changed his mind due to his words. Now he had made a great contribution, and when he went back, he might  Can be made an earl or something.

    Su Jialuo coughed lightly and continued: "The Duke is a famous general. How dare Su Jialuo talk nonsense in front of the Duke. However, there are some suggestions that can be shared with the Duke."

    Du Rui didn¡¯t expect that Su Jialuo really treated him as a dish. He looked at the other person without saying a word.

    Su Jialuo felt good about himself, and continued: "I thought that Your Excellency, the Duke, could march with the army by water and drive directly to Damascus by land! Then pass through Baghdad, Syria, and go west to join the army of the Byzantine Empire, and then enter the Arabian Peninsula by water.  Capture Mecca. Mecca is a holy land in the eyes of the Arabs. As long as Mecca falls, the Arabs will be greatly frightened. When the time comes, victory will naturally be not far away!"

    Su Jialuo continued to talk eloquently for a long time, with a strong sense of scolding Fang Qiu. However, Su Jialuo's so-called strategic advance strategy was simply fart in the eyes of Du Rui, a military master, and it smelled bad.

      If we really attack the Arab Empire according to the march route mentioned by Sujialuo, unless Du Rui has a million troops in his hands, he also needs a prepared ship port and tens of thousands of skilled shipbuilders. Otherwise, even if  It's Du Rui, and he can't escape death.

    Du Rui stayed awake patiently until Su Jialuo finished farting, and then said: "According to what you said, there are a few things I don't understand. I hope you can help me answer them!"

    Su Jialuo put his hands behind his back and said confidently: "Excuse me, Your Excellency, Duke!"

    Du Rui nodded and said: "Okay! Excuse me, sir, if we march by water, where is my ship? Mecca is a holy land for Arabs, and its status is equivalent to that of Jerusalem to Christianity! It must be heavily defended. If we want to capture it,  We need an army of 400,000 at least. In addition to the ships used to transport troops, how to deal with the food and grass equipment? Also, marching by land requires a guide. I wonder if there are people in your country who are familiar with the roads? Where can we get food and grass for the same large army!? Please also ask  Your Excellency, answer it for me!¡±

    "What can Su Jialuo do? If his abilities were placed in the Central Plains, he would be a poor scholar at most. He was just overly excited for a moment and stepped in front of Du Rui to do whatever he wanted. Now when Du Rui asked him, he was speechless.

    Seeing that Su Jialuo was silent, Du Rui snorted coldly and said: "Your envoy can't answer, so I will tell you for you. If the Tang Dynasty continues to march westward, it will require at least a million troops. The Tang Dynasty has been at war with Arabia for half a year.  For a long time, they were already exhausted and unable to move. At this time, they continued to advance, which was clearly sending the Tang soldiers into the mouths of tigers and wolves. Even if they could capture Damascus and Baghdad, what could Datang gain? It would just help Byzantium contain Mu Mu.  Aviya¡¯s military strength is just so that your country can display it on the Western Front battlefield!¡±

    Su Jialuo was told by Du Rui and couldn't help but became a little anxious. He hurriedly said: "Your Majesty the Duke, even if you say this, but even so, as long as the Arab Empire can be destroyed, isn't this what we both expect?"

    Du Rui sneered: "No! The destruction of the Arab Empire is just what your country wants to see. Constans II wants to regain the lost territory of his father and ancestors. This has nothing to do with the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty has been fighting until now.  We have got everything we want, there is no need to continue to sacrifice the lives of soldiers for the Byzantines, so a truce and withdrawal is a choice that is in the interests of the Tang Dynasty!"

    Seeing that Du Rui still insisted on withdrawing his troops, Su Jialuo asked anxiously: "While considering its own interests, shouldn't the Tang Dynasty share the burden for its allies? The Tang Dynasty should not only look at itself, but also consider the interests of Byzantium.  !¡±

    Du Rui retorted: "No! I have no obligation to do that. Likewise, I have no right to ask the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty to sacrifice their lives for interests that do not belong to them. Okay! Mr. Su Jialuo! My meaning is very clear,  The interests of Datang are what I need to safeguard, other than that, everything else has nothing to do with me!"

    "So what should Byzantium do? We have sacrificed a lot for this war!" Sujialuo shouted anxiously.

    Hearing this, Du Rui stood up and said: "When the covenant was revised, I had made it clear to His Excellency the Duke of Pinar that both sides would go to war with the Arabs at the same time, and each would strive for their own interests after the war. Now that the Byzantine war is unfavorable, is your envoy right?  Are you going to impose this responsibility on the Tang Empire!?"

    Du Rui suddenly became angry, which made Sujialuo stunned. He suddenly realized that the alliance between Byzantium and the Tang Dynasty was a big joke. Constans II also imagined that the Tang army could continue to advance westward and attract Arabs.  In order to reduce the pressure of Byzantium's advance, Du Rui allowed Byzantium to act as a sandbag to attract attacks from the beginning. However, he launched a massive attack on the Eastern Front, almost overwhelming the Arab Empire.  The Eastern Province occupied.

    be cheated!

    You are definitely fooled!

    After Su Jialuo figured it out, he wanted to rebuke loudly, but found that he had nothing to blame. Everything Du Rui did was not in his hands, and it seemed that what Du Rui did  , all reasonable.

    The Tang army will not continue to march because it is not in the interests of the Tang Dynasty!

    For such a simple reason, the Byzantine Empire was abandoned.

    At this moment, Sujialuo suddenly felt a little desperate. Without the restraint of the Tang Dynasty on the eastern front, Byzantium would not have been able to defeat the Arab Empire. Although it could have an advantage in naval battles, on land, their Macedonian phalanx seemed to be outdated.  There is no match for the Mamluk cavalry at all.

    Seeing Su Jialuo's dejected look, Du Rui couldn't help but feel amused. Of course, he could not completely give up Byzantium. Before the Tang Dynasty had the ability to destroy the Arab Empire, the existence of the Byzantine Empire was still necessary.This is like a multiple-choice question, of course not for him, nor for Constans II, but for Muawiya. Choose one of the two enemies, one is the powerful Tang Dynasty, and the other is Muawiya.  Byzantium, which was in decline, had a mysterious East and a well-understood West. There was no doubt that Muawiya would choose which one as his opponent.

    "Your Excellency Su Jialuo! Although the Tang Dynasty cannot continue to send troops to the west! But~~~~~~~"

    When Su Jialuo heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up again, as if he saw hope again, and he hurriedly said: "Your Excellency, please speak!"

    Du Rui said: "After all, I am friends with His Excellency Duke Pinar, and I have a very friendly relationship with Mr. Galliani. Naturally, I cannot watch the Byzantine Empire in danger. In order to help the Byzantine Empire, of course, it is more important to help me."  Friends, I am willing to provide Byzantium with part of the Liquid Fire for free, as well as the Damascus scimitars captured by our army in this battle!"

    When Sujialuo heard this, he suddenly became excited. What excited him was not the flowing fire. Although the power of the flowing fire had been verified countless times on the battlefield, it has now become the Byzantine Empire's magic weapon to win when facing the Arab Empire.  However, no matter how good the liquid fire is, it can be purchased through trade. After all, the Byzantine Empire has been established for many years and the wealth accumulated is unimaginable by ordinary people.

    The Damascus scimitar was different. It was the most feared weapon of the Byzantine Empire on the battlefield. The metallurgical level of the Byzantine Empire was far behind that of the Arabs. Often when the two armies clashed, the Arab cavalry would kill Byzantine soldiers.  Come on, it¡¯s as easy as chopping melon equipment.

    The reason why the Damascus scimitar is so sharp is mainly because of its unique forging method.  Later scientists discovered through research that the unique pattern of the Damascus scimitar was actually composed of countless small serrations that were difficult to see with the naked eye. Because the density of each blade of the Damascus knife was different, small serrations were formed.  It is these small serrations that add to the power of the Damascus scimitar.

    Although the Damascus scimitar is famous today, it has not yet been listed as one of the three most famous swords in the world as it was in later generations. What really made it famous was that on September 3, 1191 AD, the main force of the Third Crusade marched in England.  Under the leadership of King Richard the Lionheart, they gradually approached Arsuf, an open flat land near the city of Jaffa, where the two romantic legendary heroes would meet and collide. The other protagonist of the legend is an equally powerful man.  The world-shaking Muslim king, his name was Saladin, was the founding monarch of the Ayub Dynasty. The greatest king and general in the Islamic world led his army against Richard.

    The two sides entered the battlefield one after another on September 4th and immediately began to set up their formations. For a time, the two armies formed battle formations. From a distance, they saw flags like a sea, spears like reeds, and shields like heavy walls.

    At this moment, Saladin¡¯s envoy rushed to the Crusaders¡¯ formation and shouted to invite Richard to come out and meet Saladin.  Richard happily rode out to meet Saladin. Apparently the two had a heated argument over the ownership of the Holy Land. In order to demonstrate to Richard, Saladin took out a veil and threw it into the air, and then pulled out his  The sword swung at the gauze scarf, and actually cut the almost weightless gauze scarf floating in the air into two halves.

    This spectacle greatly surprised Richard, who had seen countless famous swords in his life, and the accompanying knights. From that day on, a legend spread in Europe: There is an unknown metal material in the East, and it is forged with it.  The sword is extremely sharp.  And triggered the knights' endless desire for this kind of sword.

    Although the Damascus scimitar is not as famous as it will be in the future, it is still very much desired by the Byzantines. Seeing that Du Rui was actually willing to give the captured Damascus scimitar to Byzantium, Sujialuo was naturally very happy.
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