Chapter 5351 Divide and Conquer

Denila asked urgently, "What did the Tang army say?"

The official took a breath and quickly replied, "The Tang army commander has allowed us to withdraw from the city and the two sides have agreed to a temporary ceasefire. However, they have promised the city lord that he can take all the money and silk, but he must leave the grain and fodder inside the city. Otherwise, there is no point in discussing anything else."

Denilari was furious: "Does the Tang army really think that the defenses of Mosul are made of paper?"

Etir, standing nearby, reminded him, "This is not the time for the city lord to act rashly; preserving our strength is the top priority."

The Tang army is advancing steadily, and the defending troops are retreating one after another. Since the battle started this morning, they have already lost half of the city. It won't be long before they reach the palace. What's the use of you being stubborn at this point?

He who knows the current affairs is a hero!

Denirari glared at him: "Which side are you on?"

Ethil sighed and said, "The Tang army is unstoppable. Even if we Assyrians are wiped out, the Caliph won't praise us for our loyalty. Instead, he'll give our Assyrian land to other tribes that need to be won over. Since the Tang army's target is Damascus and the Caliph, why should we fight them to the death?"

He paused, then reminded him, "Lord of the city, don't forget, the eldest prince is still in the hands of the Tang army!"

Denila asked, “Adad is my son, but why do I always feel that you are more anxious than I am?”

Ethel snapped, "What time is it? Can the city lord stop spouting this nonsense? Hurry up and make a decision!"

Denilari scratched his head and sighed, "It's just a grumbling and a discontented rant. What right do we have to do with it? Send the order: withdraw the battle line one arrow's length back, and have the rear guard transport the collected money and silk out of the west gate and retreat westward to the city of Marie."

Etir thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Mari is on the west bank of the Frith River, and the river will keep the Tang army at bay. It's a good place."

Denilari gritted his teeth and said, "The first thing we'll do after we retreat to Marie is destroy all the bridges over the Frieza River!"

If the Tang army had not underestimated the enemy and failed to destroy the pontoon bridge in time, it would have required a great deal of manpower and resources to cross the Tigris River. Mosul would have been able to prepare at its own pace, and whether it had held its position along the river or attacked while the river was crossing, it would not have lost its advantage as it has now.

……

Inside the city of Mosul, a fierce battle raged between the two sides.

Although the Assyrian army was inferior to the Tang army in terms of equipment, tactics, and troop quality, it fought tenaciously and fearlessly because it was fighting on its homeland and defending its home. Even though it was being defeated by the Tang army, it was still fighting tenaciously and fearlessly.

A people with a long history who have lived on this land for thousands of years still possess an indomitable spirit, even in their weakest period.

However, the Tang army suddenly intensified its offensive, and the Assyrians gradually could not resist and suffered heavy casualties.

When Denilari's orders reached the various units, the Assyrians' morale collapsed instantly. Soldiers fighting on the front lines even threw down their weapons and ran away, causing the defensive line to crumble in an instant.

Half the city was filled with the Assyrian army, which was retreating like a tide towards the west gate...

Fortunately, the Tang army kept its promise and did not take advantage of the chaos to pursue the enemy. Instead, it steadily and gradually took over the positions left behind by the Assyrians after their retreat, until it controlled the west gate at sunset, and the entire city of Mosul fell into the hands of the Tang army.

Xue Rengui and Wang Xiaojie rode to the west gate. Looking at the grain and fodder scattered all over the ground, the former laughed and said, "This Denilali is actually quite trustworthy."

Wang Xiaojie was still lamenting, "Why bother talking to them? The city walls have been breached, and the Assyrians inside are nothing but fish in a barrel. If we could wipe them all out, we could definitely seize a lot of money and silk!"

Xue Rengui dismounted and beckoned Wang Xiaojie to climb the city wall together. Gazing at the Assyrians receding westward like a tide on the distant horizon, he smiled and said, "The so-called 'enemy of my enemy' is my friend. The Assyrians' homeland was conquered by the Arabs, and they had no choice but to swallow their anger due to their military might. They are not of one mind with the Arabs. Rather than annihilating the Assyrians at the cost of casualties and helping the Arabs clear this land, it would be better to let the Assyrians continue to take root here."

Wang Xiaojie was puzzled: "Since the Assyrians have already submitted to the Arabs because of their military power, do they still dare to rebel against the Arabs?"

"There's no need for the Assyrians to rebel. If this strategic objective is achieved, and the agreement to make Mosul a port for trade with the Tang Dynasty is included in the signed contract, what do you think Damascus will think?"

Wang Xiaojie thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "This is like inserting a knife into the heart of the Arab world!"

There is now a common understanding throughout the world that the Tang people brought order and wealth wherever they went. The Tang army's presence throughout the country was to maintain order in trade between various regions and the Tang Dynasty. Stable order naturally led to commercial prosperity. While Tang merchants made huge profits, other regions also reaped enormous benefits as a result.

As long as Mosul City trades with the Tang Dynasty, it can amass a large amount of wealth in a short period of time. If it also secretly purchases armor and weapons from the Tang Dynasty, its strength will naturally increase dramatically.

Once the Assyrians, who controlled the upper reaches of Mesopotamia, gained power, how could they still be as subservient and obedient to the Arabs as before?
Conversely, how could the Arabs stand idly by and watch the Assyrians grow stronger and escape their control?
The Assyrians didn't need to rebel on their own; the Arabs would force them to.

"Divide and conquer" and "divide and rule" have always been the Tang Dynasty's go-to methods for dealing with local power struggles. They seem simple, but in reality, they are based on a deep understanding of human nature and have never failed.

Xue Rengui patted the arrow stacks in front of him: "It's not just the Assyrians, but also the Amorites east of Damascus, the Akkadians and Sumerians in the lower reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers... These ancient tribes have lived on this fertile land for thousands of years. Although they gradually declined and were conquered by the Persians and Arabs, how could they be willing to be swallowed up and erased by foreign tribes? When the Arabs were powerful, they had to be servile and live a life of ignominy in order to survive. But once they had the opportunity to strengthen themselves and say 'no' to the Arabs, they would never let it go."

Wang Xiaojie exclaimed in admiration, "General, you're setting fire to the heart of the Arab world! Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

The Arabs were based in the deserts of the southern peninsula, but as their conquests spread in all directions, the fertile Mesopotamian region became the center of their empire.

However, this land, which the Arabs had conquered only a few decades ago, was not yet completely subjugated by Arab rule, and many ancient tribes still had the strength to fight back. Complete genocide was unrealistic; the only option was to use cultural, military, and economic means—in the hope of gradual assimilation—in the hope of achieving complete integration.

Now the Tang Dynasty supports these tribes, does not want their territory, does not require their submission, and can even offer significant discounts on various goods when engaging in trade...

It would be a pipe dream for the Arabs to complete the assimilation of Mesopotamia step by step, but they could not give up their rule over such a fertile land.

Therefore, war was inevitable.

Xue Rengui said with a sigh, "How could I have come up with such a strategy? Before this battle, the Grand Commandant had already seen through everything and made plans for the next twenty years in Mesopotamia. During this period, the Arabs will have to continue to support the century-long war with Byzantium while also being overwhelmed by the war in Mesopotamia. They will have no energy left to cause trouble for the Tang Dynasty."

Wang Xiaojie fully understood the significance of this battle: "The fact that the only country in the world that could rival the Tang Dynasty was mired in war gave the Tang Dynasty an opportunity for peaceful development. Twenty years later, the Tang Dynasty will break through a certain bottleneck and reach a completely different level. Perhaps by then the Abbasid Caliphate will have extricated itself from the war, but the Empire will completely crush it with an aloof attitude."

Xue Rengui laughed and said, "That's exactly right!"

He raised his finger and pointed to the Assyrian army gradually disappearing on the horizon in the afterglow of the setting sun: "Any war initiated should not be a simple killing, conquest, or enslavement, but should serve a higher political purpose. We soldiers use our blood and lives to achieve victory in a war on the battlefield, but behind this, we use our flesh and blood to contribute to the development of the country."

In his reflection, he recalled a sentence Fang Jun had once said, and then spoke to Wang Xiaojie with feeling: "When the empire is in its golden age, and the people live in peace and contentment, we should stand guard on the frontier and carry on the burden for all of that."

……

That night, the Tang army that entered the city did not go into the houses, but instead lay down on the ground in the street, with squads of soldiers patrolling back and forth, guarding against any unforeseen events.

Although a verbal agreement was reached with the Assyrians, no one knew whether there were hidden soldiers in the houses throughout the city, who might suddenly attack from the inside at night... In the army, there are no small matters; any minor hidden danger must be investigated and avoided, otherwise, there is a high possibility of annihilation.

Fortunately, the Assyrians did not dare to provoke the Tang army and did not resort to any tricks.

The next morning, Xue Rengui had just finished washing up and was having breakfast in the palace when an Assyrian envoy was brought in, representing Denilali to discuss the ransom of his two sons, one dead and one alive...

Before Xue Rengui could speak, Wang Xiaojie rushed in and said first, "One dead, one alive. The dead one is worth five thousand gold coins, and the alive one is worth ten thousand gold coins. This is the price we agreed on beforehand, fair and square! Also, go back and tell your chief that we will have to expend a lot of manpower and effort to take care of this dead and the alive one, so every day the price increases by two thousand for the dead one and by one thousand for the alive one!"

Xue Rengui shook his head. Since Wang Xiaojie cared so much about the ransom, he would just wash his hands of it.

The envoy was somewhat taken aback: "Why is it that the price of a living animal only increases by one thousand, while the price of a dead animal increases by two thousand?"

Wang Xiaojie said irritably, "Live horses can be fed some horse manure so they won't starve, but dead ones need to be preserved with quicklime and other things to prevent them from rotting and smelling bad, which naturally costs more. Don't you understand this simple principle?"

messenger:"……"

Well then, if I go back and report to the city lord, I wonder if he'll throw a tantrum and feed me horse manure or simply pickle me up...