Chapter 66: The Fantasy of the Eastern Roman Empire

Constantinople, the Imperial Palace, and the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Philip Bicks is convening ministers for a meeting of the imperial court.

The ministers sat down and their servants brought delicious wine and delicacies. Philip Bex picked up the wine glass, took a sip of wine, and put down the wine glass. Then he said: "According to the exact information, the Dashi has been defeated by the ancient Tang Dynasty from the East. Their capital Damascus has fallen. Now is a good opportunity to recreate the glory of the Roman Empire! We are great descendants of Rome, and we must recreate the supreme glory of the Roman Empire!"

A fist clenched with his right hand, which was extremely excited, and his face was filled with unique brilliance.

"Recreate the supreme glory of the Roman Empire!" This is the goal of all the Byzantines who regard themselves as Roman descendants. The ministers were all energetic and shouted loudly, as if they had recast the pride of the Roman Empire.

"Your Majesty, we know nothing about the Tang Dynasty from the East. How should we deal with it?" Prime Minister Belu asked with some scruples.

"So many things? You must not lose your chances, but you will never come again. We should seize this opportunity to send troops and regain the land occupied by Dashi. Otherwise, once these lands fall into the hands of the Tang Dynasty, we will have no chance." General Sass shouted for advice.

Since Justinian consumed all the treasury of the Eastern Roman Empire, he could not even pay military salaries, which made complaints. The Eastern Roman Empire's army had to evacuate the land conquered by Justinian and hid in Constantinople. Even so, the Eastern Roman Empire could still retain a large area of ​​territory, rise up, and capture the lands of the Eastern Roman Empire, Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor.

This was a great shame for the Eastern Roman Empire, but it did not have the strength to take it back. Not only did it not mean that it did not have the strength to take it back, it was a striking attack on the Great Food. Once, the Great Food was in Constantinople and on the verge of destruction. If Constantinople had not been strong enough and the Greek fire was sharp enough, the Eastern Roman Empire would have been destroyed by the Great Food long ago.

The Eastern Roman Empire hated Dashi to the core and wanted Dashi to perish as soon as possible. Now, Dashi has really defeated the Tang Dynasty, the capital fell, the caliph was captured, and Dashi has reached the verge of destruction. It only takes a little time for the Tang army to eliminate the forces remaining in various places and control the entire territory of Dashi.

A god-given opportunity suddenly appeared in front of the Eastern Roman Empire, which was to take this opportunity to regain the land captured by the Great Food. This was the purpose of Philip Bix summoning the ministers to discuss.

Sars' proposal was immediately echoed, "Yes! Your Majesty, please issue an order, we will send troops now! No matter how long!"

Philip Bix wanted to take this opportunity to take back the land seized by the Dashi, then he would be a wise monarch who reappeared in the history of the Roman Empire and would be praised by future generations. Of course, it would be perfect if he took this opportunity to take back some benefits in addition to reclaiming the inherent territory.

Thinking of this, Philip Bicks felt his heart pounding, his face was a little hot, and he laughed: "For so many years, our Roman Empire has been suppressing the Great Food. Today is the time for us to be proud. I decided to send troops to recover Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt!"

"Recover Asia Minor! Recover Syria! Recover Egypt!" The ministers shouted loudly and were excited.

Prime Minister Belu was not very relieved: "Your Majesty, it is good to take this opportunity to take back our land. But what if the Tang Dynasty does not allow it, what should we do?"

"Then you still need to ask? Of course it's a fight! Swords and shields have created the glory of Rome. Do our swords and shields have rusted?" Sass asked loudly, and his words immediately received a response.

Beilu asked again: "General Sass, we don't need to think about how powerful their strength is, right? Even the big food cannot resist it. Can we still resist it? If the Tang Dynasty uses this as an excuse to attack us, the consequences will be unimaginable."

This is the truth, which is tantamount to a basin of cold water for the cheerful ministers. The ministers who were so dizzy that they were soaked up and looked at each other. It is too true that they can't even deal with the big food. How can they deal with the Tang Dynasty that defeated the big food like a whirlwind?

Seeing that the ministers were stumped, Belu said: "We don't know much about the Tang Dynasty, but only know that they are the starting point of the Silk Road. The Tang Dynasty produced silk and was our favorite thing. As for how sharp their swords were and how strong their shields were, we knew nothing about it. We should be friends with such powerful people, not enemies!"

He didn't say one thing, that is, "Being an enemy of such a powerful person is tantamount to seeking death!"

Sas swallowed with difficulty: "Then you can't watch our land belong to the Tang Dynasty! At least you have to send troops to try it!"

This is just a stubborn voice and arrogance, and this is said without any momentum.

Philip Bix laughed at the high ground: "Sass, where is your courage? With your courage, you want to lead the army to battle? Even if we are not as good as the Tang Dynasty on the battlefield, we have the strong Constantinople and the sharp Greek fire. If we can't defeat the Tang Dynasty on the battlefield, we can return to Constantinople to defend. With the strong and abundant food and grass of Constantinople, it will be no problem to stay for ten or eight years."

Needless to say, Constantinople was indeed the most solid city in the Western world at that time. The tall walls were an insurmountable obstacle, which protected the Eastern Roman Empire well. If there were no strong Constantinople, the Eastern Roman Empire would have perished countless times. It was precisely because of the existence of Constantinople that the Eastern Roman Empire lasted for thousands of years.

Everyone suddenly realized that they were all happy and praised Philippe Bicks' wisdom in unison.

Philip Bix listened to the ministers' frank words with pride, and his eyes were so happy that he turned his eyes open and closed. However, he did not expect that Damascus was no worse than Constantinople, and it was taken down by the Tang army without any effort. Can Constantinople withstand the bombardment of artillery?

Belle also had infinite faith in Constantinople, so I won’t say it anymore.

"Sas, you will immediately lead a hundred thousand troops!" Philip Bix suddenly threw the wine glass in his hand to the ground and shouted: "We must take back our land!"

"We will definitely take back our land!" The ministers smashed their wine glasses on the ground and shouted in unison.

So Sass led the 100,000 troops of the Eastern Roman Empire to start the action.

At the same time, Chen Wanrong has already met with Goshuhan in Damascus.

"Brother Geshu, your actions are too fast, right? I can't catch up even if I ride a horse!" Chen Wanrong flew on his horse and came forward, giving him a bear hug with Geshuhan. Since he parted in Samarkand, the two have not met for another three months.

Brother Shuhan patted Chen Wanrong's shoulder and said intimately: "Aren't I waiting for you here? Brother Chen, I'm so good enough, just waiting for you."

"You are waiting? You are urging! I originally wanted to see the scenery everywhere, but I urged you. Brother Brother Shu, how do you compensate me for my losses?" Chen Wanrong started to laugh.

Geshuhan laughed: "Yes! Two big foodies, why not?"

Chen Wanrong punched Geshuhan in the fist: "You use it yourself."

Zhang Jiuling and Han Xiu stepped forward and greeted Geshuhan. After the meeting, everyone went in to discuss matters. Chen Wanrong said directly: "Brother Geshu, since the end of the Battle of Samarkand, we only took three months to take down the capital of Dashi. This speed is a rare speed of destruction in history. You must know that Dashi is very large and its vast territory is not inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty. This is a miracle!"

Geshuhan smiled and said, "It's not that we are too fast, but that Dashi is too unscrupulous! As soon as the Battle of Samarkand ended, we pursued him relentlessly. Dashi had no time to assemble the army and could not organize effective defense. Until we arrived in Damascus, their caliphs did not mobilize the army from other places, and we went down in one go."

"This is a good thing!" Zhang Jiuling commented: "General Geshu is so magical to use troops! He doesn't give the enemy any chance to breathe, and the famous generals of ancient times cannot pass!"

After all, Geshuhan made great contributions to being able to defeat Dashi in such a short time. As Zhang Jiuling said, he could seize the opportunity of the fighter and would not give the enemy any breathing opportunity. After the war in Samarkand, the Tang army's pursuit was the best proof.

Han Xiu also agreed with this statement and agreed: "It's reasonable!"

Geshuhan shook his head and said, "The two lords have gone too far! I regret it now. At that time, I should have marched slowly and let the Caliph concentrate his army in Damascus. We can gather together and eliminate the trouble of scoring the troops."

The fall of Damascus had various benefits to the Tang Dynasty and had one disadvantage. That is, the army of Dashi did not gather and was not annihilated, and the next thing was to divide the troops and clear them out. This was indeed a trouble. If one was not good, it would cause a big problem.

Because of the vast territory and sufficient strategic depth, Damascus cannot be said to be over even if Damascus is taken down, and resistance will continue. This is something that any great power must experience during the demise.

If the Dashi was like the Eastern Roman Empire and the strategic depth was not enough and Damascus was taken down, the war would be over.

This division of troops is a major event. The more thorough the clearance is, the more the Tang Dynasty can gain a foothold in the Western Regions. If it cannot clear out the remaining forces of Dashi, the consequences will be very serious. Whether the Tang Dynasty can gain a foothold in the Western Regions is a big problem.

Geshuhan continued: "It is certainly a pleasure to take Damascus down. Because it was taken down too quickly, there are still many Dashi troops that have not been annihilated, which lays hidden dangers. What do you think should be dealt with?"

Zhang Jiuling's outstanding politics was reflected: "I think it's just eight words: both kindness and power, and both soft and hard. Taking Damascus is a good thing for the Tang Dynasty, which is certain! As for those troops, they can divide their troops to clear them. While clearing them, we must immediately carry out government affairs and implement the new policy of the Tang Dynasty. It was successful for us to implement the new policy in Khurasan. Although the time was short, the effect was still good. The local people welcomed the new policy of the Tang Dynasty."

The social system of the Tang Dynasty was much more advanced than that of Dashi. Just copying it is enough to make the people in Dashi return home.

"The people are water, the army is fish. If there is no water, the fish will die of thirst!" Zhang Jiuling said last.

Han Xiu agreed with his statement: "Mr. Zhang said very well. I think we have to do only two things at the moment, implementing the new policy and clearing out the remaining troops. To do these two things, there must be a place to issue orders. The Tang Dynasty should set up a Protectorate in the Western Regions. This matter can be reported to the emperor and the emperor will be sanctioned. What we need to do now is to prepare."

Chen Wanrong agreed with his proposal: "Mr. Han said very well, and I agree very much. How about it in Damascus?"

In terms of geographical location, Damascus is slightly in a little bit, and Baghdad is the best, but Baghdad is still a small town and has not yet been built into a metropolis, so it can only be placed in Damascus.

Geshuhan and the others agreed. Zhang Jiuling looked at Chen Wanrong and Geshuhan and said, "I wonder who is in charge of you here?"

Since we want to put the Protectorate here, Chen Wanrong and Geshuhan must have one person here to coordinate with all parties. Geshuhan and Chen Wanrong pointed at each other and said, "He!"

Geshuhan immediately gave the reason: "I am the Grand Marshal, and I should be the one who commanded the northern expedition. Besides, we only completed one task given to us by the emperor, and there is also an Eastern Roman Empire that has not been wiped out. If I don't go, who will go?"

Chen Wanrong retorted: "You are the Grand Marshal, and you should stay here to stay. Let me leave the Eastern Roman Empire."

"You are the military supervisor, you can't go!" Ge Shuhan took the initiative: "The military supervisor has no right to mobilize the army, it's just supervision."

Under normal circumstances, Geshuhan's statement is appropriate, but Chen Wanrong, the military supervisor, is different, and he has the right to mobilize the army. Chen Wanrong immediately said: "Brother Geshu, this is wrong. If I can't mobilize the army, why would the emperor ask me to lead reinforcements to the west? My military supervisor can not only mobilize the army, but also lead the army to fight!"

This is the truth. When it comes to war, Chen Wanrong is not as good as Ge Shuhan, but it will not be much worse. At least he is not a mediocre general, Ge Shuhan was speechless for a moment.

Zhang Jiuling smoothed out: "Two, it's important to discuss matters, don't make these useless disputes. It's better for General Geshu to stay. In Damascus, the war is basically gone. General Geshu stays here to stay and prepare for the next stage of the battle. Although Dashi has not perished, it is basically perished. However, Dashi is too big, and the Tang Dynasty cannot cross the Mediterranean immediately and attack the Western Roman Empire. It has to wait until the situation of Dashi stabilizes."

This is necessary, but attacking the Western Roman Empire was something that people yearn for. Geshuhan asked anxiously: "How much time will it take?"

"At least one or two years, it takes three or five years." Han Xiu pondered for a moment and gave the answer.

It is a miracle that an empire as huge as Dashi can stabilize within three to five years, and I cannot ask for more. Although Geshuhan was unwilling to wait, he had to agree and said, "In this case, let's wait for three to five years first! I have sent someone to clear this matter."

Pointing to the map, Geshuhan introduced in detail: "This place has Mecca, the birthplace of the prophet. I guess it should be the most difficult to deal with. Therefore, I sent General Yang Sixu to command 50,000 troops to clear it out."

Mecca is located in the Arabian Peninsula and has a very vast territory. In addition, it is Muhammad's hometown, and the Islamic power there is not small, so there will be a bloody battle. More importantly, if you want to eliminate these loyal forces, you must have a person with a very strong mind. Among these generals, Yang Sixu has the toughest mind, and it would be better to send him there.

Although the Arabian Peninsula is vast, due to the fall of Damascus, the morale of Dashi was greatly affected. 50,000 Tang troops could solve the problem, and everyone had nothing to worry about.

Geshuhan pointed to Egypt and said, "Here, General Gao Xianzhi led 20,000 troops to go. The Roman Empire conquered this place, but only a few thousand people were solved. There would be no problem with our 20,000 people."

There is no need to doubt Gao Xianzhi's military talent, so he naturally feels relieved. Chen Wanrong and the others kept nodding.

Geshuhan looked at Chen Wanrong and shook his head helplessly and said, "The north borders the Eastern Roman Empire. I originally wanted me to go there myself. It seems that it is cheaper for Brother Chen. Many of the lands in Dashi are from the Eastern Roman Empire. I guess if the Eastern Roman Empire receives news, there will be trouble. Maybe they want to take back their previous land. Therefore, if you need to collect more land north, you have to bring some troops. One hundred thousand should be necessary."

Chen Wanrong shook his head and said, "Brother Geshu, you don't need so much, 50,000 is enough. The Eastern Roman Empire is not big and there is little room for maneuver. We should take this opportunity to go north to collect land and defeat the Eastern Roman Empire. As long as Constantinople falls, the Eastern Roman Empire will be destroyed. There is no need to be like Dashi. It will take several years to stabilize the situation.

"Constantinople is the throat connecting the West, and we should build a base that can be used. I would like to ask Lord Han to go with me. At that time, attack the Western Roman Empire, board the ship from Egypt by water, cross the Mediterranean Sea, and set off from Constantinople by land. The attacks from two routes will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Geshuhan immediately expressed his support: "If you have a good idea, you will have Lord Han."

Han Xiu said happily: "What an honor Han Xiu can participate in such a grand event!"

Geshuhan frowned and asked, "Brother Chen, are you a little too few to bring 50,000 troops? Although the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire is not as big as before, there is little room for maneuver, it is still a thousand-year-old country and should not be underestimated."

The Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, was about the same size as the current Turkey after repeated losses. It had no strategic depth and had too little room for maneuver. However, the Eastern Roman Empire at that time was a descendant of the Romans, while the current Türkiye was a descendant of the Turks.

After the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Turks, a tribe called the Ottomans of the Turks was unwilling to surrender to the Tang Dynasty and migrated westward. Later, this Turkic tribe established the famous Ottoman Empire. After the decline of the Ottoman Empire, the current Turkey was founded. It is now recognized that the Turks are descendants of the Turks.

Because the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Turks, the ancestor of the Turks, it was because Türkiye has always been unfriendly to China, and this is the reason.

Chen Wanrong said confidently: "Brother Brother Shu, don't worry, 50,000 is enough!"

Ge Shuhan thought for a while and stopped talking. Chen Wanrong stood up and said, "It's not too late to collect land. Lord Han, let's go now."
Chapter completed!