Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4839 Framing the blame
Fu Yulong was confused.

Abu Awal is not a fool. Even if he was an unruly person, upon learning that more than a hundred warships of the Tang Navy had traveled across the ocean and were coming in full force, he would definitely be on high alert and order his soldiers to be patient and retreat and not to cause conflict. Where did so many opportunities come from?
In the past, if you slapped someone, they wouldn’t fight back. After you slapped them on the left cheek, they would even offer you their right cheek so you could slap them to your heart’s content…

Yang Zhou drank his tea slowly and smiled, "How difficult is that? When the time comes, you can find two natives, have them wear our military uniforms and put them on the boat. Then, you can sail forward to negotiate with the Arabs. When they are not prepared, you can push the natives into the sea and drown them, and then you can severely reprimand them and take the opportunity to attack them... so that they will be caught off guard."

Fu Yulong: "..."

This kind of thing had been done before when Baekje was at its peak, and between it and Goguryeo and Silla. I never thought that a general from the Tang Dynasty would do the same...

Yang Zhou raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "Why, do you feel it's shameful? Or do you feel it's unbearable to kill the natives like this?"

"No, no, no. As the saying goes, all is fair in war. The army only cares about victory. Any means can be used as long as the goal is achieved. Besides, the lives of the natives are not even as valuable as cats and dogs. It is the supreme honor to let them contribute their lives to the hegemony of the Tang Dynasty!"

Fu Yulong shook his head like a rattle. He had already considered himself a complete Tang person, inside and out. How could he feel sorry for a few natives? The natives here had caused a lot of trouble when the Tang army built Xun Port. These savage natives had no sense of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and moral standards. They only saw the law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest. Living was a waste of food and there was no need for them to exist!
Then he rubbed his hands together and said with a smile: "General, please leave this matter to me. I will definitely handle it properly and let you have a legitimate reason for your actions!"

Although he had not been in Zhenguan Academy for a long time, he had read a lot of military strategies of the Tang Dynasty and was well aware of the principles of "justification" and "having a legitimate reason"...

Yang Zhou laughed loudly: "Okay! Let's work together to do something great on this sea border thousands of miles away from the Tang Dynasty, to protect China, to promote our national prestige, and to let all the barbarians in the world know that the power of the Tang Dynasty is inviolable!"

"The general is mighty! The Tang Dynasty is mighty!"

*****
Although the fleet traveled thousands of miles across the ocean, they could get supplies at many ports built by the Tang Navy along the way, so they did not suffer much damage and were repaired in just three days. The cannons, muskets, thunder bombs, bows and crossbows on the ship had been tested and were all ready for battle. The three-story deck of the "Prince of Wei" looked like a giant in the harbor. The rackets at the bow, stern and both sides of the ship were erected high. This was a weapon for close combat. The iron blocks hanging from the rackets could smash small boats into pieces and severely damage large ships, which was more useful than thunder bombs.

Not to mention that the lower deck is equipped with dozens of cannons, and a single salvo can destroy a small fleet...

The fleet was ready and could be put into battle at any time. Fu Yulong took dozens of soldiers and drove a warship northwest along the coast. After passing through the winding waterway, they entered the calm Persian Gulf and headed straight for the port of Shirov on the northern coast of the Gulf.

After entering the Persian Gulf from the strait, most ships from the East sailed along the northern coastline. After arriving at the port of Shiraf, they sold goods to the Persian merchants who gathered there, and then bought local goods from here and shipped them back to the East. A few ships continued westward to the port of Uraca in the Mesopotamian region.

After the fall of Persia, the Arab Empire occupied this place, which made the trade grow stronger. However, due to the heavy taxes levied on Tang merchant ships and the killing of Tang merchants, merchant ships from Tang, India and other places were almost extinct. Only local merchant ships from the port of Shilafu came in and out, causing the huge port to be empty and depressed.

As Fu Yulong approached the port of Shiraf by ship, he saw that the port was densely packed with warships, and several warships came forward to block the way.

"I am here under the order of Yang Zhou, the general of the Tang Navy, to meet with the Governor of Shilafu Port and present my credentials. You must lead the way and not obstruct me!"

Fu Yulong stood at the bow and loudly expressed his intention in Chinese, without caring whether the other party could understand him or not.

The Tang Dynasty navy roamed the oceans and left its footprints in every sea. It had long been strictly ordered that no matter which country it negotiated with, it must speak Chinese and write Chinese characters, and it would never accommodate any country. If a country did not understand, it would find an interpreter on its own.

In this way, Chinese language and Chinese characters can be promoted more widely in the world. This extremely overbearing military order was supported by the civil officials in the court, who believed that it was a good deed to "prosper Chinese studies" and would help billions of people in the world to be immersed in Chinese civilization...

Because of the power of the Tang Dynasty, most places around the world that have dealings with the Tang Dynasty have interpreters who are proficient in Chinese.

Apparently, there were such people on the Arab warships. After understanding Fu Yulong's words, the generals on the ship were sweating profusely and asked the interpreter to come out and shout, "Since it is a negotiation between the two countries, you should submit the credentials first and wait for the governor to choose a time to meet you. How can you come here without telling me?"

Buyeo Long, the "Baekje traitor", enjoyed the superiority brought by his Tang identity and knew how to use the power of others to bully others. He stood on the bow with his nose in the air and said arrogantly, "The Tang Dynasty is the country of justice and the ruler of the world. When the Tang Dynasty's letter arrives, even the Caliph will go out of the city to welcome it. How dare a mere governor put on airs? If he doesn't come to greet me, I will go to meet him myself. All of you get out of the way!"

He did not care that several warships were blocking the way in front of him and ordered the sailors to maneuver the boats and ram them straight into them.

The Arab sailors were also angry after hearing the interpretation. Although the Tang Dynasty was powerful and invincible, on what basis could it be called the "country of justice" and the "master of the world"?

You are the "Lords of the World", what is my Kingdom of the Arabs?
Even the arrogant Roman Empire, which considered itself "the first under God", did not dare to say so!

Although the order was not to clash with the Tang army under any circumstances, he was still furious at this time. Seeing the other side driving the boat to ram him unreasonably, he thought to himself that I could not fight back if you hit me, but I can't just wait to be sunk and drowned if you drive the boat to ram me, right?
Several ships then quickly maneuvered and adjusted their hulls, sandwiching the Tang warships that were colliding head-on, intending to "escort" them out of the port and drive them away. In this way, even if they couldn't fight back, the Tang people would not find fault, and their own governor would not punish them...

However, just as they clamped on, they saw a panicked scream from the Tang warships, and someone "splashed" into the water. The Arab sailors laughed. How dare such a soldier call himself "the master of the world"? As a sailor, he couldn't even stand steadily. It was so funny!
When some Tang soldiers jumped into the sea and finally pulled the person out of the water, they put him on the deck and surrounded him shouting loudly. The laughter of the Arab sailors stopped abruptly, and they felt something was wrong. They quickly asked the interpreter what was going on.

The interpreter's face turned pale, and his lips trembled: "It seems that... he drowned?"

"what?!"

The Arab sailors' eyes widened in shock and they couldn't believe their ears. Was this the invincible Tang Dynasty navy that roamed the East Ocean?
Will you drown if you fall into the water?

"This, this, this..."

After the shock, the sailors were filled with fear. The Governor's orders were still ringing in their ears, "No conflict with the Tang army, and no reason to start a war with the Tang army." They heard it clearly. The empire was now fully preparing for a war with the Eastern Roman Empire. During this period, absolutely no accidents were allowed to occur. Naval battles with the Tang Dynasty were strictly prohibited.

But now some Tang soldiers are drowned?!

How could he drown?
The Arab sailors were almost frightened to death. Some of them shouted, "No, no, how can they drown so easily? Could this be a conspiracy by the Tang people?"

"Yes, yes, yes. You say death is death? We need to check!"

The interpreter told Tang Jun about this request. He thought Tang Jun would refuse, but he agreed with a look of grief and indignation...

Several Arab sailors jumped onto the Tang warship, looked at the two soldiers lying on the deck, squatted down and checked them carefully, and found that they were indeed dead. They opened their eyelids and observed their pupils, but found nothing abnormal. They were deader than dead.

A Arab sailor felt something was wrong and pointed at the dead soldier and asked, "Why does this man have curly hair and dark skin?"

The Tang people had straight hair and yellow skin...

The short, strong and muscular Tang army stared, "Do you think the Tang army is only made up of Han people? The Tang Dynasty dominates the world, and all the people in the world are submissive. The Japanese, Goguryeo, Baekje, Turks, Kunlun slaves... all gathered under the dragon flag of the Tang Emperor and swore allegiance to him. Not only are there curly-haired people, but there are even white people from the Far North! You rammed my ship and caused the death of my comrades, but now you are accusing the dead comrades of not being soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. This is simply outrageous! Brothers, let's return to the ship and tell the general about this matter. Please make the decision for us and declare war on the Arab Empire!"

"Declare war! Declare war!"

"eye for eye!"

The Tang army on the boat raised their arms and roared, their morale was high.

The Arab sailors were pale as they were driven back to their warships, watching helplessly as the Tang warships turned around, left, and gradually disappeared into the vast bay...

"How to do?"

The Arab sailors looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

"Go back and report the truth. What else can we do? Our families are still in the harbor. If we run away, they will probably be skinned alive by the Governor..."

With the brutality of Governor Abu Awal, he could really do such a thing...

The sailors on several ships were all dejected and terrified, but they had to return to the port and report to their superiors the drowning of Tang soldiers.

The superiors immediately realized that something serious had happened and did not dare to conceal it, so they reported it to higher levels.

Soon, the news was reported to the Governor's Office in Shiloh Port...

Abu Awal was sitting in the study of the Governor's Mansion, drinking the finest tea produced in the Tang Dynasty. The tea sets were all made of Xing kiln white porcelain, as thin as a cicada's wing and as white and smooth as jade. He raised his little finger and stroked his curled beard with his thumb and index finger, looking relaxed and contented. This was the truly noble enjoyment.

When the deputy general came in to report the news on the sea, the governor, who was horrified, accidentally knocked over the white porcelain teacup, and the emerald green and fragrant tea spilled all over the floor...