With the wolf-head banner fluttering, the Qarluk cavalry, led by Shiliyehu, arrived at the Suiye River, upstream of the Arab coalition forces.

The two sides were no more than fifty miles apart.

The Arab Khorasan cavalry sent out 10,000 cavalry to guard against the sudden attack of the Qarluk cavalry.

The armies of Kucha, Yanqi, Khotan, Hanhai and Tianshan had already crossed the Suiye River one step ahead of the Qarluk cavalry, circled to the west of the Khorasan cavalry and cut off their retreat.

These Anxi Beiting troops were led by main generals such as Zhang Yuanhong, Cheng Qianli, and Bi Sichen, with Li Siye, Lun Weizhen, Bai Xiaode and others as deputies.

It's a strong lineup.

Li Xuan had already formulated a tactic. At the critical moment, he needed to listen to the command of Zhang Yuanhong, the deputy envoy of Beiting Jiedushi, so that Anxi and Beiting could work together.

The Anxi and Beiting armies were already strong. Their infantry, Modao troops, and archers dismounted, and the cavalry stood by to form a barrier. Even if they could not defeat the counterattack of the Arab coalition, it was still easy to stop them for a while.

Because the cavalry of the Anxi Jinglüe Army and the Great Wall Army were all responding to the Anxi Qiuci Army and the Qarluk Army, they were getting closer to the camp of the Arab coalition forces.

At the same time, the soldiers of Suiye City and the coalition forces of Anxi countries were also approaching the Arabs.

This is a tighter enclosure!

It also completely cut off the large amount of food supplies coming from the ancient Silk Road of Qianquan, and captured some convoys and camel caravans that were transporting food and fodder.

The food and fodder that Ziyad ibn Sari had would be exhausted within two months.

Now it was the turn of the countries in the river to be dumbfounded.

The Arab coalition forces advanced towards Anxi with great momentum and might, with the aura of swallowing up the world.

Not only did they not gain any advantage, they were also surrounded by more Tang cavalry.

Their scouts went to investigate and saw nothing but smoke and dust everywhere.

The road to Anxi was not smooth, and it would take time for the Tang army to deploy its troops.

Now more than 100,000 Tang coalition forces have surrounded them. It is clear that they have been prepared and are waiting for the Arabs to exploit them.

The countries in the river have already understood that this is a trap set by General Tian.

After defeating the Arab expeditionary force, General Tian will definitely expand the power of the Tang Dynasty to the west of Congling.

Because the Tang Dynasty had too many cavalrymen, they harassed the enemy every day and killed them repeatedly.

They witnessed with their own eyes that the powerful Khorasan cavalry was always defeated by the small cavalry of the Tang army.

Although the Tang army's war horses are slightly shorter, the figures wearing bright armor on the horses have become a nightmare for the soldiers of the countries in Hezhong.

Some generals of the Transoxiana countries believed that it was impossible for the Arabs to defeat the Tang Dynasty, and it would even be difficult to escape back along the Qianquan Ancient Road.

With this feeling, after receiving the message from the Tang Dynasty, the states of Bukhara, Cao, An and others immediately replied to express their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty.

The thieves had no choice but to move eastward.

They were telling the truth. During the period of the Four Caliphs, the Caliphate was able to tolerate Persianism (Baihuo religion became Persianism, and before that there were too many sensitive words, so I was locked up in a small dark room for most of the day).

But when the flag of the Arabs turned white, the pagans were driven out under the iron hoof of the Arabs.

When the flag of the Caliphate turned black, its caliph Abu Abbas still called himself a butcher, which also meant that the Caliphate would be even more intolerant of pagans and would sooner or later make them forget Persianism.

In comparison, Bukhara, Sogdia and other countries trusted the Tang Dynasty, which was like a vast ocean with hundreds of rivers.

Ziyad ibn Sari had spies in the Transoxiana states and soon learned that Bukhara, Bukhara, and Sogdia were planning to rebel.

He immediately ordered the military camps of Bukhara, Bukhara and Sogdia to be on guard.

When the situation with the Tang Dynasty was on the verge of a war, the Arabs no longer had the opportunity to destroy Bukhara and Sogdia.

Even Bukhara and Sogdia had less than 10,000 people.

But ten thousand people are not ten thousand pigs. They are already prepared. As long as they hold out in the camp for a while, the Tang army will take the opportunity to attack.

There was another force in the Transoxiana coalition, the Sixteen Kingdoms of Transoxiana, which was the Tocharian region.

They were too close to the Khorasan region and had already defected to the Arabs, even converting to Arab religion.

They considered the Arabs more powerful.

But reality gave them a loud slap in the face.

General Tian is not afraid of the Arabs, but he is so cunning and shrewd that he is now in an extremely passive position.

The Arab expeditionary force, excluding logistics, had 100,000 people.

There were 30,000 Khorasan cavalry, 50,000 Khorasan infantry and archers, and 20,000 Transoxiana coalition forces.

After the siege and small-scale battles, there are less than 75,000 Arabs left.

The armies of Bukhara, Bukhara and Sogdia rejoined the Tang Dynasty, and there were only more than 8,000 people left in the Transoxiana coalition.

As one side gained strength while the other lost, they had almost no chance of winning against a cavalry far superior to theirs.

Ziyad ibn Sari could only wait for the governor of Khorasan to send him a plan.

He betrayed the trust of the Governor of Khorasan, but he had to preserve a lot of strength. As long as he could escape unscathed, he would be able to rest in peace even if he died.

In Ziyad ibn Sa's mind, the Governor of Khorasan was equal to the Prophet.

"Give orders to the infantry to guard the camp well, and the cavalry to stay with their horses even when they are resting, and be on guard against the Tang army's surprise attack at any time. If our army can stop the Tang army's full-scale attack, victory will still belong to us."

As the commander-in-chief, Ziyad ibn Sari could not lose his composure.

Even though he was waiting for a message from the Governor of Khorasan, he was still unsure.

After being surrounded by more than 100,000 cavalrymen, Ziyad ibn Sari knew that they had lost the opportunity to take the initiative.

The Tang army had so much armor, both light cavalry and iron cavalry.

As it turned out, Ziyad ibn Sari had to admit that they had underestimated the Tang cavalry.

They still have more than 20,000 Khorasan cavalry left. Facing the Tang cavalry coalition, they will soon be defeated if they do not have the advantage of time and place.

Therefore, Ziyad ibn Sari wanted to strengthen the construction of the camp, rely on the Suiye water, fight against the Tang Dynasty and survive.

But the premise of all this is that the Tang Dynasty is willing to attack the Arab camp.

And Li Xuan has just this kind of patience.

"The Sogdian states and Bukhara have turned against us again. When we return to Samakan, we will definitely massacre them." A general of the Arabs said with murderous intent and resentment.

The Bactrian Khans should not be hated. After all, they were the closest Transoxiana country to the Tang Dynasty on the Silk Road and had always been subservient to the Tang Dynasty.

But the rebellion in Bukhara and the Sogdian states was not the first or second time.

During the time of the White Caliphate, even though the Sogdian states were subject to the Caliphate, they often flirted with the Tang Dynasty.

For example, the State of Cao, in order to please Li Longji, even offered the most beautiful woman in the country to him.

Even though it was met with a cold reception, the State of Cao had always sought to break away from the influence of the Arabs, and even asked Cao merchants to deliver the king's letter to Li Xuan, who was still at the Qinghai border at the time.

"Those villains are insignificant. We must stabilize the Tocharian countries and cannot lose this force any more."

Khorasan Cavalry Commander Adu spoke up. This is more important than betrayal. They need more power.

"Tell the Tocharian nations that the Governor is sending reinforcements through the Thousand Springs Ancient Road. That will be the time for us to strike back."

Ziyad ibn Sari spoke nonsense only to temporarily stabilize the Tocharian states.

"As ordered!"

The generals under his command received the order.

Soon after, the Tocharian states believed Ziyad ibn Sari's words. They were determined to go all the way and put their hopes on the governor of Khorasan.

They knew that the Arabs still had a large number of troops in Khorasan, and perhaps with the permission of the Caliph, they could get more reinforcements.

……

The rebellions of the Sogdian states, Bukhara and Bukhara made the two armies very nervous.

The Tang Dynasty's Anxi Jinglüe Army and Qiang Nu Army have already entered the military camps of the Sogdian countries, Bukhara and other countries.

The closest point was only two miles away from the Arab infantry.

The Arabs continued to build fortifications to make them stronger. A month passed in a flash.

However, the Tang Dynasty had no intention of launching a large-scale attack.

It is already the first month of the eleventh year of Tianbao. It snowed heavily a few days ago, and the earth was covered with silver.

Makes eating more difficult.

The most important thing is that as the Tang army continued to squeeze the space of the Arabs, the Arabs could no longer cut hay to feed their horses.

If they save their food, the soldiers can still hold out for another month.

But the horses' fodder was gone.

The Arabs cannot do without cavalry, and horses cannot eat dirt.

Horses can eat grains, but their appetite is incomparable to that of humans.

Even if the horses were kept in a half-starved state, their food could only last for ten days at most.

Ten days later, if the Arabs still did not move, they would kill horses to satisfy their hunger.

Ziyad ibn Sari made the mistake of hesitating and did not have the courage to fight to the death like Xiang Yu or Han Xin.

He once had the opportunity, at the peak of his power, to reward his soldiers and fight to the death with the Tang Dynasty.

As time went on, the morale of the Arab coalition forces became increasingly low.

Small-scale cavalry clashes continued, and within a month, thousands of Khorasan cavalry were killed again.

There was a general in the Tang Dynasty who was wearing special armor, apparently at least three layers of armor. He was wearing a visor and holding an iron spear.

He led only a dozen cavalrymen to challenge the Arabs in front of their formation.

And the fierce general of the Arabs came with a hundred cavalry.

Most of them were killed in a short while, and the fierce Arab general was sent flying with an iron spear.

Even wearing armor, he is still vulnerable.

The soldiers of the Arab Empire finally realized that this man was Li Xuan, known as the "Heavenly General."

His bravery is extraordinary, not like that of an ordinary person.

The fierce general killed by Li Xuan was one of the top three bravest generals of the Arab army. Even so, he did not last a single round.

This is a greater deterrent to the Arabs!
What's even more outrageous is that Li Xuan actually ordered someone to challenge Ziyad ibn Sari in front of the two army camps.

Fortunately, Ziyad ibn Sari was well versed in the ways of the tortoise, and he knew that he was no match for Li Xuan.

Even though Li Xuan used the doctrine of the Arabs to humiliate Ziyad ibn Sari, he still did not show up.

The Arab soldiers all heard the shouting.

Many of them were brave men who rode out of the camp on horseback regardless of orders to fight Li Xuan to the death.

Li Xuan killed the challengers one by one when he was a hundred feet away from the Arab camp.

If the horse missed, its body would surely be at the tip of Li Xuan's spear.

Li Xuan was not afraid of the massive attack of the Arab cavalry.

Because one or two miles behind Li Xuan, there were tens of thousands of iron cavalry and light cavalry to plunder his formation.

After Li Xuan killed dozens of Arab warriors, Ziyad ibn Sari immediately ordered his personal guards to block the camp gate and asked the scouts to return to the protection of the camp, which meant that they were not allowed to leave the camp to fight Li Xuan or engage in a fight with the Tang cavalry.

The Arab soldiers no longer had the fighting spirit they had when they attacked Suiye.

The army was filled with fear of General Tian!
By the time Ziyad ibn Sari realized that he had been looking ahead and behind, it was too late.

He had already anticipated that all the roads from Anxi to Congling would be blocked by the Tang Dynasty.

Perhaps the letter from the Governor of Khorasan could not be delivered to Suiyeshui.

"General, if the horses eat the food, our army can hold out for at most ten more days. If we don't allow the horses to eat the food, they will starve to death. You decide!"

Adu said to Ziyad ibn Sari.

He said this on the surface, but his actual meaning is self-evident.

They can no longer sit and wait for death, they must take the initiative to fight back and find a way out of death.

Li Xuan was too cunning and sly. He could resist attacking the camp even if they revealed their flaws.

Don't give them any chance.

"I underestimated this enemy. Some time ago, I wanted to fight Li Xuan in front of the army like a brave man, but I was the commander and couldn't do that. I only wanted to win by force, but this battle was beyond my expectations. I have never felt so frustrated before."

"Slaughter the last of the livestock to reward the soldiers. We are ready to fight to the death with the Tang army."

Ziyad ibn Sari understood the hidden meaning of Adu's words and sighed deeply.

When he was at the end of his rope, he made his choice, not knowing whether it was too late.

Adu could only firmly believe it in his heart.

He is the most powerful general in Khorasan and has always been conceited.

After seeing the individual quality of the Tang army and then watching Li Xuan showing off his power in front of the battlefield, he also remained silent.

Then, the problem once again struck Ziyad ibn Sari.

Taking the initiative is a last resort.

But there were Tang troops on all sides, which side should they attack?

The east is where the Tang army has the most cavalry, so it is definitely not advisable.

Ziyad ibn Sari had already given up the idea of ​​occupying Anxi and only wanted to take his men back to make long-term plans.

There is no point in attacking the anti-Bone Alliance closest to them, the Qarluk in the north, or the Anxi Beiting in the west?

Finally, Ziyad ibn Sari and Adu both set their sights on the Anxi coalition forces deployed in the south by Li Xuan!
Because they have more than one road to take.

They could break out from the south, like Gao Xianzhi did, crossing mountains and ridges and returning to Conglingxi.

……

"What's your name?"

Li Xuan asked a cavalry leader in the big tent.

Just because the leader of this team led a group of cavalry and killed a general of the Arabs, it was pointed out by Bukhara that this general commanded tens of thousands of soldiers in the Arab coalition forces, and there were only a few of them.

Li Xuan thought this was a remarkable thing, so he summoned him personally.

"My surname is Ma Lin, and I am from Fufeng. I am the leader of the Khotanese cavalry, commanding fifty riders."

Ma Lin was very excited when he saw Li Xuan. After he bowed, he seemed calm and introduced himself to Li Xuan clearly.

He had an unusual appearance, a short beard, and appeared to be in his twenties.

"Ma Lin, the Fufeng Ma family has a famous general like Ma Yuan who died on the battlefield. You must be a descendant of Ma Yuan."

Li Xuan's heart moved.

It turned out to be Ma Lin! He was the person he was looking for in the Anxi Army.

Ma Lin was born into a general's family, but he was not noble. He became an orphan at a young age and wandered around all day doing nothing.

It is also known as a rogue ranger.

But since ancient times, those who have accomplished great things have had a tenacious mind. When he was 20 years old, Ma Lin read "Book of the Later Han Dynasty - Biography of Ma Yuan".

When reading Ma Yuan's words "A man should die in the frontier, wrapped in his horse's hide and returned home", Ma Lin was filled with emotion: "My ancestors have made such great achievements, how can I be ashamed of them?"

So he took up arms with a sword in hand and served in the Anxi Protectorate, determined to carry on the achievements of his ancestors and devoted himself to studying military books and strategies.

At this time, Ma Lin had no chance. His family fell into poverty and he joined the army, but he was just a team leader.

(End of this chapter)