The city of Talas was renamed Xiyuan City, and the Tang army rested for a few days again.

All the grain stored by the Arabs in the city has also been found.

It is enough for the Tang Dynasty coalition forces to eat for four months.

Li Xuan's strategy for this battle was to conquer the northern part of Central Asia and take the Yaosha River (now the Syr Darya River) and the Wuhu River (now the Amu Darya River) in the south.

While the Tang coalition forces were resting in Talas, Li Xuan dispatched Wei Boyu and Hun Yu, with thousands of powerful crossbows, to attack the Shi Kingdom's capital, Zhezhi City, in the south.

Although Zhezhi City had been rebuilt, the Shi Kingdom no longer had any soldiers.

There were only two or three hundred people guarding Zhezhi City.

The former prince of the Shi Kingdom, now the King of the Shi Kingdom appointed by the Caliph of the Arabs, fled with the people of Zhezhi City without waiting for any news from Talas City after learning that the Arabs were defeated by the Tang Dynasty outside Talas City.

Together with the defeated Arab soldiers, they crossed the Yaksa River and went to the city of Samantabha to pay a visit to the governor of Khorasan.

As a result, Wei Boyu and Hun Yu easily took over the strategic location of Zhezhi City.

Li Xuan planned to set up the "Zhezhi Military Governor's Office" directly under the Anxi Protectorate in the area from Xiyuan City to Zhezhi City.

The original people of Talas City and the Shi Kingdom within its territory were incorporated into the Sogdian countries of Cao, An, Kang, etc. as rewards to the Sogdian countries.

In this vast and sparsely populated area, population equals tax revenue. I believe that the Sogdian countries would be happy to accept the Shi people.

Even if it means treating the Stone people as slaves!
When the war is over, Li Xuan will relocate tens of thousands of Han people from Anxi and Beiting to populate the two cities of Xiyuan and Zhezhi.

They distributed cattle, sheep and large amounts of fertile land to these Han people.

They also developed the surrounding lands and pastures to form the Han area, and directly controlled the Qianquan Ancient Road which was about to be built.

To enhance the Tang Dynasty's influence in Central Asia.

By the way, the gates of Anxi Protectorate and Beiting Protectorate were locked, making dozens of countries within them completely become the internal countries of the Tang Dynasty.

When there is an opportunity in the future, Li Xuan will migrate more landless and land-poor people from the Central Plains to Central Asia.

……

The city of Samakan.

The first wave of defeated soldiers fled back to the city of Samakan, bringing terrible news to the Governor of Khorasan.

In just a few days, the defenders of Talas were defeated, and the Arab reinforcements were also defeated.

The two sides did not engage in a war of attrition. The Tang Dynasty made a series of plans to fight the war in one go.

But the winner is Tang Dynasty!

"I am a failed commander who caused so many warriors to die in a foreign land. How am I different from the evil Marwan II?"

Inside the royal palace of Samar, the Governor of Khorasan lay on the ground, patting the cold stone, his forehead on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

His expression didn't seem fake; he was truly sad.

As the initiator of the uprising to overthrow the illegal dynasty, the Governor of Khorasan began to doubt himself for the first time.

In the eyes of the Black Caliphs, the White Caliphate was not a legitimate dynasty. Although it had been established for nearly a hundred years, it was illegal.

Because the caliphs of the White Caliphate pursued worldly power, amused themselves with wine and sex, were greedy for worldly pleasures, and had a weak sense of religious consciousness.

The public outrage and resentment in the late dynasty were closely related to the Caliph of the White Caliphate.

That's why people like the Governor of Khorasan stepped forward.

In order to expand eastward, the Black Caliphate has lost hundreds of thousands of professional soldiers and volunteers to the deaths of General Tian.

The Governor of Khorasan could imagine the resentment of the people in Khorasan.

All of this was caused by him alone.

The dragon slayer finally becomes the evil dragon!
Perhaps from the moment he became a founding hero and yearned for Khalid, the Sword of Allah, he became the person he once hated.

There is a saying in their scriptures: I would rather be alone than be in the company of evil people.

Who has done it?

They claim that the White Arabs are not orthodox, but do they themselves claim to be orthodox?

Political power belongs to the noble, and faith belongs to the poor.

This is the real ruling class!
It was because the Governor of Khorasan had such a strong faith that he did not replace the Abbasid Dynasty and become the Caliph!
He must not know that there is a saying in Li Xuan's hometown: Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers all born with different species?

"Governor, don't give up. The Tang army's combat power is far beyond our expectations. They have hidden tens of thousands of cavalry and can annihilate our main cavalry. The Grand Emir has already arrived at the Hushijian Kingdom in the Tocharian region. Within ten days, he will be able to reach Samakan City. We will have more and more infantry, and there is still a chance to turn defeat into victory."

Chief of Staff Alin Ibrahim half-knelt on the ground to persuade the Governor of Khorasan.

Now is the critical moment, and the Governor of Khorasan must cheer up and lead them to victory.

"If we lose Talas, the food we have transported with our people is enough for the Tang army to survive for half a year. More importantly, the countries in Central Asia will not dare to stop the Tang Dynasty's advance. We will lose the strategic position in Central Asia. Besides, our military strength is not dominant in the short term."

The Governor of Khorasan looked depressed and spoke with mixed emotions.

The Transoxiana countries were fence-sitters, and even the Tocharian countries closest to the Khorasan region were ambiguous with the Arabs.

However, since the Tang army had the upper hand, the Tocharian states had to act according to the will of the Heavenly General.

It seems absurd to think that the Tocharian countries would confront the Heavenly General head-on.

"Governor, the Guards are very powerful. Many of them are Khorasan people, and they have a lot of traditional armor and cavalry equipment. As long as we can hold them off, even if the Tang army has sufficient food and grass, the longer the time, the better it will be for us. Our reinforcements and food will continue to flow into the river!"

Alin Ibra said again.

The Governor of Khorasan is the belief of the people of Khorasan. He believes that the people of Khorasan understand the Governor's difficulties and will forgive him.

It was just that the original governor of Khorasan could compete with Abu Abbas, but from now on, he had to obey Abu Abbas.

Even if Abu Abbas transferred the governor of Khorasan away from Khorasan in the future, he would have to obey.

"What kind of person is the Great General of the Tang Dynasty? I heard that he is only in his twenties, but he swept across the Turks and Tubo, captured their Great Khan and Zamp chief alive, and now he has led his troops to the river, inflicting heavy damage on our Arabs. He is like the sword of Allah, as if he is helped by God!"

The always conceited Governor of Khorasan actually compared Li Xuan with his idol Khalid.

In the Caliphate, Khalid was synonymous with the god of war and was sacred.

As a loyal believer of the Arabs, it was difficult for him to raise his opponent Li Xuan to the level of Khalid.

"In the past year, I have learned about the history of the Tang Dynasty. They once had a man called the Overlord of Western Chu, who was also very young. He swept across the north and south and never lost a battle in his life. In the last battle to establish the dynasty, the Overlord of Western Chu was defeated. He couldn't bear the blow and committed suicide by the river. This Heavenly General has the same divine power as the Overlord of Western Chu. He must be a proud and conceited person who can't stand failure. Although we have lost twice in a row, as long as we defeat him once, we will be heroes, and the Heavenly General will also come to an end..."

Unlike the Governor of Khorasan who used Khalid for comparison, Alin Ibrahim equated Xiang Yu in Han history books with Li Xuan.

Maybe it was to comfort the Governor of Khorasan, or maybe it was wishful thinking.

Most importantly, he wanted to tell the Governor of Khorasan that victory and defeat are common in military affairs.

The outcome is still unknown, and whoever laughs last will be the real winner.

"For Khorasan, for the Arabs, for the Lord, I must defeat the Heavenly General. If I cannot, I am willing to die in Samargan."

The Governor of Khorasan was filled with fighting spirit after hearing what Alin Ibrahim said.

Behind him is the Khorasan region.

He has made a mistake, and he wants to atone for it, even if it means sacrificing his body and flesh.

"Governor, we will turn defeat into victory. In the Battle of Talas, no matter who it is, they would have done the same thing. It's just that the Tang army hid too well. Now we know the details of the Tang army, and the Tang army must have suffered a lot of casualties in the Battle of Talas. We just need to defend the city of Samakan!"

Alin Ibrahim said to the Governor of Khorasan again.

They received news that the army had been completely defeated.

But in their opinion, even if they were defeated miserably, it was still possible to kill 20,000 Tang coalition troops.

Alin Ibrahim estimated that the Tang coalition still had 50,000 to 60,000 troops.

There are more than 10,000 people guarding the city of Samakan. Last year, the governor of Khorasan built more of the city of Samakan, making it the largest city in Central Asia.

In addition, there was sufficient food and grass in the city of Samagan, and the Tang army would find it difficult to capture it in a short time.

If the Tang army fails to capture the city by force, it will be the end of the Tang army when the Grand Emir arrives with 50,000 cavalry guards.

"Send someone to tell the Great Emir about the battle of Talas. Also send more scouts to the Yaosha River area to find out the movements of the Tang army."

The Governor of Khorasan nodded and gave instructions to Alin Ibrahim.

He clenched his fists, with a determination on his face, vowing to hold victory in his hands.

They cannot afford to fail again, or the consequences will be disastrous.

"As ordered!"

Alin Ibra accepted the order.

However, he guessed that it would be very difficult for the scouts to use medicine to kill the water and investigate.

The Tang army was strong in cavalry and would certainly drive away their scouts.

……

At the same time, a great earthquake struck the whole river.

A few days after the Tang Dynasty entered Hezhong, it defeated the Arab-Arab coalition force of more than 80,000 people.

Compared with the "disappearance" of the Arab expeditionary force, this news was even more shocking.

Because it happened in the river.

The Tang Dynasty can send troops to the two rivers at any time.

In just one year, the situation changed suddenly. The Tang Dynasty went from being hated by everyone in the river to being a towering mountain. The Tang Dynasty's military flag was raised in the cities of the Hu people.

And all of this is inseparable from one title, General Heaven!
The King of Hezhong had never met him before, but the more he heard this title, the more awed he felt.

In Gao Xianzhi's time, there was no such feeling. The Heavenly General was like a mountain and a river, insurmountable.

The kings sent envoys again to congratulate the Tang army and express their complete obedience to the orders.

The Sogdian states around the city of Samantabhadra actually began to leave the city and attack the patrolling soldiers of the Arabs.

The Arab army seemed like rats crossing the street, and anyone could beat them up.

The Governor of Khorasan was very angry, but he had no ability to deal with these small countries in the Western Regions. They would hold on to the city of Samakan unless the Grand Emir arrived.

The last time Bukhara sent a message, it wanted to recruit another 5,000 soldiers to support the Tang Dynasty.

The collection has now been completed.

He also brought a large number of carts and two thousand mules, camels and horses to facilitate the Tang army's march south.

The Sogdian states sent food and supplies one after another, hoping that the heavenly army would move south, capture the city of Samakan as soon as possible, and drive the Arab forces out of Transoxiana.

……

"Pfft!"

South of Zhezhi City, beside the Yaosha River, a sharp arrow flew into the air and a Arab scout was shot in the chest, fell off his horse with his eyes wide open.

It turned out to be a team of Tang army light cavalry chasing the Arab scouts.

Some horses had heads of Arab spies hung on their sides.

Seeing their teammates dead, the remaining few Arab scouts dismounted and jumped into the Yaosha Water. They wanted to swim to the other side.

Only then did the Tang army give up the pursuit.

Similar situations are happening everywhere.

The Tang army was strangling the few scouts of the Arabs.

In addition, Li Xuan, as the Grand Protector of Anxi, ordered various countries to search for the Arab scouts and spies.

Anyone who dares to harbor Arab scouts or secret agents will be identified as being of the same kind as the Arabs once they are found out.

Therefore, the Sogdian states worked very hard to capture the Arab scouts.

But the Tocharian states could not do that.

Because the Emir of the Arabs was leading 50,000 guards in the Tocharian countries.

In addition, 30,000 troops from Syria have already rushed to Tocharistan.

This made the Tocharian countries very embarrassed. On the one hand, they had to submit to General Tian, ​​and on the other hand, they had to welcome the troops of the Arabs.

At this moment, the balance in the hearts of the Tocharian countries leaned towards the Tang Dynasty.

Not only were their soldiers in Li Xuan's hands, but they were also shocked by the bravery of General Tian.

Li Xuan was probably aware of the situation in the Tocharian region. He only needed to clear out the Arab spies in the Yaoshashui area to make the Governor of Khorasan lose his eyes and ears.

To facilitate the operation of the Tang Dynasty's troops.

Three days after the Tang army captured Zhezhi City, Li Xuan led the main force of the Tang coalition forces to Yaosha River south of Zhezhi City.

Originally there was a vine bridge here, but it was destroyed by the Arabs.

The Tang Dynasty was unable to build a bridge in a short period of time and could only cross the river by boat.

The King of Bactria ordered all the large and small boats outside the capital to sail downstream to the place where the Tang coalition forces crossed the river.

In addition, there were also some ships in Zhezhi City that could help the Tang army cross the Yaosha River.

On the other side of the river, five thousand soldiers from Bukhara were covering the Tang army.

It took the Tang Dynasty coalition forces, tens of thousands of troops, three days to cross the Yaosha River.

Food and fodder transported from the city of Talas also reached the other side by ships.

At this time, a Tang army scout with four men on board had already arrived at Samogan City to inspect it and reported the movements in Samogan City to Li Xuan.

"General Li, the city of Samar is more than 20 feet high, and there are at least 15,000 Arab defenders inside. Our army cannot attack this strong city head-on, lest it affects morale."

During the military meeting, some generals suggested that they should attack the city of Samakan by force.

Some generals thought there was no need to attack the city and they were waiting for Li Xuan's decision.

"Although Samargan is the first city in the river, it is an isolated city of the Arabs in the river. Taking it by force has strategic significance, but it is not the key to victory."

"I have received news that the 50,000 cavalry of the Arab Guards will soon arrive at Samantabha City. Our goal is to wipe out these 50,000 cavalry, and even the other Arab infantry that come to support them."

Li Xuan did not agree to attack Samugan City.

Shortly after the Battle of Suiye River, Li Xuan immediately raided Hezhong and completed the victory of the Battle of Talas.

The Arabs were in a panic, allowing the Tang Dynasty to gain the upper hand step by step.

Li Xuan's goal was still to annihilate the effective forces of the Arabs.

No new empire can withstand a series of defeats.

Li Xuan knew that during Abu Abbas's massacre of the Umayyad family, there was a survivor, Abdul Rahman, who fled to the Spanish region and was about to rebuild the Umayyad dynasty.

Under normal circumstances, Abdul Rahman would find it difficult to threaten the foundation of the Black Caliphate, but now it is different.

The people revolted in order to make their lives better.

Once the people of the Black Caliphate discover that their country is engaged in war and aggression while they themselves are still poor and destitute, they will inevitably miss the "previous dynasty".

This is a common human problem. Even if the previous dynasty was very bad, one will still reminisce about the previous dynasty when one encounters some setbacks in the current dynasty.

What's more, Abu Abbas was fighting a battle in which he put all his national strength into it.

"The Arab Guards have come a long way from their country and are exhausted. This is our chance to attack them."

Che Shen Sai bowed to Li Xuan and said.

His troops were still hiding in the area around Shuijian City, and he could not bear to see his brothers making achievements.

The officers and soldiers of the Jinglüe Army and the Great Wall Army were all eager to fight.

"These past few days, we have been clearing out the Arab scouts so that the Jinglüe Army and the Great Wall Army can cross the Yaosha River unnoticed and cooperate with the main force to raid the Arab Guards Cavalry!"

"General Che, you must go back immediately and lead the Jinglüe Army and the Changcheng Army to the south of Bukhara and cross the Yaosha River from the south of Kesai City. Then follow the military orders and march!"

Li Xuan felt that the time was right and he could mobilize the hidden elite troops.

While the Great Wall Army and the Jinglüe Army were marching, they continued to send out scouts to investigate.

Li Xuan also planned a route for Cheshen Pass, crossing the Yaosha River south of Keshen City in Bakhchisar.

Then he detoured for hundreds of miles and hid in the area of ​​Mount Posi, which is west of the city of Samakan.

The route that Li Xuan led the main force of the Tang coalition forces was to the north of Samugan City.

The reinforcements from the Arabs could only arrive from the south of Samantabhadra.

Because there is a vast desert to the west, it is not suitable for marching.

"As ordered!"

Che Shen Sai received the order with excitement.

They are all elite cavalrymen who have been trained by General Li, and they are not afraid of the Royal Guards.

How long has the Black Caliphate's Guard been established?
How can I compare with them!
Li Xuan asked Feng Changqing and other subordinates to follow Che Shensai to Julan City and lead the Great Wall Army and the Jinglüe Army southward.

At the same time, Li Xuan wrote a letter to the King of Bakhchisarna, informing him to make arrangements.

The main force of the Tang Dynasty coalition has crossed the Yaosha River. The ships will go upstream to the south of Kesai City and carry the Great Wall Army and the Jinglüe Army across the river.

After resting on the shore for a day, Li Xuan ordered his troops to march south.

The Tang coalition forces on this trip totaled more than 75,000 people. The remaining wounded were recuperating in Talas City, and some soldiers were stationed in Talas City and Zhezhi City.

Including the Jinglüe Army and the Great Wall Army, the Tang Dynasty could mobilize more than 100,000 troops.

When Li Xuan arrived at Cao State, he received news that 50,000 Arab cavalry guards had entered Shi State.

But the State of Shi was quite tough and did not leave the city to welcome the national military commander of the Arabs, the Great Emir!

Once we entered the territories of the Sogdian countries, it was the same everywhere except for the city of Samakan which was occupied by the Governor of Khorasan!

The Grand Emir was very angry, but he already knew the situation: the war situation was very unfavorable to the Arabs.

Although the Arab Guards were cavalry, they were confident that they could capture a Sogdian capital within a day.

But that doesn't make sense!
After they win, they will let the infantry from the Syrian region teach these Sogdian countries a lesson.

It took the Great Emir another day to reach the twenty miles north of the US capital, Bosideng City. He also knew that the so-called Heavenly General had stationed his troops in Sedihen City, the capital of Cao State.

The city of Pashintar is only a few dozen miles away from the city of Samantabhadra.

At this time, the Grand Emir's 50,000 cavalry could support the city of Samar at any time.

The Grand Emir formally contacted the Governor of Khorasan.

(End of this chapter)