The Tang army took advantage of the eagerness of the Arab cavalry to fight, playing to their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses, and attacking the weak points instead of the strong ones.

The balance of victory will tilt towards the Tang army over time, and the Tang army just needs to be patient.

At this time, the two armies were very close to each other, and the main force of the Arab Guards Cavalry was here. Even if they stopped the pursuit, it was too late.

As long as they dare to stop, the Tang army will take the initiative to chase them.

"Marshal, we are in such a passive position. This is not a solution. We need to change our strategy and turn back to attack the Tang army coming to the west."

When the Grand Emir's banner stopped, Faisal Abbas spoke to him.

As the name suggests, Faisal Abbas was a member of the royal family.

He was the son of Abu Abbas's elder brother and had considerable military talent. He came with the army and served as a military supervisor.

The Tang army is skilled in cavalry and archery. If they continue to avoid fighting, their armor and cavalry will be worn down.

In fact, the farther they ran, the more their morale was damaged.

"If we retreat, the Tang army will definitely pursue us."

The Grand Emir replied to Faisal Abbas.

Li Xuan's flexible use of troops taught him a lesson.

The advantage of the Arab Guards Cavalry could not be utilized, and if they retreated, they would face the advantage of the Tang army.

"What I mean is that our army will stop on the high ground to rest for the time being, so that the horses and warriors can replenish their energy. When the Tang army's reinforcements arrive, we will fight the Tang army to the death."

Faisal Abbas said clearly.

"Then the Tang army's cavalry will be able to surround us, and our forces will be at a disadvantage."

The great Emir shook his head. This pursuit had yielded no results and he was also caught in the dust of the Tang Dynasty, which dealt a heavy blow to his confidence.

He was even more worried that the arrival of the main elite forces of the Tang army would overwhelm them.

"Marshal, don't you realize that we have fallen into the Tang army's tactics? We have to admit that General Tian is talented and a cunning and difficult opponent. If we continue like this and refuse to repent, the failure of the expeditionary army and the disastrous defeat outside the city of Talas will probably happen again!"

"Do you have any good strategies? We obviously can't continue the meaningless pursuit, and we can't flee south all at once. I believe that the elite of the Tang army will also patrol us like this."

"We are here with Allah's mission, so we must not act on impulse. We must persevere until victory. We must conserve our energy and wait for the Tang army's reinforcements to arrive. Then we can fight with all our strength. This is our chance!"

Faisal Abbas persuaded earnestly.

The Grand Emir was the Caliph's most trusted confidant, and even he could not impose orders on the Caliph.

They knew about the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, but they underestimated its ability to cross mountains and rivers and continue to fight wars.

Regardless of whether this battle can expel the Tang army, the Arabs will know that the Tang Dynasty in the east not only has silk, tea, porcelain, and paper, but also brave and skilled warriors.

Especially the general, who was as dazzling as the blazing sun and as ferocious as a flying dragon. He brought unprecedented war to Hezhong.

It also caused great suffering to the newly established Black Caliphate.

In this battle, they must give their all and can only win, not lose, because they cannot afford the cost of failure.

"You are right. At the critical moment, I will personally lead my personal guards, wield a scimitar and join the battlefield to fight for Allah!"

The great Emir said in a solemn tone.

In just two hours, he no longer had the confidence and arrogance he had when he led his troops north.

The reason why the Governor of Khorasan suffered repeated failures was not because he was incompetent, but because his opponent, General Tian, ​​was too formidable.

As Faisal Abbas said, they were led by the Tang army and fell into its tactics, which was a sign that the war was heading for failure.

The previously formulated tactics are no longer applicable and a new strategy must be found.

"Marshal, even if the two armies of the Tang army were to join forces, they would only have 70,000 cavalry. We have nearly 50,000 cavalry, and they are all warriors who can die for Allah..."

"A hundred years ago, the battle on the banks of the Yarmouk River proved the strength and bravery of us Arabs. In that battle, the Sword of Allah used only 20,000 men to annihilate 50,000 elite Roman troops. Their commander Vahan was killed, their prince Theodora was shot to death by arrows, and their emperor Heraclius was forced to withdraw his troops. We gained Syria, which completely reversed the strategy against the Roman Empire and made us rise!"

"The more difficult the time, the more important the decision becomes. Strong courage will surely overcome slight differences. Victory must be created by courageous people. The Tang Empire is stronger than the Roman Empire. Our victory in this battle and our control of Transoxiana are more significant than the Battle of the Yarmouk River!"

“History promotes this opportunity, this is the mission given to us by Allah!”

Seeing that the Grand Emir sounded insecure, Faisal Abbas quoted Khalid's classic battle, indicating that they could certainly win with a smaller force, and his words were very heartfelt!

History is so similar. If we can win this battle, the achievement will be even more brilliant than the Battle of the Yarmouk River.

He felt that all the setbacks were creating this moment.

There are mountains of swords and seas of fire under your feet, but victory will come if you step over them!
There was no title of "Byzantine Empire" at this time.

The eastern half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire.

In order to demonstrate its legitimacy, it naturally had to regard itself as the Roman Empire.

The Eastern Roman Empire was at its most prosperous during the reign of Justinian the Great, when it almost restored the peak territory of the Roman Empire.

A thousand years later, in order to distinguish the Holy Roman Empire, which was also a Roman Empire, people changed the name of the Eastern Roman Empire to "Byzantium".

The Battle of the Yarmouk River was also a watershed for the Roman Empire, interrupting its road to revival. Heraclius was not worthy of the title of "The Great Emperor". Just like Li Longji, if he had lived a few years less, his status in history would have risen exponentially, and he would not have lost his integrity in his later years.

Faisal Abbas used this battle as a metaphor to view the upcoming "Battle of the River Transoxiana" as the battle for the rise of the Black Caliphate.

A battle in which a smaller force defeated a larger one is always inspiring, and it also shows Faisal Abbas's confidence.

"I still need to listen to your opinions. In the face of adversity, we Arabs have won many victories."

The Great Emir finally regained his confidence.

More importantly, it is a yearning for the military merit of defeating the Tang Dynasty.

Who doesn’t want to be the next “Sword of Allah”?

"Marshal, the once invincible horse armor has become a burden in cavalry battles! In order to avoid being teased by the Tang Dynasty's cavalry and archery again, we should abandon the horse armor and only wear iron armor. When two brave men meet on a narrow road, the brave will win!"

Faisal Abbas again made his proposal to the Grand Emir.

"Okay, give up the vest!"

This time, the Grand Emir agreed without hesitation.

The Arabs had Persian-style Khorasan armored cavalry, and this type of armor was very heavy.

In the past, the Persian Empire's opponents were often infantrymen dressed in loose linen or cotton clothing.

This is like a toy in front of the armored cavalry.

The situation today is different from the past. The Tang army's light cavalry is more flexible. If the big eaters use equipped cavalry to attack, the Tang army will not engage in confrontation unless they are stupid enough.

Half an hour later, the Arab cavalry stopped in a field on higher ground.

They can take advantage of the terrain and swoop down quickly.

The plain is vast, and it is very difficult to block it, not to mention infantry, even cavalry would be difficult to block it.

The Arab cavalry guards ate the meat they brought with them and fed their horses barley.

The Grand Emir followed Faisal Abbas's advice and gave a passionate speech to mobilize the soldiers' fighting spirit.

If General Tian was captured, his words of being promoted to governor would still count, and there would be clear rewards for killing Tang troops.

For every Tang soldier killed, a reward of one thousand Dir Khans would be given.

Killing a young general of the Tang army will be rewarded with 10,000 dirhan.

Kill the main general of the Tang army and reward him with 100,000 dirhan and confer official titles.

The morale of the Arab cavalry was once again aroused, and they sharpened their swords, preparing to rush south.

This time, the Grand Emir divided the Arab phalanx into three major phalanxes.

Light cavalry on both wings, and iron cavalry in the middle.

The direction to break through the Tang army must be the south.

They wanted to make the Tang army think that they were trying to escape and come to stop them.

At that time, they would burst out with all their strength and launch back and forth attacks on the various formations of the Tang army.

"Warriors, use your scimitars to cut off the heads of the Tang army in exchange for faith and wealth! Allah protects us, and we will surely win!"

Finally, the Great Emir raised his voice and shouted.

"Long live!"

The Arab cavalry roared in unison, forgetting the unpleasantness that had just occurred.

"If General Tian appears on the battlefield, I will definitely kill him!"

Humam Hussein, the commander of the Arab Guard Cavalry, clenched his spear and shouted in his heart.

An invincible person will naturally not submit to another invincible person.

The more miraculous the Heavenly General was, the more he longed to meet him on the battlefield.

He has proven himself to be the bravest warrior in the Arab world, and now he needs to prove that his bravery is unparalleled in history.

In addition to Humam Hussein, there were also some Arab generals who, out of faith or for fame and fortune, were determined to see the abilities of the legendary Heavenly General.

Look at the countries in the river, they are terrified of General Tian and they don’t submit to him!

……

On the top of the city wall of Samakan, the Governor of Khorasan was watching from afar at all times, and scouts would occasionally be at the foot of the city wall to report the battle situation to him.

The news he received made him shudder with fear.

The Tang army formed a battle formation but did not take the initiative to fight, which would sooner or later completely wear down the morale of the Arab cavalry.

Fortunately, the Arab Guards Cavalry stopped the pursuit in time, stationed on the high ground and recovered their strength.

The Governor of Khorasan also found out the stationing location of the Tang coalition infantry.

Now it depends on which cavalry side wins and which one loses, and who will dominate the river!

However, the elite cavalry of the Tang army coming from the direction of Mount Bosi was always a sword hanging over the heads of the Arab cavalry.

The cavalry's scouts have already appeared outside the city of Samagan.

It is estimated that it won’t be long before they encounter the Arab Guards Cavalry.

But the Governor of Khorasan could only watch. The failure of the expeditionary force and the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Talas shattered the myth of the Governor of Khorasan and he lost the power to command thousands of troops.

The Governor of Khorasan prayed that the Grand Emir would win the final contest, otherwise even if the troops from the Syrian region arrived, it would be difficult to reverse the situation.

More than ten miles away from the Arab Guard Cavalry Station, Li Xuan discussed with his generals and subordinates.

After the Arab cavalry occupied the high ground and stopped, Li Xuan did not plan to continue the attack.

A rash attack on the high ground would easily give the Arab cavalry an opportunity to take advantage.

The Great Wall Army and the Jinglüe Army led by Che Shensai conveyed the message to Li Xuan that when the sun sets, they would form a pincer attack from the north and the south.

"The Arabs dare to stand on the slope, they are definitely not waiting for support! Because they don't have enough food and grass to fight against our army! They can only conserve their energy and wait for our army to gather and fight to the death with our army!"

Li Xuan spoke to the generals while on horseback.

The commanders of the Arab cavalry were very smart and they did not fall into the rhythm of the Tang army.

Otherwise, the Tang army could easily win when the opportunity came.

Now it takes some effort!
After all, the enemy still has 50,000 cavalry, many of whom are iron cavalry, so we must be extremely cautious.

"Replying to General Li, the Arabs are eager to fight with our army, but our army is not in a hurry and can deal with it calmly. We should avoid the strong and attack the weak to the end. I suggest that General Che and Judge Feng stop the Jinglüe Army and the Great Wall Army 20 miles away from the Arab cavalry to rest and recuperate. Don't give the Arab cavalry a chance to fight in large groups. We should separate our iron cavalry and light cavalry, and always use the light cavalry to entangle the enemy. When the Arab cavalry is exhausted and can't hold on, we will use the iron cavalry to deal a fatal blow to it."

Ma Lin stood up from the grass and bowed to Li Xuan.

The generals expressed their opinions one after another, and Li Xuan neither objected nor agreed.

Because Li Xuan discovered that some generals were also full of courage.

Blood courage is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.

In Li Xuan's view, thousands of men lost their lives in vain because of their bravery, impulsiveness and greed for merit.

Throughout history, many battles were clearly victorious, but in Li Xuan's eyes they were not beautiful. It was not until Ma Lin expressed his thoughts that Li Xuan nodded.

What Ma Lin said was exactly what he was thinking.

The Tang army currently has no shortage of food and fodder, but has plenty of time and food consumption.

Zhang Xing led the Modao, powerful crossbows, and heavily armored infantry to garrison in the Tiemenguan area.

Even though there are only 6,000 soldiers, they can definitely be as steady as a rock and block the reinforcements from the Arabs at the critical moment.

It can also stop the Arab Guards Cavalry from fleeing south!
The Arab infantry in Samakan City could only retreat and could not show their heads.

Everything is under Li Xuan's control.

After determining the strategy, Li Xuan's messenger quickly delivered the military order to Cheshensai.

The cavalry under Che Shensai stopped twenty miles away from the Arab cavalry garrison and split into two, separating the light cavalry from the elite cavalry.

Among them, Che Shensai and Lu Jing led 12,000 light cavalry, ready to shoot.

Feng Changqing commanded 10,000 cavalry, who coordinated with the light cavalry and stopped on the key roads.

To prevent the Arab Guards Cavalry from attacking recklessly.

After a short rest, the main force led by Li Xuan deployed light cavalry on the left and right sides of the Arabs, as well as in the north.

The cavalry retreated again!

The Tang army was convinced that the Arabs were not good at riding and shooting, so they carried out the cruising tactics of light cavalry to the end.

Li Xuan took out the beef jerky he brought with him and distributed it to every soldier of the coalition forces.

If you are hungry, eat beef jerky directly to replenish.

The Tang army's beef jerky could be used for more than ten days. The Arab cavalry was coming for a decisive battle and certainly did not prepare any food for a protracted war.

Although the city of Samakan stored a large amount of food, there was not a single grain left for supplies and cavalry.

After sunset, the Great Emir learned that the main forces of the Tang army in the north and south did not come to encircle them, but continued to deploy light cavalry twenty miles away. His face changed slightly.

They no longer know the main location of the Tang Army's cavalry!

This showed that the Tang army had seen through their desperate tactics.

"Horse archery is so difficult to deal with. After this battle, we must suggest that the Caliph train an elite horse archery team!"

The great Emir slapped his thigh and said angrily.

Throughout history, powerful nomadic dynasties have only appeared in the north of China.

Such as the Eastern Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Turks, they lived by following water and grass, grew up on horseback, and were good at riding and shooting.

The geographical environment is a key factor in the formation of nomadic peoples.

The Arabs were known as semi-nomadic, but they emerged from the desolate desert, which was different from the nomadic dynasty.

There were also nomadic peoples in Europe, but they were all small-scale. Compared with the nomadic dynasties in northern China, they were like younger brothers.

Since the Han people had to face the threat of nomadic peoples, Hu clothing and horse riding naturally replaced chariots.

Horse policy has also become an important state policy since ancient times.

Horse riding and archery are the most basic skills for a general.

Therefore, under the influence of generations, the Han people have developed strong riding and archery skills.

When the Arabs first rose to power, they had no concept of horseback archery. The enemies they faced made them believe that only armored cavalry could dominate the world.

Only after being severely beaten can one gain enlightenment.

The Arabs were not without mounted archers, they also had mounted archers.

But they were just fighting each other all day long and had no skills in riding and shooting like the nomadic peoples or the Tang Dynasty's light cavalry.

Moreover, in the entire military system of the Arabs, infantry was more important than cavalry.

The importance of light cavalry lags behind that of heavy cavalry.

Especially the heavy infantry of the Arabs, they are very powerful.

However, the Tang army, with their cavalry, crossed the mountains and rivers, unexpectedly disrupted the Arabs' arrangements.

"Marshal, we only have enough food for two days! There is no water in this place. We don't have firewood even if we want to kill horses to fill our stomachs. So we must attack without stopping for a moment!"

Faisal Abbas said solemnly to the Grand Emir.

The arrow is on the string and must be shot. We must take advantage of the army's morale to compete with the Tang Dynasty.

If we delay this, we will fall into the Tang army’s trap!

"Prepare for battle! Light cavalry, unload all burdens, and entangle the Tang army's light cavalry, horse archers, and javelin throwers, and kill the annoying Tang army's cavalry with archers. Give the iron cavalry time to catch up and clash."

The Great Emir also knew that the situation was extremely urgent and he could not hesitate and lose sight of the big picture.

There is only one battle!
"Marshal is wise!"

Faisal Abbas took a deep breath. This battle was too difficult.

They were confused by General Tian's tactics and the characteristics of the Tang army.

The victory in this battle was a sublimation for him and the entire Arab Guard Cavalry.

"Dong dong dong..."

The dull sound of war drums sounded.

"Woooooooo..."

A chorus of urgent trumpet sounds.

Teams of Arab cavalry were ready to go, and their morale was high after being mobilized by the Grand Emir.

This time they will definitely be able to capture the Tang army and use their heads in exchange for their military merits.

"Rumble..."

The sight of thousands of horses galloping was very spectacular, and the elegance of the Caliph's Royal Cavalry was once again revealed.

The Tang army knew every move of the Arab cavalry.

After they rushed down the high slope, hundreds of scouts reported the news to the Tang army's light cavalry.

The Tang army's light cavalry started up and continued to disperse.

The wider space can bring out the Tang Dynasty coalition forces' shooting capabilities.

The forefront of the Arabs were still mounted archers, light cavalry, and javelin throwers.

However, after abandoning their vests, the Arab cavalry also ran faster.

The light cavalry can pursue the enemy in depth without any worries, and the iron cavalry will not fall behind.

Moreover, the Arab light cavalry learned their lesson and tried to send them to make a detour and intercept the Tang light cavalry who were avoiding the battle.

In just half an hour, the light cavalry led by Che Shensai waited for the arrival of the first wave of light cavalry from the Arabs.

At the same time, the main force of the Tang Dynasty coalition forces, with more light cavalry, gathered to the south to support the Cheshen Pass.

"Soldiers, from Qinghai to Hezhong, from Tubo to Daqin, nothing can frighten us. Daqin is strong on the outside but weak on the inside, we will turn Daqin upside down just like we crushed Tubo. With General Li in charge, we can only win, never lose. Leaving home thousands of miles away, rising to wealth and honor, starting from the ranks, General Li has never favored anyone, generals and great generals, let's start from today!"

Before the Arab cavalry charged, the god of chariots jumped on his horse and swore an oath to his troops in an equally passionate manner.

He picked up the bow and arrow and joined the cavalry archery team.

"Kill! Kill! Kill..."

The Tang army's light cavalry all raised their bows and shouted loudly, shocking the sky and stopping the clouds.

They are the Anxi Jinglüe Army!

There used to be an army called Lintao Army. The Tubo people would become weak in the knees just by hearing the name.

Che Shensai led a force of 6,000 light cavalry, organized into teams.

One person, two horses, switch at any time!

The teams were not far apart, forming camps and led by cavalry generals.

Between the camps, each group of people formed the subordinates led by Che Shensai.

The same was true of the Great Wall Army light cavalry led by Lu Jing.

The two armies were about ten miles apart, forming a hundred-mile battle line, tightly blocking the Arab Guards Cavalry's way south.

At the same time, Che Guangqian, Hun Yu, Ma Lin, Lun Weizhen, Zhao Chongye and others led the light cavalry and cooperated with the Anxi Great Wall Army to form a bag, attempting to trap the entire Arab cavalry.

Chasing and harassing the Arab Guards Cavalry were the light cavalry of the Qarluk and Turkic tribes.

The Tang army relied on this tactic to launch an annihilation campaign against the Arab Guards Cavalry!

"Kill the Tang army!"

The Arab light cavalry first clashed with Cheshensai's light cavalry.

Their mounted archers were in the front, with arrows on the bowstrings, ready to shoot at any time.

However, the Tang army's bows and arrows could shoot farther, and the Tang army's initial archery was all projectile.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

When the Arab cavalry archers entered the range of the Tang army's light cavalry, the Tang army immediately launched projectiles.

Thousands of arrows fell like rain, and the Arab cavalry archers galloped under the rain of arrows from the Tang army.

There were always cavalrymen hit by arrows and their horses fell to the ground with a roar.

After the Tang army shot the arrows, they kicked their horses' bellies and galloped away quickly.

The vanguard of the Arab cavalry was the pursuing party, and the projectiles of the pursuing party had little effect.

They'd better close the distance and aim and shoot.

However, even so, there was an unbridgeable gap between the two sides' horse riding and archery skills.

The Tang army knights drew their bows and arrows calmly. After repeated practice, they were able to do it with ease.

The Arab Guard Cavalry was mainly selected from the provinces in the Khorasan region after the Abbasid family seized power.

It was only a year in total.

The name of the Guards sounds impressive, but their techniques are extremely immature compared to the professional soldiers of the Tang Army.

The sun gradually sets in the west, and the setting sun is blood-red.

In this chase at Cheshensai, the Arab cavalry archers were completely defeated.

The cavalry javelin throwers that the Arabs were so proud of became mere showpieces.

The javelin is very powerful and can penetrate armor, but the Tang army will not give them any chance and throw short javelins.

The javelin is a weapon that has been outdated since the Zhou Dynasty. Although javelins are still used in all dynasties, they can only be used to surprise the enemy and perform some tricks.

The javelin is not as powerful as a crossbow on the ground, and not as powerful as a bow and arrow on horseback. It is already inferior.

Moreover, the javelin's range is a fatal flaw. Throwing it more than ten feet away is like a joke.

After a long chase, the Arab cavalry took a deep breath, but then showed signs of slacking off.

The Great Emir was anxious because the Tang Dynasty's roundabout troops were always resolved. He had thought about the difficulties, but he didn't expect it to be so difficult to catch up.

The Tang army's light cavalrymen, each riding two horses, were wearing out the patience of the Arab cavalry.

The night was falling, and the Great Emir saw it as an opportunity. He hoped to find a breakthrough point and turn the tide of the war...

(End of this chapter)