The Arab defenders were either killed or surrendered.

Only the Governor of Khorasan and hundreds of his men were blocked in the palace.

The Tang army surrounded the royal palace tightly, and the Governor of Khorasan had no way to escape.

The officials who followed the Governor of Khorasan were in great grief.

The nobles in the Khorasan region had only converted to the Arab Empire for a few years; originally, those nobles did not believe in the Arab Empire.

As I said, political power belongs to the noble, and faith belongs to the poor.

There are not many pure ruling class believers like the Governor of Khorasan.

After these nobles became officials in Khorasan, they could take advantage of the situation but could not go against it.

The current situation made these noble officials want to surrender and live in disgrace, and they all tried to persuade the Governor of Khorasan.

Moreover, a large proportion of these Khorasan nobles were Persians.

"Fight for Allah like a warrior and never surrender!"

The Governor of Khorasan held the hilt of his knife and directly rejected the words of these noble officials.

He had fallen into a state of paranoia and was determined to hold on until death.

"The scriptures say: It is better to be alone than to be with the wicked. If Allah does not bless you, it means you are doing evil things, and this place does not belong to Allah."

A noble official taunted the governor of Khorasan.

At this point, there is no need to be polite to the Governor of Khorasan.

The Governor of Khorasan wanted them to die together, how could they just sit there and wait for death?

"The Arabs must be brave, death is just a new beginning!"

The Governor of Khorasan said without fear.

"I am Persian, and you are Persian too."

A Khorasan official denied his Arab identity and accused the governor of Khorasan of forgetting his roots.

The Governor of Khorasan has been downplaying the concepts of Arabs and Persians. In the Governor of Khorasan's mind, they have only one title, Muslims.

The governor of Khorasan had this surname, and this piety was in his bones.

Unfortunately, the Governor of Khorasan ruled Khorasan for too short a time and was unable to fully implement this policy.

After hearing this, the Governor of Khorasan was stunned.

His parents were indeed Persian.

"Allah has no such will, you are taking advantage of Allah!"

The Persian nobleman continued to tell the governor of Khorasan: “We must surrender to the Heavenly General. All our property is worth nothing, and we only need to save our lives.”

This is what the Khorasan nobles thought.

They knew that the Tang army would not let them go easily, but they were willing to atone for their sins in exchange for hope of survival.

Even if it means bringing the Tang army into the Khorasan region.

In fact, the capital of Khorasan province had been moved from Murugan to Samakan.

Most of the nobles and officials followed the Governor of Khorasan to the city of Samakan. They thought they could gain some military merit by following the Governor of Khorasan, but they found themselves in an endless abyss.

Step by step, the Tang army won victory after victory, and they didn't even have a chance to escape.

"How dare you be so rude to the Governor..."

Alin Ibrahim, who was loyal to the governor of Khorasan, rebuked these noble officials.

If generals like Ziyad and Sayyid were still alive, who would dare to be so presumptuous?

"So what if he's rude? The Tang army is about to attack us, and our lives will be in danger! Since the Governor of Khorasan is stubborn, we should capture him and present him to General Tian!"

As soon as the Persian noble finished speaking, hundreds of warriors rushed out.

The Governor of Khorasan had only a dozen personal guards around him.

Previously, in order to help the Grand Emir win the cavalry battle, he handed over all his personal cavalry to the Grand Emir, and most of them had died on the battlefield.

These noble officials all had their own slaves and guards.

That is why the Governor of Khorasan is facing his current dilemma.

The hundreds of guards in the palace were all guarding the palace gate against the fierce attack of the Tang army and had no idea of ​​the situation in the palace.

Moreover, the fragile palace gate could be breached by the Tang army at any time.

After these warriors poured in, they immediately attacked the personal guards of the Governor of Khorasan.

"what……"

The guards protected the governor of Khorasan tightly, swords and guns clashed, screams continued. Outnumbered, the guards fell one after another in a pool of blood.

In the end, swords and spears were pointed at the Governor of Khorasan and Alin Ibrahim.

Although the Governor of Khorasan held the sword in his hand, he slowly closed his eyes.

Deserted by his friends and relatives, he didn't even have a chance to die on the battlefield.

His biggest wish was to meet General Tian and see what was so special about him.

But he was a hero in his life and was unwilling to become Li Xuan's prisoner.

Once he saw Li Xuan, it would be difficult for him to die.

"Traitors! I am neither a Arab nor a Persian. Sooner or later, a new nation will emerge on this land, the Muslims..."

When the Governor of Khorasan opened his eyes again, he was full of determination. He believed that he was right and his beliefs remained the same.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Governor of Khorasan put the knife to his neck.

"Governor..."

Alin Ibra shouted, he wanted to stop it, but didn't.

This is the best fate!

"Pfft..."

The Governor of Khorasan swung his sword, his neck was cut, and blood gushed out.

His eyes were wide, yet glowing, and he saw new hope, just as he had spoken.

In his dying moments, he seemed to see his opponent, the man known as General Heaven.

From a slave to a high-ranking official.

He thought he was the protagonist, but he was defeated miserably by General Tian.

The sound of fighting was still ringing in my ears, and it was getting closer and closer!

As he ran, the sound of armor plates colliding could be heard.

But this brief moment of consciousness quickly dissipated.

When a person dies, it is like a light going out. The first founding hero of the Black Caliphate, the Governor-General of Khorasan, has died!

This man, who was called "Bingbo Xilin" in Chinese history books, withdrew from the stage of history early under the promotion of Li Xuan.

"Governor, I will continue to follow you!"

"Pfft!"

As soon as Alin Ibrahim finished speaking, he drew his sword and committed suicide.

It was impossible for the people in the hall not to feel a trace of sadness.

Regardless of whether the Governor of Khorasan was at fault or not, he was very popular during that time.

However, General Tian appeared and ruined the reputation of the Governor of Khorasan.

Looking inside the palace again, the Tang army had already entered, and the remaining Arab soldiers were fleeing in panic.

The Tang army was getting closer and closer to the main palace, and what the Governor of Khorasan heard before he died was not an illusion.

The frightened nobles and officials hurriedly carried the body of the Governor of Khorasan and ordered the Arab soldiers to give up resistance and surrender to the Tang army.

"The Governor of Khorasan is dead?"

Li Xuan, dressed in military uniform, entered the palace of King Kang and saw the body of the Governor of Khorasan.

"General Tian, ​​he is the Governor of Khorasan!"

King Cao of Khorasan, Koropurlu, had met the Governor of Khorasan. He pointed at the Governor of Khorasan's body and answered Li Xuan.

He was also very sad.

Last year, the Governor of Khorasan summoned the kings of the Western Regions to the city of Samakan.

At that time, the Governor of Khorasan commanded a huge army and was full of vigor and vitality. People at that time believed that the Governor of Khorasan was a great hero and the actual controller of Khorasan in the future.

As General Tian entered the river, everything was shattered!
The kings of Transoxiana understood that the Governor of Khorasan only believed in God, but the Heavenly General was the true God.

"The Governor of Khorasan is a hero. I admire him very much. What a pity!"

Li Xuan said it was a pity, but there was not a trace of regret in his heart.

In Li Xuan's mind, the Governor of Khorasan must die.

The ideas he advocated posed a great threat to Li Xuan's rule over Transoxiana and his influence in the Khorasan region.

The map he dominates does not need such fanatical believers.

The Arabs are the Arabs, the Sogdians are the Sogdians, and the Persians are the Persians.

"General Tian, ​​please spare our lives. We are willing to offer you all our wealth and are willing to serve you!"

At this moment, the noble officials who were escorted by the soldiers knelt beside Li Xuan and begged for forgiveness.

When they heard that this was the Heavenly General, they were in awe and fear.

They are willing to give everything as long as they can save their lives.

Geluopulu translated to Li Xuan in his ear.

"Slow! Let them go!"

Li Xuan waved his hand and asked the soldiers to step aside.

"Who are you?"

Li Xuan asked about their identities.

"General Huitian, we are from the Khorasan region..."

A Persian noble official represented the group and answered Li Xuan.

Li Xuan's youthful appearance made them even more stunned.

Being able to dominate the world at such a young age, what else could he be but a god?
They honestly confessed their identities to Li Xuan.

Their status was equivalent to that of the powerful people and local officials in the Tang Dynasty, and they were typical local emperors.

There were Persians, Arabs, Visigoths, and even Indians, and so on.

When Li Xuan heard that these people were willing to pay for their lives, he immediately became interested.

He was just trying to make money!

However, most of the assets of these noble officials are in the Khorasan region, including gold, silver and treasures, so Li Xuan must enter the Khorasan region to take them.

This is not a problem for Li Xuan!
Li Xuan wanted to restore the Sassanid Empire and take over the Khorasan region as Sassanid territory.

Just need some support from Khorasan nobles!

As for the Khorasan nobles conquered by Li Xuan, even after the establishment of Sassanid Persia, Li Xuan had a huge influence on them.

If the Black Caliphate had not disintegrated, Li Xuan would not have been able to so stubbornly attack Iraq, their holy city of Mecca, and Egypt.

Because that would cause the loss of his elite troops and might also cause him to get stuck in a quagmire from which he could not extricate himself.

The establishment of the Sassanid Empire, which had swallowed up the Khorasan region, coupled with the blood transfusion from the river, would allow him to have no worries.

"Pushang, the descendant of Yazdegerd III, the last monarch of Persia, is in Zhezhi City. He is still the orthodox Persian king appointed by the Tang Dynasty. I want to re-establish the Persian Kingdom. What do you think?"

After hearing what these people said, Li Xuan asked them.

"We are looking forward to the restoration of Persia all the time, and we will definitely support it!"

After a moment of silence, a Persian answered Li Xuan.

This is good for the Persians.

The Black Arabs are obviously not very good, and the territory dominated by the Persians is always stronger than the Arabs. If they support Pushan in advance, they can not only save their lives, but may also continue to be noble.

The Khorasanized Arabs looked embarrassed, as they all understood what the restoration of Persia meant.

The territory of the Persian Empire at its peak was the same as that of the Caliphate Empire at its peak.

They will definitely be driven back to the desert!
But from the moment they knelt before Li Xuan, they gave up their beliefs.

Disagreement means death.

After the Persian nobleman finished speaking, everyone present supported Li Xuan in restoring Sassanid Persia.

"Okay! You will stay in the palace of King Kang for the time being. After a while, you will follow the army to the west."

Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction.

"Thank you, General Tian! You will be our faith from now on, and we are willing to go through fire and water for you!"

After hearing the message from Koropulu, these noble officials expressed their gratitude again.

Li Xuan would not absolutely believe in them. The casual abandonment and establishment of beliefs meant that they would become capricious when facing more powerful forces.

However, Li Xuan is powerful and they are easy to use.

It was already late, and Li Xuan ordered his men to clean up the battlefield, count the casualties, and organize the food and supplies in Samugan City.

King Kang was newly appointed by the Governor of Khorasan last year. Li Xuan deposed him and later escorted him back to Chang'an to be tried. He also appointed the son of the previous king who was killed by the Arabs as the new King Kang.

In this way, he gained the trust of the people and soldiers of Kangguo.

Also get the royal family's allegiance!

The next day, before the grain was counted, a messenger came from the south and entered the city of Samogan to report to Li Xuan: "General Li, more than 30,000 Arab infantrymen were found in the Tiemen Pass area, including a large number of heavily armored infantrymen, and they are about to meet the infantry led by General Zhang Xing."

Li Xuan was not surprised. He had caught the Arabs off guard in this battle, and the Arabs were unprepared. Troops from various regions and provinces poured in one after another.

If only the infantry arrived without the support of cavalry, the Tang army could easily cut off their food supply and surround and kill them.

Immediately afterwards, Li Xuan ordered Che Shensai and Feng Changqing to lead the cavalry of the Jinglüe Army to rush south to support Zhang Xing, and strongly advocated the encirclement and annihilation of all the infantry of the Arabs.

Li Xuan did not go to this battle personally, as he believed that his subordinates could do a great job.

The Anxi and Beiting infantry and cavalry under Li Xuan needed to rest.

The plan was to set out five days later and raid the city of Murug in the Khorasan region.

Taking advantage of the fact that Khorasan Province had almost no military strength, take over Khorasan Province.

Then expand to other Khorasan regions.

The Khorasan region in a broad sense reaches the southeast of the Caspian Sea.

He wanted to occupy Khorasan first under the banner of restoring Persia.

The Roman Empire had a feud with the Black Caliphate. When the White Caliphate was about to be destroyed, Constantine V recaptured Gemanicia Machaia in northern Syria.

The Roman Empire could not possibly be unaware of the Arab Empire’s troop mobilization.

They are mortal enemies with the Arab Empire, and will take action once they get some information.

Even the enemies of the Roman Empire included the Slavs and Bulgars.

But restoring the former glory of the Roman Empire is the wish of all Roman monarchs.

Constantine V's father, Leo III, was the founding monarch of the Isaurian dynasty of the Roman Empire. He took advantage of the siege of Constantinople by the Arabs to change the dynasty and repel the Arabs. His achievements were great.

Constantine V would certainly inherit his father's long-cherished wish and move towards the glory of the Roman Empire.

Li Xuan creates opportunities for them!
After suffering heavy casualties, the Black Caliphate could not withstand the crisis on both sides.

Three days later, the inventory of food and fodder in Samakan City was completed.

The food and grass available in Hezhong now are enough to feed the Tang army for more than a year.

Li Xuan temporarily had some gold, silver and jewelry transported to Zhezhi City.

In the Battle of Samagan, the Tang army captured a total of more than 60,000 horses. In total, only 10,000 horses were killed, injured, or damaged.

Li Xuan held a funeral for the soldiers who died on horseback on the north bank of the Mishui River.

In the two battles, more than 7,000 people of the Tang Dynasty coalition were killed. Even if they were Hu people, Li Xuan treated them equally.

He promised to reward the Qarluk, Sogdian, Bukhara and Turgesh tribes after the war.

Li Xuan was very sorry for the death of Zhao Chongxie, the governor of Suiye. He planned to pass on his achievements to his descendants for their benefit in the future.

Lai Zhen, the deputy garrison commander of Suiye, temporarily serves as the garrison commander of Suiye.

Li Xuan promoted Hao Tingyu to the position of deputy garrison commander of Suiye.

Li Xuan knew that Hao Tingyu had also been named a prince in history and had extraordinary abilities.

Moreover, Hao Tingyu was a soldier, not from the Helong faction brought by Li Xuan. Promoting Hao Tingyu could boost the morale of the Anxi Beiting army and highlight Li Xuan's prestige.

As for Li Siye and others who have made great contributions, they will be rewarded after the war is over.

There were many official positions in the Anxi Protectorate and the Beiting Protectorate, but too few important ones.

This makes the generals' abilities and positions not quite matched.

At the same time, Li Xuan ordered the generals of the Tocharian countries to lead their subordinates back to Hezhong.

Li Xuan appointed them as their respective kings and asked them to overthrow the original kings and become the new leaders.

Li Xuan was very unhappy with the Tocharian countries' fickleness.

Many of them believe in the Arab religion.

As the front line of Khorasan, Li Xuan wanted the Tocharian countries to be able to resist with all their might when the Arabs invaded.

Instead of being indecisive as they are now, they not only did not resist, but on the one hand they surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and on the other hand they welcomed the Arab army, provided them with food and fodder, and helped them cross the Wuhu River.

Li Xuan did not interfere in the political affairs of the Tocharian countries, but only wanted to eliminate this group of rulers in exchange for newer and more powerful forces.

Those who became kings under Li Xuan's power were more likely to obey Li Xuan.

As for the former land of Zhaowu, Li Xuan did not intervene. Li Xuan had no reason to dismiss the kings of these Sogdian countries.

In view of their contributions in the war, Li Xuan summoned the kings of Sogdia, Bukhara, Bukhara and other countries to hold a banquet to appease them, and told them not to panic about what would happen next in Tocharistan.

The Tang Dynasty never treats unfairly those who are loyal to it.

Li Xuan also ordered Khwarezm, which was close to the Leizhu Sea (now the Aral Sea), to pay tribute to him and pledge his allegiance.

Khwarezm was also called Huxun in this era and was conquered by the White Caliphate decades ago.

Since they had to cross thousands of miles of desert and reach a remote place, Li Xuan had no desire to send troops to Khwarezm.

The current Khwarezmian Empire is not even as good as the Cao State.

If Khwarezm really didn't know how to appreciate his kindness, Li Xuan wouldn't mind sending a group of elite troops to drink water and attack Lei Zhuhai.

Before leaving, the generals of the Tocharian countries expressed their loyalty to Li Xuan.

He was originally just a general, but with the support of Li Xuan, they also felt that they were destined to become king.

General Tian’s words were like an imperial decree.

Their subordinates follow the Heavenly General and have become somewhat fierce, so it would be very easy for them to stage a coup.

Among these generals, there are many brothers of the king and members of the royal family.

But who doesn’t want to be the king?

Li Xuan promised them that as long as they obeyed the Tang Dynasty, he would not interfere in their country or shake their position.

And let them carry the "General Heaven's Order" and do it boldly.

The generals of the Tocharian countries are more confident!

Five days later, Li Xuan did not wait for the results of the battle at Tiemen Pass, but set out to raid the Khorasan province.

He led the Anxi, Beiting Army, Great Wall Army, Qarlug, Turgesh Cavalry, and Bukhara Cavalry.

Leave Yuchi Sheng behind to guard the city of Samugan and keep in touch with Li Xuan.

As for the Sogdian troops, they helped the Tang army guard the Arab prisoners.

On this trip, Li Xuan also brought with him the Persian King Pushan and a group of Persian Arab nobles.

He marched along the Nami River, passed the Heguo and Anguo countries, crossed the Wuhu River (now the Amu Darya River), and then marched through the desert.

This road was originally used by the Governor of Khorasan to transport food and fodder to the river.

The Tang army had guides and scouts marching forward, and even the infantry rode horses and marched quickly.

Li Xuan had already learned the marching routes of the various provinces of the Arab Empire from noble officials.

We must quickly capture the Khorasan province before they can react, and it would be best if we could defeat part of the Arab reinforcements.

The defeat of Samar would soon reach Abu Abbas's ears, and he would certainly make a new decision.

Li Xuan wanted to give him a time difference.

……

When Li Xuan was heading towards Khorasan Province, a fierce battle was taking place outside the Iron Gate.

In the southern part of the Khorasan region, the Syrian infantry was originally stationed near India to suppress the rebellion.

So when they marched, they would pass through Tokharistan and cross the Iron Gate Pass.

They were only urged to march quickly and did not know that the city of Samakan had already fallen.

Therefore, after encountering the 6,000 infantrymen of the Jinglüe Army led by Zhang Xing, the first choice was to break through the pass and attack.

The Arab general thought that with their invincible heavy infantry and numerical advantage, they could easily break through the Iron Gate and join up with the Grand Emir.

But the two thousand powerful crossbows capable of piercing armor caused the Arab infantry to suffer greatly.

The Tang army occupied the high ground, and their heavily armored infantry were indestructible. The Arab infantry suffered heavy casualties, but were unable to conquer the high ground.

They sent more light infantry to assist in the attack, but they were also killed by the Modao Army and a river of blood flowed.

In just one day, the light cavalry and elite cavalry of the Tang army arrived.

Also arriving were heavy armored cavalrymen, each with four horses.

After seeing this, the Arab infantry decisively withdrew from the battle.

If the cavalry does not charge, the infantry will never be a match for the cavalry, even the most elite Syrian heavy infantry in Khorasan.

They retreated in formation, and Che Shensai led the cavalry in pursuit all the way to Wuhu River.

Preventing the Arab infantry from crossing the river.

The ship they came on had long since disappeared.

Once the food and supplies they carry run out, that will be the end of them.

This is the disadvantage of going abroad to conquer others. Once you lose the initiative, you will become a prey to be slaughtered.

We have elite infantry but nowhere to use them.

The Tang army's cavalry, numbering more than 10,000, harassed the enemy day and night, not giving them a chance to build boats or rafts.

In ten days, their food supply was exhausted.

During this period, the chief general of the Arab Empire wanted to pretend to surrender, but Feng Changqing saw through the plan and did not fall for it.

When the Arab infantry was at the end of their rope, some soldiers tried to swim across the Wuhu River to escape.

They disregarded their general's orders!
However, most of the Arab soldiers could not swim, which caused the Arab infantry to be in chaos.

Che Shensai decisively ordered the heavy cavalry to charge, followed by elite cavalry, and light cavalry to raid the formation.

Two hours later, corpses were strewn all over the area beside the Wuhu River, and thousands of Arab infantrymen drowned in the water.

Their leader was killed by the God of Chariots.

In the end, more than 10,000 people were captured.

In the Battle of Wuhu River, the Tang army won a great victory.

It also means completely eliminating the Arab forces in the river.

From that day on, on the city in the river, there was only the military flag of the Tang Dynasty and the title of "Heavenly General" known to everyone, including women and children.

Following the military order left by Li Xuan, Cheshensai destroyed the Arab infantry and sent soldiers to take the captives to Samugan City.

The rest of the troops, including the infantry led by Zhang Xing, crossed the Wuhu River, detoured from the southern part of Tokharistan, and joined forces with Li Xuan's main force in Khorasan Province...

(End of this chapter)