The Tang army's strength increased greatly at Abivalde, and the arrival of more elite cavalry put great pressure on the Arabs.

Now they can only rely on the Abivalde River to stalemate with the Tang army.

Khalid ibn Barmak had no confidence to begin with. His name was Khalid, but he was nothing like Khalid, the Sword of Allah.

He volunteered to lead the troops eastward, mainly to show his presence and take over the position of Grand Emir after returning, with political purposes in mind.

It was originally thought that this war would end with the Tang army's occupation of Transoxiana and that the negotiations between Abu Salamah Helale and General Tian would go smoothly. However, the long-lost Sassanid Persia was established.

After hearing the news, Khalid ibn Barmak knew that something bad was going to happen. Khalid ibn Barmak, who liked to flatter, knew Abu Abbas's temper too well.

Before the war with the Tang Dynasty, the person Khalid ibn Barmak feared most was not Abu Abbas, but the Governor of Khorasan.

Khalid ibn Barmak was born into a Persian noble family. When the Governor-General of Khorasan revolted, he realized that the corrupt White Caliphate was on the decline, so he joined the Governor-General's team and became a general under his command.

So he knew the talents of the Governor of Khorasan best.

He is not greedy for money or women, but is devoted to preaching and striving for the greatness of Allah!

There is no point in such a person living in the world, but this is what Khalid ibn Barmak feared about the Governor of Khorasan.

He knew that Abu Abbas was afraid of the Governor of Khorasan, so he repeatedly catered to Abu Abbas's thoughts, saying that he would find a way to get rid of the Governor of Khorasan as soon as possible, expressing his loyalty and winning the trust of Abu Abbas.

However, the Governor of Khorasan was too powerful, commanding hundreds of thousands of professional elite soldiers, so even Abu Abbas could not act rashly.

Such a powerful Governor of Khorasan was forced to death in several battles by the Heavenly General, the Great Emir who was good at cavalry combat was killed in battle, and Humam Hussein, the first warrior of the Arabs, was also killed by the Heavenly General. Coupled with the various legends about the Heavenly General, Khalid ibn Barmak was extremely afraid of the Heavenly General.

In the military camp, he couldn't sleep or eat well.

He ordered tens of thousands of soldiers to patrol day and night and be ready for battle on the river bank at any time. He would be awakened by the slightest movement at night, for he was afraid that the Tang army would force its way across the river.

Khalid ibn Barmak looked worried when faced with Abu Abbas's order to defeat the Heavenly General.

Every day is torture and my face is haggard.

Even though troops from Egypt, Libya, Fars, the Holy City, Armenia and other regions have arrived here, there are more than 60,000 professional soldiers and about 60,000 volunteer soldiers.

The military strength is far stronger than that of the Tang army.

But they had only 9,000 cavalrymen, and their military momentum was far weaker than that of the Tang army.

From the soldiers to the commander-in-chief, everyone felt guilty.

"marshal……"

"Reporting to the Marshal, countless Tang cavalrymen have arrived at Abivalde, and scouts seem to have seen General Tian!"

The Arab scouts entered the camp and reported to Khalid ibn Barmak.

"Can you say that again!"

When the tired Khalid ibn Barmak heard the news, he straightened up instantly.

General Tian is coming!
He had never met this terrifying name, but it was engraved in his heart. Whenever he heard it, he would get angry.

The scout was obedient and reported the military intelligence he had obtained to Khalid ibn Barmak again.

"How many soldiers and horses did the general bring?"

Khalid ibn Barmak took a deep breath and asked the scout.

"The new cavalry brought by the Tang army has two horses for each man, and some even have four horses. It looks like there are endless armor and countless war horses. It is estimated that there are nearly 100,000 war horses..."

The scout said a number that he was not sure of. After all, they couldn't get too close and could only watch from a distance.

"Quickly invite the vizier..."

Khalid ibn Barmak was alarmed and immediately ordered the vizier to be sent for.

Abu Salamah al-Halal was a founding hero and had experience in commanding major wars.

"Vizier, General Tian is personally leading tens of thousands of Tang cavalry here. They should be the main force of the Tang army who have experienced hundreds of battles, not servants. What should we do?"

As soon as Abu Salamah al-Halal entered the tent, Khalid ibn Barmak spoke impatiently, appearing to be in a state of panic.

"Why are you panicking? As a marshal, shouldn't you be calm at this time?"

Abu Salamah al-Halal rebuked Khalid ibn Barmak.

Khalid ibn Barmak had gotten to this point by playing both sides and taking shortcuts, and Abu Salamah al-Halal looked down on him.

Abu Abbas was moody, so he had to do his best to assist Khalid ibn Barmak in defeating the Tang army.

Even if they looked down on Khalid ibn Barmak, at this moment, they shared honor and disgrace!

"I have offended the vizier and lost my composure."

Khalid ibn Barmak hastened to apologize.

Abu Salamah al-Halal is second only to the emperor and above everyone else, so he cannot afford to offend him.

"When I met the general that day, I knew he was ready to fight. I warned you long ago that this was an unavoidable war."

"It's just that we are too passive. Although we can defend the river now, the Tang army can bypass the river and get behind us. We must observe the movements of the Tang army at all times and be prepared for battle. This battle is related to the survival of the Black Caliphate. Allah will bless us!"

Abu Salamah al-Halal said solemnly to Khalid ibn Barmak.

The governors of Azerbaijan and other places did not obey the orders of the Caliph, otherwise they would definitely have a better chance of winning.

Now Abu Salamah Helal believed that the best strategy was to defend and wait for the attack, to transport food from various regions with all his strength, to make use of the mountains and terrain here, and to fight a decisive battle with the Tang army.

Abu Salamah al-Halal expected the Tang army to bypass the river and attack them from behind.

"It is said that the Tang army likes to cut off our food supplies. If they go around to the rear and cut off our food supplies, what should we do?"

Khalid ibn Barmak was not without insight.

"If that happens, we will use the cavalry to cover the infantry and take the initiative to enter the Khorasan province to fight the Tang army."

Abu Salamah al-Halal said, Now, there is only one way.

Although they had a large number of infantry, they lacked cavalry, making them extremely passive.

"Vizier, the Caliph has ordered you to lead 50,000 troops and return immediately to provide assistance. The emperor of the Roman Empire is leading an army of 100,000 and is preparing to attack Syria."

At this moment, Khalid ibn Barmak's personal guard led a special envoy and hurried into the tent to read out the divine decree.

Emergency at the border!
Abu Salamah al-Halal and Khalid ibn Barmak were both stunned!

Abu Salamah al-Halal's worst fear had come true.

Faced with such a sudden change in the Black Caliphate, how could Constantine V miss this opportunity?

Thirty thousand elite troops in the Syrian region were annihilated by the Tang army at Wuhu River.

There are only 20,000 troops left in Syria, while there are still 50,000 Guards infantry in Iraq.

How could these troops fight head-on against the Roman Empire? If they failed, the Black Caliphate would collapse.

Because Syria and Iraq are the core of the Caliphate.

The Caliphate controlled the territories of Asia, Africa and Europe by relying on Syria and Iraq.

Jerusalem, Damascus, and Hashemite City were the most important towns in the Caliphate.

Once Syria is lost, the holy city of Mecca will also be under great threat.

Even though Abu Abbas knew about the crisis in the east, he had to withdraw troops from the east to support the capital area.

In addition, they had to put pressure on the provinces that had surrendered to them to recruit more volunteers.

Even after changes of dynasties and a sharp decline in population, the territory controlled by the Black Caliphate still had a population of 20 million, and there were still many middle-aged men.

"I understand. Write back to the Caliph and I will lead my troops back immediately."

Abu Salamah Helal had no choice but to obey.

Abu Abbas had long been displeased with him, and if he disobeyed his orders, he would definitely order his death.

"Vizil, what should I do now that you are gone?"

After the messenger left, Khalid ibn Barmak said to Abu Salamah al-Halal.

How can he fight if 50,000 soldiers are taken away at once?
"No matter what, we must stop the Tang army from advancing westwards until we can repel the Romans who are taking advantage of our situation."

Abu Salamah Helal said solemnly.

Now his mind was in a mess and he had no way to solve the dilemma, so he could only let Khalid ibn Barmak fend for himself.

"Vizil, you can't leave! Have you ever thought that if we are defeated by the Tang army, the Tang army will march straight to Hashim City."

Khalid ibn Barmak said to Abu Salamah al-Halal in a deep voice.

They are the last line of defense. Once lost, the Tang army will be able to move around at will.

"But if we lose Syria, we will lose Iraq too. Our country will cease to exist. If I disobey the Caliph's orders, my head will fall off!"

Abu Salamah Helal said bitterly.

They were too impatient. In the battle for Hezhong with the Tang Dynasty, one wrong move led to the complete loss.

As a result, we are now in a difficult situation.

"We give up the territory south of the Caspian Sea and let the Caliph take the wealth from the treasury. We leave hope, so why worry about not making a comeback?"

Khalid ibn Barmak spoke what was in his heart.

If it were any other time, he would definitely not dare to say that.

This moment, that moment.

The people along the way complained bitterly as their food was confiscated for military use.

The soldiers had traveled thousands of miles and had not even had a few days' rest before they had to face the terrifying General Heavenly.

Some of them would have to make another long journey back to Syria to fight against the Roman Empire.

People are not made of iron, and their hearts can be lost step by step.

"How can you ask such a question? If you ask it in front of the Caliph, he will kill you."

Abu Salamah Helal immediately waved his hand.

The Caliph changed his name to Abu Safah Abbas, where Safah means butcher. He called himself the shadow of Allah on the earth and vowed to rule the empire with iron and blood.

The Caliph was to be nailed to the pillar of shame after ceding thousands of miles of territory and paying countless compensations to Dir Khan.

Even if there was a slight chance that the army could defeat the Heavenly General, the Caliph would not agree to this strategy. Obviously, the Caliph believed that Khalid ibn Barmak, who still had 70,000 soldiers, had a chance to defeat the Heavenly General.

Seeing that Khalid ibn Barmak remained silent, Abu Salamah al-Halal said to him: "I will lead the army away and will not carry too much food. The food here will be enough for you to eat for four months. Gaobu's camp will be defended and we will wait for victory in the west."

"As ordered!"

Khalid ibn Barmak also gave up.

As a person who has risen to a high position by being "flexible", the more he sticks to his guns, the more guilty he feels.

Therefore, Khalid ibn Barmak had other ideas.

That night, Abu Salamah al-Halal led 5,000 cavalry and 50,000 infantry to evacuate the camp.

The reason for choosing to evacuate at night was naturally to avoid being discovered by the Tang army.

But Li Xuan liked to use scouts the most when fighting.

Usually, within a radius of 100 miles of a garrison, there must be a scout with four horses and one person.

The Tang army's scouts had already bypassed the river and arrived near the Arab camp.

When they saw the mobilization of tens of thousands of Arab infantry, they immediately rushed back to the Tang army camp and reported the news to Li Xuan.

"What are the Arabs trying to do by sending out tens of thousands of troops at night?"

Li Xuan summoned his staff and generals to the central military camp to discuss matters overnight.

"They probably don't want to launch a surprise attack on us. If the Arab army doesn't cross the river, it will take tens of thousands of infantrymen to bypass us by tomorrow afternoon at the very least. It will be meaningless. Instead, it will expose their weaknesses!"

Cheng Qianli spoke up to express his opinion.

Some generals thought that Cheng Qianli was right. If it weren't for the several-meter-wide river blocking their way, their cavalry would have already entered the Arab camp.

"General Li, perhaps something happened in the Arab Empire, such as a rebellion. The Arab Empire had just experienced a change of dynasty, but it went to war with all its might, and the people were full of complaints. I think it was a rebellion in the Arab Empire, forcing the Arab Empire to separate its troops and go back to provide assistance. It could also be that the governor of another place wanted to seize power!"

Feng Changqing gave a different opinion.

China would usually recover its strength a few years after a change of dynasty before engaging in a national war.

Even at the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the Wei River Shame occurred.

The Arab Empire had been established for just over a year, and the people had not yet settled down, when it went to war with the Tang Dynasty.

General Li’s bravery was unmatched, and he had already damaged the vitality of the Arabs.

"Judge Feng is right. This is our chance!"

Che Shen Sai agreed with Feng Changqing's opinion.

Other generals and subordinates felt that this possibility was very high.

"There is another possibility. The Roman Empire saw an opportunity and led its army southward to attack the Syrian region of the Arab Empire. Constantine V of the Roman Empire was a monarch who was determined to become an emperor. Rome and the Arab Empire were mortal enemies. Their territories overlapped greatly in history. They must want to retake Jerusalem!"

After pondering for a while, Li Xuan gave another possibility.

Jun Laowu has a bad temper and is easily impulsive. Sometimes he makes stupid moves, but he is definitely a promising monarch.

The location of Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire, meant that they needed greater depth.

Jun Laowu made a profit when the Arabs were in turmoil a few years ago. This time, he will not let go of the opportunity.

The generals and subordinates knew that General Li was knowledgeable about both China and foreign countries. They knew nothing about the Roman Empire, and they learned a lot of information about the Arab Empire and Sassanid Persia from General Li.

The Roman Empire was called "Fulin" by the Tang Dynasty. It was also a powerful country and they had every motivation to attack the Arab Empire.

"General Li, the Arabs are mainly infantrymen. Our army can pursue tens of thousands of Arab infantrymen. Their marching back and forth has damaged their fighting spirit, which is our army's achievement. No matter what problems the Arabs have, we can destroy these troops and turn around to besiege the Arab infantrymen on the Abivald River. By then, thousands of miles of land will be under our iron hoofs."

Ma Lin suggested to Li Xuan.

He thought of not attacking the troops along the Abivalde River, but rather eating up all the Arab infantry.

"Exactly what I want!"

"There is no need to rush. Tomorrow, the Great Wall Army, the Jinglüe Army, the Qiuci Army, and the Suiye Army will form a multi-horse cavalry formation and chase them. The remaining troops from Anxi Beiting, the Tuqishi tribes, and the Karluk will bypass the river to prevent support from the troops on the Abivald River!"

After seeing that the generals and subordinates all agreed, Li Xuan issued the military order.

Even if, as he expected, the Roman Empire was preparing to attack the Arab Empire, Li Xuan was not worried, because he was not afraid of the rise of the Roman Empire.

He felt that it would be very difficult for Jun Laowu to annex Iraq.

Jun Laowu also had his own great enemies, the Bulgars.

The Bulgarian Khan was no pushover either. In order to resist the Bulgars, Jun Laowu built more than 600 castles of various sizes along the border.

The Bulgars were a nomadic people who rose up on the steppes north of the Caspian Sea and were good at fighting.

Two hundred years ago, they united with the Slavs and constantly plundered the Roman Empire. They were extremely cruel and often carried out massacres.

More than a hundred years ago, the Bulgars became strong and established the Great Bulgarian Khanate.

The Bulgars have always coveted the wealth of the southern region and dreamed of destroying the Roman Empire and taking its wealth into their hands.

They would rather herd horses in the fertile lands of the Roman Empire.

Now the Roman Empire still needs to pay tribute to the Bulgars, which is an unprecedented humiliation in the history of the Roman Empire.

But the Bulgars wanted more than just tribute.

Li Xuan clearly remembered that in two or three years at most, the national war between the Bulgarian Khanate and the Roman Empire would break out and last for many years. Although Jun Laowu won the victory in history and was awarded the title of "Bulgarian Butcher", it was definitely not a wise choice to go to war with the Arab Empire now.

"As ordered!"

The generals take orders.

The next day, before dawn, the Tang army cooked and killed the fat sheep they brought with them.

The soldiers can have a good meal before going into battle.

Before setting off, Li Xuan gathered all the soldiers and gave an inspiring speech to boost morale.

"Since ancient times, we are the only ones who have set foot on this land. Even Zhang Qian and Ban Chao could not catch up with us! This is a unique moment in history, a pioneering work worthy of praise and tears..."

"I will go down in history with you. Even if we cannot record the names of every soldier, the great papermaking and printing technology of our Chinese nation will record the deeds of Anxi and Beiting one by one. The medals that symbolize glory will benefit our descendants for generations to come..."

"We wiped out all enemies for the Tang Dynasty. We carried on the past and made achievements like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. The merits of jumping and dancing are everywhere. The scholars praised us with poems. When we returned home in glory, the elders and villagers cheered us..."

"The iron cavalry of the Tang Dynasty is unstoppable. They will tear the weak Arabs into pieces. We will use their heads to exchange for military merits. I will charge into battle with you..."

Li Xuan stood in the center of the soldiers, his voice as loud as a bell.

He not only cares about honor, but also military achievements and wealth!
Whoever kills more enemies will have the capital to return home in glory.

"I am willing to die for Marshal Li..."

"General Tian...General Tian..."

When everyone understood the meaning of Li Xuan's words, the Han people shouted that they were willing to serve.

Among them, there were various kinds of nonsense mixed in, and people were shouting "General Tian!"
Military spirit is available!

Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction. He thought this was his last battle in West Asia.

He had to withdraw his elite troops back to Anxi as soon as possible to rest and replenish the damaged forces.

If Fatty An rebels at this time, he will be in a very passive position.

His troops were very tired after a series of battles, and even more exhausted after the long journey. They might not be a match for Fatty An's Yanyun Cavalry.

Across the Abiwald River, Khalid Ibn Barmak almost fell off his bed after hearing the loud shouts. He thought the Tang army was about to launch an attack and shouted, "What's going on? Are the Tang army going to cross the river?"

"Reporting to the Marshal, the Tang army is gathering, I wonder what they are going to do?"

After the guards inquired, they reported back to Khalid ibn Barmak.

"All troops on guard! We must cross the river."

Khalid ibn Barmak shouted, put on his armor, and immediately walked out of the camp.

If the Tang army crosses the river, the infantry will definitely lead the charge.

When Khalid ibn Barmak arrived in front of the camp, he saw that all the Tang troops on the other side of the river were on horseback.

The spare horse carried a lot of food.

It doesn't look like a river crossing attack.

"The Tang army is going to go around the river and reach our rear."

Khalid ibn Barmak knew the purpose of the Tang army.

He ordered his subordinates to reinforce the camp as much as possible to prevent attacks from the Tang cavalry.

At the same time, Khalid ibn Barmak's eyes flickered and he was very conflicted.

……

The Tang army did not do what Khalid ibn Barmak had expected.

Li Xuan personally led the Jinglüe Army, the Great Wall Army, as well as the Anxi Qiuci Army and the Suiye Army.

Li Xuan had assigned two horses to each man in the Anxi Qiuci and Suiye armies, and the Modao team also had four horses to each man.

Try to defeat the tens of thousands of Arab infantry with the most elite forces and the fastest speed.

The other troops, with the assistance of the Qarluk, Turgesh and Bactrian cavalry, can deal with the remaining cavalry of the Arabs.

Li Xuan initially thought that Khalid ibn Barmak would support his attacking infantry, but he obviously overestimated Khalid ibn Barmak.

The cavalrymen on two horses galloped quickly. Under the guidance of the scouts, they bypassed the towns of the Arabs and rested for four hours every day to feed their horses and maintain their strength.

The guards in the counties of the Arab Empire trembled with fear when they saw so many Tang troops passing through.

They closed the city gates. If the Tang army attacked the city at this time, 80% of the cities would surrender without hesitation.

The cavalry on two horses traveled more than 200 miles a day and were getting closer and closer to the 50,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry led by Abu Salamah al-Halal.

Abu Salamah Helal never expected that the Tang army would pursue him relentlessly.

Because it would take the Tang army more than a hundred miles just to bypass rivers and mountains.

When the Tang army was 20 miles away from them, the soldiers led by Abu Salamah Helale discovered that the elite Tang cavalry was attacking them...

(End of this chapter)